Chapter VI

Seras POV

When I opened my eyes I realized three things. One, tears were still running down my cheeks. Two, I was in a coffin that wasn't mine, and three, I didn't get to say what I truly wanted to say to Alu-, I mean, Master.

I was unsure whether or not the dream was truly a dream or perhaps another attempt by my brain to convince me that I'm crazy.

Just then I noticed a presence outside of the coffin I was in.

"Seras? Seras, are you in there?" the voice called out.

The lid opened to reveal the distressed face of Izaiah. I was unsure what made me reach out and hold him against me but I gave into my impulses anyway.

"I could smell your tears all the way from my room, Seras. What's wrong?" His concern was etched out on his features.

I smiled.

"I'm sorry for waking you. I just had a bad dream. Let's get out of here and go to my room. There's still time before sunset."

He replied with a smile of his own, "Okay."

We both dematerialized into my room where we wordlessly climbed into my coffin together. He didn't ask me about the dream; he just held me close to his chest and hummed into my hair.

I once again drifted to the land of dreams but, this time, I was in the arms of Izaiah and the dreams were full of joy and warmth.

Izaiah POV

I woke with Seras in my arms and couldn't help the smile that was forcing it's way onto my face.

She slowly started to stir and then finally opened her eyes in a dreamy haze.

My voice was soft as I brushed her hair away from her face, "Hey, beautiful. You ready for today?"

"Yeah, what time is it?" She stretched out to the other side of the coffin but then unexpectedly moved to rest her head against the crook of my neck. I could feel her lips against my collar bone.

"I'd say it's around 6PM. Would you like to get up?" I asked, praying to a God I wasn't sure existed that she would say no.

"No, it's comfy. Give me 5 more minutes." She groaned, entwining her legs with my own.

I was all too happy to comply.

5 minutes turned into 20 and then an hour but by then Seras was fully ready to wake up.

She opened the lid to the coffin and made her way to the shower, pausing when she got to the bathroom door to give me the first orders of the day.

"I'll meet you in 20. Go to your room and wait for me."

"As you wish." I dematerialized into my own bedroom (or was it coffin-room in this case?) where 2 blood packs sat waiting for me. I briefly wondered whether or not Conrad realized I wasn't in the room but was interrupted by my rising bloodlust.

I stared at the chilled liquids for a while still unsure about whether or not to drink or to throw them away.

Izaiah, drink the blood.

Understood.

Like a good Childe, I took one pack and punctured it with my fangs. I felt the liquid slid slowly down my throat and cringed. Seras was right. They were awful. Who in the right mind thought that a vampire would enjoy cooled blood? No, who in the right mind thought that blood that sat in the back of a fridge for a week would make a good meal? There had to be a way to make them better, perhaps wine.

Seras had suddenly sat herself in the chair directly in front of me. "I see you've discovered the cause of my distaste for blood packs."

"Yeah, how'd you drink these?" I fought to not flinch at the remaining taste and texture of the cold congealed blood in my mouth.

"You warm them."

Seras reached out to grab my remaining blood pack, throwing it into her shadows before they returned three blood packs onto the table.

"Here's yours," she said as she handed me the now body temperature blood.

"Thanks."

After taking a gulp of the blood, I decided that this time the blood was more bearable.

"How did you survive your time here?"

"I didn't drink blood before my dismissal from Hellsing. The only time that I did was when Pip died…" her face started to fall into the distant look that I was all too familiar with by now.

"Seras, you don't have to think about it if you don't want to."

She smiled and the looked up at me.

"Let's go meet the WG-II." Her tone lightened up. I couldn't help the smirk that placed itself on my visage.

"Whatever my willful Master demands."

She gave me a half-hearted glare and then quickly pulled me along with her.

Third Person POV

Integra was halfway through her speech when Seras and Izaiah appeared.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Seras greeted as she entered the door.

"Ah, and this is what I've been talking about. Gentlemen, please meet Seras Victoria, a draculina."

The crowd murmured and laughed. It was all much too similar to how the Wild Geese had originally reacted. However, instead of a Pip Bernadotte, the crowd jeered together.

Seras' patience had long ago been worn thin when in face of military affairs and ordered her shadows to spread throughout the room and into the minds of all the humans present in the room.

Be mindful of what you say about me. I will be your commander for however long you are part of the WG-II.

A look of terror appeared on most of the soldier's faces.

Seras' lips broke into a mad grin before her expression turned solemn.

"Now, who can tell me what WG-II stands for?"

A soldier stood up and responded with respect.

"Wild Geese II."

The change in the attitudes of the soldiers surprised Integra.

"What did she do?"

Izaiah smiled and responded to her question. "She inserted a part of her mind into theirs. It's kind of like hypnosis, but much more effective. Don't worry, it won't cause any problems for the soldiers since there are no side effects."

"Yes. Does anyone know about the Wild Geese?" Seras asked in a commanding voice.

"They were completely annihilated 20 years ago. The cause is unknown."

She decided to reveal the truth to the new group of soldiers.

"The cause is a group called the Millennium. They sacrificed their lives for the sake of protecting this Organization. You will not tarnish their name. Do you understand?"

"Yes. We understand," the soldiers all replied in unison.

"Good. You are dismissed from this meeting. Do take care to meet me in the training room tomorrow at 7PM. Our latest mission will be a week from today and I expect a team who knows how to stay alive in a time of desperation. Should my safety look precarious and the probability of my return becomes minimal, run. Your first and foremost priority when we are on a mission outside of protecting the Organization is to stay alive. Understood?" Her tone was stern.

The soldiers looked at her with confusion written on their faces. They had expected that she'd demand for them to risk their lives.

Seras' featured softened. "I am a vampire. If the chance of my survival is not 100% then that means yours would already have reached close to 0. I'm not calling you weak but it's the truth and I just can't have that. From today onwards you are my team, my family. You must do all that you can to stay alive. So, once again, understood?"

There was a moment of silence but then a collective voice answered.

"Yes, Commander."

Integra stared in amazement.

It had only been 10 minutes since Seras had entered the room, but the soldiers had already started calling her with a term of respect.

"Seras, you have become stronger than I had expected from you in the 20 years that you were away."