The Banana Slug: Interesting true story.

I saw that in the Island of Dr. Moreau, the titular character spoke a thing or two about "The Man Who Laughs". Meaning it must be fate that a pedophile vampire named Gwynplaine is on said Island.

So in our last chapter, we saw that the Notes have been stolen, Nemo killed a Neo-Nazi Zerg, Alucard is making a fool out of Bella Swan, and Tony the Tiger thinks checking out Elwood is "grrrrreat". Bastards.

Now, I know you are asking, "Where's Seras?", "Where's Jason?", "Where's Bigweld!?", nyeh nyeh nyeh nyeh NYEH! Pheh.

…Let's go see how they are doing. Except for Bigweld. I have loss my love for him.

Hellsing's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

By The Banana Slug

CHAPTER 9: You Come From The Sea?

Elsewhere on the island, there lay on the morning sands the silver shark as the waves press onto both as morning comes to its end. The clouds return to engulf the island, and the sound of rolling thunder in the distance creeping up slowly. Footsteps could be seen walking away from the boat and into the jungle. Four different pairs, disappearing into the dense jungle with gods knows what inside.

Leading them was Jason, savagely slashing past any foliage in their way be it vines or branches. Seras and Conan stuck close behind him as they trudged deeper and deeper into this forest with Griffin most likely close behind.

"Well, anybody got any food?" sighed Griffin in boredom. He tugged Conan's shoulder, causing the 'boy' detective quite a lot of irritation as he bugs, "Alright, cough it up, I know you have some munchies."

"For the world's greatest thief you sure don't know when to shut up," groaned Conan, reaching into his pocket and saying, "I have a cereal bar, but I don't think you should be eating-"

"Come on! It's only fer gassy foods, I doubt a cereal bar is gonna make me fart anytime soon," egged Mr. Griffin, who quickly gave up as Conan rolled his eyes and frowned incredibly deeply in utter irritation.

"Don't worry Mr. Griffin, we go in, stop as many Millennium blokes we can, and see if we can't find those notes in the process," calmed Seras with a smile.

"Aheheh, by stopping' yeh do mean killin'm, yeh?" hissed Griffin darkly. Seras coughed lightly and half-heartedly said, "Yes…that is."

"Griffin, will you stop making a complete ass of yourself?" growled Conan, "Geez, your worse than Kogoro."

"The sooner we get to the building the better, and I am sure I can say for all of us," snapped Seras lightly, "now be quiet…we're not alone." Her words made Conan light up curiously, with Jason stopping with his chopping and looked straight at her. She shrugged and asked them all, "Can't you hear it?"

And so, they were silent as they moved forward, hearing light mumbling and loud slurping up forward. After Jason pushed away a fern, they would come face to face with their first Beast-Person.

It was a Rabbit-Man, long and lanky with his white fur matted and dirty. He was crouching over a small stream, cupping his hands and drinking the waters loudly. The white thing then began sniffing loudly and faced the League staring at him in amazement.

"It's…some sort of…rabbit…" breathed out Seras in shock, "…a rabbit man!"

"Incredible!" beamed Conan with great interest, his eyes sparkling at such a well-built, if a bit pathetic, specimen. Suddenly, he grunted in shock as the beast lurched over on all fours and yanked at his shorts violently, sniffing wildly as he gave sweat and yelled out, "Hey! What! What are you doing!?"

"Get off of him!" shouted Seras angrily, stamping her foot as Jason glared at it with a twist of his grip on his machete. Other than that, a light snickering could be heard coming from 'nowhere'.

Before any of them could make their move, a grey flash jumped from the side of the forest and tackled the rabbit onto the grass violently as the Rabbit-Man screeched in agony. The assailant was another Rabbit-Man, with grey fur and a cream underbelly, along with crème-colored gloves that shared the ragedness of his fellow Beast-People.

"H-2018! You attack a five-finger men? And you lap up water!?" he roared angrily, smacking him over and over in the face as the white rabbit screamed in pain, "Why did you attack them? Are you not human!"

"Aaaaagh!" sobbed the white rabbit, "I couldn't help it! He had something sugary! Sweet! Yummy! Crunchy!" He was silenced by another slap to the face by the grey rabbit, causing the H-2018 to scream in agony.

"You moron! You are diabetic! You must control yourself!" berated the grey rabbit-man angrily, "Do you want to go back? Back to the House of Pain!?"

"No! No! No please!" pleaded the white rabbit erratically, "No House of Pain! Not again! Please! I'll be good! I swears! I swears!" The grey rabbit groaned as the white rabbit continued to scream and sob, with the grey rabbit forcing the white rabbit up and throwing him away.

"Back to the village, H-2018!" ordered the grey rabbit, "I won't breath a word if you go back! Now scat!" He watched as the rabid H-2018 sobbed and limped away, grinding his teeth and ears twitching. The grey rabbit turned around, looking at the surprised and shocked faces of Conan and Seras, even Jason was a bit bewildered.

"You…come from tha sea?" he asked them.

Seras was silent, still gazing at her first beast-person that decided to have a conversation with her. She regained her composure and cleared her throat, "Yes, we did. I'm Seras, the child is Conan, and my masked friend is Jason," she omitted Griffin to better hide him, she then asked, "What is your name?"

"My name? Well, the Mother calls me H-22-D, but friends call me Bugs," he explained, "Sorry ya had ta see that, but he was breakin' the law…but he wouldn't'a hurt ya none. He's just'a bit erratic."

"You mentioned a House of Pain," added Conan quickly, "what is that…exactly."

Before H-22-D could answer, another beast-person scuttled out the bushes and ran to Bugs in terror. The beast-thing was an Anteater, small and juvenile as it wore a yellow shirt and blue pants, waving his arms around as his broken glasses hid his wet eyes.

"Bugs! Bugs!" he cried out in a nervous wreck, "Dead bunny! Dead bunny!"

"B-1, calm down," assured Bugs quickly, holding his hands out, "what are you talking about? What do you mean 'dead bunny'?"

"A…a…aaaaah," it cried as it danced around in horror, "Max…Ruby…found bunny…dead bunny…neck slit open…blood everywhere…someone broke the law…help!"

Bugs groaned nervously, scratching his head as he looks back at the League and to B-1, whom was looking at them curiously.

"Follow me," he then demanded to them urgently, "but don't be seen." He then gently pushed B-1, whom waddled wildly as Bugs followed him.

Before Seras would move to follow, she felt a tug to her shoulder and was forced to step back. "Hold'n, we're here for a bloody house on'a island, not dancin' 'round with the Easter Bunny."

"House of Pain, didn't you hear him?" she barked quietly.

"So?" growled Griffin.

"That must be the building we're looking for," revealed Conan, "if we can befriend the locals, we could get useful information on how to infiltrate it without causing too much of a ruckus."

"What's wrong with a ruckus?" hissed Griffin, until Seras freed her shoulder with an aggressive shake.

"So that we don't drive any more attention than we need, Griffin!" snapped Seras, walking down the path as she hisses out, "Jesus, you are the worst Invisible Man ever!"

The League continued to run after the Rabbit-Man, with not a peep from the Invisible Man, almost as if he wasn't there…

The rabbit, dead with a blood seeping from its open throat and its spine wrung, was gazed by two Rabbit-Beasts. Both sported white fur, short and rotund, boy and a girl. The boy, shorter than the other, wore a red/yellow striped shirt and blue overalls. The girl, the tallest, wore a yellow dress with the upper part purple. Both were shocked and frightened by the bloody half-eaten corpse of the rabbit, standing there like statues.

They darted their heads back to see B-1 and H-22-D come out the bushes to find the two rabbits standing there in a fright. "What happened?" he demanded sternly.

"Dead thing!" pointed out the boy rabbit nervously.

"Max found it…when we play ball," stated the girl rabbit with frightened composure, "I send Arthur…and find you."

Suddenly, they jumped back to see the large beast known right now as H-2020 stomp from the north, glaring angrily at them all and barking, "What is going on here!?"

"Dead thing!" repeated the boy rabbit, jumping up and down and pointing at the corpse. The Tiger-Man growled and looked at the rabbit with a sneer, turning to Bugs who sported a glare at the beast as the sound of gunfire hailed at the distance.

"…You know anything that did this?" he interrogated to the Rabbit-Man, "There are people from the sea entering the island. If you know who did this, tell me."

Bugs sighed and scratched his chin, saying, "Well…I don't know nothin' 'bout no intruders…but I did see H-2018 not too far away, lappin' water and crawlin' on all fours." He shook his head and said, "But H-2018 may have broken some laws but I never knew him to be a carnivore-"

"H-2018 is a pathetic slime who is a disgrace to our community," snarled H-2020 rudely, "he's obviously the culprit, it was a matter of time."

"Look, I promised him that he wouldn't go to the House of Pain, Tony," argued Bugs in exhaust, "he's scared, Tony, all of us are. He'd never do this kinda thing, he's too scared."

"Stop trying to protect that freak!" H-2020 almost roared out, "You of all people know how he gets, how he almost-" He stopped himself, turning his head to see Max and Ruby, with the older rabbit holding the boy close to her as they gazed in terror at Tony. He simply pursed his lips and turned back to Bugs, ordering, "Get B-12 and B-17 back home, along with B-1, understand?"

"And…H-2018?" he asked, squinting his eyes as he inspected Tony's chin, which seemed crusted with blood. H-2020 simply turned his head and rubbed his hand on his furry maw.

"Gotta take him to the Doctor, no choice," he stated, simply growling as he turned his back and made his way back into the town as Bugs was left with the three child Beat-People.

He shook his head in suspicious hate, saying to the three individually like a stern parent, "Alright, alright, you heard'm. Arthur, go home, yer parents will get mad if ya don't. And Max, Ruby, get back to the house, I'll see ya shortly." Arthur groaned as he waddled down the forest path Tony went, with B-12 dragging her brother B-17 down the path following B-1.

Bugs sighed and turned to the bush he came from, saying shamefully, "Alright, just follow me a bit more. You guys look tough, so Tony'll back off if ya spook'm. Follow me back home and I'll tell ya everythin'." The Rabbit-Man almost got on all fours as he moved forward, grunting and clenching his eyes tight before walking upright down the path.

In the bush, Conan would poke his head out curiously as Seras did the same along with him. "…That was…peculiar…" she let out, "seems a bit brutish, the law here, letting that big mean tiger make the rules."

"Hmph, seems to me a tyrant," scoffed Conan, "and also corrupt, that tiger was obviously the-"

He was interrupted when Jason simply shoved both of them out of their way and walked down the path, Seras then called out, "Jason! Stop! We gotta-" When it was obvious that he wouldn't listen, she growled with a flicker of red in her eye as she stomped out the bush and followed Jason. Conan quickly followed behind as he heard the bushes rustle behind him, causing him to sigh in relief, knowing their Invisible Man was still there…

As the larger group places their trust in a most unusual rabbit, across the other island could be the constant sounds of slamming and yelping in an almost pattern-like fashion. Mixed with the gunfire in the forest, was the constant sound of the island as it began to rain lightly from above.

The sparkling vampiress Marion Nassus would whine and yelp as she was constantly slammed onto the ground by Alucard, crying out as she panted loudly after every pound before he would continue with the thrashing and causing her to cry out as she was slammed again.

Alucard's hand gripped her ankle, tightly squeezing it as he would lift her up and slam her body onto the grass as a dirt-cloud would puff from the impact. He finally released his grip, leaving her battered body on the ground after he was finished thrashing her over and over on the ground almost comically.

As Marion groaned in pain, he releases a disapproval scowl, "Tch, I know you belong into the most saddest of vampire strains, but even the most weakest of which put up a decent fight. All you have done is get a good few throws and annoy me."

She whined as she struggled to get up, "Stop…it…stop treating me like a freak. I'm not a freak. I'm a vampire…like you…" She then turned her head with a pout, "Can't you…understand that? We are the same, we should work together…you…and me."

Alucard would laugh if he wasn't so annoyed, he snarls and yells out, "Sniveling rat! You constantly whine and expect someone else to fight your battles, I can see that in your weak combat skills. Probably let the clown and the skinhead do the fighting."

"Stop it!" she screams out, "I never wanted to join Millennium! I had no-"

"BULLSHIT!" he snarled back, reaching out as he grabbed her collar as she looked back at his glare of fury with absolute terror, "Stop lying to me! Millennium doesn't take hostages! Free will is a gift for those who choose to join, otherwise you'd be nothing but a shit-ghoul!"

As he berated her, she'd sport an offended glare as he continued angrily, "You joined because you are a cold manipulative woman! Hell! I can't call you a manipulative bitch if you can't even manipulate a dog to fuck you!" He squints his eyes coldly and snarls, "I don't even know why they allowed such shit if you can't even do anything."

"I can't do anything?" she hissed angrily, "You don't know me, you don't know anything about me. You think diamond-hard skin and huge strength is all? No my species always has different powers in our arsenal…I think you deserve it, for you are slime. You are a cold-hearted monster!"

"Arrogant woman!" he yells, throwing her to the ground as she yelps in pain, watching as she slowly and weakly gets up. He then says with a condescending smirk, "I admit, I do pity you, not because of your so-called 'plight', but because killing you would be like killing an annoying child who can climb on the monkey bars faster than anyone else and brags about it. It wouldn't bring me satisfaction, it would just make me look like a sour sport-"

Suddenly, her eyes glowed red with the whites of her eyes turning black, snapping loudly at him with a high-pitch, "PAIN!"

Suddenly, Alucard froze as he stood there like a statue, grinding his teeth as his sunglasses fall to the ground. His eyes were like dinner-plates as he felt a pain ring throughout his body, such pain that every fiber of his body rang with debilitating pain.

Marion slowly got up with her eyes still black with red dots in the middle of each window, smiling as she stared at him proudly. "Weak? No, this is my power, a power I share with another of my kind. I can cause pain to those I wish it too," she cooed in victory, "so much pain that those who experience it…can do nothing but feel it until the pain rings so much that they die from the constant barrage. I have won, Alucard."

She frowned and said, "It didn't have to be this way…we could have been together, you and me. Perhaps make a world of vampires, I just wish you'd understand me and my troubles that you'd-"

However, she heard a dark growl as she saw his body quake in agony, tilting his head terribly as she saw his eyes completely red with pure unrestricted rage. His teeth grinded against each other so hard that one or two completely chipped off. Such rage caused Marion to shake with fearful regret as she backed away, still sending him waves of pain as he lifted his arms at her.

"Releasing control art…restrictions systems three…two…one…" he growls out, with a rectangular hole appearing between his hands as his thumbs touched to the tips of his fingers, the symbols on his white gloves glowing shining red. He continued his hoarse chanting with, "Approval of situation…a recognized commencing of the Cromwell Invocation….ability restrictions lifted for limited use until the enemy has been…rendered…"

Marion froze as she saw a devilish grin on his face as his skin began to break, revealing red muscle tissue underneath the tears as he finishes with a deep hissing, "…silent…"

She watched as he moved as if the pain was taken away, reaching to his jacket and ripping it open and revealing his bare chest to her. Marion grunted as her eyes returned to their ruby-red irises as she blushed lightly at the sight of his chest.

However, her attraction would return to fear as he reached out and tore the skin from his chest as he revealed underneath a shadowy horror to the vampire girl. She watched as a cataclysm of long writhing tentacles, covered in red eyes, jutted from his chest as all she saw was a chthonic beast of shadow and eyes bust from his stretched corpse of loose skin and a demented grin. The beast roared a guttural shriek as its eyes stared at the frightened young vampire, shaking heavily as she attempted to step back.

Marion, in reaction to such a horror, screamed at the top of her lungs and attempted to run away as fast as her vampiric speed will allow. However, the Lovecraftian beast jutted out its tentacles at her, speeding forward faster than she could run as two tentacles wrapped around her legs.

She cried out as she fell face first on the grass, sobbing uncontrollably as she dug her fingers into the muddy grass as she attempted to crawl away. She yelled and cried as she was tugged closer, with her pants slowly dragged down as the tentacles wrapped farther up her legs and tugged her closer and closer almost teasingly.

"Ah! No! HELP! No! Nonono!" she shrieked madly, being dragged closer to the roaring beast despite her great titanic strength as she is dragged. Her pants yanked slowly down to her thighs, revealing her soft rear and white underwear covering her shame as she looked back at the monster in massive terror.

"Let me go! Please! Please!" she pleaded repeatedly, "Please! Don't kill me! I'm sorry! I'M SORRY!" Finally, she screamed as she was dragged rapidly to the beast. She cried as her body smacked on the ground as she sped to the beast, even hitting her chin on a rock as it released one or two cracks.

Marion's eyes shot a torrent of tears as she was yanked high up the air, her arms hanging down as she looked down to see the demented maw of the monster. It was like a squishy puckered hole with thorn-like spikes covering it like teeth.

"Eh…eh…eh…" she whimpered nervously, "…I…I don't deserve this…"

"Like hell you don't," whispered the voice of Alucard, with Marion looked up at her legs as she saw a tentacle poke out from between her thighs, causing the girl to hyperventilate in complete and utter horror. She lightly shook her head as she felt the slimy yet dry tentacles slip from her legs.

She screamed again as she fell towards the maw, only to stop instantly and look down nervously to see the tentacle between her legs now gripping around the middle of her dragged-down pants, leaving her legs exposed as she breathed wildly in fear.

"I…no…I…" she cried out.

"You call yourself a vampire, a walker of the night," hissed the voice of Alucard as a shadow outline of him was formed by one of the many tentacles surrounding her, "but all in all, you are just some manipulative little sociopath who's better with her pants down."

Again she fell closer to the maw, screaming and sobbing as she stopped just a foot away from the mouth. Her pants yanked down as the ends of her pant-legs were tangled with her boots as she was still exposed, much to her humiliation.

Marion darted her eyes around as the maw instantly began chewing on her hair, tugging roughly as she panted and whined in pain, looking at the outline as red eyes formed along with a demented smile. "You brought this on yourself, you self-important twat. You just had to piss me off! You just had to continue acting like a whiny little brat! So, you know what happens now?"

As she grunted nervously, scared to death as her boots began to slip out of her pants, he finally finished with a dark and simple, "…you die." And with that, she screams as she falls into the mouth of the beast.

Her screams would instantly be muffled as he entire head was engulfed by the mouth, screaming out in agonizing pain as she was swallowed up bit by bit. Her hands would press against the shadowy things thorny mouth before she was engulfed to her shoulders and her hands followed soon after.

Marion continued to struggle as she kicked the beast's flesh with everything above her waist was eaten. Her muffled screams heard as she wildly thrashed around until all that poked out were her legs as her screams were more muffled and less frequent. Marion Nassus met her eventual demise as the beast slurped her up and she was now forever gone.

Her muffled cries and screams slowly disappeared as her existence would be no more and the little sparkling vampire was forever gone from this world.

The beast slowly shrunk as it formed into the form of Alucard, now wearing a belted leather outfit as he stood there with glowing red eyes with his black hair flowing in the wind.

"Those who annoy me…" he breathed out darkly, "…meet a horrid demise…" He frowned and said, "I just wish I had a bit more of a challenge."

As if the God of War heard his cries, he heard the rapid sound of footsteps. It was nostalgic to him as he turned to the source, hearing millions of feet stamp the ground as he heard them from the dense forest far over across the plains.

To his curiosity, he'd see the insane mask-wearing vampire Gwynplaine run out of the forest, and then again, and again, and again, and again. He'd watch as hundreds of Gwynplaines began running from the forests towards like an insane of asylum patients as he'd see an ocean of Gwynplaines as they closed in on him.

"I have to say this…" says Alucard calmly, smiling wildly as he laughs with excitement, "I am impressed…"

Seras would look in surprise and awe as she stood on a hill overlooking her amazement, a small suburban town filled with animal people walking around. Beside her was Conan as he watched with her in equal awe. Jason, however, was already beside Bugs as they were already down the hill. The masked monster would look around as H-22-D turned around and waved his arms out to them.

"Come on," called out the Rabbit-Man, "don't worry! We see five-fingers all the time!" Seras and Conan gazed at each other as he and Jason strolled into town without trouble, with Conan shrugging lightly before sliding down the hill after them as Seras tried to speak out before sighing in slight tire.

The town could hardly be seen as bustling, but its citizens were sparingly yet noticeable around this 50s era-style town. They'd see all manner of Beast-Men walking around the streets, apparently with the lack of fear of cars seeing how there were none at all. The beasts included feline, canine, ursine, and equine specimens, even bovine, avian, and enlarged rodent specimens. There were even perfectly shrunken elephantine specimens as well. Seras could have sworn she saw one or two insectoid specimens.

They reacted only with the League with simple glances, unaware of news of invaders to their island as if to maintain a calm attitude and keep from a riot. Bugs lead them down to a house just a few feet away from a large wooden church.

Bugs knocked on the door and yelled out as he opened it, "Lola, I'm home! And we got visitors from the sea!"

"I know, Max told me!" chimed out a feminine voice. Seras looked to find it a perfect little 50s era house, with a small television in front of a green sofa, with a small picture that had the symbol of a large red V in a black background. This symbol caused a type of interest in Conan, walking over to the frame and asking Bugs, "What's with this symbol?"

"Meh, just the symbol of Noble's Island," he shrugged, "not sure what it means, it's just a V."

They heard the patting of little feet come down from the stairs to see Max and Ruby run down and rush to Bugs with happy faces. "These the Sea-People?" asked Ruby, staring at them with wonder.

"Yeah, had at hide'm from mean ol' Tony," chuckled Bugs, reaching over at the stand near the door and reaching into a glass bowl filled with carrots, placing one in his mouth as he kept nibbling.

Max looked over at Seras, then shouting out playfully with his arms raised up, "Vampire!" She jumped in surprised and looked at him nervously as Ruby walked over and patted her brother's back.

"Max, don't be rude, they guests," she corrected, with Max smiling up at Seras as she studied him lightly, keeping her mouth tight shut so that no one catches on.

"He's just pretending, there's no way you're a real vampire, you'd bake in the sun! But then again, it's pretty darn cloudy out...but nah, he's pretending," spoke the female voice of Lola as she revealed herself, stepping from the hall at the back of the living room. She was a golden-furred Rabbit-Woman, wearing a purple dress. She sported a friendly smile and optimistic eyes, something Seras almost saw a reflection of.

"Hiya, I'm Lola, or H-132 if you want to be technical," started Lola, who kept on talking without wasting breath, "but Lola sounds so much better. I mean, whenever someone says H-132 it seems to get people winded. And its not really cute, right?"

Seras looked at her with a confused stare, scratching her arm and saying, "Oh, uh, I guess so."

"Lola, the coffee ready?" asked Bugs, chuckling nervously.

"Yeah, but I didn't know if you wanted dark or light so I made two different pots," she rambled back, "I know you always like it dark but you never know, I used to like my coffee without cream but then I thought that was gross so I put in cream and I liked it. I know its silly-"

"Jeez," groaned a hissing Irish voice, causing a dead silence in the room. With the two rabbits looking at Jason, who stood there motionless.

"…Well, someone's a big grump," scoffed Lola, looking at Jason with offense, who simply breathed out in slight irritation. Seras couldn't help but giggle with her eyes closed.

The kitchen fit with the rest of the era, but some of the technology of the modern age was present. Bugs, Lola, Seras, and Conan sat at the dining table with cups of coffee in hand, with Jason sitting in a chair at the corner slouching carelessly. Mr. Griffin was again completely unnoticeable. Ruby was over back in the living room watching "Galaxy Quest" while Max was getting himself a glass of orange juice, glancing over and over again at Jason.

Conan noticed another frame with the same large red V, then asking Lola, "You sure seem to like the Letter V, why do you have such ghastly pictures?"

"They're in every household, Mother put them there after the Detective took over security for the island," answered Lola, also curious about the V's now.

"The Detective?" asked Seras, "Who is the Detective?"

"He's Mother's Boss, the "Herald of the New Millennium"," stated Bugs, who scoffed and said, "just some power-hungry nutjob who made this island a livin' hell."

"Bugs! Not in front of Max!" snapped a nervous Lola quickly, pointing quickly at Max as he ran over to Jason, handing out a glass of orange juice to the large man. This made Seras uneasy, not expecting any of Jason's actions, worried he might do something horrid and get them into more trouble.

"Well he is, sendin' that Doctor fella over at the House'a Pain, rewirin' peoples brains JUST to behave and be happy?" elevated Bug's view of him, "He's a friggin' fascist and we're the ants undah his boot!"

"Shush, Bugs!" whispered Lola nervously, "He might be watching us!"

Conan's interest was peaked when she said this, something sparking in his mind from those words. He watched as Bugs sighed and reached out, holding her hand and patting it, saying calmingly, "No, Lola, he's not. I promise ya he's not."

"So, uh, Max and Ruby," Conan quickly changed the subject, talking to Bugs and Lola, "are they yours?"

"Huh? Oh! No, nonono," corrected Lola quickly, "they're…well, they're H-2018's."

Seras gulped a bit, looking at Bugs and asking, "The…other rabbit-man?" Bugs twiddled his fingers, letting out nervously, "Uh, yeh-yeah…"

"Yeah, he's a sad thing, isn't he?" sighed Lola sadly, "He doesn't seem to understand that he can't have sugar, he's a diabetic but he's addicted to the stuff."

"Is that why…you took custody?" questioned Conan curiously. Seras, however, returned her gaze back at Jason, who was watching Max as he played with his fingers. His furry paws rested against his grey hands as he moved his fingers for him, smiling as he hummed to himself.

"Uh…no…that's, uh, not why," replied Lola nervously, leaning closer to the two League members and whispering quietly to make sure only they and Bugs could hear. What she said to them was, "…he tried to eat Max."

"Excuse me?" lightly breathed out Seras, with the reason much more shocking.

"I…found him, over his bed…one night when we were watchin' baseball," sighed Bugs with a little bit of despair, "he was salivating…Max was sleepin'…and I could just see it in his eyes…"

"But…the Doctor made everything better," added in Lola, "he made H-2018 forget and…kinda tamed him. Sure he's still an addict but he's not gonna try and eat Max anymore."

"Yeah…" was all Bugs could say, looking at his coffee as Lola looked at the clock. She gasped and quickly said, "Oh! It's almost time to hear the Laws! I gotta get ready!" She then quickly ran out of the room, nearly tripping on the doorstop and rushing upstairs.

Bugs watched her run upstairs, sighing and turning to Conan and Seras saying, "Don't mind her, she's a bit loopy, but she's a nice dame. In fact, probably one'a tha best."

"I just can't believe that his father would…do that," said Seras quietly, making sure Max didn't hear even as she kept an eye on him as Jason kept staring at him, "seems to me the Doctor person's not as bad as you say he is."

"It's the Detective that I really have a bone to pick with, really," groaned Bugs regretfully, "actually, I might call myself hypocritical for criticizing the whole order…when…"

"…Lola ever visit the House of Pain?" questioned Conan, looking curiously at him.

Bugs was silent for some time, scratching the back of his head before saying, "Yyyyeh, well, she wasn't the most…faithful of mates. Some would say…promiscuous." He shrugged and said, "After the Doctor took one check-up, she was a better person. Faithful, a more define personality. Overall, she's more happy…should be happy he didn't lobotomize her."

"He…lobotomize some of the Beast-People?" asked Seras with a bit of shock.

"Well, only the real nut-cases," explained Bugs with a shrug, "the only ones I hear 'bout that happened to were Conker, H-3267, who was a schizophrenic alcoholic, and Cecil, H-35, who was a complete sociopath. I…I expect H-1820 to get one soon…if he doesn't let up."

Seras coughed lightly and said, "Well, from what I heard, I think it's what he-" She suddenly stopped when she saw Jason pull his hand out of Max's grip so suddenly and plant itself on his furry head. She quickly stood up with a tint of red in her eyes, shouting out, "Jason! Don't you dare!"

However, instead of what she expected, he was petting his head affectionately like an animal as Max giggled and smiled happily. She sighed and sat back down, with Bugs giving her a weird look, "…Jeez, you alright?"

"Um, yeah, just got a bit…uh, he has a cold," she explained nervously, scratching the back of her head with a wide embarrassed smile, "didn't want Max to catch it. Aheheh."

"Explains the silly Irish voice," called out Lola as she rushed downstairs, then calling to Bugs, "Me and Ruby are going to hear the Laws, you and Max coming?"

"Sure, I like hearin' the same laws over and over again," said Bugs sarcastically, chuckling a bit before saying seriously, "Yeh, just a minute. We'll join ya shortly."

He turned to Seras and Conan, saying, "Listen, eh, come and join us. It's all about you…well, about humans. Decent ones such'a yerself."

With that, he nodded and made his way out of the kitchen, with little Max following him as Jason watched them leave into the living room. Jason then turned to Seras, who she could swear that she saw a bit of animosity in them.

Seras did her best to ignore his contempt, looking at Conan and asking, "So…what can you make out of this?"

"Well, we know the name of their leader, The Detective, peculiar if not interesting in my part," explained Conan, sipping his coffee, "…until we can get to this House of Pain, which is obviously a mental asylum of some sort, that is all we know of him."

"Perhaps Alucard might know who he is, he knew the Major," she stated, then wondering loudly, "…and perhaps…the Doctor is the same Doctor from the First Millennium, somehow surviving the Zeppelin Incident."

"Perhaps, we should be very open to the idea," he replied, "what really…unnerves me is that…symbol…the V."

"What about it?" questioned Griffin from nowhere.

"I dunno…it just…" he sighs in response, "…it just seems I have seen that symbol before..."

The rain began to quickly pick up as it began slamming down from the sky as Alucard stood there in his leather outfit, his hair clinging to his skin as he continued to grin wildly at the army surrounding him.

There were hundreds of Gwynplaines, surrounding him with claws barred and the evil grin a constant vision on the masks of this deranged army. They stared silently at him as he simply stood there waiting for the next move.

"So, what shall I call you, vampire?" greeted Aucard.

"We are Gwynplaine, Alucard, the Men Who Laugh" spoke on of many, "and we are here to murder you and drink every little drop of your blood. Claiming it as our own."

Alucard whistled in sarcastic amazement. "Never heard that one before, you're welcome to try," he replied back, then asking, "though, I am intrigued by your…powers. Are they your ghouls?"

"In a…manner of speaking," giggled another, "they were alive…then I took over and made them look like me. Who knows? Maybe I'll take your soul, your essence…and turn Alucard into Gwynplaine!"

Alucard bellowed in laughter at the sadistic thing's boast, which was followed by mad giggling from the Gwynplaine Horde. "My my, I met a lot of vampires who talked the talk, but you really are the most interesting one I have met." chuckled Alucard, then sighing and apologizing mockingly, "Sorry about your little girlfriend. If it pleases you, she died gruesomely for a vampire."

"Ugh, don't compare that little twat to us, I sent her to you just to weaken you," hissed another Gwynplaine, "for the plan was for her death, to tire you and get her out of my hair forever."

"Only one part of your plan worked, Man Who Laughs, she's dead and I am not tired," boasted Alucard, resting his arms up as a red-tinted shadow covered his limbs, "I am in fact ready for another fight! I am ready to kill every one of you, Gwynplaine! Send your army at me, you pathetic little parody! Let them all die! Let them all see a real vampire before they die! Screaming!"

As he laughs insanely, he'd watch as the army jumped out, claws bare as they bore that permanent smile. Alucard was really ready for this fight, hoping this demented Nosferatu would actually prove a good challenge for him, not like his last meal. Hoping the Man Who Laughs will satisfy his hunger for blood and carnage.

The Banana Slug: This arc was originally just gonna be three chapters, but it would have had to go like…over thirty pages. That's no fun, eh?

Although, I am truly sorry for making my chapters hella long now. But who's complaining? No one, that's who.

But, be sure to hold on to the next chapter, where Alucard, Quatermain, and Nemo have to deal with a Vampire that is a master at Shadow Clone Jutsu. Where we meet the Sayer of the Law.

And where Seras battles The Detective. Also, any fans of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" out there?