Disclaimer: All of Hellsing and its characters are copyright to Kouta Hirano. Any original characters belong to the author of this fanfiction.

HELLSING

EREBUS

Here standeth the Bird of Hermes,

Eating my own wings to make me tame...

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Scarlet Threads

Hungary. Vlad hated it here. The knowing had made him resent this place. The moment he had ventured into this land, his group had been surrounded by soldiers, wary of Vlad's armoured appearance. Someone dared to point a spear at him, which he grabbed, flipping the guard over as well as the weapon in the air to drive it into his throat, a spurt of blood pouring out as the loser choked and died. The other guards gasped at such brutality. Slowly, Vlad stood straight, looking unfazed. On the horse, Katarina gave a small shriek as she was torn from behind Stefan, who nearly fell off as well. Vlad spun around, ready to hunt for blood, but stopped dead, seeing a sword held to Katarina's throat.

The young man gritted his teeth. The soldiers seemed satisfied that he would not do anything now. "Your name, boy," one of them demanded.

He almost didn't answer. Staring straight at Katarina, he said, "Vlad the Third of Wallachia."

Some of them murmured. "What's your business in our land?"

"I come to offer my servitude to your country."

"You just killed one of us!"

Vlad turned to the accuser. "You put a sharp end in my face. I merely reacted in defence."

More muttering, then they all agreed to take them all to castle. It took an hour or so to reach it, with Vlad, Katarina, and Stefan being forced to walk, tied together and bound at the wrists. The young lady tripped, falling in the mud. One soldier went to reach for her hair, but Vlad was already standing between him and her, staring at the brute with an intense glare. The stare off lasted for many moments before the soldier backed down, taking a step back. Vlad turned, helping up the exhausted woman.

"Stay close to me," he said quietly.

"Thank you."

It wasn't long before they came into the castle, straight into the barracks, where a man Vlad hated stood. Their eyes met, and this man smiled. He knew. Vlad's loathing only grew bigger, and it took all of his willpower not to kill this man. Close to him, his two companions remained quiet.

"If it isn't one of the lost princes of Wallachia," he said. His eyes moved over Stefan. "Ah yes, another lost prince. My condolences to you for your father."

Vlad's fists clenched, his jaw set, face hardened. "Hunyadi," he said deathly calm. Much to his own fury, Hunyadi's eyes raked over Katarina, and he stood between them to distract the regent. "I come offering my services to your army."

Hunyadi looked at him with a knowing grin. "I see. What use would I have for you?"

"I wish revenge on the Ottoman Empire."

There was a pause and the regent's eyes narrowed. "You've been imprisoned by them for quite some time. What of your younger brother?"

Vlad frowned. "That traitor is not my brother."

Hunyadi stared emotionless. "How much do you hate them?"

Vlad smiled. "More than I hate you."

It wasn't a lie. He did hate them more than he did of Hunyadi. After what they did to him, his people, his brother, and Katarina, he intended to have his revenge on them. He would kill as many as he could. Somehow, he'd also kill this man. But he wasn't as important.

Katarina...

Sunday Evening, November 23, 2031, Saint Mary's Church...

"Alucard," Van called out.

The Count raised his head slightly, eyes opening behind his shades. Together, they stood on the roof of a nearby building that overlooked the church where the area was riddled with cops. Most had already gone, having cleared away the body pieces, area swept for evidence. Alucard had closed his eyes the moment they reached this spot for their little stakeout, just because he was bored. And because of that, another memory had surfaced in his spare time. As always, it left behind certain emotions that left him weak. Silently, he was grateful that Van had snapped him out of his reminiscence.

Alucard stared out at the scene. Most had gone by now. There were still a couple of cars around, as well as a forensics van. Humans and their scientific and analytical methods. It helped them advance technologically, separating fact from beliefs. How ironic that there was such a clash in this place. A murder—no, a massacre—scene inside a house of God. No doubt, vampires were the cause of such, and now forensics, a branch of those who sought facts, were now investigating the murders of those who had relied on their beliefs.

Faith; he had it once upon a time. But then... Van cut in, "Seems like their moving out now." The young vampire stood from his crouched position. "We'll be able to move in soon." Looking at Alucard over his shoulder, he asked, "What did Integra mean by that?"

"What?"

"The bit about not being the only one being called out."

Alucard debated whether or not to tell him. The underlying reasons were irrelevant to Van. On the other hand, it wouldn't have mattered if he knew or not. Therefore, he decided to give a vague answer. "The way in which those humans were killed, as well as the destruction of the interior, suggests that someone has the ability to cut through anything."

Van's eyes narrowed. "What, like with a blade?"

"No. It's much thinner than any blade, and much finer. Not even the sharpest sword in the world could create such clean destruction."

Silver eyes turned back to the church. "They're leaving."

They waited a few more moments before Van jumped down, making blurred leaps, showing his speed as he arrived at the doors. Alucard had already appeared before him, looking over his shoulder to grin at the younger vampire. Slightly miffed and envious of Alucard's omnipresent powers, Van's lips tightened into a thin line.

"Don't dawdle, Bat Boy. You're far too slow," teased Alucard.

Van muttered, following after him into the church, "Excuse me for not being on your level. And Bat Boy?"

Alucard looked around at the destroyed interior, blood stains everywhere. "Isn't it part of your peculiar profession to study and determine, including crime scenes such as this?"

"I specialize in many things, but yes," he replied, still not getting it.

"I once read somewhere that a popular comic book character studied various detective methods and martial arts. He ran a company, but at night, he was a vigilante dressed as a bat," the Count explained, crouching next to a destroyed bench to brush fingers along the cut edge, stained with red.

The expression on Van's face gradually changed to that of comical shock, mouth gaping. Did his dark forefather just make a reference to...?! "Are you comparing me to Batman?!"

The older vampire ignored him, frowning somewhat at the cuts. "Could it be?" he murmured.

Both vampires suddenly sensed intruders, turning their gazes to the podium. There stood two figures in black hooded robes. Without even bothering to take a whiff of the air, Alucard knew that the shorter figure was Laura, the woman from the vampire orphanage. The other he had never met before, but it was definitely a man. He wore a black mask shaped around the face with red eyes. Van stood, poised to reach for his weapon whenever they made the first move. Alucard erected to his feet, grinning in the darkness of the chapel.

"I was wondering when you would show up," he said. "Especially you, Draculina."

The woman smiled. "It is an honour to meet you, my lord. The last time we met, I had no idea that you were the father of our proud race."

The Count scoffed at such words. "Proud? Don't make me laugh. If you were so proud, there would not be any need for this pitiful pursuit to increase our numbers. There isn't any need for it."

A hand was raised to remove the hood from Laura's head, revealing a shock of red hair, elegantly put up, layered bangs around her narrow face. Van's eyes widened. "Hello, Van, my dear."

"You," he breathed, catching Alucard's attention.

"Someone you know?"

"Oh yes, he knows me very well," she said silkily. "To him, I'm his greatest enemy, and his mother."

"His mother?" Alucard repeated, looking at Van over his shoulder. "You mean his sire." He watched as Van's teeth gnashed together. It was quite obvious that Van was not happy to see this woman.

"One hundred and seventy years ago," Laura began, "I woke from a centuries long sleep aboard a ship of travellers that had found my coffin. To regain my strength, I drained every seaman dry. However, it was still not enough, and the ship arrived at London. I spent many nights lurking the streets, but there was a young man that took notice of me. What a sweet boy," she breathed with a sort of motherly look. "He took me to his home in hopes of nurturing me. The Lord of the house was a doctor. The doctor's wife was pregnant with their third child, and they were hoping for a girl. How lovely that would have been."

Alucard showed no expression, but he could feel nothing but disgust. The Count could feel his companion's growing rage, with a sense of anguish. It was the same emotional agony he had felt from Van days before when the Iscariots had visited. Murderous intent spiced the air, the need to spill this woman's blood. It was amazing that Van was remaining still, keeping his head level, but Alucard knew the boy wouldn't last for long.

Laura smiled serenely, placing a palm on her cheek, eyes closed. "I love little girls, but I was so hungry." Electric green eyes opened, not really looking at anything. "I killed them all. I drained them of their blood. They were such a nice family, that I spared them the fate of becoming ghouls by beheading them. It was the least I could do for the lovely boy who brought me home. Then his brother walked in..."

"You bitch," ground out Van, eyes flashing between red and silver, his anger slipping out.

The woman gave him a sad smile. "When I drained you, my dear Van, I knew then you would turn into a vampire. I found it surprising that you hadn't known a woman's warmth yet at your age. You're so handsome, you and your younger brother."

"You killed my family, and my brother! You turned me into a monster! Because of you, I've had to endure this pain for nearly two centuries!" The hand that was poised dug beneath his coat, pulling out his pistol, aiming it for her head, eyes on scarlet fire. "I'll end your existence here!"

Laura's eyes flashed, and before Van could squeeze the trigger, something red zipped through the air. First his gun split apart, clinking upon the ground. Van's eyes widened, and Alucard actually showed surprise when the young vampire's hand and arm exploded with blood as it was torn to pieces. There was a resounding cry as Van fell to his knees, reaching over a shaking hand to staunch the blood flow from what was left of his arm. The Count swung his head towards the figure in the mask. Eyes narrowed behind his shades.

"I see. I was almost convinced that someone from the past had somehow returned from the dead." He removed his glasses, putting them in his coat as he grinned. "So, it was really you that caused this destruction and bloodshed. How very interesting. You have a power akin to that of Walter, the Angel of Death. But...you're not him after all, are you?" The smile widened. "How does it work, exactly?"

The masked man raised his hands, strings of red between his gloved fingers. Laura smiled proudly as she explained, "He is a manipulator of all blood. His own, as well as what's available within his range. For example..."

With a flick of the masked man's fingers, Van let out a choked sound. Alucard watched in astonishment as Van was forcefully brought to his feet, though he tried desperately to maintain control of his body. What sorcery was this?! The older vampire had not seen a power like this before. It was fascinating, but right now, he had no time to admire such abilities. Just as Van grasped for a dagger from his thigh, body trembling, Alucard reached into his coat, drawing out the Casull and aiming for the masked figure, firing. However, a glowing red web weaved before him like a shield, destroying the bullets upon impact.

Van collapsed to his knees again, cursing as he regained control of his body. "D-Dammit."

Though Alucard didn't hit his target, his intention had been met. So, this vampire had limits. Alucard kept his gaze on the masked man as he regarded Van, "You going to live, Bat Boy?"

"Yeah," his companion managed, stumbling to his feet. "Lost quite a bit of blood though."

The Count grinned. "That's a human complaint."

Silver orbs stared at the back of Alucard's head for a moment. Though it irritated him, Alucard was right. Van was no longer human. That had been lost to that woman less than two centuries ago. With a pained groan, he concentrated, glaring at that woman. Slowly, the blood that he had lost had began to slither back to him, rising into the air as his eyes began to glow red once more. Streams of red swirling around and into the wound, slowly regenerating his arm, silver shadows slithering over flesh and bone, even repairing his clothes. It took all his concentration, and by the end, he was panting.

"It's very rare I have to do that," he uttered.

Alucard just smiled, impressed that Van had at least bothered to learn some elementary vampire abilities. Laura clapped, laughing giddily as if with pride. "You truly do contain an indomitable spirit! Now, if only you could accept me as your master."

Van growled out, "I will never serve you, you damn witch." He digressed. "But...I do have a question."

Laura just smiled knowingly. "By all means, ask away."

Van swallowed, glancing between her and the masked figure. When he stared at him, he felt nervous, though he kept his expression void of that small fear. Something, other than his frightening power, was off about him. The way he stood seemed familiar, but where from? For now, he'd focus on Laura, so long as that man didn't pull another stunt on him. Alucard could deal with him. After all, he seemed overjoyed by the idea of fighting such an enemy. Looking at the Count, there was that smile that always seemed to be there.

"The message you left. Greetings From Hell. Catch me when you can. Ripper." His eyes narrowed. "Were you quoting that letter?"

The grin Laura made was ugly and frightening. "You figured it out, have you?" Alucard arched a brow while Van's eyes widened. "I thought to pay homage to wonderful memories."

Van snarled. "So, it was the From Hell letter! I was right about it being a vampire. I had no idea that it would be you, though. Jack the Ripper!"

Alucard's eyebrows rose as he said in interest, "Oh? The infamous serial killer of the White Chapel district? How intriguing. Who would have thought that I would come face to face with clever little Jack? So, this is the long-term case you've been working on, Van. I see now."

The redhead sent them both a look of glee. "Yes, that was me. You've been hunting for me quite awhile, haven't you, dear Van? Of course, I could smell that you were on my trail. It was easy for you to figure out that it was a vampire, wasn't it?"

The young vampire just glared at her. "Along with the letter, there was a portion of a human liver. In that same letter, it was mentioned that the rest of that liver had been eaten. Each corpse became more mangled, most with some organs missing. The police had overlooked the fact that some of the blood was missing, and not just because it had been spilled upon the ground."

"Yes, you would have spotted that, wouldn't you. I do so love women," she said with a malicious grin.

The vampire growled, "Damn you."

"Your little spat is beginning to bore me," Alucard announced, gun still trained on the masked man. "Enough talk of trivial matters." All eyes turned to him. "The only thing of interest to me is what you're hoping to accomplish by calling us here. I don't care who you people are anymore. So tell me, what is Gabriel's real goal? After all, I know you two are doing his bidding."

"Yes," Laura said. "His plans are beyond either of your understanding. If you both live long enough to see it, then you will know. We will take the girl straight from under your noses soon enough. Until then, why don't we enjoy ourselves?"

Alucard's grin widened again, eyes gleaming. "Yes, let's."

No more words would be exchanged. The time for that has passed. It was quiet. Silver met crimson, a silent understanding between them before both trained their eyes upon their targets. The Draculina smiled as Van sent her a glare, and Alucard just smirked at the masked man. For the moment, no one moved or made a single sound. The next second, Alucard disappeared just as the blood manipulator swung his arms, lashing out with threads right where Alucard had once stood, tearing up the floorboards. Van had leaped forward in a blur, drawing his dagger and driving it downwards. Laura had jumped back in a flash, also a blur, as his dagger connected with the ground.

"Even though you have willingly drank blood, it is not the same as consuming it fresh. You're still far too slow for someone your age, little Van," she mocked him with a sweet and motherly voice.

Eyes narrowed, he ignored her taunting, charging forward again, swiping at her with the dagger. She just kept jumping back, a playful smile that bared her teeth. Suddenly, she glided away from him across the floor, then up the walls, bounding off them and onto the banisters, skipping along one as he bounded after her. Landing behind her, he went to delivering an uppercut, but she fell to the side, balancing on the right of the beam, defying gravity. Growling, he went to lash out at her again, but she did the same thing again, now balancing on the bottom, walking along the structure.

Meanwhile, Alucard reappeared behind the masked figure, firing his gun. Like before, another web had appeared, and the stranger turned to look at the Count before going at him in a run, practically gliding across the ground at super speed. Alucard emitted a pleased hiss, firing at his opponent, even if more of those webs appeared, blocking his own attacks. Getting up close, the manipulator swung his arms again, wrapping Alucard in his threads, tearing the vampire to pieces. Blood splattering everywhere. He stood up straight, looking around as he heard overjoyed laughter.

"Very good. You fight well. I'm enjoying our fight. Now...bring me more!"

The masked figure watched, taking a cautious step back as the spilled blood returned to the melting body parts, reforming the dreaded vampire. Alucard laughed, arms up in the air as his coat billowed and the blood rushed around him, eyes and mouth wide with merriment. Gloved hands suddenly had both guns in his hands. With the Jackal trained upon the masked man, he fired. Though he had brought up his defensive webs, the bullet pierced through, hitting him the shoulder. Alucard showed his satisfaction with this information, continuing his onslaught with the Jackal. Knowing that the black pistol was too much for him, the masked stranger began dodging in a blur, the rest of the church being destroyed with small explosions with every impact of the bullets.

Van briefly glanced over to the fight between Alucard and his opponent. He'd be fine, Van was sure. Still, that blood manipulator was dangerous and perhaps even proving to be a challenge for the Count. Right now, he had to keep his attention on Laura. The cackle she made at his failed attempts to hit her was beginning to grate on his nerves. She bounced and twirled below him, and with a sigh, he sheathed his dagger.

Puzzled, Laura peeked out from the bottom. He clenched his left hand into a fist, and with a yell, he delivered a blow to the support beam, causing a large tremor that splintered the wood to pieces. Much to her surprise, she fell from the force, and the fact she no longer had anything for her feet to be on, Van falling after her. The hunter landed on top of her on the broken benches, straddling her body, readying another punch with a growl. She laughed, sinking into the ground just as his fist went flying, the impact causing a cloud of dust to expand.

He blinked when the dust cleared, and he sensed her behind him. Before he could react, she already had an arm locked tightly around his neck, squeezing as he choked. Van clawed at the arm, gritting his teeth as she chortled at his expense. She was only toying with him, he realized, one eye open and glaring at her. With a snarl, he reached into his coat, pulling out a sawed-off double barrel shotgun, pointing upwards and firing, her head exploding. Her body falling backwards, he leaned forward, grasping his neck as he wheezed.

This had caught the masked man's attention. Alucard fired again, and at the last possible millisecond, the manipulator leaned his head back to avoid the blow, the bullet knocking off his hood and mask, destroying it. The Count grinned, and the figure flickered before disappearing from his spot and flashing to Laura's side. Van turned around, shotgun aimed at the figure, face fierce before that expression fell away completely as he took a closer look at the man. The young man could not have been barely over twenty in appearance, mid-length messy black hair framing a white narrow face, straight nose, small lips, and silvery-blue eyes with flecks of red.

Van gasped out, "Elijah?"

Elijah bent down, picking up Laura's body, cradling it gently even though there were already signs of her regenerating her head. Standing straight, the young man stared at Van without any hint of emotion or recognition. A magazine slid from the Jackal to the floor with a clunk, only to be replaced with a slap of Alucard's hand, quickly pointing towards the man's back. Elijah took notice of this, dodging again with a flicker, reappearing on what was left of the support beams. With a wave of his hand, a flash of red took out a large portion of the roof, rubble falling to the ground.

"Elijah!" Van called out. "Wait!"

The man didn't listen, leaping out through the hole. Van cursed, bounding up the walls after him, standing in the opening, finding that he was already gone. Cursing again, he slammed a fist against the tiles of the roof. Alucard glided up to join him, an amused smirk on his visage. Clearly, Van knew this Elijah. If that was even his name. However, the other didn't seem to remotely recognize him. If he did, Elijah didn't seem to care.

"Who's Elijah?" he asked.

Van ground his teeth together, emitting a pained expression. "My brother..."

Monday After-Midnight, November 24, 2031, Somewhere in England...

They had to get away. He had to get her away from them. Breaking in a window of an auto shop, Elijah carried Laura's body into the office, clearing off a desk, then waited. Gradually, the head began to piece itself together, blood molding the head before solidifying into her white face, hair growing back to its usual length, now let down. Slowly, she opened her eyes, her lips curling into a cat-like smile as she stretched. Turning amused eyes to her servant, she reached up to touch his face.

"Darling, were you worried for me?" she teased. "You should know by now that I cannot die easily."

Elijah's eyes narrowed as he placed a hand over hers, speaking softly with a boyish voice, "If he had pierced through your heart, you would die just like any other vampire. I will not allow that to happen."

Her smile turned serene. "Which is why I was not worried. Such a silly but good boy you are." She sat up, saying huskily with a predatory smile, "I'm hungry though."

Wordlessly, he drew down the collar of his shirt under the hood, exposing his neck. Pale hands slid up his chest, evoking a shiver from him, then over his shoulders. The redhead leaned forward while pulling him closer, bringing him to standing between her legs with her sitting on the edge of the desk. Within a moment, Laura bit down, eliciting a small gasp from the young man, and he leaned forward slightly, hands supporting his weight on the desk. She drank greedily, taking almost half his blood before she stopped, licking her red lips. He felt weak...and ravenous. Laura knew this and smiled.

"You're such a good boy. Come," she said softly, lying back, hair fanning around her. "take your reward, darling. I give back to those who are loyal to me."

Elijah swallowed, leaning more over her, his eyes becoming more red as lust took over. "Yes, my master. I will always be loyal to you."

A/N: Laura has issues. Enough said. For those who don't get it yet, Laura's pretty much a lesbian, but she can be bisexual, at least for Elijah. Now, I should mention here, for my own personal reference, that Van was born in 1836, making him 195 in this story. I originally had him at 175, but that was too young, considering the amount of history his has. Therefore, he was turned at the age of 25, thus the same age as Alex. Now, somebody awhile back had PMed me, saying that I could use their Jack the Ripper-inspired slash vampire character for my story. I had politely declined for this very reason, as I had already planned a Ripper element. Now, I also don't like using other people's OCs because frankly, I'm uncomfortable with using unfamiliar characters. I don't know how to make them In-Character. So, as a precaution, I'm declining any future offers right here and now. I'm the same way in role-plays. I'm also protective of my own OCs.

WOO! I've written 15 chapters! I'm so proud of myself, and I gotta say, fight scenes are bloody exhausting. I'm surprised I got this done within a day. Usually takes me two or so days to write that kind of stuff. I had to listen to fight music from the Hellsing Black Dog soundtrack to get me inspired. Still sick of course, but I think it's getting easier to breathe through my nose, so I might be able to post another chapter later today. I have an idea of what I want to write about. It might be fluffy and funny. We will see.

So, please leave a review, your thoughts, any questions, and thank you all for reading. If you enjoy the story, please click the option to follow it. You don't have to. It's just a suggestion.