Chapter 12
The evening after Akiko discovered her foxfire, Sir Integra had reports of a 'river monster' haunting the River Wye on the border between England and Wales. There was a blurry video of the creature attacking a child, according to reports the child and their parents were never seen again. The child was a boy, Robert Carpenter, and his parents, Harriet and George Carpenter. When Integra told them the news, Akiko looked closely at the image. "This appears to be a kappa. They haunt the rivers and eat anyone foolish enough to invade their territory. They're nearly indestructible, unless you can weaken them," Akiko told Sir Integra. Seras spoke then, "They have a little hole in their head filled with water, right? You need to get rid of the water in the hole to do them in, right?" Akiko nodded, "That will weaken a kappa enough to kill them. However, if I remember my vampire mythology, you and Alucard will be useless, vampires are weak against running water, correct?"
Alucard nodded, "That is correct. Unfortunately, even I am weak against it, if I were to fall in it would render me as weak as any mortal man. I wouldn't die, but I would be rendered effectively powerless." Sir Integra nodded, "Then it's all up to you then, Miss Itto." Akiko nodded, "Yes sir, I understand!" The three of them headed to the helicopter and got on board, Akiko's head was spinning as she checked her guns to make sure they were ready.
As the helicopter took off, Alucard said, "You need to relax, Miss Itto. Fearing your enemy gives them unearned victory." Akiko looked at him, "I know but, I'm still afraid. Kappa's are monstrously strong, maybe an equal to Seras, if not you in raw strength. If it comes to a physical fight, I could be torn to shreds! I'm not strong enough to beat a kappa head on." Alucard nodded, "Then use treachery to defeat him. Didn't the Oriental General Sun Tzu say, 'The Art of War is based on deception'?" Akiko nodded, and stated to think of a possible plan. This would take cunning, she would need to think up something truly clever to do this, and looked at Alucard, "I will need your help for this."
An Hour Later
Akiko was bruised and bleeding slightly as she walked over to the River Wye. She was sore and had several bleeding bite wounds, only bites. Her clothes were torn, and she was unarmed. Luckily, no humans were nearby to see her, or the plan would fail. She leaned over the river and acted as if to clean her wounds, when something large and green jumped out of the river and roared at her. Akiko quickly crawled away from the kappa and revealed her kitsune ears and tail before yelling in Japanese, "Please, spare me, Kappa-sama!" The kappa stopped and looked at her. It was a brown skinned creature with a green turtle shell on its torso. Its hands and feet were webbed, and the kappa's limbs were full of knotted and wiry muscle. Its face resembled a turtle's, but with glowing red eyes and a hole on the top of its cranium where water shined in the moonlight.
"Kitsune," the kappa said, "Why are you here? Aki-dono said that he had a sister that had betrayed us." Akiko nodded and stood up, "It's true, I had joined Hellsing, I was wrong to do that. I was wrong about them. Please, let me explain." The kappa looked at her wounds and walked closer. Akiko's fear was mostly real as the kappa smelled her, "You wreak of the undead." Akiko nodded and pressed one of her wounds to increase the pain enough to make her cry, "I know. One of them, a male vampire called Alucard, he…he tried to rape me. He would have, if we hadn't been interrupted by the other one, a female named Seras. She flew into a rage at him, and the last I saw them they were fighting each other. I just ran as fast as I could to get away from them, before I made it here."
That was the best story Akiko could come up with to trick the kappa. The creature looked at her with sympathy and said, "If we tell Akira-dono this, then I am sure your family will welcome you back with open arms." Akiko smiled and said, "Thank you, so much. My name is Itto Akiko no Satsuma, daughter of Itto Daigoro no Satsuma." Akiko then bowed down in the proper Japanese fashion. The kappa didn't bow back! Instead, it said, "I am Manjuro the Kappa. It is a pleasure to meet you, Akiko-dono." The plan had failed! Akiko had hoped that this kappa would be fooled and bow back to her, draining the water in its skull, but this one was unusually smart for a kappa.
Akiko telepathically reached out and told Alucard, Hurry here now! My plan failed, I'll try to keep him on land, but I don't know how long I can keep him here! Akiko fell to her knees, "Please, Manjuro-san, stay with me, in case Alucard comes for me! I can't go underwater like you, and the vampire is too strong for me to face myself." Akiko forced herself to cry some more, and Manjuro the Kappa got closer to her and started to look around, "I will protect you, Akiko-dono. I shall call others first so that they can take you to your family." The kappa then made a series of whistles and clicks that made Akiko's ears hurt. "Others will come within the hour to escort you. I will protect you until then," Manjuro the kappa said and stood close to Akiko, his eyes open to look for Alucard.
Hurry Alucard! I don't know who he's called, but they can't be good. I oversold the story! Alucard telepathically responded, That could work to our advantage. Just wait for us, we will be there in three minutes. Akiko nodded to Manjuro the kappa and laid down on her side. Manjuro guarded her perfectly the entire time, before they smelled Alucard coming. "There you are," the No-Life King said as he emerged from the shadows, his hat and sunglasses gone and his eyes glowing with power. He turned to Manjuro and said, "So, you're a kappa. You look like you'd make a fine soup." Manjuro got between Akiko and Alucard and said in Japanese, "I won't let you hurt Akiko-dono. I will have your head, vampire!" Alucard's smile widened, he couldn't speak Japanese, but he understood the tone of a challenge.
Alucard darted forward, his red coat flying behind him as he slammed into the kappa hard enough to cause a small shockwave. Manjuro was pushed back a foot but didn't falter before he stepped back to try to send Alucard into the River Wye, but Alucard only made one step towards it before turning around. Manjuro slammed a large fist into Alucard's face, the sounds of bones breaking filled the air as Alucard was forced closer to the river. Alucard stood up and realigned his jaw before saying, "I see, you're certainly a strong one. I can't hold back if I want to win." Alucard made a rectangle with his fingers and put his hands near his right eye, "Releasing Control Art Restriction Systems 3. 2. 1. Approval of situation A recognized, commencing the Cromwell Invocation. Ability restrictions lifted for limited use until the enemy has been rendered silent."
The air swirled around them all as Akiko sensed power gathering and focusing within Alucard. The vampire smiled as pure darkness seemed to explode out of him and surrounded the three of them. "Now, creature, I'll show you the true power of Nosferatu!" The Darkness around them coalesced and reformed into Alucard, his hair now reached down to his knees and he was wearing what could only be described as a black leather outfit like something out of a bondage dungeon. "Let's go," Alucard said as Manjuro charged at him. He pushed Alucard back, closer to the River Wye the whole time, yet Alucard had his large grin on his face before he dug his heels in and stopped mere centimeters from falling into the river. Alucard then took a step forward, and another, and another. He pushed Manjuro back, smiling as the kappa struggled with all his might against him. "Is that all you got?" Alucard laughed before he kicked Manjuro in the face, sending him flying back two meters.
"I heard about the martial arts of Japan, I thought that you would show more technique than this," Alucard said as he moved so fast it was nearly teleportation and appeared in front of Manjuro. The water in the kappa's head had splattered out, and Manjuro seemed to wither with its loss. Alucard grabbed him by his throat and lifted him up, "This is just sad, if this is the strength of the Yokai-gumi, then we don't have much to worry about." Alucard opened his mouth wide and clamped down on the kappa's throat. Akiko watched as Alucard drained Manjuro the kappa dry before the vampire let go of him.
Alucard smiled, "I think I've learned some very valuable information. We need to head back to the Mansion quickly." Akiko nodded, "What about the body?" she asked, nodding to the dead kappa. Alucard looked at it and said, "We'll leave it, as a warning to our foes." Alucard took Akiko's hand and they teleported back to the Mansion.
Not five minutes later, three small creatures resembling weasels with scythes for front paws flew over and saw the body of Manjuro the kappa. One of the weasel creatures said in Japanese, "They have Akiko-dono. We must tell Aki-dono and Akira-dono and prepare a plan for rescue." The three yokai headed back the way they came, the air whistling from their speed.