Another long one for your viewing pleasure, though not nearly as long as Revolver Riot. I do hope you all enjoy it! However, I must pay my dues first.
A special thanks goes out to my dear friend, Simply Vivian who was the one responsible for requesting this and sharing her thoughts on it. Once again, I must apologize to her for my borderline insane behaviors and I am glad you are willing to talk and scheme with one as odd as me.
That aside! Let's get this show on the road!
You looked at the mountain of textbooks hefted onto the poor table that was currently creaking and groaning under the weight that had been forced upon it by the cruel task master you had been employed by.
It just so happened that the task master you had been employed by was Nine The Phantom, former member of the six heroes (although she hated the moniker) and current terror of desks everywhere, feared for her magical prowess and the rate at which she hefts ancient tomes upon tables too weak to bear their mass.
Nonetheless, you had been assigned a task the last time you stood here and you had completed it, and in record time no less.
So, after a sigh and a shake of your head, you walked forward with a tray on one hand and the newest book truck laden with tomes that seemed to be whispering in your mind rolling before you.
You placed the tray on the small table you had managed to force Nine not to use to stack books until they resembled the tower of babel.
The second you did however, you heard a thump come from the desk Nine was working at.
āNinetey four hours. You're getting rusty Nine.ā you declared as you turned to the now unconscious woman, a small smirk on your face.Ā
You made a small circle in the air with your finger as you walked towards nine, a line of white energy following the path.
Once the line connected, books began to float off the desks and into their places on the bookshelves or into ordered piles as bookmarks flew into the open books before they snapped shut and floated off to wherever they belonged.
Throughout all the noise and fluttering, Nine remained comatose and snoring slightly.
If you didnāt know her, you would say she looked almost peaceful.
Keyword being āalmostā as, despite her sleeping form, she still had all of her hellion hallmarks in full view.
Fingers with faded papercuts, a stereotypical witch hat that looked as if it had been burned alongside the rest of her black and pink clothes which, with the fact any room she was in seemed to teeter on the edge between warm and unbearably hot, might explain why a faint smell of smoke seemed to follow her everywhere.
āOne of these days I will teach you how to start taking care of yourself. I have it penned in right after the heat death of the universe.ā you sarcastically muttered as you delicately pulled her chair back, slid your arms under her legs, and carefully picked her up.
Idly, you recalled the absolute travesty that was the first time you attempted this.
You shook the thought from your mind with a shudder and allowed practiced movements to take hold, slowly and surely carrying both you and her up the steps, across the halls, through the rooms, and, eventually, to the destination you had brought her to many times before.
It was a simple room with a simple bed, a black and magenta quilt, a side table, a chest at the foot of the bed, black and magenta curtains, a chair in the corner, a vanity against the wall with a matching stool, and a small bookshelf of books that Nine had no use for but, for some reason, could never bring herself to get rid of.
You wondered if it had anything to do with how all of the books on that particular shelf were books that featured two sisters working together and looking out for one another.
You also knew better to ask her outright if that was why as, like most people, you found being burned alive to be an unpleasant way to die.
Not to mention the fact that your job was not to ask questions, it was to keep the madwoman in your arms from working herself to death.
If you had known what a nightmare said job would be, you wouldāve asked for higher wages.
Alas, the time for that had long since passed. You were with Nine for the long haul now. Whether that means standing at her side as she re-makes the world, being used to bounce ideas off of, or simply to lessen the number of cricks she gets in her neck to the best of your ability, you had thrown your lot in with her.
You knew why you did, but you also know that not even Relius Clover could get that reason out of you.
Before you could muse on that though any further however, you felt Nine shift in your arms, forcing you to realize that you had been standing here for who knows how long with someone who could burn you to ashes with a look in your arms like an absolute buffoon.
āMy, my, it seems you're not the only one getting rustyā¦ā you said with a chuckle as you placed Nine on the bed and then draped the quilt over her with care and grace.
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As you walked down the stairs, taking great pains to avoid making a single noise, you ran down the mental checklist of things that need doing today and marked off the ones you had already completed until you arrived at the final few left unfinished.
Laundry, groceries, and preparing for tomorrow's meals.
Needless to say, you immediately set to work completing your tasks.
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As your shoes clicked against the stone streets, you silently watched the shops and grocers slowly wind down and the bars and clubs quickly fill up.
āDespite everything happening, people still carry on like normalā¦ heh, the more things change the more they stay the same.ā you muttered to yourself as you walked into your final stop of the day, a small, almost quaint, farmers market.
Coincidentally, it was at this time someone else was within its isles.
Someone with an exceptionally sharp sense of smell.
Someone who could smell the fire and brimstone on you that was courtesy of Nine.
Someone by the name of Valkenhayn R. Hellsing.
Needless to say, his interest was piqued.
āMy apologies Miss Rachel, but it seems that cats are not the only animals who are curious.ā the older gentleman muttered to himself as he watched your reflection pass by in the glass before placing the final few pieces of produce in his bag and walking towards the register.
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As you walked out of the market, you took a moment to enjoy the brisk air that signaled the changing seasons. The breeze was caught somewhere between a breath of fresh air in summer, and the crisp coolness of autumn.
Unfortunately, your enjoyment of the moment was soon to be ruined.
āGood evening, would you happen to know a woman by the name of Nine?ā a voice from behind asked you as the sound of a pocket watch being snapped closed reached your ears.
Instantly alarm bells were screaming in your head as you slowly turned to face the man behind you.
He was an older fellow with tan skin and silver hair courtesy of his age that was tied back with a pinkish red bow. He stood next to the outside table and was dressed in black slacks, steel toed dress shoes, a red and gold vest, and a dress shirt with a folded coat in his arm, that said, you would hesitate to call him āgentlemanlyā due to the sharp canines you could see peeking through his smile and the scarred and calloused hands that told a tale of many hard fights won, not to mention his piercing blue eyes that gave you the feeling that he was watching for the slightest movement that could give him cause to rip your throat out.
The man had no need to introduce himself as Nine had spoken of him before.
Valkenhayn R. Hellsing, butler to the Alucard Family, and fearsome warrior capable of wreaking carnage with the same ease he made his bed.
āTo what do I owe the pleasure, sir Hellsing.ā you declared, doing your best to keep your voice even and your eyes on any route you could take to escape.
āPlease, call me Valkenhayn. I also thank you for answering my question. Though, I am quite surprised Miss Nine has mentioned an old dog like me.ā the lycanthrope declared with a chuckle as you kicked yourself for your slip up.
āOh and please do not worry, I bear no ill will towards her. Not at the moment at least so you need not worry about my presence here.ā Valkenhayn explained with a slight bow, before placing his coat on the back of the seat, and gesturing to a table next to him.
āIām fine with standing.ā was your response to the gesture.
āPlease, as one professional to another, I insist!ā the older man exclaimed with an edge in his voice that told you he would either physically force you to sit at the table, wash your mouth out with soap, or split you down the middle like a deer and let all of your innards fall out and onto the streets.
Needless to say, you placed your bag of groceries on the ground and sat at the table.
āSo then! Please tell me about how Nine is doing. Itās been quite a long while since any of us have caught up. Mostly due to most of us being dead, missing, or too busy running from the authorities but that is neither here or there.ā Valkenhayn said with the same blase tone one would ask about the weather today.
You wondered if that was a trait shared with all of Nineās compatriots as she was quite the sameā¦ whenever she crawled out of her library or wasnāt grumbling and muttering under her breath.
āIā¦ donāt really know what to tell you, Valkenhayn. Sheāsā¦ spirited andā¦ driven.ā you half heartedly declared, knowing full well that those adjectives didnāt truly grasp the full scope of Nineās existence.
Better words would be headache inducing, stubborn, fiery tempered, explosively reactive with the full range of emotions, scatterbrained, indecipherably intelligent, and the type of crazy found in people who specialize in exceedingly esoteric fields, not to mention she was exceptionally attracti-
As soon as you realized what you were thinking, you shut the thought down with a violent efficiency typically only found in mantis shrimp.
āAh, so not much has changed then. Sheās still a woman whoā¦ much prefers to go about things in her own way.ā the older butler declared with a small smile before his face went pale and he muttered under his breath, as if he was afraid of Nine hearing him āI am thinking of other descriptors for her, but after the first and last time I spoke ill of her I learned better.ā
All you could do in response was nod solemnly in agreement.
āGrim subjects aside, does she still like sugar cookies? I still have the recipe she used to order by the dozens memorizedā¦ though I have refined it a bit over the years.ā Valkenhayn asked with an almost conspiratorial grin on his face that showed just a bit of the young man he used to be, althoughā¦ it was tainted by a sad nostalgia of times that, while not good, were better with the company he kept.
However, as soon as you noticed it, it was gone.
āWell I canāt really say. Sheās not too fond of talking about herself, or anything really.ā you admitted with a sigh that could only be described as frustrated.
āHmmā¦ the more things change the more they stay the same.ā the older fellow declared with a chuckle as he shook his head before reaching his hand into one of the pockets in his coat, and pulling out a pen and a notepad.
He then proceeded to jot something down on the first page before tearing it out and handing it to you.
Upon the page, in elegant script, was a recipe for sugar cookies.
āHere, this should get her to open up. It did last time.ā Valkenhayn declared before standing and putting on his coat before reaching into another pocket, placing a pair of white gloves upon his hands, and then leaning over slightly to pick up his own bag of groceries.
āThough, perhaps you should take your time walking home. It is not often a day as pleasant as this occurs. Doubly so with the turmoil the world is going through.ā the old war dog declared sadly before turning to face you.
āThat said, as one professional to another, I do hope you realize that if you or Nine was ever to cause harm to my masterā¦ I would butcher the both of you with such precision neither of you would die until I believed you had suffered enough for your slights against lady Rachel. Needless to say, I am entirely aware that you would be fully willing to do the same to me. Professional courtesy and such.ā Valkenhayn R. Hellsing, The Silver Wolf, declared with a cold, barely contained fury. Almost as if simply imagining it would be enough to send him flying off the handle and rip you to bloody chunks of meat.
In response, you simply nodded.
Valkenhayn then gave you a slight bow, turned around, and then walked away.
You then stood up, placed the recipe in your pocket, grabbed your bag of produce, and walked away as well.
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Piercing black and yellow eyes bored through the ceiling as Nine laid upon her bed, hat set to the side which allowed her pink locks to spread across the mattress freely.
Every other time before, when she had collapsed in her study and awoke in this room, she had always immediately set back to work while you sighed and shook your head before setting off to complete your tasks which eventually led you back to her where she would promptly collapse from exhaustion and the cycle would repeat.
The routine, despite how odd it was, served as a sort of comfort to the witch.
Despite that, something was rooting her in place at this moment.
It could have something to do with the countless threads she had pulled in her research that left her drowning in theory, philosophy, and information while being no closer to her goal.
It could have been about how a familiar aroma was hanging in the air that dredged up half forgotten and fractured times with friends turned enemies.Ā
Or it couldāve been about you and how you managed to put up with her alongside why you did.
Still, nothing was going to come of her laying there and thinking about both everything and nothing.
Unfortunately, for some reason, she could not muster the mental might to remove herself from the comforting embrace of her warm bed and soothing feel of the quilt atop her.
What a truly horrible prison she had been trapped in.
It was at this exact moment that Nine received a knock at her door.
āEnter.ā Nine declared, her eyes still boring through the ceiling as she knew there was only one person it could be.
The door opened with a quiet creak as you walked a few steps into the room before speaking.
āDinner is ready andā¦ I have baked a few plates of sugar cookies.ā you declared, only barely able to stifle the grin you felt trying to make itself known on your countenance when you saw Nineās eyes widen slightly and a slight smile grace her face.Ā
āThank you, I will be down shortly.ā Nine responded, keeping her voice even.
In response, you nodded and stepped out into the hall before closing the door.
This gave Nine the perfect shield for her to shoot up from her bed and stride over to the chest at the foot of her bed which she threw open and promptly grabbed a set of pajamas out from within.
However, these were not just any pajamas, they were her comfortable pajamas which were saved for when she had made great progress in her research, or was to eat something delectable for dinner.
And, in her mind, Sugar Cookies most definitely qualified.
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Nine was very careful to walk down the stairs in order to not betray her excitement for the desert she was soon to receive.
Not to mention the fact she had pulled out her comfortable clothes for this, and they deserved to be enjoyed.
A black and magenta colored silk button up shirt that was a bit too large but not uncomfortably so alongside a matching pair of pants that fit perfectly, a black and magenta sleeping robe, and finally, the piece de resistance, a pair of fluffy magenta slippers that felt like she was walking on air.
It was rare for her to wear this outfit, but she deserved to treat herself. Especially with how frustrating her research had become as of late.
But speaking of treatsā¦ Nine had found hers the second she looked into the kitchen.
They sat upon the counter, a perfect golden brown with a heavy dusting of sugar upon their tops and what made them look all the more tantalizing was the chocolate that had been baked into them and the shimmer of heat still coming off of the cookies that told her they were fresh out of the oven.
In simple terms, they looked ambrosial.
And the thing that made them all the more tempting?
Your back was turned to them while you worked at the stove, putting the finishing touches on the night's dinner.
It would be so simple to justā¦ sneak in there and grab one, and far less risky than trying to swipe some from Valkenhayn.
His lectures were still inked into her head after all these yearsā¦
Needless to say, Nine set to work and slipped into the kitchen with nary a sound, slowly advancing past the table in the center of the room until she was within arms reach.
She slowly reached out, her hand inching closer and closer until-
āACK!ā Nine hissed as a jolt of electricity shocked her hand away from the tray of heavenly cookies, a small sigil floating in the air where her hand had been just an instant before.
āYouāll ruin your appetite yāknow.ā you declared, still working upon dinner which seemed to be a stew or soup of some sort.
āI should have never taught you that.ā Nine grumbled, trying to keep a pout from taking form on her face.
She was failing miserably.
In response you simply chuckled and nodded to the table, asking her to take a seat without a word.
Nine considered her options.
On one hand, she couldāve simply dispelled the little defense you put up around the cookies.
On the other, she shouldāve seen that coming from a world away and was still caught by it.
As such, Nine decided to take that loss on the cheek and wait patiently for dinner to be completed.
Thankfully she didnāt have to wait long.
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Dinner, due to her ravenous desire to finally get to those cookies, was a blur for Nine. That said, it was also quite delicious.
Eventually though, a plate filled with the desert she longed for was placed before her and she was finally able to take a bite.
When she did, she realized why they smelled so familiar as she was instantly sent back to a much different time, a time that, while not better, was far more bearable with her peers.
She had almost forgotten that feeling.
She wondered if that was why you had stuck with her through thick and thin.
If so, what in the world had she done to earn such loyalty?
āNine? Are you okay?ā your worried voice shook her free of her rumination, allowing her to realize tears were falling down her face.
āIā¦ no. I was reminded of something.ā the Witch answered before taking another bite of her cookie.
āWas it a bad memory?ā you asked, watching her carefully.
Nine was quiet for a moment as she chewed and thought about the question before shaking her head and swallowing.
āI wouldnāt call it a bad memory simplyā¦ a sad one about people long gone.ā Nine declared as a smile formed on her face that was not too dissimilar from the one you saw Valkenhayn make.
You didnāt ask any more questions after that.
Despite that or maybe because of it, Nine continued to tell you old tales about days long gone and people long dead.
