Chapter 14
Akiko awoke in the morning. She was in bed, the Hellsing Mansion was apparently still standing. She got out of her room and started walking through the Mansion. There were soldiers on high alert, but they looked fresh and well rested. Akiko opened her mind to the soldiers, not enough to truly read their minds but enough to get a broad sense of what was happening. Apparently, her stunt from last night had delayed the attack. After shattering Sakki-nee-san's illusions, the Yokai-gumi had decided not to attack. Their plan seemed to depend on those illusions distracting Hellsing long enough for the Yokai to attack and slaughter them. But without the illusions to cover their approach, they had decided to retreat.
The kitsune sighed in relief as she headed for the Mess Hall and got something to eat. She saw Sir Integra was there, looking very old and tired with a hot cup of coffee near her. "Good morning, Sir Hellsing," Akiko greeted the Hellsing leader. Sir Integra looked up at her and said, "Good morning, Miss Itto. Alucard and Seras are resting now, they told me you were of great assistance to them last night." Akiko smiled at that, "Thank you. It was my idea, but it never would have worked without their power backing me up." Sir Integra gulped down her coffee, then looked at Akiko.
She said, "I misjudged you, Miss Itto. You have been a greater help to Hellsing than I thought you would be. I…treated you worse than you deserved. For that, I am sorry." Akiko was so surprised at this apology that her ears and tail shot up in shock. "I…thank you, Sir Integra. I…hope that things can be better for us, after this is over," Akiko managed to say. Sir Integra walked away, and Akiko focused on eating breakfast.
After finishing her breakfast and getting ready for the day, Akiko got dressed in her Hellsing Uniform and headed to Alucard's room. As she stood in front of his door, she sensed his immense power even more acutely than before. Alucard was on an entirely different level, in a direct fight with her siblings he would easily win. But, if her parents, especially her Father, were involved with the Yokai-gumi, then even he might be defeated. She felt a certain attraction to the vampire; even knowing what kind of creature he was, she thought that there was something…human still within him.
She entered the dungeon and saw Alucard's throne and side table. She walked further inside and eventually saw it. His coffin. Akiko could almost see the dark aura around it, dangerous and abominable power that corrupted the boundaries of Life and Death. Some of the electricity that coursed up and down her spine was from fear, and some of it was from excitement. There was a thrill-seeking spirit in all kitsune, it was why they were famous as tricksters. That thrill seeking was what led to Akiko becoming a hacker in the first place.
She went to touch the lid of the coffin, and it suddenly exploded open, and Alucard's hand grabbed her wrist. His clothes were different, a black tuxedo and cape, his hair was longer and he had a moustache and short whiskers on his cheeks and chin, but his glowing red eyes were brighter than a flashlight as he sat up and said, "What do you want." It was a demand more than a question. "I wanted to spend some more time with you," Akiko answered. "Why?" he asked before letting her wrist go and returning to his usual, red-coated appearance.
"I…think that I…might feel…attracted to you?" Akiko answered him. "Attraction," Alucard repeated as he climbed out of his coffin. He stood up to his full height and Akiko looked up at his face. This man, this abomination, this creature, this vampire was the most beautiful man she had ever seen in her life. She was blushing as she thought about her experiences with Alucard; he could be amazingly kind and cruel in equal measure. Like a demon, or a god. "Are you…willing to have me?" she asked him bluntly. Alucard looked at her now, genuinely surprised at her offer. He reassumed his calm demeanor and said, "What do you expect to come of such a thing? I am centuries older than you are; our homelands never knew each other, if things had been different, I would have killed you." Alucard gave a dry chuckle, "Most humans would hardly consider those things grounds for a healthy relationship."
"But neither of us is human," Akiko reminded him. "Barring some outside accident or violence, I will live for centuries longer than any human has ever lived. We both have powers and abilities that humans can't imagine. I may not be a natural killer, like vampires, but I'm no angel either. If Sir Hellsing hadn't seized my equipment and conscripted me into working for her, I'd probably have stolen a lot of money from various people right now. The 21st century is a godsend for thieves who are quick and intelligent."
Alucard sighed through his nose at this as he sat down on his throne. Akiko went to him and looked directly into his blood-red eyes. She saw centuries of rage and hatred struggling with equal measures of pain and sorrow, and a faint spark of hope as well. Akiko moved closer, and Alucard did nothing to stop her as she slid into his lap. Akiko moved closer and pursed her lips before finally kissing the No-Life King. "We won't have a normal life, even after this adventure is over," Alucard told her as they broke off the kiss. "I don't need a normal life," Akiko responded as they kissed again.
They were interrupted when they heard the door open. Seras was looking at them, blushing red. Akiko blushed as well, and Alucard said, "Care to join us, Police Girl?" Seras squeaked and quickly left, and Alucard's laughs filled the room.