After two months, Chapter 25 is finally up! This chapter is rather short in comparison to other chapters, and honestly, I'm probably going to make some changes later on cuz I'm not too pleased with it. Also, be warned: there's gonna be fluff!

After about a few minutes of silent walking, the six heroes were now crowded together in an area that was surrounded by several destroyed buildings, blocking the field of view for the heroes and preventing anyone else from noticing the six of them and intervening.

"Well," Saitama clapped his hands together in front of his body and the back of his body, "Here we are."

"Indeed." Seras and Saitama seated themselves on nearby rocks to make themselves comfortable, while the rest of the heroes remained stoic and standing. Alucard and Walter were still giving each other death stares, while Hans and Genos were remaining sharp and keeping an eye on the other two to ensure neither of them made any rash moves.

"So, Walter." Alucard sternly stared at his former comrade and practical brother. "Enlighten us as to why you switched allegiances a second time and now work as a member of the Hero Association."

The Angel of Death decided to come clean and hold no lies back. "Well, my dear count, my story in this world is likely similar to yours. Once the four of us were transported to this world, I was left to wander aimlessly with nowhere to to go or nothing to do. Then, during my voyages, I encountered my associate from Millennium running through the wilderness. When we realized we were close to City A, we decided to explore and see just where we had been taken. Then, we came across the Hero Association and decided to enlist."

"But for what purpose?" Genos was the next to speak up, "From what Alucard explained to my master and I, you betrayed the Hellsing Organization in order to eliminate Alucard. So what compelled you to join the Hero Association instead of causing more destruction and death?"

"Do not patronize me, boy," Walter barked, coldly stared at the cyborg, "Do you believe that I am just a mindless beast who causes destruction solely for the purpose of inciting chaos? My drive is far less barbaric than you may have been lead to believe by Alucard."

The vampiric butler slashed his hand across the air. "I am a reaper who hunts monsters and enacts punishment through death! I take no pleasure in the deaths of humans and citizens who have nothing to do with me. My purpose ever since I was employed by Hellsing has been to eliminate vampires and monsters. It has defined who I am! So when I saw the opportunity to do what I've always done, except doing it in the spotlight, I took it, and it is why I now hold the title of hero. Is that satisfactory for you, Genos? Alucard?"

The Son of the Dragon and Genos scowled at the vampire. Although his arrogance and lack of loyalty was disgraceful, he did not seem to be hiding anything from them. The tone of his voice was passionate and meaningful: he meant every word he said. The cyborg wanted to address Hans' position as a hero next, and directed his orange, serious eyes at the equally serious werewolf. "And what is your purpose for registering with the Hero Association?"

"Yes. More importantly, what purpose did you have in becoming a soldier of Millennium?" The King of Vampires remained somewhat wary of the werewolf. He fought him more than half a century ago, and even now, the memories of his frightening speed and ferocity were vivid in his mind. This was one of the few warriors from his original universe that could actually pose a threat to Alucard. The only way to eliminate him would be with silver, but with no more silver bullets, the vampire didn't see any clear method in ending this werewolf's life if the situation called for it. Even though he had shown surprising mercy for the captured aliens, that still wasn't enough to fully convince Alucard to place his trust in this unholy creature.

Although very subtle, the heroes could notice a slight change in Hans' attitude. His eyebrows furrowed ever-so-slightly, and his fingers tensed up, as if they were ready to clench into a fist. The werewolf's voice was composed, but the coldness laced within it was palpable. "I was never a willing soldier of Millennium." Hans exchanged looks to both Alucard and Seras. "You're aware of the blue flames that enveloped the lieutenants you defeated." Both vampires nodded. "That is a feature of the FREAK chip, a piece of technology implanted in all the soldiers of Millennium. That way, they could eliminate their operatives before revealing any classified information or if they betrayed the organization."

The silver-haired hero finally tightened his fingers into balled fists, and his neutral expression changed into an angered face. "They implanted that chip in me several decades ago, and I could not remove it by any means. Since then, I've been forced to follow every order, slaughtering countless innocents and eliminating Millennium's enemies. I prayed that freedom would come, to the point that even death would have been a warm welcome. But then," Hans' face softened, and his lips curved into an abashed smile. "I was sent here. It freed me from their control and gave me the chance to rip that cursed device out of my body. Since then, I came across Walter, and enlisted with him as a hero of the Hero Association as a way to make up for all of my crimes during my time in Millennium."

Alucard took this information in and digested it. It was indeed true that all of the vampires had this chip inside of them, as he had seen first-hand with Alhambra. From what he'd seen of him earlier, the werewolf was also rather serious in his duties of being a hero, and preferred not to allow a violent brawl to break out. Perhaps most peculiar to him was how Hans had stopped Sweet Mask from eliminating the prisoners. He demonstrated a sense of mercy he did not expect to see in the Millennium operative. So despite his general distrust of Millennium's operatives, the King of Vampires reluctantly believed Hans' claims. Walter was still a different story. Even if his former comrade was telling the truth and he had not harmed any humans since arriving, the vampire couldn't act as though Walter's past actions were simply forgotten.

"Damn." The bald hero had already gotten a good impression of Hans before, and although he was surprised by this story, he was perfectly willing to believe it. "I can only imagine the hellish experience that must've been for you." Saitama's stone face coupled with his hard eyes became bleak with a small sense of sadness from this tale. "Now as for you..." The invulnerable man directed his attention towards Walter. "I don't really know where to go with you."

This statement created an awkward tension in the air, for Saitama was indeed correct: nobody in the group knew how things would progress with Walter's fiery attitude and treachery of the Hellsing organization. It was such a large roadblock that none of them knew how to get over. None of them, except Seras Victoria.

"If I may..." The female vampire took her turn in the conversation, walking up to the center of the group with a reluctant pace in her steps. Seras knew this was going to be a very large pill for most of the people in the group to swallow. "I think that we can try to..." Seras cleared her throat and nervously put her hand to her mouth. "Start over."

As expected, Alucard, Genos and Walter flared at the suggestion of such an idea. Seras stood her ground and didn't allow the angry stares to stop her from making her point. "I mean, we're in a new place, and we've all had the chance to make new identities for ourselves. Why don't we just try to make with what we've got?"

"Policegirl, your idea is preposterous!" The Nightwalker shot up from his seated position, refusing to entertain her notion. "This man is a traitor! He betrayed the trust of my master and the entire organization! Do you just expect me to ignore this and act as if it never happened?"

"No!" the young vampire retorted, still keeping her chin held up high, "I know what he did was wrong," Seras looked at the vampiric butler with her blue-contact eyes, "And I think you know it too. And yet..." Walter's stone mask began to fracture when Seras softened her eyes, "He still decided to become a hero. He's still been saving lives ever since he got here, and..." The mask covering Walter's emotions nearly broke from the several fault lines her small smile was grooving into the mask, "He helped me adjust to my new life as a vampire." Her eyes went back to her master, "It's why I don't want to have any more conflict or fighting between you two."

Saitama decided to follow up where Seras was leading up to, being rather warm of the idea of establishing peace between the two groups. More importantly, the bald hero was able to clearly see the softness, the affection twinkling in her glistening blue eyes. It was the same look she had given Alucard when she tried to protect him from Saitama at the end of their first battle. If she was able to give Walter this look, then that must've meant there was some hope for Walter to walk a better path, and Saitama saw no reason to stop him from walking that path. "I'm goin with Seras on this one." The mighty bald man paced to the side of Seras to aid her in her argument. "I get that Walter betrayed you guys, but really, what the hell is trying to murder each other again going to accomplish? It's not gonna do shit for any of us. As long as he doesn't try any funny business, why not try to move on?"

The No-Life King's teeth clenched together with anger, and Walter's eyebrows furrowed in irritation. Genos, on the other hand, walked to his master's side and stood there with squared shoulders and a confident stare. "If you really believe this is the correct course of action, then so be it. I will do as my master says, no questions asked." The bald hero's mind had a tough time registering this sudden acceptance of the situation, and his eyes widened with surprise. Normally, it would take some more convincing from Saitama to make Genos so readily agree to this, but now it seemed as though the cyborg was more accepting of the situation. What the bald hero didn't know was that after seeing Seras' expression soften just a few seconds ago, the cyborg's heart was ever-so-slightly swayed. The happiness and jubilance that seemed to define the female vampire's personality had managed to make quite the impression on Genos, especially after their victory against Groribas. Seras had made another chink in his cold armor around his heart, and Genos didn't even realize it.

The silver-haired hero was not expecting this group to be so openly ready to accept him or Walter. Hans did not hold any grudges against Seras or Alucard as his former enemies, nor did he hold any animosity towards Genos for his hostile attitude against him, knowing this animosity was well-placed under these circumstances. Furthermore, the werewolf was still fascinated by Saitama, his character, his power. He was still curious as to what this human did to achieve such strength, if he really was capable of destroying that meteor single-handedly or anything beyond that.

This was why he joined Saitama, Seras, and Genos. The three heroes looked at him, wondering and anticipating what this meant. "If you are willing to accept us, then I happily accept your offer of peace." The werewolf's gaze went towards Walter, and the vampire's body tensed. "Don't allow your anger and pride to cloud your mind. Besides, we need their help in finding a new home. Our apartment was destroyed, along with the rest of City A, so accepting their help will save us the trouble of looking for a new home." Walter scoffed, crossing his arms in annoyance.

Alucard was still equally annoyed and furious at these suggestions. Saitama saw the continued anger in the vampire's face, and met his anger with his stone expression. "Alucard, it's four against two. Much as you might hate the idea of trying to start over and rebuild, it's what we're doing. Same goes for you, Walter. Time to let go of your desire to kill Alucard and just move on."

Both vampires felt their brain racking with rage, feeling attacked and overwhelmed by the voices of the other four heroes. The two of them, particularly Alucard, could not stand the concept of forgiving and forgetting everything that had transpired before they were sent to this world. It was preposterous! But what the hell could Alucard do to stop them from changing their minds? All three of them seemed dead-set on this arrangement, and Alucard knew Genos would never listen to his opinion on anything, while Seras would remain just as hard-headed, and Saitama didn't often concede his points.

The King of Vampire's felt his brain melting with molten fury, and he wrathfully threw his hands up in the air. Meanwhile, Walter pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in exasperation. "It seems that I have been backed into a corner and am forced to comply." His eyes were steely and cold, yet they did not bear the malice from seconds before. Likewise, Walter lost the burning hatred and resistance he'd surrounded himself with, and with a cold, stone-faced expression, calmly stated, "Very well. Walter C. Dornez will accept the peace you offer."

"Yay!" Seras clapped her hands together, and like a little girl, her face lit up with pure, radiant happiness. "Thank you all for your cooperation!" With a shaky and uneasy unification between the two groups, Seras decided to further cement the bond and assist the two heroes in the area they needed most help with at the moment. "Hans and Walter, there's another apartment room available at our apartment complex in City Y! Now that the threat's taken care of here, why not try and get you two moved in there?"

Hans nodded, while Saitama and Genos were also fine with going back to their home. Saitama, Genos, Seras and Hans all began walking together. Alucard and Walter remained motionless in their spots, still trying to process and come to terms with had just transpired. To them, it was insanity.

"Alucard?" The bald hero looked back at the King of Vampires and tried to snap him back to his senses. "You comin or what?"

Without bothering to give a proper reply, the monster silently took his foot out and began to walk along with the rest of the group. Walter took the cue from the Bird of Hermes and quietly sauntered with the five other heroes. When Alucard joined the group, he went next to Saitama's side and muttered in his ear, "You're making a mistake. Walter cannot be trusted, and his treacherous actions cannot be forgotten."

"Look Alucard, if he does try anything funny, I'll be there to put a stop to it. According to you, I'm way stronger than Walter." This fact managed to silence Alucard, although the hostility and ruthlessness he had towards Walter did not fade, nor would it likely fade anytime soon. All of his life, the King of Vampires acted with ruthlessness and hatred towards all of his opponents, and Walter had made himself an opponent the moment he betrayed the Hellsing Organization. When he showed his true colors once again, Alucard would be there to dish out the most humiliating and painful death he could think of.

As one would expect with the tense alliance hastily formed, the travel back home was utterly silent and extremely awkward. Nobody really knew what to say to one another, and either way, none of them were too good at small talk. All of them were continuing to digest the events of the day, whether it be the battle against the Dark Matter Thieves, the altercation with Sweet Mask, or the shaky peace between them.

Once they arrived in City Y and made their way to the apartment, they went to the front desk in the lobby, where they requested the other available room adjacent to the one Saitama and the others were living in. The attendant notified the Hero Association to make the proper arrangements and payments, and within no time flat, Hans and Walter had already gotten themselves a new living space.

After this, the two groups separated, leaving each of them to their own business and their own thoughts.

Alucard was sitting on the balcony by himself, fuming and preferring the solitude to mull over his hatred for Walter's treachery. Meanwhile, Genos was sitting in silence on the couch, while Seras was lying on the sofa chair and Saitama was getting himself a snack in the kitchen. "Man, Alucard's really not liking this," said Saitama.

"He holds great hatred and distrust for Walter, Master," replied Genos, his neck craning down to look at the ground, "That is not something that can be let go of so easily."

"Unfortunately, mercy is something that my master has never been very keen on." Saitama plopped himself down next to Genos, and munched on the bag of Chex Mix he got from the kitchen while Seras stepped into the conversation. Seras exchanged looks with Saitama with her crimson eyes. "He's gotten better ever since you chose to spare him," she said with an abashed smile, "But it's still not his strong suit."

"In this situation," Genos continued, "His hesitancy is well-placed." The cyborg's passionate and determined eyes returned, and he lifted his head back up. "I will continue to keep an eye on both of them to ensure neither of them attempts anything nefarious."

In the opposite room, Hans and Walter were adjusting themselves to their new apartment. It was just as fancy as their previous apartment, and the view of the city was equally splendid. Luckily for them, they didn't really have any personal belongings in their previous apartment, so there was no need to try and rummage the ruins of their apartment to look for those belongings. This made the move-in to their new home all-the-more easy.

Walter had initially attempted to get some alone time outside on the balcony, but once he saw Alucard was sitting there as well, he saw that option was null-and-void, so he resorted to sitting silently on the couch. Hans had decided to get all of the dirt and grime he'd accumulated from the battle off of him, so he was currently soaking his body in the shower, leaving the vampiric butler all to himself.

The hot-headed monster never imagined things would get to this level. First, he found out Alucard and Seras were heroes in the Hero Association. Second, it turned out the bald man who'd supposedly taken credit for work done by other heroes was actually an insanely powerful human, and that man had actually acquainted himself with Alucard and Seras. Then there was the issue with the other hero, Genos, although he didn't really factor into this scenario for Walter.

When he'd chosen to go over to Millennium and secretly follow the Major to eliminate Alucard through his intricate and meticulously prepared plot, he thought he'd permanently severed his ties with Hellsing once he revealed his betrayal. It was what he'd been preparing himself to do for decades. And yet, even when he revealed his true colors and mercilessly cast away his loyalty, there was one thing that struck a cord with him and threatened to shatter the stone face he'd put up: Seras. When he saw the look of shock and sadness on her face, it felt as though her eyes were boring into him, invading his heart with the feeling of guilt and regret.

Ever since she came to the Hellsing Organization, she brought with it a sense of child-like innocence, purity that he had never seen before. She'd been reluctant to live the life of a true vampire, and when he made the necessary arrangements to do so, she reacted with anger and then with sadness at the realization of what she'd have to lose. In a world of monsters, death, and destruction, Seras still wanted to keep her innocence, and for the butler, that was truly remarkable. So he didn't press the issues again: he allowed Alucard to take charge of those responsibilities for Seras, and Walter did his part of giving her the weapons she needed, teaching her manners, and worked together with her to eliminate the threats that came across their way.

He thought he'd lost all of that, but now, it seemed as though he'd been given a second chance. In his heart, he knew it was the real reason he'd accepted the offer of a truce between the two parties: to have the chance to reunite with Seras.

"Hello? Walter?" The vampiric butler's isolation was ended by the head of a young vampire popping out the door. "There's a connecting door between the two apartments, so I just thought I'd come in and see how you're doing."

Walter scoffed and loosened his body to signify how bored and relaxed he was. "Such concerns are irrelevant. I am merely waiting for the day to come to an end and relieve me of all the inane absurdity that has plagued the day."

"It was a rough day, alright. I never imagined I'd fight such strong opponents, from outer space no less," The female vampire walked into the room and was now standing a few inches away from the Hellsing butler. "And I NEVER imagined I'd come across you in the Hero Association of all places." Walter's eyes widened, and his body stiffened when he saw Seras seat herself on the couch, her form inches away from his. As she sat down, her eyes became downcast. Her shoulders were hunched, and her back was arched forward. The male vampire didn't understand what she was doing or what was on her mind. Why did she look so despondent?

"When you revealed yourself as a traitor," Seras said, her voice quiet and hushed, as if she were on the verge of tears, "I thought you'd gone over to the other side for good." Walter straightened his posture, his cold blue eyes focused on the female vampire. "I thought the Walter I knew, the Walter who'd been there for me through the traumatic experience of becoming of vampire, had disappeared. In it's place, the Angel of Death, reaper of monsters and souls, ready to slay whoever you pleased. That's what I thought. But then..."

Seras took her eyes off of the ground and fixated her gaze back at Walter, and the vampire's lips curved down, his eyes opening with surprise when they saw how soft and tender her crimson irises were. What... what was she doing? "But then I saw you become a hero, work to save lives and eliminate monsters. The ruthless murderer I imagined you'd become wasn't who you were." Walter's mouth gaped open, the petrification and disbelief of her statements filling him with a foreign feeling. What was she saying? None of her statements were true: he'd chosen to become a hero only for his own benefit. He'd still betrayed the Hellsing Organization to fulfill his own ambitions of smiting the greatest vampire in history. So why was she giving him praise?

"And now that we're all members of the Hero Association and we've made a peace, even if it's not very well-founded," Seras continued, "We have a second chance, and because of that,"

In an absolutely baffling move that caused the surgically modified vampire's heart to stop beating for a few moments, Seras wrapped her arms around Walter's right arm. Her left cheek rested gently on his right cheek, and she could feel his chest moving as he took his breaths. Walter's cold exterior was being melted by the heat of her body and her act of compassion. Such kindness. "I have the chance to thank you for everything you did for me. I didn't have the opportunity before when you turned traitor, but now, I'm able to tell you what I couldn't say before: thank you."

Walter C. Dornez was at a complete loss for words. Even after openly admitting his betrayal, casting aside his past and most of his identity he'd crafted during his time at the Hellsing Organization, basically throwing away the trust and compassion Seras, Integra, and even Alucard had given him, Seras didn't lose his faith in him. She still held onto the memories she'd made with him, and still had faith that the butler who'd helped her was not just a false identity crafted to remain above suspicion. The bond they had created together was still real to Seras, and she had chosen to maintain that bond.

Without realizing what he was doing, his head instinctively rested itself against the top of her cranium, and he'd unknowingly formed a smile on his face. Seras' heart fluttered when she felt Walter returning her act of affection with his own, and her smile widened.

The two remained in this position for what seemed like an eternity. Nothing around them registered in their minds, and even if there was a giant explosion that eradicated the entire building, they wouldn't have cared. They were so caught up in this moment that neither of them heard the sound of running water being shut off, or the werewolf turning into the living room, who had frozen in shock at the scene playing out before him.

Hans almost let out a sharp gasp, but stopped himself at the last second to ensure the moment wasn't broken. Truth be told, he almost thought this was an illusion cast before him. Never had he seen Walter show even the slightest hint of compassion or empathy towards anyone: even after all the time spend with Hans, the vampire never showed any semblance of kindness or real respect towards the werewolf. And yet, here he was, tenderly resting his head on Seras' head. Hans couldn't help but form a smile of his own, pleased to know that his belief of Walter's stone heart was incorrect. It seemed Seras was able to get through the emotional barriers Walter had put around himself.

After this silent exchange of compassion, it was Seras who ended the embrace and snaked her hands out of Walter's arm. Upon seeing this, Hans immediately hid himself from sight and remained motionless next to the door to ensure he wasn't heard. "I knew you were still in there." Walter's mind remained cluttered and disoriented from the compassionate moment, and he could give no proper response to Seras. The female hero lifted herself off of the couch, seeing that Walter was rather confused and internally conflicted. "I've going to talk with Genos and my master about some things that happened today. We'll talk later."

"Yes," Walter muttered, the only word that he could put together as a reply. She went to the connecting door, but just before she opened the door, she gave one last look to her fellow hero, and with another one of her warm smiles, quietly spoke, "It's good to be on the same side again." With those final words, the female vampire returned back to her apartment, solitude returning to the male vampire.

"The same side," Walter murmured under his breath, "An undeserving reward for the Angel of Death." Nevertheless, the vampiric hero certainly would not reject Seras' affection, for it was the thing that Walter had come to value most about her.

Finally get to see Walter and Seras reunite and show some compassion for one another! Forced into a rather uneasy and fragile alliance, the six heroes are now living as a group, giving them the chance to interact and grow together! Wait until Chapter 26 to see what happens next!