Rivalz had never felt so tense in his life, ever since that night many months ago he felt as though eyes were staring at him from every shadow. 'Come on, you're just seeing things, you need more sleep,' he chastised himself as he stepped through the halls of Ashford. 'You just need to talk to Lelouch, get it done with,' Rivalz continued before stopping. He saw Lelouch and Samuel walking down the halls, Idlely chatting about something. Rivalz doubled his pace; 'Come on, you can do this,' Rivalz told himself. 'You're joining forces against vampires, nothing crazy,' Rivalz steeled himself as he was within arms reach of the duo.
"Hey Lelouch," he called out. His raven-haired classmate turned to look at him, the brown-haired Samuel doing the same.
"Yes, Rivalz?" Lelouch inquired.
"I.. Uh... the teacher gave me a project and I was hoping you'd be willing to help me with it?" Rivalz said. 'You fool!' his inner voice said.
"Which project?" Lelouch asked.
"Oh, I was asked to make a presentation on the history of Area Eleven before the Britannian invasion, I heard you spent time here while it was still called Japan," Rivalz said. 'Oh, good, keep digging,' Rivalz held back any sweat as Lelouch eyed him cautiously.
"I can help you with that," Samuel interjected.
'Wait, What?' Rivalz had to pause. "Are you sure?" he asked. 'Why him, he barely ever talks so why now,' Rivalz lamented with a raised brow.
"Yes, I love history," Samuel said calmly.
"Okay, thanks," Rivalz said as he turned and walked away. 'Just great you idiot, now you have to create a project that you'll never use just to keep up the illusion,' Rivalz lamented.
"What time?" Samuel asked loudly.
Rivalz stilled, his mind racing to think of an answer. "Around six, at my dorm," Rivalz replied. He saw Samuel nod calmly before the duo turned and left. 'Better get started on it,' Rivalz lamented.
Nunnally folded the paper in her hands, following the view granted by Vlad's eyes. It would always be strange, to see herself from his view. She always looked small, even in the brief moments she saw herself with her brother and his friends. Even as they stepped out of her view, fought horrid things in the night.
"What's bugging you, Nunnally?" Vlad inquired calmly.
Nunnally stirred, accidentally creasing the half-finished paper crane in her hands. "Ugh," She trailed off, trying to find her tongue. "It... just... I want to help Lelouch," Nunnally spoke as she set the paper on the table.
"Aaaahhhh?" Vlad trailed as he leaned down to look at her. Nunnally found her gaze shifting; no longer was her gaze on herself but rather on every corner of the room. It was almost headache-inducing, but Nunnally steeled herself. "How will you help him?" Vlad asked, his voice almost challenging her.
"I... I don't know yet, but I can't just leave him to shoulder the burden you put on him," Nunnally said with a tone she never thought she could possess.
"He chose to shoulder it, hoping you would never have to," Vlad explained.
"I don't want him to shoulder it alone," Nunnally stated with determination.
"Yet he isn't shouldering it alone, he has many allies and friends who have joined his mission," Vlad countered.
"His Mission," Nunnally echoed. "You said that it would be our responsibility, not his alone," Nunnally said. "He's done so much, but... I've done nothing," Nuannly paused as she felt a strong weight free itself from her shoulders.
"Young Mistress, do you understand what such actions require?" Vlad inquired.
"Yes," Nunnally replied.
"Then answer me, say it?" Vlad spurred her on.
"I need to see again, with my own eyes,' Nunnally said.
"Yes, but that is not all," Vlad warned.
"My body is crippled, but I must help him," Nunnally stated
"Your blindness, your crippled body, they are the two main things that stand in your way," Vlad stated. "Yet, there is more," Vlad followed it up.
"More?" Nunnally inquired.
'Before we continue, I must remind you that you are still young," Vlad warned.
"I know, but Lelouch was young when he started as well," Nunnally countered.
Vlad said nothing, just giving her a smirk. "You have a long time to deal with these issues, don't rush it," He advised.
"I understand," Nunnally replied.
"Good, what you must first understand is how varied the supernatural world is, and how difficult it can be to keep track of it all," Vlad stated. Nunally just nodded, taking a moment to place her paper crane on the nearby table. "Some with great power will do whatever they can to acquire the supernatural to aid their efforts," Vlad stated.
"And many of these things are too dangerous for people," Nunnally spoke up. Vlad nodded with a prideful smile.
"Exactly, no one can truly be trusted with such power," Vlad said.
"Even Hellsing?" Nunnally inquired.
"If Lelouch wanted to, he could send me out and purge all he demanded," Vlad replied.
"But he won't?" Nunnally said with concern.
"Not unless they give him a reason to," Vlad commented. Nunnally frowned, she had no wish to see her brother become a madman, no, a murderer. "Understand that some people are simply power-hungry, possessing no care or concern for their fellow man," Vlad advised.
Nunnally remained quiet for a moment before she frowned. "My father had done this, hasn't he?" Nunnally inquired. She saw Vlad frown before he shook his head and stood up straight. "He did things to many people?" Nunnally ran her hands along her arms. "Did he do something to me?" she asked.
"Why do you ask?" Vlad inquired.
"My... Blindness, its difficult to point it why," Nunnally spouted, almost biting her tongue.
"You think he did something to you?" Vlad inquired. Nunnally paused at his tone, her head tilting to "look" him in the eye.
"Did... did my father do this to me?" Nunnally asked as she held a hand out to Vlad. Vlad said nothing, only taking her hand and lowering it back to her lap.
"You believe he did this to you?" Vlad asked, his tone the same as before.
"It makes sense, he is the Emperor of Britannia and one of the most powerful men in the world," Nunnally mused. Vlad chuckled, his razor-sharp teeth shining as he broke into full-blown laughter. "I'm right?" Nunnally asked as Vlad continued laughing.
"If your brother heard this, he would send me right to Pendragon to clean house," Vlad replied.
"So he did something to me, my... father... blinded... me..." Nunnally trailed as she felt tears well in her eyes. She felt Vlad, hand run along her shoulder in a comforting manner.
"Your... father-" Vlad seemed to spit the word out. "-is a cowardly man, with far too many skeletons in his closet," Vlad stated bluntly. "What he did was done out of fear of what you saw," Vlad lambasted.
"What did I see?" Nunnally inquired, a small haze settling into her mind.
"That, I can't say, only you know," Vlad said.
"Its... I don't know," Nunnally lamented.
"Give it time, your will can grow stronger than the haze clouding your mind," Vlad said.
"It can?" Nunnally inquired.
"Human will is stronger than many give it credit for," Vlad said with a cheesy smile.
A knock on the door broke their conversation. Nunnally felt the eyes recede, darkness taking her vision once more as Sayoko stepped into the room. "Miss Nunnally, dinner is ready," she announced.
Nunnally nodded as she heard Vlad step out of the room.
"Remember our talk, Young Master," Vlad said as Sayoko approached her. Nunnally gave a nod as Sayoko took hold of her wheelchair.
"Was it a good talk, Mistress?" Sayoko inquired.
"It... was an interesting talk Sayoko," Nunnally replied, burying the fury at her father as Sayoko began wheeling her out. An idea began to form in her head, one she knew her brother would be proud of.
Milly hummed to herself as she stepped into Lelouch's office. "Got another sighting of our mysterious hunter," She said while holding a folder. Lelouch calmly took it, only glancing at the folder before turning back to a board on the wall. Milly looked over the board, various sightings of "A Mysterious figure" throughout the Tokyo settlement. Off to the side of the board was a list of potential suspects, though the list was extremely short. Then her eyes narrowed at one of the few names on the list. "You think Rivalz is one of the suspects?" she inquired.
"His dorms are out of view of the academy security, he often appears tired in class, and he approached me for a school project that doesn't exist," Lelouch explained.
"A school project that doesn't exist?" Milly pushed further.
"He approached Suzaku and I, then asked me to assist him on a project on Area Eleven's history prior to Britannia's conquest," Lelouch explained.
"Really, and the reason you're here rather than with Rivalz?" Milly asked.
"Suzaku volunteered to help him," Lelouch replied.
"Oh, so "Samuel" went off to help him while you checked if it was real?" Milly inquired.
"Yes, a quick check on the programs and required works for the history course showed no such project," Lelouch explained.
"Ok, but that is all circumstantial at best," Milly countered.
"He asked to see me specifically, our mysterious hunter intervened while Kallen and I were being attacked by the blank," Lelouch explained as he leaned towards Milly. "Considering the fact that Kallen is "Sick" most of the time it would make sense that he wished to see me," Lelouch stated each point as Milly gave him a blank look.
"Anything else?" Milly inquired.
"Suzaku also saw a book on Rivalz's bookshelf with markings similar to the tomes in the Hellsing archives," Lelouch said.
"Wait, so he might be the vampire hunter?" Milly asked.
"Perhaps, but when Suzaku asked Rivalz about the book he said it was just an old find he got from a bookstore," Lelouch replied.
"So it can still go either way," Milly surmised. "But how will you confront him?" Milly asked.
"Just a quick talk," Lelouch replied.
"Really? Just a quick talk?" Milly inquired.
"Yes, there is still the risk that he isn't our vampire hunter," Lelouch replied.
"If he is, what will you do with him?" Milly asked, her gaze narrowing as she looked him in the eye.
"Recruit him, someone with skill in hunting blanks and other supernatural threats would be welcome," Lelouch answered calmly.
"And if he isn't?" Milly inquired.
"Then we keep a lid on everything related to Hellsing and the resistance cells," Lelouch stated. Milly just nodded as Lelouch opened the folder and began shuffling through the files.
"Say, did the Cell enjoy our present?" Milly asked, her eyes shifting to the map of the settlement.
"Yes, they're not sure when they'll use it, I know Kallen will like it" Lelouch replied.
"Ah, well I hope your girlfriend will enjoy the gift," Milly commented with a small smile.
Lelouch said nothing, only narrowing his eyes at her before he looked back at the files. Milly smiled smugly as she began walking out of Lelouch's office. Then she stopped, turning back to look him over. "Do you want me to get him for you?" Milly asked.
"Give me a day, you just have to get us alone in a room with tunnel access," Lelouch instructed.
"At once, Sir," Milly said with a small smile before stepping out of the office. 'Well, let's see if Rivalz is hiding a secret identity,' Milly mused before laughing to herself. She continued through the tunnels, a small idea forming in her head.
Kallen had to hide her smile as she gripped the controllers of the Glasgow. It had been delivered to their main hideout the day before, and now she had spent the past few hours trying it out. Every little move of her hands translated to the Glasgow as though it was a true extension of herself, her muscles beginning to memorize how every movement affects the Knightmare Frame.
"Enjoying yourself?" Oghi's voice called in over the radio.
"Yes, how did they get this?" Kallen asked.
"It's a prototype from the Ashfords, they felt you'd enjoy it," Ohgi replied.
"Really? They just let us have it?" Kallen inquired.
"Well, it's still a prototype so they want us to report how well it functions," Ohgi said.
"Ahh, so far it's been working just fine," Kallen stated.
"We can see, it's pretty fuel efficient for a Glasgow," Ohgi commented.
Kallen paused, her gaze turning to the fuel gauge on the side of the console. Despite the hours spent in the Glasgow, the fuel gauge read just under the half-full. "So, how much Sakurite do we have left?" Kallen asked.
"Not enough for an official mission yet," Ohgi replied.
Kallen huffed; "Great," She said sarcastically.
"Don't worry, you'll get the chance to use it against Britannia someday," Ohgi replied. "Besides, they want us to check if there are any issues with the Frame before it's sent into combat," Ohgi added.
"And how much longer will that take?" Kallen inquired.
"We're just about done for the day, we don't want to go through too much Sakurite," Ohgi advised.
"Fine, anything specific they want me to test?" Kallen asked.
"Nothing in particular, just start the shut-down protocol," Ohgi instructed.
Kallen followed suit, easing the Glasgow back into the garage they had set up for the Frame. Allowing the Knightmare Frame to turn off as the back opened up. Calmly she stepped out, craning her neck and stretching her shoulders.
"How do you feel?" Ohgi called out to her, approaching the garage.
"Good, a bit sore from spending a few hours in the Glasgow but good nonetheless," Kallen replied while hopping out of the Knightmare Frame.
"Glad to hear," Ohgi said.
Kallen stopped, taking a glance back at the Glasgow before turning to Ohgi. "Did anything come up, cause I didn't feel anything wrong with the Frame?" Kallen inquired.
"None that I could catch, but we're sending the data to the Ashfords in case we missed anything," Ohgi replied.
"Well, I hope she works fine, I'm looking forward to using her against Britannia," Kallen mused.
"We'll just have to see," Ohgi said. He looked down at a tablet for a time, before he paused and turned back to Kallen. "So, Lelouch has been asking about your work between both sides." Ohgi began.
"Both sides?" Kallen inquired.
"Working for the Cell and Hellsing," Ohgi said.
"What's to ask?" Kallen asked.
"Lelouch has been wondering if you'll be joining them for more work with Hellsing, or if you'll spend more time with the Cell?" Ohgi asked.
"Really? I mean... We worked well together for that one hunt, but I joined up to fight against Britannia," Kallen said.
"Well, I'll give you time to come to your conclusion, but word is Lelouch may have found that mystery Hunter you talked about," Ohgi said.
"Wait, the vigilante with the strings, Lelouch has a lead?" Kallen asked while leaning closer to Ohgi. 'He saw both of us on that hunt, if he was loyal to Britannia or one of the other foreign powers...' Kallen's thought trailed off.
"Yeah, He was wondering if you'd join some of the others while they check their suspect?" Ohgi added in.
"Check them?" Kallen asked.
"They still aren't fully sure if it is them, but there is a chance," Ohgi said.
"Great, well, I might as well join them," Kallen said with a huff.
"You don't sound pleased about it," Ohgi stated.
"The hunter saw us, saw Lelouch shoot the vampire, saw me pull out a silver dagger and take a stab at the Blank," Kallen retorted. "If this hunter is loyal to a group like Britannia, or even the Chinese Federation or the EU, they could blackmail us," Kallen said.
"Then Alucard would make them disappear," Ohgi began catching on.
"And the aforementioned world power might notice a vampire hunter go missing, and investigate," Kallen followed.
"I get where you're going, but if they were loyal to a world power, why haven't they tried contacting you or Lelouch yet?" Ohgi questioned.
"I can't say, but we must be careful," Kallen said.
Ohgi remained silent for a moment before he gave Kallen a concerned look. "Will you work with them again?" he asked in a serious tone.
Kallen stopped, a short frown taking shape on her face as she ran a hand on her chin. "Considering how dangerous the blanks are, not to mention how they seek out places like our "Area," Kallen said with an eye roll at the word "Area," "Its more along the lines of when will we work together again, Vamp hunts are kind of unavoidable with our current line of work," Kallen said.
Ohgi nodded, a small huff leaving his mouth as he held out a water bottle for Kallen.
"Thanks," Kallen took it and quickly chugged it down. "I'll join Lelouch and the others for our little meet-up," She said.
"Good to know, he said it'll be sometime tomorrow," Ohgi said.
Kallen gasped, almost choking on the water. "That fast?" She asked.
"The message came earlier today, it's pretty last minute," Ohgi explained.
'Great, I have to head for Ashford now,' Kallen mused as she began making her way out of the garage. "Then I'll be off, see you later Ohgi," She said, waving him off as she did so. 'One day, I'd like to know your plan in advance lelouch,' Kallen huffed as she jogged through the Cell headquarters, heading for the tunnels connecting it to Hellsing HQ.
Rivalz walked through the halls of Ashford, a small letter in his hand. 'Ok, so Lelouch wants to talk, no worries, no problem,' Rivalz mused with a nervous gait. 'Maybe it's about the vamp situation, maybe he realized it was me,' Rivalz continued as he turned a corner. "The letter said to meet him in classroom 12A, it should just be down the hall," Rivalz muttered as he doubled his pace. He passed classroom after classroom, taking only a glance at each number before he stopped at room 12A. As his hand neared the doorknob, Rivalz felt his body still as he grasped it. 'Come on, you've been dodging this for Months! What makes talking with Lelouch more difficult than killing vampires?' Rivalz admonished himself as he steeled his nerves and opened the door.
He could see Lelouch sitting at one of the desks, a lone book in his hands.
A hunter's tome, in his hands.
"Good to see you got the letter Rivalz," Lelouch commented, his gaze barely shifting away from the tome.
"Ye... Yeah, so what did you want to talk about Lelouch?" Rivalz asked, sweat running down his brow.
"Not much, just a small interest, Samuel told me about that book of yours," Lelouch said as he closed the tome in his hands.
"Ah, that old thing," Rivalz said with a fake smirk. 'Ok, he is a Hunter, but I don't recognize some of the symbols on the tome,' Rivalz noted. 'Wait, he said Samuel talked about it, is he in on this?' Rivalz pondered as Lelouch stood up from the desk.
"Which store did you buy it from, I have this one but I've been meaning to find some of the others?" Lelouch asked while approaching him.
"Ahh, I forgot, I bought it a long time ago in the Homeland," Rivalz said, his gaze turning back to the tome in Lelouch's hands.
"Really? Because I don't believe any bookstore in the whole of Britannia sells tomes on monster hunting," Lelouch stated simply as Rivalz felt his gaze burn into his soul.
"Uh... Really? I got it from-"
"From?" Lelouch inquired, his brow raised.
"I forget, but where did you get yours?" Rivalz asked, trying to calm himself.
"It was inherited, from my family, much like yours," Lelouch stated.
'Well, he knows,' Rivalz concluded as he relaxed his shoulders. "Sorry about interrupting your date with Kallen," Rivalz apologized with a nervous turn of his neck.
"No apology necessary, you made our hunt easier," Lelouch said calmly as he held out the tome to Rivalz.
"So... She's a hunter as well?" Rivalz asked. 'Maybe that's why she's always calling in sick, she's out in the field while Lelouch is the planner, it makes sense,' Rivalz considered, his eyes shifting to the tome.
"Not just her, would you like to meet the others?" Lelouch inquired, still holding the tome out to him.
'He has a group, how many students here are vampire hunters?' Rivalz mused. "Yes," Rivalz blurted out, touching the tome.
"Then follow me," Lelouch said as he turned to the wall and approached it. Rivalz watched silently as Lelouch ran a hand along a bookshelf and fitted with something out of his view. Rivalz narrowed his eyes as he heard something slide open, a soft click echoed through the room and a wall behind them opened up. Rivalz felt his jaw drop as Lelouch stepped back and approached the tunnel. "Come on, the door is on a timer," Lelouch said calmly as he disappeared into the tunnel.
'How much reach does he have?' Rivalz questioned as he quickly followed after Lelouch. 'Ok, so Principal Ruben has to be helping Lelouch, maybe even Milly?' Rivalz mused as he shuffled down the narrow tunnels. He kept on the path, sliding through the tunnels as he saw a light outline Lelouch further down the path. "Just a bit further," Rivalz muttered. He could see Lelouch walk out of the tunnel, so he picked up his pace. As he left the tunnel, he could feel artificial light on his skin and cold air in his lungs.
"I must apologize about the tunnels, they have to hide within the walls of the school itself," Lelouch said as he stood near Rivalz.
"It's ok," Rivalz replied as he picked himself up.
"Now, let's step into my office," Lelouch said, gesturing to a metal hallway. Rivalz nodded as Lelouch began guiding him through the facility.
'Man, the whole school was built over this place,' Rivalz surmised as he looked around the facility. 'Lelouch has an office here, is he the boss?' Rivalz mused as the duo took a turn. 'To think this has been under my feet the whole time, how did I never notice?' Rivalz admonished before he stopped at the sight of Lelouch's office. It was a large door made of metal with a plaque saying the word "Hellsing" on it.
Rivalz stopped, his gaze narrowing as he looked upon the name on the plaque. 'Hellsing... Grandpa's stories were true,' Rivalz thought as he remained still.
"So you recognize the name of Hellsing," Lelouch stated. Rivalz just numbly nodded as Lelouch smirked.
"This... Is your office?" Rivalz asked.
"Yes," Lelouch stated.
"But... your... your last name is Lamperouge?" Rivalz asked. ]
"Lamperouge was my mother's Maiden name, Hellsing had to hide somehow," Lelouch explained while opening the office door. He walked in, prompting Rivalz to follow after him.
Rivalz found himself stopped once again, his eyes darting around as he looked at those within the office. Kallen seemed to be frowning at him, Milly was giving him a mischievous smirk, and Samuel just maintained a deadpan stare. A glance also showed a large board on the wall full of records of his hunts. Lelouch walked in, giving Milly a quick nod as Rivalz felt himself shrink. Lelouch calmly made for the desk chair, taking a seat and pressing his palms together.
"So Rivalz, our mysterious vampire hunter," Lelouch introduced as the others stood to the side.
"Yeah?" Rivalz spurted before straightening his posture. 'Come on, you've had dreams about joining Hellsing, don't screw it up,' Rivalz admonished himself.
"Given your track record, and your skill level, I'm offering you a position in the renewed Hellsing organization," Lelouch said.
"Yes, wait Renewed?" Rivalz inquired.
"You're still rebuilding it," Milly chimed in.
"At its height, the Hellsing Organization could operated across the globe, we're still limited to Japan," Lelouch explained.
"I understand, and I'm in," Rivalz said, his gaze shifting across the room.
"Good, then welcome to Hellsing," Lelouch said with an ominous smile.