Previously:
"Do you want to know what I plan on doing to you?" She couldn't see, but the grin on his face widened even more, predator canines sticking out menacingly. "Do you, Blondie?" yes, the No Life King was in the mood for games.
Ino paused in her breathing, trying to process everything. She knew for a fact that she won't die tonight; Integra had made it clear that Alucard was forbidden to kill any of her soldiers. The inner voice inside her head began whispering suggestions, scenarios and kept on urging her to play along... "Tell me."
...
"Blood is your food, is it not?"
"Then," Sasuke said, eyeing the blood package "why don't you eat?"
"I don't like it! This came from a living being!"
"So? Humans don't kill to eat? Aren't pigs, chicken, cows, rabbits or fish living beings? At least the food you hold in your hands right now comes from a willing source."
...
"Ino, please have a seat." she vaguely gestured in the direction of a chair. "I have a mission for you."
...
"Ye'r not dead, demon!"
Ino's eyes narrowed at the sound of that voice. She could pinpoint that bloody Scottish accent anywhere. She quickly fished a kunai from her pouch, and turned to face him.
"Father Anderson, what an unpleasant surprise. Did you enjoy the show?"
Alucard relished in the power he had over mortals. After glamoring the bellboy to overlook the large coffin in which Seras was sleeping, he went to the luxurious hotel room with a grin plastered to his face and patiently waited for night to fall and his fledgling to wake. He knew that war was upon them, it was inevitable and an insane smile stretched his lips at the thought of the destruction that will bring. This time he would make sure that those Millenium vermin will be eradicated once and for all.
But it wasn't war that troubled his mind and brought a frown on his face. He couldn't he couldn't help but think of the young foreign woman, who looked so fragile yet was so deadly. Truth be told, Alucard couldn't tell what were his exact feelings for the kunoichi, whether it was yearning for her body, her blood or simply her presence, his mind no longer knew the difference. The idea itself made him grit his teeth in annoyance.
"Police girl, wake up." he looked in the confused face of his fledging with the grin suited for a No Life King.
"Master! What is with all the people outside?"
"It seems that we have company. Prepare to engage in battle, Police girl!"
"But Master! They are human!" Seras was scared, could her master be that heartless, to kill these foolish humans without giving them a second chance?
"I can and I will!" he gave her one of his most frightening grins at the sight of her large eyes. "Don't forget Police girl, I made you, I know your every thought!" Then his grin turned into a frown. "Why kill them you ask? Because they will try to kill us, they will come at us with no mercy, hunt us down like you hunt animals. Whether they have guns, stakes, pitchforks or silver crosses, these short lived, mindless animals called humans will hunt us down! Why show them mercy when they show us none?"
Seras was stunned by her Master's speech. She immediately realized that his reasoning had a more deeper root than she could ever understand, one that she couldn't argue with even is she wanted to. After all, she was only a child in the vampire world, a pitiful vampire that clung to her humanity with every ounce of strength she had, refusing the changes in her body and soul. And what do I cling to? Are humans better than vampires? Do they cause less bloodshed?
"No." answered Alucard with a twinge of sorrow in his voice. He especially knew that he must have killed an equal amount of humans in his living days, if not more. "So tell me, Police girl" burning pools of crimson focused on her. "will you join me on tonight's hunt?"
"I-I..." her blue eyes were frightened as she tried to fight her very nature. "... I can't."
He was disappointed, and it showed in his eyes. "You will eventually come around." was said in a whisper, audible only with vampiric senses. Then, like in a flash his expression turned to one of disgust, looking at her like she was a bug. "Then hide! Hide like the coward rodent that you are and let the predators rule the night!"
From that moment on chaos ruled over the unfortunate South American city. He killed with a passion, ripped through their flesh like a gluttonous predator and relished in the sound of their screams. And when he finally came face to face with the vermin that Millenuim had sent for him, Alucard smiled.
"This is a fine night."
"So, ready to stretch a little and do some sparring?"
Sasuke looked up from his book and saw Ino with a bright smile on her face. "Anytime." He closed the book and went past her, not missing the way that innocent smile turned into a grin. Yamanaka Ino was in the mood to tease.
"I never knew you were much of a reader... never quite stroke me as one."
"Then again, you never knew me much." It was close to say that no matter the jab, Sasuke never appreciated when people were out to make fun of him.
"True. But even as we were kids you always gave the impression of being more action than you know... knowledge. The hot headed type, act first think later, stuff like that."
"Oh and you surely are the bookish type?" He was actually beginning to get annoyed.
"Well, not at the beginning, but then again, I am a med-nin and a mind walker; I practically ate books for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But yeah, I understand why you don't know that, with you not being interested in girls and all that it makes sense why you didn't know anything about me." the grin on her face grew larger as Sasuke stopped in his tracks and glared at her like he was about to spit flames.
"What?" Why would he not be interested in girls? Sure he was, he's always been! It was just that he had better things to do! "You are going to pay for this Yamanaka!"
He was so funny that Ino couldn't help but burst with laughter. He was almost pouting like a child damn it! "Waiting for it Uchiha, show me what you got on the training ground!" And just like that she sprinted away towards the exit.
He had to admit, that all her energy and cheekiness was a bit contagious. That brought a small smile on his face; It's been a while since he felt this carefree and it felt good. In a matter of seconds he shushined to the training grounds, keen to get the element of surprise in their little match.
"Have you ever thought about getting back home?" Sasuke looked at her from the space he occupied near a pole. In truth they both needed the training and their little sparring session had brought back memories from an unreachable place called home.
He sighed. "Sometimes." It felt good to talk in their own language, felt familiar. "Even though I know that nothing waits for me there." he was a traitor and didn't expect to be greeted with open arms if he ever got back.
"Don't be ignorant! Yes, you did horrible things, but as far as I can see, you've changed a lot! There still has to be some people that will be happy to see you, right? Naruto?"
"Hn." He had to admit that even he saw the change in him. Maybe it was the environment? "Not likely... this time even Naruto couldn't and won;t be able to forgive me." He took a look at the kunoichi spread on the grass. She had changed too, but then again if they were to ever go back, Ino would be welcomed with hugs and tears of joy, unlike him. "Why did you forgive me? I never remember you being the lenient type."
She rose her head from the grass, looking at him with unreadable eyes. "I never said I forgave you. I never will. But we're here, only two people from a totally different dimension, thrown in a world full of monsters and vampires. I just thought it would be better to be on the same side rather than be enemies. And when did you become so talkative?"
True, when had he become so inclined to speak so much? When did he start talking more than it was absolutely and strictly necessary? It was strange how he hadn't changed his ways in so long, and now all of the sudden he started to talk, care about what others thought of him, he even stopped obsessing about his clan. Did it take just one near death experience at the torturous hands of an evil madman to do that? If that was so, he should have convinced Ibiki to do it to him while he was still a genin in Konoha and nothing of this would have happened. Was it because of Sakura? He didn't know, but the dull pain left behind by her death, at his hands, spiked once more. "Heh!" He tried to brush it off with a smirk, "Guess Seras's sunny way of living rubbed of on me, ne?"
Ino regarded at her fellow shinobi a bit skeptically. "Yeah, to bad she's not quite the role model, with her being practically dead and all."
"So..." started Sasuke, suddenly eager to change the subject. "What is the deal with Alucard?"
For a moment there Ino had no nasty comeback, no witty response. He expected her to lash out, say something in her defense and then put it all behind, but this was something else. "I..." she said, her voice trailing off. "I don't know."
"Hn." returning to his old expression seemed the safest thing to do right now. He had no idea how to deal with this kind of things and Sasuke was less than eager to start learning how to right now. "I'm going inside, join me?"
"Um, no. You go, I'll be right there." He took off, leaving Ino with her thoughts. It was better if she sorted out her own issues, he wasn't actually the best counselor.
Integra watched the gory images transmitted live on the Internet; images of her vampire servant slaughtering the police force sent to kill him. A slightly pained look was in her eyes, knowing that he had acted on her command, and that he had carefully manipulated that command out of her. "Walter, have I done the right thing?"
From the shadow of a drape, Walter emerged, his step as silent as a feline. "Sir Integra, Alucard acts on your will. He belongs to the Hellsing family and will always serve it. I am sure that our vampire will do nothing to harm you or your cause."
"It is not Alucard that I fear Walter. I control Alucard's power, but who is to control mine?"
Through the years he spent serving Hellsing, Walter has seen many faces of Integra Hellsing. He saw the little girl become a confused adolescent and then a strong willed and determined young woman. "Sir Integra, you have ruled this agency through thick and thin. You had been able to keep Alucard on a short leash with a steady hand since you were a little girl. I am more than sure that you will be able to guide your power with a steady hand and fulfill the task Hellsing organization has sworn to do many years ago. Now, would you care for a cup of warming tea?"
The platinum blond woman almost smiled at her devoted servant. "Thank you Walter, tea would be good."
"Will I... will I become like that?" There was primary fear in her eyes and her gloved hands shivered as she took in the destruction her creator was creating. He bit, slashed, shot and crushed every mortal that stood in his way. And he did it all with such pleasure that it made the young vampire shiver. How could he be so... cruel? How can he love this so much? Master... what are you, what am I?
A cackling sound echoed in her head and she instantly knew that her master had opened the mental connection they shared. I am, you are, we are Nosferatu; creatures born from the deepest pits of hell, demons with human faces, beasts in sheep clothing. We kill not only because we have to, but we want to. The feeling of that last breath they take before they die, the way their life flashes before them, that final anguished moan before their life belongs to us, making us stronger.
"No! That is not true, Master! I'm not like that!" She tried in vain to cover her ears, willing the cruel voice to go away. But Alucard would have none of that.
Not like that? Fool! You are that, you will be like that! You are my child and no child of mine will sit as vermin like these come to kill us. Will you be a martyr Police Gril? Put your heart on a platter for them and hope they will see that you are a good person?
By now all amusement had fled from his voice and the Vampire King bordered on screaming some sense into her. In Seras's mind his words came in powerful barks that made her feel smaller with each word. You are an idiot! They don't see, they don't care! You are a monster and it doesn't matter what you do, in their eyes you will remain a monster! It's in your nature to kill and enjoy it, so kill! Enjoy it!
"No!" she shouted as hard as she could, "I won't be that!"
Somewhere outside, among the sea of bodies he created the No Life King stopped and sighed. "Stubborn fool." he said in a sad voice. He then turned his ruby eyes toward the silly looking man standing before him; He called himself The Dandy man. Hm, what a stupid name. He grinned and a few bits of leftover flesh hanged from his sharp teeth. These people make my life interesting. And then he pounced.
"I see." Integra's voice was muffled in the phone and Alucard assured her in his deep, silk covered voice that he had imprinted in his mind every piece of information extracted from Tubalcain Alhambra, also known as The Dandy man. "Her Majesty has conjured a Round table meeting. You must return at once."
"Of course." A pause, as if to gather his thoughts. "Tell me Integra," he said, rolling her name on his tongue. "Did it excite you? Did your blood boil in your veins when I killed them? Does it now? Now that you know war is upon us. Will you be able to release the very forces of hell upon them?"
"Silence you insolent monster! You will listen to me, you will do as you are told and you will kill for me!" Anger filled her to the brim as she smashed the phone in its hook. That damned vampire! She took a cigar and lit it, allowing the lazy, sinuous smoke to calm her nerves.
On the other side of the phone, Alucard grinned sinisterly. He knew that nothing will stay in her way. She will move mountains, wage war with the devil himself to achieve her purpose, and he will help her; He will be her tool for destruction, her weapon of chaos, reigned with an iron fist. A demon to bring down demons; and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"As you wish, my Master."
"I see." Ino looked at Walter with an unreadable expression. The news of an upcoming war did not surprise her as much as she thought it might.
They were in one of the meeting rooms of the Hellsing manor. Sasuke stood in a chair, half obscured by shadows. Ino herself was sitting on a large table, one leg dangling on the side, listening to Walter as he told them of the upcoming meeting with Her Majesty.
"It is probable that the Iscariot will be present as well." He looked at Ino for reactions, but the kunoichi's face was carefully guarded. "They had been conducting interrogations on individuals who had collaborated with Millenium during the second World War and have come to us with information."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." said Sasuke in a cryptic tone.
"Precisely Mr. Uchiha."
"What are we to do?" Ino's voice had a professional edge to it.
"You will attend the meeting as well. Alucard is to come as well and give us the information he extracted from one of Millenuim's agents."
"Understood" came the unison reply.
Walter left with a slight smile on his lips. Those two were probably the best Hellsing had in terms of soldiers. Sure, not as powerful as Alucard, but they were disciplined and trained to be weapons from cradle to tomb.
Back inside the room, both shinobi were lost in their thoughts.
"I guess we can never escape it, ne?" Ino's voice was hollow.
"Hn." he didn't feel like giving a dignified answer. Fighting didn't trouble him much, it was what he was raised to do, what he did all of his life. However he knew that here you didn't fight humans, but monsters that refused to die.
Alucard, Seras and Pip were on their way to London in a private jet that was leaded to them by none other than Iscariot. Even now he grinned when he remembered the encounter they had with the Juda's Priest, Anderson. He was truly an incredible adversary.
For a moment, the vampire closed his eyes and saw the sharp blue eyes belonging to the stubborn kunoichi back at the manor. He wondered, what was she doing? Was she training to keep her skills razor sharp? Was she making plans with Integra regarding the war? Was she... thinking of him? As the last part of his thought formulated inside his head, he heard a voice tell him: Why not find out? He knew that voice, after all it was his own. Vlad...you decided to stick your ugly head into my business once more? He heard the voice give a low chuckle, it's inflexions stripped of Alucard's silk coated voice. It was the same, yet different, rougher. I am you vampire, I know you better than anyone. You want to know, why won't you do it? You know you can... Just send your thoughts to her, I'm sure she'll pick them up.
It was tempting, and Alucard wasn't one to like resisting temptations. So he closed his eyes once more, accessing the endless pool of power that resided within him and stretched his perceptions toward her.
Ino felt a familiar mind probe at the edge of her barrier. She sent a chakra pulse to her brain to open the telepathic connection that usually only the Yamanaka's had; she still didn't know how he managed to do that with her.
"Blondie" came his silk coated voice.
"Alucard... I hear you are on your way here. Are you so anxious to talk to me that you could not wait?" she smirked but Ino knew Alucard was unable to see it. She expected him to laugh at her, but he said nothing for a few seconds; that frightened her.
"I was wondering if you were thinking of me..." his tone was mocking, calming Ino's nerves. She could play this game.
"Every breath I took. After all, you are the center of the universe, are you not?" there was a distinct sarcastic pinch in her voice.
"Oh no," countered Alucard in a light voice, "just the center of your universe."
"You'd wish Alucard, you'd wish."
"Oh?"he asked in mock surprise, "is that why you dream of me, my little kunoichi? I would call that a wish come true!"
Ino gasped wondering how the vampire knew of the way her subconscious was betraying her. Were her barriers so low during sleep that he had managed to get a glimpse of her dreams? Did he see everything?
"I have to say," he continued in a more low, seductive tone "your fantasies are most intriguing. They seem so real that I could feel you trembling in my arms, I could sense you blood heating, pumping erratically through your veins. Most intriguing indeed."
It took a few moments for Ino to compose after the initial shock and the crazy blush his words gave her, but as soon as she did, the anger and indignation that was so specific Ino came rushing to the surface. "You insolent bastard! Do you have any idea what the word privacy means? You have no right to go through my head and least my dreams!" she shrieked the last sentence through their mental connection. "I swear, you are the most infuriating person I know! You.."
"And yet," he interrupted her tirade, " you want me, my little kunoichi. You want me to touch you, to kiss you, to posses you."
It took a great deal of willpower for Ino to stop herself from shrieking in pure rage once more. She took a few deep breaths and tried to adopt a cool attitude. For a moment she thought she should take lessons from Sasuke on aloofness; he was surely an expert in that. "Do you have a problem with that?" and for good measure, she coated her voice with honey for the next sentence. "I could try to stop."
"Not at all Blondie. It intrigues me, your desire for me, not for what you would want me to do to you, but for what I would do to you. Actually I think I will encourage you to continue with your nightly fantasies; they take the edge out of the dullness." Back in the plane, Alucard smirked when he heard her groan in annoyance.
"Urgh! You're impossible! If you don't mind it, pray do tell me why are you throwing it into my face?" By now Ino wished two things: First that she could kill the vampire, strangle him until all un-life would seep from him. Second, she wished she just didn't dream all those things about him. In the end she just began cursing him for all she was worth; of course, without him knowing.
"Obviously I do it because you get so riled up about it. I have to say Blondie, you're quite a picture when you're angry!"
She heard him laugh in glee inside her head. That was the last string. He was showing her with the finger for dreaming of him, making fun of her stupid, crazy desire for... him, and then he made fun of her! "You..." she began in a barely controlled voice. "Are incorrigible!" By now her voice level had risen a couple of notches. "You're acting like a child, trying to spite me all the time! That's it! This conversation is over!" And just like that she forcibly pushed him away, closing the mental connection.
Inside the plane, Alucard smiled one rare, real smile. Maybe I am, Ino.
As the two vampires entered the room, Seras marveled at it's grandioseness. However, it wasn't the size of the room, the huge table, or the imposing, richly decorated chairs that amazed her, no; the most amazing thing were the people in the room. Somehow, through heaven knows what unholy forces, the head of the Hellsing organization shared the same table with the pompous archbishop that lead the Iscariot! And even more shocking was that there were no casualties! Yet... she thought with a sigh. As the shock passed, the young woman managed to give the room a better look. She saw Ino an Sasuke both standing like statues on each side of Sir Integra, with strange masks on their faces making it impossible to read their opinion on the gathering. Even so, she gave them both a small wave and was glad to see Sasuke's spiky head briefly nod in response.
It took Serar a few seconds to realize that Ino's eyes were on her Master, whom was currently kneeling in front of a really old woman.
Oh God, that really old woman is the Queen! Wait a minute, how does Master know the Queen?
Somewhere in the background, the heard her Master speak. More out of habit than anything, she turned her attention toward his, drinking in his words.
"Fifty five years ago, a deranged Natzi major attempted to breed a vampire army. Walter and I laid waste to their operation, however it seems they simply refuse to die. They've returned, replenished their numbers and are ready to complete their original mission..."
The rest of her Master's speech became a buzz in the background of her thoughts. The way she saw the situation, it was simple! If they put their heads together, combined forces in order to gain a larger number, then they could fight those Milenuim creeps and be done with it! But then Seras knew... she knew that on their side there were only two of the undead, while they had hundreds, who knew maybe thousands. It wasn't going to be an easy battle.
Unknown to Seras, Yamanaka Ino was having a similar line of thought. Naturally, she knew that Iscariot had an army behind it for support, and they had some pretty good numbers on their side as well, plus Alucard who was a one man army, but would it be enough? How many innocent people will die in this clash? How many lives will be lost, people who didn't have a single clue of the war plotting in the shadows? Hundreds... thousands? It reminded her too much of a similar confrontation...
War here, war there... why the hell can't they just get along or something? It was a silly thought, she knew. Many would have thought that having the profession that she had, a state of peace would be... let's say bad for business. Actually it would be, and one could even say that it was paradoxical for a kuniochi to want people to get along, but Ino realized that she there are so many other enjoyable activities other than killing and fighting all day long, and she just didn't have time to so them! She wanted to have time to do them!
Her train of thought was interrupted by a disturbance in the chakra net that had been placed inside the room and around it. Someone's here! She shared a glance with Sasuke, discreetly indicating the place of the disturbance. A nod was her answer and before everyone had time to get a glimpse of the cat-eared boy, several kunai and shuriken were embedded in his flesh.
It was to their great surprise when the boy appeared again, out of nowhere, unharmed. "Wait up!" said the cat-boy, a large grin spreading his features. "Don't shoot the messenger, I'm not here to fight!"
Ino immediately recognized him as the strange boy who managed to enter her mind. Koneko-kun? And as if he had heard her thoughts, the boy turned toward her and waved anxiously. She did not wave back.
The lack of greeting did not seem to bother the strange boy, as he put a monitor on the table, insisting his only purpose there was to deliver a message from the Major. Soon the monitor buzzed and the portly figure of the Major came into their view. He saluted them all, paying special attention to Alucard and Integra. Ino could have sworn that the Major's gleaming eyes, those golden pits of madness were looking at her with the hunger of the predator, but the man did not address her. He gave a long speech of himself, his organization and their purpose...chaos, war. His lack of sanity knew no boundaries as he showed them how his monster soldiers teared through flesh, devoured and drank every drop of blood in their victims, all done with a viciousness none of them had ever seen.
He was mad... damn bloody stinking insane. But he, the Major thought differently as he sat there, looking at his soldiers with pride in his eyes. Then he declared war in person, but not to the world, not to Brittan, to one man. The Major declared war to Alucard.
The last words that were spoken that night came from the Queen's steely voice. "Alucard, Sir Hellsing. Destroy them!"
A/N: I know you will be pissed off, but I have no idea when the next chapter will come up. All I know is that I will finish this story, no matter how long it takes!