Prologue

Hellsing. Born out of nobility and necessity. FREAKS, vampires, and the unhuman wreak havoc upon society and Hellsing destroys them out of duty to England and the Queen.

Yet the world still remains oblivious to the good they do.

But those who know of its existence can see that the organization designed to vanquish evil lurking in the shadows had nearly collapsed because of the death of one of their own.

How long does it take to seal away open wounds?

For him, six years.

Chapter One: Return -- His Story

"Wait here."

The woman nodded silently as the sound of the motorcycle's engine died off. Her violet eyes seemed to stare blankly off into space, but upon his touch they regained focus.

She could see again, for the moment.

Staring back into his crimson eyes, eyes that reflected her own apprehension, she gave him a soft smile and squeezed his hand.

"It's going to be okay, Daemon," she encouraged, her voice soft and tinted with a French accent. "You know you have to do this. Black Scorpion can't do it alone...nor can you."

Letting the meaning of her words sink in, Daemon slowly nodded. Letting her hands go, he planted a soft kiss on her lips.

"I'll be back soon," he murmured.

The young woman laughed at his gentleness, letting her hands trail up to the thick main of black underneath the hood which covered his face.

"I'm not going to go anywhere," she pointed out. "It's not like I can, anyway, dans ce pay d'Angleterre (in this country of England)."

Daemon chuckled in amusement, allowing a small smile creep to his face. He took a few seconds to gather his courage and headed towards the gate of his old home. Only then did the woman let her smile fall, replaced by worry. Her eyes returned to its normal state of blindness. It had been six years since he had left, and the truth he discovered after that incident had left him a different person than the one his family remembered him by.

~~~~

In the shadows outside the Hellsing mansion hid a tall, stoic figure...observing. His crimson eyes brimmed with a sadness that no vampire, that no father should endure as he watched his son approach the gates.

She was gone...

~~~~

Memories flashed before his eyes as he approached the gates of his old home, gates that had been rebuilt countless of times over the decades. He stopped as two rifles denied him to walk any further and looked up. The hood of his jacket and his dark hair covered most of the features of his face with the exception of his eyes.

Daemon took no offense to this action. His eyes were like blood: vampiric, unhuman. It was one of the many traits he despised about himself.

"Who are you?" the owner of one of the rifles demanded. "State your business."

Pulling back the hood just enough to reveal his face, Daemon calmly replied, "My name is Daemon Van Hellsing."

A gasp escaped from one of the guards' lips. Daemon looked at both of them with a cool gaze.

"I've come to see my mother."

~~~~

The young woman Daemon had left behind waited patiently on the motorcycle that they had ridden on. She shifted in her seat to a more comfortable position, taking in a deep breath of the cold air. Alucard remained where he was in the shadows, taking in her every detail. To put it simply, he was quite curious. As a vampire, he wanted to know why he could not read her mind -- it was obvious that she was no ordinary human. As a father, he wanted to know why she knew his son so...intimately.

His conclusion soon came after observation.

Dark brown hair etched around the frame of her almond-shaped face, falling gently across her shoulders. A small portion was tied back by a blue bandanna, accentuating her blind, violet eyes. Most of her clothing was concealed under a black hooded trenchcoat, halfway buttoned down to her knees where matching boots covered her feet.

Through Alucard's present knowledge, her accent sounded Parisian. She was someone his son had met during his travels.

Still it was annoying to not be able to read her mind. The woman was human but at the same time wasn't.

What had made Alucard more curious was the second aura clearly resonating from her. He did not think this second aura was intentional in order to fool him -- the woman seemed too oblivious to his presence. The only other logical thought that came to mind was...

~~~~

The hairs on the back of her neck tingled, and she shivered. She could feel someone or something watching her. She rubbed her arms to ride of the cold, but the woman couldn't help but shiver again. Despite the heavy clothing she wore, England's typically cold weather in mid-autumn proved to be unrelenting to her already sensitive body temperature. For four months she had been like this: a never-ending desire to feel heat. Black Scorpion's doctor told her that the condition seemed to be a replacement for morning sickness. Daemon, however, thought otherwise. It was a constant worry to him, a small annoyance to her.

Who are you?

The deep, unfamiliar voice startled her out of her thoughts. She frantically looked around her, though she could not see. She could sense it now; the dark aura that had been watching her all this time.

"Who's there?" she whispered softly, but only the wind answered her call.

She closed her eyes and concentrated. The aura was very strong and easy to pick out. What eluded her was the source. Using a method her mother taught her long ago, she turned her head. The aura was immensely strong, but it varied in different areas. Where it was strongest, she could not yet find it.

"Maria!"

The familiar tone of his voice calmed Maria Rift, and she opened her eyes. She could hear his footsteps come closer until he had pulled her up to her feet, letting her share his vision.

"It's clear -- we can go in," he told her.

She nodded, and let Daemon guide her into the world of the Hellsing Organization.

 

Alucard watched them leave, frowning when his son turned to meet his eyes.

Don't you dare say a word, his son warned him, knowing that Alucard now knew.

The vampire had hoped that their already strained father-son relationship would improve after their long talk six years before, but it seemed it had been left exactly where it began.

Oh? And how are you going to keep this a secret when MY grandchild gets bigger? Alucard arched an eyebrow.

I'll tell them at a later time. And I appreciate it if you don't scare her out of the blue.

Hmph, scare? I can't even read the girl's mind.

She CAN hear you.

Alucard melded back into the mansion as the couple disappeared around the corner.

~~~~

"C'est grand (It's big)," were the first words that came out of Maria's lips as soon as they stepped into the actual mansion.

"Yeah, it is..." Daemon agreed, taking in the details of the home he lived in for 18 years of his life. "Boring, too, once you know all the secrets."

"Master Daemon," a familiar voice called out to him. Daemon let go of Maria's hand, which she put back on her gloves.

"Uncle Richard," he called out to the man with the cane, walking up to him. "It's good to see you again."

Richard let out a light laugh, patting the younger man on the shoulder as the two walked back to where Maria stood in curiosity. The fifty year old man glanced at Maria, nodding in approval more to himself than to his "nephew".

"You've grown since you have left," he noted, purposefully not noticing the faint flicker in the half-vampire's eyes. "What have you been doing for the past six years?"

"Oh...just traveling around," Daemon casually replied. An uneasy pause lingered. He decided to change the subject. "But I'm surprised that you're the courier. Did Grandfather finally give into your requests?"

Richard's smile faded. "Grandfather Walter died two years ago."

Stunned by the news, it took a few moments to coherently respond. The steely gaze he held in his crimson eyes softened slightly, staring down at the ground. Richard took notice that Maria also had a pained look as if she also felt Daemon's shock.

"Oh...I see..." came Daemon's response. He sighed, forcing himself to look up at Walter Kun Dornez's only biological grandson. "Well, he was pretty old. Be in his mid-nineties now, right?"

Richard smiled and nodded, pushing up the ridge of his glasses to his nose. "He passed away peacefully. His age finally caught up to him after all these years. Your mother, Lady Integra, then contacted me and appointed me as her new weapons manufacturer." Richard quickly changed the subject to something a bit lighter in topic. "By the way, may I ask who is this young woman?"

Glad that the topic had changed again, Daemon wrapped an arm around Maria's waist.

"Uncle Richard, this is Maria Rift," he introduced. "Maria, this is Uncle Richard, my teacher."

"Former teacher," Richard corrected, holding out a hand. "I haven't taught Master Daemon in over six years."

"You'll still be my teacher, nonetheless."

Maria smiled, shaking hands with Richard. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

As they shook hands, Richard felt a slight jolt run through his body. He was a bit surprised at the feeling, glancing at Daemon and back at Maria, but the two acted as if nothing had happened between them. He quickly shook off the feeling, thinking it was just the atmosphere around them. The Hellsing mansion did have its peculiarities that differed from the typical home after all.

"I assume that you will be in the country for a while," Richard stated.

Daemon nodded. "Yes, but there's no need to worry about preparing a room for us. We're staying at a hotel nearby."

One look at Daemon, and Richard could tell that the young man did not want to disclose any further information. So the middle-aged man smiled and nodded in understanding.

"Ah, I see. Lady Integra is awaiting in her office upstairs."

"Thank you..." The Hellsing heir wanted Maria to come with him, but he knew that he had to do this alone. Plus, he didn't want to tell his mother about Maria -- yet.

"If you don't mind, Richard...can you show Maria around?" An askew smile traced across his lips, the rare side of himself that his teacher once knew. "Within reason, of course."

Maria glanced at Daemon with hesitation. Are you sure?

Don't worry. Richard's one of the few people can I trust.

"It would be my pleasure to guide such a beautiful young woman, Master Daemon," Richard said, gently taking her hand. The jolt struck him again, though it was lighter this time. "That is, if she does not mind such an old man as myself."

Maria smiled and laughed. "No, of course not."

Richard nodded at Daemon to reassure the heir and he proceeded to guide Maria down the eastern hallway, describing to her various objects they were passing by and some history about the mansion. Daemon watched them go before he took in a deep breath and headed towards the central staircase, ahead lying the room where the Knights of the Round gathered.

Without stopping, Daemon glanced back at his father.

"You know, a nice 'hello' would be appreciated," he said to Alucard.

"Hmph, after that scene?" Alucard smirked. "You're lucky that I don't pop you in the head for such a greeting to your own father."

Daemon let the comment slide. He was thinking of more important issues at the moment to wonder why his father was now in such a friendly mood.

"If you already know what I'm going to say to her, then why are you following me?"

"You seem to have forgotten that I am your father." An uncharacteristic pause came from Alucard before he carefully added, "...I also want to hear the details. Your actions are difficult to read, my son."

They stood before the grand oak doors of the meeting room. Ignoring his father's last comment, Daemon knocked on the door.

"Come in," came a harsh, female voice inside.

Determined, he opened the door and entered, staring back at the light blonde middle-aged woman who sat in the center of the table and not in her usual place at the head. Integra Hellsing took a good look at her son, the ice blue eyes softening slightly as she took in how much he had changed. Daemon was taller, older than the last time she remembered. Not old as in age, but old in his eyes. His chin was sharper like his father, his poised and calm stance was like hers. The tips of his fangs were beginning to peek out underneath his upper lip -- they were longer than before.

Letting all this observation interpret her thoughts, she said in a softer tone, "Sit down."

Daemon willingly obliged the order, pulling out a chair and taking a seat. Alucard closed the door and leaned against it. Unlike his wife, he did not want to see the emotions running through their son when he told his story.

"Six years," Integra began. "For six years you went to search for her, leaving no trace of your existence so we wouldn't be able to find you. You covered your tracks fairly well, I might add. After you left, nobody was able to find you -- not even your father. We didn't know if you were alive or dead, well or suffering." She paused, letting her words sink in. She was beginning to see the hint of her son's mask, wondering to herself when did he become so cold and emotionless. He was definitely not the cocky and arrogant Daemon Van Hellsing she remembered.

"...And now you're here," she continued. "...What did you find out?"

Black Scorpion can't do this alone, nor can you. Maria's words rung in his head as Daemon closed his eyes.

"She's dead," he calmly replied. "My sister...your daughter..." He gritted his teeth in anger. "Anastasia's dead."


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