Ranma's Eternal Night 8 - Oh Hell

[LawOhki]

Seems rather short sighted of Hellsing to kill Ryoga out of hand. It would have been an excellent opportunity to study ways to control or contain the chipped. Now, she's alienated Ranma as well.

Ryoga was completely uncontrollable for the time being, and with his abilities he could have torn through anyone but the three vampires at a moments notice. It'd be far easier to capture a chipped vampire that has no supernatural abilities than to hold Ryoga for a day.

Ranma would have torn Integra apart, or tried to, if it wasn't for the protection spells put in place.

[frice2000]

Personally I applaud your decision to kill Ryouga off. I hope this indicates a start of a much darker turn for this story. That can only make it all the more interesting. Though it is to bad we didn't see what affect if any his Jusenkyou curse would have had on his cursed form. I can just imagine a new race of werewolves/werechibihentaipigs being a huge problem...

[LawOhki]

“Helena!” Ranma knocked on the vampires door a little too hard. “Please open up.” She pleaded into the wood. Her shotgun and ammunition had been thrown away on the trip to the ancient vampires home. Ranma didn't know how, but she had teleported herself over a kilometer away from Integral. Having no where else to turn and with morning rapidly approaching, she went to the only contact she had.

Music in a foreign language was playing in the background, and Helena was a shut in, she had to be here. Several soft clicks came from the other side of the door as the locks inside were released. Watching, the door handle turned slowly, the door swung open, letting the music flow out into the night. Quickly rushing in, she fell against the door to close it. Pausing, she took several deep breaths, finding no comfort in the action.

“You are troubled?” Helena's voice carried over the music. Heading deeper into the library of Helena's home, Ranma finally dropped to her knees at the foot of the small vampires chair.

“It's all my fault.” She started before being unable to finish.

“What is your fault?”

“Ryoga-- he's dead.” More tears started to flow as the memory of Ryoga gasping for air that would never enter his lungs.

“I do not know this-- Ryoga.” Helena answered her declaration. “Why do you not seek solace in your Sire? Surely it is his companionship that you should seek, not mine.”

“I-- I can't, I can't see him right now.”

“He is your creator, why would you turn to me?”

“He killed him! Right in front of me! He didn't ask to get changed like that! Ryoga just needed help.” She finished in a whimper, her vision blurring with red.

“Calm yourself.” Helena's hand came to softly run through Ranma's hair, before running down and lifting up her chin. “Whatever has passed has passed. But you look as though you're going to fall to pieces.”

Forcibly trying to calm herself, Ranma rubbed at her eyes with the sleeves of her shirt, staining the fabric. “Everything is all my fault, If I hadn't been so stupid about chasing down that vampire alone, none of this would have happened.”

“Whatever decisions this Ryoga made were surely his own.” Helena remained almost motionless in front of her. “It's nearly morning, and all fledglings need their sleep.” The child vampire wrapped her small arms around Ranma's waist, and with unnatural ease, picked her up from the floor and directed her deep into the library.

“I hate her, Integra keeps waking me up to do things, or to work out in the sun.” She mumbled, finding yet another reason to hate the woman more. Ranma was rapidly calming down, the powerful presence of Helena was responsible, and she focused on it like a life preserver.

“That wretched human.” Helena agreed with Ranma's internal thoughts, using her small hand to lightly rub Ranma's lower back. “Torturing a child like that.”

There was a bedroom in the far back of Helena's apartment, the room was large without any windows, four tall dressers each with eight drawers lined two of the walls, with a vanity table possessing a large mirror. Off to one side was a walk in closet with the sliding door fully open. In the very center of the room was a large four post bed, with thin satin curtains surrounding the outside. The furniture looked very old, with ornate trim carved expertly into the wood. The door sealed shut leaving the room completely in darkness. Ranma realized a moment later that the entire room functioned as a giant coffin.

“Remove those stained clothes.” Helena instructed, her small fingers running down her own clothes to strip out of the delicate dress, leaving her in a white full slip. Carefully she hung it in the closet, going so far as to put it in a protective bag. Ranma noted the perfect movements, tiny things that were done without a single slip or error, movements that meant decades, even centuries of repetition for that one movement.

“Are you ashamed of your body?” Helena asked while removing her small shoes, shocking Ranma out of her mental musing. “Is that why you hide as a man?”

“I'm not hiding.” She angrily retorted before realizing her position. “Sorry, but this-- it's not my real body.”

“How is it not?”

“When I was-- ya know, human. I had a curse, it made me turn into a girl if I touched cold water.”

“And yet you were turned as a girl.” Helena's head cocked to one side. “I'm sure you know the implications.”

“I do.” Reaching up, she unbuttoned her Hellsing uniform, vowing to never wear one again. The white tank top she wore was stained with blood from having her body ripped apart during the fight. As horrific as the thought that suddenly popped into her head was, but she found that she liked Ryoga's change, almost as though their fight had made them closer. They could have been monsters together, and Ryoga was finally able to give her a true challenge of a fight.

Bending over and pulling at her shoelaces, they crinkled with dried blood in places, but came off easily, a second later, her pants were removed. “I just realized, I had clean clothes the whole time.” Ranma laughed, struggling to bring forth the clothing that had been absorbed by her body before. The most she could do was exchange out the tank top and boxers she currently had on, and it left her drained to the point of collapse.

“Do you have a pillow I could borrow?” Ranma asked, rubbing at her eyes, and removing some blood that still lingered there from her tears.

“I would be remiss in accepting you into my home, if I made you sleep on the floor.” Helena gently grabbed Ranma's wrist, the action having a strangely reversed tone, as if the child was the adult, and pulled her towards the bed.

“Uh.” Ranma tried to think up a word of protest.

“You must be very prudish, or you believe something may happen between us if you wish to use a floor over a comfortable bed.” Helena's voice remained even and almost bored as she spoke this.

“No no, nothing like that.” She laughed nervously.

“Hmm, I understand now, you were not raised to touch others or to be near.” Helena's eyes turned to look up into Ranma's. “My Sire had made another before me, we would sleep together he and I. I'm aware that the modern usage of the word has sexual connotations, but that was the farthest thing from our minds. It was nice to bond with a sibling, to simply be close to someone, I had never had a sibling while human. The other He has made, do you get along with her?”

“Ceres? How'd you know about her?” Ranma asked.

“When I mentioned my sibling, I could tell you thought of someone.” Helena effortlessly positioned Ranma to sit down on the edge of the bed, and she instantly sunk down into the soft mattress. “Does it calm you when you are around her?”

“I guess so.” She answered, watching Helena slink around the foot of the bed to the other side.

“Did you have human siblings?”

“No.” She answered. “And I uh, flail in my sleep sometimes.”

“Vampires do not flail in their sleep.” Helena said simply, in a single movement she was up and laying on the bed. “I must admit, I am not allowing you to stay for purely unselfish reasons.” Helena's head turned to look at her. “Perhaps I simply wish for companionship, as you were seeking when you came here.”

Blinking twice, Ranma swung her legs up on to the bed, finding that a reason like that was hardly something to get angry over. Especially for a strange young vampire that had shown up at a much older vampires home seeking refuge. Dropping to her back, she stayed as close to the wooden edge as possible. Quickly her eyes felt like dead weights, as the unseen sun was beginning to rise, and even quicker she was sleeping.

[LawOhki]

Ranma stood fidgeting outside of Helena's apartment on the rooftop. The almost physical pain she had been feeling since being forced to watch Ryoga's death was already falling away. Replaced now with equal worry about the future. She had run away from a place that hunted vampires, she was a vampire, and now she was possibly a rogue vampire. Everything about the situation screamed trouble.

Alucard's presence was strangely cut off from her mind, which was adding even more worry on top of everything else. Had he somehow released her from being his thrall? But that was supposed to require her drinking his blood. Which whether done willingly or not would instantly kick her up to full fledged vampire. Something that was both frightening and appealing at the same time.

Was he purposely cutting her off in preparation for killing her? If he was, he certainly wouldn't stop with her, Alucard would move right on to killing Helena. Integral would have seen to that being part of his orders. If Ranma had been thinking clearer on the issues, and what Hellsing's true purpose was, she never would have mentioned Helena, or came here for refuge.

Hours now she had been standing outside, waiting for something, anything to happen. Death from her Master, who could simply order her to do the deed, and she'd gladly impale herself on the nearest wooden stake. Ranma was reasonably certain Alucard wouldn't do that, no, he'd enjoy doing it with his own hands, or his guns if he did it. Immortality suddenly seemed like it was a big fat lie, and death was stalking her from every corner.

Being distracted by thoughts on how gory her death would be, Ranma didn't notice Helena close the door to her apartment behind her with a soft click of the lock, before several more inside clicked shut by an invisible hand. The final click, which was far louder, startled her, and she spun around ready to face death. Realizing that nothing was going to happen at the current moment.

“You are in need of food.” Helena said without emotion, as if she was running to the local store. “I am feeling parched as well.”

Dressed in a black velvet long sleeved dress to her knees, opaque white tights ran down to shiny black mary jane shoes. The dress had a floppy hood that was pulled back, and there was a raised white velvet border at the hem, shoulder, wrist, waist, and around the hood. In a way, Helena looked like a very pale doll, and if you ignored her eyes, all a normal human would see is a cute little girl who was way overdressed.

Scrunching up her face in indecision, Ranma was starving after expending so much energy the previous night. But she had no expressed permission to feed, and to do so would likely add to her current problems. “I don't know if I should.” Best case scenario would be to go to that prison, which was not what Helena appeared to have on her mind.

The small vampire's eyes bore into her for a brief moment. “I simply do not understand these times.” Shaking her head, Helena folded both of her hands inside a cylindrical hand warmer that matched her clothing. “I do not take taking you into my protectorate lightly. If you are to stay, I will know of your activities.”

“Protectorate?” Ranma wondered if she had stumbled into some strange vampire law.

“This is my territory, my area, I'm allowing you to stay in my home. As such I am responsible for your actions while in it. I'll not have a fledgling starving under my watch.”

“What about Master?” She protested, feeling paranoid that Alucard was nearby, watching, waiting for a concrete reason. Maybe Integral had orchestrated some elaborate scheme to test her loyalties.

“You need appropriate clothing.” Helena ignored the protest. “At this time of year, humans, even hormonal young men, would find it strange that a young lady was running around in just those underthings.”

Glancing down, Ranma realized that she had been too worried about Alucard coming to put an end to her unlife, that she hadn't even put on more clothing. This left her standing in flannel boxers and a white tank top, when any human would be freezing in the current weather. Several seconds of concentration were required to pull up some male form sized black denim jeans, a gray t-shirt, and some tennis shoes several sizes too large. The pants were baggy in the extreme except at the hip, and the shirt could have worked as a dress by itself. If it didn't seem so trivial, she would have changed forms so that the clothes fit.

To solve these problems, Ranma rolled up the bottom of the jeans, and tied the front of her shirt in a knot. Ranma hadn't noticed Helena step up next to her before the tiny vampire was placing a hand on her hip. Having been teleported several times now, Ranma barely lost her balance when the cloud of darkness passed. “Why did you do that?” She asked.

Helena looked confused at the question for a second. “Your Sire has not explained how to hunt to you?”

“No, I never wanted to.” Looking around, Helena had transported them to a dark spot near a park. There was a comfortable amount of people walking the paths, people just going about their daily lives, ignorant of the danger they were in with a hungry vampire nearby. Through some trees, she could see two groups playing football in a large field.

“All vampires enjoy hunting. You simply lacked a reason to.” Helena seemed to sigh with her eyes rather than with her body. “It is easy for humans to find our homes if we simply find the closest human. The best way, is to hunt in random places a great distance away, even taking several close to the home. I never hunt in the same spot twice. In the old days you could hunt as you pleased, but now the humans have become smart enough to discover things they couldn't before. Simply leaving a hair may bring authorities to your door.”

“In one hours time I will meet you here, please be discrete.” Helena informed Ranma before heading off.

“But-- wait.” With her child shaped security blanket removed, Ranma followed Helena. The thought of being alone physically as well as spiritually suddenly seemed terrifying.

Helena turned back to her with her piercing eyes. “You are more than capable of feeding yourself, I have done my part by providing a location, and a sanctuary to you. I am not your Sire, do not expect me to hold your hand.” While her statement was delivered with the same even tone as before,Ranma couldn't do anything but slowly nod, realizing that Helena was giving her an ultimatum.

Alone, Ranma wandered along the paths of the park, before finally ending up at the side of a set of three football fields. Two larger ones were being used by a two groups of male teens. Leaning on a chain link fence that surrounded them, she chewed on her lower lip, watching them play the game. They all looked so good, like a giant banquet of food that never went cold.

But how could she take one of them? They were innocent, having done nothing to warrant death. Was it really alright for her to cut their lives short? Shouldn't she find someone more worthy of being killed? She was a being without life, always lusting after what she had lost. So why should she care about one life? Humans fed off other animals without caring, and humans were her food.

Her sensitive ears caught a trio of boys noticing her attention. Reaching out with her mind, she tried to track down the worst mind she could find. Her mind moved like a phantom over the group till she focused on one who felt the most guilty. He hadn't hurt anyone, but he had done things he knew were wrong for fun, such as creating large amounts of graffiti, throwing bricks through store windows.

A small mental push was all that was needed to plant the idea of coming over to her in his mind. She had only to wait as the urge finally overcame any objections he may have had. Watching him jog over to her position, she couldn't help but be excited at her success.

“Hey.” He greeted, breathing heavily through his mouth.

“Hi.” She greeted back, her eyes involuntarily moving from his eyes down to his neck.

“I'm Alan, what's your name?” The boy's eyes were focused primarily on her bust.

“Ranma.” She answered, learning forward on the fence to push her breasts up against the fence. Boys were so easy to manipulate. “Do you want to go someplace a bit more private?” She asked.

“Sure!” The boy agreed happily, quickly climbing over the fence. “Later gents!” He yelled back to the other boys. Ranma allowed the teen to put an arm around her shoulders. It was only fair that if he would be dead soon, that she allow him a little pleasure before. “So-- where you from?”

“Japan.” She answered, leading him towards a dark bench. No one else was really out walking the park, she would be able to take her time.

“What brings you here?”

“I didn't have a choice.” Sitting down on the bench, she noticed that his hands were straying a lot. 'I guess I used a bit too much influence on him.'

“You're cold, let me warm you up.” As he leaned in for a clumsy attempt at a kiss. Ranma purposely shifted her head to the side, and sunk her fangs into his neck.

[frice2000]

My my...he gave in quite quickly to his bloodlust. I hope there is a bit more struggle in him and he stops after a quick snack and doesn't kill the guy so easily and quickly. That just feels like too quick a change. I mean at least have him try to hunt down someone he can kill without feeling guilty about it on later retrospection...I always find the vampires reluctance to feed and maintain their humanity super interesting. That's why Ceres's character so caught my attention in Hellsing and why I watched it to begin with. I hope Ranma still struggles somewhat with his ethics and humanity or else I'll sadly find this much less interesting...

[Konsaki]

I'm just wondering who's messing with his head right now to remove most of his inhibitions. It does seem kind of odd to have him go from Ryoga's death to becoming 'full vampire' unless he's using the excuse that he needs the extra power to revenge against the pricks who made Ryoga a werewolf.
PS, really tired right now, so the above might not make sense...

[LawOhki]

I'm just wondering who's messing with his head right now to remove most of his inhibitions. It does seem kind of odd to have him go from Ryoga's death to becoming 'full vampire' unless he's using the excuse that he needs the extra power to revenge against the pricks who made Ryoga a werewolf.
PS, really tired right now, so the above might not make sense...

Nobody is, Ranma's hungry, and it's almost like a comfort food since Alucard is blocking off communication. Where else is Ranma going to get food? It's not like the the local grocery store is going to carry human blood. So it's either starve, or just let instinct take over, and it's so easy to just surrender to instincts for a vampire.