The Hellsing Heir 15b/?

[melrose_stormhaven]

Disclaimer: I do not own Hellsing. If you sue me, I won't be able to finish my fanfic. Would you like that?

Freetalk: Sorry for the long delay! If you're wondering what's taking me so long to finish this, go to my journal. This chapter almost focuses solely on Christina. You'll find out later why. Anyway, here it is!

This fanfiction is as always, lovingly dedicated to Muraki-chan a.k.a. damned caeli, Momo, and Stella. I also give this to Eden, who patiently waits for this. Duria, this is for you as well ^__^.


Chapter XV: …Only the Heart Can Feel, Part 2


"Christina!"

Christina Elizabeth Hellsing heard her mother's sharp cry like the crack of a whip in the darkness that suddenly covered them like a thick, smothering blanket. She instinctively reached for her mother, stretching out her hand, searching for the familiar warmth of her mother's grasp, but the darkness did not allow her to. It swallowed her up, plunging her into the void of unconsciousness.

Cradled in the darkness, Christina seemed to float in it, suspended in the air like a bubble–until she felt something rough pressed against her cheek, against her body. It was hard, unyielding, and cold, like a block of ice. Startled by the chilling cold that seemed to seep into her body, she opened her eyes, and found herself in the darkness once more. Her scarlet eyes could barely see anything in her jet-black surroundings.

The room then exploded into light.

Christina squinted her eyes, then raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sudden, almost blinding brightness. As her eyes began adjust to the light, she realized she was lying nearly facedown on a bare stone floor. She took a deep breath, throwing a sudden coughing fit as she inhaled the musty air.

She pressed her palms against the floor, flinching slightly at the feel of ice-cold stone that seemed to burn into her, and slowly rose. She absent-mindedly dusted herself, grimacing at the rumpled state of her dress. Then she raised her head and looked around. Where am I? Am still in the castle?

Books. So many books, Christina thought as her eyes swept over the place. She was in the middle of a large windowless room, almost as big as her mother's study. Several tall wooden bookshelves lined the stone walls, almost circling the whole room; each of them was filled top-to-bottom with books. At one end of the room was a single, but long, rectangular table. Hovering above it, attached to the ceiling, swung an old-style electric lamp, looking quite out of place in this dusty room.

Behind the table was a tall, wooden cabinet and another shelf. An overturned chair lay not far from the table. Scattered on the floor were heavy, iron chains of various lengths, their manacles gaping open. Silence reigned in the room; all she could hear was the sound of her breathing.

The heir to Hellsing cautiously approached one of the shelves, and randomly selected one of the books on it. The book's pages were a brittle yellow, its cover a grimy blue. Wiping away the thick layer of dust on the book's cover, Christina read its barely visible silver-embossed title. Darkest Magyk. Frowning, she put the book back and pulled about another one, a book with a greenish cover and yellowed, cracked pages. It had no title, and it was filled with pictures of pentagrams and strange creatures.

Christina went through the other books, and found their contents roughly the same with the first two books. Books of dark magic…in this place. What does this all mean?

She looked around once more, her gaze sweeping down to the cold stone floor. A black diagonal line intersected with a straight line and another line. Strange. Frowning, she traced the lines with her eyes. When she was finished, she took a small step back. The lines formed a pentagram.

On the floor were two five-pointed stars of different sizes, the slightly larger one enclosing the other. In the spaces between two points of the combined stars were various symbols, one of them shaped like a candelabra. A circle enclosed the stars and symbols. The circle was in turn encircled by strange letters.

It looks familiar, Christina thought. I've seen this before but where?

Then it struck Christina. Alucard's seal! She gazed numbly at the symbols before her. These are the symbols on his gloves, just without the Hellsing family words, but they're the same…but what are these doing here?

Christina knelt carefully on the ground, flinching slightly at the contact of cold stone on her skin. Without thinking, she put her hands on the symbols.

A sudden, powerful torrent of images and sounds flooded Christina's mind and senses as soon as she touched one of symbols. The images were sharp and clear, the sounds alive and audible. She tried to pull away, but the force of those images and sounds where too powerful to break free of. She was sucked into them, like a small canoe swirling into a whirlpool.

Dressed in an unbuttoned long-sleeved shirt and a pair of trousers, a middle-aged man stood not far from where Christina was. He had reddish hair, slightly peppered with gray. He looked familiar with his bushy brows and sharp blue eyes. He held a huge book in his hands, bowing slightly at its weight, and he spoke in a language Christina could not understand. The words came, rapid, almost musical…like a chant.

Candles filled the room, bathing the room with their eerie glow, shadows constantly shifting around them. Their smoky scent was touched with a bit of something Christina could not identify. A herb, probably…

A sudden piercing, bloodcurdling howl echoed in the room, making Christina jump. It was howl full of fury and pain. The sharp rattling sound of chains being shook and dragged against the floor followed it.

Gazing past the old man, Christina saw for the first time a dark shadowy figure concealed in the darkness that seemed to surround him like a blanket. The figure writhed as if enduring excruciating pain, long snakelike arms clawing towards the old man, but thankfully restrained by the chains. The figure was enormous, towering over the old man. Its red eyes glowed with unearthly fury.

The figure howled again as a red glow suddenly surrounded him as the man's chants became louder and faster. A string of vile and crackling vituperations in a strange language poured forth from the figure. Then in a deep, cold voice that Christina found very familiar, the figure rasped, "You will regret this, Professor. You and your descendants will regret this day you bound me to you. I will make sure of that!"

The old man lifted his head, looked straight into the figure's blazing red eyes, and smiled. "We shall see, my dear Count. We shall see."

Then, in a flash, it was over, and suddenly Christina was back in the room, awkwardly sprawled on the floor. Her palms were damp but strangely warm at the same time. Cold sweat trickled down from her forehead and from the nape of her neck. She carefully stood up, closing her eyes to stop herself from getting light-headed. What in bloody HELL was that? she asked herself as she finally got to her feet.

"Do you not still understand, my dear Miss Christina? Can you not feel it?" a familiar, musical voice said mockingly from behind her.

Christina stiffened at the voice, recognizing it immediately. She turned and said calmly, "I should have known you would have something to do with this, Adrian." Her scarlet eyes blazed with barely controlled anger as she regarded the vampire that managed to earn her undying hatred.

Adrian stepped out of the shadows, wearing black leather breeches and boots paired with a shirt heavily streaked with red. Blood, Christina judged from the acrid, rusty stench coming from Adrian. He was still as beautifully handsome as ever, his long blonde hair falling softly across one shoulder. He was smiling maliciously at her, as he always did whenever they met. "I see you have not forgotten my name. I am quite touched. I thought you had forgotten all about me."

"Where are we?" Christina asked. She stood still, her scarlet eyes focused on the vampire in front of her.

"One of the many secret rooms of Castle Greystone."

Christina felt relieved that she was still in the castle, but remained expressionless. "What do you want from me? I tire from these endless meetings with you. I have better things to do than seeing your face." Her chin lifted. "Now that we have had the obligatory chit-chat, let us get to the point." Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits and her voice hardened. "What. Do. You. Want. From. Me?"

Adrian's smile widened. "Impatient, are we not? But then, I too, grow impatient. It is time you know you learn the truth, my dear Miss Christina, of who you really are." Then, with a slight flick of his hand, he sent a sudden and powerful gust of wind to Christina.

The attack was so sudden that Christina barely had the time to dodge it. She raised her arms protectively in front of her and crouched slightly. She gasped as the blast hit her on the stomach, and her back slammed into a shadowy wall, knocking the wind out of her lungs. Dazed, she raised her head, struggling to stand up straight. Her eyes widened when she saw a ball of fiery red energy heading her way. As the scarlet ball exploded before her, she pressed closer to the wall and closed her eyes.

Then Christina felt herself slid into wall, then into the darkness.

It felt like she was sinking into a quicksand, the pull slow but steady. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly felt herself falling into the darkness.

Christina then landed rear-first into hard, solid ground. She winced at the pain, and opened her eyes, gazing at the stone wall in front of her. Looking around, her eyes widened in astonishment when she saw a big, four-poster canopied bed to her right. She looked around, noting the vanity a few feet away from her and the chairs scattered in the room. A closet stood beside the vanity.

Something sticky and wet trailed down Christina's cheek. She touched it, wiping it with her hand. She then gazed at her hand. A red smear stained her hand. She had probably been wounded in the face by Adrian's attack.

Christina slowly rose to her feet, her eyes trained on the wall in front of her. She carefully touched the wall. It was as cold and as solid as glacial ice. How did she end here? Did she pass through the wall? I couldn't have passed through the wall! I can't possibly do that!

"How long will you deny who you are?" Adrian's mocking, musical voice made her whirl around. Adrian stood a few feet in front of her. "Have you already forgotten what I told you in Hellsing Manor? You are one of us."

Christina's scarlet eyes blazed with anger. "You are lying!"

Adrian only smiled at her outburst. "My dear sweet Miss Christina," he said in a honeyed voice, "I never lied to you. It is your mother who lies to you. Did she not lie about your father?"

The heir to Hellsing said nothing, but Adrian could see the doubt in her eyes. He went on in the same voice. "Integral concealed many things about you and your heritage. She told you of your biological father, the owner of this castle, Christopher Henry Greystone, but she never told you of your other father."

"My other father?"

"Alucard, of course." Adrian's smile widened. "Alucard is your father, little one."

"That is completely absurd!" Christina knew her mother. Integral Wingates Hellsing would never allow anything like that to happen. "My mother would never allow something like that. She would have never consented to it! Alucard is not my father!" However, even as she spoke those words, Christina found herself doubting their truth. Adrian's allegation that Alucard was her father would explain so many things. It would explain the strong powerful metaphysical bond she felt with Alucard, her somewhat heightened senses and physical abilities, her mother's almost obsessive urge to keep her away from Alucard, and most of all, the color of her eyes.

Scarlet eyes. The color of fresh, warm blood. Eyes of the same shade as Alucard's.

No. It cannot be true. Alucard is not my father. He is NOT!

Adrian raised one eyebrow. "Did I say your mother consented? Integral didn't, you know. She hated what Alucard did to her. She even hated you. She felt she had disgraced her blood when you were born. Why do you think she acted so cold and formal towards you? You are just a thing to her. The means to an end."

"I don't believe you," Christina said through tightly clenched teeth. Her hands curled into tight fists. Her eyes darted towards the door. If she could only reach it…

Adrian's answering grin was full of malice. "Oh, yes you do, my dear Miss Christina. You believe me. I can see it in your eyes." Suddenly, Adrian grabbed her arms with one hand, twisting them behind her back. He pushed her towards the vanity, forcing her in front the mirror. Eyes filled with loathing, Christina glared at him. With his free hand, he firmly cupped her chin and forced her to look at the mirror. "Look at your wound! Look at it!"

Unable to look away, Christina helplessly glanced at her wound, a small cut located just across her cheek. To her shock, she saw the flesh slowly but surely knitting together. In a few seconds, her cheek was smooth as silk, not a trace of the wound. The wound had completely healed. No…

Adrian then yanked Christina towards him, bringing them face-to-face, their bodies touching. Christina stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest, her breathing coming out in rapid gasps. "Do you see now what I am talking about, my dear Miss Christina? You are one of us, child of a vampire and a human." The vampire seductively stroked her cheek. "Even if you don't see, always remember," he bent his head to whisper in her ears, his voice coming out as soft and musical, "For what the eyes cannot see," then he placed his hand over Christina's rapidly beating heart, "only the heart can feel."

Lost in anger, confusion, desperation, and other hosts of emotions, Christina wrenched herself away from Adrian's grasp with a strength previously unknown to her. "NO!" she shouted at Adrian, her fury not only coming out forcefully, but as a physical, invisible force. The mirror beside her shattered into a thousand tiny fragments and the wooden furniture in the room collapsed with sharp, splintering sounds. Adrian himself was flung away, slamming into one of the chairs.

Not wasting any time, Christina headed for the door, pulled it open, and ran away from that room. She didn't care where she was going, as long as it was away from that room, away from Adrian. As she ran, her whole being was in chaos. Hot, unshed tears burned her eyes and blurred her vision. No, it cannot be true. Alucard is not my father. He's not. God, isn't it enough that I have a traitor as a father? Must I also bear being a vampire's daughter? A sharp, stabbing pain shot into her heart. How could they lie? Mother, how could you lie? You taught me to hate them, but the truth is, I'm–I'm–

Christina continued to run. However, when she made a right turn on one corridor full of huge windows, she stopped abruptly, her eyes going wide with fear and shock. The moon had finally shown itself, and it illuminated the corridor with its pale silvery light.

In front of her, not a few feet away, stood Rachel Marie Kent, dressed in sleeping clothes. Beside her, slumped on the floor, also dressed in sleeping clothes, was what appeared to be an unconscious Anna Katrina Rothschild, Christina's best friend. Too stunned to speak, Christina could only gape at them.

Rachel spoke first. Her eyes were no longer violet, but a menacing red. "Hello, Chris," Rachel purred.

Christina mentally shook herself, and managed to calmly say, "Hello, Rachel." Her gaze shifted to Anna, who thankfully did not looked harmed. Anna stirred slightly, a soft moan escaping from her lips. Christina turned to Rachel again. "What are you and Kat doing here?"

Rachel knelt beside Anna, and began to stroke her hair. Anna's eyes slowly fluttered open, a slightly dazed look in them. Then her eyes widened when she saw Christina, Rachel, and their surroundings.

Christina took a cautious step forward, her gaze never leaving Rachel. "Well," Rachel replied, "I was so lonely at Michael's house, so I decided to take Anna with me." Rachel looked up at Christina, a small, innocent smile on her face. "Would you like to join us, Christina?"

Christina lunged at Rachel, knocking her to the ground. Rachel let out a loud screech, furiously scratching at Christina, trying to push her away. Christina quickly sprang up away from Rachel, grabbed the now wide-eyed Anna by the arm, hauled her up, and dragged her away from Rachel.

Bewildered at what's happening around her, Anna demanded sharply, "What's going on here, Chris?" She glanced at Rachel, who was now standing a few feet away from them, red eyes glaring at them. "Rachel!" Anna cried out. She took a step towards her, but Christina pulled her away. "What–Chris, it is just Rachel!"

The heir to Hellsing shook her head. "No, that isn't Rachel anymore," she said in a harsh voice Anna never heard her use before. "That's a vampire." Anna heard her swear under her breath, muttering about a gun.

"But–" Anna started to protest, but one sharp look from Christina stopped her. Christina's head swiveled back and forth, and Anna could feel the tension in her.

"There you are, my dear Miss Christina," a sweet, musical voice said. Anna jumped at the sound of the voice. She knew he owner of that voice. She felt Christina's grip tighten about her arm, and a sharp hiss escaped her best friend's lips. "Stay behind me," Christina urged. Anna quickly complied.

Adrian smiled mockingly at Christina, approaching them like a tiger approaching its prey. Christina and Anna slowly backed away. Anna could hear Christina's rapid breathing. "There's nowhere to run, my dear Miss Christina. Why don't you and your best friend join us? You're already one of us, anyway. One quick bite and your best friends will one of us as well." The vampire's smile widened, his blood-red eyes glittering with triumph.

Suddenly, the glass windows exploded, shattering into several thousand pieces. To Anna's astonishment, a thick flock of bats swarmed into the room, then coalesced together into the form of a man with long black hair clad fully in red, from his red had to his red coat. With a fierce snarl, the man lunged at Adrian, but not before flinging something to Christina, which her best friend deftly caught.

Christina yanked Anna hard, and soon they were running, Rachel following behind them. Then, Christina stopped abruptly and whirled around, facing Rachel.

"Chris?" Anna asked. She gasped softly when she saw Christina's face. She was paler than usual, and there was a look of profound sadness in her eyes. She raised her arm, and for the first time, Anna noted the gun in her best friend's hand. Christina pointed the gun at Rachel.

Rachel stopped her advance, and stood still. "Christina," she said softly, her hard red eyes suddenly softening. She smiled at Christina, that gentle shy smile she always had on her face when they were classmates at the Academy. "Don't be afraid. It isn't so bad…being one of us."

"No, Chris! You mustn't!" Anna cried out when she realized what Christina was going to do. "Can't you see? She means no harm!"

However, Christina wasn't listening. Without any hesitation, she pulled the trigger. The bullet hit Rachel's heart, creating a gaping hole. Rachel Marie Kent limply toppled backwards, the smile still on her face. Then she exploded into ashes.

Behind her, Christina could hear her best friend scream, sobbing out Rachel's name. Then something wet and warm slid down her cheeks. Then the heir to Hellsing collapsed to the floor, her hands shaking.

~T.B.C.~

Free talk, part 2: Finally, finally, after fifteen years, Christina knows the truth about herself...well, part of it, anyway. I'm sorry I made everyone cry with what happened to Walter. Y__Y but wait, more deaths in the next chapters. ^o^

Christina's visions: If that part made you go "What the HELL was THAT all about?!?" well, let's just say Christina's seeing Alucard's memories…you know…like when Integra touched the door knob of Alucard's 'room' in the dungeon in Episode 10. So that means Alucard was…hehehe…I won't spoil it. You'll have to wait for Legacy…

Christina's abilities: How can she use it so readily? Well, she has been studying and living with vampires since childhood. By then, she'd seen them use their powers, so it wasn't that difficult for her to use her own when she found out whom she really was. And oh yes…I love breaking stuff…

Abraham Van Helsing: I'm not sure if he does have blue eyes, but here he does. Same goes for the reddish hair.

Adrian: Sheesh. Messing with Christina's head like that. What is he really up to? And how come he knows so much about everything? Who really is he?

Next chapter: Three more chapters to go! I know you're probably excited what will happen next…so here's some stuff to look out for: Christina's 'little' talk with her 'parents', Michael's appearance, Celes's new discoveries, Adrian's deviousness and oh, did I mention Father Alexander Anderson?

[Eden]

It's up!!

*Dances around with glee* I am so happy!

Poor Christina, having to find out about her 'Parentage' from Adrian. That jerk. All will be fully explained once she gets her chance to talk with her mother and 'father'. I can't wait! Christina's going to rage, and Integra will for once be forced to stay calm. *I don't know how possible that really is, but hey! Stranger things have happened!*

Anyways, so am I right to assume that you will be relating Legacy to HH, and vice versa? That would make for some interesting reading, let me tell you!

This was truly great. Ahh! The end of another action packed chapter, and I am left waiting again. ^_^ Never fear! I'll wait.

Not too long though.

Till next time,

~Eden

[pilot03]

I love it!! I can't wait for the next chapter. I like where the story is going. Please update soon!!

[Amidala]

You like torturing us don't you? ^_^

Great chapter!!

[melrose_stormhaven]

Uh, yeah, Amidala, I like toturing people
Eden! Well, legacy will be connected with HH but I'm still not sure how exactly. As for that 'talk', let's just say I have some interesting plans with that.
Pilot03, thanks for reading. as for the update, I think you'll have to wait a while...sorry...

[Eden]

You write just like me. I start out with a general direction, and then I take each bump as I get to it, and don't get too upset if I end up somewhere totally diffrent then where I had intended on going.

:-? I didn't mean to make driving refrences.

Anyways, as always, I can't wait till the next part.

~Eden

[melrose_stormhaven]

no prob with the driving references...
which reminds me, I still don't know how to drive, and I'm 19 :-?

[Amidala]

I usually have an idea... then start writing. Somewhere along the line the story takes over and usually ends up going in a direction that I didn't see coming. ^_^

19? that's not bad. I didn't learn until I was 18. I know somebody who is 39 and can't drive!

[melrose_stormhaven]

Heh...it's Ok if I don't know how to drive...we don't have a car anyway...

oh, if anyone likes a sneak peek on what's in store for HH 16, visit my website...www.melrosestormhaven.deviantart.com. Just ignore the 'controversial' comments on my page. Someone's mad at me, and he's taking it out on my page. Something I said or did to him..

god, I'm tactless ...got to break my habit... :-?