Chapter 5: Mind games
The slender woman was peacefully sitting in a comfortable cushioned chair facing large windows.
Stomp!
In her hands, instead of the ever-present small cigar, she held a very expensive looking cup of steaming tea, which she was slowly sipping from, and next to her was the whole set of china dishes on a tray.
Stomp! Stomp!
Oblivious to the oncoming danger, she relished her last moments of relaxation.
STOMP! STOMP! STOMP! BLAM!
Startled, the young lady swiveled her chair towards the slammed open doors, a curtain of platinum blond hair hiding the left part of her face for a moment and immediately falling back in place, revealing surprised deep blue irises behind round glasses.
An angry girl stood in the frame, disheveled strawberry blond hair, a single glaring red eye, the other hidden behind bloodstained hair, baring white fangs, dirty clothes, legs spread widely apart, clenched fist. And it didn't help things that her weapon was trailing behind her with a devious glint. Everything about her body language screamed anger and frustration. The fury in her offensive posture was almost crossing the lines of madness. Even a normally invisible aura was glowing in different shades of red and orange around her like a blazing firewall.
It surprised her but she wasn't that impressed.
"Where is he?!" the girl seethed.
"Who?" the older woman responded, confused at her behavior.
"No, your faithful servant, my Master, the No Life King, Alucard!"
She wrinkled her brows, "I don't know. I can order him around but I can't find him for you if he doesn't want to be found. He'll pop up sooner or later, you know that as well as I do. Why? Is there a problem, Agent Victoria? "
"Well, if you order him around then perhaps you can enlighten me!" Seras said spitefully, "Did you tell him to follow me, to spy on me like the untrustworthy employee that I am? Did you, Integra?!"
"I have absolutely no idea what…" she was cut off.
Seras banged the desk causing a thin line to spread under her fist and on the now cracked glass cover, "Don't play dumb with me! I've been looking for Master for well over an hour and I don't need your bullshit! I'm angry enough to tear the whole damn mansion apart and I bet he's just laughing his ass off somewhere where I can't see him! He had no right to intrude on my mission!"
The former police officer was about to go into another fit but Integra beat her to it, "So what?"
"Ex-excuse me?" she asked, a little put off by the answer.
Delicately setting her mug down, Integra stood up with all the grace only a woman can muster, "So what if he 'intruded' on your mission? I don't know what happened as I haven't received the report yet, and I don't know what you think I supposedly did, but you are his responsibility and he can do whatever he judges proper to your upbringing into the dead life. If he suddenly decided to get rid of you, I could care less because I never wanted another vampire under my roof. Alucard is enough work to deal with and he does his job. Then, you arrived from God knows where and decided to twist every single bad luck that's happened to you into thinking it was the whole world's fault. Well, guess what? It isn't!"
After hearing this, Seras couldn't control herself and lunged at the Hellsing heir, Halconnen falling from her shoulder. But things did not go her way when cold metal was firmly applied to her forehead and stopped her dead in her tracks. Stacks of paper were fluttering to the floor in swirls and many objects for writing purpose had been disturbed throughout the plain surface.
Sky blue eyes gazed at her with frighteningly cold calculation, "Don't force me to shoot you. I hold no grudge against you for this assault but if I must, I will exterminate you myself. Control yourself."
Cold sweat glistened in the dim light and Seras swallowed audibly. She'd gone overboard and she knew it. Slowly, she raised her hands in a surrendering motion and slid down from her crouching position from the desk to the carpet. She bit the inside of her cheek to relieve some of the emotions welling up in her and shuddered when she felt the skin break. What had she done? The madness in her was taking over.
She opened her mouth but only a strangled sound came out. She tried again, "I-I am sorry, Sir Hellsing. I was out of line."
Integra sighed and dropped the gun on the desk, the cannon facing her innocently yet threateningly, "Seras, what am I going to do with you? You've changed so much in the past months and I can't seem to keep track of your mood swings. I don't know how to tell you this but," she paused, "I'll put it bluntly. I think you should no longer work for Hellsing."
Now, if Seras ever thought seeing Alucard prancing around in a pink tutu singing some girlie song wasn't unexpected, this was. Is she not performing well enough at her job? Or is the fact that she became another person without her noticing? A most disagreeable one at that. And…where would she live? After willingly turning into a vampire, she had lost everything. As a human she had lost her house, her job, her belongings…a huge shred of her identity. To the human world she was missing, gone, forgotten…dead.
She stared at the woman, speechless.
"I'm not saying it's already been decided. I'm saying you should consider it, to get away from violence and stress."
"You're kicking me out? Where am I gonna go?" Seras asked suddenly.
"No, I'm not kicking you out. You'll still live here and we'll protect you from Blake, but you just won't be doing anymore work for us. I think it's for the best," she said gently, too gently for Seras' taste.
She snapped, "You can't do that! Because…because…" she frantically searched for a reason, "Blake's after you!" she finally blurted.
Integra looked at her, skeptical, "He's after you, not me."
"Today," she started a little hesitantly, "he sent one of his underling to deliver me a message. Basically, it said you were his next prey…"
Seras nervously ducked her head and examined her boots while Integra's expression turned sour. The smaller of the two girls could guess that her Master's master was tired of being told she was next on the list. But Integra is no average woman. No, she is the leader of the famed and prestigious Hellsing Organization where people regularly risk their lives to rid the world of evil. Someone has to do the job and the Iscariots are a bit too messy. Even if Seras was a little angry at Integra for saying the truth about her blaming every misfortune on the company, she would protect her. Alucard has protected his master for years and she will continue to do so to honor her Master and her friend.
Integra took a sip of her cold tea and turned towards the windows, "What happened to the delivery boy?"
"Um, delivery girl actually, and she…uh, I kind of let her escape?" she uttered with uncertainty when she was startled back from her thoughts.
Another heavy sigh, "Great," she mumbled.
Seras thought it wise to remain quiet when she saw Integra wasn't about to give her a tongue-lashing for her mistake. She was tempted to apologize but a simple 'sorry' doesn't cut it in business matters. The silence unnerved her a little and she almost wished Integra was screaming her head off just to fill the void. If she focused her senses, she could hear the faint humming of cars little ways from here and the rustling of dead leaves falling with the autumn wind.
"What are we going to do then?" Seras broke the creepy atmosphere.
"For now, nothing. But you could do something…" she trailed off mysteriously, chin in between two fingers.
The police girl perked up at the idea of helping Integra and wondered what it was.
"Take a shower, Seras," she laughed.
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SLAM!
She was so going to strangle him. No, on second thought, she was going to kill him then strangle him. Seras was too angry to realize the absurdity of her thoughts, but if she did she wouldn't have cared either way as long as it contained the promise of murder. She was furious. Wiping some dirt from her face, she also smoothed her previously wounded cheek to ensure the scratch from her earlier fight had healed properly. An itching to her right eye reminded her of its precarious state but she ignored it. The damaged Halconnen was carelessly flung in a corner and when it landed, another bump could be added to the count. She sat on the only chair in her bedroom and nervously tapped her feet.
Calm down, breathe, and clear your mind.
After a few moments, Seras was finally controlled enough so she wouldn't destroy everything on sight. She had searched for Alucard another thirty minutes before supposedly taking her recommended shower but in vain. Sighing, she crouched next to her cannon and propped it up against the brick wall. She sadly trailed the deep gashes on the metal shell with a gloved hand and mentally asked for forgiveness to her powerful friend.
It wasn't just a weapon for her. After all, it had saved her from a lot of pain more than once and today was no exception. She would have hugged it if she didn't feel so silly about it. It was one thing to think of it as a friend, but actually acting like it was a living thing was another. People already thought she was a little on the insane side and she didn't really like the idea of proving them right.
Seras gathered Halconnen and shrugged it on. Looking at it decaying in a lonely corner all dirty and scratched up made her feel depressed so she might as well give it to Walter for repair. As she walked to the room where she first received it, she hoped the multi-purpose man wouldn't be there when she arrived. She feared his reaction because it was the first time she actually had to bring a battered cannon for reparation. She looked to both sides of the corridor, making sure nobody was in the area, before cracking the door open. It was dark and her pupils instantly adjusted.
Relief washed over her features when she noticed Walter was indeed absent (he has a creepy habit of being everywhere at the same time) and she fully entered the weaponry. Flipping a switch on, light flooded from a lamp loosely hanging on the ceiling and produced a long row of obscured firearms of different sizes. Seras spotted an unoccupied table and rested her very own weapon on it. She was about to go back to her quarters, but a pang of guilt stopped her. She couldn't just leave it there without a word…
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Walking back from the weaponry, Seras wore a small smile on her lips, the first sign of happiness in the whole night.
Walter is soooo going to freak out when he sees this…The smile on her face soon faded when she felt the presence of her Master as she neared her room. So, now he decides to show up. She convinced herself to stay calm and not overreact. She agreed with Integra. He has every right to do as he pleases with her, such was the master-slave relationship. Even beat her to a pulp if the envy ever got to him. But he would never hurt her just for the fun of it. Right?
Taking one last steadying breath, she opened the door and was met with the back of Alucard's red duster. He had hidden his hair in his coat, giving the impression that they were short. When he heard the faint click of the closing door he turned around. She was glad to see his eyes, for once not shielded by yellow-tinted glasses. He grinned and his expression had the usual gleam of madness in them.
"You were looking for me?"
"How did you guess? I didn't think screaming your name all over the place had actually reached your ears," she said sarcastically, crossing her arms.
He tisked softly, "Now now, my pet. I thought you told yourself you would stay calm."
He's been peering in her thoughts again, that man…
She frowned angrily and huffed, "I am calm. You didn't see me try and strangle you upon sight."
She felt something being shoved in her mind and gasped at the image that had been sent. Her and her Master in a compromising position while she wrestled him to the floor, trying to get a good stranglehold. And God, did he look pleased in that picture.
"Like that?" his husky tone made her shudder.
Her heart rate increased and she could tell her cheeks were flushed. Why was he doing this? Did he take pleasure in seeing her squirm uncomfortably before him? Another image was forced through, more daring this time as they were both half undressed and touching each other intimately, and made her forget any coherent thoughts. She vaguely remembered seeing those but couldn't quite place her finger on it. They were so familiar…
His sudden closeness didn't go unnoticed when she peered into his clear eyes only a few inches away. Hers were clouded with lust and need, almost blinded with passion. She blinked rapidly to look closer into his bottomless orbs to discover his intentions but to no avail. Her knees felt like marshmallows and they threatened to collapse on the cold hard floor. It got worse when he bent towards her ear and she shivered at his breath.
"Do you know where these come from?" he whispered.
Putting a trembling hand on her temple, she meekly shook her head. He took a step and forced her to back away with his body, almost making her fall in the process. A few more steps later, she was pinned between Alucard and a wall. No escape.
Her chest brushed his when it hitched up with an unsuccessfully stifled moan as another picture appeared in her mind's eye, making her dizzy. A tongue, his tongue, sensually sliding down her neck, painfully and slowly getting closer to her exposed breasts. His nimble hands caressing her thighs, fingers leaving her skin burning just after his lightest touch…
"It's funny really. I never thought you to be such a sexually frustrated thing as you are still untouched. The images I'm currently sending you come directly from your own dreams, police girl."
She hardly heard him as he tucked a lone strand of hair behind her ear and pressed harder into her but not enough to hurt. Trapped between cold and warm, she trembled helplessly. So she actually dreamed such explicit moments while her Master leisurely picked them up? She always projected her thoughts when she was so damned emotive. She'd have to work on that…
"Because of our shared link, I saw them all. They've kept me awake when I was trying to sleep and they've kept me busy when I was awake. Some things never change and the effect sex has on me is definitely one of them. But, recently, I haven't had the chance of reading your usually pleasant dreams."
Trying to regain a semblance of control, she held her hands in front of him and whispered, "S-stop, please…"
He ignored her, "I sleep too much these days and I hate it when I do that. Those dreams, Seras… I want them back!"
He ground his hips into hers and placed his hands on both sides of her head, making her feel imprisoned. She thought for a moment that he was going to kiss her when he bent forward, but he seemed to change his mind as the smell of dried blood wafted in his nostrils. He gingerly nuzzled her cheek and gave a tentative lick that made her skin ignite with delight. His right arm played with her torn collar and yanked it down, exposing her scarred neck. He absently brushed his mark on her with a gloved finger as he continued to explore her face with his tongue.
His feather-like touches on her two round scars threw her back to the time she first met him. That day, that fateful meeting, changed her forever.
When she accepted to become his, he had expertly kissed away the trail of blood that had been dribbling down her chin and nipped at her lower lip to taste more of her. He made a trail of light kisses from her cheek to her neck and gently lifted her to a sitting position, careful not to upset the gaping hole in her chest. He heard her weakening pulse and gave a guttural sound of ecstasy. Licking the pulsating jugular several times, he swiftly embedded two very sharp canines and she gasped in surprise.
She had expected whatever it was that he meant to do with her would hurt. But she felt nothing except a tiny prickle and was then assaulted by pure pleasure, almost raw in its intensity. Sometimes he would suck softly and the next second, he would suck harder brutally taking enormous gulps of blood as she writhed beneath him. His throat letting out sickening grunting noises, hungrily sucking her fresh virgin blood. She wanted to wrap her arms around him but they felt heavy, limping beside her, and each time he swallowed, she couldn't help but moan out loud.
After a while, she started getting dizzy and numb, the darkness engulfing her sight. She thought she was dead and somewhere along the way, she heard a faint 'You're mine' coming from the creature above her. When she woke up, she found herself wrapped in a blanket of some sort and in the arms the man that had saved her. Or was it the man who had killed her?
Back to her present position, his hands had now moved on to caress the side of her breast, his thumb playing dangerously close to her nipple. The memories of that night made her flush with desire, for that same feeling she had recognized as sexual pleasure. She needed him…
It had to stop.
Seras felt like she was going to explode of…of what? She didn't know, as her knowledge of words was too limited to describe exactly what she felt like. But her body absolutely refused to let go of it and her mind was still being bombarded of dirty movies she had created in her own slumber. Pain was the only solution to snap her out of it and she did something she would regret seconds later.
She poked her wounded eye and blood ran anew down her face.
When the pain registered in her brain, she yelped out and Alucard instantly stopped diffusing erotic scenes in her head but didn't remove himself from her, though his tongue and hands had stopped their ministrations. He looked at her with an amused smile.
"W-what was that…?" she panted.
"You're stronger than I thought, police girl. You broke away from my influence earlier than expected. Good."
"You mean… those weren't really my dreams?"
He looked sideways, "No, I meant every word," reverting his gaze to her, he added, "And I still want those dreams back."
Tired, Seras laid her head on his shoulder and closed her only functional eye. Her body hadn't fully recovered from the strength of those emotions and she wasn't sure if she could stand by herself when he'd move away. Now there was something she had wanted to tell him, but, for the life of her, she couldn't remember…
They remained like this until Alucard grabbed her chin.
Moving her bloodstained hair to the side, he examined the injured eye and said, "You may have impressive regenerative powers compared to humans, but you shouldn't leave an injury like this one unattended."
"And why not? It's going to heal sooner or later just like any other wound."
"Not necessarily. Some organs are still prone to infection and the eyes are the most fragile of all. Especially for someone like you who is still in the metamorphosis process."
"Really? Is this the reason why you always wear glasses?" she asked curiously.
He chuckled, "No, I wear them because it makes me look stunning!"
Seras blinked at that remark but before she could respond he scooped her in his arms.
"Hey! What are you doing!?"
"Taking you to the bathroom. What does it look like?"
She crossed her arms and humphed indignantly, "I can walk by myself, you know."
"Of course. You weren't hanging on me because your legs were shaking terribly, you just felt tired and wanted to rest your head on my shoulder. Please," he snorted, a sound she found unfitting for him, "after sustaining such a, let's say, mind-blowing experience I'm surprised to hear you want to walk with your own strength."
Her cheeks turned a pleasant pink color, "Well, I…"
He cut her off, "Shut up, don't give me any excuse, and enjoy the ride."
She shut up.
If he was going to be so damned insistent about taking her bridal-style to the washroom, she might as well get comfortable. Her arms snaked their way to his neck and clasped her hands together. He didn't comment but a thin smile was all she needed to confirm his assent to her rather bold (well, what she considered bold) actions. Maybe she would enjoy the ride after all. It wasn't every day she got the chance to be carried like this by Alucard. Except maybe the first time they met.
The redness on her cheeks spread to her ears as they made their way through the corridor where some of the personnel was staring at the two of them. Did they have to look so shocked? She tightened her grip on his neck and shyly buried her nose in his clothes. Inhaling deeply, she made an approving sound. He smelled wonderfully nice. Spicy cologne, something unutterably Alucard, and…cigar smoke? At that realization, her shoulders slumped a little and her heart sank.
Integra… Figures.
When they reached their destination, he sat her down on the counter after removing some objects that were in the way with one strong arm still holding her.
"Keep your hair out of the way," he told her absently while rummaging in the cabinet.
Seras did as requested, tucking her bangs behind an ear, and neatly secured it with a convenient clip that had been littering around. Looking at her hands, she noticed she was still wearing bloody gloves and immediately took them off. She was tracing the remnants of a nicely healing cut near her stomach when her head was jerked up with a rough tug at her chin. His hands were soft but that was only because she felt his gloves.
"This is going to hurt like hell," he dabbed some antiseptic on a clean rug and held it in front of her.
She nodded and braced herself. When it came in contact, she gritted her teeth silently but remained passive exteriorly. She could hear another part of her screaming in agony deep within and paid it no heed. She should get used to it by now. Her job was constantly bringing her nothing but pain.
Still… that shit stings!The rest of his meticulous work was spent in silence. She was now sporting a white patch over her injury and he even went as far as to wash out the blood from her hair. Back in her room in less than a minute, Seras wanted nothing more than to sleep and Alucard sensed this.
"Now, if it itches, don't touch it. Let it itch. Get a lot of sleep and drink more blood than usual."
She grimaced at that, "Fine, fine. Anything else, Master?"
"Yes," his gaze held a predatory look, "think of me tonight, police girl. Here's some inspiration..."
He grabbed her waist and planted a quick kiss on her lips. Surprised, she had no time to react and before she could, he was already gone. A whisper of warmth lingered where his hands and mouth had been, the only indication that what just happened was real. Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, blood rushed to her head, and she licked at her lips greedily, tasting the remnants of his kiss. Maybe she would dream of him…
Suddenly, she remembered the reason why she wanted to see him in the first place. Her mission… he purposefully made her forget about that!
She smiled.
"That bastard…"
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Walter was walking towards the armory in hopes of relaxing while creating some new toys for Alucard and Seras. Today had been a day he didn't want to live again. The daily cleaning, some plumbing work because of leaks, a little of paintwork, Integra's teatime had been terribly uncomfortable with her bitter comments and a new recruit had puked his guts all over the kitchen floor when he opened the fridge for a snack and found nothing but fresh blood packs neatly organized.
He was far from prepared when he saw a dirty, scratched up, and almost disemboweled Halconnen lying on a wooden table. He approached it with a trembling hand and remarked a small note attached. It said:
'Sorry!'
Seras' name was hastily scribbled in cursive letters.