Before I begin, I want to thank everyone for the awesome reviews :D

Ok…as RIP Lynn said, to lemon or not to lemon? I did not pick 50/50 or Phone a friend, but Ask the Audience, and you guys said: Lemon it up.

The majority has agreed that a lemon would be desired, but… not right now. That's perfectly fine. However, I can't guarantee it will be big phat and juicy, cos it'll still need to be classy. They won't be at it like bunnies, no. I want to apologise to those who do not want a lemon that I have to agree with the majority this time... but if you don't want to read it when I do post it up, that's fine too, and I'll put up warnings prior the chapter. But to let you know, the lemon won't really affect the storyline.

Also, in this chapter, it is about Ruby and it's fast - I need them to make up ASAP and things to go back to the way they were!…which leads me to my second point in which I want to focus on the plot so there is no lime for now.

Ruby's House

Next day.

Following yesterday's event, Ruby never returned to her apartment in the evening. On her way out though, she managed to retrieve her bag and crutches and stayed at a cheap hotel to think about her next move. Eventually, she decided it would be indeed wise to move out of her apartment and back home, but she would have to ask permission first. She also hadn't heard from Alucard since. He hadn't looked for her, ie, he hadn't appeared to her impromptu.

Maybe she had gone overboard this time, because she bit him. Maybe she bruised his ego some way or another. She was surprised he didn't raise his voice at her, or hit her. Maybe he was sick and tired of chasing her and had settled down with a female vampire, accepting another as his bride. Maybe he didn't need Ruby, maybe didn't want her anymore.

She decided not to think about Alucard anymore for now; and before she returned home, she took the bus to her parent's favourite department store and bought a new briefcase for her father, a new perfume for her mother.

Ruby sniffled somewhat as she hobbled down the path home. It was getting dark when she arrived; Ruby's house was a detached house in a small neighbourhood outside the train station. She remembered the same street she used to cycle up and down from on her bicycle, and the park where she used to play with other children in the neighbourhood, and smiled slightly. Samuel's car was missing, indicating he'd gone to work. Ruby breathed a sigh of relief; she didn't exactly want to put up with her father at the moment. All she knew was: while she had the time, she would go see her mother after that spontaneous visit the other day. Eventually, she arrived outside her house after the short walk, staring at its décor. It was an old house, painted with eggshell white paint that completely contrasted with their scarlet front door. The house was barricaded by a large brick wall and two black gates in front.

Gazing at the unkempt lawn, she made her way inside and once at the door, she took out her keys and unlocked it, then entered, and shut the door behind her quietly. The house was eerily still; she looked up to the top of the stairs, at the landing. It was dark. The house smelt strange, smelt musky and stale, and somewhat damp. She didn't quite remember the house being like this at all. No, she had always remembered it to be warm and bright.

"Mum, I'm home. Are you in?"

She slipped off her converses and removed her coat, before glancing around the rest of the dark hallway. Even the walls were peeling, the wallpaper old and yellowing. A cracked photoframe of a family portrait was hung on the wall along with a mirror that was also fractured in one corner. Ruby looked at the photo; a 5 year old Ruby was grinning with two missing front teeth, squashed in between Dahlia and Samuel. Both parents were also smiling widely.

The door to the living room suddenly opened and there was Dahlia in the doorway, with the two handles of a medium-depth stew pot in clenched oven-mitted hands. "Ruby! I thought I heard you; How nice of you to visit. Come in, come in. Where's Mr Brenner?"

"…he's busy."

"Aww, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're here; there's been a weather forecast of an awful storm approaching and I was worried about you staying in the apartment by yourself. Ooh, what's that you got there?"

"Presents, for you and dad."

Dahlia blinked wide-eyed, as Ruby lifted up the department store bags. "Darling, you didn't have to get us things."

"…Mum, I was actually wondering if I could move back…"

"Move back? Of course you can move back!" She put down the pot onto the floor and threw her arms around Ruby, hugging her tightly. "Of course you can come home, dear. We were so worried when you moved out; we wanted you to come back every day. Hurry and pack your bags and suitcase and bring them here."

"…What about dad? Will he be okay?"

"Dad? Oh, sweetheart, daddy's fine. He'll be fine. He's just not sure how to apologise to you. He's silly like that. You don't hate your father, do you?"

"No, of course not." She replied, "…Can I check my room?"

"Sure - but I got a surprise for you. Look who's here!" And Dahlia opened the door to a larger extent to reveal a familiar figure sitting down on the armchair across the TV.

Ruby froze as the woman sat up, and smiled, and Ruby remembered the many times she'd seen that gentle smile. Her jaw dropped in shock. This woman, she had brown hair flecked with a few greying streaks; wrinkles littered the corners of her withered, kind old eyes, but even after all those years, she still looked the same. And she said, "Hello, Ruby. It's been a long time."

Ruby couldn't believe her eyes. "…Mary?"

Dahlia giggled, "It's been such a long time! Mary, why don't you stay over for dinner?" She picked up the stew pot and strode over to the woman in the lounge.

"I'm sorry, Dahlia, I was actually about to leave."

"Leave?" Ruby found herself saying before Dahlia could protest, "But I just got here."

"Oh, Ruby." The woman held out her arms; Ruby sauntered over obligingly and was embraced her tightly. Ruby felt slightly nervous. It had been so long. Maybe too long; she had no idea what to say to her carer. "I'm so sorry, but I have to leave; the daycare's short on people. But I'm glad I saw you. Look at you; you're all grown up."

"…You really can't stay?"

Mary shook her head sadly. "Not today. I'll come over sometime next week. We'll catch up then."

Ruby nodded. "O-Okay."

The woman moved to the landing to put on her shoes, and Dahlia opened the door for her while Ruby glanced away a little dejectedly. She had not seen Mary, a woman she thought as an extremely close relative although they were not even related to each other at all, for so long and now that she had, she was leaving? "It was good to see you, Ruby." Then she excused herself and left without further ado.

"That was too bad." Dahlia muttered as she locked the door, before she noticed how silent Ruby had grown. "Ruby, darling, it's alright. Mary will visit us again."

Ruby smiled weakly as her mother returned to the kitchen. "…I'm going to check upstairs now." She said; however, a quick brown flash flew into the house through the square flap on the front door and flitted in between her legs, rushing towards the direction of the kitchen. Ruby blinked; it was her cat. She quickly limped into the kitchen where Dahlia was now returning to her cooking; Ruby caught a glimpse of her cat padding down towards the basement and hesitated whether to follow it or not.

Dahlia turned to her, having sensed her presence. "Ruby, what are you doing?"

"Casper went down to the basement. Can I go get him?"

Her mother blinked at her, then moved to step in front of the basement, smiling dryly. "Dear, you've broken your poor foot."

"…Yes, but I can manage. I can go down the stairs."

The smile disappeared from Dahlia's face immediately. "Ruby, you know you're not allowed down there. If dad finds out, he'll be angry. Don't do this to me, dear. I'll get Casper for you. Be a good sport and go back to the lounge to wait. Go on."

She nodded, left the kitchen and went to the lounge to wait as instructed. She sat down on her favourite couch, then heard the kitchen lock go off. She didn't think much of it, and found herself switching on the TV, staring at the flickering screen. A few minutes later, Dahlia re-emerged from the kitchen with Casper and Ruby stood back up to pick up a fat and fluffy, brown blobby thing off Dahlia and into her arms. "…Thanks, mum."

Dahlia smiled at her, returned to the kitchen and Ruby hugged Casper a little tighter to herself. The cat did nothing except blink slowly and close its eyes. With her cat in her arms, she hobbled up the stairs and into her room. Ruby stared at the closed door, then slowly opened it and stepped in. She switched on the light, then glanced around, staring at her furniture which were covered by white sheets to keep dust off.

She hadn't been back for some time. Most of her belongings were left in boxes scattered on the floor; however, she could see that Dahlia, and perhaps Mary, had left her room intact with some new additions - an array of children's crayon drawings were pinned up on all four walls of the room. A crayon height chart was visible in the corner, along with a few, smeared crimson-red handprints. It looked like blood.

She turned away immediately. Maybe it was because she'd been around Alucard too much she'd begun seeing things in a different light.

Two Barbie dolls in princess dresses coated in dust smiled crookedly at her as they sat on the windowsill, half-fallen off their pink, plastic chairs with black marks smeared across their faces. She didn't know where the black marks came from, but when she looked up at the top of her window near the curtain rail, she noticed a large amount of rot had built up and some strange ooze was leaking out, dripping onto the sill below. So much for double glazing, she thought.

"Eurgh…" Ruby clutched Casper securely, stepped forwards and gasped when her foot landed on something hard; she glanced down to see a baby doll's head with its eyes missing. Inside the small depth of the empty sockets, she could see the tell-tale wiggle of a maggot resting inside.

Inwardly, she swallowed down. Her room felt unfamiliar to her. In fact, the entire house felt unfamiliar; it had deteriorated; the floorboards and carpet and walls displaying signs of decay.

Hadn't her parents been cleaning and attending to the house regularly? Oh…right, they were doctors… they hardly lived in the house. This was probably normal since she'd moved out, although… she didn't move out for a long time, only for six or seven months. Yet how could the house have changed so much? Ruby wondered why her mother had kept her things so neat and tidy and in pristine condition, even after she had left to live at the hospital. Despite this, she missed her family, her house, her room. She missed her belongings.

She put Casper down, kicked away the baby dollhead with the maggots nesting inside into a nearby binbag and then delved into the first box that contained her belongings and found an old box of crayons; she sighed and looked around herself, then began rifling through more boxes up until Casper slinked over and knocked over a steel box, which clattered loudly over the floorboards.

"Casper!" She reprimanded the cat, as she reached over to scoop the box back up. It was locked. She gave it a shake and heard something shift inside; Ruby pursed her lips in thought as she wondered where the key might be. "I remember now…" Ruby scrabbled over to a rickety floorboard under her bed then eased it open with two thumps of her clenched fist.

It was her secret hiding place.

Along with her favourite childhood toys inside the secret compartment under the floorboards, she found a rusted key. She took it out and wiped the dust off it, then unlocked the steel box, lifted the lid and took out the contents.

"…More crayon drawings..." Ruby mumbled to herself. As if the crayon drawings pinned on my walls aren't enough, I have more in here. She went through each and every one of them, childhood memories flooding into her; but then she found a manila folder she hadn't seen before.

The label said: DON'T SHOW TO MUM AND DAD -Mary

A folder left behind by Mary? Ruby squinted her eyes and then tried to remember exactly what this folder was and what Mary may have placed inside. As much as she tried to, she could not. Shrugging, she opened the folder curiously and brought out more crayon drawings – there was one that said 'Mary and Me', then there was a family picture of stick figures holding hands, named accordingly as Dad, then Mum, then Me, and finally…

…there was a nameless, stick figure drawn in black crayon, with two red beady eyes.

Red eyes…?

She closed her eyes and tried to remember. Oh yes, Red Eyes from her dreams… Why would she draw a crayon drawing of it? And why…

…why did I draw it with my family?

Ruby placed it down and turned to the next drawing. It was a drawing of a house on fire. She thought it was her house (although she didn't know why she would draw her house on fire) until she saw a poorly-drawn swing set and large tree beside the house. She never had a swing before when she was younger. Unable to remember exactly what it was which Mary didn't want Ruby to show her parents when she was younger, Ruby shook her head at herself with a sigh.

I'm sure they don't mean anything…

Then the door to her room squeaked open and Dahlia stepped in with a steaming bowl and spoon sitting on a tray. "Ruby, I brought you some soup – " She paused when she saw Ruby surrounded by her childhood crayon drawings on the floor and crayons, "…What are you doing?"

Ruby glanced down to the crayons and her drawings, then smiled awkwardly in return, "Just sorting through some of my old stuff."

"Oh! More crayon drawings! I didn't know you had drawn more…If I knew I would've put them up on the wall."

But she didn't remember drawing them and she didn't know what they meant, and Mary had locked them away. Ruby shrugged as she quickly hid Mary's note by scrunching it up and shoving it into her pocket. "It was with the…er…school stuff."

"That's weird, I'm sure I went through that box and couldn't find drawings…" Dahlia tilted her head to the side as Ruby quickly hid away the family drawing by crumpling it into a tight ball. Dahlia smiled at her daughter but caught sight of the crayon drawing of the house. She picked it up before Ruby could reach for it. "Ruby? What's that? What is this?"

"Oh…I…I don't know."

"When did you draw this?" Dahlia was scrutinising it intensely, her smile had vanished immediately; Ruby had never seen her mother so worked up before. "When did you draw this? Where did you see this house?" She demanded, but Ruby blinked blankly. Dahlia tried again, "Where exactly did you see this house, Ruby?"

"I-I can't remember. Mum, is something wrong? What's wrong? Tell me."

"…What? Oh…n-nothing… everything's fine. Nothing's wrong…It's a pretty house, dear." Without another word, she turned away, still with crayon drawing in hand. Before she left her room, she smiled at Ruby, who was watching her, stunned. "Ruby, I…your father and I, we love you. We love you so much."

Then she hurried down the stairs and into the lounge with the crayon drawing in hand.

She made sure Ruby was not following her, and quickly dashed into the kitchen, locked it again, then flung open the door to the basement. As soon as she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, she locked the basement door behind her, switched the light on and stormed up to the desk quickly. Placing Ruby's crayon drawing on the desk surface, she matched the house she had drawn to a photograph of a house that was clipped onto the whiteboard that was firmly attached to the wall. Her breath shortened when she realised Ruby had drawn the exact thing – even the swing set in the garden.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Dahlia lifted the phone up, then pressed on the speed dial button. She waited patiently, and finally, the phone on the other end picked up. "You told me to call you if anything happened." Dahlia said.

"What's happened?"

"She remembers the house."

"That's impossible."

"It's just a crayon drawing, but she's drawn the tree…the swing…the fire. She's starting to remember. Or…she already remembers. I don't know. She wouldn't tell me. How could she remember? What do I do?"

"Don't worry, just act like nothing's happened. Be natural. Do the best you can, and I'll take care of it, alright?"

"A-Alright." Dahlia stuttered, "What will you do?"

"…Well, I'll need to talk to her, won't I?"

Later.

"What is this?"

Ruby sat opposite her father in the chair with her eyes trained on her lap. On the coffee table's surface, was a box wrapped up in dark blue paper with a silver bow fastened on top.

"I asked you what is this?" Samuel said, crossing his arms as Dahlia put down her cup of tea and began tugging his hand in a reproving manner. "What's the matter? Why aren't you saying anything? Cat got your tongue?"

Her father had always scared her. Her mum said they used to get on well, but Ruby didn't remember, couldn't remember. Her dad had always been hostile and aggressive towards her throughout her childhood and teenage years. She thought… maybe she shamed him, because she was their daughter…and they were doctors, but she didn't act like how a daughter of doctors should. She had no idea how… she thought she was normal, playing with other neighbourhood kids, getting mediocre but satisfactory grades in class...Whenever something happened in school, such as if she got good grades in class, she showed it to him first thing, smiling and grinning with her arms out, the report or test paper in her hands, but…then she'd remembered her father would just sit behind his desk in his study chair, and stare at her. Maybe give her a quiet nod. One time she remembered she received a handshake. Eventually, she ended up confiding with Mary or her mother.

She snapped out of her thoughts when Dahlia laughed awkwardly. "Dear, it's a gift from Ruby."

"No, Dahlia, don't speak for her. She's perfectly capable of talking herself."

"It's a gift." Ruby eventually croaked out.

"I don't want it."

Dahlia forced a small smile when Ruby fell silent. "Sam, Ruby knows you've been working so much and your briefcase's got this horrid tear in the corner, so she deliberately went to that store you like and got you a new one."

But Samuel ignored her. "You suddenly come here unannounced declaring that you want to move back, and now you present me with this. What are you trying to do?"

Ruby glanced up meekly, "Dad, I…"

"Trying to win favour with me?" He barked, before he lifted the box off the table and frowned at it; then he dumped it to the ground with a sweep of the back of his hand, and Dahlia and Ruby stared wide-eyed at the box that had crumpled to the floor. "I don't want it. You think buying me a present will make me forgive what you have done? You can use that trick on your mother, but not with me. Take it and go away. Go back to the apartment. I don't want you under the same roof as me."

Ruby turned to him with her mouth falling open in shock.

Samuel continued. "You turned your back on your family. Don't you come running back to us with your tail between your legs. How much do you need? Why didn't you ask that man you were with for money?"

She shook her head furiously. "That's not - "

"If it is not because you've run out of money, then why are you here?"

"Samuel! Quit it!" Dahlia shrieked at him, "What is with you?"

Ruby watched their argument in silence, her bottom lip going taut, contorting into a small, visible frown.

"What's with that attitude?" Samuel barked at her once he saw her expression, "I don't like that look in your eyes. Feeling angry and bitter that I don't accept your gift?"

She shrunk away from him in response.

"Even though we allowed you to leave and start that silly nursing degree of yours, you're still a disgrace; you disgust me. We got a phonecall from the hospital the other day, about your broken foot. They said you might have to repeat First year over again. This is how you repay us? Don't forget that we paid for your tuition fees and accommodation. You've wasted our time and money."

"Sam, it's not Ruby's fault she hurt herself!"

"Why not? She's twenty years old. She's grown up, she's not a child anymore. You would think she'd be more responsible but all I see is a useless - "

"Stop it! Oh, just stop it!" Dahlia screamed, before she got up from her seat and ran up the stairs, bursting into tears.

"Mum!" Ruby cried, standing up immediately.

"Oh no you don't - You don't belong here anymore!" Samuel shouted, stepping in front of her to prevent her from following her mother. "Here, take this money and go away!" He took out his wallet and chucked a few paper bills at her; she stared in horror, watching the money flutter around her onto the floor.

And a few moments later, Ruby found herself standing outside the gates of her house, crying.

Everything had been a blur.

It was then she remembered the same thing happened to her one day when she was younger: She accidentally spilled her juice over her father's documents one day while playing in his study and he yelled at her, threatening to throw her out to the streets, and he dragged her out the house and locked her outside the gates. She stood there, begging to be let back in. When nothing happened, she cried for a few hours or so not knowing where to go or what to do, until a neighbour came out of their house. Even then she lied and said she locked herself out of the house and nobody was in. She only went back home when her mother came back from work.

There she was, sniffling and wailing while hugging her cat. The wind was strong and the sky was darkening; she shivered, having been kicked out of the house with no jacket or umbrella. She glanced around, but she didn't want to wait for a neighbour or somebody else to see her like this.

But where do I go? I don't have anywhere to go.

That wasn't true; she could go and seek out Gwen…but she didn't want to tell Gwen what had happened. The girl would keep asking and asking and asking and if she refused to tell, Gwen might take it the wrong way and get angry instead, since Gwen's mechanics didn't always make sense to Ruby; the girl could be helpful yet deplorable at the same time. She was that kind of person.

Or… I could go back to the apartment…

But what if Alucard was waiting for her there? Now that this had happened, she wasn't sure how to face him properly, or if she even had the strength to.

She glanced at Alucard's fang in her other hand; she was clutching it so hard her knuckles were turning white. as she gazed at the fang for longer, her expression softened and she ceased her sniffles and snivels. Before long, she cradled the fang tightly to herself. It brought a sense of security to her.

However, she was disrupted when something landed on her head and she looked up at the grey sky, rubbing at the crown of her head. It was water. She groaned when it began to rain heavily and automatically, Casper scrabbled out of her hold. Once he landed back on the ground, he hurriedly dashed away, and she whimpered, watching her cat scurry off and disappear into a thick bush opposite.

She was alone.

Ruby clamped her hands over her head, as the rain began to grow fiercer and fiercer. The storm! Of course; her mother had warned her about it earlier on... How worse could this day get? She'd gotten kicked out of the house and now it was raining too. She turned back to the gates, staring at the house in between the gaps of the metal bars longingly, but nothing happened. Turning back round, she scowled at herself for wishing, or hoping, to be let back in. Ruby glanced around again, unsure what to do, then slowly lowered herself to squat on the ground with her arms on her knees, sobbing into her sleeves.

A few minutes later, she felt something plop onto her head and stopped weeping for a moment.

There was a hat on her.
A red hat, with a wide, floppy brim.

Hats didn't come from nowhere; she looked up, and a familiar figure stepped directly in front of her.

Alucard…?

At first, she tried to run. She simply did not know how to deal with him at this precise moment. A barrel of conflicting emotions was waging a war inside her and she also didn't want him to see her reduced to this. It was also then that she remembered precisely what had happened in the apartment, and she blushed furiously. Why is he even here in the first place? She couldn't help but ponder. Why had he given her his hat? Perhaps he had considered she may require it more than he might since humans were so vulnerable to wetness and the cold. However, before she even had a chance to limp away, he grabbed her and she found herself in his arms, held in his secure embrace.

"Do not run from me, my bride." He snarled viciously; she whimpered as the hat lopped off her head and onto the cold, wet ground. Now they were both standing under the rain, getting soaked.

"L-Let go."

"No." He asserted, his lips were by her ear and his voice was husky and suave that her legs went weak in seconds. Goddamnit, how could he have this kind of effect on her?

"Let go, Alucard, please." Her voice was almost drowned out by the rain. She squeezed her eyes shut, thoroughly embarrassed that he had to witness her like this, kicked out of her own home and her eyes red and blotchy, evidence of a prolonged session of profound sobbing.

"You dislike me that much that you attempt to escape from my mere presence?" He barked, "You reject me even now?"

"…N-No…it's just - "

She was cut off when he slammed his lips against hers in a fierce kiss. When she struggled, he kissed her harder. Rougher. Deeper. Hungrier. Eventually, Ruby surrendered to him with a moan; their lips were pressing against each other so tightly, he backed her against the wall of her house, but she pulled away and shook her head. "Don't, Alucard…don't make this so hard for me…"

With that, he kissed her with more vigour; he did not even care if she needed air. "Do not even attempt to bite me again, little one. I do not forgive so easily." He growled when he broke apart for a few seconds. It was despicable; he waited centuries for his mate only to be rejected? What kind of fool did she take him for? It infuriated him to no end that she still did not exactly understand just how important she was to him. He kissed her ardently, with all the anger swelling inside him and his hands clenched securely around her waist, crushing her against him. She whimpered helplessly under his grip, trying to wriggle free but he refused to let go of her.

Hell, he refused her refusing him.

He smashed his lips over hers again and again, claiming her mouth relentlessly, and her mind reeled; her feelings for Alucard were too strong now. This was past the point of no return. She'd been stubborn, determined not to fall for him but now this had happened and she was facing the consequences; he'd reduced her to a quivering wreck just by kissing her. Deep within, she was burning inside, with no sense of relief.

When she began kissing him back, his grip loosened, and she placed her hands on the sides of his face to bring their faces even closer. She almost forgot it was raining, and that they were completely drenched from head to toe. He gave a pleased growl at her submission and lessened the strength he'd used to pin her against the wall, applying light kisses over her jaw and the side of her face.

Freed from his mouth, she was left a panting and gasping wreck, "This isn't getting us anywhere."

He stopped kissing her and brushed wet strands of her hair away from her face; his tone went softer, too. "…I did not come here to argue; there is something I have to tell you, Ruby."

If he began talking about what happened back at the apartment, she would wish the ground would swallow her up, but then -

"I love you."

Her eyes went wide, her jaw hanging slack as she tensed up on the spot. She wasn't expecting that. She blinked at him before her cheeks went a darker shade of red to match his coat. "…W-what…"

"I love you, Ruby," Alucard repeated sternly. "I will not deny that I want to make love to you, and I want you to be mine, to become my woman, my bride, my mate. You are my bride, my No-Life Queen, and I am your No-Life King. I should not have forced myself on you. What I did was inexcusable."

Her mouth moved, but no words came out. Suddenly, he enveloped his arms around her, and began to bury his face into her neck. "…Alucard?" He didn't respond, except rub his cheek against her nape affectionately.

He's trying to apologise, she thought, as she glanced to the side, still bundled up tightly in his arms. The truth was she wasn't angry at him anymore. She never really was. Maybe when they first met, she would be furious if he'd pull a stunt like that back in the bedroom and she would never want to speak to him ever again, but now they'd been in each other's presences, she'd gotten comfortable and used to the vampire. Nothing he did remotely infuriated her and she could never bring herself to hate him.

"I am willing to wait five…ten…or twenty years for your answer." He muttered, "…I can wait."

"T-twenty years? I'll be forty years old."

"Then when will I receive a definite answer?"

"…I think I should speak to Sir Integra or Mr Morris first."

"Of course. Come with me, to Hellsing." He added, before he reached for her hand. "…If you have forgiven me, that is."

She turned to the gates behind her, and back to Alucard. Finally, Ruby cast her gaze to the side, in obvious mental debate, and he believed she would decline, but then, she nodded. "Yes." She said, "I forgive you. And I'm sorry too."

A smirk appeared on his face, "That is what I have come to adore about you: you are so gentle and kind; indisputably, a rare specimen amongst humans." He said, which made her cringe somewhat.

"I'm sorry for everything I've done that's made you angry or-or confused." She added, stammering slightly, "I'm sorry for biting you the other day."

Alucard raised a brow. What had brought this?

She said shakily, "I don't know what you like about me...and it scared me, because all my life I've been made to feel like I was unwanted or a burden...that I didn't deserve anything or anyone...I don't feel like I have anything that would make anyone like me. But...I'm so happy that you're here. I'm so happy you found me." She croaked out, and Alucard drew her into his arms; Ruby had never been so blunt with him before, she must be going through some serious emotional turmoil right now. "You've been so gentle and kind to me and all I've done is run or push you away all the time...I'm sorry for being so insensitive to your feelings."

He chuckled, a deep rumble from the back of his throat. "Ruby, that is the least of my concern. You are my bride. All is forgiven, little one. Now… surely you have no place to call home anymore. It is peculiar you allow these people to treat you as such."

"They're my parents." Ruby replied miserably, as he took her hand and began to lead her down the street. She let out a dejected sigh as she threw her gaze over her shoulder, staring at the gates.

"What happened."

"My dad and I had an argument, then he told me to get out."

"And you listened?"

"…Yes." She squeaked, knowing how ridiculous it sounded. If her father told her to go jump off a bridge, would she find herself doing so as requested? Possibly, yes. "It-It's okay, honestly, Alucard. My dad and I are...we're going to be fine. It's just...I...you know, I made him angry, so...I deserve this."

"No, that is not true."

When she mustered a small smile at him in response, he pulled her into his arms again and held her firmly. To his surprise, Ruby returned his embrace and clutched him tightly in response; she was overjoyed Alucard had not abandoned her despite all the windows of opportunities for him where he could have given up on her. Her parents could…her father could, but not Alucard…anyone but him…

...For at the precise moment, she believed Alucard was the only one who truly mattered to her.

Oracle Corporation.

"Who were you talking to on the phone, sir?"

Caelum put down the phone as Ermen entered his room with a clipboard in hand. The president replied, with a smile, "Just an old associate of mine. I didn't think she'd call, actually, but there seems to be a slight problem. Let's go, Ermen, there's somebody I need to talk to."

"But, sir, the tournament's starting tomorrow. You are needed here."

"Yes, yes, but there's still one more participant out there." He said, "Trust me, Ermen, I know what I am doing."