Chapter 5
It had been several days since Alucard and Akiko's mission at the farm. Akiko had been wondering about what had happened back there but didn't know who to ask about it. Alucard had been furious with the vampire he killed, and deliberately tortured him. She knew what it meant for the children to have been ghouls, the vampire had raped them before draining their blood. It was vile and inhuman, yet Alucard's rage seemed all too personal to be only moral outrage. The kitsune had thought about asking the vampire himself, but each time she tried, her courage failed her. As of right now she was just getting out of the shower, drying herself up and putting on some pajamas to go to sleep.
Alucard stepped out of the shadows in front of her and said, "Did you still wish to go somewhere with me?" Akiko squeaked in surprise before composing herself and said, "Yes, I still do." Alucard took off his sunglasses and looked into her eyes, "Even after what you've seen?" Akiko nodded, "That vampire was a disgusting child rapist and deserved to die for all the people he killed. But you were drawing it out too long. Why?" Alucard put his sunglasses back on and turned his back to her before saying, "The same reason I didn't accept you…'invitation' when we first met." Before Akiko could ask him what he meant, he disappeared back into the shadows. She heard his voice in her head tell her, I will be free tomorrow night, and have been given permission to leave the grounds. I've already made plans; you should wear something nice.
Akiko tried reaching out with her mind, and to her surprise she found Alucard. His mind felt very powerful and chaotic, like a hurricane. She thought to him, How nicely should I dress? Alucard didn't respond at first, but then her mind was filled with images of a fancy restaurant where the waiters and waitresses were impeccably dressed, and only the finest vintages of wine was poured. She then saw images of the Tower of London, a tour through it, and finally ending with a trip to the London Metropolitan Museum. Akiko took a minute to collect her thoughts, so, fancy enough to not embarrass you at the restaurant, but not so insane that I can't be seen in public. Alucard sent her an image of himself looking like the most beautiful man she had ever seen, with long raven hair and ivory skin, wearing a black suit with a red undershirt, Something that matches me at least. I suggest you ask Seras for help. With that, Alucard stopped telepathically speaking to her.
Akiko swallowed and quickly ran to Seras' room, knocking on it vigorously. "Alright, alright!" the blonde vampire yelled as she opened the door, "I was kind of busy reading you know." Akiko nodded, "I'm sorry to bother you, but Alucard and I are going on a date, and he suggested I get you to help me select a dress to wear." Seras stared at her like the kitsune had grown a second head before saying, "You…and Master…on a date…" Seras stared blankly for another minute before she yelled, "WHAAAATT!?" Akiko thought she heard Alucard faintly chuckle from down the hall, but dismissed it and told the Draculina, "Yes, I'm going on a date with Alucard, and need your help to pick out a dress."
"A-alright then…let me get dressed in something more…appropriate. You should get dressed too, and get any money you might have as well," Seras told her. Akiko nodded and headed to her room, where she quickly dressed herself in a pair of jeans and sneakers with a long-sleeved blouse that Hellsing had recovered from her apartment. She checked the weather on her phone and saw it would be chilly and put on a coat as well before grabbing her purse and heading out of her room. Seras was waiting for her, dressed similarly except her coat was pink while Akiko's was blue.
"So then, what is your budget?" Seras asked. Akiko pulled out twelve £100 notes in answer, and Seras just stared at it. "What? I was paid in cash before I hacked into your network, and had it changed to pounds. Sir Integra might have taken most of that cash when she conscripted me, but she didn't take all of it."
"An oversight I shan't make again," came the voice of Integra. Akiko's tail shot up as the fur on it stuck out in all directions, she was so shocked. Sir Integra walked over to the two and said, "So, Alucard is really going on a date. I never thought I'd see the day that that would happen." She faced Akiko as she approached and looked her up and down, and at the cash she still had in hand. The lady knight then turned to Seras and handed her a set of car keys, "Take the Volkswagen, I hear that they're becoming popular again. As for you," Sir Integra returned her attention to Akiko, "I suggest that you keep something in mind for your own good. Alucard was raised in the Medieval times, his values regarding women are very…peculiar. His life has been very unique, so I can't tell you how chivalrous he'll be. Don't expect a perfect gentleman." Akiko thought back to how Alucard had slaughtered the vampire and nodded.
Seras and Akiko left Sir Integra and headed for the garage, where a year 2000 black Volkswagen Beetle was waiting for them. Akiko couldn't help but giggle at the thought a woman like Sir Integra actually driving such a vehicle, before she saw other cars, mostly luxurious limousines and several sedans that seemed more her style. "If you're wondering," Seras said, "The Beetle is my personal car, when I'm allowed out." "How often does that happen?" Akiko asked as they got in and buckled up. "About once every two weeks or so. I had to earn the right to leave on my own, it took a while, but it's so worth it," Seras said as she started driving the Beetle out.
They quickly exited the Hellsing garage and through the road leading to the gates. The guards opened the gates after Seras gave them her identification and closed them as soon as she exited the grounds. Akiko lowered her door's windows and took a moment to enjoy the sights and sounds of London outside of the Hellsing Manor, she had missed the freedom she had before Hellsing. "It's liberating, isn't it?" Seras commented as she stopped at a light. "Yes, it is… How do you deal with knowing that you're that woman's…slave? Isn't it dehumanizing? Horrible?" Akiko asked the other woman. She couldn't understand how Seras could be so cheerful about her situation.
"It was, at first," Seras admitted as she started heading to the better parts of London to reach the high-end shopping malls. "But Integra is a genuinely caring person when you get to know her. Our mission is a terrifying one, and she has had to make hard, terrifying choices in order to protect humanity. It weighs on her, greatly. Over the last thirty years, she's often come to me to vent. Almost every time she has, she's broken down in tears over all the things she's had to do, she honestly believes that her soul is damned to Hell. You're starting to earn her trust; just give her time and you'll see she's only half the bitch she acts like."
Akiko chuckled at that, "That still leaves her as a pretty big bitch." Seras snickered a little, "I suppose." Seras parked the car and they got out in front of a large dress store. Akiko looked up and saw the name, Madame de Varney. "Holy shit…" the kitsune whispered to herself, Madame de Varney was one of the most high-end dress stores in all of Eurasia! Royalty bought from them! "Are you crazy?" Akiko asked Seras as she led her in, "We can't come in here!" Seras just smiled, "It's alright." The two of them went inside Madame de Varney and were immediately greeted by a tall black man in an immaculate blue suit, "Seras! It's been too long!" Seras went up and hugged the man and he hugged her back, "It's a pleasure as always, Bertie. I'm sorry I haven't been by recently, but I've had no need for a new dress in a while. However, my friend here could use your services."
The well-dressed black man, Bertie, turned to look at Akiko. She saw that he wore large glasses and his head was shaved bald, but he had a large smile on his face as he extended his hand, "It is a pleasure to meet a friend of Seras', Miss…" "Akiko, Akiko Itto," the kitsune greeted as she shook his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bertrand Tussel." Bertrand Tussel, aka 'Bertie', smiled, "I see you are a fan of my work." Akiko nodded, "I've read a few articles, saw about a thousand pictures of your dresses online… You're one of the few professional designers who truly designs styles for all body types." Bertie nodded, "Indeed, I believe that all women should be beautiful, and have an equally beautiful dress. Now then, how may I help you, Miss Itto?"
"I need a dress, one that will match my date. He prefers black and red suits, I want something sexy, but will let me walk far, as we are going to several places for our date," Akiko immediately answered. Bertie nodded, "What would you say are your best features? What about yourself would you like to emphasize or minimize in your dress?" Akiko took a minute to think. She never really considered herself sexy, but she did occasionally see men looking at her butt or legs, if she wore shorts. She also had some pretty wide hips, without Seras' narrow waist to go with it. "I'm a bit pear shaped," Akiko told him, "I think my bum might be the better part of me, to be honest, but if you could maybe do something to…" she pushed her breasts together a little to emphasize her cleavage.
Bertie nodded, "Any color you prefer? Or style?" Akiko shrugged, "I'm not much of a fashion expert, sorry. I'm more of a computer whiz, but if you had something to show off my legs, that would be nice." Bertie took a minute to think before he snapped his fingers, "Final question, what is your budget for the dress, shoes will come with it of course." Akiko pulled out her £1200 and Bertie nodded again, "Please wait here, Miss Itto, I shall return with a few dresses for your consideration." Bertie went further into the store, leaving Seras and Akiko at the front, where they sat down at some waiting chairs.
"So, how do you know about this place?" Akiko asked her. "Well, let's just say that there's a certain someone who likes to have a well-dressed companion around them now and then," Seras answered coyly. "Oh…come on, tell me! Who's the lucky guy?" Akiko insisted. "Who says it's a man?" Seras replied. Akiko stopped then and thought for a minute. Her first thought seemed ludicrous, but she couldn't help but blurt out, "Don't tell me that you and Integra are a thing." Seras smirked a little, "Got it in one."
"What, seriously!?" Akiko blurted out, making everyone look at her, before she quieted down, "She's old, and so…even you admitted she's bitchy." Seras nodded, "And how old do you think I am?" That stopped Akiko cold, and she shut up. Seras explained, "I've known Integra Hellsing for thirty years now. In all that time, I've seen her face threats that a lesser human could never hope to and remain sane. She has struggled mightily for all that she has and is one of the strongest people I've ever known. I admit, as a child I never imagine I'd fall for a woman, but times have changed. I look back at all the things I've seen and survived, and I'm still amazed that I'm not even a hundred years old yet. Even if I live for a thousand years, I doubt I'll find many people like Integra."
"I have returned!" Bertie announced, with an entire rack of black and red dresses of almost twenty styles! He also had about a dozen pairs of shoes on another, smaller rack. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting long. These are all the dresses I could find that matched your desire and budget, along with shoes. Please, take a moment, and enjoy. When you've made your choice of dress, I will give you the appropriate shoes," the tall fashion designer said.
For the next hour, Akiko tried on all the dresses Bertie had shown her, along with many combinations with the shoes, from flats to high heels to platforms. Seras watched her the entire time, unfortunately. The Draculina was too compassionate a critic and had nothing bad to say about any combination of dress and shoes, making it difficult for Akiko to decide what she liked best. Finally, Akiko stopped and pulled Seras into the changing room with her and said, "Come on, Seras! I can't decide what is best here!" Seras scratched her head and told her, "Sorry, Akiko, but it's hard to choose. You're a very lovely young woman, a lot of these dresses look great on you. And, it's your money, so it should ultimately be your choice." Seras checked her phone, "We need to hurry, we only have three hours before your date with Alucard."
Akiko grabbed her head in exasperation, and the illusion she had of being human was releases, showing her fox ears and tail in the process. Think, think, something that shows off my legs and makes my boobs look good… Wait… THAT DRESS! Akiko took a second to recreate her human disguise and chose her dress. Bertie smiled as he took it, "Ah yes, the Empire Waist style, with high-low skirt. These open-toed heels should match well." Bertie picked out the black dress and matching heels, the dress's waist was pinched enough with an embroidered frill section in the middle to push in and out her breasts to augment Akiko's bust, while the skirt was short in the front to show off her legs, but stylishly low in the back.
Bertie led them to the checkout, where Akiko paid for her new dress and shoes, and even managed to save £175 on her purchase even! Her dress picked, Akiko and Seras headed back to Hellsing to get her ready for her date with a vampire