Chapter 10: Settling In

Seras could not move without feeling pain. Blake repeatedly tortured her night after night. Each time a little piece of her sanity was chipped away and each time he would take the greatest of pleasures watching her. His deviance knew no end and she would have thought that at some point his creativity would run out. But it had not.

She would sometimes be able to escape the confines of her flesh and wander in her mind. But even there, instead of pain, sadness awaited her. The absence of the one voice she longed to hear caused her more anguish than any physical pain. Despite Blake's affirmation on the matter, she tried reaching out to Alucard anyway. But she had kept on calling him, every night, every minute. Only silence and pain answered her pleas.

Until the night, Blake had gone where he had never gone...

"My princess, my lovely prize," he cooed as he entered her cell.

Seras' eyes cracked open to reveal a purplish hue to them. The last beating had been so savage that the blood loss had substantially diminished the red in her irises and they were reverting to their natural blue. She felt her death approaching. Finally, there would be an end. No matter how definitive, it would end.

Blake had been talking but she couldn't concentrate enough to understand the meaning behind each sentence. She could make out every single word and yet, her brain was too hazy to comprehend all those words together. She kept slipping in and out or consciousness.

He sprawled a pristine blanket next to her, the first piece of clean cloth she had seen in a while. He rolled her onto the blanket and kneeled next to her, "How is it that you still refuse to call me Master?"

Seras could only emit a choked response.

"No matter," he waved his hands in dismissal, "Remember the gift I wanted to offer you? We've been having so much fun together for the past weeks that I thought I'd give it to you today!"

Blake moved to the side to let Jack through the cell. The blond man deposited the large package next to her on the blanket. It was wrapped in black cloth. Jack whispered quickly to Blake and left the room.

"I expect you'll be very surprised," Blake slowly unraveled the gift.

The smell of old and fresh blood assailed her senses. Her survival instincts kicked in and she was already inching closer with her tongue outstretched. Where was this last reserve of strength coming from? It was impossible to make any movement in her current state. Yet, her body moved on its own and she did not feel her tender flesh scraping against the ground. Weakly but surely making her way towards the object of her interest.

Blake revealed a patch of hair and then a bruised, unrecognizable face. He left the remaining ribbons of cloth unattended, leaving it half-unwrapped for her pleasure only. He made sure her behavior corresponded to the state of mind he had wanted her to reach. Desperation mingled with unbridled hunger, self-preservation. Satisfied, he left quietly so as not to disturb his precious captive.

As Seras reached closer to the neck, the smell of blood became more intense, enticing her most basic need. To feed. She grabbed the warm yet limp form in trembling hands and bit down hard in the pink flesh. The freshness, the texture... the overflowing and never-ending liquid in her mouth! She sucked with renewed strength until there was nothing left. She basked in the new experience, euphoria. A part of her realized she had drunk blood directly from a living being, the other part of her reveled in the feeling it had procured her. It was nothing like drinking blood packs.

What else was Hellsing hiding about her true nature?

As the intensity of her recent feeding diminished, Seras started to regain her composure. Sudden realization of what she had done came crashing down on her. She stared at the body in front of her, lifeless eyes staring right back at her. Afraid, she shakily reached out to remove the rest of the black cloth covering the man. She gasped at her discovery.

A Hellsing uniform.

Her gaze searched for a dog tag but it was nowhere to be seen. Seras was forced to rummage in the man's fold to find it. She pulled hard to snap it off the tattered neck. The name she read broke her heart and resolve...

Andrew.

The unconscious soldier she would visit in the infirmary.

Seras grasped her head in between her hands, bloody teeth clenched together, her chest heaving in panic. What had she done? She grabbed fistfuls of her hair and screamed until her voice became hoarse. She really was a monster.

At that moment, Seras' sanity snapped. "Ha..."

"Hahaha!" she laughed maniacally for a few moments. She could not remove her eyes from the corpse lying a few inches from her. She giggled a little when, after the longest time, Jack came back to dispose of the body. He did not bother to spare her a glance at all.

And then she kept laughing throughout the whole night, albeit more quietly.

XXXXXXXX

"Finally, I broke her," Blake commented out loud.

Junko simply nodded to him.

"I thought I would have to resort to rape in order to achieve this."

Junko quickly replied, "No, you would have tainted her. We need her virginity for the ritual to work."

"I already know that!" Blake angrily retorted, his hand poised to backhand her. Instead, he stroked her cheek and possessively grabbed her chin. "Once she can put one foot in front of the other again, begin training her. I want her stealthy and deadly. Do not waste your time on marksmanship, I would not trust that woman with a gun in her hand..."

"Yes, Master."

XXXXXXXX

After that night, Blake had asked her one simple question: "Will you call me Master?"

"Yes, Master..." The words tasted foul in her mouth, but Seras could no longer fight him, only fear motivated her.

Once spoken, Seras felt his dominance take over her as their bond finally united them. She already knew Blake was not above using it against her. She then realized how lenient Alucard had been with her. Lenient? He had mostly given her freewill! Whereas now, she could feel a constant pressure surrounding her, waiting for the opportunity to punish her.

Her new Master let her rest and explore limited parts of the caverns. At least, she could roam the area instead of staying put in one place. They kept her properly fed, although she knew better than to ask about the source of her meals. As long as she did not have to face another human again.

She distractedly kicked a pebble on her path.

Seras...

She sharply whipped her head around. No one was there. She was sure she had heard someone calling her name.

Thirsty...

Seras turned around, wide-eyed, searching in every corner. She strained her ears to listen further but only critters could be identified in deeper parts of the cavern. Just what was going on? She was sure she heard someone, something, speaking to her. She touched her forehead in worry and nervously rubbed her temples. This place was starting to get to her. For some reason, she began laughing. The echoes of her own laugh resonating just made it sound even more amplified. It was as if she were answering her own laugh. Always louder, she grabbed her stomach as the intensity of her laugh became stronger.

In her peripheric vision, the mad vampiress saw Blake step into her view. She stared at him with mirth and kept on laughing with the same vigor. He walked up to her and reached out to grip her shoulders. Seras hiccupped one sharp chuckle at the feel of his unfortunately warm hand. Her vision was getting blurry at the edges. What was that look? Worry? No, it looks more like fright. She tried to grab him but her hands were not responding. What is that strange feeling? What are those diffused and intangible black tendrils moving with her? Each time she willed her hands to make a movement, only tendrils would lift up.

Seras' smile widened to an impossible length. Her pupils were in complete myosis, increasing the contrast of her red eyes against her skin. She started to look down at herself to try and understand what she was seeing but was interrupted.

"Stop."

She could only obey.

Just as her new Master ordered, she immediately stopped laughing. Relief spread through Seras' mind as a semblance of sanity came back to her. She peered back at Blake with confusion. His expression was calm and sure. Had she only imagined his distress?

"Kneel."

"Yes, Master." Seras dropped on one knee, her head bowed in obedience.

The silver haired man gently grasped her chin in between his thumb and finger forcing her to look up. He perused her. She could only watch as his eyes roved over her features. A smug look appeared on his face as he let go.

"What incredible power you possess, my princess. And you are mine to control." He gleefully licked his lips. He lightly tapped her cheek in approval then left her to her own devices.

Seras flexed her fingers in front of her, feeling every digit responding.

XXXXXXXX

"Regenerate!"

"I can't!"

"Yes, you can. Just concentrate as I taught you."

Seras unceremoniously spat on the floor in anger. Junko had been training her on various techniques that were considered common for any vampire. Like regeneration. Junko had stabbed her with a knife, deep in the thigh. She then promptly removed it.

"It's too painful." Seras was crouching low, keeping her weight off her bad leg.

"Don't focus on the pain, it's not productive."

"It's not working, this is the stupidest training lesson I've ever had!" Seras gritted her teeth.

Junko sighed in frustration, throwing her arms up in the air. The first signs of emotion she had ever seen the girl express. Seras' recovering abilities were being tested but she had never been able to actually will her flesh to heal. It would usually take a while and, yes, feeding helped to accelerate the process, no matter the wound. Was she supposed to just snap her fingers and be done with it? This particular skill proved to be harder than she thought and she had to instantly will the gash on her thigh to close up right away. Never mind an entire limb!

"You should try something a bit more drastic, Junko." Blake had just appeared in front of Seras, startling her.

"It's too early for that, Master. She hasn't even mastered the pain threshold yet," the not-so-young girl replied.

Without a word, Blake grabbed Seras' arm and twisted it viciously, breaking her bones. Before Seras could even scream, he cleanly tore it off at the shoulder. Seras threshed on the floor, her other hand trying to staunch the flow of blood from her stump. She didn't even have enough air in her lungs to yell.

"Regenerate," he told her in an even tone. Unaffected by the separated limb laying away from its body.

Only pain registered to her brain and her master's recommendation had barely made it second to her list of priorities.

"Regenerate," he repeated as he intently observed her.

Seras showed him a bloody and shaky finger of honor. "Fuck you..."

To which he flippantly said, "With or without the arm?"

Seras only wanted to strangle him. She leapt for his neck and actually strangled him.

With both hands.

"What the...?" Seras let go of him and stared at her two hands in wonder.

Blake coughed once and readjusted his collar. "Junko, stop underestimating her and get the job done."

"Yes, Master," was the only acceptable reply.

"Don't forget from whom she gets her heritage from. She is far from your level of power," he scornfully reminded her. He left the room with a satisfied smirk.

Once again, Seras wondered what Alucard had kept from her all this time.

All Junko said was, "Again."

XXXXXXXXX

The next weeks were spent on training her skills tirelessly. Hand-to-hand combat, evasion, silent approach, tracking, speed, reflexes, and that damn regeneration. But Seras was no fool. Such training was normally reserved for highly qualified military personnel, minus the vampire skill set. They were going to ask her to do some terrible things. But she would deal with that later. For now, learning how to stand her own ground could prove useful, if not salutary to her survival. Until... until she could find a way out. Seras was bidding her time.

Seras was circulating through the moldy corridors after her latest session with Junko, a towel was slung carelessly over her shoulder. She was headed to the bathroom to remove all the dirt and blood that had accumulated. As she passed the entrance, she could see the phosphorescent rocks in the room emit a soft glow, illuminating the room in green light. Most areas contained small clusters of those rocks but none were as abundant as this room. It offered Seras a semblance of peacefulness. The bath was a natural cavity in the ground where an endless trickle of water could be heard. She quickly undressed and stepped in the water, shivering at the feeling on her skin.

Just as she was about to doze off, Seras heard strange noises far away. She frowned and listened intently but she didn't hear it again. She shrugged and proceeded to finish her bath. Dressed and feeling fresh, Seras was walking back to her room when she heard the strange noise again. It had been very faint and she could not define the sound. With nothing better to do for the rest of the night, she decided to wander a bit and see if she could hear it again. After a while, she came across a corridor she had never taken. She could definitely detect noise coming from there. Her Master had not exactly prohibited this area so she figured there was no harm to more exploring. She stopped in front of a closed door and heard heavy panting. Was someone in there?

Without thinking, she grabbed the handle and slowly pushed the door open. Seras gasped in surprise.

Broad shoulders glistening with sweat, hands caressing chiseled abdominal muscles, legs entangled in sheets, mouths, tongues and fangs battling against each other to taste more...

Her gasp interrupted their lovemaking. Jack's eyes narrowed in hatred and was clearly displeased at her presence but did nothing to hide his nudity. Blake, on the other hand, briefly glanced at her and, uncaring, returned his gaze to Jack. He touched the large bicep of his blond lover to attract his attention and whispered for his ears only. Blake lied down lazily with his head propped on one hand. He smiled seductively at Jack, rubbing his arm, still sharing private whispers to one another.

Ignored, Seras quickly took her chance to leave. She ducked out of the room and walked briskly back to her own. Feeling awkward and blushing, she tuned out the cries of pleasure as their activity resumed.

XXXXXXXX

Seras was busy studying a book on tactical infiltration when she felt the familiar but unwanted pull at her consciousness. Her new Master was calling her. She sighed as she closed the book with a snap and rose from her chair. She started moving towards the central room where, she had learned this during her stay, most reunions took place. She pondered at the link she shared with Blake as she was walking. Whenever she was summoned, there was only this indescribable feeling. Like someone was tugging at your shirt to catch your attention. Never once had he spoken through her mind, not like Alucard used to do. It was an entirely different master-slave relationship. She hadn't ever really taken the time to think about their possibly various natures. Was it linked to the powers the sire possessed? Or was it because she had been claimed twice?

"You will hunt your prey tonight," Blake announced as she stepped within the wide room.

Seras stared at him. Many conflicting emotions were in her eyes, but she still answered, "Yes, Master."

"Ah, my princess... such words are music to my ears!" He caught her in a tight embrace. His hands snaking their way around her waist, she curled her lip in disgust. "You will be provided with money and appropriate clothes for your outing. Your objective is to remain discreet as you hypnotize and feed from a human."

"Hypnotize? And how am I supposed to do that?"

Blake simply smiled, "Trust me, even you can't mess that up. It is an innate ability all vampires possess, just like seeing in the dark."

And just like that, he let her go, their conversation over.

XXXXXXX

This was the first time since her captivity that she had stepped foot outside. The cold air felt so good and she couldn't stop smelling the fresh aromas of the surrounding woods. The autumn had come and passed, now winter was coating the ground with snow. It was humid and foggy but she didn't mind. Her small taste of freedom was liberating.

Seras was standing at the outskirts of a village. As promised by Blake, she was wearing ankle boots and a long dark winter coat with a heart-shaped collar made of faux sheepskin. Underneath was a simple black dress, not too fancy and not too casual. Perfect for blending in any type of crowd and for remaining unnoticed. Seras deliberately breathed out and watched as her exhalation turned into a puff of smoke. She smiled despite herself at the small and mundane action.

She shook her head and headed towards the only pub in the area, the snow crunching under boots. It was the only logical place to go to. After all, that's where she would be able to find an unfortunate human at this hour. As she approached, Seras could already hear the boisterous conversations rising up in the night. Popular music was playing in the background. When she entered, the smell of beer and sweat assaulted her senses. It wasn't too crowded but many tables were occupied. She scanned the surroundings briefly, noting all the exits, and chose to sit on an empty stool at the bar. The strawberry-haired woman unbuttoned her coat and gently let it fall around her naked shoulders, pretending to be a bit cold from the weather.

"What can I get you?" asked the barman promptly as soon as she had settled in.

"I'll take a gin tonic, please."

Seras kept her gaze low, not wanting to attract unwanted attention to her crimson eyes. Just as the bartender turned around to prepare her drink, she took the time to get a good look at him. He was handsome, tall and muscular. He was the only one serving drinks though and she could already see more customers at the edge of the bar waiting to order. Maybe he wasn't the best choice to try out her supposedly innate hypnotizing ability. His absence would be quickly noticed. She paid and thanked him politely. She picked up her useless drink and swiveled her stool around to observe the scene.

The ratio of men and women was almost equal. Automatically, Seras assumed her chances to be reduced by half. Men were easier for her to approach thanks to her... attributes. Many barely 18 years old students were crowding four tables and celebrating the end of their midterm exams. Regular folks were enjoying themselves at their own tables and another group were at the pool table. None of them were alone. It could prove to be harder than she thought.

Was she really considering to go through with this? Not too long ago, she refused to drink any blood at all. And yet, she just recently had her first kill. Although she had been tricked, it still felt like she was a hypocrite. Regardless, her Master had compelled her to do as he asked. Whether she wanted to or not, she could not fight against their bond. Nervously, Seras rubbed her angry red marks. There really was nothing to consider...

She sighed in frustration. Now, how was she going to accomplish her dreadful mission?

"You just passing through?"

Seras looked over her shoulder towards the voice of the barman.

"Uh, yes," she stammered.

The stream of thirsty customers had died down and he was busy cleaning up behind his counter.

"We don't get many visitors around here so I kinda guessed," he shrugged.

Seras eyed him warily. He didn't seem to be all that interested in her as he wiped dry his tumblers. He wasn't looking at her nor was he smiling charmingly. But since she was the only one sitting at the bar, she surmised he was only doing small talk.

"You don't like it?" The muscular man nodded towards her barely touched drink.

Caught, Seras started, "I..." She closed her mouth and looked down at it. She needed to find an excuse and fast!

"I can make you another one." He reached out for another glass.

"No, no! It's fine!" She finally turned around to face him properly. "I don't really like alcohol..."

He furrowed his brow. "Then why'd you order this one?"

"I was feeling lonely and what I really wanted was some company..." She blushed. Well, half-truths are always the best lies.

"Well... there's nothing wrong with that." He gave her a small but genuine smile. "But you could have ordered a soft drink or even water."

Seras chuckled, "Nothing says 'boring person' like someone who orders a non-alcoholic beverage in a pub."

"Point taken."

As the night went by, they chatted about trivial subjects, occasionally interrupted by beer orders. Seras was having fun for the first time in weeks. Her troubles temporarily forgotten. Her loneliness erased by the rowdy laughs surrounding her and this kind soul which, she had learned, owned the premises.

The vampiress spotted a couple kissing in the back and a look of envy crossed her features. Their embrace was so touching and romantic. Seras couldn't help but imagine herself in the arms of Alucard, her former Master. Her only true Master. She felt an uncomfortable disturbance within her at that thought. Like an elastic snapping on her fingers, her bond reminded her of her predicament.

"Hey," the bartender pulled her out of her thoughts, "You have very beautiful eyes."

Seras abruptly froze, waiting for him to finish speaking.

"Their blue reminds me of a sea I saw when I was traveling south of the country."

She blinked. Wait, he said blue? Confused, Seras looked at the tall man and had to confirm she had heard right. "Oh, really? How blue are they?"

"Hmm, let's see." He bent over the countertop to get closer. "I'd say there are definitely some specks of silver in there too."

All of a sudden, he boldly kissed her lips. His were hot and soft. But what caught her attention the most was his pulsating arteries underneath his skin. Never mind the kiss, Seras felt her hunger manifest. As though he knew what was coming next, the bartender extended his neck out to her. His expression was completely relaxed and his eyes were heavy-lidded. Without really understanding what was going on, Seras' sharp fangs were over his jugular and bit down. In front of the whole crowd.

The taste, just as incredible as her first living human, was delicious but at the same time, entirely different. The human beneath her seemed pleased, not even distressed. She sucked harder and he moaned louder.

Seras... Thirsty... More...

The ravenous vampiress heard the same voice again when she had lost control in front of Blake. Finally, she understood that it came from her own head. Who? What? How? These questions were still a mystery to her but at least she knew that it was from within her mind.

Seras felt the bartender falter. Disregarding the pleading voice to have more blood, she was able to restrain herself from draining her victim dry. She let go of him and he slowly let himself slide down to the floor. Blake had only said to feed after all, she was in no way obligated to kill him...

Except for the blaring music, the whole bar had gotten quiet. Horrified stares were fixed on her. One person screamed and another ran to the door. Before chaos could ensue, Seras glared at them and, at the same time, she felt a surge of power come over her. Every one of them froze and adopted the same relaxed expression she had seen previously. Shining arteries were overwhelming her senses, calling her instincts to feed. She shook her head, she hadn't wanted to involve so many people into this mess...

"No, please stop..." she begged them.

They all fell down into a heap, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Panicking, Seras checked the nearest person for a pulse. She was relieved to find one. She didn't know how, but she did hypnotize all those poor souls. She looked at the whole scene sadly before running away. In her rush to leave, she hadn't noticed the fresh snow falling gently. She just had to get away from that place as fast as possible.

Upon her return, Blake was already waiting for her to report to him impatiently. After she executed herself, he asked, "How many?"

"Maybe forty?"

"At the same time?" he asked earnestly.

"Yes, I guess so..."

"You may leave," he ordered with a closed expression.

Happy to leave his presence, Seras walked towards her room to reflect on the events of the night, good and bad. She did something wrong but at least, no one died...

On her way back, she heard Blake jubilating about her prowess, "Hypnotize forty humans... at the same time!"