THE BEAST WITHIN

Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2, Darkstalkers, Hellsing and any other characters depicted in this work of fiction belong to their own respective creators.

< >: Thoughts

Chapter 2

Bloodlines

"Now Talbane, I shall smite you for your previous insult... ERK! ACK! GRAGH!"

"I told you before, Kuno. I don't care to hear your stupid voice." The wolf warrior stated plainly as he continued to walk toward his first class. Behind him, the so-called Blue Thunder was having some difficulty trying to pull out his bokken after his would-be target had shoved its entire length down his throat. It wasn't long before his face began to turn as blue as his robes.

The heir to the Talbain line sighed as he entered his oh so boring English class. Like he needed to know how to read, write and speak that language after spending much of his life in England and America. Most of the time during this period, he would simply look out the window and daydream. As he sat down at his desk, his thoughts went back to the events of three nights ago.

The appearance of two vampires in Tokyo was cause for concern, but neither one of them had been seen since that night. There hadn't been any news of anyone with their blood drained. Either the two bloodsuckers were fasting or their activities had not been detected as of yet.

At that moment, a familiar hot-headed daughter of Soun Tendo came stomping into the classroom. She gave every boy in the room, and especially Matthew, a murderous glare before sitting down at her desk in a huff. Several of the students that were sitting near her became a bit nervous in their seats. It was normal for her to come in a little late due to her morning fights with the Horde of Hentai and Kuno, but the former Saotome thought that she'd be in early due to the fact that Kuno was probably still busy with trying to remove his bokken. Just then, his sensitive hearing picked up a conversation between Akane and one of her friends Yuka.

"Geez Akane! You didn't have to go overboard with them. Kuno wasn't even there."

Akane growled, as she didn't respond to her friend and thought even darker thoughts of what to do against any boy who approached her today. She was in a VERY bad mood and had stomped her admirers extra hard this morning. She had been more than willing to break Kuno in two, but waiting for him to appear had caused her to be late.

<Sheesh! What's her problem?> Matthew wondered as he continued to think about what fate had in store for him and his father.

----------

Hellsing HQ in Japan...

"Are you certain that this all the data about the Talbain family?" Integra asked of her faithful aide. Ever since the Hellsing Organization had faced near total collapse during the Incognito incident, (1) the heir to the world's most ancient order of vampire hunters had been working nonstop to rebuild her ancestors' work. However, now the Hellsing Organization was no longer limited to protecting just the British Empire. Due to the increasing number of Freak Vampires that were appearing worldwide, plus the reported appearance of the vampire noble Demitri Maximof, the newly resurrected Hellsing Organization was becoming a global network.

Walter nodded as he gave his mistress a slight bow. "Yes, Sir Integra. Currently there are only two known members of that werewolf clan, namely Jon Talbain and his son Matthew. The younger lycanthrope had been born under the name of Ranma Saotome, and his so-called father Genma is currently wanted for several hundred cases of petty theft, breaking and entering and several other minor crimes. He is supposedly a master of the Anything Goes Martial Arts and he is currently living at the Tendo Dojo with..."

"I am not interested in the history of a common thief." Integra Wingates cut off. "The fact that there have been numerous reports of Freak Vampires in Japan is what concerns me. I am certain that they are connected with the ones we had faced in England. We have been able to cover up these incidents and kept the general population ignorant of these attacks so far, but now that there is a true vampire noble in the vicinity, the stakes have gotten higher. Hellsing is just starting to recover from its losses and we are not yet at our full original strength. We may need the aid of the Talbain werewolves, in order to fight this new outbreak and especially Maximof. The Talbains are a very powerful lycanthrope family, according to Alucard. Their help could tip the odds in our favor."

----------

Later that day...

"Hey there! How's it going?"

As the students began filtering out of the school for the day, Matthew turned about to the person who had called out to him. He was a bit surprised to come face to face with Akane's sister.

Nabiki gave Talbain her best smile as her eyes assessed the tall teen before her. He definitely wasn't starving and there was something about his presence that seemed so... feral. He emitted a kind of subtle, yet strong animal magnetism about him and the middle Tendo daughter wasn't the first to notice it. Several other girls, all of which had no date prospects to speak of during the weekends, (because of the morning fights to date her sister), had been trying to get close to him as well.

"We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Nabiki Tendo and though I'm a few days late, I'd like to officially welcome you to Furinken High. I can tell that you're going to fit in perfectly here."

"Uhh... thanks." Matthew replied with a shrug of his shoulders, then turned to head home. "Well, it was nice meeting you and..."

"Hold on." She placed a hand on his right shoulder and momentarily noted how firm and muscular it was. It wasn't bulky or as broad as a weightlifter's, but it hinted at great inner power, just waiting to be unleashed. The shorthaired girl immediately removed her hand as she realized it was lingering too long and composed herself. "You're in no hurry to get home, are you?"

"Uh, no I'm not." Since the full moon would not occur for another twenty-eight days, Jon Talbain's son didn't have much to worry about.

"Good. Then you won't mind if I walk home with you? Maybe I can show you around our neighborhood? You're heading toward the West Side of the Nerima district, right?"

"How did you know?"

Nabiki smiled again as she and Matthew began walking in that direction. "I've seen you head that way after school every day." (Or rather her flunkies had seen him head that way). "I guess it's just coincidence that my home is in the same direction."

Though he had heard rumors about the so-called Ice Queen of Furinken and her mercenary ways, the former Saotome decided that it wouldn't hurt to have her walk with him for a while. Making friends was hard as he and his father traveled abroad frequently. With a shrug of his shoulders, and a slight nod of his head, he began heading toward a nearby soda shop to get something to drink before going home. "Sure. Why not? And to repay for your kindness and hospitality, how about I treat you to a root beer float?" He offered one arm out to her.

Nabiki smiled and nodded. This would be a good opportunity to learn more about him. Also, this was the absolute first time a boy had asked to treat her to anything without being coerced into doing so. In a way, his simple invitation had asserted her self-confidence as a female. Lately, every boy in school was after her little sister and money was poor company on those lonely Saturday nights. She could go on shopping sprees, but what was the point of buying beautiful clothes if there was no one to impress them with other than her family?

It also didn't hurt that Matthew was cute in a kind of lupine way. His eyes reminded her of a wolf's and she found herself unable to keep her gaze from going back to those blue-gray depths. Slowly, she took his offered arm and in a slightly shy fashion, (though she wouldn't admit it to anyone), moved closer to him.

Several girls who saw Nabiki latching onto Matthew's arm gave her cold and jealous glares. Gossiping and whispers began to run rampant among the throngs of people. It seemed that the one boy in school that wasn't interested in her violent maniac of a sibling, had been taken.

Nabiki noticed the looks she was being given and loved every minute of it.

----------

On the other side of Tokyo, a certain individual smiled as she read the list of bounties that she had gotten off the Internet. However, she was no ordinary bounty hunter. The prey she stalked were not of the human kind. The rival organization of Hellsing called Iscariot, was offering rewards for Freak Vampires and a very sizeable bounty for a certain fanged noble. The little girl with the picnic basket full of Uzis, missiles, bombs and other goodies was ready to rumble.

B. Bonnie Hood was on the job.

----------

"So what's with your sister anyway?" Matthew asked as he sipped his Coke. Sitting opposite to him at the booth was Nabiki. "Has she always been so anti-social?"

Nabiki shrugged as she took another sip from her root beer float. "Well, it's only because of that stupid declaration of Kuno's. At the beginning of the semester, he told everyone that he wouldn't allow any guy to date Akane unless..."

"... unless he defeats her in battle." Matt finished. "Yeah, I heard about that from the guys in my class. Kind of lame if you ask me. But it looked to me that she was even angrier than usual."

"Well, I really can't blame her, since Daddy went and laid that bombshell on her, me and Kasumi last night. You see, an old friend of his had come to visit..."

----------

Flashback...

"This is my dear friend...' Soun introduced.

"Genma Saotome." The fat man bowed as he gestured to a stocky boy beside him. And this is my son... Ranma." Genma smiled inwardly at his cleverness. After losing his son ten years ago, he had wandered about Japan and purposely sent deceiving letters to his wife, assuring her that the training was going well. In actuality, he spent his time trying to think of a way out of the mess he was in. He dared not return home without his child, for fear of that seppuku pledge he had signed before leaving on the training trip.

It had been out of sheer luck that he had come across a boy who was about Ranma's age and height and had a talent for the martial arts. Using a special memory-erasing shampoo that he had... ah, obtained (stolen) from a Chinese merchant, he had been able to erase the boy's past and convinced him that he was his son. From then on, the training with 'Ranma' had continued without a hitch. Well, mostly without a hitch. The boy had some kind of directional defect and kept on getting lost. That trip to Jusenkyo could have ended better too.

"My oldest daughter Kasumi, she's nineteen. My middle daughter Nabiki, she's seventeen. My youngest daughter Akane, she's sixteen. Choose any one you want, and she'll be your new fiancée."

----------

End of Flashback...

"You wouldn't believe the craziness that happened that night." Nabiki said as she and Matthew were now walking down the street toward the Tendo home. "Anyway, Daddy was dead set on having that pledge fulfilled and Akane got picked for bridal duty. She's been going on and on about how all boys are perverts since then."

"So where is this... Ranma? Is he at your home now?" Matthew asked.

"Well, that's the funny thing. We haven't seen him since last night when he asked Kasumi the way to the bathroom. He gets lost really easy. Mr. Saotome assured us that he'll eventually find his way back, but until then, Akane is blowing off steam on just about any boy that comes near her. Oh, here's my house."

At that moment, a certain someone let off an enraged scream and started charging at Matthew.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU PERVERT!"

----------

Meanwhile, somewhere in Osaka...

"Excuse me, but which way is the Tendo Dojo?"

----------

Later...

"Ow!" Akane winced as Kasumi applied some disinfectant to her sister's injuries. In addition to a few scrapes on her arms, she had a large bruise forming on her right cheek and several more on her limbs.

Nabiki shook her head at her hotheaded sibling. "Akane, what gave you the right to interfere with my personal life?"

"What are you talking about? I was just trying to protect you from that pervert before he got too close!" Akane protested, then winced again.

"No, you just saw it as an excuse to lash out at him." Nabiki countered as she gave Akane a disapproving glare.

Kasumi nodded, as she had to agree with Nabiki. She had been sweeping up the front sidewalk and had observed both her sister and the Wolf-fighter simply walking toward the front gate. However, Akane had immediately assumed the worst when she saw them together. "Nabiki's right Akane. Matthew wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Honesty Akane, you'll jump at any chance to hit a boy." Nabiki added with some disgust.

"Boys are perverts and he was a pervert and...!"

"And since WHEN was it perverted for a boy to treat me to a root beer float and walk me home? You're just lucky that you got away with only a few scrapes and bruises. Matthew went easy on you."

"I would have beaten that jerk if I had been ready..."

"In your dreams, Akane." Nabiki said as she continued to frown about her sister's inexcusable actions. "You may have more martial arts experience than Kasumi and me, but from what I saw, Matthew could wipe the floor with you in his sleep. He beat you without even trying."

"He didn't beat me! It was just a fluke! I... I... tripped and knocked myself out, that's all!"

Nabiki sighed tiredly as Akane was once again off on her denials of reality. "Sure, sure, whatever you say, Akane. The thing is that you're the one who attacked him without reason, and all he did was self-defense. He wasn't at fault, you were."

"I was not! It was his fault for being a pervert!"

The middle daughter of Soun Tendo sighed again.

Kasumi felt herself a bit torn after the incident. As the surrogate mother of the Tendo family, she had always looked after the well being of her family. Seeing her youngest sister hurt had been a bit of a shock, and yet Nabiki raised a valid point. Akane's behavior had been reprehensible and wasn't it Kasumi's responsibility to have taught her sibling better manners?

Akane naturally saw no fault in her actions and silently promised that the next time she and Matthew met, she'd pound him into goo as she did with all perverts.

----------

<What was HER problem?> Matthew thought as he walked home. He remembered back to his encounter with Akane.

----------

Flashback...

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER, YOU PERVERT!"

WHAM! BAM! WHOMP!

Matthew relaxed his stance after deflecting Akane's rage-fueled attack, counterpunched to the stomach, then followed through with a kick to her face. The short-tempered girl hit the pavement hard on her side and skidded a bit before stopping in a kind of daze. She let off a low moan of pain as she was in a state of shock at being instantly... beaten. Her perfect record of being the undefeated fighter of Nerima had been shattered in less than a heartbeat.

Nabiki was quite surprised to see Matthew effortlessly, (almost unconsciously) stop Akane's usual 'pound first and don't bother to ask later' attacks. She then ran to her side to check for injuries. She was relieved to see that though Akane had taken quite a bruising, she was relatively all right.

A startled gasp was heard and another girl, this one older with long brown hair, ran out from the front of the house and knelt down at the downed heir to the Tendo Anything Goes.

Matthew then realized that he had just hit a girl.

----------

End of flashback...

<It wasn't my fault! She attacked me first! Was I supposed to just stand there and let her hit me?>

After helping Akane into her home and apologizing for hitting her, he had immediately left the Tendo home. Fortunately for him, Soun and Genma were out drinking, so he had avoided encountering his former father. He gazed down at his right hand, which he had used to punch Akane in the abdomen before automatically following through with a kick. That simple combo had stopped Akane's best attack and he was now unofficially the best fighter in Nerima. Big whoop.

After reuniting with his real father, Ranma Saotome had been training in the fighting styles of his werewolf heritage. It was more freestyle than even the Anything Goes and relied on instincts, specifically animal and spiritual instincts. It didn't recognize the difference between males and females as did Genma's fighting ideals, which considered them weak.

Jon Talbain did not agree with his chauvinistic views as he had already encountered females of formidable powers and abilities. Females such as the Catwoman Felicia, the Succubus Morrigan and her excess evil persona known as Lilith. The so-called fairer sex have proven themselves to be opponents that were not to be dismissed. He had long since reeducated his biological son in his ideals and to never underestimate his opponents, regardless of their gender.

At that moment, Matthew's danger sense went off as he sensed that something... or someone was watching him. His body tensed up as he looked about for any signs of danger. The presence he was feeling was just at the edge of his perception and he couldn’t pinpoint where it was coming from. His nostrils flared a bit and he tuned into any sounds that were out of the ordinary. The sun was nearing the horizon as the shadows grew longer and darker.

At that point, Jon’s son caught a glimpse of a figure stepping out from a darkened alley and into view some fifty feet away. Matthew’s eyes narrowed as he beheld... him.

He was a tall, blonde Caucasian man with a neatly trimmed beard. He wore a pair of steel-rimmed glasses and white, flowing robes that made him resemble a Catholic priest. He even had a gold, holy cross dangling from his neck from a thin chain. However, Matthew suspected that this was no holy man. In each of his gray-gloved hands was a long, wicked-looking blade with a bent handle. The weapons resembled oversized butcher knives and the young werewolf had no doubt that they were composed with a generous amount of silver.

When he saw the murderous look in the stranger’s eyes, Matthew knew that he was in grave danger.

----------

Meanwhile...

A certain individual smiled as she stood from a rooftop and looked down at the city below. Her long, light, emerald hair wafted in the breeze, which accentuated the small batwings that were on the sides of her head. On her back was a pair of larger batwings. Her figure was voluptuous and emitted a kind of sensual but lethal magnetism. She wore a form fitting, skintight outfit with a plunging neckline that displayed a generous view of her ample cleavage.

As the sun began to set and the night was nearing, the succubus known as Morrigan Aensland prepared for her nightly excursion.

She had heard the rumors that Demitri and Jon Talbain were in Japan, plus a few others, which had piqued her interest. What had caught her interest the most, was the rumor that the werewolf now had a son, and she was looking forward to encountering him. If he was anything like his feral and delicious father...

The Darkstalker spread her wings wide and leapt into the sky.

----------

"Who are you?" Matthew asked as he took a defensive stance.

The man smiled scornfully at the adolescent lycanthrope. "I am Paladin Alexander Anderson and I am your executioner... you child of Demon-spawn!" His weapons flashed as he took a more aggressive stance and prepared to attack.

"What are you talking about...?"

"Do not try to deny the truth with your beastly tongue, abomination!" Alexander cut off as he took a few steps forward. "You are Matthew Talbain, son of Jon Talbain, heir to the accursed line of the Talbain werewolves. Iscariot knows of your kind well. Your bloodline has long been a blight on this Earth in which our Almighty Lord had created for his children. It my sworn duty to rid our lands of the filth that you and those other denizens of Hell bring."

"Look, I don’t know what you’re talking about but..."

"The time for talk is over! Have at thee, Darkstalker!"

Matthew had no chance to speak any further as Paladin Alexander suddenly sprang forward with a speed that nearly matched his own. He barely managed to swerve out of the way of the initial slashes of his weapons. He flipped backward, while drawing out a pair of nunchakus from a hidden holster at the small of his back. Though he was very capable in unarmed combat, the silver blades the mad Catholic wielded were a problem. He didn't dare try to block those things with his bare hands.

In a heartbeat, Alexander launched his weapons at his opponent. The twin swords streaked toward him like bolts of metallic lightning. Focusing his ki into his weapons, Matthew whirled the chained clubs about and deflected the edged projectiles. An instant later, he charged forward, intent on finishing the fight quickly before his foe brought out any more surprises.

Alexander Anderson also charged forward, and with two flicks of both wrists, made two more blades appear in his hands. With the blade in his right hand, he made a slash toward Matthew’s face. As he predicted, the lycanthrope blocked with his nunchakus. At the same time, he stabbed at his opponent's unprotected flank with the other blade.

However, Jon’s son had anticipated the maneuver and twisted at the last moment. The blade barely nicked his side and sent a sharp burning sensation into his flesh as it tore through his shirt. Matthew bit down on the pain, whirled about and slammed one end of his nunchakus into the Iscariot agent’s face.

THWACK!

This caused the man’s glasses to be knocked off and he staggered back several feet. Matthew pressed his advantage and delivered several hard punches to his abdomen, followed by a snap kick to the face. Unfortunately, Alexander was made of far sterner stuff and retaliated with a wicked double slash at him. The young wolf-fighter managed to evade the first strike, but was a hair too slow in avoiding the second one. The blade burned into his right shoulder, causing him to scream out in agony.

"HAH! FIRST BLOOD IS MINE! NOW DEMON OF SATAN, YE SHALL PERISH BY MINE OWN... AAAACCCKKK!"

Alexander’s rant was swiftly cut off as Matthew slammed a fist into his throat. This gave the young Darkstalker enough time to strike at Paladin’s right temple to knock him off balance, then somersault away. Once he got about ten feet from his foe, he triggered his transformation to his hybrid form. He immediately gained an increase in height and muscle mass, plus a furrier appearance. In their brief exchange, Matthew had realized that his adversary wasn’t all human as he had shrugged off hits that would have seriously injured an ordinary man. Things were getting drastic and the lycanthrope suspected that he may have to be more... savage in order to survive this night.

The agent of Hellsing’s rival shook his head to clear it, then beheld Matthew in his true form. He snorted as he held up his weapons. "So, you have decided to drop your guise of false humanity, eh? So be it. I much rather prefer to fight you in your true shape. It sickens me that freaks like you would even presume to belong to this world! You are a mistake of nature and as a loyal servant of our Holy Father, I shall erase that mistake! DIE!"

Matthew tensed up as the maniac charged in what appeared to be a suicide attack. Then he suddenly sensed another imminent attack and swerved to the left. At that moment a spray of gunfire rained down on the space in which he had occupied a moment before. At that same time, the insane priest stopped in his tracks and looked up. He spied a young girl standing on the second story of a nearby fire escape.

"Who ye be?!" He demanded to a certain bounty hunter. She was dressed in a red cloak and was holding a picnic basket in one hand and an Uzi in the other. The muzzle was still smoking.

"Hood's the name, B. Bonnie Hood." The girl replied in a cheery, yet somewhat sickening voice. "And I'll thank you to leave my target alone. I won't get any bounty from Iscariot if you cut him up first."

"Bounty?!" Alexander exclaimed in disbelief. He had not yet been told that his employers were hiring out mercenaries. The holy mission wipe out all demon spawn was reserved for the righteous knights of Iscariot, not to money-hungry scum!

"That's right, priest man." Hood said as she leapt down and took aim with her weapon. "Iscariot's is offering some really nice chunks of change for anyone who can bring in the Freak Vampires or any other Darkstalker, undead or dead. The Talbains happen to be on my list."

"NAY! YOU LIE!" The insane priest held up his weapons in a crossed fashion in front of him. "The sacred duty to destroy the monsters is reserved for we TRUE agents of the Lord!"

"Whatever." The bounty hunter shrugged. "The Gods I believe in happen to be printed on the greenbacks. So either you get out of my way, or you're going to have a few dozen extra body openings." She held up her Uzi and took aim at Matthew.

"THE WOLF-DEMON IS MINE TO DESTROY! I SHALL NOT BE DENIED MY RIGHT TO SERVE MY LORD! DIE!!!!!!"

B. Bonnie Hood shrugged again as Alexander charged at her. "Have it your way. If Iscariot asks about you, I'll just say that it was in self-defense." She then squeezed the trigger.

Matthew stood in horror as Paladin Alexander charged into a hailstorm of gunfire. The priest's pure, white robes, along with his body, became riddled with bullets. He was stopped about fifteen feet from the red-robed girl and fell backward. Blood began to pool on the pavement as the mercenary turned her attention toward her werewolf prey.

"Don't even think about trying to escape, wolfie. This gun's loaded with silver bullets. Now why don't you make things easier for the both of us and just stand there?"

Matthew growled as he tensed up, and prepared to attack. It was then that he caught some movement coming from... Alexander's corpse?

Hood also caught sight of the supposedly dead agent of Iscariot rising to his feet. "What the...?!"

The mad priest began chuckling like a certain rock-and-roll zombie we know of, as he gazed upon Hood with a maniacal grin. "Foolish waif! Did ye actually believe that thy puny gun could defeat a disciple of the Holy One?"

Both Matthew and Hood watched in disbelief as the numerous holes in Alexander's body began sealing themselves up.

"No way! You can't be alive!" B. Bonnie Hood exclaimed as she reloaded her weapon with a fresh magazine from her basket.

However, the agent of Iscariot laughed as he brandished his swords. "Go ahead. Shoot me. It will do you no good with the gift that I have received from the Almighty."

Matthew knew that things had just gone from bad to worse.

----------

High above, Morrigan continued to wing her way in search of a little excitement. When she heard the sounds of gunfire from the streets below, she decided to investigate and began her descent. She smiled as she saw one person in particular.

<Mmmmmm... he looks VERY scrumptious! Just like his father!>

----------

WHABOOM!

"And where do you think YOU'RE going?" The mercenary girl said as she noticed that Matthew was trying to get away in the heat of the battle. She had momentarily gotten Paladin Alexander off her case by giving him an apple... with a bomb in it.

Matthew tried to get more distance between himself and these loonies, when the Red Riding Hood lookalike held up her basket as if she was holding up a...

WHOOSH! SHOOM!

<Rocket launcher?!> Matthew leapt high to avoid the projectile as it screamed toward him. It passed right by him and impacted a store, causing it to explode, sending glass, bricks and other debris flying everywhere.

The werewolf landed lightly on his feet, then had to swerve to the right as Hood let loose with another volley of silver-tipped bullets. "Hey! Don't you know that there are gun laws in Japan?!"

"So what's your point?" Hood shrugged as she continued to fire at her elusive prey. However, Talbain's son proved to be a very difficult target as he dodged each of her shots, and began advancing on her. <Damn! He's moving too fast for me to get a bead on! I have to slow him down somehow!>

At that moment, a certain someone had the same idea. The mad priest from Iscariot had just finished regenerating after having an apple packed with C-4 blow up in his face. He smiled as he saw his werewolf victim too occupied with his opponent. This was too good an opportunity to pass up. Smiling evilly and brandishing his silver-edged weapons, he began charging at Matthew from behind.

However, Matthew had sensed his approach and countered. Spinning about, his right leg came up in a horizontal version of his father's Climb Razor technique. His foot glowed with bestial ki and mystical energy as it impacted hard against Alexander's temple, sending him sprawling.

Unfortunately, this slight distraction was all B. Bonnie Hood needed as she fired toward Mathew's head. The werewolf ducked fast, but not fast enough. A round grazed his right temple, causing a flaring pain to erupt in his head as the flesh was burned. This put Mathew off balance and, that was when his opponent prepared to finish him off. She threw up her cape and shouted...

"COOL HUNTING!"

Two ghostly images of giant hunters appeared behind her, each was armed with a nasty-looking shotgun or rifle. At that moment, she aimed her Uzi at both Mathew and Alexander and was about to squeeze the trigger.

A heartbeat before the carnage was unleashed, a dark shape with bat wings swooped down and snatched the injured werewolf out of the line of fire.

BUDDA! BUDDA! BUDDA! RATATATATATATATATATATATA! KPOW! KPOW! BOOM! KAPOW! WHABOOM! BOOM! BUDDA! RATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATAT! WHOOM! BA-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

B. Bonnie Hood and her ghostly hunters, let loose with a storm of bullets, bombs and missiles that would have taken out a tank battalion, but missed their intended target. However, they didn't miss Paladin Alexander. The mad priest only had a half-second to see what was coming at him before his body was torn to pieces under the lethal hail of fire. His insides were sent splattering all over the asphalt as limbs were quartered and his flesh was set ablaze by the numerous explosions.

Finally, after it was all over, the little girl put down her weapon and let her ghostly allies disappear. She snarled a bit as she surveyed the damage her final attack had caused. She had missed her bounty! The werewolf had escaped and all she had to show for it was the bloody and mangled carcass of that nutjob from Iscariot.

She let off a sigh and decided to turn in for the evening. She would not earn any bounty for this night's work, but she was certain that she would see the teenage lycanthrope again. Next time, she was going to have his head!

As she disappeared into the shadows, she paid no notice to the bloodied mass on the street. Why would she? She was certain that despite any strange regeneration powers the man had possessed, there was no way he could recover from that, especially with his head torn apart and his brain splattered all over the concrete. Her Cool Hunting Finishing Move ALWAYS killed.

However, what she did not know was that the technology that had given Alexander's regenerative abilities was quite advanced. Just a minute after she was gone from sight, several pieces of the Iscariot agent began to quiver... (2)

----------

Some time later...

Jon Talbain looked down at his son, as Matthew lay unconscious on the bed in his hybrid form. He reached out and gently caressed his offspring's temple, which was now bandaged after he had cleaned tended to the wound. He let off a sigh of relief, then turned to face the one who had brought him home.

Morrigan smiled at him as she stood at Matthew's bedside. "It's been a long time Jon."

"Yes... it has been." The elder werewolf admitted with some reluctance as he looked back down at his son. "So... how did you find out where we lived?"

The succubus smiled knowingly. "Oh... I have my ways. But then again, you of all people should know that." This caused Jon to blush slightly, which elicited a small giggle from her as she gazed at his son. "She must have been quite a woman."

"Hmmm?"

"Your boy's mother. I envy her for actually snagging your heart." Morrigan let off a heartfelt sigh. "Matthew could have been ours, you know."

"Er... yes, well..." The Talbain werewolf became a bit flustered as he tried to compose himself in front of the very beautiful and sexy succubus. Talking about Matthew's mother in front of his old flame was making him very nervous, and he was relieved when his offspring began to regain consciousness.

"Uuuuuuhhhhh... ow!" Matthew groaned as started to sit up, but fell back down as his head began to throb.

"Easy son. You're safe and sound. You've had quite a night." Jon gently placed a reassuring hand on his son's right shoulder and patted it.

Matthew tried to rise again, but his head winced in protest. As his vision began to clear, he immediately recognized his father, but was confused to see a green-haired woman with batwings sprouting from her head. The fact that she was wearing a skintight outfit with her generous cleavage showing didn't help matters as his hormone levels began to rise. (3)

"W-Who are you?"

Jon cleared his voice as he introduced her to him. "This is the one who had saved you and brought you home. Son, this is Morrigan Aensland, an old... acquaintance."

Morrigan giggled again as she playfully stroked one side of Jon's face. "Actually, the more appropriate term would be lover."

Matthew's eyes widened in shock...

To be continued...

Author's Notes

Yeah, I know a lot of Darkstalker fans would argue for Morrigan and Dimetri and Jon/Felicia couplings, but this is my story so I get to choose who goes with who. I'll be tweaking the history of the Darkstalkers in according to the Vampire Savior game and there will be more interactions with the Hellsing gang. I've also had some requests to add Gold Diggers and... MORE FELICIA! (thanks Alex Burgos). I'm not promising anything as this story doesn't have any set direction yet, but I'll keep all your suggestions in mind.

Next time, we'll meet Ranma (that is to say Ryoga), as well as a few more appearances from the Darkstalkers gang.

  1. This occurs after the Hellsing series.
  2. I've always wondered just how much her could take before his body reaches its limit to regenerate.
  3. Hey, he's been growing up with Jon, not Genma, so he's neither as immature nor sexually repressed as his canon version.