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A dark afternoon it was.
It was dark even though it was in the late of May.
Ever since she woke from her sleep she had been working thought the work was all paperwork and boring to death. But as the leader of Hellsing it was her duty which she had to fulfil.
She was done and her whole body was acing. A tea cup was standing on her desk. The tea inside was cold. It was at least an hour since Walter came in with a nice cup of hot delicious tea. The little desktop lamp was giving a faint light and somehow made her cold office some kind of cozy.
She threw her cigar in the trash bin and grabbed her shoulder and rubbed it. She winced at the pain in the acing shoulder. Suddenly a hand pushed her hand away and closed around her shoulders. The thumbs were pushed around in circles on the back of her shoulders. Integra knew who massaging her. It felt good. She felt her muscles were loosing up.
"Hmm so tensed up." she heard a soft voice behind her. She smiled. She looked at the gloved hand which was massaging her shoulder and then on her paperwork. She closed her eyes and relaxed.
"Mmmh you're good at this." she said and sighed a little in the pleasure of being massaged by one who seemed even more skilled than a professional. She sunk down in her seat still with her eyes closed. "Maybe better than money could buy." she continued and laid her head on one of his hands.
"Im flattered. My master shouldn't work this much. But this might help." he said and began to stop the massage. But Integra laid her hand on his.
"Don't stop. My shoulders are still acing and it feels darn good." she said. She felt him nearing. He leaned down to her head and when his head was next to hers he looked at her. And she looked at him. In his pure crimson eyes. Their nose tips were touching.
"Well tell me then, who is your favourite pet?" he said and looked in her ice blue eyes. She smirked at him.
"What a ridiculous question. The one who is here next to me and with his nose touching mine. The one who right now is lightening up my day. You got who it is?" she said with a soft delicate voice. Her vampire moved closer. Their noses were pushed together. They couldn't get closer if they would prevent a kiss.
"I think I got it, my dear Master." he said with a calm voice. He smiled an uncommon smile. Integra took a strand of his black hair and twisted it around one of her fingers.
"Good."
Then there was a knock on the door.
"Yes?" Integra said with a bit of irritation in her voice.
"Sir Integra? It's Seres Victoria. I've got something for you." a voice answered from behind the door.
Integra laid her fingers on Alucards chin and kindly pushed him away. His smile faded a little and he looked at the closed door.
"Very well. Come in Seres." she said and smoothed a wrinkle Alucards sleeve. Her vampire was standing behind her. His smile was gone and he glared at his fledgling that was walking into the office. Seres felt his glare immediately and bowed her head.
"Im sorry if I interrupt anything." she said, but she didn't look at Integra. Instead she was staring in a pair glowing crimson eyes.
"No worries. What do you got there?" she asked and pointed at the small box she was holding. It was a brown box and a thick red arrow was pointing down. Next to the arrow, some text was turned upside down and the letters said "UP".
Seres kneeled down and placed the box on the floor.
Now, look what I found on the street Sir." she said cheerfully. She opened the box and out popped a black furry head. Integras eyes twinkled like small stars and looked into a pair of emerald green eyes. Alucards jaw fell down to his chest.
"Reow?" said the little creature and looked at Integra.
"OOOOOH a cat!?" Integra said loudly.
"WHA..!" was the only thing the stunned vampire next to Integra could get over his lips.
"Yes it's a he. I found him on the street as I said. He might not be a kitten anymore, but he is definitely friendly. He was sitting in this box and meowing. I couldn't help myself."
"You should have!" a voice said in Seres' head.
"Oh come on Master. Integra had never had a pet before. Cant you let her be happy just once?"
"Yeah that's what you think!" an angry voice answered in her head.
Integra jumped out of her chair and rushed towards the box, unaware of the little discussion Seres and her master had just been having. She picked the cat up. It had the colour of the night. Its fur was just as dark as Alucards hair. And it had a pair of shiny green eyes. Its voice was high pinched and sounded like a kitten even though it was an adult cat. The cat was wearing a torn collar. The collar was as red as her vampire's eyes. But there was nothing on the collar.
"We will definitely keep him! I have always wanted a pet. My father never wanted me to have one. But now I got the chance of having my very own pet!" Integra said and scratched the cat behind the ear.
"But Master. You just said that I was your favourite…" her vampire said from behind her.
"No, no, I didn't mean it that way. You're… Just my servant. A weapon." she said and waved him away. Her vampire frowned deeply. Then he knitted his brows and looked at the cat with disgust in his face.
Seres rushed out. She would prevent to witness a fight between those two. She closed the door behind her.
"You know darn well that I HATE cats. I almost hate all animals and especially cats. Just let me kill it. My hellhounds seem hungry and they love cat meat!"
Integra turned around and faced him. She gave him a death glare.
"Get out of my sight, you stupid demon!" she growled at him with a silent icy voice.
He looked down and frowned. Then his pupils turned not thicker than a small black thread. He walked towards Integra and stopped in front of her. His eyes bored in the green eyes of the cat. Then he wrinkled his nose and knitted his brows. As he gave the cat a worse death glare than Integra gave him, he hissed at the cat, showing his long pointy fangs and spitting like a cat. The cat whined and jumped out of Integras arms and hid under her desk. It was shaking.
Before Integra could say anything to him he had already disappeared.
Integra screamed a silent scream.
"AAARG that stupid servant." she screamed. She went to her desk and kneeled down. The cat came out with its whiskers turned away from her. Just as its ears. It sniffed to her hand. She started to pet it behind the ear. It started to purr.
"Well now you met my servant. Stay away from him. For your own sake. Im not very creative so what do you say about 'Shade'?" she said to the cat. She rolled her eyes at the thought of talking to a cat.
Shade jumped up in her chair and fell to sleep.
"Goodnight then. Shade." she said and went out of her office to eat dinner.
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There was no light in the dark, cold room. Not even one little insect dared to enter the room. Like if there was an aura of hate, confusion and desperation which no one would near. Inside the room, the only thing that was visible was a pair of scarlet red eyes glowing in the darkness.
He was sitting on his coffin and letting his shaking fingers follow the golden inscriptions on the lid of his black coffin. At some reason he was panting a little.
"Don't worry, it's gotta be allright. She'll learn to hate that little demon and then let me execute it later. She'll do that. I know!"
He took to his head.
"Great, now im talking to myself. But why am I this angry? It's just a damn cat." he thought. He got up and walked around in his room.He went to the table in the middle of his room. There was a blood pack on the table. He growled and in his anger he beat the blood pack off the table. He sat down and buried his face in one of his hands. He sighed.
"God I HATE cats!"
He could hear something scratch oh his door.
"Now, your little demon. Now I'll show you how a real pet behave."
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"Sir Integra?"
"Y-yes?" she answered her butler and yawned.
"You're late Sir, I thought you were up, but you don't seem very awake. Remember you have a meeting with the convention of 12 today. It starts in half an hour. Breakfast is ready downstairs and your suit is hanging on the chair over there."
"Oh GOD!" she said and jumped out of her bed. "Thank you Walter. I would like some tea to the breakfast. If I hurry I'll have enough time to drink it."
"Certainly Sir." he said and bowed before he left.
Integra rushed towards her bathroom and took a bath. She was about to put on her jacket as a little black cat walked inside. Crimson eyes looked at her while she was closing her jacket. She looked at the cat.
"Oh hello Shade. You seem strange today. Did you hurt your eyes?" she greeted the red eyed cat. She looked in the mirror as she took on her blue tie.
When Integra was done she went to the little cat. She picked it up and sat down on her bed. Then pet it behind the ear and on the cheek. The cat purred. A wonderful feeling, he thought. He looked at the hand that was caressing his head.
"Hey Sir Integra look who I found in Master's room. That little devil he was…" Seres said as she bursted into Integras room. She had Shade in her arms and looked at the cat Integra was petting. The two cats were identical except for the eyes. "Where did that other cat come from Sir?" she asked and walked further into the room.
Integra looked at the cat that lied on her lap. It looked down, but she grabbed the head and forced the cat to look up. She saw the pure scarlet eyes looking in hers. She grabbed its scruff and lifted it up to her head. She shoke the cat frankly. It meowed quietly in the faint pain.
"I knew there was something wrong with this cat!" she said and rushed towards the door. When they were close to Seres and Shade, the red eyed cat hissed at the green eyed cat. She opened the door and yelled right in the face of the cat. "I SAID "GET OUT OF MY SIGHT" AND I MEAT GET OUT OF MY SIGHT OUR STUPID SERVANT!" She threw the cat into a wall. She didn't care if it hurt. "AND STAY AWAY!" she yelled before she closed the door behind her with a loud bang.
The cat got on its legs and again it meowed of the pain. In a cat form it hurt more to be thrown into a wall, he thought. The cat went down to the cellar and into his room. It went down in its coffin and lied. Then it changed its shape a tired and unhappy vampire and fell asleep.
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Integra arrived home at the mansion in the afternoon. She was tired when she went out of the car. A meeting with the convention of 12 was always hard.
She walked into her office and started on her paperwork. Yet again it was boring.
When she was done her shoulders were acing. She winced at the pain and took to her shoulder.
"Hmm bit mas…oh forget it!" she said but cut herself of by the memory of her vampire. She didn't exactly know why she was so angry at him. And her servant seemed to evade both her and Shade. "Now where's my cat?"
Shade was not in her office. She wondered where he might be.
Suddenly she heard clatter from the kitchen. Then loud noise and yelling. She heard a scream and something about a demon and blood. The scream came from Seres and the yelling came from Alucard. Then she heard footsteps running towards her office. Then the door bursted open and Seres came running in after she hammered the door closed. She was panting. And she had Shade in her arms. It looked just as scared as it looked when Alucard had hissed at him the day Integra got him. And it was panting even more than Seres. Like if it had been strangled.
"S-Sir Integra we need to hide him! Master is on his way up here and he's kinda pissed." she said as she ran towards Integras desk. Integra jumped out of her chair and took her cat. She went to a dresser near one of the walls and hid the cat inside. It meowed, but it was for its own sake, she knew. She dashed back to her desk, but before she sat down the door was kicked up and in came an outraged vampire, foaming in rage. He growled and neared Integras desk. His eyes were lighting as a two little torches.
"Oh Alucard what a surprise. Now just when the day couldn't get worse. To what do I own the pleasure?" she said calmly.
"Your little demon of a cat seems to like blood." he just said and stopped. He was standing a meter away from her desk. As if he didn't want to get any closer.
"I don't understand your gibberish, servant." she said and narrowed her eyes.
"Then allow me to explain it to you. This afternoon I was going to have something to drink. It's been a long time since I have last had been eating so I was starving. Or am starving. I knew we didn't have many blood packs back so I decided to save something to when new is delivered. But when I came to the kitchen someone must have opened the fridge because there was no blood in there except for a lot of empty blood packs on the floor and a cat lying on them. But before I got it strangled my little fledgling came in and defended it. And that's why im a little angry right now." he said while he tried to calm down again.
"But Master I already said that it was me who drank all the blood." Seres said like if what he had just said was a rude offence to her.
"Considering that you still refuse to drink blood and that the cat had blood on its whiskers I think you're lying right into my face right now. Bad idea!" he said and then looked at Integra with an uncommon glare. "So now tell me, where did you hide it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I have not seen him since I left the house." she said and looked at him with innocent eyes. She felt stupid.
"Hrmf! You disappoint me. You really expect me to believe that do you? You must have forgotten that I am in fact a vampire." he said and started to look as he was concentrating. He started to sniff in the air. He closed his eyes. And Integra did so, too. She knew she could not hide it. He opened his eyes and headed straight to the dresser.
"That stench can not be evaded! Come kitty, kitty, kitty. Come out and play." said with an evil voice as he opened the drawer. He took the cat in the scruff and lifted it violently. He began to walk towards the door with the meowing cat in his hands.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Integra shouted. Alucard turned around very slowly. He looked her in the eyes. He grinned. Then he closed his mouth as she began to talk. "You come here with my cat! And don't dare to do such things to him ever again! Put him on the desk." She hissed.
Alucard walked very slowly towards her desk. He was frowning and glared at her. She thought that he reminded her of a hooligan who had just been busted by the police. His eyes showed that he wasn't going to do exactly what she told him to do.
When he was about two metres away from her, he threw the cat on the desk. It whined, jumped up on its legs and ran out of the office.
"Officer Victoria. For your own sake I think you should hurry out. It only has to hurt on this mad demon in front of me!" she said coolly to Seres.
"Yes Sir!" she said and walked towards the door. She gave her master a worried look. And then a sympathetic look. He looked as if he didn't care. "He looked fearless." Seres thought when she had closed the door behind her. "Even though he knows what awaits him."
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Integra sat down in her chair.
"I don't know what you're thinking Alucard. I just don't understand." she said as she took to her head.
"Well what a surprise." he mumbled. "Ever since you got that filth into your office you have been acting strange. I thought you were such a strong woman. But now I see that you're still a little girl as you have always been." he said as he started to glare at the cat who were walking into the office again. It evaded Alucard and walked as close to the wall as it could. It made it to Integras desk safe and sound, which it didn't expect while Alucard was near.
"How dare you call me a little girl? It's you who is acting strange. I thought you were so clever and smart, but now I realise that you're just as stupid as an ordinary man. Not special at all. Strange that I haven't realised it yet." she said as if he had just asked what her name was.
The cat jumped up on the middle of her desk, lied down and looked at Integra.
"Im stunned. Before I go I'll just ask you one thing. Who is your favourite pet?" he said, hoping at the answer he got the last time he asked the same question.
Integra bowed down to her cat so close that their noses were touching each other.
"What a ridiculous question. The one who is here next to me and with his nose touching mine. The one who right now is lightening up my day. You got who it is?"
Alucard opened his mouth, but said nothing. He looked surprised. And a little sad. He was just standing the same place completely immobile.
"You see you haven't been behaving very…" she said but was cut off by her vampire.
"ENOUGH! I have never expected you fall for a little fur ball like that, but you seem to surprise me all the time! If you haven't…." he yelled, but then Integra cut him off. She jumped out of her chair, dashed towards her vampire and slapped him all she could on his cheek.
"Now shut up your stupid servant! You mean nothing to me! If you yell at me, I yell at you. I don't want to see you so KEEP AWAY!" she shouted in his face.
"As you wish, my master. My countess. I promise that I will keep away from you. Sir Integral Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, you will never see me again!" he said as he disappeared.
Integra was alone with her cat.
"You are my favourite pet. But I still think this is a bloody bad thing."
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"Good day Walter. You haven't seen Master have you?"
"Im sorry Miss Seres, but I haven't seen him in over two weeks now."
Seres sighed.
"Thank you Walter. Im just starting to get worried. I wonder what they were yelling when Master was so angry. By the way, have you called… Marcus, yet?" she asked.
"Yes I have. He should come today. He was very happy when I was talking with him. But now you must excuse me, I'll have to go down and remove all the cat hairs from master Alucards coffin. Shade seem to enjoy sleeping there, but I don't think Alucard will be pleased to know that a cat have been sleeping in his coffin."
"Y-you believe he will come back?" she asked the butler.
"Im afraid no. But if he will come it would be a good idea to do it anyway." he said with a strange smile.
"Ok Walter I'll go to the training range then."
"Good idea, remember to evade the sun, its very strong today. Summer is always a bad time for vampires." he said with a wink and left.
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A strap of yarn rushed around on the floor. Suddenly a black cat charged and jumped on the yarn and rolled on its back, trying to kill the very dangerous yarn.
Integra chuckled and shoke hand where she was holding the other end of the yarn.
"Well Shade what do say to some liver today? We ran out of lamb yesterday. You're really a little eating machine I'd say."
"Reow!" it answered and looked up.
She went to the kitchen and took a pack of food out of the fridge. She gave the food to Shade and it started to eat.
"You look like you've never eaten." she said and kneeled down to the cat. She caressed it on the head. It started to purr.
The doorbell rang. Integra could hear Walter come up from the cellar.
"I'LL GET IT WALTER." she yelled to him. She went to the door and let the cat eat in peace.
She opened the door and outside was a young man, a little older than Integra. His hair was blonde and reached the shoulders. He had green eyes. His clothes were loose and he wore a T-shirt. He lifted a hand and waved at Integra.
"Good day Miss. Oh im sorry you're Hellsing, right? Then it must be Sir." he said and reached a hand out for her.
"Indeed Mr. May I ask you what you are here for?" she said and took his and shoke it.
"Of course, I am here for my pet. He has been gone for over a month now and I have been hanging posters up in the whole neighbourhood. It seems that your butler has seen them and called me. Im very pleased. I hope that he have been nice the whole time." he said and released her hand. Integra was shocked and surprised.
"Yes he has. Excuse me, I will go get him. I'll be back in moment." she said and waited for his answer. He answered quickly.
"Of course I will wait out here." he said with a smile.
Integra went inside and found Shade in her office licking its paws.
"Come here, your real owner has come to get you." she said to the cat and picked him up. She hugged him before she headed back to the door.
"Oh thank you Sir, I can't say how happy I am to see this little devil again." he said when she appeared with the cat in her arms. She gave Shade to him. "Come here Abraham. Its funny I named him after Abraham van Helsing. And when your butler called me and told me your name I was very surprised. I have done a little research on your name and your story is very fascinating. I never knew that vampires exist…" he said and Integra rolled her eyes.
"Great, a talker" she thought.
"... Isn't it true that you have a pet vampire, too? It would be so great with a pet that were smarter than a cat. But doesn't he feel bad about being a "pet"? I mean he isn't really a pet I'd say he was more kind of…" he continued.
Integra gave a jump when he mentioned her pet vampire. How come she didn't realise that he was gone? She widened her eyes and she had a sinking feeling.
"… and then there's the pride. It seems that it's a big… Anything wrong, Sir?" he asked when he looked at her.
"No, no I just think it's my turn to hang up posters." she said and looked down the road.
"What do you…? Well I'll just be off. By the way what did you call him in the whole time?" he asked her as he turned around and started to leave.
"S-Shade." Integra said and went inside. When she had closed the door she started to dash around the mansion. Up in her office, into the kitchen and down in the cellar. She got to Alucards room. The only one present was Walter who was sitting by his coffin and removing all the cat hairs. He looked at Integra.
"That cat has not been very nice to Alucards coffin. He won't be pleased if he sees this. I need to knit it a little and the cat hairs are almost impossible to get off."
"Walter where is Alucard?" she asked and sat down on Alucards big throne like chair.
"We haven't seen him in over two weeks now, Sir." he said and gave her a little smile.
"WHAT!?" she shouted and jumped out of the chair.
"You didn't notice? Miss Seres haven't seen him either. He has never been gone for so long ever." he said while his smile faded.
"I-I-I… I haven't noticed that he was gone?! I don't know why! I have to find him. We need him on the missions." she said and rushed out of the cold room. She didn't know where to go. He had said that she would never see him again.
"Alucard where are you?" Integra said
"Wait a minute. There haven't been any problems with vampires ever since he left. Can he…?" she thought while she neared the door to the garden. She opened the door and walked out in the bright sun. A place where he would never expect her to look for him would definitely be outside in the strong sun. The garden was big and big trees surrounded the whole garden like a wooden fence. She expected to find him under the trees to prevent the sun from hitting him.
She narrowed her eyes to see longer. In the end of the garden she saw something standing in the middle of the garden, just next to the shadow of a big tree. When she got a little closer she recognised him. Faint steam came from him and he was looking right up in the sun. He didn't wear a hat or glasses. Integra started to run towards him. He didn't react when she were standing right in front of him.
She looked into his eyes, but he didn't look into hers. She saw that his eyes were almost not red. They were whiter and the only blood red in his eyes was just in the middle. Integra knitted her brows as she looked at him. Why did he stand out in the warm summer, just looking in the sun? And right next to a dark, cold and tempting shadow.
She laid her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back in the shadow of the tree. His back banged into the trunk of the tree.
"Alucard why are you standing out here in the sun? Look at you! You're steaming and your eyes are almost white. Aren't the sun the worst thing for a vampire?"
"Yes for an ordinary vampire. It doesn't really kill me. Why do you ask? I thought you didn't care anyway. Where's your cat?" he asked as the colour came back in his eyes.
"He's gone." she just said.
"Oh so it is dead. How utterly… sad." he said without even a little grin.
"He's not dead. His owner came this day and took him back. He made me remember that you have been gone in a long time. I don't want to argue with you. I just came to find you. And talk to you."
Alucards eyes widened a little.
"… I see. Will you have another cat, now when you don't have a pet anymore?" he said.
"I have always had a pet. Nothing will change that."
"So I'm suddenly your favorite pet, now when you don't have one anymore?"
"No." she said and watched his expression in a while. "You aren't my pet. You're my vampire. Pet is under your worthiness. Shade's owner made me realise It." she said and wrapped her arms around Alucards neck.
"Im sorry Alucard. Im so very sorry. I have no idea about how a cat could make me so angry at you." she said and squeezed him a little. She could feel that he laid his arms around her waist. She smiled.
"I would never prefer a cat instead of you."
"I know. But I was just about to believe It." he said and smiled.
"Yes and I am sorry, I don't even…" she said and looked down.
"It doesn't matter Integra. I don't care if you like a cat more than me. It is me who is the servant and I should have stayed with you. That is my never ending duty. I just couldn't take it anymore. It is me who shall apologize, Master." he said and smiled. He laid his finger under her chin and pushed her face up. He looked into her eyes.
"Alucard?" she asked.
"Yes?"
"Since you left there haven't been any problems with the vampires. Is it you who had done it?"
"Yes it is. I don't really know why I did it, but it was kind of an excuse to hunt. There were guilty humans, too. Of course I also had to punish them, if you know what I mean." he said and closed his fingers around her chin.
"Yes I think I do." she said and touched his hair.
"Good." he said. He placed his hand on her cheek.
"Now let's go inside. You smoke like a chimney, without tobacco. What a clever vampire I got. Standing outside looking at the sun. Tsk, tsk…" she said and with and arm around his shoulders they started to walk towards the mansion.
Alucard laughed.
"Yes how silly I am. By the way, I damn hope for your sake that the cat hasn't done anything to my coffin. And that Walter is done cleaning It." he said and narrowed his eyes and glared a sarcastic glare at Integra. Integra gave a jump. He knew it.
"Eeeh… Yes I think he is." she said and shyly looked to the side.
"Hope so…"