AN: This is a teaser/prologue/chapter 1 of a fic that just sprouted while I was downloading The Cure. All I ask is that you be nice to me, as I'm very sensitive.

Pride
by Wicked Child
The wind whipped around their bodies, tousling hair and clothing, symbolic of their emanating rage. The battle of wills had begun long ago between an ancient evil and modern innocence just now culminating into a final battle. One would surely lose whether proving the victor or the loser. The other would only see it as a win-win situation despite the outcome.
?Do you truly see it as a battle of will or a battle of pride?? he asked.
?Does it matter?? she countered.
?In your mind, yes it does,? he answered her.
Let go of your frailty. Let go of your fear. I am your answer.
She gritted her teeth in determination. He would not win. She would not succumb to his silly fantasy, for a fantasy was all that it would ever be; all that it could ever be. No he would not win. She would sooner die than let him win.
He laughed aloud, mocking her. ?But my master that is precisely what I want.?
?You misunderstood me. I would sooner die a natural death then let you take me.?
?Again your foolish pride is getting in the way.?
Let it go Integra. Let the bondage of your pride slide off your delicate shoulders. This is what you want. I am what you want.
?No! You are not what I want! You have never been what I want. You will never be what I want!? She was losing her control, anger getting the better of her normal resolve. He was slowing getting under her skin and they both knew it. He reveled in it while she abhorred every moment.
?Is that so Lord Hellsing?? He stepped closer to her, grinning like the madman he was known for. Moonlight dangerously glints off his elongated canines. The manor rooftop was such an interesting choice for a conversation. Especially since the location was of her choosing.
?That is so,? she bit out. She did not feel safe atop her home and institution. She did not fear him in any way imaginable, but tonight she feared something, someone. She would not lose. ?I would sooner go to bed with that insane priest than succumb to your delusion.?
Again he laughed, her comments amusing him to no end. ?Would you be referring to Maxwell or Anderson my Integra? If we were in America, they just might take you to their bed if not for the children already in residence.?
?Your humor is lacking.?
The winds became stronger, gusting against the manor, making it unsafe for the warriors? in their current location. Neither showed interest in moving from their chosen battleground. The answer to the question of who was stronger would be decided that night.
?I?m not interested in making you laugh.?
?No, you?re just interested in making me a filthy creature enslaved to your despicable ego. I will not become the spawn of Satan!? She pulled out her gun and aimed it at her loyal servant.
This action seemed to amuse him even greater. ?Have you not figured it out? You cannot kill me. Humans cannot kill me! Only the true undead can kill me.?
However, you my master are the only one who can revive me.
?You are not worth reviving!? She pulled the trigger until half the clip was empty. One of the bullets hit his trademark sunglasses, breaking the annoying piece of adornment. The wind ripped his ridiculous hat from his head, leaving him in a state he would see as vulnerable. A side he had shown her on a few occasions. She was satisfied with the outcome.
Normally he wouldn?t care at the barrage of bullets coming from her gun, but her words and determination angered him. He knew what she wanted. He had entered her mind enough times to know that he was what she desired, even when she was a young girl. However she denied her true feelings, to herself and to him.
?I am not worth reviving? Will that prove to be true next time our enemy comes, tortures you and I am no longer present to save your sorry human ass from becoming nothing more than a rotting pile of rubbish?? His voice was harsh, bitter.
She kept her gun trained on the enraged vampire. She could not believe it. She had actually gotten to him. She had wormed her way under his cool exterior and aggravated the self-proclaimed answer to her desire.
The wind blinded her for a moment with her own pale blonde hair. The vampire was out of view but not out of her mind. He was angry and that was dangerous. She currently didn?t give a damn.
Noting the instant of vulnerability, the vampire rushed his master, slamming her against one of the many chimneys? adorning the rooftop. He knocked the breath out of his master but broke no bone in her body. His voice assaulted her mind while his crimson eyes bore into her blue.
I am the answer. I am the answer to everything your pathetic human body wants, needs, and desires. I can relieve you of this existence, bringing you to a new level. You continue to lie to yourself, all for a faded memory of a man who knew nothing if he could not control me. I am your best weapon. I am your best protector. I am everything you could ever want in a man and yet you refuse, all for a silly thing like pride.
For the first time since meeting him, she looked at him in fear. She once prided herself on her ability to not fear the creature she inherited from her father. Many had cowered in his presence, and yet she did not. She never had. He had admired her for that and she knew it. But now it was different. He was different.
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AN (again): So? Should I continue or let this one be wiped off the face of the earth?