Disclaimer: Hellsing belongs to Kouta Hirano.

Author's Notes: This is for the 30 romances community in livejournal, the theme touched here is "mission (im)possible, limitations." I want to thank Alucard's Familiar for editing this piece. I am going with the German translation in which Seras says she's turning Pip into a vampire (hinted PxS). Any feedback is appreciated.

Chimera

"Wait until I call for reinforcements!" Integral Hellsing shouted, straightening her military uniform as she surveyed her soldiers, only handful of her troops were the remaining Wild Geese mercenaries. She had everything ready, her twin Berettas, one on her hand, another in her holster and the family sabre sheathed on her belt. It was rather heavy to walk with it, let alone to wield at thirty four years old, but she supposed limitations of her age would be expected. "Alucard and I will enter and get rid of the target. Watch over the perimeter and take care of stray ghouls. Dismissed!"

They saluted as she ventured inside the dark factory of East End. Her stomach was in turmoil, refusing to cooperate with her head, anxiety creeping up along side it. She regretted leaving her cigar box in her office but she must resist temptation. Smoking before agitated her system was not recommended after her collapse three years ago.

One more down and it's over, she told herself, digesting that realization. What would she do after the last vampire threat of the Empire is eliminated? She was a hunter, but could she limit herself to just patrolling the boarders to avoid the entry of more Midians?

"You waited twenty years for this, didn't you? And I more than that…" Alucard trailed off, manifesting himself behind her. She did not look at him, instead she turned on her flashlight to illuminate her way through the dark installations. "There are still undead outside the island. The ones who escaped after the war, Countess."

"They are none of our concern," Integral pointed out, attempting to keep her focus. They could talk later, once the mission was over. One vampire and a horde of ghouls would be easy for them to take down.

Speaking of the Devil, Integral thought, smelling their fetid pestilence and listening footsteps and pained moans approaching. She held her Beretta steadily in her hand and opened fire to the creatures, Alucard aided behind her, shooting above her shoulder. The sibilant of his bullets almost caressing the fabric of her uniform awoke a strange fire inside her. It aroused her, the scent of killing, of blood, of slaughter.

"I am going to miss this," Integral admitted. She had never contemplated that the mission would be possible to be fulfilled in her lifetime. She always deemed it a chimera. But here I am, only thirty-four and my life's mission is nearly over.

"You can settle down and have a family," Alucard suggested, half mocking, half serious.

"What for?" Integral asked, lifting a brow in disbelief. "You are no longer bound to our bloodline, it's no necessary. Besides I would be a terrible mother."

"Would you? I think you would be an exemplary one."

Integral halted in firing when the ghouls were ashes and looked at him in astonishment. If he was serious or not, she could not discern anything of his unreadable expression. There is no mortal man in the world that will survive you and me, she thought wryly, gesturing him with her head to take the lead. The vampire could be close and armed after all.

"Or I could limit myself to visiting Bernadette and Seras in France and Walter in United States," Integral said, her tone was indifferent. She could still not accept that age or the lack of prey would stop her hunt. "Your fledgling sent me a postcard yesterday, they are in some town in the south. They were asking if there was any advance of granting citizenship and civil rights to vampires here."

Alucard shook his head, snorting. "We would be convicted as mass murderers if the Parliament did that."

"The war left too many wounds open here, Count. The citizens won't forget that easily how dangerous the Midians could be and the politicians don't want to ruin their careers, that's why most vampires left," Integral said, surveying the quiet installations and changing the clip of her handgun. The machines were still and shut down, no sound aside of their voices could be heard. "That's another chimera for now. Therefore don't fancy romantic fugitive setting for both of us."

Alucard stopped in front of her. "Our target is near, Master," he pointed out to the door ahead of them, turning to face her playfully. "Orders?"

A smirk spread on her face, twisted it. "Search and destroy, servant! Don't let anything detour you from fulfilling that!" she commanded, heart filling with the overwhelming joy of the hunt.

They charged together, Alucard blew the door away and plunged his hands into the hearts of the ghouls while she opened her path, taking down the ones that protected the Midian. He was a young man with a helmet and wearing a protective waistcoat, a fellow co-worker of the slaved zombies certainly, who arrived different on their last nocturnal shift.

"W-wait, M-miss… I-I swear, I didn't-" he tried to explain, stuttering and sweating, placing his hands in defensive position as he made his ways backwards, towards the next room. Integral followed him. He seemed young and frightened, easy to defeat. His helmet and waistcoat would be difficult for her bullet to penetrate. Pondering her chances, she unsheathed her sword and brandished it. He had nowhere to run, the heavy metal gates at the end of the chambers were locked. He growled and turned again. "Please, don't! I didn't-"

For a killer, he did not offer resistance nor fight aside pleading and running. Trash vampire of the first class, Integral labelled him while she swung her blade, quickly beheading the Midian. She sheathed her sword and picked up his head before it dissolved on her hands. She took a second to inhale the aroma of her last hunt, enjoying it in her memory, then noticed something odd. Illuminating his face, she realized his fangs were too small and his eyes brown. A true Nosferatu would have red eyes and longer canines.

Suddenly, someone snared at her from behind, pinning her face first roughly against the wall. Integral nearly passed out when her head hit the brick and could swear her nose was broken. She cried out in agony when the shards of her shattered glasses pierced her face, she smelled of blood – her blood. She could not open her eyes, fearful that she had been blinded.

"You killed everyone!" she heard a distinctive female voice snarl. A cold hand took her wrists roughly, twisting them, making her drop the flashlight. She muffled her scream this time. "You killed everyone I knew, you fucking human! You and your undead toy who is fighting the ghouls in the next room." She bent over her ear, fangs pressing the earlobe. "We didn't have money to escape your purge, bitch. And everyone died, everyone but me… But I knew my time would come. But I would take you with me," she laughed, lapping the blood running down her cheeks.

Integral flinched disgusted by her actions, she tried to focus her thoughts, ordering them despite her pain. She could not die now, not in this mission. "Y-your goal i-is a chi-chimera," she spat.

"Virgin aren't you? A frigid, old slut who will die that way," she babbled, still licking her face, ignoring her remark. "That bastard you killed was one too, and a very brave man. He was the only strong willed of this bunch of losers working here. He went down fighting me to protect his friends."

Integral did not react at that, she would regret that murder later, instead she tried not to listen to the Midian, she heard the battle on the next room, and the intensity was fading.

"Strong willed enough to become my Dracul to use as pawn against you. Now what is it you want to say, eh, bitch? Before you become the last prey of your last prey?"

There was silence aside of her hysterical voice, Integral smiled with malice. "Y-your mission is i-impossible to fulfil."

She heard a bang and the well-known sibilant of Alucard's bullets behind her. This time the silver did not caress her skin, it came through it in a violently manner. She was too shocked to scream when she felt great portion of her left side being blown out and grateful she could not see her own organs and blood decorating the wall before her. It was a miracle her heart was untouched – or rather a carefully aimed shot. The female vampire shrieked before fading and Integral collapsed while two strong arms picked her up gently.

"W-why?" she asked, her tone was fading along with her life. She recalled then. She had given orders to destroy the target no matter what. Not even her life.

"Your order," Alucard reminded her, cradling her against his chest. "And are your orders now, Master?" he asked. "You have fulfilled your life mission, Countess. All threats against your lands are gone. Your enemies are defeated."

Integral did not have much time to think about her choices, her life was fading and the pain on her eyes was dulling her process. The vampire knew what the lady had decided when she bared her neck to him. "N-neither of our dreams w-were chimeras, w-were they?"

"No and now they will be everlasting. As humans say: Third time's the charm," was Alucard's response, his mouth very close to her throat, the swoon produced by the contact brought Integral a brief relief to her aching. "We will discuss the forming a family issue when you awake, my Countess. One who gives the undead justice, not these pathetic punks."

Integral would have laughed if she were strong enough to, understanding what type of family he was talking about. No longer would humans defeat monsters. But she had chosen and would not back away her decision. A hunter will always be a hunter and won't die as prey, she thought while she accepted the cold and deadly kiss of her Count.