The Case For AxI
Let me start this off with a disclaimer.
There is a lot of bad AxI fanfiction out there, and by "bad" I mean "unrealistic and out-of-character." If and when these two do get together, there's going to be no running together in slow motion across a field of flowers. There will be no cute nicknames and neither one will allow him/herself to become dependant on the other, nor will either one become submissive. And above all, it will happen slowly.
But the seeds of a romantic relationship are already there, in the form of a very deep, very intense friendship that both of them would vehemently deny if you asked them about it. There's tons of tension between them, there's lots of fighting and bickering, but they're closer than either one would care to admit. Let's look at the evidence.
Exhibit 1 (Order 03)
In Order 03, Integra and Alucard get into a discussion of the FREAK chips. After Alucard calls FREAK-ed
vampires "mankind's cheap imitations," Integra accuses him of pride,
and then asks just what the difference is between the chipped imitations
and the real deal.
For once, Integra seems to have actually gotten on Alucard's nerves so much that he visibly shows it. He doesn't answer (he does, however, levitate the FREAK chip on the desk that started the discussion for a moment). A few minutes later, Integra apologizes.
Yes, you read that correctly. It's her only apology in the whole
series, to anyone.
She doesn't quite say "I'm sorry," but she says "I know you're nothing like those creatures. It was uncalled for." (He does respond to this - "Then why did you feel the need to say it? You humans are incomprehensible.")
If Integra really disliked Alucard, she would've followed up on her advantage in their ongoing verbal struggle. If she didn't regard him as anything other than a heartless monster, or an inferior, she wouldn't've bothered to say anything more. But she has enough respect for him, and enough concern for his feelings, to apologize.
Exhibit 2 (Order 04)
Now this incident, I admit, just downright puzzles me. The setup:
Walter and Integra are having a discussion in the library by the computer
when Alucard comes in and asks for a bigger gun. (Don't even get me
started on the phallic implications of that.) Walter
promises to get him one; Alucard says "I look forward to it," and starts
walking off when Integra starts to say something:
"Alucard."
"I can't help you," replies her vampire, without turning around. "I
belong to a world where all is death. Your world of choices was
not meant for me to interfere with."
"My world is your world."
Alucard turns his head back to face her and touches his hat: "And a good evening to you, Miss Hellsing."
What was she going to ask?
Exhibit 3 (Order 05)
Here's one that says something about Alucard. The scene: Human
troops have just been sent out after the Valentine brothers, and Integra's
walking down the hall when Alucard drops down out of the ceiling and wonders
why he didn't get to go along. For one thing, he wants to try out
his nice new gun.
Integra points out that these vampires have human characteristics - the subtitles say human cunning - that "it might be difficult for a creature like you to comprehend."
To which Alucard replies, "That sounds like it could be a lot of fun."
We already knew he considered humans incomprehensible - but it turns
out that isn't such a bad thing. In fact, it has a kind of allure.
Integra doesn't reply to this idea, but the camera zooms in briefly
on a particularly Unreadable Stern Integra Look (TM) before moving on.
Exhibit 4 (Order 07)
It's worth pointing out that, when they need to, Alucard and Integra
can put up a flawless front of teamwork and camaradiere. Consider
this scene from the National Gallery in Order 07, where Integra's speaking
with Maxwell.
They've gotten past the "pleasantries" and Enrico's just thrown in his "squealing English sow" comment. Integra just smiles - that is, her 'you're going to die now' smile - and then Alucard walks out from behind her.
"What nerve. You dare call my master a sow? Really, I don't see how I can let you leave here alive." (And you know, if he isn't serious about that, he sure sounds like it.)
One implication of that, by the way, is "Nobody insults Integra but me." But Enrico doesn't have any clue that these two ever disagree, so what he gets is "Mess with Integra, mess with her vampire." Note that by this time, he's relocated himself to be behind Father Renaldo.
Exhibit 5 (Order 08)
Nothing major here - just to point out that, when Alucard knows there's
a big bad undead coming and he's the only one who can deal with it, when
for the moment that he's indispensible to Hellsing, and when he also happens
to be messing around in Integra's dreams . . . when that's the case, not
only does he show off with flashy light displays, he also ties the lady
up for a bit. Kinky.
Exhibit 6 (Order 09)
Now this is where things get interesting.
Alucard's been pretty excited (on the Alucard scale) about this upcoming battle with a powerful vampire. So he sneaks out of the house in dog form and has a little rendezvous with Incognito. It seems like they'll gear up for a generic little battle, although for once Alucard's doing all the talking, commenting on how they're both in servitude to humans so they might as well have a little fun with this battle, while Incognito stays menacingly silent.
Meanwhile, by the way, everyone's favorite baobhan sith has beguiled
her way into the Hellsing mansion, and at this point she's got Integra
paralyzed at her desk with her neck bared. But Alucard's so preoccupied
that he doesn't even notice Integra's in danger until Incognito remarks,
"The two of us - we are different. The difference is that you don't
have a master any more."
And Alucard freaks out.
Even on a normal scale, he freaks out. Which, on the Alucard scale, corresponds to complete and total meltdown. He shouts, he shoots, he zooms back to the Hellsing mansion accompanied by a nice big glowing pentagram that appears over the house for a few moments.
Note that this is the first time all series that Integra has actually
been in serious, iminent danger that she can't (as she could in the case
of Jan Valentine) personally take care of. It's unxpected. It
makes Alucard upset. He may not like being Integra's servant, but it
seems he'd rather be her servant than be free at the cost of her life.
Exhibit 7 (Order 10)
During the flashback, while Alucard has young Integra up against the
wall and is busy trying to scare her, when she's already tried shooting
him and it hasn't worked, when she doesn't know that he can't hurt her if
she tells him not to, when they don't know each other yet, and when she
stands her ground anyway...
...he says in no uncertain terms that she turns him on.
The dub's line is "You make my blood boil," but if you read the subtitles, the more exact translation has a few more syllables and is a lot less vague.
Exhibit 8 (Order 10)
Integra's just coming out of the flashback/dream, and Alucard, who's
been watching (remember that appearance he made in the mirror in the very
beginning?), says hello. They have a brief conversation. They
both smile.
And yeah, Al can't resist the chance to get one off on Integra ("You're
still a little girl, just like you were back then"), but she doesn't blow
up at him about it. For once they're both perfectly relaxed, neither
one on guard, and the result is a surprisingly tender moment.
Exhibit 9 (Order 10)
Throughout the emergency surgery taking place in Order 10, Alucard is standing near the operating table, watching.
Seras is there in the beginning too, and the two vampires have a short
conversation. This is where Seras learns that, just as Alucard is
her master, Integra is his. The idea unnerves her; she starts
to say something, looking up at Alucard, but when she sees the look on his
face, the words die on her lips and she turns and leaves.
Seras' attatchment to Alucard is not only that of servant-to-master;
she has something of a crush on the guy. To learn that Alucard has
the servant-to-master attatchment to somebody else really rocks her world.
And if she can't separate her feelings for him as her Master from her
hero-worship and adoration in general, she'll be unsure just how strongly
Alucard is devoted to Integra.
Exhibit 10 (Order 10)
Alucard stays by the operating table through the entire surgery.
Not even Walter - who, it's certain, is completely devoted to Integra - stays around. Of course, he has no doubt that she'll survive, and since he and Alucard are the two people who know Integra best, Alucard probably isn't too worried either. So why hang around?
Curiosity? Well, maybe, but that's not all. He isn't just
watching Integra's dream; as she goes through an old battle for her life
that becomes a metaphor for her current battle for her life, Alucard throws
in a single comment: "I know you don't want to die tonight."
That isn't part of the original incident that Integra remembers. In
the actual time that's being dreamed about, Alucard hadn't been revived
yet. So this is the present-day Alucard interfering with the present-day
dream, which means he's talking to Integra about the struggle she's going
through right now.
What, then, is his reason for hanging about here? Moral support.
Alucard does leave right before Integra wakes up, so there's no touching
"the first thing she sees when she wakes up is his concerned face bending
over her" scene. Not that anybody would expect that of Alucard anyway.
No, the first thing Integra sees is, quite simply, the doctor saying
"You're going to be just fine." But the second thing she sees is the
door swinging shut.
She knows full well that Alucard just left.
And she closes her eyes and smiles.
That's the second of three incidents of present-day Integra smiling other than "you're about to die" smiles. One of them was caused by Walter . . . the other two, by Alucard.
Exhibit 11 (Order 11)
This is the most concentrated scene of Alucard and Integra's closeness:
short, sweet, and simple. Seras just woke up from a nightmare and
is walking when she sees Alucard on the balcony through a partially open
door. She smiles and moves forward, starting to say, "Mast-" . . .
and then stops, and looks distressed.
Because she just caught a glimpse of the rest of the balcony, and next to Alucard is Integra. Not too close to each other, but not too far away, either.
It's obvious to Seras that this would be a really bad time to cut in.
Alucard and Integra are sharing a private moment, a bit of quiet
togetherness, in which there is no room for anybody else. Yes,
these two are very close indeed, and it's not a long leap at all to develop
this relationship into a romantic one.
Exhibit 12 (Order 11)
There's a big royal ceremony coming up, and Integra's arranged for it
to happen at the Hellsing mansion, as part of a plan to trap the enemy
(the trap gets turned around on Hellsing, but that's another story). Before
it starts, though, she goes down to the basement and seeks out Alucard.
He speaks first, though: "I've been wanting to ask you something."
"Go on."
"Have you ever thought about asking me to drink your blood? Have you ever thought about mixing your blood with mine, about becoming more than you are?"
"Why don't you just read my thoughts?" replies Integra calmly. (Notice, however, that she doesn't say no. That's the key thing. She has no intention of admitting it to Alucard, but she has thought about it.)
"I have. I just wanted to hear it from you."
If you read any psychoanalysis of Dracula, you'll figure out that vampirism is of a very sexual nature (really, if you just read any vampire literature, you'll pick that up). Integra's considered asking Alucard to take her. And the idea has obviously crossed Alucard's mind, or he wouldn't've brought it up.
So the vampirism-related tension between these two - and, therefore, the sexual tension - is high. It's especially high in this scene, because they're discussing it, while it's usually unspoken. But it's always there.
Exhibit 13 (Order 11)
This incident takes place in the same scene as the previous one: Integra
comes to the topic she really wanted to discuss. "As head of the Hellsing
family, it's the first time I've been given this honor," she says. It's
just a statement, not a boast or an admission of insecurity.
"I remember your father performing this same ceremony," replies Alucard quietly. It's just a statement also, but it becomes an indirect compliment: you remind me of your father. "The timing is bad. It's too much for you right now."
"I know." (Integra's still recovering from surgery, remember.) "Which is why I have to attend."
"I know." They understand each other.
As Integra walks off, however, Alucard calls after her: "Don't you want
a taste of my blood before you leave?" (She stops, but doesn't answer,
then continues walking until she's gone.)
Alucard brings up the topic again after it's been dropped, pushes the issue, tries very hard to get an answer out of Integra; since she's already implied that the answer is no, he's trying to get an answer of yes. This is something he wants very much indeed.
Two possible reasons present themselves immediately, based on the scene: (1) he wants to protect her, by making her strong enough to survive the enemy that's about to show up, and (2) he would absolutely delight in the experience.
Or possibly both.
Exhibit 14 (Order 13)
The second phase of the big epic climactic battle is going on on the
sky over London. Everyone's at their full ability: Alucard's powers
are all released thanks to Integra, and Incognito has a handy demon from
Hell to help him out. On the ground, pretty much everyone on both
sides is dead, and Seras has just found Integra.
The woman has been dropped out of a helicopter, axed to a floor, used in a demonic summoning, and chewed on at the neck, and she still hasn't recovered from surgery. This has not been a good day for Integra.
And her first question when Seras gets to her is, "Where is Alucard?"
She saw Walter crash in a helicopter that subsequently exploded, and she heard Incognito boast that Alucard was actually dead, and the first one she asks about is Alucard. Odd, that.
Outside witnesses are encouraged to volunteer their own eyewitness testimonies. Many such testimonies have already been delivered, and are presented at The Witness Stand.
The manga, being lighter in tone, has fewer examples, and I haven't set out to compile them yet. But now you've seen the summation of all the evidence I've gathered from the anime. Conclusion: AxI is a reasonable, realistic, and even very likely pairing. The defense rests.
There is a lot of bad AxI fanfiction out there, and by "bad" I mean "unrealistic and out-of-character." If and when these two do get together, there's going to be no running together in slow motion across a field of flowers. There will be no cute nicknames and neither one will allow him/herself to become dependant on the other, nor will either one become submissive. And above all, it will happen slowly.
But the seeds of a romantic relationship are already there, in the form of a very deep, very intense friendship that both of them would vehemently deny if you asked them about it. There's tons of tension between them, there's lots of fighting and bickering, but they're closer than either one would care to admit. Let's look at the evidence.
Exhibit 1 (Order 03)
In Order 03, Integra and Alucard get into a discussion of the FREAK chips. After Alucard calls FREAK-ed
vampires "mankind's cheap imitations," Integra accuses him of pride,
and then asks just what the difference is between the chipped imitations
and the real deal.For once, Integra seems to have actually gotten on Alucard's nerves so much that he visibly shows it. He doesn't answer (he does, however, levitate the FREAK chip on the desk that started the discussion for a moment). A few minutes later, Integra apologizes.
Yes, you read that correctly. It's her only apology in the whole
series, to anyone.She doesn't quite say "I'm sorry," but she says "I know you're nothing like those creatures. It was uncalled for." (He does respond to this - "Then why did you feel the need to say it? You humans are incomprehensible.")
If Integra really disliked Alucard, she would've followed up on her advantage in their ongoing verbal struggle. If she didn't regard him as anything other than a heartless monster, or an inferior, she wouldn't've bothered to say anything more. But she has enough respect for him, and enough concern for his feelings, to apologize.
Exhibit 2 (Order 04)
Now this incident, I admit, just downright puzzles me. The setup:
Walter and Integra are having a discussion in the library by the computer
when Alucard comes in and asks for a bigger gun. (Don't even get me
started on the phallic implications of that.) Walter
promises to get him one; Alucard says "I look forward to it," and starts
walking off when Integra starts to say something:"Alucard."
"I can't help you," replies her vampire, without turning around. "I
belong to a world where all is death. Your world of choices was
not meant for me to interfere with.""My world is your world."
Alucard turns his head back to face her and touches his hat: "And a good evening to you, Miss Hellsing."
What was she going to ask?
Exhibit 3 (Order 05)
Here's one that says something about Alucard. The scene: Human
troops have just been sent out after the Valentine brothers, and Integra's
walking down the hall when Alucard drops down out of the ceiling and wonders
why he didn't get to go along. For one thing, he wants to try out
his nice new gun.Integra points out that these vampires have human characteristics - the subtitles say human cunning - that "it might be difficult for a creature like you to comprehend."
To which Alucard replies, "That sounds like it could be a lot of fun."
We already knew he considered humans incomprehensible - but it turns
out that isn't such a bad thing. In fact, it has a kind of allure.
Integra doesn't reply to this idea, but the camera zooms in briefly
on a particularly Unreadable Stern Integra Look (TM) before moving on.Exhibit 4 (Order 07)
It's worth pointing out that, when they need to, Alucard and Integra
can put up a flawless front of teamwork and camaradiere. Consider
this scene from the National Gallery in Order 07, where Integra's speaking
with Maxwell. They've gotten past the "pleasantries" and Enrico's just thrown in his "squealing English sow" comment. Integra just smiles - that is, her 'you're going to die now' smile - and then Alucard walks out from behind her.
"What nerve. You dare call my master a sow? Really, I don't see how I can let you leave here alive." (And you know, if he isn't serious about that, he sure sounds like it.)
One implication of that, by the way, is "Nobody insults Integra but me." But Enrico doesn't have any clue that these two ever disagree, so what he gets is "Mess with Integra, mess with her vampire." Note that by this time, he's relocated himself to be behind Father Renaldo.
Exhibit 5 (Order 08)
Nothing major here - just to point out that, when Alucard knows there's
a big bad undead coming and he's the only one who can deal with it, when
for the moment that he's indispensible to Hellsing, and when he also happens
to be messing around in Integra's dreams . . . when that's the case, not
only does he show off with flashy light displays, he also ties the lady
up for a bit. Kinky.Exhibit 6 (Order 09)
Now this is where things get interesting.Alucard's been pretty excited (on the Alucard scale) about this upcoming battle with a powerful vampire. So he sneaks out of the house in dog form and has a little rendezvous with Incognito. It seems like they'll gear up for a generic little battle, although for once Alucard's doing all the talking, commenting on how they're both in servitude to humans so they might as well have a little fun with this battle, while Incognito stays menacingly silent.
Meanwhile, by the way, everyone's favorite baobhan sith has beguiled
her way into the Hellsing mansion, and at this point she's got Integra
paralyzed at her desk with her neck bared. But Alucard's so preoccupied
that he doesn't even notice Integra's in danger until Incognito remarks,
"The two of us - we are different. The difference is that you don't
have a master any more."
And Alucard freaks out.Even on a normal scale, he freaks out. Which, on the Alucard scale, corresponds to complete and total meltdown. He shouts, he shoots, he zooms back to the Hellsing mansion accompanied by a nice big glowing pentagram that appears over the house for a few moments.
Note that this is the first time all series that Integra has actually
been in serious, iminent danger that she can't (as she could in the case
of Jan Valentine) personally take care of. It's unxpected. It
makes Alucard upset. He may not like being Integra's servant, but it
seems he'd rather be her servant than be free at the cost of her life.Exhibit 7 (Order 10)
During the flashback, while Alucard has young Integra up against the
wall and is busy trying to scare her, when she's already tried shooting
him and it hasn't worked, when she doesn't know that he can't hurt her if
she tells him not to, when they don't know each other yet, and when she
stands her ground anyway......he says in no uncertain terms that she turns him on.
The dub's line is "You make my blood boil," but if you read the subtitles, the more exact translation has a few more syllables and is a lot less vague.
Exhibit 8 (Order 10)
Integra's just coming out of the flashback/dream, and Alucard, who's
been watching (remember that appearance he made in the mirror in the very
beginning?), says hello. They have a brief conversation. They
both smile.
And yeah, Al can't resist the chance to get one off on Integra ("You're
still a little girl, just like you were back then"), but she doesn't blow
up at him about it. For once they're both perfectly relaxed, neither
one on guard, and the result is a surprisingly tender moment.Exhibit 9 (Order 10)
Throughout the emergency surgery taking place in Order 10, Alucard is standing near the operating table, watching.
Seras is there in the beginning too, and the two vampires have a short
conversation. This is where Seras learns that, just as Alucard is
her master, Integra is his. The idea unnerves her; she starts
to say something, looking up at Alucard, but when she sees the look on his
face, the words die on her lips and she turns and leaves.
Seras' attatchment to Alucard is not only that of servant-to-master;
she has something of a crush on the guy. To learn that Alucard has
the servant-to-master attatchment to somebody else really rocks her world.
And if she can't separate her feelings for him as her Master from her
hero-worship and adoration in general, she'll be unsure just how strongly
Alucard is devoted to Integra. Exhibit 10 (Order 10)
Alucard stays by the operating table through the entire surgery.Not even Walter - who, it's certain, is completely devoted to Integra - stays around. Of course, he has no doubt that she'll survive, and since he and Alucard are the two people who know Integra best, Alucard probably isn't too worried either. So why hang around?
Curiosity? Well, maybe, but that's not all. He isn't just
watching Integra's dream; as she goes through an old battle for her life
that becomes a metaphor for her current battle for her life, Alucard throws
in a single comment: "I know you don't want to die tonight."
That isn't part of the original incident that Integra remembers. In
the actual time that's being dreamed about, Alucard hadn't been revived
yet. So this is the present-day Alucard interfering with the present-day
dream, which means he's talking to Integra about the struggle she's going
through right now.What, then, is his reason for hanging about here? Moral support.
Alucard does leave right before Integra wakes up, so there's no touching
"the first thing she sees when she wakes up is his concerned face bending
over her" scene. Not that anybody would expect that of Alucard anyway.
No, the first thing Integra sees is, quite simply, the doctor saying
"You're going to be just fine." But the second thing she sees is the
door swinging shut.
She knows full well that Alucard just left.
And she closes her eyes and smiles.
That's the second of three incidents of present-day Integra smiling other than "you're about to die" smiles. One of them was caused by Walter . . . the other two, by Alucard.
Exhibit 11 (Order 11)
This is the most concentrated scene of Alucard and Integra's closeness:
short, sweet, and simple. Seras just woke up from a nightmare and
is walking when she sees Alucard on the balcony through a partially open
door. She smiles and moves forward, starting to say, "Mast-" . . .
and then stops, and looks distressed.Because she just caught a glimpse of the rest of the balcony, and next to Alucard is Integra. Not too close to each other, but not too far away, either.
It's obvious to Seras that this would be a really bad time to cut in.
Alucard and Integra are sharing a private moment, a bit of quiet
togetherness, in which there is no room for anybody else. Yes,
these two are very close indeed, and it's not a long leap at all to develop
this relationship into a romantic one.Exhibit 12 (Order 11)
There's a big royal ceremony coming up, and Integra's arranged for it
to happen at the Hellsing mansion, as part of a plan to trap the enemy
(the trap gets turned around on Hellsing, but that's another story). Before
it starts, though, she goes down to the basement and seeks out Alucard.He speaks first, though: "I've been wanting to ask you something."
"Go on.""Have you ever thought about asking me to drink your blood? Have you ever thought about mixing your blood with mine, about becoming more than you are?"
"Why don't you just read my thoughts?" replies Integra calmly. (Notice, however, that she doesn't say no. That's the key thing. She has no intention of admitting it to Alucard, but she has thought about it.)
"I have. I just wanted to hear it from you."If you read any psychoanalysis of Dracula, you'll figure out that vampirism is of a very sexual nature (really, if you just read any vampire literature, you'll pick that up). Integra's considered asking Alucard to take her. And the idea has obviously crossed Alucard's mind, or he wouldn't've brought it up.
So the vampirism-related tension between these two - and, therefore, the sexual tension - is high. It's especially high in this scene, because they're discussing it, while it's usually unspoken. But it's always there.
Exhibit 13 (Order 11)
This incident takes place in the same scene as the previous one: Integra
comes to the topic she really wanted to discuss. "As head of the Hellsing
family, it's the first time I've been given this honor," she says. It's
just a statement, not a boast or an admission of insecurity."I remember your father performing this same ceremony," replies Alucard quietly. It's just a statement also, but it becomes an indirect compliment: you remind me of your father. "The timing is bad. It's too much for you right now."
"I know." (Integra's still recovering from surgery, remember.) "Which is why I have to attend."
"I know." They understand each other.
As Integra walks off, however, Alucard calls after her: "Don't you want
a taste of my blood before you leave?" (She stops, but doesn't answer,
then continues walking until she's gone.)Alucard brings up the topic again after it's been dropped, pushes the issue, tries very hard to get an answer out of Integra; since she's already implied that the answer is no, he's trying to get an answer of yes. This is something he wants very much indeed.
Two possible reasons present themselves immediately, based on the scene: (1) he wants to protect her, by making her strong enough to survive the enemy that's about to show up, and (2) he would absolutely delight in the experience.
Or possibly both.
Exhibit 14 (Order 13)
The second phase of the big epic climactic battle is going on on the
sky over London. Everyone's at their full ability: Alucard's powers
are all released thanks to Integra, and Incognito has a handy demon from
Hell to help him out. On the ground, pretty much everyone on both
sides is dead, and Seras has just found Integra.The woman has been dropped out of a helicopter, axed to a floor, used in a demonic summoning, and chewed on at the neck, and she still hasn't recovered from surgery. This has not been a good day for Integra.
And her first question when Seras gets to her is, "Where is Alucard?"She saw Walter crash in a helicopter that subsequently exploded, and she heard Incognito boast that Alucard was actually dead, and the first one she asks about is Alucard. Odd, that.
Outside witnesses are encouraged to volunteer their own eyewitness testimonies. Many such testimonies have already been delivered, and are presented at The Witness Stand.
The manga, being lighter in tone, has fewer examples, and I haven't set out to compile them yet. But now you've seen the summation of all the evidence I've gathered from the anime. Conclusion: AxI is a reasonable, realistic, and even very likely pairing. The defense rests.