Quetzal-This chapter has been Beta'd by Matchsticks 800!
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Chapter 2 - Expect the unexpected!
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Seras was eternally grateful that there was another tunnel under the ocean to Japan, as she wasn't sure if she could have managed going over water as weak as she was. The blood lust was starting to bother her a bit. She wasn't too worried though, she was hungry but not dangerously so. A blood bank would have to be raided with the next day or so "...or maybe..." She eyed the dark alley way that led away from the train station. She supposed she could wander around until someone tried to mug her, then drain the lowlife. It wasn't like anyone would miss a person like that, and how many people would be protected by taking one of those scumbags off the street?
Seras shook her head and glanced down at the trolley that now held her coffin in a wooden crate, so it would seem a bit less suspicious. (for some reason she thought people might have a problem with her lugging a coffin around in plain sight) That aside, however, she was finally in Karakura Town. She looked around for a moment glade she could read the signs before heading off down the dark street. She could only hope her uncle didn't notice she was a monster and kick her out, or worse try to kill her.
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Isshin Kurosaki was becoming mildly worried about the reiatsu signature that was sitting across the street from his home. It had been there for the past ten minutes and he had no idea what the hell it was. The power didn't feel like a Hollow or a Shinigami or even just a regular spirit, it was a completely unknown signature and a powerful one too. Isshin didn't like unknown threats anywhere near his children. When the power signature finally moved a short while later, he nearly had a heart attack when it crossed the street to his front door. Isshin waited tensely, half expecting to hear the sound of shattering glass and wood any moment. What did happen almost unnerved him more: the door bell rang. He stared at the front hall for several moments before feeling a faint mental push from Engetsu, he hissed a bit at his weakened Zanpoktou for wasting his dangerously weak power on something like, that but moved forward towards the door anyway.
When he opened the door he certainly wasn't expecting to see his young niece who he hadn't seen in 10 years at the door. That hair was unmistakable, as very few people had that shade of reddish orange that her mother and Ichigo's had sported. Isshin frowned at her warily she gave him a tired smiled. "Sorry for arriving unannounced like this, Uncle Kurosaki." She said bowing. He raised an eye brow.
"No kidding." He said levelly she winced slightly. "You're not human." He stated flatly as her head shot up and she stared at him dumbstruck. Whatever she had been about to say going completely out the window at this proclamation.
"H-How did you...?" She trailed off looking mystified and a bit frightened.
"We all have our secrets, Seras, if that is who you are now then explain." He answered sharply as she hesitated, looking extremely uncertain and about ready to bolt.
"I, um...well..." She looked a little lost.
"It's not that difficult. What. Are. You." He repeated.
"...I'm, well... A... uh... Vampire." She said, tensed and ready to flee at a moment's notice. Isshin blinked. That was not what he was expecting.
"A vampire?" He echoed. She nodded tensely.
"Speak the truth or I will kill you where you stand." He said calmly, a glint of steel in his eyes. She nodded slowly, her red eyes glinting. "Are you any threat to my family and the people of this town?" Seras relaxed, looking relived at the question.
"No, I don't hunt humans if I can help it. I get my blood from blood banks and the like." She answered, as she looked him in the eye with determination. Isshin stared down at her, trying to detect any false hood in her words, but as far as he could tell she was telling the truth.
"Ok next question. Why are you here?" He asked. She flinched, a flash of pain and sadness crossing her eyes.
"It's... kinda a long story." She answered, ducking her head slightly and looking at the ground. Isshin sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Well come in then I suppose, no point in standing in the door way while you explain. However if you're lying and try to harm my family there won't be enough of your soul left to go to hell when I'm through with you" He answered, stepping to the side and waving in the direction of the kitchen. She nodded rapidly agreeing with him. A few moments later they were settled at the kitchen table. "Alright now, what's wrong?" He asked. She sighed tiredly before speaking.
"I was turned about a year ago by a vampire by the name of Alucard. His real identity is Count Dracula, who Van Hellsing never actually killed." She said Isshin blinked.
"Dracula's real?" He echoed, dumbfounded. She smiled wryly.
"Ya, that one surprised me too." She agreed with a smile. "Anyway, he's controlled by the Hellsing family with magic. They use him as a weapon to kill other vampires. For about a year after he turned me everything seemed to be ok. I was...um... adapting slowly, and Integra Hellsing didn't seem to mind me that much."
"I'm guessing that changed?" He asked. She nodded slowly, looking down at the table.
"You see Master Alucard has to do what the Hellsings order him to do, it's the spells on him. They force him to obey them, and Integra... Integra apparently decided I was a liability and... ordered him to kill me." Isshin winced at that. "Pleasant sounding woman" he thought drily.
"I'm see you got away." He pointed out, but she just shook her head no.
"Integra wasn't specific enough when she gave him his orders; he fed me his blood to break our bond then sealed me in my coffin and stuck me on an east bound train. That was two days ago." She looked up at him and Isshin was surprised to see tears of blood sliding down her face. "You were the only person I could think to go to that was far enough away from Britain that they wouldn't find me. I wasn't expecting you to figure out what I was though." She said. Isshin closed his eyes for a moment and forced himself to stop and think about the situation. Could he really trust a vampire around his children? That was nearly as bad as a hollow if myths were to be believed, and though she may seem pretty harmless you never did know with some people. For all he knew this Hellsing woman had a damn good reason to want her dead. Isshin grimaced internally, "religious fanatics" he thought with spite. Being from heaven himself, he hated them more than most people, as he despised running into people who claimed to kill 'unbelievers' in their god's name.
"I suppose you can stay here, for now." He finally said. "Gods know this family is odd enough already." He added in an undertone. Seras, either not hearing or not caring about the last part, all but tackled him in a hug from across the table.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She gushed, her grin showing off those slightly unnerving fangs again. Isshin just rolled his eyes with a faint smile.
"Ya,Ya." He said as he waving her off.
"I suppose I should go get my coffin." She said with another smile. He raised another eye brow.
"You actually sleep in a coffin?" He asked dubiously as she nodded, a sardonic look on her face.
"Ya, I was a little put out by that one when I died too." She agreed. "It's not a preference either; I have to sleep in the coffin, though I can get away with a few days of not doing so if I'm motivated." She continued.
"In that case I'm assuming you can't stand sunlight either?" He asked. She frowned.
"Well I can a little bit, it stings like a bitch though and I will burn if I'm out for more than an hour or two." She said he nodded.
"In that case, I'll give you the bedroom in the north side of the house. That way you won't have the sun in your face very much. Now go get your coffin." He said, the last bit feeling a bit surreal, death god or not. Seras nodded and zipped out of the house. Isshin looked after her for a moment before looking at the poster of his wife on the wall. "What the hell have I gotten myself into now?" He asked her with a sigh. As usual the poster didn't answer.
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Isshin watched intently as his vampiric niece said hello to his two daughters, ready to jump in and protect them at any suspicious moment if it became necessary. So far she was acting completely normal, if rather sleepy, which was understandable since she was nocturnal by nature, as well as avoiding the sunlight streaming in though the kitchen windows without being too obvious about it. It was obvious to him however that the light was beginning to cause her some pain if the slight squint to her eyes was any indication, but she only had another 10 minutes before the girls left for school.
He grinned, hearing Ichigo walking down the hall a moment later and lunged, trying to catch the boy off guard. All he got for his troubles was a fist to the face as Ichigo knocked his ass to the ground. Ichigo looked into the kitchen confused at the new addition to the table, totally ignoring him father rather than his usual yelling. "Who the hell are you?" He asked, eyeing the others also orange hair. Even if hers was several shades lighter, almost bordering on more of a blonde shade. The girl looked up and he seemed a bit unnerved by her bright, crimson eyes. She smiled.
"Hello Ichigo!" She said brightly waving. "I'm Seras, your cousin, remember?" She said. Ichigo frowned, thinking hard. He did vaguely remember a cousin from somewhere in Europe, but she had stopped coming to see them almost ten years ago. They hadn't ever looked into it until later because of his mother's death, but her parents had been murdered and she had ended up with a foster family if he remembered correctly. Ichigo sort of remembered Isshin saying something about it being better if she stayed with the foster family than coming to live with them because of his mother.
"Ya, I think so." He said nodding at her. She smiled back and stood up to shake his hand.
"It's nice to see you again after so long, Ichigo. Hope you don't mind but I'm going to be sticking around for a while." She said. He frowned, confused.
"Why?" He asked. She sighed, looking tired.
"Apparently she got a bunch of crazy religious weirdoes angry at her or something and they want her dead now!" said Yuzu excitedly. Karin just rolled her eyes.
"I somehow doubt that." She drawled, poking at her cereal with her spoon in an uninterested fashion. Seras just laughed, her red eyes glinting.
"Sometimes you'll find Karin that the truth is stranger than any lie." She said cryptically. "Now I'll see you guys later tonight, alright? My train got in really late last night so I'm going to get back to bed for awhile?" She said. The others all nodded and finished up their breakfast as Seras left the room to sleep. Even with her masters blood, staying awake this long after sun rise was taxing, and she doubted she was going to last more than another half an hour before she collapsed, whether she liked it or not. Upon entering the room she headed for the spacious closet where she had stashed her coffin and climbed inside with a sigh of relief as she closed the lid, cut off all the light. She was going to have to go and hunt tonight that was for sure, as the daylight had sapped her strength and she couldn't let herself get anywhere near as starved around little kids as she could around grown soldiers who could and would shoot her if she attacked them.
(20 minutes later)
Isshin sighed as Ichigo finally left for school, shooting a look towards the room where Seras currently slept. she had told him that waking her up after she fell asleep in the day was almost impossible and dangerous as she might wake up swinging. It did however give him a chance to go talk to one of his few friends in the living world about the situation. If anyone could confirm what she had told him about her true nature, it was Kisuke.
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Urahara Kisuke had heard some strange things in his afterlife and he honestly couldn't say this one took the cake, but it still was pretty damn good. "Are you sure she actually is your niece and not something pretending to be her?" He asked as he poured out the tea. Isshin sighed and shook his head.
"No I'm sure it's her, but why come to me?" He asked Kisuke shrugged.
"Well if half of the books about Vampires are to be believed then the one who turner her was all but her father at that point and she would have thought of him as such." He guessed, looking thoughtful. "You're the only other family she has and you're far enough away to be safe, so why shouldn't she have come to you? You said she wasn't expecting you to know there was something odd about her correct?" At this Isshin nodded. Kisuke continued. "Then she was probably just thinking of hiding here for a while until she got her bearings and leave before you discovered she was anything unusual." He finished. "I'd have to meet her but I doubt she means you any harm either way." Isshin nodded again, taking a drink of his tea.
"I suppose so." He agreed, staring into the glass in his hands.
"This could save you a lot of trouble, you know." Kisuke pointed out as Isshin shot him an odd look.
"How, and with what?" He asked. Kisuke snapped open that damn fan of his, effectively hiding his smirk.
"Those spells of mine aren't going to hide Ichigo's reiatsu from the Hollows much longer, he's just getting too strong. Your little vampire may be able to keep him out of trouble." Isshin stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"Im going to brake that damn fan of your one of these days, Kisuke." He said drily, putting his tea cup down.
"You've got a point though, but how exactly am I supposed to ask her to guard Ichigo against Hollows without telling her what we are?" He asked. Kisuke smirked again, this time keeping his fan out of the annoyed ex-captains reach.
"Well, you said her reiatsu is strong, if strange, she'll probably go out and get attacked at some point. Let her find out on her own." He said brightly. Isshin just sighed.
"I'm not certain that's the best idea." He pointed out drily. Kisuke shrugged.
"It'd work though. About how powerful would you say she is?" He asked Isshin frowned looking thoughtful.
"Around that of an unseated Shinigami right now, but she's only been a Vampire for a few months, true power takes time." He pointed out Kisuke nodded looking thoughtful.
"Agreed, but even at that level though she should be able to help." Isshin sighed.
"Your impossible, you know that?" He asked, more of a statement, tiredly making his way out of the shop as the owner snicker.
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Quetzal - And theres chapter 2! Did the first scene with Isshin seem to clasha? I couldn't get it to work any other way and its not really important in the long run so I just let it be, if it's too terrible tell me and I'll redo it...somehow. Review!
