Do not own! This is not my story! Thank you.
I frowned, walking down the cold stone steps. I had already tried looking everywhere else, but avoided the hallway Integra was on, not wanting to disturb her work. She had told me to stay away from the basement, which was exactly why I was down here. Why make a rule, unless you wanted it to be broken? Besides, whenever someone tells you not to go to a place, it usually turns out to have something interesting there. And she didn't order me to stay away, just to try to. This was totally within my bounds. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the extreme lack of light. It was dark, with absolutely no lights on at all. Maybe Seras sleeps down here, she doesn't seem to like sunlight. One thing the legends got mostly right. I kept a hand on the wall, feeling my way forward as I blinked. It seemed pretty unlikely that anything would be in a hallway this dark, so I moved quickly, not stumbling like other people.
My hand hit metal instead of stone, and I frowned. I gently shoved it in, hearing it creak and groan as rusty hinges squealed. This was a cell of some sort, completely empty, and I squatted down, peering at a dark stain on the floor. How charming. Blood. My gaze traveled around the cell, seeing more and bigger bloodstains, and the remnants of some restraining straps, tattered and shredded on the ground. I grinned. This is so cool…I wonder what was here… I backed out, yanking the metal door shut and moving on. I came across more cells, but they didn't have anything interesting in them at all. There was a T section of hallway after the cells, and I looked to the right, then the left. I frowned. They both seemed identical, and I sniffed experimentally, smelling old blood, but neither side had a stronger odor. I growled in frustration, finally just doing a coin flip.
Since I couldn't see if it landed right side up or down, I chucked it at the wall, watching closely as it pinged to the right. I followed, picking it up and shoving it in my pocket as I moved forward again, having adjusted to the utter darkness well enough to see if I was about to run into anything. I stopped, seeing another metal door. I knocked before shoving it open, because it seemed to be more of a room than a cell, maybe Seras's bedroom or something. There was more light, and I squinted, waiting to adjust. I wasn't in Seras's room at all, but a very large cavernous hall, with a throne and a small table in the very center, with a coffin off to one side and a bottle with two wineglasses on the table, along with some strange glasses. I walked forward, looking around, but didn't see anyone.
I bent down, not touching anything, inspecting the glasses. They had dark red lenses, and a strange frame that would obscure the user's eyes completely. I frowned, thinking. This seemed to be a vampire's room, so it would stand to reason that they might want to block out something with their eyes, possible their color or shape. I made a sound of satisfaction, standing up and turning around. I walked toward the coffin, seeing something written on it. "Bird of Hermes is my name…eating my wings to make me tame?" I whispered, sitting in front of it. I bit my lip again, thinking. Hermes…wasn't he a messenger god for the Greeks? What was a reference to him doing on a vampire's coffin? My thoughts were cut off by a hand on the scruff of my neck, lifting me into the air and spinning me around to face a very tall man with flaming red eyes, black hair, and a thunderous expression.
"How many times do I have to tell you not to touch my coffin?" He growled, shaking me like a rag doll. I choked, the grip on my neck nearly strangling me. "This…is…the first…" I croaked, wheezing. He frowned and dropped me, and I gasped, trying to get air back in my lungs where it belonged. "Who are you?" He asked, demanded more like. "Who are you?" I shot back, sitting up straight and glaring at him. "I asked first." He snarled, clenching his fists. "You nearly strangled me, I deserve some compensation." I said in explanation, folding my arms. He growled, moving forward and grabbing my shirt, dangling me in the air again. "You are two inches from a very gruesome death woman. Start talking." He snarled, and I scowled. "Three inches, actually, this is a very loose shirt." I corrected him. "I'm Integra's aunt's cousin's niece's sister four times removed or whatever it is. She made me stay the summer here."
He dropped me again. "Why are you snooping around when my master expressively ordered you not to?" he asked, striding away and sitting in his throne. I raised an eyebrow. Master? "She said I should try not to go in the basement. I wandered down here when I felt like it, so I didn't try, and this is a dungeon, not a basement." I said loftily, scowling at him, but staying put. He snorted, picking up a wineglass and sipping from it. "You honestly think she'll buy that?" I shrugged. "Not really. I won't tell her if you don't, and I'm pretty sure you're the only one who found me down here." I said, wondering if I could make a deal with him. He smirked. "True enough, but what makes you think I won't tell her?" I snapped my fingers. Damn. "Well, for starters you nearly killed me." I said, blinking as I realized it. "She probably wouldn't like that, and it would be kinda embarrassing for you, no offense."
He bowed his head, grinning. "None taken. Continue rambling." I bit down a smirk, but went on. "And I haven't touched anything except the floor and the doors, so really nothing illegal. And the air, I suppose, and some of the cool bloodstains, and you, because you nearly strangled me, but other than that, nothing." I finished proudly, pleased with my legal skills. He stared at me for a moment, as if deep in thought. "You are a strange little human." He finally said, drinking deeply from his glass. I shrugged, standing up and walking towards the door. "Hey wait a minute," I said, turning around. "You never told me your name." The man looked up, clearly irritated. "Go away." I sat back down. "Nope. Tell me your name. One word and I'm out of here." I said stubbornly, folding my arms.
He growled, slamming his wineglass back down on the table and standing up. "I will not repeat myself again. Go away." He snarled, walking towards me slowly. I glared up at him. "No." He frowned deeply, towering over me. "Then I fear I must report an intrusion to my master." He said, starting to blur. I lunged forward, grabbing onto his leg, and yelped as a sick spinning sensation in my stomach flared.
Alucard's POV:
Before I could completely phase away, she latched onto my leg with a yelp. I continued, wondering how long it would take for her to pass out or throw up. Her eyes were squeezed shut, but as I watched her she cracked them open, and then looked at the spinning and flaring colors. She giggled, holding onto me tighter as she reached out a hand to touch a color flair, before I reached down and yanked it back, quickly phasing back to my room. "Don't do that." I said in annoyance, prying her off me and dumping her on the ground. She sat up quickly, rubbing her head and glaring at me. "Why?" She demanded, looking around and frowning in disappointment.
"You'll get sucked into a whirling vortex of doom." I said in exasperation, already tired of this woman. I was studying her imperceptibly, and she did show a slight resemblance to Integra, in the way she openly defied me, not showing fear at all. She rolled her eyes, standing up, and then sitting back down, probably because the floor was more comfortable. "Sure I will. Couldn't you have come up with a better explanation, like; if I touch it it'll compress me into a small cube of matter, smashing my bones and organs together in a bloody fountain, killing me instantly? That's cool. Vortexes of doom are just wimpy black holes." She said, squinting as she described her gory death. I smirked, drooling a little as I envisioned that extremely interesting mental image.
"What a lively imagination you have." I said, sitting back down on my throne. She waved a hand at me absently. "Don't mention it. My friends are all just as imaginary." I shook my head sadly. "So you have no friends?" I taunted her, and she blinked. "Wha? Oh, no, I meant they all think along the same lines." She said, and I smirked. "Sure they do." I said, sipping at my blood. "I hope I don't have to put up with you too often…" she muttered under her breath, and I grinned. "You may leave at anytime you wish." I drawled mockingly, and she scowled at me. "Yes but then I wouldn't know who you are. I need to know who to avoid in future." She spat, and I smirked. "Then you will just have to wait." I said, putting my glass down and grabbing her hand, phasing her back to her room before vanishing.
Integra's POV:
Alucard phased into my office, looking smug. "Why didn't you tell me your heir was coming for a visit?" he said, leaning over my desk. "I was too busy, and what did you do to her?" I said, glaring up at him and shuffling my papers. "She seems to be rather adventurous." He mused, not answering me. "And curious, very curious." He continued as my eye twitched. "What. Did. You. Do?" I snapped, and he ignored me. "More stubborn than you, which I would have thought impossible before I met her." He said slyly, and I shoved a desk drawer open, grabbing my pistol and shoving it in his face. "Alucard…" I growled, and his grin widened. "Yes master?" he asked meekly, and I snarled. "What did you do to my new heir?" He yawned insolently, and I almost pulled the trigger.
"In her own words, I "nearly strangled her" twice, but she seemed fine when I put her back." he said smoothly, and I slammed the pistol on the desk. "Damnit Alucard!" I growled, wondering how Flora must be feeling right now. "Go and apologize! And if you do anything of the sort again, I will empty a round of silver in you!" He smirked and phased away, and I sighed, silently wondering if bringing Flora here was a really bad decision.
Flora's POV:
I yawned, snuggling into the blankets, jetlag finally catching up with me. The mattress bounced slightly, and a cold hand grabbed my ankle, holding me up in the air again as I yelped in shock. The same vampire was dangling me upside down, scowling. I squeaked and pushed my top back up as it fell past my chest. "I apologize for nearly strangling you." He said tonelessly, before letting go and letting me fall -head first- back onto my bed. "I rather do without if this is how you normally apologize…" I moaned, rubbing my head and sitting back up. There was a flash of white in his dark silhouette, probably his sharp fangs as he grinned. He suddenly vanished, and I turned back around, yanking the covers up and closing my eyes so I could finally fall asleep peacefully.