Hopefully, A Better World (A Castlevania Season 3 and 4 Fanfiction)

Chapter 1: The World Outside

The world outside the castle of his father was quiet. Alucard caught fish and took plants from the ground, putting them in the little picnic baskets to take back to the castle - and to Alyx. His thoughts often strayed to Alyx sometimes when he wasn't particularly thinking of anything else, and he regretted more often than not leaving her alone in her bed most mornings after they spent their nights together. If Alucard had to be honest with himself, he had no idea why he did it. Maybe it was the thought of falling so deeply in love with someone, like his father did with his mother, that scared him. But that was only half the problem, for he was already terribly in love with Alyx. Ever since seeing her fight off night creatures in Gresit, and the way she countered Trevor's coldness with witty replies that always sent his sadness skittering away, and good God - her eyes. Those gorgeous, deep blue eyes. They always seemed to spark every night he was with her. He could sense that she was just as sad as he was. Being separated from Trevor - as much as Alucard hated the man, he could understand how deep of a bond those two had. They'd been on their own since they were kids. 

He re-entered the castle and went searching for wine, finding it after smashing one or two bottles. Then, he cooked, just noticing Alyx stepping into the kitchen, barely speaking to him. Once or twice, he opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it and continued making the food. Every so often, he'd side-eye her, watching her in her loose white shirt and pants, and vaguely noticed she'd stolen one of his shirts. He noticed the muscles rippling in her back from long days of fighting and training, and her slightly curvy legs. Alucard swallowed and returned back to preparing the food. 

'Morning, Alucard,' she said, and her voice nearly made him choke on air with how delicate it was, with a slight rasp. She must have just woken up, because her morning voice was just loosely hanging on. 

'Alyx,' he replied, and he felt his cheeks tinging pink, but he quickly willed his thoughts away and said nothing as he poured the white wine and plated up the food. She smiled at him gratefully and dug in. Even though she hadn't had much of a childhood, she still ate politely. Quietly. Like a mouse. Alucard had to steel himself when she placed her plate in the sink after she'd finished and gave his shoulder a featherlight touch on the way out. When he started talking to the dolls he'd made of Trevor and Sypha, impersonating their voices, his cheeks turned even more pink as he heard her delicate laughter floating down the hall. He studied his glass of wine. 'Oh, my God. I am losing my mind.' He drained the glass. 'It's only been a month. I think.' 

The next morning... 

Alucard filled the water bucket in the stream, his steps slow and methodical. Alyx was beside him for this morning, and he could tell she was tense by how she stood. Keeping watch. Hand constantly drifting to the blade at her side. Something crunched near them, a twig, perhaps, and he heard Alyx shifting her feet. As he filled up the other bucket, he grabbed a rock and flung it, speeding through the forest with his vampire speed, grabbing someone by the throat and holding his claws up high to strike them down. 

'Please!' the woman gasped. 

'I will not be hunted,' he growled. 

'We are not hunting you,' she said. 'You are the Alucard.' 

'The what?' 

'We need your help.'

'With an arrow in my back.' 

'He was going to cover me. I was going to come out and talk to you.' 

'Really?'

'We have come a long way. Please. I need to know if he's alright.' 

'I'd say nice shot with the rock, Alucard, but you definitely beat me to the fun of it,' Alyx said, leaning against a tree not far from them. 

'If I wanted him dead, I would have aimed higher,' Alucard replied. 'If he wants to continue living, he should stop right there.' 

'Please leave her alone!' the young man gasped. 'You are the Alucard, and we do need your help.' 

'Wait - the Alucard?' Alyx asked, and it was her turn to be confused by the strange name they'd given him. 

'Adrian Tepes. The Alucard. The anti-Dracula.' 

'Just - Alucard,' he said, rising to his feet as the young man sprinted over to the girl. 

'Who are you?' Alyx asked, coming closer to the two. 

'I am Sumi. This is Taka,' the girl gestured to herself. 'We hunt vampires.'

'Not you. Real vampires. The pursuit of our target became the pursuit of the castle,' Taka said, addressing Alucard, 'and we only discovered yesterday that you lived in it, along with her.' 

'She is right here,' Alyx replied. 'I'm Alyx Belmont, the last daughter of the Belmont family. Also, vampire hunters.' 

'I didn't notice you yesterday. You're better than I thought,' Alucard mused. 'Who was your quarry?'

'Her name is Cho. We were slaves to her court in Japan. She left to become a general in Dracula's war. We were able to escape her court in that time,' Sumi replied. 

'We followed her here. We learned to track the castle.'

'If she was in the castle with Dracula, then she died at Braila,' Alucard said. 

'Yes. But she's not the only vampire in Japan. We need more knowledge than we have to fight them.' 

'We were looking for the castle. We had no idea how to find you,' Taka spoke. 'Ignoring for the moment the fact that I think you smashed all my ribs, this is a good day for us.'

'Alucard... Alyx,' Sumi said, stepping forward, 'will you teach us?' 

'Teach you?' Alucard asked. 

'We are alone in this world, and we do not have enough power or knowledge to free our people of the vampire. You know things, and you have a knowledge famously contained within Dracula's castle.' Alucard turned away from her. 'Will you teach us how to fight for the freedom of others?' 

'Alone,' Alucard said softly. 

'That's right,' Taka said, clasping the girl's shoulder. He turned to them, looking over at Alyx, and she nodded. 

'Follow me,' Alucard said softly, and the two followed him, as I trailed behind them to the castle. 

'Do you know where you are?' Alucard asked them.

'Not really,' Taka admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. 'That is Dracula's castle,' he said, pointing to the big, black, rather ominous structure just beyond them. 

'That's my castle,' he said with a slight smile. 'My father is dead.' 

'Dracula is dead?' Sumi asked. 

'Yes. By my hand. And the hand of a Speaker. And the last of the Belmonts,' he said, looking over at Alyx. 'Under our feet is the Belmont Hold, repository of all their knowledge. And there is my castle, containing all my father's knowledge. And up here,' he added, gesturing to his head, 'is all of mine. And Alyx has all of hers. You want to learn how to fight vampires and save your people?' 

'More than anything,' Sumi replied. 

'It will be hard. You will have to unlearn much of what you know about the world and take on more than you ever imagined. I'm not going to start this, if you're going to stop when it gets difficult.' He turned away from them once more, his hands behind his back. 

'We are committed. We will take all that you can give,' Taka spoke. 

'Well, then. I think... to pass on the secrets of the world, and the true science... I think my mother would approve,' Alucard replied, tilting his face up to the sky, letting the golden rays of the morning encompass him. 'Now we are not alone.' He turned to face them and Alyx. 'Come on, then. We begin.' 

'Ok,' Taka said, and the two chuckled softly, following Alucard and Alyx Belmont to the castle.