Chapter V

Author's Note: Hello. I realize that this author's note is a little late and by a little late I really mean unforgivably late, but I do hope that everyone has been enjoying the story so far. This is my first fanfiction, and I am really sorry if any of the grammar is wrong… I have no beta reader, what can I say? Reviews will be greatly appreciated.

Izaiah POV

I laid there, staring at the ceiling. Things have changed between Seras and I since the day she had first allowed me to call her by her name.

We had become more distant than before. I don't know what happened in the moment when I called her by her name, but I've been starting to feel agitated at the inexplicable aftermath. She had kept our relationship strictly to one between Master and Childe: all semblance of friendship and personal connections have been completely wiped out from our interactions. I missed it. I missed us.

Izaiah.

Seras' voice rang within my mind and disrupted my thoughts.

Yes, Master?

I'm outside your door. Can I come in?

Yes, Master.

Seras walked in in what appeared to be a blood-red Hellsing uniform. Her form was accentuated by the short skirt and tight blouse.

"Hey."

I sat up to face her, "Hey. What's up?"

She glanced around nervously, but then moved to sit next to me on the coffin supplied by the Organization.

"We need to talk." Her voice was unsure.

"Ok."

She hasn't shown this much vulnerability before me since I last called her name.

"I don't know how to start this conversation."

I tried to help her situation.

"Master-"

"Please, just call me Seras."

"... I don't think that that would be a wise decision."

Her eyes narrowed.

"Izaiah, it's an order."

My pulse increased at her show of power.

"Yes, Seras."

"Izaiah… I think that it's time to tell you the whole truth. You have a right to it."

The atmosphere between us started to tense up.

"Truth? What have you been lying to me about?"

She was quick to reply, "Nothing, but I haven't told you everything." Her gaze shifted from her hands to my my face.

She expected me to say something. I had nothing. I just wanted to hear what she wanted to say. I just wanted to know what made her so nervous to tell me.

"Izaiah, the truth is, Alucard is my Master."

She glanced at my face trying to read my emotions but I had none that would warrant such unease from her. I already knew.

"You resemble him and when you touched my hair and called me by my name, I remembered the day I last saw him. The day when he disappeared from the face of the Earth, from me."

Her voice grew smaller.

"I never understood why I could hear his voice circulate within my mind without end until months after his disappearance when I finally realized that I loved my Master, maybe even obsessed over him."

I allowed my hands to wrap around her shoulders and guided her body towards mine.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I couldn't tell you. I was afraid you'd think that I didn't care about you as your own being and only wanted to have you by my side because of your resemblance with him."

"Seras," I chuckled and combed a hand through her hair. "I am not upset over any of this. I had an idea that was the case to begin with. What you don't understand is that before you, I had no life. I don't have any memories of my life other than aimlessly wandering the streets of Milan before I had the pleasure of meeting you. You felt so familiar to me I couldn't help but grow close to you. I am happy even now. I understand. It's ok."

It was the truth. I had thought that I would feel a jealousy so strong that it would border on rage when the time came and she finally told me about her Master, but what I felt right now did not resemble that belligerent emotion in the slightest.

I placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Seras, understand that you are so important to me that nothing could ever drive me from you."

She moved closer to my body and wrapped her arms around my torso, whispering, "Thank you. Thank you so much…"

And I was happy.

Seras POV

I stood up after the hug but his hand quickly held onto my wrist.

"You're leaving?"

"Yeah, dawn is just around the corner. I need to return to my room to prep for tomorrow. I haven't felt the comfort of my own coffin for so long."

A flash of an unrecognizable emotion crossed his face but disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

I gave him a smile and then dematerialize into my room.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding when I reached my room, feeling like a boulder was lifted off of my shoulders. It has already been 20 years. 20 long years since I've last stood in this exact position.

I trailed my fingers over my furniture, taking in the familiarity and basking in the calm it allowed me. Home sweet home.

However, when I went over to my coffin a sudden urge took hold of my body. Something was calling me to Master's room. I needed to go to Master's room. I wanted to go to Master's room.

The next thing I knew, I was in Master's room.

Alucard… I want to be able to say your name.

His coffin had been placed near the right corner of the room. My body felt less and less like mine as I made my way towards the coffin, almost as if I've been enchanted by a siren. The lid creaked open and I felt myself move to lie down inside of it.

The red silk material within the coffin caressed my skin as I closed my eyes and allowed sleep to overtake me.

~IN A DREAM~

There was darkness. Nothing but darkness and a faint breeze until a figure started to approach me from a distance.

Seras. Seras Victoria.

Master?

For a minute everything stood still.

"Yes, Police Girl. Who else could it be?"

A shiver of joy ran down my spine as I turned around to face the voice. My eyes widened and I felt my knees weaken until they gave out but he caught me before I face planted.

"As clumsy as ever I see."

I almost couldn't speak from the overflowing jubilance within the pit of my stomach but I knew I had to collect myself before I could speak with him.

"Master, where have you been?"

"Around."

"Master…"

"Yes, Police Girl?"

"Are you real?"

He flashed one of his trademark grins, complimenting the never-ending smile that had appeared on my face since his arrival.

"I don't know, am I?"

"This is a dream, isn't it?"

"It is whatever you wish it to be."

"I see, then does that mean that I can do as I please?"

"I don't see why not."

I didn't wait for him to finish his answer before I wrapped my arms around him, rested my ear against his chest, and whispered-

"Alucard…"

There was a long moment of silence before I felt a chilling shift in the air. His eyes burned with a brighter shade of red and he disappeared from within my arms.

"Police Girl, I do believe that your Mate would not appreciate your current display of affection."

His grin had been replaced with one that was wider and contained no real joy.

"Mate? But, Al-"

He interrupted me before I could continue.

"I am still your Master. You will not address me by my name until you've taken my blood and become a true Nosferatu."

Master's mood had become darker than it previously was. He no longer held the same familiarity and genuine happiness as when the dream first began.

"Master… why are you pushing me away?"

He suddenly appeared before me.

"Because you are not my Mate. You cannot be. You're weak. Still, I must admit that you've become more courageous than before I left you. Perhaps because of Izaiah? Maybe you'll never be No-Life Queen," he tipped my chin up with a gloved finger as his eyes blazed even brighter, "as you're more suited to be from the lineage of the Whore of Babylon than from mine."

He once again disappeared as I felt his words destroy any of my previous emotions. How could I have forgotten how cruel loving him could be?

"How is my Master doing?"

His question broke me out of my line of thought and I realized that he now had his back turned to face me with a glass of wine in his hand. How could he be so calm when he just exploited every one of my weaknesses?

My voice was barely above a mummer.

"Sir Integra?"

"You will address her as 'Master', Police Girl."

Blood stung at my eyes from his now almost fatherly chiding but I forced myself to calm down.

I bowed with my right hand over my chest as a true servant would. My responses grew to become eerily calm.

"... I understand, Master. My other Master is doing fine and is patiently awaiting your return."

"I see. I thought she must've given up on me by now. How do you know about this? You haven't spoken to her of me."

"We have not, Master, but I know because I knew how she is feeling."

Not knew, Seras. Know. You've waited for him just as much as Integra, no, Master, has. Perhaps even more...

I felt a blood tear slipping from my eyes, but my voice kept it's even tone.

"Police Girl, you are a Nosferatu, never forget that. You should not be relating to a human on things such as emotion. You will regret it."

Alucard turned to face the me who was still bowing, desperately trying to cling on the the comfort of servitude.

"Understood, Master."

"Police Girl… are you crying?" There was a sudden gentleness to his tone.

His hands reached out for me but they just as suddenly stopped as if he has caught himself in a shameful act.

"Yes, Master."

"Why?"

I paused for a bit thinking of an answer, found none to be suitable, and, for the first time, blocked our mental connection and lied to him.

"I do not know, Master. Is there anything else you wish to know before I leave this dream?"

"Leave this dream?"

"Yes, I do not plan on shedding my tears in front of your presence, Master. It will only serve to make you see me as even weaker than you already see me as."

"Then leave," he growled.

"Understood, Master."

I was about to wake myself up when I turned back to face him once again.

"Master."

"What is it?"

"I just want to tell you something that I've been wanting to tell you for 20 years."

"What is that?"

Goodbye.