Abraham Van Hellsing threw the vampire away from himself as it suddenly morphed into a smoking darkness. He had just returned from the most recent dissection of the vampire in which they had opened his skull. His jaw had been sown shut with silver wire, but the vampire had unfortunately torn through the stitches in his screaming. They had then been forced to stuff cloth into his mouth until he gagged and then strapped a leather belt around his mouth. Abraham had wanted to avoid the screams as they had been damaging the scientist's sense of hearing as well as his own. On his way to the vampire's cell, dragging the limp body behind him, the vampire had suddenly lost his form.

Abraham stared at the child that sat, wide eyed, before him. A sudden rage gripped him as the memory of his dead son rose and he snarled as he grabbed the vampire's lengthy hair.

"What do you think you are doing?" he barked savagely, shaking the vampire's head viciously.

He hesitated out of surprise when he heard a cry of terror from the boy.

"What did I do? What did I do, Father?"

A beastlike roar was expelled from Abraham as he threw Alucard into the wall with more momentum than usual due to his decreased mass. The child yelped as the back of his head collided with the stone and he sagged to the ground. He shrieked and stretched out his small hands before himself protectively as Abraham stalked towards him, taking out a wooden stake.

Instinct made the boy attempt to flee, but Abraham easily snatched his shirt and forced him onto the ground.

"Please! Please let me go!" Abraham could feel the small shoulders quivering beneath his hand.

"Shut up you disgusting fiend! I will not stand for such blatant mockery!" He removed his hand and thrust the stake into the vampire's spine before he could scramble away.

There was a sharp snap and a short gasp from the boy before blood gushed from his mouth. He hacked again only to screech at the tearing agony of the stake. Abraham pushed his weight on the stake and bones crackled as the wood sunk inch by inch, deeper into the vampire. The earsplitting screams rose and Abraham abandoned the stake and reached into his trench coat for his pistol and forced it into his slave's hair roughly.

He scowled as he heard the sound of sobbing from the boy.

"You continue to…!" Abraham tore the vampire's head back and froze. Red tears streaked the trembling child's face and he let out little whimpers as he continued to tremble. His eyes were glassy from the pain and easily reflected the man's shocked expression. "I thought vampires couldn't cry." He murmured, awed by the scene. This only lasted for a moment before the whimpering drew him back from his thoughts and the sound of a gunshot rebounded against the stone. Blood splattered across Abraham's face and he let go of the mass of gore that fell with a squelch on the floor, wide white eyes peering from it.

He started and backed away as the small body melted into a slop of blood and flesh, but he collected himself as a body reformed, leaving his slave before him.

"What was that?" he demanded, directing the gun towards his slave who sat on the stone floor staring at him in veiled annoyance and his usual flicker of madness.

"I didn't do that on purpose…you shouldn't cut into me without expecting some side effects, Master."

Abraham didn't shoot as he watched Alucard for a moment. It made sense. The vampire had more pride and dignity than to act as he had on his own. He put the gun away without taking his eyes off of Alucard.

"You cried. I thought vampires couldn't cry."

"You think a lot of things and half of them will not be true. Why would I not be able to cry? You can, correct? I do not say that you cannot simply because I have not seen it."

"Do not compare me to the likes of you." Hellsing spat and took Alucard's hair to drag him down the dank corridor of the dungeon.

"Why were you so angry?"

"Shut up, Slave. You were not punished further because I believe that you indeed did not choose to do what you did. Now that you are in full control of yourself, do not attempt to do it again."

"What am I doing by bringing it up?"

Abraham glanced down at the vampire, unexpectantly finding his eyes closed. His face was worn, probably due to the demanding surgery.

"I do not have to answer you."

"That is why it is a question and not a demand."

Abraham halted in mid step and his eyes bore into the vampire. "You are acting strange."

Alucard didn't answer.

"No death threats? No curses or struggling? You almost appear sane."

Alucard grinned, making Abraham's mouth drop into a frown.

"I've never been sane."

"I can believe that." Abraham lurched to move forward but Alucard's voice stopped him.

"What did you do to me?"

He looked into the red eyes without an answer.

"I see things I would rather not see, like what you saw before."

"What do you mean?" Abraham was interested, never had he seen Alucard in such a docile state.

Alucard closed his eyes again. "That boy was a recreation of myself when I was that age." He smirked, some of his more characteristic behavior coming through. "I was in a situation almost exactly like the one I am in now."

"Hm." Abraham waited for a few seconds before the vampire spoke again.

"You whip me for my defiance and my remarks just as the Turks did. The Ottoman empire was kind enough to Radu, and my father did not care that they often beat and whipped me, starving me and such…much like you do now, Master. Of course with the exception of the experiments, they are worse than I ever had to endure, or nearly."

His eyes wouldn't move from Alucard's calm face and for a full minute he didn't say anything. "Radu…"

"My brother, my only blood brother. I had two others but they were only half of my blood."

"Why are you telling me this?" Alucard opened his eyes and Abraham's curiosity began to fall, noticing the warped glee that was returning to the beast.

"I thought I would explain some of the origins of my insanity. I'm surprised you did not question why I did not say that they did not rape me as you have." The vampire chuckled at Abraham's revulsion.

He had taken that kind of approach in the hopes of breaking the vampire. It had failed for the most part, only making him lose more of his mind. The words struck Hellsing and he almost gasped.

"Yes." Alucard crooned, more light flashing through his eyes. "They did that too. Later, I couldn't stomach rape, though I recognized it as the most deeming punishment for the Ottoman soldiers I killed, so I impaled them on stakes, spears, shafts, lances, anything I had available."

Abraham was dragging the cackling creature to his cell, having it within his sights.

"Oh the memories that are passing before my eyes Master, it's so much fun seeing old faces. Drowned, white and cold…bloody and sightless eyes…crying, shivering children…hate, war, massacre…I had such a pleasant life." He sighed. "The sight of 20,000 men belonging to my enemies, suspended above the Earth, some still able to twitch."

Abraham flung open the door of the cell with a snarl.

"Now that I think about it…" Abraham threw the vampire into the stone floor as Alucard continued to speak. "I did not do it just for God…I did it for myself also…revenge for what was stolen from me."

Slave and Master stared into one another's faces.

"Don't stop, Master. I want the pain, I want everything that you do to me…" he laughed again. "Oh, it reminds me so much of life."

"You are a miserable creature."

Alucard didn't respond for a moment, his face losing all emotion before he grinned, baring his fangs.

"We are all miserable creatures. You will recognize it if you search deep enough."

Abraham slammed the door of the cell and his footsteps died down the corridor while Alucard's insane laughter continued.

"Yes." He chuckled. "Run from the truth, Master…escape while you can. Once it catches you…" he almost howled with laughter. "…you will never be the same again!" The silence resumed after some time and Alucard's lips twitched into a smirk. "Insanity is so much fun to play with. Soon, you too will join me, Master. Truth will find you."