Do not own! Not mine!

*Songs are Narcissistic Cannibal and Diamond Eyes by Korn & Shinedown

Flora's POV:

I never understood why graveyards were so bright and sunny compared to movie versions of the same thing. The ones in Britain were simply older, more worn, but the sun still shone over a bright green field, covered by marble crosses, tombstones, and granite monuments to the dead. In movies everything was washed out and grey, and rain poured down as a preacher gave a touching speech on the deceased and their eternal prospects. A tiny, trembling smile touched my lips as the black dress I wore shifted and eddied in the brisk morning breeze, watching them lower the coffin into the ground. Maybe the lack of the former had to do with the fact Jay had such a problem with "believing in an invisible man in the sky who watches everything I do every second of every day".

When asked why she believed in Santa despite that, she replied that God did not send her presents every Christmas as proof of his existence.

"You're so cynical, nar-cis-sistic cannibal!"

The smile trembled further, and I wrapped my hand hard around one of the smooth stones she had given me for some Christmas present long ago, saying that they were supposedly soothing. Only Jay would put it in her will to be buried to metal music. I thought as I squeezed the stone harder, feeling the firm edges press against my palm almost painfully, my grip as tight as if the small rock was my lifeline. "Um…Flora? Where are her parents?" Seras asked uncomfortably from beside me, looking around at the extremely small group of people attending the service. I lost the smile, although I was still trying to be strong about this as I turned to the Draculina. "Jay and her parents are some…strange people. They weren't real close, but they still aren't that estranged either. I thought they might show up though, even if it was just for a little bit." I said bravely, and she frowned a little, bit nodded hesitantly as the songs changed and the people kept speech-making.

"Yo, Flora isn't it?" I turned slightly, seeing a boy a little older than Jay staring sadly at her grave. "Um…yeah?" I said hesitantly, and he managed a slight smile and held out his hand. "Name's Al. I taught Jay some stuff about…computers." he said, managing a winsome grin as I raised an eyebrow. Seras was not as tactful as he was. "You were the one that taught her to hack stuff?!" He winced visibly, making a quieting motion as he looked from side to side. "Hey, illegal profession, so keep it down." he grumbled, and Seras looked sheepish as I sighed and looked at my shoes. He glanced around one last time, then sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Spit it out, I know that Jay Thompson would never die in a failed murder attempt. What really happened?" he asked, meeting my eyes squarely, and I looked uneasily at Seras as she pressed her lips together tightly. "That's classified information. Sorry." she said briskly, then apologetically, and Al curled his lip.

"I specialize in the retrieval of classified information, so don't tempt me. I would like to remain on good terms with my student's best friend and her family." he said bluntly, folding his arms, and I swallowed hard as Seras looked at her feet, obviously unsure of how to answer. "It's…it's not stuff normal people need to hear. It'd be safer for you to not know." I said meekly, and he sighed, running a hand through his hair and giving Jay's grave one last regretful look. "Damn shame really. She was coming on strong last I heard from her." he said with genuine sadness, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smirk. "Probably could out-hack me by the time she died."

"I'm on the front lines, don't worry I'll be fine! The story is just beginning!"

I nodded, holding back the tears, and he sighed before pulling a scrap of paper out of his pocket. "Ring me if you need anything, she'd kick my ass if I didn't help you out when you needed help and she wasn't around to give it. I'll consider keeping my neb out of the classified information, but all hackers abide by the fact that stupidity killed the cat, and curiosity was framed. Sayonara." he said briskly with a slight grin, slapping it in my hand and then waltzing out the gates, his hands shoved in his pockets. I absently put it in my pocket as Seras and I turned to watch the rest of the funeral, and I tried hard to keep from crying as I saw Heinkel –having been given special, grudging permission from Integra to attend– and her partner Yumiko near the back of the crowd, the black-haired nun watching with thick tears pouring down her cheeks, even though she hadn't know Jay at all. Heinkel had said that she was "meek as a fly" with the glasses on, so I guess that included all the sympathy and innocence that Yumie lacked.

I wiped the few, trickling tears away with the back of my hand, sniffling. The funeral felt final, like I really was saying goodbye forever, permanently, and I felt guilty as I watched the dirt slowly pile up on top of her sleek brown coffin. Somehow I felt guilty about moving on, like I was abandoning someone, who, no matter how much she scoffed and bluffed it away, needed her friend more than I did. I could almost hear her now, lecturing me on how I needed to tough it out and use my grief and anger for a good purpose, mainly beating the crap out of Radu. My fist clenched. I swear…I'm going to make him pay. I thought with a loud sniffle, my eyes watering less as anger washed over me, stepping through the gate along with everyone else as the closer relatives stayed to leave flowers.

"I'm on the front lines, don't worry I'll be fine…the story is just beginning…"

Integra's POV:

"Report." Nothing more, nothing less. This angered me as much as it grieved Flora, anger that was due in no small part to the affection I had formed for the sarcastic, clever teen. The coroner nodded tremulously. Hellsing medical staff was used to the gruesomeness of a supernatural organization and their casualties, but somehow the fact that it was a young teen that they had examined made them squeamish and grieved. I didn't blame them. "Entry wound but no exit wound, straight through the brain and embedded in the skull. The bullet is a custom round made for a custom gun, and one that seems to be intended purely for extermination at close range. It's no surprise the bullet didn't penetrate through the subject's entire cranium; it's meant for a quick and clean kill to the heart or the head." she said mechanically, still with a small tremble, and I nodded a few times.

"So there is obviously no danger of her ghouling or becoming a vampire?" The woman nodded rapidly. "No sir! Bullet is silver, although it wasn't blessed. She won't be rising from the grave, unless it was…him." she stammered, awkwardly dancing around the mention of my family's servant as I halted the smile through a small flex of will. Flora will be glad to know this. Hell, I'm glad to know it too. That girl doesn't deserve to be cursed with new unlife when she should be at peace. I thought, blowing the cigar smoke out in a haze of nicotine as I mused on that particular subject. "Flora, I know you're in here. Come out." There was a guilty squeak, and she edged out from behind the medical curtain, averting her eyes from the medical table, even though Jay had long since been properly buried in her coffin.

"I have been smoothing things over with Maxwell, but one thing remains. Who ordered the attack? We're fairly sure you know, as both of you mentioned being confronted by one master vampire before entering the sewers. I'm guessing you encountered him or her before Jay was shot, and I'm going to take it a step further and wager that it was this ringleader themselves that issued the final blow. Who is it?" I asked bluntly, taking the cigar out of my mouth, and she went rigid. "Well?" I prompted, and she swallowed hard a few times, anxiously twisting her hands in the black dress she had still not changed out of. "H-he said his name was Radu. I t-think he's Alucard's br-"

The floor seemed to rock as I felt the most extreme and acute rage swamp Alucard's aura so completely that it blocked out his very presence, becoming nothing more than an angry blot of swirling ferocity as Flora gave a tiny yelp and clutched her head. "Alucard! That hurts!" I nodded dumbly, gritting my teeth and dragging in a swift inhale of my cigar as I felt angry enough to kill something, Alucard's fury leaking down through his connection with both me and Flora. I snapped my fingers at the trembling woman, and she took a tiny step forward. "Call Walter, have him check on Seras. I don't want this finally snapping her into another blood rage." I snarled, and she fled the room, very glad indeed to leave her furious boss and confused, but also incensed, heiress.