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A New World	By : Meirav Category: +S to Z > X/1999 Views: 2658 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own X/1999, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
Disclaimer: I don�t own
X/1999, I didn�t come up with any of their brilliant characters, they�re the
geniuses not me!

The
character of Alex, Jacob, Venus, Charlie, David, Anthony and Dimitri are all
mine. The Noters are half reality. The rest belong to all the
book/movie/TV/anime/manga they came from. If you can
spot where they�re from then good for you!

A.N:
sorry about the horrible delay but I�ve started a pre-university exam preparing
course and I�m drowning in homework! Sorry!.

WARNING:
slightly not-so-light subjects here. Nothing too bad though

*******************************************************************

Part 24: Love�s Violent Side

�Very good
Kazuki!�

He touched her lower back. He
always did it instead of the fatherly pat on the shoulder or touches her mid-back
as most father figures do.

Kazuki didn�t pick it up. Well of
course she wouldn�t pick it up, what does she know of life anyway?

�You�re a clever little girl, you
know that?�

He grabs her chin gently with two
big fingers and smiles straight into her face with glistening eyes which could
also be described as mad. He brings his face just a little too close to hers.

Little mistakes like this, little
slips of the body language, is what tells the truth when the mouth is lying.

Kazuki could only melt in the heat
suddenly projected from him at her. Thirsty for any bit of appreciation and affection
ever turned at her from anyone. She sloshes in this puddle of endearment,
oblivious of how marshy it might become, might already be.

Arashi simply couldn�t ignore it
anymore. She and Karen have been observing Anthony�s ways with Kazuki for a
long time now, what they saw made them toss and turn on their pillows at night,
worried and angry.

Karen, who was a bit distracted
these days by her new love life, still saw Kazuki as a kind of an adopted
daughter. The prospects of any harm done to her precious bioroid were not
something to be take lightly.

Arashi was conservative in many
ways and, despite her body�s changes trying to take over all that was flexible
and sharp in her, was a warrior with a head full of women power (as much as
these two qualities seemed to collide sometimes).

She would not see an old lecher
like Anthony grope the innocent Kazuki because Kazuki was mentally an innocent
child and nothing more.

Because she was a female (in mind
only, but that was enough for Arashi) and a male was about to attack and abuse
her. Because she was from her house, a part of her household. Because Kazuki was weak. Because Arashi
could be her strength when Kazuki can�t protect herself.

Arashi was ready and willing to be
that strength.

Anthony would come to their
doorstep in the morning, awaiting Kazuki to join him in their morning rounds
across the city�s farms.

Arashi was too numb, sleepy and
heavy in the morning to open the door to the veterinarian and confront him so Karen
did it for her.

Karen leaped out of the tangled
naked limbs she fell asleep in, covered herself with her robe and stormed
downstairs, eyes blazing, to confront this old creep.

Anthony would always greet her
kindly with a few simple words about the weather.

Karen missed the meaning of
weather talking as a kind of killing awkward time while idly talking about
nothing as the British Anthony saw it.

Karen saw this weather babble as a
way to try and suck up to her while filling her head with rubbish.

Sadly for Karen, Kazuki would
storm down the stairs with her little bag and zoom out of the house, dragging
Anthony after her, before Karen would have the chance to stop the veterinarian
for a formal interview.

After each of these mornings
Arashi and Karen would sit in the living room and fume about the situation and
how intolerable it was and what a grave damage Anthony might deal Kazuki might
he move beyond little affectionate �fatherly� gropes.

They shared their fears with
Seiichiro who was just as shocked and concerned about it as them. He was
angered to the point that he suggested they all go confront Anthony once and
for all before anything bad might happen to their current house child (before
Arashi and Sorata�s was born).

Surprisingly this offer was
received by an almost twinned cold, and angry feminine glares.

Seiichiro blinked, slightly
frightened, at the two suddenly angry women. �What?� he cowered under their burning
eyes.

�Aoki-san� Arashi notified him
with her coldest and most powerful of calm voices �I believe that this is a matter
for us women to deal with�

Karen nodded and folded her arms
on her chest. Her powerful glare softened immeasurably as Ace and Spike stumbled
dozily down the stairs to have their coffee and breakfast.

Seiichiro looked at them, then at
the two women who still glared at him.

Remembering the way Sorata�s wrapped around his wife�s little finger,
remembering Karen�s new lovers he flinched.

The world suddenly seemed to be
dominated by powerful women and he, little masculine Seiichiro, was nothing but
a slave to them.

He shook those thoughts out of his
mind as Yutu walked down the steps and into the kitchen, sleepily shoving the
hologram and Spike away from the coffee brewer.

When Yutu was asleep or sleepy he
acted out quite barbarically, as Seiichiro discovered during endless common
blanket fights during chilling nights.

With his male lover,
Seiichiro gained the confidence that the women of the house might rule but he,
the currently not-so-interested-in-women, can brush their orders away as he
exists in his own territory of sexual definition.

Whatever Seiichiro said, Karen and
Arashi decided to do their best to watch over Kazuki and monitor each and every
of Anthony�s progressions with their adopted daughter.

*******************

Three months into their journey into
the unknown world beyond the city in search of true justice for Seishiro,
Death�s riders arrived at a huge orchard.

This orchard, abandoned for who
knows how long, had grown wild and free from the farmers who plucked it�s
fruits, killed the herbs and grass at it�s feet and trimmed it�s random limbs
to encourage faster growth.

From orderly clean rows of fruit
baring trees neatly trimmed so that unruly branches wouldn�t touch each other
from tree to tree, the orchard became a wild forest with thick grassy earth and
a canopy of intertwining branches.

The moment he spotted the trees
Alex stopped his horse, motioning the rest of the convoy to do the same. He stormed
off deep into the wild manmade jungle the orchard became and returned a few
moments later with a huge yellow and green fruit the size of a soccer ball.

His eyes sparkled, his smile was
almost maddened, Alex dug his nail into the fruit and
began peeling the thick skin off.

The rest of the convoy rode their
horses to stand around Alex, awaiting this mysterious fruit to be handed over
to them. If Alex was so excited about it he�ll share it before eating it himself�..as
he did with any food he encountered now that they thought of it�.

David looked around at the trees
in the orchard and their fruits and emitted a long whistle �Wow� he said,
impressed and actually on the verge of happiness in his usual icy, careless mood
�it�s been a long time since I�ve seen those� his eyes became somewhat
nostalgic as he scanned the trees.

Alex looked behind him, following
David�s gaze, and resumed his pealing �Yeah, Palestine had hundreds of it there�

�Israel Alex, it was called Israel in the end�

�Ah�.I left before their war
ended�.� Alex was sticking his tongue out trying to pry the stubborn yellowy skin
off the juicy flesh inside.

�It�s a shame we didn�t come here
when these trees bloom, they emit the most wonderful odor� David flowed on his nostalgia�s
waves.

�Remember what the �natives� used
to do in the orchards?� Alex sniggered as he began peeling the last and
toughest skin bits.

David answered with a matching
snigger and a �tssk�

�The natives?� Subaru barged into the
conversation, feeling that he�s the only one who might know what they�re
talking about �You mean the Arabs?�

For a moment Alex and David stared
at Subaru like two grownups at a child trying to barge into the conversation
and sound smart.

Subaru looked for a hole to dig himself into.

�Actually� Alex said with a soft,
soothing voice �it was the Jewish natives running around and�..doing it�.like
bunnies in the orchards. But it�s just rumors, I never bothered to check�

�Hmm, me either�

�Why?� Kamui couldn�t hide his
scorn from showing in his tone of speech �where you too busy helping them build
the land?�.

Alex shot his a short glance �No,
I was recovering� he said shortly.

Kamui shook himself slightly,
remembering the time Alex told him about his story.

Will moved
about nervously.

Finally the giant fruit was
uncovered. Alex spread the slices between the convoy men.

For a few moments they scrutinized
the slices, smelling and picking them apart, and then put them in their mouth.

�Mmm�
Seishiro nodded pleasantly.

�Oh, it�s juicy!� Subaru exclaimed
in surprise as a trickle of juice spilled out of his mouth when he took a bite
from one of his slices.

�A little sour but also sweet�
Seishiro moved on to the next slice from the batch of three he received �very
good� he kept nodding.

�Peal off the skin and eat the
juicy partials inside before you eat, it�ll be a lot less bitter that way� Alex
showed them what he meant.

David finished his slices
silently, the nostalgic smile never vanishing.

As he ate in silence, sharing his
slices with Will, Kamui noted it was strange to see David with a smile on his
face.

Kamui didn�t hate the undertaker. Despite
the fact he was one of Alex�s best friends and devotee David was a far too big
a mystery for Kamui to ignore. Justice saw something in David that the fire
keeper was completely oblivious to. One day, Kamui thought, he�ll tell him. It
will be interesting to see David�s reaction when he�ll tell him.

The convoy stayed around the
citrus forest for a few days more, basking in the abundance of exotic food and
resting from the three week ride which brought them here.

Each member would walk around the
forest, stopping here and there to pick a fruit and eat it lazily, savoring the
strange new tastes of it�s various fruits.

Alex made juices and fruit salads,
so pleased with the happy faces welcoming every new recipe he even made enough
to leave Will with a proper meal and not the usual scrapes to feed on.

The onemojis
spent most of their days in the forest, alternately walking amongst the trees
and making love in it�s hidden corners. Citrus fruits
were an exotic opulence in their world�s Japan; to them the forest was like a
huge treasure room.

At night (Alex noted with a great
deal of satisfaction) David would invite Victoria, with mumbled words and endless
awkwardness, to take a walk in the forest with him.

Death stalked them, taking note of
the behavior and words of the two. If something will develop between them Alex
would be very pleased. David deserved it, Victoria deserved it. They would make a
good pair.

Kamui and Will would storm across
the forest, first covering it�s grounds then exploring
it more deeply. When they reached a point where they knew each of it�s little corners and marvels they began playing in it
like little children.

It was on a day like that, just
before lunchtime, they met someone outside the convoy.

They were playing �tag�, running
between the trees while shrieking and giggling madly. Kamui was �it� at the
time so he was running forwards, his head turned backwards to see how close
Will is getting to him, when he heard metallic rattling.

He turned his head, just as Will
collided with him reaching for his double, and saw a man dressed as an old
western pirate or merchant holding up a musket aimed at them.

The two boys stared blankly at the
man.

The man, his musket shaking a
little as his grip lost confidence more and more, stared back at them through
his ancient rifle�s aim slut.

Slowly and very carefully, Will
reached out to grab Kamui�s shirt tightly. When he
was sure enough of his grip, Will turned around and began dashing.

When Will dashes he becomes
invisible with the sheer speed of his movement. His vision, already used to
this speed, ignored the trees and fruits to concentrate on their path back to
camp. Using his canine smelling sense he navigated across the woods back home.

It took them five hours to walk
from the camp to where they met the man with the musket; it took Will three
seconds to get back.

Kamui�s mind was a blur, his head spun as
he squinted to try and concentrate on the sudden dizziness this high speed
movement caused him.

His head began throbbing,
the wind blew madly in his ears, his eyes watered. Just before Will reached
camp he was about to pass out.

They came to a full stop in the
middle of camp, right where David was preparing the cooking bonfire for lunch.

The undertaker blinked in shock as
the two boys suddenly materialized by him out of thin air. It took him some
time to recover his shock, register who it was standing by him and start
glaring.

Kamui collapsed to the ground,
placing his fingers on his temples and catching his breath.

Will remained unchanged, this
sudden magic act completely natural for him.

�H�.how can you move so
quickly�.Will?� Kamui panted, looking up in awe at the werewolf.

Will shrugged �I just can. I sink zhey made me so�..� he began feeling David�s glare in his
back.

Kamui climbed to his feet, aided
by his companion, and shook his head to clear his thoughts. �We have to tell
Alex there�s someone with a weapon in the forest�they might want to try and
attack us� Kamui was still panting but he began moving towards Alex�s tent as
he talked, fighting the nausea and dizziness.

Alex raised his eyes from the map
he was making to the bright green Kamui walking into his tent. It was very rare
that the boy wanted to speak to him, Alex got off his chair immediately.

�There�s a man with a musket in
the forest about�about a five hour walk from here�.Will covered it in a few
seconds�.he can move very fast� the dizziness and his desperate attempts
to fight his nausea made Kamui blabber.

�An armed man? How did he look like to you?�

��I don�t know�I was too busy
staring at the musket and his old clothes�.then everything started zooming past
me�.� He brushed his hands past his face to show how fast everything moved
around him �I think I screamed�I�m going to be sick�..� Kamui turned around and
exited the tent, kneeling on the ground to relieve himself.

Once he handed Kamui enough herbal
tea and got go-away-already-and-leave-me-alone-glares to shoo him away, Alex
walked up to the forest edge and reached his senses out.

First he picked up the metallic rattling
of the rifle, then the footsteps of the man carrying it. Next were the
heartbeats, the inhaling and exhaling of the moving man. By his hearing Alex
estimated the man was following Kamui and Will�s route to the camp. He had
about three hours to reach the camp at the speed he was moving right now.

Alex�s sense of smell picked up
the man�s sweat as he worked himself harder and cover as much distance as he
could.

He could pick up the newly applied
oil oozing from the musket. The man prepared to hunt the two boys down.

He picked up the smell of human
body stranded without a bath or shower for a few good days.

He picked up the hormone humans
excrete when they�re afraid. He picked up a lot of it. Will�s beastly
appearance, the two�s sudden appearance, and just as sudden disappearance must
have startled the man.

This man was a sentient, a boarder
watchmen sent out to secure the brims of a territory probably filled with men
like him. That�s why he wasn�t washed; because his shift probably lasted over a
few days, maybe weeks or months even. That�s why he was equipped with machine
oil; to better prepare himself for defensive actions.
That�s why he was scared witless; he was nothing but a sentient who�s job is to shout before his attackers kill him so the
real warriors would come out to defend the city.

Sure of his defending ability,
Alex turned his back to the forest and began preparing lunch. When the sentient
will come he�ll calm him down and explain him they are not here to conquer or
destroy. If the man will do something stupid he�ll pay for it but Alex had high
doubts of that ever happening.

************************

�Kazuki, come to my house after
you finish with these rabbits, I have something to give you�

Anthony never invited Kazuki over
to his house before. What he had to give her he gave her during their job. Why
would he invite her to his home?

Arashi was walking past the
bioroid sitting in a rabbit pen when the senior vet departed. She heard what
the man said, this old lecher, and alarms started ringing in her ears.

Kazuki noted her and began babbling
out her latest happiness: Anthony trusted her enough to let her trim the rabbits�
front teeth all alone!

The evening before that day Kazuki
made sure everyone in the house knew how the tooth trimmer looked like, what
she needs to do with it, how she will make sure she will do no harm to the
animals and how wonderful it is that Anthony thought she learned enough to do
something all on her own.

All but Fuma. Kazuki never bothered to talk to
Fuma at all. Since she stopped being Nataku, since he was no longer the willing
father figure the Dragon was. Kazuki avoided opening the Pandora�s
box that was her issues over her real father in her home world.

Arashi didn�t hear a single word
Kazuki told her right now. She was far too busy being angry.

The next moment the miko was grabbed by her husband and almost hurled along
with him to another stand in the market where they offered fairly sized beef
chunks in exchange for cabbage sprouts. It was a good deal as no one in the
house liked the tiny gas producing vegetables they received in their last ration
while the beef was a treasure to be grabbed immediately.

By the time she squirmed out of Sorata�s enthusiastic grip and babbling, Kazuki was not in
the rabbit pen anymore.

Panic washed over Arashi like ice
water. She let her escape, let her run straight into the lion�s den, straight into
danger! She should have just stripped the poor thing and offered her on a plate
for Anthony to consume!

Oh Arashi! Stupid, stupid, stupid,
stupid! What if the same thing will happen to your daughter or son?! Would
you still be so careless?!

Can�t you see this is a test, if
you will not do well with Kazuki you�ll do just as bad with your child!

Arashi shook herself out of these
thoughts; thoughts were a waste of time, she must act now not think!

She turned towards their home,
shouting a short goodbye to her husband before she dashed back as fast as she
could.

She shook Karen out of her slumber,
pushing back the embarrassment of seeing the two naked men in the fire
mistress�s bed.

Karen was after a night patrol but
hearing the words �Kazuki� and �danger� she snapped straight into coherency,
leaping out of her bed and throwing her clothes on so fast she made Arashi
wonder where she got those skills from.

They ran out of the house and
towards Anthony�s for about three minutes before Arashi fell behind, catching
her breath and signaling Karen that her pregnancy has some disagreement with
this sudden heightened physical activity.

They walked for the rest of the
way mostly in silence but often talking.

Karen observed Arashi as the
younger women pulled her sword out and retrieved it back into herself a few
times.

�You know� she said smiling �I
often wondered how come you can still use this miko
gift even after you�re not a�.well�.not a shrine maiden anymore�

Arashi stared at Karen blankly,
then at her hand. �I never thought about it� she mumbled �I mean, I did but I�.I
don�t know��

�It probably means that this world
still wants you as a warrior and not just a mother�

Arashi�s mind became a blank. Slowly the
meaning of what Karen said leaked into her and she smiled.

Karen presumed, by the miko�s orthodox opinions and often bigotry, that Arashi
would probably deem herself to the life of a traditional mother and wife once
the baby was born. She highly objected these opinions and wanted to try and
maybe broaden Arashi�s mind a little from the
convention to the liberal.

�This skirt� Arashi mumbled to
herself �it�s beginning to hurt�it�s not made for the pregnant me�� she was
running her hands down her old sailor-suit school uniforms. Her belly has grown
big and so Arashi had to start wearing the skirt higher and higher up her
belly. It made her look ridicules. It�s not going to be enough in the end.

�I can make you a pregnancy dress
if you�d like� the fire mistress offered.

A look of cold horror and
disagreement flashed through the younger woman�s eyes �and wear fabric from a
dead man?� she hissed.

Karen said nothing for a few
minutes before she remembered something �You know I remember there was a nurse
in the infirmary who was pregnant. She took other
nurse robes and sowed the extra fabric to make herself a bigger robe nursing dress.
Surely she still has it; maybe you can ask her for it�

Arashi hung slightly hopeful and
very doubtful eyes at Karen. �The baby�� she asked after musing in silence for
a while �Was it born alright?�

For a few good minutes Karen�s
shock took it�s toll on her speech ability. Was Arashi
that superstitious to believe that if she�ll wear the cloth of a woman�s
miscarriage the same will happen to her?! Guess so.

�Y�.yes, a
healthy baby boy.
She brings him to the infirmary every now and then, maybe she�ll be able to
show you how healthy and well born he is when you�ll go there�� she tried not
to sound scornful and cynical while she said it.

Instead it bubbled in her chest,
threatening to burst out in a long shouting speech of how Arashi�s
blinding and crippling herself with all these ancient beliefs.

A few seconds afterwards Karen
wondered if she, as a Catholic, isn�t just as blinded and crippled by her
highly orthodox religion.

They passed the rest of the walk
in silence.

Just before they arrived at the
house the two women began walking faster, preparing to storm in. Karen prepared
a fireball, Arashi pulled her sword out and kept it
there.

Whatever they�ll find in there,
however they will see Kazuki, they�ll need to take care of Anthony first before
they�ll protect the bioroid.

*************************

The man with the musket was indeed
a sentient. He belonged to a camp of merchants who suddenly found themselves
out of the open road of Europe�s 17^th century and in another world. Luckily
for them this world offered enough similarities in primitive methods and open
spaces (after all they didn�t land in the city or any other, more 20^th
century technologies, parts of the Lost Dimension) so there was not so much of
a culture shock as most newcomers experienced, just the shock of �one moment
I�m here, the other I�m in another world�.

The merchants� camp was very
interesting; all were men, all were raggedly dressed but highly armed, carrying
their goods about. Their goods, at least according to what the Death�s convoy
saw, mainly consisted of jewelry and firearms. It made sense; if they were
traveling with such expensive luggage they should be prepared for any road
robbers and thieves of kinds.

The leader of the merchants was a
man named Pedro (they were all Spanish or Portuguese), a fat and jolly man who
bounced his large belly whenever he laughed, making him appear as a Latin
version of Santa Clause.

Death and his men rode into the
little merchant camp gathering bewildered and awing stares from it�s members. Pedro invited them for a large banquette to
share knowledge of each of the leaders� travels across this new world.

The large makeshift room of timber
and canvas held a number of small dining tables around a larger, longer, wooden
table around which Death�s men, Pedro and his best men sat.

Alex should have seen the ominous
signs in the stares the merchants gave Victoria, in how their hungry eyes
covered every inch of her body, in how they slowly moved to tables which
allowed them a front or side view of the blond vampire.

But he didn�t see these signs.
Instead he was too busy thinking about how he hated excluding �higher ranked
men� tables like the one he sat to at the moment. He was too busy talking to
Pedro.

The head merchant was examining
Alex�s new maps of all the land they�ve covered so far. As he scrutinized each
symbol and every mark he nodded, running his forefinger through his thick dark
red beard. He had an ugly scar running from his forehead, down to his left brow
and sealing his left eye�s empty socket.

Lestate noted, with a distant
feeling of alarm, that these men looked more like road robbers themselves then
the ones who get attacked by them. He didn�t say any of that to Alex, he trusted his Death�s instincts and defending
abilities.

Pedro tore his one seeing eyes
from the maps (carefully rolling them and handing them back to Alex along with
maps of his own) and flung it�s powerful glittering
with the dinner�s wine stare at Alex and his men. �So� he said merrily, leaning
his large body on his chair�s back �let me guess who you are and what you do
here. Many told me I am an excellent judge of character�

Alex opened his mouth to try and
say something.

Pedro didn�t let him �Oh let me, I
do enjoy guessing. Many times I knew exactly who and what people are before
they spoke the first word� he laughed.

Alex shrugged. His men turned
their eyes to the large one eyed merchant, eager to see what he�ll note in
them.

Pedro scanned the new faces before
him for a few moments each, frowning and glaring as if it helped his
concentration. �You are obviously the leader� he said finally, pointing at
Alex.

Death�s men laughed a little, some
sneered at the obvious statement.

�Hold on, there�s more. You are an
old man, despite your young appearance. It�s obvious in your eyes,
they�ve seen many years and just as many horrors�

Alex was at a loss of words. No
one, so far, was able to tell his age through his forever 25 appearance.

�You are, no, were an army
man�.don�t tell me�..you were a general�

Alex shook his head. A cunning smile flittering across his lips.

�A simple soldier,
or you wouldn�t be so smug at this sudden high rank� Pedro smiled just as
cunningly, thinking he was the smartest man while he was still the one fooled.

Alex shook his head once more.

�A cavalry man?�

Another shake.

�A cadet?�

Nope.

�A dragoon?�

No.

��A gunner?�

Not that either.

�A lancer? You seem the type to handle a
sword right��

�I handle a sword but that�s not
what I did� as always, as his real army profession demanded, no one was really
ever able to determine what he was until it was too late.

�A ranger?�

�I was a sniper for a briefer
service but that�s not the main profession�

Pedro gave up �Then you are a
mystery to me. Would you tell me what you were?�

Alex�s smile sharpened �No, you�ll
just have to guess�

Pedro glared at him but moved on.
He scanned the men before him once again �You seem�.not well matched�.like you
were gathered in the last moment, on a quick call. You�..escaped from
somewhere. No, I correct my deeming: you are rebels! And you have a hostage
with you�

�You�re right� Death enjoyed
watching Kamui squirm through the corner of his eye �but who is it amongst us
that is the captive?�

Pedro waved his hand carelessly �Easy!
It�s that fair maiden over there� he nodded at Victoria.

The hums and nods of the over
enthusiastic men around the room should have tipped Alex off. But he was too
busy with Pedro�s words. �No, she�s one of us�

Kamui began loosing his patience.
Alex was trying to make the men around his scorn him and laugh at his
predicament, bastard.

As if reading his mind, Pedro�s
eye landed on Justice �This little boy here? He�s the one who is captive? He and his servant?�

Alex nodded, his smile spreading.

�Whatever made him be that? What
did he do?� the merchant didn�t laugh at Kamui, he pitied him.

�He made the wrong judgment and
now we�re keeping him away from home until he changes his mind� Death shot a
powerful green glare at Justice.

Kamui glared back.

�I see�.ah well�..you my friend�
he said, pointing at David �Are a farmer. You have a farmer�s build. Maybe it�s
not your current occupation but I�d say that in your lifetime you worked in
agriculture�

The merchant threw David so deep
into his personal history that for the rest of the conversation the undertaker
saw nothing of the room around him; flashes of his former, pre-camp, life blinded
him.

�And you are an artist� Pedro
said, pointing at Lestate �but you have a sharp eye so I would guess that you
are also skilled in hunting�

Being a vampire meant that he had
to hunt his food, so yes that was true, plus Lestate was a hunter when he was
mortal. He was also a great fan of music and could play a few instruments. Paintings
and sculptures always fascinated his emplified
vampire vision so he liked both arts. The vampire raised his glass in agreement
and pretended to drink the wine inside.

�And you�re a Frenchman too� Pedro
added �only they could fuss so much over their appearance� the men in the room
laughed, making Lestate a little giddy about how his prettiest embroilment silk
jacket and trousers might be perceived by them.

�You are partners, it�s obvious.� words aimed at the onemojis
�You have many differences between you, so many that you often seem like light
and dark, the moon and the sun. Like those you complete each other, you cannot
be without each other, perhaps�..you fulfill every wish of the other�

Subaru blushed.

Seishiro grinned.

Alex giggled a little. The men
around them sneered and huffed at this unconventional idea.

�And you, pretty little Goldie
Locks, you are a mystery� all eyes, including Pedro�s piercing one eye, rested
on Victoria who began moving awkwardly on her seat. �I try to look into you but
your beauty blinds me. I do not say these things because I haven�t seen a woman
in a very long time my dear, I really mean them� his voice was low and husky by
the last words.

Alex made a mistake when he blamed
the alcohol in the merchant�s wine for this lecherous behavior.

Victoria did a mistake as well, not a one
that would put the blame on what was to come on her, but definitely a tactical
mistake: She blushed and giggled a little, showing herself as a mindless beauty
rather then the strong woman she was.

By then Alex began sensing
something, he hurried to change the subject �So, about these woods you passed
by, the ones right at the feet of the mountains, anything we should beware of?�

Pedro dragged his mind out of the
gutter �Yes.� he fumbled for his captain�s log �There were gypsies with thick rifles
that make a man freeze like he was in ice sea�

The gypsies and their cryogenic
freezing weapons were once one of the cities boarder keepers, as Alex and
Lestate recalled. After a while they tired of staying in one place serving a
duty and followed their nomad needs to keep moving across their world.

�The gypsies?� Lestate called out in surprise �They
got this far? Amazing. How long has it since they�ve
last been around the city?�

David shrugged, he hated gypsies to
begin with and that band only relit his emotions against them.

�About the time right after the
second famine� Alex answered, also quite impressed by their amazing advance.

�They attacked you? That�s
strange, they should get along with merchants, being merchants themselves� it
should have tipped him off as well.

Pedro noted the hole in his plot
and shrugged it �They froze one of our sentient. Apparently he walked in on
them and they were alarmed enough to use their weapons�

By Alex and Lestate�s
nods Pedro knew he was out of the woods.

�Ah! And there�s the evil white
forest spirits!� at the sound of those words the men in the room except Death�s
shook and hushed their merry chatting.

�Evil white
forest spirits?�

After being quiet and trying to be
invisible, Will suddenly called out �Wiese hounde� he
shuddered, cradling his left arm as if it was wounded.

Alex turned his eyes to the
werewolf �White wolfs? Where?�

�They were in the citrus forest
for a while, then they disappeared.� the merchant answered �they are horrible
demons from the depths of hell they are. They attack you so quickly you have no
chance to run away or defend yourself. They kill you right on the spot if you walk
into their grounds. If they only bite you their saliva makes you sick for days!
The world spins before you, you have a fever, you see things that aren�t there,
your skin turns grey, you stay like that for weeks, and you can even die!�

The men around them nodded,
exposing bite marks and scratch scars on their skin where they collided with
one of those mysterious forest wolfs.

�Where did you see them little
one?� the merchant aimed his question at Will.

Having received permission from
Kamui and after gaining enough confidence under Alex and David�s harsh glares,
Will answered �Zhey vere
far souther from here vhen
I met zhem, I just recovered my vounds
before you kid�..I joined you�� he looked at Kamui. He folded up his shirt�s
left sleeve to expose a set of three long scratches crossing his arm diagonally
�Zhey saw me as one of zhem
somehow so zhey only growled at me and scared me off zhier territory�

Pedro nodded, rubbing his beard
thoughtfully once more. His eye danced across the faces of some of his men,
catching the signs they tried showing him. �Well� he said once he understood
what they wanted from him �it seems like this meal is over.� he patted his
giant belly with his palms �Perhaps we can talk more about our journeys outside
in the fresh air� he looked at Alex �this smell of food and too much sitting
makes me sleepy and I will not rest before I find out your occupation in the
army!�

Alex nodded, smiling kindly. He
turned to his men to tell them they can roam around this camp if they wish or
return to their own tents. Then he got up and followed Pedro, Lestate accompanying
him (he still had to find out if �Frenchmen� means an insult to the merchants
or not).

The rest of Death�s convoy split
up; the onemojis retired to their bed, Kamui and Will
lingered around the dining table for a little while more, David walked straight
back to his tent and Victoria�..

On her way back to her tent Victoria was attracted by the light of a
colorful twinkle her eye caught, beckoning her from the doorway of a small
wooden shed.

As she strode towards the twinkling
object (the fact that she identified it as a gem imbedded in a far larger, and
prettier, jewel only quickened her pace) she was obliviously walking into a
trap.

**************************

�Come on in Kazuki dear� the old
man beckoned the bioroid from his old sofa in the large, yet claustrophobic
with age and a lack of light living room.

Happy with the warm invitation,
Kazuki hopped in towards Anthony. She walked merrily to his side, fingering the
hem of her dress�s apron and waving it from side to side childishly.

The old blue eyes, their color
dimmed by age and weariness, climbed up from her hands to her face through her
sexless body. �My�.you are a big girl� he sighed, an
undistinguished sigh between appreciation and bewilderment.

�Please Kazuki�..can you do
something for me?� a spark Kazuki never saw before lit in the old eyes.

*****************

Sparkles surrounded Victoria as she stepped into the shed.
There were hundreds of them: So many gems in so many sizes and so many colors,
so many jewels! Boxes and crates full to the brim with them.

Little trinkets lying
atop of tables or chests, glistening out in their charming little boxes.

Long chains of diamonds twined
like venomous snakes across the visage of this little magic land, each gem
luring her to observe it, then it�s sister next on the
chain.

Enormous necklaces,
complicated with their varied numerous engraving and intertwining little chains
and parts, grotesque with twinkles and outrageous with richness.

They beckoned her like the song of
legendary mermaids.

As she walked the few steps she
could towards the largest and most loaded table in the shed, Victoria thought she might be blinded
forever by the sparkles. A fleeting fear passed her thoughts that these jewels
were so bright because they engulfed the sun�s light within them and now when she�s
here to observe them they�ll unleash it at her and burn her the way sunlight does
to her kind.

The danger in the shed was not
that. Danger was approaching her from behind.

�Do you like these little trinkets
lovely lady?� a low husky voice asked from behind.

She could hear two sets of
footsteps as two merchants approached her in the shed. Behind her it was them
and before her laid the huge table. They approached her one from each side.

Suspicion began filling her mind;
she was not a silly girl, not an innocent little lamb as her virginity might
indicate. When she was a police girl she encountered the shameful behavior men
can resort to in their lowly, beastly needs.

A rain of sparkles filled her
vision and within seconds all her suspicions faded like thin fog. The biggest
jewel Victoria Ceres ever laid eyes on hung before her face.

It was a set of matching tiara,
earrings, a necklace and breast jewel, all attached together to form a net of
sparkling chains and twinkling gems.

Victoria�s head spun a little trying to fathom
what was before her. When the shock faded, when the awe left to make room for
admiration, she began exploring it, reaching out to touch it.

�Do you like it?� a second voice
said, just as low and just as husky.

�Yes� she panted �it�s�..it�s�..phenomenal�..where
did you ge�.�

�It�s yours� the first voice said,
it was now besides her head, breathing hot wet breath into her left ear.

�R�.really?� her suspicions began
returning, only weaker now due to the still shocking effect of the jewel before
her.

�Yessssss�
the second voice said, placing itself by her right ear, lower, nearer to her
neck.

�If you�ll be a good girl� two
palms landed on her breasts, squeezing.

She used her immortal body�s
flexibility and sent the sole of her foot up into her attacker�s groin.

The offending hands left her body
as the man they belonged to folded into half and limped away, swearing under
his breath angrily.

The next hand that came at her Victoria noted, though it moved amazingly
fast her senses still picked it up. It�s not her inability to notice the hand
itself that made her vulnerable to it�s attack; it was
the fact she was still unaware of her disadvantages as a vampire of her kind.

The crucifix slammed on her
forehead burnt her skin with it�s holiness. Though it
was not silver, not made of garlic, not sanctified by holy water, it�s meaning and shape were the weapon.

Victoria never experienced such pain,
never knew such fear in her short fledgling�s life; it was like a thunderbolt
was released into her brain, exploding everything within it. And her skin stung,
burning and pealing off like heated plastic.

She screamed and hissed.

While she squirmed with pain she
was grabbed, spun and raised to sit spread legged on the table from which the
boxes and chests were violently brushed off in animalistic brutality.

When the pain resided enough to
allow her some realization Victoria realized what is about to be done
to her.

She screamed again, mentally this
time.

********************

Karen and Arashi burst, shoulder
first, into the tall cottage. Their weapons brandished, their eyes burning like
Karen�s fire balls.

Kazuki whipped her head to them
and frowned, scolding them with her �shhhhhhhh!�

The two women stopped, their pose
remaining just as it was before they comprehended the situation within.

Kazuki was kneeling on a one
seated sofa, facing them and holding a book in her hand. She looked childishly
angry at them.

Anthony was sitting on a larger
sofa opposite to Kazuki�s. He was asleep.

Silence filled the slightly dusty,
poorly lit space.

�Kazuki?� Karen tried.

�shhhhhhhh!�

�Kazuki� Arashi tried, whispering.

�Be quiet, you�ll wake him up and
he just fell asleep!�

�Kazu-chan�.what�s
going on, we thought that�.� Karen carefully stepped towards the bioroid,
reaching out a hand to wrap around her shoulders protectively.

�What�s this?� her hand found a
pendant hung on a delicate silver chain around Kazuki�s
neck. It reached down her chest where the pendant hung against the flat sexless
breast. It was a particularly large drop shaped pearl, emerging from an
upside-down complicatedly engraved silver cone.

Kazuki closed her palm around the
pendant �Anthony gave me this� she said with warm pride in her eyes �it
belonged to his granddaughter�.she died when they arrived here�.�

Her eyes saddened. She turned from
Karen�s side to a little table with various pictures and boxes atop it. She
took one picture and brought it back to the two women.

The picture was of a younger
looking Anthony, his palm fatherly grabbing the shoulder of a young girl in her
early teen years. Her face bore a striking resemblance to Kazuki�s.

Karen and Arashi stared down at
the photograph, realization of their mistake slowly seeping into their minds.

�He said� her voice played as
background music to their feverish thoughts �that I do not look exactly like
his granddaughter, that I�m not his granddaughter, never was and never will be,
that he will never pretend that I am�but that�.�

Karen slowly raised her eyes from
the photo to the sleeping old man on the sofa.

Arashi pushed the framed picture
away from her gently, preferring to look away with shame.

�He said that I am as kind as she
was, as smart and fast minded as her, that he was preparing to teach her his
trade before he lost her� she hung her large innocent eyes at the dosing veterinarian
as well �and now, he will give me this pendant that belonged to his granddaughter
to help me get a little bit of affection out of him, enough to make him a
better teacher to me because�.�

she turned her head away from the
sleeping man, lowering it a bit to bury her tearing eyes behind the blind her
overgrown hair created �Because he doesn�t know if Sei-san
will ever come back and he�.� She sobbed silently �He will not be here for much
longer�.�

Without thought, out of pure
instinct, Karen wrapped her arms around Kazuki, laying the white haired head on
her bosom.

Arashi chose to keep her head
looking away to give the bioroid her privacy to express her emotions.

�I know he won�t be here for long�
now Kazuki�s voice was no longer so heavy and loaded
with sadness and tears, it was fresh and strong. It was very calm and mature.

�I never saw an old man die; I
only saw my own end and heard of my father�s death. To me Anthony is not just a
friend like Sei-san is; he is like my grandfather
only more emotional and affectionate.�

She gently detached herself from
Karen, returning to gaze at the photograph with a brave little calm smile on
her lips �I think that this time around I will correct things. Anthony will die
before me and not the other way around like it was with me. I will play the
role of the granddaughter for him so he won�t be lonely. I�ll play her part for
her, help do what she cannot do anymore� she embraced the frame to her chest.

Karen and Arashi hung amazed eyes
at her. Never was she so aware, so mature and complete, so clear.

�I will be the granddaughter for him
and he will be a grandfather for me� she closed here eyes, as if in prayer.

��..Kazuki� Karen whispered. She
snapped out of her shock enough to pat the bioroid lightly on her shoulder and
hint Arashi that they should take their leave.

�You better get back to reading
the book for him then, we won�t disturb you anymore� she smiled at Kazuki.

�Oh�.� The bioroid opened big
childish eyes at them again �What did you come here for anyway?�

�Ah�Nothing special really�Just a
silly little thing, forget about it. Better get back to the book now, it�s good
for your English reading�

Kazuki nodded, happily waving
goodbye to the two women and resuming her previous occupation.

Only once they were outside the cottages
could the women breath in and clear their mind completely. They turned their
amazed eyes to the other�s.

�Wow� Arashi exhaled.

***********************

�Ah, I give up!� Pedro threw his
hands in the air gesturing his despair �You win, what were
you in the army?�

The head merchant, Alex and
Lestate were taking a walk in the cool night�s refreshing air.

Alex sniggered, crossing gazes
with Lestate who smirked equally �I was a spy� he said smugly.

Pedro stopped on his tracks,
hanging a shocked eye at Death �A spy?�

Alex nodded, still smirking.

�But of course� suspicion and
disgust snuck into Pedro�s tone through his heavy mustache and beard �only a
spy would hide his identity, only a spy could be so�.so�.�

There was continuing of this sentence.

Alex�s face blanked completely;
smugness changing within a moment to alarm and anger. He turned on his heels
and vanished off towards the jewelry shed where Victoria was being attacked.

His eyes blazed turquoise as he
ran, his inner violence bursting up like a flame as his mind processed the
source of Victoria�s condition.

He burst into the shed like a
violent storm, sword in hand, his aura flaring up madly. His teeth exposed in a
violent snarl. with short and efficient moves he
sliced the two attackers into tiny little fleshy stripes within seconds.

Victoria collapsed to the ground, allowing
her limp from shock body to let it�s guards down now
that it was protected by another. She was not harmed besides the mental trauma
and the holy scorch on her forehead, yet she was exhausted and tear-filled.

Alex rushed to her side
instinctively. With a violently shaking palm he healed the burn in her skin,
hanging still glowing eyes at her.

His rush into the shed and the sounds
of manslaughter from within alarmed the rest of the men in the camp towards
Alex. They poured in now, brandishing their surprisingly - abundant � for -
mere - merchant weapons at him as fast as they could. They were killed just as fast
by a fighter with a raging behavior and a feverish, self consuming mind.

Lestate burst into the shed,
placing himself dangerously between the merchants and the raving Alex. He
trusted his Death�s sixth sense not to harm his own creatures and make him stop
the violence.

The men noted by now how powerful
Death was and seized to enter the shed, choosing instead to back off and
observe the shed�s floor with it�s scattered pieces of human flesh, it�s
collapsed young vampires begging Death to �Stop it, I�m alright, really I am!�
with tears in her eyes.

But Alex kept moving, his mind no
longer in control of his body. He grabbed Lestate by his shoulder and hurled
the slim body aside powerfully, emitting a beastly growl. He stepped forward, swinging
his sword towards the frightened men before him, about to attack once again.

Lestate crushed into a small
table, snapping his arm and shattering his ankle. Those were nothing but tiny
surface wounds for a vampire in his power levels. It was his Death that worried
him most; Alex�s hand was shaking as he grabbed his shoulder. Imbedded within
his beastly growl was a miserable whimper of a wounded animal.

Kamui also noted the uproar as he
was walking away from the dining room with Will in toe nibbling on a beef bone.

As he squiggled amongst the
pressed bodies of the men before the entrance to the shed, as he cast his eyes
on Victoria and her torn bright blue Hellsing blouse and the torn body parts on the floor, the details
clicked into Kamui�s mind explaining Alex�s behavior.

Before he�ll do anything about
that he has to stop Alex from harming others, and himself, anymore.

He fought his way into the shed
until he was face to face with Alex who�s arm just
swung to deal a blow, almost hitting Kamui. �STOP IT!� he called, commanding
more then shouting in alarm.

At the sight of the bright violet
eyes blazing with purpose and the beautiful face that rang so many bells in his
mind, Alex snapped at least partially back to present time. His glow subsided
and disappeared within fragments of seconds. His arm drooped to his side. The
storm calmed, retreating to rage on within Death�s mind.

He was breathing heavily, his eyes
still crazed as he scanned Kamui. Everything he looked upon, even Kamui�s face was but a picture on a screen behind which one
of his life�s greatest tragedies played to the sharpest details.

Limping over to the crouching blond
on the floor, Lestate helped Victoria to her feet and began exiting the
shed. He made an oath to forever hate Kamui for doing what he, one of Death�s
most loyal men, couldn�t do.

Kamui turned his back and walked
out as well. He noted his werewolf waiting outside the commotion of frightened
and angry men. He grabbed Will violently by his shoulder and hissed at him
trying not to be heard �Run away from here if you want to live Will, run as fast as you did today, now!�

Without question, Will obeyed.

suddenly Kamui was accidentally pushed
back into the shed as Pedro violently pounded his way into the small space with
big heavy steps.

�What have you done?!� he
roared like a wounded beast. His small piggish eye almost popping out of it�s socket under the big bushy eyebrow. He spread his arms
sideways to gesture the bloody pieces of flesh that were once his men �WHAT
HAVE YOU DONE?!�

Alex stood shaking with anger.

�I should have known, I should
have known! Never!!!!!� he raised a shaking pointing finger upwards to
emphasize his words �NEVER trust a SPY!!!!�

�AND YOU!!!!� Alex bust back �You�re not
merchants!!!! You�re pirates! Brutal, beastly, lecherous�..� he choked on
his words, nausea betraying him.

Pedro used this break to put in a
word. He whipped his arm with it�s pointing finger at
the shed�s exit �Get out of my camp!� he snarled, shaking with anger
himself and sweating like a pig �NOW!!!!!�

�With pleasure� Alex snarled back,
grabbing Kamui forcefully by his arm and dragging the youth with him. He
mounted his horse wordlessly and stormed away from there like wild wind, still
holding Kamui (never leaving the boy to exit on his own might he get attacked
by the angry pirates).

As they arrived at their own camp Alex dismounted his horse and vanished
into his tent. By the time they were home Kamui felt Alex shake badly. His grip
on his shoulder was not violent; it was desperately clinging to him for help,
for comfort.

Kamui would have sat with him,
would have helped but��there was something about his own predicament that kept
him somewhat detached emotionally from Alex enough to deem himself as
inefficient as a comforter for pain in Alex�s magnitude.

Instead he walked into Victoria�s tent. If Subaru was already
here by the time the two vampires returned from the pirate�s little village
then word spread to the light onemoji. If Kamui knew
Subaru well, and he did, the man would be at Victoria�s side to listen and share her
problems.

He was right. Victoria sat on her mock bed with Subaru
sitting by her holding her palm and hanging pain filled eyes at her.

Why did it seem to Kamui that
Subaru�s eyes could also soak pain as well as reflect it, as if his
whole being is focused on helping the ones in pain?

Seishiro leaned on one of the
tent�s poles, patiently awaiting his lover to satisfy his need to help others.
As Kamui walked in, he and the dark onemoji exchanged
charged glares before they turned their attention to the soft murmur of
Subaru�s comforting words.

Victoria listened to every word and nodded
with a small smile on her lips, bashful at the sudden attention lavished on her
so abundantly. She cried a little before, tears of blood like all her kind, but
now she was just sobbing gently, clutching the handkerchief Subaru handed her which
was now blemished and reddened her and there.

Kamui was glad to see Subaru
making connections within camp that weren�t Alex or him�.both, when you get
down to it, were not very good for him.

Unbelievably, David walked into
the tent.

He threw a silencing wave amongst
the tent�s residents. Scanning over the bewildered faces staring up at him, the
undertaker dismissed most of them with a careless standoffish short glare and
walked deeper into the tent.

With a great amount of obvious
awkwardness, he placed himself before Victoria, standing rigidly as if to
attention. Clenching and re-clenching his fist as if it contained his hat from
long ago to help him channel the stress and nervousness. David tried to cast
his eyes on the vampire but failed, instead his eyes traveled lower to the
floor. He looked like a bashful child trying to confess something to an adult,
awaiting his verdict with fear and awe.

Victoria was so happy he came see her, so
surprised and joy filled! She hung huge red eyes at him, childishly awaiting
his words as if each were a precious gem far more expensive then any in the
damned treasure shed.

�I�� David mumbled, giddily
switching weight from one foot to the other thus creating a somewhat comic
effect that he is swaying gently like a tree in the breeze �I�..was
wondering�.if you�re safe��I mean�..� he cursed himself silently for sounding
like an idiot �I hope you weren�t harmed and now you�re fine�..�

Bloody tears began forming in Victoria�s eyes again �Yes! I�m fine,
really!!!!�

From a distance, Kamui noted she
restrained her body from leaping up to show how fine she is.

Funny, he thought, she and
Yuzuriha must be the same person changed by different dimension�s conditions;
the two are so alike!

�Good�.because you�re
safe�..here�..� David half-grunted on, grinding the words out of his mouth
through clenched with nervousness teeth �we�..we�.we�re�.here to protect
you�.you can��.you can count on�..count on us�.always�..don�t be too shy to ask
okay?!� he finally raised his intense eyes to her.

He didn�t wait for an answer; he
turned around and stormed out of there as fast as he could.

Kamui and Seishiro, who felt the
little gush of wind as David passed between them on his way out, would have
crossed a �what the f�?!� stare if they weren�t mortal enemies.

�I would!� Victoria whimpered after him, a puppy
thirsting for attention wishing to follow it�s new
owner. She clasped her hands on her chest and gave off the characteristic long heart
filled sigh of a freshly in loved young woman. She collapsed on the bed with
another heavy sigh, blown away by happiness.

Kamui and Seishiro looked away
uncomfortably as she forgot the tiny length of her Hellsing
uniforms mini-skirt and didn�t cross her legs while she laid
down.

Trying to put that sight
aside, Kamui walked up to Subaru who was now beaming with happiness as Victoria�s mood lightened as well. He
leaned down and whispered his words to the onemoji�s
ear.

The happy smile was wiped off of
Subaru�s face, giving way to a fearful frown and shock. �Oh no!!!!� he called
out.

Kamui�s intense confidential gaze shushed
him immediately. They exchanged gazes before Subaru shot to his feet and
stormed out of the tent, dragging Seishiro with him.

***************

They found Alex in a mess when
they entered his tent. He wasn�t in real physical mess as much as he was in a
mental one.

He was sitting on his chair,
leaning one elbow on his knees as his palm clutched his face powerfully, almost
bruising. The other palm clutched powerfully at his vest�s front, violently stretching
the fabric as it clutched and released a little, then clutched again.

His face was dark red as the fire
within him burnt; his body covered with fears� heavy sweat beads.

His was shaking violently, yet
very restrictedly; the real earthquake, the real maelstrom happening within his
mind.

He was in the realm of memories so
twisted by repressed and pushed sideways traumas they were warped beyond
comprehension.

He did not cry though he whimpered
from time to time like a wounded little animal. Sometimes a repressed cry of
maddened pain snuck out through his violently clenched teeth.

What Seishiro and Subaru walked
into was the beginning of a full fledged nervous breakdown.

They hurried to his side,
coordinated and cooperating like the time they came to give him their thanks.

They took him, Subaru cooing
soothing words in his deafened by memories ears, and separated him from the
chair.

They worked their best comforting
efforts on him to calm his shaking and smooth his tense limbs; Subaru talking
softly to his Death, constantly looking upwards into his blinded crazy green
eyes, Seishiro rubbing the powerful tense shoulders into better ease.

By the time they managed to ease
the first tears and broken whimpers out of Alex their throats were croaked with
talking, their fingers aching with massage. They were working themselves beyond
their petty little limits to pay something back to this man who saved their lives
and loves.

Alex cried for the first time in a
good few hundred years. It was a short outburst of tears with no violent
sobbing or rivers of tears, but it was definitely crying.

They put him to bed, holding and
soothing him all along while he shook like a leaf in their arms.

By the early morning hours Alex
was silent and still. He was sleeping finally and they could have some rest
themselves.

They didn�t bother exiting the
bed, only removing their shoes and upper layers of garments for better comfort.

They felt better now that their efforts
paid off, now that their Death got over his seizure.

This was the first time they did
something as a team. They fell into sleep with wonderful fulfillment beating
powerfully in their chests.

********************

The next morning Alex woke up from
yet another amazingly refreshing and comfortable sleep.

He noted that he was well snuggled
and warm under the simple cover and that he was exceptionally comfortable.

When he opened his eyes his mind
froze in shock and embarrassment.

To his front, curled up snugly in
his arms like a spoiled little kitten, was Subaru. With the ultimately peaceful
expression of deep sleep, with cheeks flared up in sweet pink due to the extreme
warmth under the blanket, he lay so naturally within Alex�s arms as if he�s
been doing it for years now. And he was damn beautiful while he was at it.

Behind him, with his arms wrapped
around Alex, Seishiro snuggled spooning up at him. He noted the nonchalantly
wrapped arms of the Sakurazukamori around him so possessively. He felt the hot
lazy steady breath of sleep on the back of his neck where Seishiro�s
nose and upper lip softly touched his skin. It sent tingling pleased sensations
down his spine.

Both onemojis
were in their underwear.

For a few minutes Alex lay there
frozen, raking his mind desperately for an explanation to this hidden in
yesterday�s events.

Yesterday�s evens came crushing
down on him like a natural disaster. Yet, here, snuggled with the men who
helped him out of his crisis, Alex felt detached enough from those painful
events to not get sucked back into it�s mind numbing
pain and misery.

Still, somewhat healed or not,
this was no position to stay in! Especially when they might
wake up any minute now. Dreading awkward morning greetings, Alex willed
himself to fog and escaped the wrapping limbs and the bed�s wonderful cozy
warmth.

He hates himself as he escaped
like a thief from a crime scene; he felt so ungrateful for not staying long
enough to thank them.

Yet he knew the three of them did
not end up like that for no reason. He knew he
must never venture into such territories, condemned himself to never end up
like that again. The temptation was far too big.

His still existing love for Kamui
was far too big; he already felt himself as a traitor though the onemoji�s did nothing but sooth him, though Kamui does
nothing but push him away.

And besides he was far too bad,
far too worthless to come into that loving connection, to ask for some of the
amazing warmth. All he does is bad, everything he touches dies and rots; if
he�ll try to reach out to them he will only break them up, only ruin them.

So he bashed himself mentally,
standing outside in the fresh air, clearing his mind in the early noon�s sun.

Turning away from a remedy to only
wound himself some more.

(TBC)
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A New World