It was getting close to evening when the rental car made its way into the Hellsing mansion. Parking close to the entrance, Ken and "Minnie" May Takazawa exited the car, once again making a call to their friend, the vampire known Irene "Rally" Vincent. But at the moment, Ken was looking rather uncomfortably at the decorative bag May was holding. "I don't know... are you sure that's the right idea, May?" he asked. "That might not be what they expected." "Why of course, silly!" May giggled. "I think Rally and Seras are going to enjoy this... little care package I thought of." "If they don't die again from embarrassment, that is," the brown-haired man commented to himself, smiling. However, when they got to the front door, they were halted by Pip Bernadotte, who was aiding several members of his men, the Wild Geese, with guarding the front door. "Nice to zee you again, Monsieur and Mademoiselle Takazawa," the one-eyed Frenchman said, bowing. "And what do we have here, non?" "Oh nothing, it's just a present for Rally and Seras," May said. "I gathered this up this afternoon and thought they would enjoy this." "Zat's very nice," Pip answered. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid I'm going to have to examine ze contents of ze package." "Now wait a minute," objected May, who had the bag taken from her by one of the Geese, who then handed it to Pip. "Zo sorry," Pip said, with a genuine look on his face, "but orders are orders... all packages have to be examined for explosives." He then began to peer into the bag, "Ze Hellsing Organization has a lot of enemies, particularly Iscariot, zo it would only be prudent if..." But once he got a look into the contents, the Frenchman's one eye bugged out. His face blushed furiously as he closed the bag, then handed it, rather abruptly, to his subordinate. "Hand eet back to her," he muttered to him. "Captain?" the soldier said. "Just do it," Pip grumbled irritably. Shrugging, the soldier handed the bag back to May, for which both her and Ken were ushered into the house. As soon as the door was closed, the subordinate leaned over to Pip and asked, "Captain, what was in that bag that you didn't make a thorough examination." Looking around to make sure the coast was clear, Pip leaned over and whispered, "Sex toys." "You've got to be kidding me?" the subordinate gasped. "I'm not. Zat whole bag was filled with vibrators, lubricants, dildos, all sorts of strap-ons and who knows what else," Pip muttered. "Now how would it look if we were to dump out all zat stuff right on ze ground, in ze open and handle zem?" The subordinate just looked up to the darkening sky and replied, "Not... very good." "Oui... not very good," Pip nodded. "Besides, Sir Integra trusts zem, so we might... overlook zese oversight in security, just zese once." XXX May had waited until the door was closed to start laughing, remembering the look on Pip's face upon seeing the contents. Ken just looked at his mirthful wife and commented, "At least you waited to go inside to laugh." "Well," May managed to say as she straightened herself up, "I didn't want to laugh in front of his men, Kenny. That would've been insulting to him... much as that pervert deserved it." "At least you have a sense of discression, that is for certain Mrs. Takazawa," Walter C. Dolnez, the Hellsing butler observed, walking to the couple. Walter then turned his attention to Ken and asked, "Mr. Takazawa, Sir Integra was wondering, if it is not any inconvenience, if you could give the Wild Geese a brief workshop on explosives handling. She had heard of your expertise from Miss Vincent, if it is accurate." "Glad to know Rally is giving me some promotion," Ken replied. "Tell Sir Integra that I agree," he turned to May and offered, "Would you like to come with me? I could use a little help." "Well I..." May began. "Oh there you are, May," Seras Victoria said, coming upstairs from the sub-basement levels. "Walter, I was wondering if I can take May with me to say hello to Rally?" Walter looked puzzled. "Are you certain Sir Integra will approve of this?" he asked. "Don't worry, I already asked her last night and she approved it," the yellow-clad Draculina replied back, kissing Walter on the cheek. "May, Rally wanted to talk to you when you arrive. I hope you don't mind." "That's fine with me," Ken said. "May, why don't you go ahead and say hi to Rally. You can join me after you're done." "Why of course," May said, but then turned to the Draculina and asked, "But Seras, it's still daylight. How come you're up?" "Oh I'm a little stronger than Rally," Seras answered. "Besides, it's almost sunset, so she'll be up soon. So, why don't we head downstairs." "Okay, but to tell you the truth," May began as they descended the stairs, "it looks kinda dark down there. I'm not so certain I can see too well in there." "That's alright. I can see perfectly down there," Seras replied cheerfully. "There is some illumination, so you won't be altogether blind in the corridors." She then noticed the bag May had, "Something for Rally?" "Well... it's really for both you and Rally," the blonde explosive expert answered as the two descended. "I figured... since you and Rally are... well, you know..." she blushed as she struggled to find the right words. Seras got the hint. "Oh, I see," she said. "Well, I'm certain me and Rally can make use of those," she had a devilish smile on her face, "... gifts you brought us." May simply chuckled at the Draculina's response. Thankfully, there was a little light, so she was more than confident she wouldn't run into something unexpected. The two walked down the claustrophobic, stone-lined corridor for a few seconds, then stopped in front of a wooden door – which didn't look that all different from the other doors is this dungeon-like enclosure. As Seras opened the door and ushered May inside, the explosives expert couldn't help but to notice the stark, Spartan interior, livened-up with a few dressers, a table, a small rug on the stone floor and what appeared to be a rather large, elegant canopy bed. While moving around the room, May noticed that there was one thing missing – namely Rally, who wasn't lying in the bed. Then May froze, her eyes growing wide with terror. On the floor beside the bed, there was a European-styled coffin, its lid closed. Pointing a trembling finger at the casket, May gulped once and said. "Uh... S-Seras... is... is that... is Rally...?" The Draculina saw May's reaction, then said matter-of-factly, "Yes, Rally's inside that coffin. She was wondering how it would be best to explain about her state of being, so she asked me to get her old coffin out of storage and bring it down here." Seras then walked to the head of the casket and kneeled down. "Do you want to see her?" she asked. "What?" May sputtered, not sure if she liked this sudden turn of events. "Uhh... but... what if Rally...?" "Oh it's alright. If you're wondering, Rally got cleaned-up and dressed before turning in," Seras replied, wondering if May thought that Rally was naked inside the casket. "I-I guess," May mumbled, still feeling doubtful. "Rally... won't mind, will she?" "May, Rally wanted you to see her in this coffin... mostly to show you a little of her world," Seras said, finally noticing the concern on May's face, "but she won't force you to see her if you don't want to." May digested this bit of information for a few seconds. "Well," she began, "if Rally really wants me to see her sleeping, then I guess it would be alright." Smiling, Seras nodded and slowly opened the lid of the coffin. Gradually, May's expression changed from doubt and fear – to wonder. Rally laid inside the casket, her eyes closed and hands crossed in repose. May was surprised to see that her friend was dressed in her favorite leather jacket, jeans and white turtleneck blouse. "Gosh," May breathed, feeling the early fear she had disappear, "I... I never thought she would look... so peaceful in there." Seras smiled, watching this scene. Then a look of shock came over her face. "On no, I just remembered! I've got to go upstairs and get the blood ration for the both of us!" She straightened herself up and headed for the door. "I won't be long, Rally. I just have to find Walter, that's all." "What?" May gasped. "Can... can Rally hear you?" "She can hear ALL of us, May," Seras said. "Just because she's sleeping doesn't mean she isn't aware of her surroundings!" Opening the door, she turned to May and said, "I'll be back soon. Don't worry about Rally, she won't hurt you." The Draculina then disappeared behind the door, which closed behind her. "Won't hurt me?" May repeated, who sat down on the canopy bed. For a few minutes, May sat and waited for Seras to return. Then her eyes made their way to Rally, who still laid asleep in her coffin. May couldn't help to notice that Rally chest wasn't moving up and down. 'It's as though she was dead,' she thought to herself. 'I wonder...' Steeling her courage, she made her way off the bed and knelt down next to her sleeping friend. "Uh... if you don't mind, Rally," she asked, "I'd like to... uh... check your pulse." Taking a deep breath, May gingerly closed her hand and placed two fingers against where Rally's carotid artery would be on her neck. May's eyes went wide as she touched Rally's ice-cold skin. 'No pulse! How can this be?' she thought to herself. Then Rally's eyes suddenly snapped open, the red-tinted orbs looking at her friend. "Hi May," she said, smiling. "AAAUUGGHHH!!!" May stumbled back, screaming in terror. However, she forgot about the bed behind her, stumbled and hit her head on the side. "OW!!" "MAY!!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT?" Rally called out, getting out of the coffin and quickly examining her friend. "Oh good, nothing's busted. You'll possibly only get a lump on that." The explosion came quickly. "DAMMIT ALL TO HELL, RALLY, WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SCARE ME LIKE THAT!?!" May angrily yelled, causing Rally to recoil in surprise. "YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK THE WAY YOU GOT UP!!!" She then settled down, but she was still fuming, "I don't understand. This isn't like you, Rally. You've always been so slow to get up. I remembered how I used to practically drag you out of bed when we had to go to the gunshop or on a job." May's memory recalled a particular event, which seemed to echo her feelings at the time... FLASHBACK, 14 MONTHS PRIOR... It was long before Rally and May had even heard of vampires, the Hellsing Organization and the like. A lot of Rally's old job as a bounty hunter involved the two going out on the road in search of bails jumpers escaping trial... for a percentage of the bond posted. On one of those missions, the two had managed to bed-in for the night at a small, but clean and comfortable motel. Right about the crack-of-dawn, May, always looking forward to the challenge of the hunt, had risen from her bed and stretched out, ever ready. But all of a sudden, her attention shifted to the bed next to her's, and a frown came over her face. There was two things in life that she hated the most, the first being a carefully-prepared charge not going off when she pressed the detonator, and the other... having to wake Rally up... and this morning was no exception. On the bed besides May's, Rally had laid down, clearly sound asleep. Getting out of bed, May had managed to walk over and shake her friend on the shoulder. "Okay Rally," she chirped as cheerfully as she could manage, "it's time to get up. That jumper isn't going to capture himself, y'know." Her efforts were met with the usual response: "Mmmm... later May," Rally sleepily mumbled, "I'm too tired... right now..." "Aw c'mon Rally," May whined, shaking Rally harder, "Becky said that the guy we're looking for is going to leave in the morning. If we let him get away, it'll be a few more days on the road, and I want to get back to Kenny." Rally instead fumbled her arm at her friend. "Go 'way... wanna sleep..." she groaned and turned over. "GEEZ! RALLY, SOMETIMES I WONDER WHY I STAY WITH YOU!!!" May yelled in frustration. The only answer she got from Rally was a quiet snore. After stewing for a few seconds, an idea came to her. Heading into the bathroom, she made sure the non-skid mat to the shower was down before turning it on to the coldest setting she can think of. "There," she said with self-satisfaction. "Now for the hard part." Returning to the main room, May pulled the covers off Rally's bed and forced her friend, dressed in a black sports bra and panties, to her feet. "Wha-what?" Rally grumbled, still half-asleep. "C'mon Rally – up and at 'em. We've got a big day ahead of us," May cheerfully said, guiding Rally to the bathroom. "Aw please, May," the dusky-skinned bounty hunter whined sleepily as she stumbled about, "jus' a few more minutes, willya..." "I'm sorry if I have to this, Rally," May said as she opened the shower door, "but this is for the best!" Then in one swift motion, she shoved her friend into the ice-cold shower while shutting the door behind her. "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Rally shrieked, the icy water hitting her skin. "SHIT!!! THAT'S COLD!!! MAY, YOU LITTLE BITCH, I'M GONNA GET YOU FOR THIS!!! NOW GET ME OUT OF HERE, I'M FREEZING!!!" For the next few seconds, Rally stumbled and slipped inside the shower, all the while making clear threats against May's person. May, in the meantime, was holding the door closed, cackling maniacally as she did. When she did release the latch, Rally stuck her head out the door, shivering and dripping wet. "Very funny, May," she grumbled, her blue eyes staring daggers at her friend. "Well now that you're up," May smirked, "why don't you finish your shower? I need to use it too, y'know. I'll see you at the complimentary continental breakfast." "Okay, okay, just let me get warmed-up first," Rally sourly snarled, planning the first opportunity she has to flush the toilet while May is showering. END FLASHBACK... Rally thought about this for a moment, possibly thinking about the same incident. "Sorry about that, May," she chuckled. "You know, you're right about the 'waking-up' thing. I guess it's because my sleeping cycles are now tied to sunsets and sunrises. The minute the sun sets, then I'm up, not the way it used to be. I can't explain it any more than that." "I... guess it wasn't your fault after all, if you put it that way," May muttered, feeling embarrassed about her outburst. "I'm sorry about yelling you like that, Rally." She then decided to change the subject, "I was really surprised about seeing you in that box," pointing at the coffin. "When saw you just lying there like that, it was almost as... as if you were dead." "I AM dead, May," Rally answered after a long pause, the look in her face a combination of sorrow and peaceful calm. "I'm a corpse, only animated into something resembling life." Rally then looked her friend in the eye and added, "And believe me, there are times I wish I never made that choice to become a vampire. But Goldie had you in her grubby hands, and I couldn't leave this world thinking you were in danger. And if I had to make that decision again... I'd do it in an instant!" "But it seems so surreal," May observed. "You say you're dead, and yet you're alive." "Want proof?" the dusky-skinned vampire said, a small smile on her face. "Feel my pulse, like you did before I woke up." Surprised, May skittishly complied with Rally's wishes. "C'mon," Rally implored, smiling wider, "I won't bite." "Very funny, Rally," May grumbled, not liking the pun. She then again pressed her fingers again against Rally neck, and again was greeted with no pulse from her friend. "Still can't feel a thing, can you?" asked Rally. May nodded. "May, I haven't had a heartbeat since I died on that warehouse floor a few months back. My heart, along with my other organs, are nothing but necrotic things, totally useless... except for my stomach, that is. I only breathe if I need to talk." She then sighed and mumbled, "Oh man, I wish Master would hurry-up with that blood. I'm famished." "Rally, there's something else I want to ask you, now that I think about it," May offered. "You keep calling Seras 'Master'. Why is it? You make it sound like you're Seras' slave." "Seras IS my master," Rally began, "and I AM her slave. When she took my blood in that warehouse, she also taken my soul into her. As a result, I became her servant, and I'll remain her servant until she frees me." "I don't know," May said, shaking her head. "It sounds so cruel." "Master isn't too happy about it, either," Rally chuckled, patting May on the shoulder. "But it was the same way for her and Alucard, until he felt she learned enough to free her. When he did, she became even more powerful than before." May thought for a while, then decided to ask, "From what you've said, when the time is right Seras will be able to free you, just like Alucard did with her. How will she do this?" "I'll drink HER blood," Rally said plainly. "When I do, then I'll be able to take back my soul from her and become a true vampire... which means I'll be free to do whatever I want and go wherever I please." "Like return to Chicago?" May asked, wondering. "Possibly... but I feel I'm doing a whole lot of good while I'm here with the Hellsing Organization," explained Rally. "Besides, there's something going on with these chipped FREAKs we keep running into... something that I don't like. And I've got a feeling that Integra, Walter, Pip, Alucard and Master are going to need all the help they can get to find whoever's responsible for the chip that makes them. And of course, there's still Iscariot and the Vatican to deal with, which means I might run into that crazy priest Anderson or whoever they throw at us. So I'm afraid my place is here, even when Master frees me." "Well... that's my Rally for you," May chirped, "always thinking about other people than herself." Rally smiled at her friend's assessment, but then that smile faded when she got a mental message from Seras, 'Rally, I'm sorry that I have to tell you this, but I'm afraid that blood may take a while. Sir Integra is having me work on a report from last night and Walter's still at the training grounds with Kenny.' 'Oh alright, Master. It's just... I'm getting hungry right now,' Rally pleaded in her mind. 'Don't fret, Rally. I'm confident you'll find something,' Seras reassured. May happened to notice Rally's change in mood. "Excuse me... but is there something wrong, Rally?" Rally sighed, then said, "Yeah... seems Integra's got Master cornered with some paperwork right now. And just as I'm getting hungry." May could only look at her friend with sympathy, knowing her plight. Then a thought came over her. "Hey Rally," she said, pulling up the sleeve of her right arm, "why don't you take a little blood from me?" "W-WHAT!?! MAY, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!" Rally gasped, horrified. "I'm not," May said, surprised by her friend's reaction. "I really don't know why you're stressing over this. I mean, you gave Seras some of your blood before you became a vampire." "That was because I was a virgin at the time!" Rally added. "May, you were originally a prostitute, and now you're a married woman! If I were to bite you, now that you're no longer a virgin... you'll turn into a ghoul!" "What are you talking about?" the blonde asked, confused. "What the hell is a ghoul?" Rally looked May dead in the eye and said, "Remember what happened to those bobbies last night... when those FREAKs drank their blood?" "ULP!!" Trembling from the memory, May added, "N-n-now that you mentioned it, Rally... I guess that wouldn't be a good idea." 'Rally,' Seras' voice sounded in the dusky-skinned vampire's mind, 'there IS a way around that, if you remember.' Rally thought for a minute, then thumped her head and said out loud, "Oh... THAT! How stupid of me!" May looked confused as Rally repeated mentally, 'Thanks, Master. I forgot about that for a second.' "Rally... what are you talking about?" May asked, getting her friend's attention. "Hold on for a second, willya May?" The blonde explosive expert nodded, at which time Rally reached into the folds of her leather jacket, concentrating as she did. She soon extracted what appeared to be a manicure case. "What's that?" May asked. Rally smiled and said, "Watch and see." She unzipped the case and presented the contents to May – disposable scalpels, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment packets and plastic bandages. "Integra gave me this in case I needed to get blood for nourishment but not needing to kill for it." Getting out a scalpel and wipe, she added, "Normally, it would be a member of the Wild Geese, Walter or Integra who might volunteer but since you offered to give me some of your blood, I thought it would be good practice in case an emergency sprang up. Now don't worry, May – just so long as I don't bite you, you'll be okay." "I guess," May whimpered as she rolled-up her sleeve. "But you know me around those medical things... I even get scared around hypodermics." "Don't I remember," Rally chuckled as she wiped the site she chose to cut. As she positioned the scalpel, however, she noticed her friend was cringing. "Hey May... look up at me," she offered. Gingerly, the blonde girl glanced at her friend. Briefly, Rally's eyes glowed a bright red, staring directly at May's face – which seemed to be dazed for a brief moment – just the time Rally needed as she made the cut, a small nick on the skin. "There, all done," she said. "Huh?" May mumbled, then she noticed the small wound on her arm. "What... how...?" she sputtered. "I put you into a small trance before I cut you," Rally explained. "That was why you didn't see it or feel a thing." She then hungrily looked at the wound, which was producing a good quantity of blood. "Oh boy... that looks so good!" She then placed her lips over the wound and drank the amount of the warm fluid that flowed out, careful not to nick May with her sharp fangs. Rally only drank for a few seconds, then cleaned the wound, placed ointment over it and covered it with a bandage. "Thanks, May. At least that'll keep me until Master gets the blood for me." "Glad to help," May said. "Hey, why don't we head on upstairs and see how Kenny's fairing with the Wild Geese?" "Sounds good to me," answered Rally. " I know Kenny would appreciate you helping him out with the Geese. I'll let Master know I'm headed up with you." "You got it." As May got up, she took another look at the canopy bed and added, "You know... I would have thought that you and Seras had coffins in here, not this nice bed." "May... that bed IS a coffin," Rally laughed, noticing later May's surprised reaction that she was sitting on a coffin. As the two made their way out of the room, Rally pointed to the bag that was at May's feet and said, "Hey, you forgot something." "Oh that's for you and Seras. Now c'mon, I want to help out Kenny." "Uh... okay, May," Rally mumbled, already wondering what perverted items May had placed inside that bag that was for her and Seras. XXX The two of them made their way to the Hellsing Organization's outside training grounds, where Ken, who was joined by his wife, was running a clinic on proper explosives handling to the Wild Geese, with several examples of charges, grenades and mines on a table before him. Many of the men, at first, felt that this was entirely unnecessary and wanted to dodge the meeting. It was only after a scathing word from both Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing and Pip that the men finally paid attention. While Ken and May lectured on the proper way to handle claymore mines, Sir Integra happened to glance behind her. Both Seras and Rally were standing close together, each with a unit of whole blood in their hands. From the furtive glances both were giving each other, it was evident that some – intimate details were exchanged between the two vampires. Sir Integra briefly smiled at this, and wished with all her heart that she could openly share the same feelings with the yellow-clad Draculina, whom she was in love with. However, she sighed her discouragement – Sir Integra still felt that she should remain the chaste, distant leader of the Hellsing Organization, where her personal feelings leave little for herself. Little that she realized that Seras had noticed this. 'You know, Rally,' she told her fledgling telepathically, 'I wish Integra could finally be honest with herself. She is the only one that's hurting because of her stubbornness.' 'Give her time, Master... give her time,' replied Rally, placing a hand on Seras' shoulder while sipping her blood. 'I will, Rally.' Seras then looked at her fledgling with a mischievous smirk and added, 'By the way... I noticed the way you were looking at that new maid that just got hired a while back. Thinking about talking to her?' 'Wha-what are you talking about, Master?' Rally thought, a little flustered. Seras chuckled aloud before continuing mentally. 'I really don't mind. C'mon, just because I still have something of a relationship with Integra doesn't mean you can't indulge.' 'You... you've... listen, I don't like to say you're crazy... but I just simply can't go talking to other girls just because you do!' Rally felt a little embarrassed about what Seras was suggesting. 'I mean... I wouldn't mind if I flirted with her a little... but actually trying to get into a relationship with her? What will everybody say if I did that?' 'You really shouldn't concern yourself with human matters, fledgling,' Alucard's voice sounding in both Rally and Seras' heads as the No-Life King, not wearing his hat and glasses, made his presence known, appearing between the two women vampires. 'We Midans are not bound by their moral standards, even though you might think so.' He then glanced over to Rally, and while smiling, said aloud, "Perhaps you should take up your master's suggestion... Rally Vincent." "Just what are you talking about, Alucard?" Sir Integra put in, inciting a panicked look on Rally's face. "Oh... just the private matters between vampires, my master," the red-clad vampire offered. "Nothing that might concern you. And no, it is not about hunting." Rally breathed a sigh of relief. "You know," she whispered irritably to Alucard, "I was afraid you were going to blab about what me and Master were talking about, if that little bit you pulled last night about our love life was any indication." Alucard said nothing, but just smiled. In the meantime, Ken had finally finished his lecture on the use and handling of explosives. "Well, is there any questions I might answer?" "Si," Sergio, the Spanish soldier from last night offered. "Why the hell do we have to learn all this? We're mercenaries after all. We should know this stuff." Sergio's question was answered with a sharp rap on the head by Pip. "Because, ediot," the one-eyed Frenchman snarled in an irritated voice, "eet always helps if we are reminded of zese!" Pip then eyed his men sternly and added, "Just because we are mercenaries doesn't mean we can't benefit from a little extra education." He then picked-up a claymore mine, "For instance, we may have to set-up several of zese some distance away from a fall-back position. If we run into a group of ghouls, all we do is retreat behind the mines, lure ze ghouls into ze trap, hit ze detonator, and... BOOOM ... finis!" He then slung his long braid around his shoulders and concluded with, "Besides, Walter had told me he is thinking of customizing a special grenade for taking out a good quantity of zese FREAKs... but eet won't help if we don't know what we are doing!" He then turned to Ken and May and offered his thanks to them. "Just what I would have said, Captain," Sir Integra added. "Even though these mines may not completely destroy all the ghouls, they can be sufficiently disabled for you to put them out of their miseries." The Wild Geese took some time to think this over, then all of them voiced their agreement. In the meantime, Rally, her bag of blood still in her hand, walked over to May. "I was wondering," she began, "if you and Kenny were going to come by tomorrow night." "Afraid not," May answered, sounding slightly disappointed. "Me and Kenny are going to be taking the train at St. Pancras Station to Folkestone tomorrow morning. We're going to catch the Eurostar shuttle to Pas de Callas." A dreamy look came over her eyes as she added, "I can't wait to see Paris!" "And after that," Ken added, "we'll be taking a flight over to Beijing, seeing the sights there." "At least it'll make sure I'm not rusty on my Cantonese... and my Mandarin, not to mention my Hunan and Szechuan," finished May. Rally giggled, taking another sip from her blood. "You and Kenny are doing the 'world-tour' bit then?" she said. "Just make sure you avoid Rome for the time being, May," Sir Integra offered. "Granted, it is a very lovely city and worth visiting... but I wouldn't want you two to run into Iscariot's agents. They DO have files on you and Rally, so I wouldn't be surprised if they found information on your husband as well." "Right," May agreed. "The last thing I want to face on my honeymoon is that crazy priest again." XXX The meeting finally broke up, and the Geese made their way to the training grounds, thankful to get in needed practice. In the meantime, Sir Integra and her group made their way to the front gate, where Ken and May were getting ready to leave. "It is a shame we do not have any time to talk further," the Hellsing leader said. "I am certain that Rally would appreciate it." "Yeah," May said, "but Kenny and I have to get our rest before we catch the train tomorrow." She and Ken then walked up and hugged Rally for a final time, this time better prepared for the coldness of her body. "I'll see if I can get a souvenir from Beijing mailed-off to you – lead-free, of course!" "Hey don't worry about it, May. It's not like it's going to kill me, you know," Rally laughed. "Besides, I already got the souvenir I wanted – you and Kenny together." "Glad to hear about that, Rally," Ken offered. "Still, we'll get you that gift." Seras then hugged May herself. "Take care, May." "I will Seras," May answered, then whispered into the Draculina's ear, "And please... take care of Rally for me." "I will – don't worry," Seras whispered back. As soon as May and Seras parted, the blonde explosives expert joined her husband inside the car, which Ken then proceeded to drive off, the others waving goodbye. After the car was out of sight, Rally looked around. "Hmmph... wouldn't you know it?" she grumbled, "Alucard isn't here to wish them off as well." "Oh I'm certain Alucard has his own method of seeing to their safe departure, Miss Vincent," Walter commented. "Well... he better not scare them, that's all I got to say," Rally grumbled further before proceeding into the mansion. XXX As if to punctuate Walter's assessment, as Ken and May's car made their way to a hotel the center of London, Alucard stood upon the parapet of a building, wearing his full garb as he watched the two entered their hotel. Normally, he wouldn't even think of guarding mere humans... but they were Rally's friends; he felt obligated to watch over them. Quite suddenly, though, the No-Life King swung around to his left, Joshua in his hands. "What are you doing here... Judas Priest?" he snarled. "Just calm yerself, y' damned abomination," Father Alexander Anderson calmly said, stepping out of the shadows. "Don't ye worry, Ah'm not here t' cause trouble. Besides, can't a couple o' enemies fer once in a while be civil?" "It depends, Catholic," Alucard growled, lowering Joshua but keeping the gun in his hands. "Somehow, I doubt Archbishop Maxwell would allow you to trespass on these islands for no reason." He eyed Anderson suspiciously and added, "Why are you here?" "Just to observe, nothing more." The priest watched as Ken and May entered the hotel. "So, Ah see th't 'arlot May Hopkins made 'erself a proper woman. Ah hope those two 'ave a 'appy marriage, God willing." "Somehow, I've got a feeling that confirming the Takazawas' marriage is not why you're here," Alucard muttered, still looking at Anderson. "Ye can read me like a book, ye devil," Anderson smirked, chuckling. "Very well... Section XIII is a little concerned about Rally Vincent... an' not about 'er... rather scandalous relationship with 'er master, Ah might add. Rather, it is about th't brief battle she and Ah had back in Chicago." "What about that?" the red-clad vampire growled. "If I recall, she managed to face you down equally." "Th't's th' problem," Anderson added, completely serious. "She was only undead fer a few hours, and yet she was able t' manifest abilities th't a fledgling wi' more experience could only accomplish. Granted, this may 'ave been because of 'er experience while she was living... but it is a concern th't Section XIII cannot ignore." Alucard smiled evilly, remembering how Rally was able to summon her small army of familiars – which were of Goldie Muso and two of her henchmen. "So... what is Iscariot going to do about it, however pitiful it may be?" he asked, still smiling. Anderson tensed up, anticipating a battle, but remained calm. "Fer now... nothing. She's still a fledgling, bound by 'er master. But if she were to grow any stronger, then we may 'ave to take action against 'er... if not me, then maybe others that Iscariot may assign to th' task." "I'm liking the possibility of seeing a battle that Rally might be in," Alucard smirked. "Who knows... she might even send you or Heinkel or Yumie straight to Hell one of these days. Now if you don't mind, I would like you to remove your presence before I decide to end this truce." "Oh Ah'm leavin' don't ye worry about th't," Anderson smirked, moving away from Alucard's side, "but Ah assure ye... it will be Rally Vincent th't will go straight to damnation, not Iscariot." The priest then silently disappeared, leaving the No-Life King to himself. 'Master,' Alucard began telepathically, 'have you been monitoring this?' 'I have, Alucard... and thank you for informing me,' Sir Integra replied. 'So, Iscariot has taken an interest in Rally. However, if they think that she will be an easy target, then we have to make sure that it will be a fatal error on their part.' 'You have confidence in Rally Vincent, do you?' Alucard smirked. 'Of course I do. Now if you will excuse me, I have work to do right now.' 'By all means, my master,' Alucard replied, who slowly disappeared from the rooftop. XXX Sir Integra sighed, not liking the news of Iscariot's observation of her friend. Rubbing her temples, she then decided to return to the piles of paper that seemed to be constantly on her desk. However, she was distracted by a knock on her door. "Come," she commanded, extracting a cigar from her humidor. Rally opened the door. "Oh good, you're in." Entering the office, she stepped in front of the desk. "Master was wondering if we had anything to do tonight, so she asked me to find out from you." Lighting the cigar, Sir Integra looked at her friend and said, "No, there is nothing of concern tonight. Why do you ask, Rally?" "I'm not really sure, Integra," Rally replied. "I'm going to see if I can get a few rounds in with the Geese at the target range." She then turned for the door. "Rally?" the Hellsing leader then asked, causing the dusky-skinned vampire to stop in her tracks. "Yes, Integra?" Rally implored. "Oh... it is nothing. There was something on my mind, but it will wait until later." "Okay," Rally smiled. "See you tomorrow night." She then exited the office. XXX After descending from the third floor, Rally turned in the direction of the compound's shooting range, where she hoped to do target practice. "Oh Miss Vincent?" Walter's voice called from the sub-basement stairs. "Yes, Walter?" Rally asked, turning around. "Oh good. Miss Victoria asked be to tell you that your presence is requested at your quarters," the butler began, "and from what I've been able to gather, that request was in the form of an order." "Okay, okay," Rally moaned. "Well, there goes target practice for tonight. But I wonder why she didn't telepathically tell me about it?" "I am not certain," Walter began, "but at the time, she began to examine that bag Mrs. Takazawa had brought over and..." "WHAAAT!?!?! OH CRAP, SHE WOULDN'T!?!?" Despite rules to the contrary, Rally ran down the stairs, a look of panic on her face. Walter, in the meantime, just watched the young vampire race down the stairs, a small smile on his face. "Oh I really do not think it is any reason to worry, Miss Vincent. After all," he said to himself, calmly dusting the upstairs banister, "it IS a fledgling's duty to please her master." XXX "MASTER... WAIT!!!" Rally gasped, crashing through the door, "I'VE GOT TO WARN YOU THAT IF MAY STOCKED THAT BAG, THAT MEANS... EEEEEPPP!!!" Seras was sitting at the coffin/bed, calmly laying out the various sex toys down on it. She was not in uniform, instead dressed in panties, and a T-shirt that barely covered her large breasts. "Oh good, you're here, Rally," she began, a seductive smile on her face. "I was going over these wonderful gifts May had given us. I must admit, she has good taste." She then held up one particular strap-on dildo – one with phallic protusions on the inside of the wearer's crotch as well as up-front – and added, "And this one is just your size, too. With this, you can please yourself as well as me." Seras then got up and pulled-off her shirt and stood in front of Rally, then placed her fledgling's hand on one of her breasts, "Rally, I know you're a little bashful about this – but you ARE my fledgling," she purred, "and you must do as I say – remember?" For a few seconds, Rally's mind was completely numb, her hand absently stroking Seras' bare breast, as well as hearing her moan. Then clarity finally came, as well as the previous panic easing. "What the hell," she said, drawing Seras into her arms. "You have a bad habit of being right – and I do love pleasing my master, after all." "I'm glad you agree with me," Seras purred as she and Rally sank onto the bed, kissing each other deeply as they did.
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