Story: Three Nights and a Night (all chapters)
Authors: Shanejayell
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Chapter 1
Title: One
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters, and profit in no way from this fic! I have watched Hellsing series and read two volumes of the manga and am enjoying the series immensely. In this fic, I’ll be featuring a kinder, gentler Integra, so if that bothers you, I’d recommend reading something else. Also, she’ll be involved in a affair with Seras, so if that bothers you, definitely don’t read this...
Hellsing: Three Nights...
Part One
Without some form of release, stress levels will build up, eventually impairing the person’s ability to function at their absolute best. Sir Integra Hellsing knew that just about as well as anyone, but actually doing something about it was somewhat more difficult.
The white haired young woman had her vices, of course.
The slim cigars she chose to smoke weren’t all that healthy, but she enjoyed having them none the less. And she was known to indulge in the occasional drink as well.
Teasing Alucard would probably be counted by some people as a vice too, but she considered it more of an occupational hazard.
When she first passed by the little nightclub not far from headquarters, she was intrigued. Seemingly having appeared from nowhere, the club had a bustling business. She had the organization check it out, of course, but except for an odd irregularity in location it was clean. According to the records it was based in Japan, not here in London.
So Integra ventured inside Arisugawa’s Locket...
To do so, the bargain she made with herself was a simple one. The cell-phone and pager she carried with her all the time were always left on and ready in case an emergency called her away, but other than that she considered herself to be off-duty on these little excursions. After a few visits to investigate the place she finally let herself drink, smoke, and simply relax for a bit, before returning to the battlefield one again.
And talk, too.
The bar’s owner was an interesting woman of quite a high caliber. If Arisugawa Juri was at all interested, she would have tried to recruit her for the Hellsing organization on the spot. She listened to all of Integra’s carefully edited stories calmly, and her comments were often quite insightful. Juri also didn’t seem to judge, and over time Integra found herself discussing more personal things, the difficulties of command and how they seemed to effect her.
The London fog swirled around Integra as she aperoached the friont door, the tall bouncer opening the door with a wry smile. Integra nodded to the young woman that was servuing as a greeter then made her way through the busy crowd towards a corner table where she could keep an eye on most of the main floor.
Integra settled into her seat, the chair sighing softly as she let her full weight rest upon it. She took her round glasses off a moment to gently rub at her eyes, then slid them back on again. With a relieved sigh Integra loosened her tie, and sat back in her tailored gray suit.
Juri walked over to the table, her long orange hair swinging behind her, carrying a bottle and a single glass. She sat down across from her and asked with a smile, “Whisky, neat?”
The light glinted off her round glasses as Integra tipped her head back and downed it all in one shot. She shuddered, visibly, then relaxed just a bit. “Thanks,” she said quietly.
Juri topped her drink up, “Your welcome.”
Integra reached into her dress coat, drawing a thin cigar out and lighting it up. She drew on it deeply the asked a question that had been bothering her, “How is it that a Japanese bar can be accessed in the middle of Britain?”
“Trade secret,” Juri shrugged.
“In other words, you can’t explain it either,” Integra said, and fought a smile as Juri twitched slightly, confirming that theory.
“So how are your romantic prospects going?” Juri asked with a smile.
Integra had to struggle to avoid showing her wince. When she had been talking to Juri last time, she had let it slip that there was someone she that was interested in. The woman had a odd ability to induce people to talk. Like a good bartender or priest, Juri simply let herself be open to whatever you said, knowing that you always had something that you wanted or needed to say.
“They’re not,” Integra said grimly, taking another drink. The whisky burned as it went down, a soothing warmth swiftly spreading through her. Integra hesitated a moment, then added, “She doesn’t even know I’m attracted, hopefully.”
Juri’s eyebrows shot up at that. “Why hopefully?” she asked.
“Because she’s an officer under my command,” Integra explained patiently, “and therefore I can not risk becoming involved with her.”
“So you remain celibate,” Juri made it a statement, not a question.
Integra nodded, keeping her expression carefully bland. Juri shifted over slightly, the crowd parted, and her eyes widened as her face grew pale. “Seras,” she whispered softly.
The pale blond in the blue army uniform smiled, and the bouncer smiled back at her a bit tentatively. “Good evening,” Bones said, and pulled the door open. ‘It’s good being a regular,’ the blonde thought with a little smile.
She walked down the hallway, giving a nod to where Hitomi was waiting, and then made her way through the thinning crowds of the late evening towards the bar, where one of the two bartenders gave her a smile.
“Hi, Seras,” Minagi said.
Seras Victoria carefully climbed up on a bar stool, giving her a smile. ‘Damn short skirt,’ Seras thought. Without having to ask for anything a small glass of something deeply red was quickly sat down before her.
“Thanks,” Seras smiled, and tossed it back smoothly. She set it down on the bar, and from a old fashioned wine bottle Minagi refilled it.
Seras wondered, sometimes, why Arucard had told her about this place. “You need to go there,” was the only explanation that he had chosen to give her, but she was grateful, anyway. She still didn’t understand how he had known about her, but in this place she had met people like her, both human and vampire.
“A few of the others were in earlier tonight,” Minagi said conversationally. “Miyu and Seya for certain, and a few of the others, too,” she added.
“Remind me to stay out of Seya’s way,” Seras said to her quietly, “she’s just a little too intense for my tastes.”
“Speaking of intense,” Minagi’s twin Ryouko ambled over, “do either of you know that intense white haired girl sitting over there?”
Seras turned in her seat, and her eyes got very wide, “Integra...”
“You know her?” Ryouko asked. “I’ve seen her in a few times talking to the boss, but other than that she doesn’t mix much,” she reported.
“She’s my boss,” Seras said softly, voice touched by a bit of fear. ‘Did she follow me here, to trap me?’ she thought to herself wildly.
Minagi saw the girl's cheeks go pale, well, at least a bit paler looking anyway and hastened to reassure her, “Juri’s been keeping an eye on her, and if she wasn’t sure of her intentions, she wouldn’t still be coming here.”
“Why don’t you go over and say hi?” Ryouko suggested.
Seras’s scarlet eyes got wide, “That’s easy for you to say.” She shook her head, “She’s as tough as they come, nothing scares her and she never runs from anything.”
“I’ve got to get out of here, right now,” Integra blurted out, rising from her seat and quickly grabbing at her coat.
Juri grabbed her arm, restraining her carefully as she said, “If you bolt, you’ll draw even more attention to yourself.”
A fierce look passed Integra’s face, but at Juri’s gentle urging she reluctantly sat back down. She reflexedly tidied up her crisp suit, making sure it sat on her neatly. “I need,” she said to Juri coldly, “to leave immediately.”
“If you really need to, I’ll help,” Juri said, obviously confused by what had shaken the normally controlled young woman so badly. Then her eyes widened, and a little smile teased Juri’s lips. “She’s the one, isn’t she?” Juri asked.
Integra opened up her mouth to try and protest, then shut it, realizing there was no point. “Yes,” she admitted quietly, “though I’d prefer if you keep your voice down, please. Let’s not let the whole bar know about it.”
A slight smile was the only apology Integra got from Juri. She indulged herself in looking over at Seras for a few moments before she left. The little blond was strikingly beautiful, her short hair falling into her red eyes. A subtle innocence still remained in her, even with all the changes the girl had been put through.
Then the decision about what to do was taken right out of her hands. Integra saw Seras get up from her seat at the bar, taking a moment tidying her clothing. She nodded to the twins behind the bar, and then she began to walk to her table. Integra sat there frozen, those red eyes growing closer and closer until she was standing there by the table.
“Good evening, Sir,” Seras said to her respectfully.
“Seras,” Integra started to say, when Juri smoothly stood up. Integra’s eyes silently pleaded with her, ‘Don’t go!’
But Juri just smiled back, “Excuse me, but duty calls.” With that, the tall, orange haired woman strode off into the crowd.
Seras stood there for a few seconds, then she quietly asked her, “Would you mind if I sat down, sir?”
Integra met Seras’s eyes, and was surprised at the gentle pleading she saw in them. “Please, sit,” she smiled at the young woman, “and you don’t need to call me sir, here.” Seras drew back the chair and sat down, being careful to keep her short skirt from riding up too much. ‘I wonder if I should change the uniform to slacks?’ Integra found herself wondering.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Seras said, looking away from her shyly. The vampire girl was clearly nervous, and Integra was just a bit touched by that.
“Neither did I,” Integra said quietly. Seras had chosen one of her older uniforms, one without the Hellsing unit patch on it. A wise move, though Integra did find herself wondering if there was some kind of symbolism to the act.
“Alucard told me about this place,” Seras said to her quietly.
“Alucard?” Integra sounded honestly surprised. Seras shrugged eloquently, and Integra actually smiled a bit, shaking her head.
Seras smiled, “You really frightened me, when we first met.” Integra looked surprised at hearing that, so she elaborated, “Here I was being carried by this big, tough vampire, who was meekly being berated by this cool woman in a business suit!”
Integra chuckled softly. “I hadn’t thought of that,” she admitted. “What I remembered most was your turning you head to look at me, and those striking red eyes. I just knew, then, that you’d be trouble,” she said with a teasing smile.
“And then in the manor, you really surprised me,” Seras smiled.
Integra looked just a bit sheepish, “I was startled a bit, seeing this cute little face peeking up from the stairway.”
“Don’t go around drinking anyone’s blood,” a smiling Seras said in a very passable imitation of Integra herself.
“It was the first thing I could think of to say,” Integra smiled, lifting her drink to her lips. She drew another cigar out from her dress jacket, “Do you mind?”
“Doesn’t hurt me,” Seras smiled. She looked up, “And I notice you choose to smoke near the outflow vent.”
“No reason to inflict it on anyone else,” Integra shrugged, drawing on the cigar deeply. It gave her a moment to gather her thoughts. She wished she knew what Seras was thinking right now, what was going on behind those red eyes.
‘She said I was cute,’ was the odd thought that ran through Seras’s head. She covered her confusion as she drank something thick and red from her glass, savoring it a moment before gently putting the glass down.
Seras almost couldn’t believe that she was sitting here, talking so very easily with Integra Hellsing herself. She snuck a covert glance at the lady, at her aristocratic face and white hair falling gently into her eyes.
She found herself wondering why she really hadn’t noticed how attractive Integra was before. Seras saw her almost everyday, but she had never noticed how nice her smile was, or how blue her eyes were behind those big, round glasses.
“Are you dating Alucard?” Seras found herself asking her, and saw Integra begin to choke on her smoke.
She quickly got up and went behind Integra, gently patting her on the back. “No,” Integra managed to get out, her eyes watering.
Seras picked up Integra’s drink, gently holding it to her lips. “Are you all right?” Seras asked after Integra downed some of the whisky.
“Yes,” Integra said, looking a bit cross, “I was just a bit surprised.” She paused before finally asking, “Where did you get that idea?”
If Seras physically was still able to blush, she would have then. “It’s just that he’s so into you,” she confessed.
“Trust me,” Integra looked at Seras over the edge of her cup, “Alucard is certainly not my type. Not at all.”
‘I wonder who her type is,’ Seras found herself thinking. She opened up her mouth to ask another question, then closed it.
“What?” Integra quietly asked. A slight smile crossed her face as she continued gently, “You may as well ask me.”
‘God, is she a mind reader, too?’ Seras thought. She reconsidered her question and another thing struck her, “When Alucard killed that reporter, you seemed so... calm.”
Blue eyes searched her own across the small table, then Integra said, “The reason I left there so quickly was because I thought I was going to be sick.”
“You certainly didn’t show it,” Seras smiled ruefully. She took a deep breath, “It took all my self control not to lunge at her, myself.” A gentle hand rested on her own, and Seras blushed under Integra’s gaze.
“I know you had some trouble adapting,” Integra said softly, and Seras ached at the kindness she heard in that voice. “I wish there had been more I could do to help,” and there was a bit of regret in that smooth voice.
“You’re not like this back at base,” Seras smiled at her shyly.
Integra sighed softly, “I know what they all expect of me, Seras. I’m on duty there all the time, and the soldiers want to see the me as some kind of iron lady.” She slumped just a little in her chair, and Seras began to see what being the leader of Hellsing cost Integra.
Seras gently lay her hand over Integra’s, gently catching it between her palms. A soft squeeze, “If there’s anything I can do, just ask.”
A moment of silence, and Integra smiled slightly. She squeezed Seras’s hands as she admitted, “I could use a friend.”
Chapter 2
Title: Two
Part Two
Seras lay back on her bed, her eyes closed as she silently wished for sleep to come. Her red eyes popped open, and with a disgusted sigh the blonde haired girl sat back up. One of the things she most disliked about being a vampire was the absolute inability to sleep during the nighttime. Every now and then she tried it, but it never seemed to work.
She climbed out of her bed and took a look around her room. Stone walls, softened a bit by the drapes, a table and chair, and the massive coffin/bed were the only things in her little monk’s cell of a room. Seras sighed, and decided to go see if anyone else was up.
She stepped out into the dark corridor and suddenly a deep voice intoned from right behind her, “Good evening, Miss Victoria.”
"Eep!" Seras whirled around to see Walter standing right behind her. She grabbed her chest and squeaked, “Don’t do that!”
Completely deadpan, the formally dressed Walter replied, “Miss Integra is up as well. I believe she’s out on the balcony and was going to be having some tea.” With that, he turned around and left as silently as he came.
Seras watched him walk away before recovering enough to call out, “Thank you.” Under her breath she muttered, “How does he do that?”
If she still felt the cold, the pervasive chill that lingered in the hallways would have bothered her. As it was, Seras barely felt it, though that was a bit of a blessing and a curse. As the weeks passed, she began to understand more and more what her new state of being meant. And she wasn’t too sure if she liked it very much.
She could feel the deeper cold out of the balcony before Seras saw her, sitting at the iron table looking out into the pitch darkness. Integra was dressed in rumpled pajamas, not at all what Seras would have expected the cool, controlled Integra to be wearing. Then again, Hellsing’s leader had been surprising her a lot, these days.
Integra sat at the table, once again mentally tallying all of their losses. ‘So many dead and gravely wounded,’ she thought back to the attack on the headquarters of the Hellsing organization, ‘and it’s all my fault.’ She rested her head in her hands as she thought, ‘We’ve gotten soft, let our defenses down. In my father’s era, this would never have happened.’
She saw the shadowy figure hesitantly standing in the doorway, and Integra’s reaction was completely instinctive, the gun pulled out of her pajama top and leveled at the shocked young woman who was standing there.
A somewhat paler than usual Seras held her hands up, “I surrender.” She was still dressed in her police uniform, the Hellsing patch prominently on display.
Integra kept the gun pointed at her for a moment, then she slowly lowered it. “Sorry,” she said to her quietly. ‘I’m far too jumpy tonight,’ Integra thought grimly as she put the gun away, ‘I’m going to shoot someone if I’m not careful.’
“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Seras said softly, and Integra saw an endearing mix of shyness and nervousness on her face. “I’ll leave if you like,” she offered.
“Stay, please,” Integra said to her quietly, “I could use the company.”
Seras pulled out one of the old chairs almost silently and then sat down with a remarkable amount of grace. The girl had so many hidden depths, and Integra had found herself noticing them more and more often.
“Thanks,” Seras smiled. She looked at Integra with those scarlet eyes, and Integra still found her so difficult to read. “I miss being able to sleep at night,” Seras said softly, looking away from her and out into the black night.
The dim light made Seras look sad, shadowing her face and making her look a bit more human. “I found I got used to it,” Integra said quietly, “the nature of our duty demands these late nights. But it isn’t an easy adaptation.”
“At least you had a choice in the matter,” Seras answered, and Integra could hear a bit of bitterness in her voice.
Integra stiffened a bit, “Not really.”
Seras winced upon seeing Integra’s reaction. ‘Stupid, stupid, stupid,’ she silently cursed herself, ‘could you have said anything to her that would be more tactless right now?’ She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it helplessly.
Integra looked down at the table, and Seras could see the strain on her face. “I suppose I could have ran away from home, that’s about the only way out I could have taken,” Integra said, and more quietly, “Who knows, maybe Hellsing would have been the better for it.”
“That’s not true!” Seras quickly protested, only to be cut off by the sudden cry of an owl passig by overhead.
Seras looked around carefully and noticed a thermos sitting by the table. Opening it up she smelled the sweet scent of an English tea, already mixed and ready and beside it, packets of sugar and cream. She looked a question at Integra, at her short nod she poured them each a cup.
Seras took a deep breath and spoke quite intensely, “There was no way that you could have known what they were going to do.”
“I should have,” Integra angrily insisted, “I should have known that one day the freaks would discover our headquarters, and then attack it.” Seras was shocked to see a single tear trickle down Integra’s cheek, “I should have been able to save them.”
“You were the one,” Seras quietly said as she looked across the table at her, “who had to shoot the... ghouls, weren’t you?” She remembered seeing the transformed Hellsing troopers, feeling the sick horror of having to destroy them. What must it have been like to have been doing that as the troopers commander?
Integra didn’t answer her aloud, she just nodded miserably. More tears began to trickle down, and she shook in her seat.
Seras got up from her chair, going around to where Integra sat. She gently wrapped her arms around her, and weakly Integra tried to pull away. Seras kept her grip, and Integra relaxed, sobbing softly into her shoulder.
“There, there,” Seras murmured softly, “there, there.” When the tears finally slowed down to a mere trickle, Seras loosened her grip and stood up. The tea had gone cold, so she poured a bit more into each of their cups before returning to her seat.
“Thank you,” Integra said to her softly. There was a bit of red to her cheeks, her eyes puffy, but somehow she looked a bit better to Seras.
“Pouring out tea isn’t all that hard,” Seras smiled at her, deliberately choosing to pretend to misunderstand her.
A ghost of a smile appearing on Integra’s face was reward enough for the feeble attempt at comedy. They both drank their tea silently for awhile, each simply enjoying having some company for this long night.
Seras sipped, and sighed to herself happily. At Integra’s questioning glance she explained, “I was a bit worried that I couldn’t have tea any more. I’m glad I was wrong.”
“Vampires can generally handle most kinds of fluids,” Integra spoke softly, “I understand you tried tomato juice, too.”
Seras found herself blushing, “Talk about a stereotypical drink to order.”
Integra’s smile was a bit more natural looking this time. “I suppose so,” she smiled, “but it could have been worse. You could have ordered a Bloody Mary.”
Seras looked at her blankly in surprise, then she chuckled softly. “I guess you’re right,” she smiled at her warmly. She noticed that Integra had finished off her cup and picked up the thermos, “Would you like more tea?”
“Yes, please,” Integra said, holding her cup out to be refilled. ‘I’m sitting here, having tea with one of Hellsing’s two vampires,’ she thought, ‘and what’s really strange is that it doesn’t even strike me as odd any more.’
Seras poured herself another cup, then proceeded to put an appalling amount of sugar into it with a bit of cream. ‘I keep forgetting how young she really is,’ Integra thought, watching Seras drinking her cup of sugar water happily.
“What?” Seras noticed her gaze on her, her red eyes rising to meet her own. “I didn’t spill any on myself, did I?” she asked, worriedly looking down at her front for any signs of stains.
Integra found her gaze following Seras’s and her vision filled with Seras’s not unimpressive bust. She looked up guiltily, “No, you’re fine.”
Seras looked at her a bit oddly, but decided let it go. A blushed colored Integra’s cheeks as she sipped her tea, ‘I can’t believe I did that. Yes, she’s cute, but she’s also my subordinate. It would be completely inappropriate to even think about it...’
“Drink your tea before it gets cold,” Seras reminded her gently, and Integra realized that she had been sitting there staring into her tea cup for the last few minutes.
She drank, and Integra felt the warmth spread through her. She sighed softly, then smiled at Seras. “Thank you,” and she drank a bit more.
Integra could see Seras looking at her worriedly. “You should really try to get some sleep,” she said to her quietly.
Integra shuddered visibly. “No, I don’t think so,” she answered her, “when I close my eyes all I see are the officers who died.” Silently, she thought, ‘The ones I failed.’
Seras sighed softly. “Well, if you aren’t going to sleep tonight, let’s try to take your mind off things,” she said, polishing off her tea and standing up.
“What?” Integra asked, surprised. She wasn’t sure if she liked the look that was in the young woman’s eyes.
“Why don’t you go get dressed,” Seras smiled at her, “and we’ll go out for a while.” She looked around, “I think it couldn’t hurt for you to get out of here for a while.”
“I’m needed here,” Integra said intensely, “there may be an emergency.”
Integra was startled by the gentle smile Seras gave her. “Back at the Locket,” she said to her quietly, “you said you needed a friend." A bit more seriously, "As a friend, I’m telling you that you really need a break.”
Integra hesitated for a moment, then she surprised herself by answering, “Yes.”
Seras smiled happily, “Good. Meet me out front in ten minutes?”
“Sure,” Integra smiled, and almost laughed as Seras bounced away. She strode to her room, dressing quickly. She felt a bit better in the coal gray suit, a bit more in control. She went out into the hallway and wasn’t too surprised to see Walter there.
“Are you going out, Ms Integra?” he asked calmly.
“Yes,” Integra answered simply, “my cellphone and pager will both be on if needed.”
“Good,” Walter nodded with a great deal of dignity. He took a few steps, “I’m sure Ms Victoria will take good care of you.”
Before Integra could ask what he meant by that, he was gone.
Chapter 3
Title: Three
Part Three
Integra looked up at her from their regular table, smiling slightly. Seras instantly noticed that she looked a lot paler than usual, the strain of her hospital stay clearly evident on her face. “It’s about time you got here,” Integra smiled.
There was a chair across from Integra, or one just beside her. Hesitating only slightly, Seras took the seat beside her. “You should still be taking it easy,” Seras chided her gently.
Integra made a face, “Don’t you start.”
Seras had to smile slightly. A young woman dressed as a maid came up to the table to drop off their drinks, and Seras nodded to her, “Thanks, May.”
“You’re welcome,” May smiled and left.
Seras took a drink of her tall glass of O-positive before asking, “I wonder, sometimes, where Juri gets this from.”
“I decided a while back not to ask,” Integra admitted. “But it might explain why Hyatt falls over all the time,” she chuckled.
They drank quietly a few moments, until Seras finally couldn’t take the silence any longer. “I’m sorry,” she blurted out.
“For what?” Integra asked mildly.
“For letting you be hurt like that,” Seras said quietly, looking miserably down into her drink. The female vampire had walked right by her, and Seras hadn’t seen her. And then she had hurt Integra, while Walter barred Seras’s way.
A hand rested gently on hers and she looked up to see Integra’s gentle smile, “It wasn’t your fault, you know. She tricked us all.”
“I should have stopped her,” Seras sighed. More softly, “I couldn’t protect someone so important to me.”
Integra shook her head, “You did everything you could, Seras. Walter nearly killed you. He would have, too, if you had tried to get by him.”
Seras closed her eyes a moment, remembering the vigil they had all kept, waiting to hear if Integra was going to make it. And Seras wondering if they were ever going to talk again, if she would have the chance to say the things that needed to be said.
It took a great deal of effort for Integra not to show her surprise. She knew they were friends, of course, but she wondered, sometimes, what Seras really thought of her. ‘Someone important to me,’ Integra savored those words, even as she enjoyed having Seras sitting so close to her.
Integra honestly hadn’t realized that Seras felt so much guilt over her injury. She thought that if there was anyone to blame, it was herself. Seras squeezed her hand gently, and she looked up to meet those striking scarlet eyes.
“Don’t you start blaming yourself, either,” Seras said with a smile.
Integra looked over at her in surprise, then she began to laugh. “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?” she chuckled softly. She sipped at her drink thoughtfully, rolling the fine brandy around her tongue.
“I guess so,” Seras smiled back.
“You look so much better when you smile,” Integra found herself saying.
Seras looked quite startled, and Integra began to wish that she’d held those words back. Seras smiled again, softly, “Thank you. You could use a few smiles yourself.”
“I heard a soldier talking to his mates call me ‘stone-face’ once,” Integra admitted. Seras got a quite murderous expression on her face, so Integra held up her hand, “He implied I might break if I cracked a smile.”
Seras’s lips quirked upwards, obviously entertained by that little mental image. ‘I think she was actually ready to go out and fight to defend my honor,’ Integra thought. She found that it was kind of touching, really.
“I still don’t like someone saying something like that about you,” Seras grumbled. Softly, “It doesn’t do you justice.”
‘Did she just say what I thought she said?’ Integra wondered, looking at the now fiercely blushing Seras. Before she could bring herself to ask, a young woman took the karaoke stage, getting ready to sing.
Deciding to stick with safer topics, Integra asked Seras, “Have you ever done karaoke?”
The vampire gave her a look of blank surprise, “Well, no.”
“Not ever?” Integra asked, surprised. Even she had tried it once or twice, usually after a bit too much to drink. An idea began to occur to her...
Seras didn’t like the look on Integra’s face right then. She hadn’t seen that sort of impish look on her boss’ face before, but she just knew that it was going to be trouble. “What?” she asked her nervously.
“You’ve really never tried it before?” Integra asked. She didn’t wait for an answer, smiling slightly as she said, “Maybe it’s time you did.”
“Oh, no,” Seras held up her hands, “no way.”
A few minutes later, and Seras was up on the stage adjusting the microphone nervously while muttering, “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.” Integra was looking on with an impish smile on her face, so she began looking through the selections, until she slowly smiled. She hit a few switches, and the music started.
“I died, too many years ago,
But you can make me feel,
Like it isn’t so,
Why you come to be with me,
I think I finally know,”
With a flick of a switch, she jumped ahead to the song’s chorus, all the while smiling a just a bit devilishly at Integra,
“Let me rest in peace,
Let me get some sleep,
Let me take my love and bury it
in a hole six foot deep,
I can lay my body down,
But I can’t find my sweet release,
So let me rest in peace!”
Seras stepped down from the stage, and walked over to where Integra was sitting, looking up at her thoughtfully. “Did you pick out that song intentionally?” Integra asked her softly.
“Sort of,” Seras looked down shyly. “Before, you said Alucard’s not your type,” she started, her voice barely a whisper, “so what is your type?”
A gentle finger tilted her face back up, and Integra smiled at her. “I’ve always liked cute little blondes dressed in military uniforms, with red eyes, pale, soft skin,” and then more quietly, “and who make me smile.”
Seras sat there looking stunned, and Integra suddenly wondered if she had misjudged the situation. Then the blonde’s face lit up with a smile and she felt a bit better.
“You’re not playing, are you?” Seras asked her anxiously.
Integra shook her head, “No, I wouldn’t.” She paused, and more quietly, “But I shouldn’t be doing this. There’s nothing I can offer you...”
“I don’t understand,” Seras said, keeping Integra’s hand in her own.
“I can’t promise you anything, Seras. My life is not my own, pledged instead to Queen and country,” Integra said softly. She was a bit surprised to see the smile on Seras’s face.
“Is that so different than me, Integra?” Seras gently asked her. “I really should be dead right now, and someday I’ll meet my final end, but until then I intend to seize every moment that’s been given to me,” she smiled. “And after what happened to you,” Seras added quietly, “I’d never forgive myself for not taking this chance.”
“You deserve so much more than I can afford to give,” Integra murmured, looking away. “The best I can offer is a secretive affair, not a life or... more,” she sighed.
“And am I asking for that?” Seras said quietly, “I was in the army long enough to learn that all we really have is now. One night, tonight, and then we’ll see about tomorrow.” Integra felt herself pierced by those red eyes, “Do you want me?”
“Yes,” Integra admitted, her blood pounding in her veins, “very much.”
Seras surprised her again, smoothly rising even as she pulled Integra to her feet. “And I want you,” Seras smiled.
A slow number had started, and Seras gently led her to the dance floor. They flowed together, and for once in her life Integra had the pleasure of following, not leading the dance. Seras was nearly a head shorter, but somehow they fit together quite well, each enjoying the sensation of being gently pressed together.
“You dance quite well,” Integra smiled.
“Thank you,” Seras answered. She signaled with gentle pressure a turn, and Integral executed it without thinking. “You’re pretty good yourself,” she smiled back.
“All those formal events as a child,” Integra confessed. They swayed a few moments, “So what do we do now?”
“I’m trying to muster the courage to ask you to join me in one of the rooms upstairs,” was Seras’s shockingly honest reply.
“I think you just asked,” Integra paused, and found herself saying, “and I accept.”
Seras actually stopped moving a moment, “Did you just say what I think you did?”
“Yes,” Integra smiled.
Seras pushed the door shut behind them, and turned to see a remarkable pale looking Integra gazing nervously at the comfortable bed. “I’ll be back in a moment,” she said to her softly, and retreated into the suite’s small bathroom. Her uniform, piece by piece, hit the floor until Seras was completely nude.
The tie went first, gently laid out, the cross gleaming. Integra pulled off her shoes and socks clumsily, then stood up again. The dress jacket, then she folded up the pants. Her white shirt, and finally with shaking hands she removed her underwear.
Seras stepped out of the bathroom, and Integra found herself noting that, indeed, Seras really was a natural blond. Her pale skin glowed in the shadows, and she moved with a feline grace. “You’re beautiful,” Integra murmured softly.
“So are you,” Seras sighed as she looked her over. Integra was tall and lithe, but she was curved in all the right places, and with the compliment her normally severe expression was lit by a welcoming smile.
They moved together to the queen sized bed, laying down on top of the covers. Integra reached over to gently stroke at Seras’s hair, “I haven’t done this in a while.”
“Neither have I,” Seras admitted softly. She smiled, and gently pressed her lips to Integra’s. The kiss deepened, hands sliding to pull them closer until Seras let Integra pull back for some air. “That was nice,” she smiled.
“Very nice,” Integra said in a husky tone the Seras had never heard from her before. “I think it’s all coming back to me,” and she smiled impishly.
“Just like riding a bicycle,” Seras sighed softly as Integra gently slid her hands over Seras’s breasts, “it all comes back to you.”
A low sexy laugh was all the reply she got, and pretty soon both of them were a bit to occupied to talk. The hours passed by quickly, and it was not that long before dawn when Seras gently slid free from Integra’s embrace.
“I have to go,” Seras said softly, an involuntary yawn stretching her mouth.
“Make sure you’re home by dawn,” Integra cautioned her, getting up out of the bed to stand by Seras’s side. She gently cupped Seras’s face in her hands, “I love you.”
Seras went on tiptoe to lightly kiss her. “I love you, too,” she smiled. With a soft chuckle, “When you’re going home, just think of both of us being in that big mansion together, and how sneaky I can be.”
Integra laughed softly, “You know, I’m going to be as hard on you as anybody else, when we’re on duty. Off duty, though, things will be different.”
“I can hardly wait,” Seras smiled, and slipped out silently.
“I think I’m going to enjoy those sleepless nights at the mansion from now on,” Integra said to herself with a little smile. She slowly stretched, and was surprised to notice that the tension she normally felt was gone.
Chapter 4
Title: Four
Hellsing: A thousand years of nights gone by.
The sun set, falling behind the great crystal towers of the city that was the capital not just of this island nation formerly known as Japan, but of the entire world. The city was Crystal Tokyo, and within a darkened suite there two figures slowly stirred to wakefulness.
Integra Hellsing gradually opened up her eyes, smiling slightly when she realized that she was looking into the eyes of her one true love.
“Good evening,” Seras Victoria smiled at her warmly.
“Good evening,” Integra agreed, and gently kissed her on the lips.
“Tonight’s the night,” Seras pulled back quite reluctantly. She smiled ruefully, “We get to go find out why the Senshi have taken an interest in us once again.”
Integra nodded gravely.
They had received the phone call only a few nights ago, from an old friend of theirs. They had met May back when the two of them had first started going to the Locket, and quite surprisingly hit it off. May wasn’t human, instead something called a cyberdoll, but because of that she didn’t feel threatened by the two vampires at all. Down through the centuries, she had always stayed in touch with them, offering a sympathetic ear and occasionally more serious backup.
Right then, however, May looked a bit worried. She smiled at their greetings but then she said, “Sorry, but this isn’t a social call. Arisugawa Juri just paid me a visit, and it seems the Sailor Senshi are taking an interest in you.”
“The Sailor Senshi?” Seras blinked in surprise. The sailor soldiers had become more and more public over the passage of centuries, while the two of them had done just the opposite. It has hard to battle villainous vampires in the bright glare of publicity, so they had chosen to slip away from them into the darkness of the shadows.
“Which Senshi is interested in is?” Integra asked and from the look on her face she was already considering the situation and devising a plan.
“Lady Mercury,” May replied simply, “it seems that she wants to set up a meeting with Seras at Arisugawa’s Locket.”
“Is the Locket still neutral territory?” Seras asked curiously.
“Oh, yes,” May gave them an almost feral smile as she added, “and we’ve still got the power to back that up.”
“She just asked for Seras?” Integra asked thoughtfully.
“That’s the message that Juri passed on to me,” May agreed.
“From what I remember, Mercury wasn’t the deceptive type,” Seras offered.
“People do change,” Integra reminded her gently. “Still, I think we should meet her,” she said. She looked at May’s image, “Could you let her know that Seras’s willing to meet her?”
“And not mention you,” May smiled slightly, getting Integra’s point. She nodded, “I’ll let her know.” With that, she signed off with a cheery wave.
“Let’s go see what she wants,” Integra smiled at her lover, “and if she does try to pull something, I promise to make her regret it.”
For a moment, the look on her lover’s face reminded Seras of Alucard at his most dangerous. “Let’s just hope it’s not necessary,” she said fervently.
“Occasionally, you’re just too kind for this line of work,” Integra said, but there was fondness and caring in her tone of voice.
“And proud of it,” Seras smiled back.
The travel arrangement’s weren’t hard to make, a night flight from New London to Crystal Tokyo was arranged, and in a flight that took less than a hour to complete they were across the globe. They took a few hours to look the city over, this strange mix of buildings from the last thousand years, then retired for the day.
Which brought them back to now.
“Lets go out to out to the Locket early, check the place out,” Integra suggested.
Seras thought it was much better than standing about waiting for the right time, so she agreed. They walked the streets, surprised at how little crowds there really were there. “I think there’s less people around than in London back in the twentieth,” Seras said to Integra quietly.
“You could be right,” Integra agreed, a oddly worried look on her face, “and I’m not sure that’s a good thing or a bad one.”
They were pleasantly surprised to discover that the bar looked much the same from the outside. A holographic image had replaced the old neon sign, but the cheery words ‘Arisugawa’s Locket’ still glowed brightly with the locket opening underneath to reveal a pretty girl.
The bouncer, a black haired woman in leather, gave the two of them a thoughtful glance and a nod. “Seras?” she asked her quietly.
“Yes,” Seras nodded, feeling comforted by Integra’s fingers laced into hers.
“Cyber Six,” the woman introduced herself. “If anything happens, May and the others are ready to back you up,” she smiled.
“Thank you,” Integra said softly, and the two headed down the hall inside.
A young woman there greeted them both cheerfully, but they were busy taking in the bar with their eyes. It was as if a thousand years had simply not passed by inside here, it looked that much the same. A few of the staff were different, but other than that!
“Wow,” Seras murmured.
“Indeed,” Integra agreed.
The two collected their drinks at the bar, offering greetings to the bartender Mahoro. “You’re early,” May’s amused voice came up from beside them.
“You’ve kept the place the same,” Seras beamed at her.
“It’s a historic monument, if you can believe it,” May chuckled softly.
“You have to admit, keeping a bar open over a thousand years is a bit of achievement,” Integra noted with a little smile. She noticed Seras looking thoughtfully over at the karaoke stage and quickly said, “Oh, no! No way.”
“I wasn’t going to try and make you sing,” Seras smirked. A bit more quietly she added, “But I wouldn’t mind you joining me up there.”
Integra hesitated, and Seras gave her a sweetly sad glance, until finally she laughed softly and said, “All right, I’ll do it.”
“Have fun,” May gave them a wave as Seras tugged Integra gently over to the stage.
Seras climbed up on the stage first, an impish smile on her face, and pulled her nervously smiling lover Integra up after her. Seras held the mike and sang to her blushing vampire companion with a charming grin...
“I died, so many years ago
And you can make me feel
Like it isn’t so
But why you come to be with me
I think I’ve always known
Never scared
Embracing what you feel
And you can tell the one you love
You know I always deal
Go whisper in this dead girl’s ear
I’ll always make it real
That’s great
And I always wanna play
‘Cause being with you touches me
More than I can say
And since I’m still the dead to you
I’m saying come and stay
And let us rest in peace,”
The number got a bit more rock and roll, and Seras took on a bit of an flamboyant strut as she continued on singing to her,
“Let us rest in peace
Let’s go get some sleep
Let’s take our love and bury it
In a hole six foot deep
We can lay our bodies down there
And find that sweet release
So let’s go rest in peace!”
To the cheering of the crowd the two vampires stepped down from the stage, Seras offering her help to Integra in a most gentlemanly fashion. They noticed Ami Mizuno standing nearby almost immediately and Seras gave her a smile, “It’s been a long time, Mercury.” A raised eyebrow, “Would you care to join us at a table?”
“I’d be glad to,” Ami smiled back at her, not seeming too surprised that she had been recognized. They walked over to an empty table and Seras held out a chair for Integra, who smiled up at her gratefully.
Integra smiled at Ami slightly, “I suppose you’re wondering when I became a vampire?”
“To be honest, yes,” Ami admitted.
“Alucard did it,” Integra explained to her, “at my own request.” She took a drink of her glass of blood wine, “I don’t think he was too surprised at my request to stay with Seras.”
Seras looked over at Ami calmly, “So why did you want to see me?”
Looking like she was buying herself some time, Ami flagged down a waitress.
“Hi!” Excel bounced up and down happily. She took Ami’s order and was gone in a flash, returning in a few moments with the glass of brandy.
“I wanted to let you know about something,” Ami took a cautious drink. “I, along with a few other experts, have been doing research on vampirism, and the biological aspects of the change,” she explained.
“And?” Integra asked her leadingly.
Ami gave her a smile, “We think we may be able to cure some of the disabilities that come with vampirism, including the light sensitivity.”
Integra raised an eyebrow, “And the catch is?”
Ami gave her a respectful nod at that question. “The treatments are still experimental,” she explained to them, “and any possible side-effects are still unknown.”
Seras didn’t need very long to think about it before she answered her, “I can’t speak for Integra, but for me the answer is no.” With a slight smile she added, “I’ve adapted to what I am, and I don’t think that I would want to change it.”
Integra nodded even as she reached out to take Seras’s hand, “I would tend to agree.”
Ami smiled slightly, “That’s pretty much what I was expecting.” She leaned back slightly, “Are you planning to stay in Crystal Tokyo?”
The two vampires exchanged a silent glance and then Seras cautiously answered her, “For the near future, at least. Why?”
Ami quickly reassured them, “The Queen is organizing a meeting up at the palace, officially it’s a conference of the immortals.” A grin, “But I really think it’s just a chance to get all our old friends together. I think she’d love to see you there.”
“We’d be honored,” Integra smiled.
Ami looked up, noticing a familiar face hovering at the edge of the dance floor. “Looks like my lover has arrived,” she chuckled, “please excuse me.” She left the table and walked towards her with a smile on her face.
Seras watched her go, a slight smile on her face. “Looks like wee were worried for nothing,” she said quietly.
“Hmm, maybe so,” Integra agreed. “But I’d rather not take chances,” she smiled.
Seras reached out, stroking Integra’s silvery gray hair back from her face. “Remember the last time we were here?” she asked.
A faint blush actually appeared on Integra’s face as she answered, “How could I forget?”
“Wanna try it again?” Seras smirked.
The End.
Author’s Notes for Three Nights: This started out in a discussion on about the series Hellsing, and the possibility of a romance between Integra and Seras. My basic argument was that Integra was such a rigidly controlled young lady that for anything to happen there would have to be some very unusual circumstances. So I set about to create those circumstances...
This story is set in my fictional bar, Arisugawa’s Locket. The characters from that series are Arisugawa Juri (Rev. Girl Utena), Bones Minagi and Ryouko (Tenchi Muyo OVA/ Manga).
First, I had to get Integra off duty. I suspect that tough, cold exterior she maintains is a conscious thing, so by having her go to a club and relax a bit, I could get by that. I also wanted to take a look at how she acts in the series, giving her a more human perspective.
Secondly, I had to get Seras there. Having Arucard recommend her to Arisugawa’s Locket solved that problem, and raises the question of the vampire matchmaking the two of them!
Thirdly, I had to get them to open up to each other a bit. I thought having them each give their point of view of their first meetings would be a good way to do that, as well as continuing to give Integra a softer side.
I’ll also be revising this fic after I see the third DVD and beyond. I keep hearing about a blood sharing incident between Integra and Seras in the manga that I’d love to include! I’ve already revised this fic from a first draft that had them in bed together quite quickly. After a bit of consideration and commentary, I felt that wasn’t realistic for the characters.
I’ve gotten a certain amount of flack about my handling of Integra Hellsing. As we only really see her on the job, it’s my contention that ‘off-duty’ Integra is wide open for various interpretations. I also don’t consider my showing a softer side to the character to be that far in conflict with the TV version. But, everybody’s entitled to an opinion..
I just want to thank all the readers who reviewed this fic, positive or negative. I haven’t read such a spirited debate in a long time. -
Author’s Note for a Thousand Years of Nights: Some of the material from this chapter appeared in a somewhat different form in my fic: Eternal City, Crystal Tokyo: Part Six. I’m considering featuring them again in that series, possibly in an episode about anime monsters.
Additional Characters: May, from Hand Maid May. Cyber Six from Cyber Six. Mahoro is from Mahoromatic. Excel from Excel Saga. And finally, Ami Mizuno from Sailor Moon.
The song ‘Rest In Peace’ is from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, words altered by me.
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