Chapter 4: Protecting the Weak

Another day, another meal, another dispute.

When was this boring routine going to stop?

Ever since she had resumed work nothing seemed to go back to the way things were. Her students showed her nothing but rudeness, Integra was more demanding than ever and her Master kept bringing her down. Well, that last bit was normal except she was forcing him to punish her by constantly disobeying his orders. She needed something to spend her time on or she'd burst of pent up frustration.

Seras blew her bangs out of her face and rested her chin in her hand as she sank deeper into the plush sofa. She was on her break time and had nothing better to do than waiting. She had already raided the whole library of interesting books and all that was left were vampire-related stories and war history. Not something that she deemed worth the effort of reading. She looked outside in hopes of finding a distraction but found none. After a little while, her thoughts began to drift as she mulled over the things she greatly missed in her human life.

Loneliness was part of being a vampire, but back to her mortal days, she used to go out regularly with her friends. It was fun discovering the many pleasures life had to offer. Relaxing movies, thrilling races, exciting parties, surprising encounters, teenaged love, secret kisses… She took all of this for granted, but now that she had lost them it felt like she really did die back in that blasted church.

The white moon caught her eye and she followed the moonlight's trail that plunged part of the shelves into a bluish glow. It reminded her how she longed to bask in the sun's blazing heat. It felt like an eternity to her since she last saw it. She wondered if she'd ever get to squint her eyes at its sunrays again. Probably not.

She let out a ragged breath, hugged her knees and buried her head in the crook. Reminiscing won't help her boredom but she just couldn't help it. Memories she thought she'd lost were one by one reappearing in her mind, telling her of who she once was. A loving and carefree girl. The tide turned when she decided to follow her late father's footsteps and join the London Police Department's elite D-II Corps. Those days had been hard on her moral…

Before she could ponder any further, the door to the library opened.

"Ah, there you are Miss Victoria! I was looking all over for you."

Quickly getting up, she swirled around to meet the intruder. She dropped her guard when she noticed that it was only Walter.

"What is it? If it's about the meal I was supposed to get…" Seras began nervously.

The old butler politely cut in, "No, no. I just wanted to inform you that Integra wishes to see you right away."

Crap.

That's what she meant by more demanding. She vaguely thought about what she did wrong this time. Lately, she's been acting like a real harpy to almost everyone in the mansion and messing around with orders wasn't an exception. She could just blatantly refuse but Walter would probably coax her into going anyway. Well, maybe she'd skip on pissing everybody off this time. Besides, she had a hunch that it wasn't something bad.

She nodded at Walter as she headed to her boss' office. Before she exited the room he stopped her.

"Oh, and Miss Victoria…" she looked over her shoulder, "Don't forget to come and see me for your second meal. I'm not letting you off the hook that easy."

She growled low at that and left, but she was still within earshot when she heard him laugh. Taking the longest path to the third floor, Seras got a kick in scaring poor staff members. If they gave her the usual weird look, she'd stare right back at them with a maniacal grin as though she knew something they didn't. Most of them fled under her crimson stare and it made her feel superior for once. It hadn't occurred to her yet that she was acting like her Master, but there was a difference in their actions. He did it for fun; she did it to be hated.

Or so she kept telling herself.

She was tired of being seen as a monster, so she might as well give them an eyeful of what they thought she really was. Maybe that way, they'll be convinced and then leave her alone. She never said she didn't enjoy giving them the scare of their life. It just wasn't in her character. When the door leading to the impending doom (she snickered at the nickname) came into view she changed her facial expression for an aloof one and sauntered inside without bothering to knock.

A single lamp that stood perched over a long blonde-haired woman's paperwork illuminated the office. A welcoming blue carpet was stretching from the entrance to under the desk where sat a wastepaper basket filled to the rim and various objects from all over the world were decorating the beige colored walls. Three huge windows in the back gave an intimidating look to the furiously scribbling leader of the Hellsing Organization and the moonlight was casting eerie shadows across her beautiful features.

She caught a glimpse of Alucard's red coat in a dark corner and restrained the urge to look his way. She didn't even want to know what he was doing in his master's office. She pretended to look indifferent about the situation and focused her attention on anything but the woman in front of her and her Master.

"What have you got for me tonight, Sir Integra?" she leaned to examine the intricate design of a gun that was hooked on the left wall.

She heard and saw the exhale of a deep puff, "It has been four months and a half ever since you were attacked. With the few information you have given us, we were unable to catch your aggressor. Just waiting around won't solve the situation either. Are you sure you have nothing else on the man?"

"Nope," she withdrew a heavy leather-bound book from a nearby shelf and fiddled with the straps.

Integra sighed a little angrily, "Could you at least look at me when I'm speaking, Agent Victoria?"

"No can do, Boss. I might scare you with my ugly eyes," she chuckled.

Seras could almost taste the other woman's frustration in the air. Inattentive, the brown book she held slipped from her fingers and landed with a dull 'thud'. Muttering an unconvincing 'whoops', she put it back in its place. She sniffed the air and her face puckered into a sour expression as she smelled cigar smoke.

"You know," she gazed up at the ceiling to see the swirling gray clouds, "smoking is a really bad habit. You should stop while you still can. It causes a lot of trouble -"

"What are you talking about?! This has nothing to do with our meeting!" Integra screeched.

"- yellow teeth, cancer, asthma, curled fingernails and the like," she continued, "Have you ever tried to st-" she abruptly stopped when she felt the ominous presence of Alucard beside her.

"Enough, police girl."

She pouted and threw an accusing glare to an innocent painting of a waterfall. A tiny part of herself wondered whether or not she should disobey but she dismissed the thought in case what Integra had to say was worth her time. Putting a step or two of distance between her and Alucard, she feigned ignorance while dusting some imaginary particles off her shirt.

Integra cleared her throat, "Now, as I was saying, due to Blake's inactivity in the past months I wanted to know if you were ready to go back on the field. Of course, your curfew will be removed and you will be able to roam freely at night. Even if I'd advise you not too," she paused.

This time, Seras did look at Integra. She eagerly nodded her head as if to encourage her to continue, "You have my undivided attention."

Alucard's smirk got wider and Integra merely lifted a delicate eyebrow. She had been nothing but rude in the beginning of the conversation and now that she was interested, she reverted back to her polite self.

"The other two rules will remain though," Seras frowned a little, "You'll have to respect them. Is it a deal?"

The short woman saluted, "Yes, Sir Integra," dropping her stance, she asked, "When do I start?"

She took a drag of her small cigar, "Whenever you're needed. You may leave now."

Seras smiled as she thanked Integra and left without even acknowledging her Master. He doesn't bid her farewell so why should she? It was better to say nothing than to start another argument.

Integra thoughtfully intertwined her fingers, "She didn't even spare you a glance and acted as though you weren't there. Isn't that insubordination?"

He tilted his head so that his glasses reflected light and simply crossed his arms.

The corner of her right eye twitched, "She looked like she wanted to disobey your order of silence. Why don't you punish her?"

"She's determined to make me lose my cool and get me angry so she disregards most of my orders."

"Reminds me of someone…"

Alucard's only response was to bend his hat lower over his eyes and smirk.

XXXXXXXX

Seras happily sauntered into the kitchen where she found Walter busily making some tea. She greeted him with a huge smile, which he returned, and opened the fridge to help herself to one pack of chilled blood and in less than a minute, it was empty. Walter watched her knowingly at the sudden change of mood.

"Is it safe to say that what Sir Integra had to tell was positive?" he asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

She grinned, "Walter, you wouldn't believe the good news I just received…" she hopped onto the counter next to him, "I'm back on the field! It's about time! I thought I was going to become the next butler in line. No offense."

He chuckled, "None taken. I'm happy for you. Though, I can't deny the fact that I already knew."

"You did?" she wondered with a hint of her usual childish behavior.

"Not only did I know but I also helped Alucard convincing Sir Integra on letting you go back to your original post. It wasn't really hard with the two of us, but she still thought it was a bad idea," he looked at her bewildered expression and added, "You know she only wants to prevent any more harm done to you…"

Seras slid down to the floor and approached him. He waited patiently but curiously for her to say or do something. Without warning, she scooped him up in a bear hug and lifted him a few inches off the ground. He gave a startled cry but laughed nonetheless.

She sniffed, "Thank you, Walter. I owe you one."

He awkwardly patted her back as his arms were crushed underneath hers, "Don't mention it. Consider this a gift from all the work you helped me with during your short house arrest and you owe me nothing. And Miss Victoria?" he wheezed out the last part.

"What is it?"

"Could you put me down? I'm lacking on air supply and I'm not as young as I'd like you to believe…"

She had the decency to blush at her mistake.

XXXXXXXX

"All right, here's the plan. The whole church ground is infested of ghouls so teams of five will slowly advance to keep them busy. We'll dispatch each team in different corners, effectively surrounding the infected area, but not too far away from each other in case some of you need backup. Be wary of clear patches because the surrounding trees can hide ambush parties, though I doubt they're intelligent enough to do so. This will provide enough time for Agent Victoria to eradicate the head vampire. Everyone already knows their position so, MOVE OUT!"

"E-excuse me, sir…" a young man asked timidly.

"What is it? Oh! You must be the newbie. Sorry, I forgot about you. What's your name, sonny?" the commander wondered.

"M-Miguel, sir."

"Okay, lad. You stay with me and don't wander without me. This is your first mission, right?" Miguel nodded, "Good, then I'll give you some pointers." They left to their own position and he directed the younger man on various things.

Seras didn't stay put any longer either for she had a job to do and gunshots were already starting to echo. Readjusting the weight of her trusty Halconnen, she sprinted towards the old building with a grim expression. She knew the path to take and she recognized many places as she skimmed through the thick foliage. There was that same tree where her late teammate had laid against…

She shook the memory out of her head and focused ahead. It was her second time here in Cheddars but she couldn't let that bother her. Back at headquarters, her Master had actually asked her if she wanted him to go instead of her. She got angry and told him she could handle it herself. Her pride hadn't allowed her to accept his offer because he still thought she was weak and it had infuriated her. She wanted to prove him she was capable of surpassing her emotions and do her job like she was supposed to. Even though, a small part of her couldn't help but feel overjoyed by his concern.

The determined woman noticed a small crowd of moaning zombies and didn't even give them a chance to react as she plowed right through them. She slowed her pace temporarily to wrench out a forearm that had attached itself to her hair and resumed her speed. She had forgotten how easily they could lose their body parts. After all, it was only her third mission this week and a long absence of more than four months tended to do that to someone.

As she neared the abandoned building, Seras discreetly hid behind bushes. The entrance was swarming of limping undead and the number clearly indicated that the one controlling them was indeed inside. It would pose a problem to get in, but not for a girl like Seras. She cocked Halconnen so she would only destroy the zombies and not the church and shot.

The resulting explosion forced her to close her eyes and shield them from debris that flew her way. When the warm gust of wind died down, she leapt to her feet after recharging her cannon and killed the few remaining ghouls. Most of them were scattered throughout the field, crawling with whatever member they had left and trying to bite her legs. She spared them the trouble by cruelly squashing their heads and the three left standing quickly turned to ashes with swift jabs piercing their chests.

Seras observed the double-doors half-expecting them to burst open and half-dreading the moment she'd went inside. She paused to catch her breath, or rather to steel her quivering nerves and listened to the battlefield surrounding her and the occasional screams. The soldiers were holding up their part but she had to hurry in case some trouble erupted. Squaring her shoulders, she carefully pushed the already damaged door open and peered inside. Nothing seemed abnormal at first glance. Dirty floor tiles, dusty shelves, a few cobwebs here and there, and broken windows were the only things worth noticing.

Letting her small frame cross the short distance from outside to inside, the door slammed shut by itself. She didn't even bat an eye as she focused on a particular corner ahead where she had lived her first minutes as an undead. Suddenly, a glint to her immediate right moved and she dodged the incoming blow but not fast enough as Halconnen was knocked away. Reacting quickly, Seras back-flipped further away and took a defensive stance.

Standing before her was a little girl who looked no older than twelve years old. Her almond-shaped red eyes indicated she was of Asian origin and her dark brown hair was in a high ponytail held by a ridiculously long crimson ribbon. The glint she had seen was the pair of sais reflecting the light. The girl held them expertly in her hands.

"Hmm…" the kid-vampire twirled the sais and Seras watched mesmerized by the beauty of that simple motion, "So you're the one. I have been waiting…" she said in a thick accent, her voice devoid of emotions.

The former police woman quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean 'I'm the one'?"

The girl giggled without humor, "I was getting tired of hearing him talking about you. He babbles too much, that Blake…"

Her weird accent made it hard for Seras to understand what she had said but she had caught the name. She stood alert and strained her senses to their fullest in order to scan for any other life forms. It proved useless when she only felt the humans she worked with and the telltale of trapped souls in zombies. Blake wasn't here but she wouldn't let that fool her. Maybe he was too well hidden for her to detect him.

"Do not bother," she slashed at the air to get her attention, "He has others things to attend to tonight."

"Who are you?" she growled menacingly.

"My born name was stripped away from me long ago and I am now referred to as Junko. Remember it."

With that said, she lunged at Seras. Rapidly dodging the first assault, the blond-haired woman parried the slashes as best as she could. She was quickly overwhelmed though, when her back hit the wall and since Junko barely reached Seras' shoulders it was easy for the little girl to aim for her heart and she was about to strike with her right sai.

The Hellsing Agent did the only thing she could and ducked. Luckily, it only scratched her cheek and before Junko could remove the weapon from the wall, Seras kicked her legs from under her. She had just enough time to jump over her and retrieve Halconnen. She didn't have the intention of blowing the place up, but use it as a shield instead. Her opponent gracefully got up with an extra swipe at her. Seras winced behind her extra-large cannon at the sound of metal hitting metal.

She used Halconnen as a leverage and swung around to land a kick to her side. The kid-vampire tore through the rotting benches as she flew to the end of the room with a stifled cry. Meanwhile, Seras fished out a handgun and aimed it towards the area where she could hear the girl coughing and spitting dust. Her wide red eyes scanned for her weak points.

"I must admit," she coughed, "you are not bad. I can see why he chose you. You were bitten by a higher vampire than I was, but it won't help you against me. I have centuries of experience ahead of you."

Junko emerged from a mountain of planks and was nonchalantly dusting her ripped clothes. Immediately aiming at her chest, Seras knew she shouldn't hesitate but something stopped her. Work was top priority here and personal matters should wait but the desire to know more made her stop. Unfortunately, someone had other plans and sent an order directly into her mind.

SHOOT!

Surprised to hear her Master, she pulled the trigger, just like the commanding voice ordered. Unfortunately, the surprise made her jerk and she missed her target. Before the echo of the gunshot had stopped, she could hear another disturbance outside.

"H-help! Help us, please!" screamed a soldier after bursting through the entrance.

Seras whipped her head around to see the frightened newbie panting but she quickly realized her mistake as Junko used the distraction to her advantage. Just before the kid threw her remaining sai towards the man, Seras yelled at him to duck or run away but he was petrified in fear. Knowing she wouldn't reach him in time, she let go of her huge weapon and rushed over to him.

Everything seemed to go slow motion. The sai piercing the air, Junko's hands going to her pockets, her shoes thumping the ground, her cannon clattering loudly behind her, Miguel shaking fearfully… Strangely, she was aware of every single thing going on around her. She couldn't let him die. She had lost enough people in her life. She'd trade their souls for hers if she could. He'd live and she'd live too, saving them both. No one was going to die tonight.

Her body shielded his as she stood in front of him and, at the last moment, she deflected the deadly sai with her handgun but the sheer force of it propelled her only means of defense away from her hand. Never stopping her offensive, Junko flung very sharp shurikens at them. Eyes widening, she protected her most vulnerable spot at the cost of her left arm. She was able to swing most of them sideways and ignored those that cut deep into her legs. After three rounds, Seras had enough time to shove the newbie out of the way so she could move more freely but when she turned around, it was too late.

The first shuriken embedded half of itself just under her breasts while she saw the second one flying straight to her face and then, after the searing pain in her right eye, she couldn't see anything. She howled fiercely and clutched the wounded areas.

"Interesting… You willingly placed yourself in a dangerous position in order to protect him. How noble of you. I can now see what he meant when he said you were dedicated to humans. It's pitiful, really."

"Shut up!" she panted, "You know nothing!"

With a pained cry, Seras savagely tore the metallic star-shaped projectile from her eye and tossed it in the general direction of the voice hoping to even just scratch her. She opened her uninjured and teary eye just in time to see Junko catch it casually like it was the most normal thing to do for her and, indeed, it was.

Her tone took on a note of iciness, the first sign of emotion in her voice ever since their encounter, "Enough pleasantries, I have come to deliver a message to you from my Master."

"All this just for a stupid message? This jackass is totally eccentric…" she muttered.

Every trace of accent whatsoever disappeared and it was as if someone else was talking when she spoke an octave or two lower, "You have recovered well, princess. I'm pleased that you finally decided to come back to your old routine. It seems the cold lady Hellsing that is your boss didn't want to let you go, and with reason might I add. Watch her well. She's next," her voice returned to normal, "That is all I had to say. Until we meet again, Miss Victoria."

With a graceful bow, Junko melted into the darkness and was gone. Enraged, she ripped out the last metallic star from her chest and forcefully threw it on floor. It did not alleviate her anger. She tasted her own blood and flicked out her tongue to clean her bleeding lips. She must have bit them sometime during the fight. Hearing urgent shouts outside, Seras turned to the sniveling human.

"Get up."

He looked up at her still in shock, "I-I-I c-can't move my l-legs."

She sighed, "What was it that you wanted me to help you with?"

He swallowed with difficulty, "A-are you Seras Victoria, the v-vampire unit?"

She easily picked him up by the collar with her left arm as the right one was busy hiding a surely very ugly wound on her face, "Look at me and tell me if you're wrong."

His feet were hovering an inch or so from the floor and he lightly shook his head 'no'. She let go and he fell on his rump with an 'oof'. Collecting her gun and Halconnen, she asked him what was the problem.

He stood up on unsteady feet, "The Commander was r-requesting your immediate assistance because we were struggling with the number of zombies."

"You idiot!" she snapped at him, "That's what you had to tell me in the first place! Load your gun and follow me. Don't leave my side, understood?"

"Y-yes, b-but your eye, Ma'am…"

When he reminded her, she felt the warm blood seeping through her glove and winced but remained firm, "Don't preoccupy yourself with that, now move it!"

They rushed outside to help and terminate the last of the ghouls. While she rescued her teammates, Seras couldn't help but feel betrayed by her Master. He influenced her will and had directly ordered her to shoot Junko. He had been watching her all along which meant he also heard the message she had wanted to keep to herself. Damn that No Life King, always around and never missing a thing.

Betrayed, but at the same time... she felt relieved he was there for her in his strange way.