A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews and favorites! :D
And I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Every day, Olivia followed the same schedule:
6:30 am- Wake up and get dressed
7:00 am- Have breakfast with Sir Hellsing
7:10-12:00 pm- Combat training
12:05-12:15 pm- Tea and lunch break with Sir Hellsing
12:20-4:00 pm- English lessons
4:05-6:40 pm- Self study
6:45 pm- Supper by herself in her room.
6:55-10:00pm- More self study then bedtime
She would have preferred to spend more time studying under Sir Hellsing, but after her English lessons, he focused more on the organization's affairs….and on his ladies of the night.
On her way out of Arthur's office, Olivia always noticed a woman dressed in silks and make-up waiting nearby, and once she was far enough down the hallway, the woman would slip into his office.
It was never the same woman, and Olivia felt bad that Ms. Martha was never in the mix. The sweet maid had kept her word and bought Olivia a new wardrobe with clothes that actually fit her. But Olivia had made a request that Martha would buy her clothes like Walter's since she found pants easier to train in and also, deep down, hoped that by dressing like the prodigy, his talent would rub off on her.
Olivia still found the younger boy to be obnoxious, but she couldn't help but be in awe of him at the same time. Sometimes she would watch him train and found the way he controlled his wires to be like dance, and she would sometimes catch Walter coming back from a mission, covered in the blood of his enemies and without a single scratch. And in addition to that, he basically ran the household by doing a majority of the cooking, cleaning, and filing for Sir Hellsing.
It was a lot for anyone to juggle, much less a six year old boy. But he did it all without fail and Olivia couldn't help but feel a tad jealous.
But he went out of his way to avoid her, so she did the same until she spotted him dusting a vase one night after some self-study in the library.
Olivia quickly ducked back into the library and copied some greetings from her textbooks onto her palms before taking a deep breath and approaching him.
"What do you want?" Walter snapped without turning away from his vase. "I am a very busy person, you know."
She didn't reply at first, translating his words in her mind, before peeking down at her palms for the appropriate response.
"Hello," Olivia smiled, slowly pronouncing every word with great care. "I am Olivia, it is very…good pleasure…to meet you."
This time Walter did turn around, a taunt on the tip of his tongue but then he noticed her anxious expression.
"…It is a pleasure to meet you too." He muttered and Olivia mentally did a cartwheel.
'I am doing it! I am learning English!'
But she just settled for bouncing in place and holding her hand out.
"I am sorry…for fight in training room." She declared, glancing down at her other palm to make sure she said training room correctly. "So let us…work….together in future..for…Hellsing's sake."
Walter stared at her outstretched hand with a blank expression and this gave Olivia an opportunity to get a closer look at him.
Despite all his accomplishments and abilities, Walter was just a little boy with his round face and big eyes. He actually resembled Akos a bit, and Olivia felt a surge of protection for this boy who was far more powerful than her.
Finally Walter took her hand in his and shook it, a tiny grin on his face.
"I guess I am at fault too. But don't be dead weight, alright?"
Olivia just beamed and nodded before yanking him into her arms and lifting him off the ground.
"Thank you, thank you, Walter!" She spun around, thrilled the air between them had been cleared.
"Hey! Hey!" Walter leapt out of her grip, dusting himself off. "I didn't say you could—what the hell?!"
His hands and face were covered in ink, courtesy of Olivia's sweaty palms.
"Oh!" She laughed, holding her palms out for him to see. "You look like a….um….a pa….ah….a panda bear!"
"I'm going to kill you!" There was a flash of wire as he flexed his fingers, steam all but coming from his ears.
"Sorry, Walter!" She bowed before sprinting down the hallway at a breakneck speed. "And if you want to fight me, wait until I have finished my training!"
Walter was tempted to cut her down, but thought better of it and retracted his wires.
"Fine," He growled, pulling a handkerchief from his vest pocket and wiping his face. "But don't expect me to go easy on you, stupid girl!"
"Thank you for understanding, Walter!"
Day after day, Olivia continued to train and study vigorously. And soon the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned into a month.
In the blink of an eye, a whole month had passed since her arrival at Hellsing and Arthur still hadn't given her any indication whether she was ready for the field or not.
Her English was also improving and she was able to read most of the pages from the book he gave her, although her accent made it slightly difficult to understand her at some parts.
But Olivia kept fighting to reach her goal and prayed that Sir Hellsing would give her a passing grade soon.
'Just a while longer, my dear family. I will be able to soothe your souls once I get on the field. So please, be patient for a while more.'
One late night—or very early morning—Olivia was tossing and turning in bed, unable to find a comfortable spot. It felt like someone had lit a massive fire in her room so she kicked off her blankets. But then the cold November air drifted in from outside so she burrowed under them.
This dance went on for ten minutes until Olivia shot out of bed in frustration and voted to lie on the rug instead.
But sleep wouldn't claim her so she decided to go practice with her bow in hopes that it would exhaust her.
Sneaking out into the hallway, Olivia picked up one of the lit candlesticks from a telephone table and tip toed downstairs to the shooting gallery.
The hallways appeared more intimidating in the candlelight but she wasn't afraid, knowing nothing in this estate would harm her.
Once she finally reached the shooting gallery, she extinguished the candle and flicked the lights on. Placing the candlestick aside, Olivia grabbed her bow and quiver off the wall and hopped over to the dummy, drawing her arrow back on the string.
All of her shots hit the bullseye, but as Olivia strung up another arrow, she decided to try something new.
Rummaging around the room, she unearthed a matchbox and proceeded to light the candlestick again.
"Alright," Olivia hummed, placing the candlestick on one side of the room and moving to the other, stringing up an arrow. "Let's see how well you can really shoot, Olivia."
Watching the flame sway side to side, Olivia counted her heartbeats in sync with it.
One.
Two.
Three.
She released the arrow and watched as it gazed the wick, extinguishing the flame, and hitting a target painted on the wall.
"YES! YES!" Olivia hopped around in circles, pumping her fists. "I AM A MASTER ARCHER! I AM THE MASTER ARCHER!"
The sound of someone applauding behind her halted Olivia's celebration, and she spun around to find Alucard merging out of the wall, that well-known grin on his face.
"Well done, little girl." He continued to applaud. "Well done indeed."
"Mr. Alucard!" Olivia bounced in front of him, thrilled to see her friend after so long. "It has been ages since I last saw you! Where have you been? Why didn't you wait for me that day? Do you live here or do you-?"
"Enough." Alucard chopped her on the head, much like one does to an alarm clock to shut it up.
"Ow!" She rubbed her head, scowling up at him. "That hurt!"
"Don't make such a racket then."
"But….I'm happy to see you." She mumbled, cuddling her bow to her chest. "You disappeared without saying goodbye and I was worried I wouldn't see you again."
"I wasn't too far and I have watched your training closely." Alucard moved to pick up the candlestick and inspected the wick closely. "I must say, you have improved exponentially. I honestly didn't believe you'd make it this far in a month."
"Well I did!" Olivia puffed out her chest proudly. "And I've been working on my English too, meaning I won't need to write notes on my hands because I'm starting to remember stuff!"
"Really? So you won't smear ink on Walter anymore?"
"Y-You saw that?!" Olivia squeaked, her face flushing red in embarrassment.
"I also saw your squabble on your first day." He laughed, his eyes hidden by his glasses. "I must say, watching my master get clawed at by the Angel of Death and a little rabbit was rather amusing."
"I-I didn't mean for it to escalate! I was just—wait, Angel of Death?"
"That is Walter's code name."
"Oh, and….when you say 'little rabbit', I take it you must be referring to me?"
"What great deduction skills you have." Alucard smirked, tossing the candlestick toward her, which she fumbled to catch.
"Why a rabbit?" Olivia asked, placing the candlestick on the ground. 'Why not something…stronger?'
"Look at what you are wearing." He gestured to her white nightgown. "And you have a tendency to hop and bounce around when you are happy. So," He bent down and flicked her on the forehead, causing her to stumble back, "what better name for a naïve, pure little girl who wears her heart on her sleeve than 'Little Rabbit'?"
"…Are you mocking me, Mr. Alucard?"
"I'm just stating the truth," He then turned to the dummy and yanked out a practice arrow. "You are but a little rabbit who thinks she can take down monsters with these sticks."
"You were just praising me moments ago, Mr. Alucard!" Olivia snapped, waving her bow around. "I have gotten stronger since I've arrived! You cannot deny that!"
His harsh bark of laughter made her hair stand on end and she found herself yanked up by her collar and held at Alucard's eye level.
"Do you think monsters will stand still and let you shoot them? All you have done is attack a dummy that can't dodge or fight back." Alucard slipped of his glasses and his ruby eyes leered into her green ones. "So how can Sir Hellsing bring you out to the field if that is all you have shown him?"
It was like a missing piece to a puzzle had been found, and she could almost feel the lightbulb floating above her head.
'So that is why…'
Olivia steeled her gaze and reached out to touch his cold cheek.
"What must I do then? How can I prove I'm ready?"
Alucard's cheeky smirk was Olivia's only warning before he phased through the floor, her shrieks echoing through the shooting gallery.
A burst of icy cold air hit Olivia as she found them standing in the gardens outside, the snow decorating the grounds like a winter wonderland.
"Um, what are we-Ah!" Alucard dropped her in a mound of snow. "Aish! It is freezing, Mr. Alucard!"
"This is your test," His figure was a dark shadow against the moon. "You have four arrows left in your quiver. If you can shoot me once, then I will personally recommend your promotion to my master."
"A-And if I can't?" She shivered, her thin, cotton nightgown providing minimal warmth.
"Then you will spend the night out here."
"What?! But it is freezing out here and I'm wearing only my nightgown! I already can't feel my feet!"
"Then you better hit me, Little Rabbit." He grinned, holding his arms out. "Come on then. I promise I won't lay a finger on you."
And with that, he blended into the darkness and Olivia scrambled for her bow and laced back an arrow.
"Alright! I accept your challenge, Mr. Alucard!"
She scanned the area with a keen eye, taking note of anything that moved.
"Aha!" She released an arrow, only it to hit a tree trunk.
"Aw, too bad." Alucard whispered next to her ear and she whipped around and fired another arrow, only for it to hit a snow mound. "You are too hasty, Little Rabbit. Look, you already lost two arrows."
"Shut up!" Her anger kept her warm as she strung up another. "I will-!"
Suddenly she was picked up and thrown to the side, her arrow snapping in half as she collided with a tree trunk.
"You cheater!" Olivia winced, clutching her side and fight back tears. "You promised not to attack me!"
"Never trust a monster. Didn't your books tell you that? If you leave yourself open, they won't hesitate to strike you down."
Olivia glared to the right where Alucard's voice drifted from, and she couldn't help the tear that flowed down her cheek.
"What a sight," His gloved hand came from behind her and wiped it away. "A crying, injured rabbit all alone in the forest. Hungry wolves would love to devour such a frail creature."
"I'm…" She sniffed, furiously wiping her eyes. "I'm not frail."
"Then get up. Attack me! Hellsing has no use for crying prey that waits for death!" Olivia was flung forward, her small form landing next to the frozen pond. "Show me that girl who fought death with nothing but a mere toy! Show me that girl—that huntress—who declared war on the monsters who slaughtered her family! She is the one I want to fight!"
With a groan, Olivia pulled herself up to her knees and beheld her reflection in the pond. Her breathes came out in white puffs and her hair was littered with snowflakes.
'A huntress? Is that what I need to become?' Slowly, she plucked the final arrow from her quiver and strung it up on her bow. 'Then…a huntress I shall be.'
Closing her eyes, Olivia stood up and immersed herself in her surroundings, ignoring the harsh winds and the biting cold of the snow.
"Humans fall prey to the simplest things." Alucard's voice echoed in her mind. "Whether it is a bit of snow or a fascist with a gun, it just takes a tiny push and you all fall apart. What weak creatures you humans truly are."
"That may be true, Mr. Alucard." Olivia breathed out. "But humans also are very powerful creatures. Yes, we may run and cry, but when circumstances are at their worst, those with courage will fight with all their heart and soul."
"And these courageous humans, do they possess no fear? Are they better than the cowards?"
Her ears twitched as she detected something emerging to her left.
"Not at all, Mr. Alucard." Olivia straightened her posture and opened her eyes. "Because in order to become brave, you must first be a coward."
She twirled on the heel and released the arrow, listening for the thunk of a tree truck or a crunch of a leaf.
No such sound came.
Instead, Alucard waltzed out of the darkness with his trademark grin and an arrow jutting from his neck.
"So the Little Rabbit finally shows her claws." He chuckled, ripping the arrow from his neck and healing the wound. "Just what I've been waiting for."
Olivia didn't have the energy to be surprised by his ability and crumbled to her knees, the cold engulfing her body as her adrenaline rush died down.
"Does….Does this mean…I passed…your test?" She panted, hunching over with her arms wrapped tight around her. "Will you…inform Sir Hellsing….of…of my…victory?"
"I am a man of my word."
"Liar." She scoffed, a smile crawling across her face despite herself.
Olivia then gazed up at the moon and sighed, realizing this was the first time she'd been outside since her arrival.
"It will be December soon." She noted, her breath coming out in bigger puffs. "I hope Sir Hellsing celebrates Christmas. It would be…lovely to have….a chance to give presents to everyone as…a thank you for letting me live here."
"He does, though not in the way you are thinking of."
"Hmm. I figured." Images of the beautiful women flashed through her mind. "What…do you want for Christmas, Mr. Alucard?"
"Ha! Do you think you can grant my wish?"
"Maybe." She shivered, wondering what on Earth vampire could probably want.
Alucard stared at her for a moment before shedding his coat and wrapping it around her like a cocoon.
"My master will have a fit if you fall ill." He explained, taking a seat next to her. "And I don't want to miss the chance to see you in action on the battlefield."
"Thank you, Mr. Alucard." She nodded, burrowing her face into his coat. "I will try not to disappoint you."
His coat smelt of blood and gunpowder, but Olivia thought it suited him.
"So what do you want for Christmas, Little Rabbit?"
"Well," She gave a wry smile, "it would be fruitless to ask for my family back. So, my Christmas wish is….that I earn my family's forgiveness."
"Really? Is your wish truly so noble?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you doing this for your family's forgiveness or for the cleansing of your conscience?"
"….Maybe a bit of both."
Alucard didn't respond to that, he just gave her an unreadable look before turning back to watch the moon alongside her.
"His face is as white as the snow.' Olivia studied his profile in the moonlight. He was nothing like the vampires in her storybooks, and she realized how little she really knew about him. 'Why was a vampire slaying his own kind? And why did he serve Sir Hellsing? What brought him to this moment?' She peered down at his gloves, noting the sigils seemed to pulse like a heartbeat. 'Do those symbols have a part in why he works for Hellsing?'
"You ask too many questions." Alucard spoke up. "You are ruining this beautiful night with your mindless chatter."
"You…can read minds, Mr. Alucard?" The revelation should've been more surprising. "Honestly, you are nothing like any vampire I know of."
"Is that so?"
"Yes, well, I never heard of a vampire serving a human. And the books I've read in the library say a vampire could be killed by a stake to the heart, chopping their head off, or exposing them to sunlight. If my arrow had been blessed, would it have killed you?"
"I'm nothing like the pathetic vermin plaguing the Earth." His eyes glowed an eerie blood red. "You should know that by now. But, I still am a monster. I told you so that fateful night."
"But you're not a bad monster like the others."
His booming laughter rattled the snow off the tree branches and made Olivia tumble over.
"You really are a naïve, little rabbit, aren't you?" He smirked down at her. "Will you honestly be able to say that when you see what I'm capable of?"
"Yes." She wiggled around in the snow, trying to sit up in her cocoon. "Because you saved my life, therefore you are my friend and I thank you for that."
The friendly aura dissolved at her declaration, and Olivia peered up to see Alucard looked…furious.
"You truly are an idiot." He picked her up and unfurled his coat, letting Olivia plop onto the ground. "Do you think having a bleeding heart will keep you alive? That 'seeing the good' in your enemies will make things better? I brought you to Hellsing because you have the eyes of a warrior, and warriors do not show their enemies mercy."
The way he was glowering at her, Olivia actually felt a tremor of fear creep down her spine.
"Get up." He turned on his heel and headed back to the mansion, pulling his coat on. "And leave your childish thoughts behind."
"Ah…yes, Mr. Alucard." She followed him bashfully. "Forgive me if I said something amiss."
But her thoughts said otherwise.
'You can mock me all you want, but being merciful doesn't make me weak. It makes me human and not any less of a warrior.'
He stopped suddenly, causing Olivia to collide with the back of his legs.
"M-Mr. Alucard?" She gulped as he leered down at her.
"You really are such a child." Olivia flinched at that. "But, perhaps that is not entirely a bad thing."
"W-What?"
"Perhaps it's time for the organization to have a merciful soldier in its ranks."
Olivia couldn't stop the smile that grew across her face and she bounced on her heels in glee.
"Come along." He continued back towards the mansion, as if their conversation never happened. "You should be in bed."
"Yes, Mr. Alucard!" She giggled, running to catch up with him and reaching out to grasp his index and middle fingers. "I promise to make you proud!"
"Just don't let your naivety be your undoing."
"I won't!" She cheered, a bounce in her step as she followed Alucard back to the mansion. "I won't let you regret bringing me here! Just you wait, Mr. Alucard! Just you wait!"
A/N: When I was re-reading the manga, I noticed when Alucard was annoyed with Seras for not drinking blood, and she was visibly upset, he actually looked sorry and amended his statement. One of the things I enjoy about the manga is that the characters are more expressive. Like Integra. She is still strong and courageous but she is also more expressive, like she cries during her soldiers' funeral and during the meeting with the Queen that the Major crashes, she is direct with her orders but her hands were shaking because she was also afraid. I don't know, I just love seeing how expressive the characters are and the variety of emotions they feel.
Anyways, Olivia is making progress and both Alucard and her have learned something about each other! And she has made a truce with Walter. (Wonder how long that will last. *cough* *cough*) And Olivia will soon learn about the type of vampire Alucard is. Wonder if her opinion of him will change. And Olivia is still a child so she has an innocent view of the world (i.e. thinking a borderline sociopathic vampire is completely good because he saved her life) and Alucard finds her way of thinking stupid but also fascinating in way because of her views on humanity.
Please look forward to the next chapter and please leave a review!