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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
- 27
- 28
- 29
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!

Author�s Thanks: to Tekoo
(I know you didn�t review the last chapter but if anyone deserves credits for
this story it�s you dear), DarkAngelD. (thank you so much!!! And funny thing about you name because
that�s how I call my original story featuring Alex), Skd
(another reader who deserves credits for long running support, cheer her/him
people! Ah but the story is no where near an end, no way, there�s SO much more
to tell. I�m sorry you don�t like Equivocal but at least you like this right?)

Also
thanks to the anon. reviewer of my blog from Japanese
who flattered this story so nicely. Thank you!!!

I
wonder if this fic�ll ever hit the 50 chapters�hmmm

Anyways
this chapter sees another original character from my Alex-cantered original
fic, Tekoo will recognise her since she�s read it
already (hugs Tekoo) and the other women are mostly
from my brain or from other anime/movie/etc.

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

Chapter 28 � Welcome to the Light Side!

Fresh
wind blew gently around them, carrying the scents of wet earth, flowers
blooming, baked bread and freshly cut grass. The clear blue sky pierced only by
a soft warm sun that did not scorch, despite it�s high
location in the sky.

Like
sleepy children walking bewildered into the light of day, the four men hiding
in the carriages climbed out of their shelter into the fresh air.

For
a moment the convoy men stood in the beautiful brilliance and looked around,
too mesmerised to speak. Suddenly it dawned on them how they grew accustomed to
the ever cloudy sky of their home, the grim weather that was either too hot or
too cold, the constant hanging feeling of impending the doom and danger of
hunger.

The
mountain range behind them stretched to both their sides, completely barricading
this miraculous place from the Dark Side�s part of the dimension.

The
mountain peaks were pure white with snow shining magnificently under the gentle
loving sun. From the snow�s edge a lush green carpet stretched down to the
great plain around them.

Scanning
the mountain range they spotted terraces lush with crops descending into the
plain.

It
seems that agriculture was the main theme in the plain; all around them acres
on acres of blooming fields stretched in well organised squares for each crop.
Scattered amongst the high crops, little huts made of simple white bricks and a
bright brown roofs of twig and straw popped into sight. Some of these huts had
workers around them, all which appeared to be women.

Several
farmers spotted the convoy as they rose from plucking up their yields; these
also appeared to be all women.

The
farmers who spotted them began making their way through the vegetation to get a
better glimpse at the new arrivals. They were indeed all women, dressed
practically in bright cheery coloured farming outfits of various designs.

Those
who drew near enough to see Alex�s armour and sword, the huge black wings of
the two riders, the strong black horses and mostly the fact that all of the convoy
was made of men, they shrieked and hurried away speaking to each other in many
tongues.

The
first to snap out of the beauty and richness� shock was David. He leaped off
his horse and dashed to the side of the organized dirt road. He disappeared
into the sea of green a field nearby formed. When he popped back out his hands
were loaded with fresh ripe juicy tomatoes. He had one in his mouth and was
chewing and sucking on it feverishly as he walked back to his horse.

Alex
gave him an educating stare and David handed him two of the ten tomatoes he
kept in his big heavy fur coat. Now that he did not need it he shed it off and
returned to his bare-chested appearance.

Alex
snatched two more tomatoes from David�s stash and handed them over, one to each
onmyouji and two for Kamui (and in a way to Will at his side).

�Mmm, this is delicious! I�ve never tasted tomatoes so sweet
and juicy!� Subaru commented, bending forward to keep the dripping fruit�s juice
from staining his white trench coat. He too shed his cold weather outfit and
now began contemplating whether he should remove his coat as well.

�This
place has some blooming agriculture going on doesn�t it� Alex commented while
chewing on a tomato he snatched from the (by now) half paranoid David who in
return turned his back to Alex completely and shot several fierce glares back
at him across his shoulder.

�The
soil is very good� David commented into his third tomato �it�s thick and soft,
I could feel how rich it was under my feet, very good soil� he nodded, grabbing
his fourth tomato and devouring it hungrily.

�It�s
not fair�

The
men turned their attention to Kamui.

Justice
scanned the lush fields with worried eyes, his upper lip quivering in disgust
�It�s not fair!� he repeated, shooting enraged eyes to Alex �Back in the City
the crops are all twisted and nothing hardly manages to catch hold in the ground,
but here they have such great success and so many crops�.surely the City must
be in famine by now, and yet here the people practically swim in food!�

�The
City is in famine while here they have abundant food, very well.� Alex
began scanning the road they stood on, focusing on what�s ahead.

He
leaped into his horse�s saddle �Come people, there�s a palace ahead of us,
let�s go over there and talk them into sharing�

The
carriages disappeared (besides the vampire�s coffins� carriage), leaving the
men�s horses behind. They settled on the beasts and prepared to gallop to the
palace.

They
didn�t need to ride for long; after a few minutes during which they scattered
several other observing farmers away with shrieks and screams of panic, a group
of three riders approached them with a raging pace.

Ridden
on strong swift horses, the riders approaching them were women dressed in armours
and battle outfits, their faces painted, their swords and lances prepared for
the fight.

They
did not stop to ask questions; they charged immediately with battle cries
tearing through the calm fresh air.

Kamui�s horse stopped, turning around to keep him within a
safe distance from the fight. Subaru�s horse placed him before Kamui as a last
line of defence. The onmyouji pulled and readied a flush of ofuda, his eyes
devouring as much as he can of these fierce amazons.

A
bronze coloured woman carrying a flashy lance with a ring of fur at it�s tip and complicated carvings into the colourful wood
charged at David. In her left hand, which she hid behind her back, she held a fiercely
sharp dagger. Side for her decorated loincloth she was bare-chested.

The
undertaker knocked the lance out of her hand with a bat of his wing and
snatched her off her white and beige spotted horse. He sat her sideways on his
saddle and squeezed the dagger out of her hand.

She
in return emitted a series of blood chilling war cries and retrieved her
dagger. With a flash she tore into David�s chest, carving him down to the line
of his pants. Under her black and ochre war makeup her bright green eyes
flashed blood thirsty madness as she stared at the white light emitting from
the gash she created.

David
sniggered and tore the dagger out of her hand once and for all, casting it far
into the field behind him this time.

She
struggled some more, squirming on the saddle with amazing flexibility until she
climbed to her feet and ground her foot deep into David�s crotch.

Unaffected
by the blow, David dug his fist into her flat muscular tan belly and knocked
her off his saddle. Clicking his tongue he drove his horse to place a hoof on
her chest between her ample bare breasts.

A
tall lean black woman charged at Seishiro. She carried a long shiny machete
which she manipulated through the air so fast it became almost invisible. She
wore a dress of a thousand tiny colourful beads tied at her neck. Her rough boots
were made of hard cow skin and opened at the tip to allow freedom for her toes
to stick out.

She
too carried other weapons with her; she had three flint bladed daggers tucked
into the leopard skin made belt at her waist, a large horn bow and a quiver of
ivory-imbedded cow skin.

With
amazing speed she sheathed her machete and aimed her bow and arrow at Seishiro�s shikigami, landing a direct hit into the huge
spirit hawk. It had hit it�s ofuda straight in the
middle and tore it in half.

Noticing
she rode her horse too close to the man she leaped off her beast and landed
before Seishiro�s horse.

A
hailstorm of red and white arrows charged at Seishiro, which he blocked easily
using his magic to form a shield.

He
drove his horse to dash around her and snatched her up from the ground.

She
squirmed under his strong arms, flexing to kick her long shiny pure black legs
at his head. She bit into his arm, managing to tear at his jacket�s sleeve to
uncover his flesh before she sank her teeth in. She drew blood. Her other hand
grabbed at her machete but found it had been snatched by her enemy.

Having
received a few powerful kicks to his head Seishiro had had enough. He placed a
knife-sharp ofuda at her throat and ordered her to seize her fight.

Growling
madly, glaring fire at him, she stopped fighting and placed her feet on the
ground. She was tall enough to stand on the ground while Seishiro, who sat atop
a high horse and was rather high himself, could hold the ofuda to her neck
without having to bend down.

The
third warrior charged at Alex with a raging war cry. She was covered in a
western knight�s shining armour, wielding a long heavy sword. She had short
cropped blond hair and crazed bright blue eyes with red edges of many sleepless
nights.

As
she galloped towards her enemy a long gold chain popped out through her chest armour�s
collar and for a moment Alex was blinded by the sun reflecting on a rather
large crucifix emulate hanging from the chain.

As
she rode with her sword aimed forward for bloody battle, her other arm held a
lance from which a banner hung decorated by a symbol of medieval France.

The
roar of metal against metal exploded into the air as her and Alex�s swords, her and Alex�s armours collided powerfully.

They
drove their horses away immediately, trying to gain a distance between them to
allow proper sword fight.

She
was swift, quick minded and skilled but Alex had inhuman speed at his side and
decades of swordplay experience more then her. After a swift series of
movements he knocked her off her horse, severed her lance and snatched her
sword from her armoured hand.

As
she came tumbling down her horse and crushed to the
ground she noticed her two companions were also knocked out of fighting
position. She climbed to her feet, immediately stopped by the blades of two
swords slid at her neck to stop her from doing anything more.

Kamui
could now feel, as his horse�s muscles eased, that the battle was won and he
was free to control his beast again. Watching the fierce warriors made him declined
the silent offer to draw closer to the three men.

Subaru
hurried to Seishiro�s side immediately, checking his
lover for any wounds. All he could see were a few nasty bruises on his head,
which Seishiro dismissed with a grin.

�Well?!�
the blond barked at Alex, sending a wrathful glare at him. She had a heavy
French accent and a pathos to her words which made her often spit as she spoke.

�Well
what?� Alex answered, slightly lowering his guards.

�Are
you going to kill us already?� the warrior under David�s horse spat out with a
heavy Spanish accent.

�And
why would we kill you?� Death smirked at her.

�Because you are men! You are bloody thirsty and beast
like!� the blond spat at him.

�You�re
the one who came charging at us, remember?�

The
black woman in Seishiro�s restriction began squirming
again, reaching out to one of her daggers.

Subaru
punched the top of her head. Immediately he drew his hand away, shocked at his
own violence.

Seishiro
gave him a pleasantly surprised gaze.

�Serves
her right for kicking you like that� the light onmyouji mumbled through his
deep blush.

�What
do you want? Why did you cross our boarder from the monster�s side?� the woman
on the ground asked. Her voice seemed calmer now despite her flat position on the
dirt road and the impending hoof on her chest bone. She was inwardly worried at
David�s complete carelessness at the sight of her fine body.

�We
came here to take your food, to teach you how to share� Alex threw the blond�s sword behind his back, bettering his sword�s
position on her neck.

�Ha!
We will never give you anything! Murderers! Rapists! Pigs! Beasts
of blood!�

�Excuse
me lady� Subaru interfered, trying his best English at the raging blond �but
you seem to know a lot about us when this is in fact the first time we see each
other�

�And
keep your mouth shut with R word� Alex hissed at her, poking her cheek with the
tip of his blade.

�It
doesn�t matter that we�ve only met, all men are the same!�

�And
you�ve kidnapped women too!!!� the black woman suddenly roared at them her
accent was very heavy and rich, African sounding.

David
whipped his head towards her pointing finger, fearing Victoria came out to the
sunlight to see what�s happening and exposed herself to the sun�s heat.

But
the woman was not pointing at the vampire�s carriage, she was pointing at Kamui
who sat atop his horse with Will placed behind him on the saddle.

Seishiro
bust out laughing, letting his captive go a bit. Alex and David joined in the
sniggering.

�I
am not a woman!� Kamui trotted over closer to the group, glaring hell at the
black woman who was frighteningly able to look him in the eye.

She
frowned �Are you sure? And what is so bad in being a woman? Being a man is far
worse�

�Why?
I kinda like men� Alex mumbled through his giggles.

�You
are the antichrist� the blond hissed at him, grabbing at her crucifix.

He
nodded at her �I get that a lot�

�You
want to take our food you said� the woman under David�s horse asked. Her voice
was calm now and she eyed David to allow her to climb back to her feet. He
allowed her to push the hoof off her chest and, shaking sand off of her exposed
skin, she rose and began walking towards Seishiro and
his captive.

�The
queen will never give you a single grain, not a leaf, never� aided by Subaru�s pleading,
she managed to free her tall comrade from Seishiro�s
clutches.

�Oh?
Why not?�

�We
come from a starving City, there are women and
children there who cannot pass a day with one single proper meal� Kamui burst
into the argument.

�She
will not give you a grain because you are men and you fight for blood� the half
naked woman smirked, her catlike eyes sharp and stingy.

�Look
around you, warmongers; we�ve worked very hard to create a healthy, peaceful
harmony here. It is only because we are all women and that stops us from
fighting amongst each others like rabid dogs. You will not walk in here and
demand the fruits of our toil like you own something in this land�

�We
will teach you how to share, by hook or by crook, and we will have our supplies
for the City� Alex growled.

�How so? You are six men and we are a thousand well trained
warriors� the blond asked, folding her armoured arms on her chest.

Alex
smiled and swung his hand sideways to the corn field on his right. The long thin
shoots quivered as the ground under them roared and rumbled. A hole gaped in
the field�s edge and a single human palm clawed at its brim. A dead body
climbed out of the hole, grumbling lowly as it oozed the stench of rot and damp
earth into the clear light air around them.

The
zombie stood at the field�s edge with the plants from under which he came
scattered in a circle around him.

David
looked away, his face twitching and breaking out with sweat. Once again the
dead climbed back to life before his eyes.

�Surely�
Alex spoke, turning to the blond and the bronze girl with a cruel smile �you do
not wish for this to happen in all your fields. I can uproot your entire plain
of fields this way. Also I think fire would do a fair damage to your precious
abundant crops, you wouldn�t want that now would you�

The blond burst into a fit of swearing, stomping her foot
and waving her fists at Alex. Death sniggered into her mad raving, laughing out
into the air as he recognised a word or two in the dirty French she shot at
him.

�Enough!�
he yelled finally, sheathing his sword �you have until sunset to give the
message to your queen and decide how you�ll hand over your crops to us. When
night comes my vampires will awaken and we will be eight powerful men against you
all. If you will not give us your answer by then you can say goodbye to your
lovely lush fields and your sweet farmers�

The
blond was about to say something when the bare woman touched her shoulder and
whispered something in her ear. The women climbed to their saddles, turned
their horses around and stormed off towards the far off castle.

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

Alex
drove his men towards a hill overlooking the brilliant fields. It had a grey
stone two floored fortress he planned to use as a resting place and a foothold
in this new land.

As
he burst through the heavy wooden door a sword and a shower of arrows pierced
him, making him take a step back. He leered at the archer facing him and,
slicing the air to aim his sword at the woman hiding behind the door to his
right, began pulling the arrows out one by one.

Seishiro
walked into the large cool room and punched the archer of her weapon. He
grabbed the rope Alex tossed at him and bound the warrior to a chair he pushed
her into.

She
was a flaming red headed in an undergarment corset and a pair of white long
safari trousers, her hair packed up neatly at the nape of her neck. Despite her
western outfit her weapons were African originated, huge and well made.

The
woman with the sword who ambushed Alex from behind the door had thin blond hair
falling to her shoulders unkempt. Her bright eyes were also red rimmed and
vengeful in a crazed kind of way. Her slim body was clad by a bright yellow sports
suit with two black lines at the sides of both her jacket and pants. Her eyes
were calm and strong as they followed Alex�s handling of her professional, extremely
sharp katana which he pulled out of his side and placed against the opposite
wall.

She
was grabbed and bound, lead to a chair to be kept there with her comrade.

Alex
tapped David on the shoulder and motioned him towards a door leading to a
rising flight of stairs.

Seishiro
stayed behind to keep an eye on the two women. He kindly asked the blond for
the origin of her sword. She answered him in fluent Japanese, which highly
impressed him seeing she was not of Japanese origin.

As
they emerged from the stairways to the rough stone roof a short lightning bolt
hit the two men. The source of the blow was a scantly clad armoured woman with
wings on her stylish helmet and a long flood of bright red hair.

Alex
sneered at her and, changing his sword to the long metal rod, beat her to the
floor. He placed the pipe�s edge at her throat �I hate Valkyries�
he hissed at her.

�Highly
over appreciated bitches� David glanced down at the huffing and puffing woman.
He knocked the sword and axe out of her reach, grabbing her by the hair to haul
her to her feet and bind her.

�Hey
David� Alex motioned him, standing on the rooftops� edge looking downwards.

David
walked over to Alex�s side, the struggling valkyrie in toe.

�Can
you set fire to that straw pile down there?� he pointed at the line of neat hey
cubes near which three horses stood.

�Sure�
he threw a few stones down to scare the horses away from the coming blaze and
sent his power to the hay pile below.

�Good,
now the palace will have something to worry about� Alex commented, observing
the rising torrent of raging black smoke.

He
moved across the rooftop and called Subaru to enter the building. The onmyouji
was waiting outside, keeping an eye on Kamui and the vampires� carriage.

The
convoy began settling in the fort for the rest of the day. Seishiro prepared
his bow and quiver and walked out to see if he can hunt a few field hares while
David scanned the women�s kitchen utilities and prepared them for cooking.

Kamui
crushed on one of the woman�s beds, looking awkwardly at their new prisoners.
He would have sympathized with them, being this convoy�s prisoner as much as
they were if something else did not bother him.

�Alex��

Death
spun around from his pile of maps, astounded that Kamui chose to start a
conversation with something that wasn�t an accusing tone. �Yes Kamui?�

�Why
did you immediately threaten them? Why didn�t you let me explain the situation
in the City?�

Alex
shrugged �Rich people don�t tend to have a taste for sharing and something told
me they weren�t going to let a bunch of men like us take anything from the
proud amazons they are�

�I
could have talked to them still, why threaten them? We should strive to
establish some kind of a trading relationship with these people, how would you
pull that off if you keep snarling like that?�

Alex
leaned back on the wall with his box of maps in hand �Because this is what will
give them the initial shock and frighten them into giving us food as quickly as
possible�

�Yes
but they�ll think you�re a monster! You�re asking for charity but now they�ll
see you as a warmonger devil�

�Whatever
it takes to get the food back to the city as quickly as possible�

He
turned to Subaru �I sent my shiki over to thank Yutu for your little sing-song
spasms yesterday� he turned back to Kamui after making sure Subaru blushed
enough �and I spoke to Yuzuriha. She�s on the verge of fatal malnutrition. If
that�s the way she is, think about all the other people. Arashi�s
baby is also in danger because she hardly gets enough food for it�s development�

�Oh
god� Subaru gasped �Arashi-san!�

�She�s
okay for now, as okay as she could be, but she�s not going to be able to keep
it up for long. You see, we need to get that food over there as quickly as
possible�

�Why
didn�t you say so?� the blond woman in yellow asked in English, staring at Alex
with calm, soft eyes.

Alex
didn�t answer her; he hung his head and crouched to the floor with his chest of
maps.

�This
Arashi-san, how old is her baby now?� the woman asked Kamui, casting glances at
Subaru as well. She spoke Japanese to them.

�I
think she�s still pregnant, she shouldn�t have delivered yet� Subaru answered
her.

She
hung her head and thought. She turned to her comrades and spoke a soft, fluent,
musical tongue with them.

They
stared at her, turning to look at the men in their room from time to time. When
the blond finished the two other women nodded and stopped squirming on their
seats trying to escape.

�We
understand your goal now� the red haired woman spoke to Alex �and we would like
you to know that we feel no resentment for fighting and binding us� her accent
was a very correct crisp British one.

Alex
nodded and asked David to make enough stew for the three women as well.

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

As
evening began spreading a light cool dampness on the land and the light became
soft and pinkish Subaru, who was standing at the window observing the
breathtaking unravelling sunset, called out �There�s a group of riders coming
here�

He
sent Alex and David to their feet. Accompanied by Seishiro they flattened
themselves to the wall at the sides of the door, each readying their weapons
for attack.

Alex
drew his sword, pulling the electrocuting rod out of it as well.

David
prepared a fire ball in both his palms.

Seishiro
drew a flush of ofuda.

The
men kept complete silence, motioning to their prisoners to do the same.

The
three women sat calmly in their chairs, staring at the door. The blond one
nodded calmly at Alex.

To
Alex� motioning, Kamui pulled himself and Will under the cot they sat on.

Subaru
dashed to hide in the niche of the kitchen, drawing out a flush of ofuda as
well.

The
flaming orange light of sunset set the room on fire, casting its last rays of
warmth into the tension filled room.

After
a few moments of breathless tension the heavy door swung slowly open.

A
porcupine of forward aiming lances and swords slowly emerged from the door. The
woman who came through the door were heavily armoured and draped with long
black capes that formed a uniform of their unit. They had helmets down to their
noses, hiding their features. Each helmet was decorated by a
long flowing black horse� tail giving the notion that this was their hair.

Painstakingly
slow the women advanced into the room with their weapons ready for a fight.

Seishiro,
who was at the unprotected side of the door immediately, attracted the
attention of one of the charging women. She called out and swung her sword at
the man.

Seishiro
ducked, charging head-on into her, pushing her forwards and knocking her to the
floor.

Before
she fell down she managed to slice a nasty cut at his side with a bayonet she
hid in her left hand.

Seishiro
wobbled and collapsed to the floor, his guts about to spill out of the wound.

Pushing
Subaru violently back to the kitchen, Alex beheaded one warrior and kicked
another hard against the opposite wall.

�ENOUGH!�
the first woman who walked into the room suddenly called. Her underlings obeyed
and dropped their weapons.

Alex
and Subaru shot to Seishiro, Subaru with hysteria�s tears in his eyes and Alex
with an open artery.

Pushing
Subaru away once more, Alex crouched over Seishiro and began treating the wound
with vampire�s blood. He scanned the Sakurazukamori�s
pale sweaty face from time to time to see his progress.

Subaru
collapsed by Seishiro, taking his lover�s head into his lap and clutching at
his palms frantically. He was whimpering and weeping hysterically, fighting to
recover the shock of seeing Seishiro take such a blow.

On
his behalf Seishiro remained very calm. He smiled at Subaru�s tears and whispered
calming words to hush his lover�s whimpering.

Noticing
one of the warrior�s approaching metal boots, Will
wrapped his arms tightly around Kamui under the cot.

The
woman who walked into the room first sneaked up to Alex and, in a flash drew a
dagger to his neck. She placed her head by his ear and hissed into it, smiling
�There you are, you little troublemaker you� she spoke Yiddish.

Having
finished his treatment of Seishiro, Alex whipped his head to glance at the
woman, his eyes huge and empty in surprise.

The
woman burst into laughter, sheathing her dagger and pulling Alex back to his
feet.

She
had an under-treated flow of simple thin brown hair down to her shoulders which
she carelessly tied at the back of her neck under her great helmet, which she
immediately removed, making Alex gasp.

Her
face was freckled and tanned, her eyes quick and sharp. It was clear that she
was heavily build and strong with great thick arms and a broad back under her
armour. Two large black crow like wings poked through
her cape. The feathers had a dark green shine to them and an angelic aura of
power.

She
grabbed Alex by his shoulders and gave him a good shake �What�s wrong? You�ve
already forgotten all about your good old friend?�

Alex
fought to blink his shock away �D�Dvora?!� he managed
to exhale finally before her strong arms kidnapped him to a heartily hug.

�Commander,
you know this man?!� one of the women cried, taking a step backwards. Her
comrade behind her was busy untangling the three women captives.

Dvora turned a warm smile at her soldier �Sure I know him, we
were in the same world, heck, we even went to the same
heaven�

�Oh
right� Alex mumbled �you were taken from heaven too?�

�Yeah though I can�t really complain you know. I was a guard there
and I�m pretty much a guard here. The conditions aren�t so bad here either�

�Humph,
well, it�s hell over at our side�

�Yeah
yeah, don�t start raving about that again. I heard so many reports of your demanding
and complaints today you know�

�Oh!
Hey David,� Alex turned Dvora to the undertaker who
was still flat against the wall �this is the woman I told you about, the one
who was like you�

Dvora thwacked Alex�s head lightly �Gee, thanks for bringing
that up so happily, pervert�

David
scanned the armoured woman with a disrespecting sneer �I told you once and I�ll
tell you again, there were no women amongst us�

She
sighed �Men, whatever� Dvora turned her attention to
Alex �what�s all this armour stuff huh? You didn�t look like you came here to
beg for food, what were you doing?�

Alex
walked over to the cot, pushing the warriors away from it roughly and pulled a
Kamui by the arm and a Will by the ear. �I was kidnapping this little
troublemaker� he said pushing Kamui foreword.

The
commander neared Kamui with big heavy steps, her hands on her sides and a
cunning smile on her face. �Well� she chuckled �which one of them is yours?�

�No
one� Kamui spat back, glaring.

Dvora burst out laughing �My god Alex, you sure like them when
they fight back. Why can�t you find a good, kind guy to fall in love with? Why
do you always get caught by the firebombs?�

Alex
gave her a cancelling glare, which only made her laugh out louder.

�Anyway
we came here because the queen wants to see you� she said after walking to the
three captives and asking for their condition.

�Tell
her I don�t want to talk, I want food�

�She
wants to negotiate�

�No
negotiating, half of your crops or death�

Dvora stared at Alex for a while, her face grim suddenly �It�s
that difficult to live over at your side, is it?�

Alex
nodded.

�Fine. Anyway you better ride to the palace with us and
tell that to the queen yourself if you want things to go faster and smoother�

Alex
scanned his men. The evening fell upon them and darkness meant that the
vampires will soon rise.

�Fine. David and Seishiro you come with me, Subaru you
stay here and keep an eye on Kamui. When Victoria wakes tell her she can
come over to the palace if she wishes�

�O ho! You have a woman with you? And there I was
thinking you were running a little harem here� Dvora
poked at Alex�s side, drawing a sheepish grin out of him.

She
draped an arm across his shoulders and practically dragged him out of the room
along with her women, Alex�s assassin and undertaker.

The
former captives stared at Subaru, who was clearly left in charge, asking if
they were considered still captives by them.

Subaru
blushed, unaccustomed to this new position. �Uh�no, you�re free I guess, as long
as you promise not to try and hurt us�

The
blond smiled and patted Subaru lightly on his shoulder �How can I hurt a bunch
of boy like you?� she sent a motherly caress to Kamui and Will�s cheeks.

The
youths found the touch surprisingly warm and comforting.

She
advanced towards the kitchen to fix them all a dinner.

Lestate
popped his head out of his coffin, making the two ex-captives shriek in terror.
He smiled charmingly at them and bowed, looking around surprised �Hello, what
is this place? Where are we Subaru?�

Subaru
explained him and lit a cigarette to ease the last of his terror�s residue,
assuring himself that Seishiro was well and okay or Alex would have never taken
him along.

�You!�
the valkyrie cried at Victoria as soon as the vampire
rose from her coffin �You�re a woman!�

Victoria blinked at her, puzzled.
She heard Subaru�s explanation but she was still a bit sleepy and disoriented.
�Huh? I�m sorry, did Alex do something naughty?�

�Alex
said you could come over to the palace if you want to, I think it�d do good to
their negotiating�

Victoria stared at Subaru �Where�s
David?�

�At
the palace�

�Well
then I guess I�ll go have a royal visit. How exciting, I�ve never been in a
palace before, I wonder if it�s anything like Buckingham� she babbled as she
exited the room.

�Alex�s
playing the rough tough thug isn�t he?�

Subaru
turned to Lestate and nodded.

The
remaining vampire sighed and leaned against the wall and scanned the three
women �Well, at least we have gorgeous women to keep us company� he winked at
the British lady, making her look away and blush.

�What?
You mean you�re not all gay?� the blond woman giggled from above the bubbling
pan she handled.

Lestate
laughed merrily �No, well�it depends�

She
smiled back at him.

�Lestate�?�

�Yes
Subaru?�

�Do
you know why Alex always keeps me behind whenever he does anything warlike?�

Lestate
smiled kindly �he thinks you�re too kind hearted to dead with outgoing violence
so he leaves you behind�

Subaru
looked away, out through the window and sighed.

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

The
palace shone before them as one by one it�s night time
lamps were lit like glittering fireflies.

The
structure was immense, with great arching dome shaped room set in circles
dominated by a big, almost sphere shaped hall at it�s canter.
The structures were of a smooth dark blue stone with lilac coloured round glass
windows from which soft lights shone, each dome topped by a round glass roof of
the same colour.

The
gates were of the same brilliant stone with heavy arching thick metal doors
which swung open to Dvora�s cry.

The
convoy rode into the palace city.

Within
the immense round court a twinkling bustling marketplace hummed. Food stands,
fabric stands, clothes stands, little kitchens steamed rich aromas to the air.

The
citizens in the marketplace were all women, all well groomed in perfect
health. Their faces and outfits showed a
great collection of cultures and fashions. Everywhere Death�s men cast their
eyes they saw richness and health. The atmosphere was cheerful and loud with
mixed voices of party people, hagglers, shoppers, good friends meeting; all
women.

�When
will our City look like this?� David whispered into Alex�s ear as he scanned
his surrounding suspiciously.

�Soon
hopefully�

�About
the woman you killed, brat� Dvora shot across her
shoulder at Alex �I don�t think the queen will approve�

�I
don�t think I care�

Dvora gave him a hard scrutinising stare before she turned her
head forward again, her expression worried and sad.

They
entered the main building cluster. Walking through halls decorated magnificently
by glass and marble statues, silver artworks, draperies and rich carpets, they
walked past many other women guards. Amongst them the men spotted the three warriors
they encountered this morning and smiled back at their sneering.

As
they drew nearer and nearer the biggest hall the guards became the likes of Dvora and her crew. These women were better armed and the
more they neared the hall was the more armoured the guards became.

�Such
tight security, what have you to protect yourself from?� Alex enquired.

�We
have our own enemies� Dvora replied without looking
back.

�You�re
that afraid of men?�

�It�s
not just any men, it�s particular men we don�t like.
I�ll tell you about it later�

She
stopped before a great set of beautifully engraved silver doors and turned to
face her guests �Now behave yourself Alex, my queen is a noble gentle person�

�You
know I have little respect for monarchs�

�Yes
yes yes and you want to
teach her how to share. You�ve never did get over your communist tendencies did
you�

Alex
nodded with a smile.

�Well,
good luck� she knocked on the door behind her twice.

The
great doors opened silently and the air around the men filled with sweet scents
of incense and food. Behind great transparent lilac drapes the queen�s hall
lay.

Alex
walked in confidently, his hand ready on the hilt of his sword.

The
hall was amazing; if the rooms and corridors they walked through were
beautifully decorated then this hall made them all pale in comparison. The
walls glittered as soft white lamps cast their light on them. A great spider
web net of silver chains held lamps above them, the chains imbedded by lilac
and blue beads. Behind the men stood two batches of guards, two other batches
stood at the queen�s throne�s sides.

The
queen sat atop a great chair of carved ebony draped with delicate lilac silk
and strings of magnificent pears. On lush carpets at her sides two ladies
dressed in belly dancer attire lay and beat big ostrich feather fans at their
queen.

The
queen was a petite woman with sharp green eyes amidst a glittering lilac and
soft bright blue makeup. Her crown was simple silver elegantly decorated with
jet stones and white sparkling diamonds. Her dress was black silk and white
lace draped by a lilac silken cape that hung from her crown. Her hair was almost
completely covered; it was short cropped almost to her skull and stylishly spiked.
From her earlobes great twinkling elaborate silver earrings hung at the sides
of her chiselled face.

She
and Alex scrutinized each other calmly, taking their time to strategize their
next move.

Three
ladies in the same belly dancing attire neared the men, holding up silver trays
loaded with pastries, glasses of wine and other alcoholic beverages, several
freshly cut vegetables in a dip and various other refreshments.

The
girls seemed to hover above the smooth black marble floor, so light and smooth
their steps were.

Seishiro
picked a glass of champagne and gestured for the girl serving him to move on.

David
snatched a few croissants, stashing several other pastries in his pockets and picked
a few glasses of what he identified as vodka.

Alex
refused all the trays and resumed his glaring at the queen.

�Why
aren�t you eating? You refuse our hospitality?� the queen asked. Her voice was
cool and smooth. Not very high and not very low, it was clear and pleasant to
the ear. Her pronunciation was slow and completely devoid of any accent. She
smiled kindly as she spoke, cocking her head softly sideways.

�Save
your food for the starving people of my city� Alex spat back, firming his grip
on his sword as he noted the guards at the queen�s side readied themselves to
move forward.

The
queen gestured for her women to be calm and turned her eyes back to Alex. �You
are problematic to consider sir. You see we have a city brimful of warmongering
men to the west of us. From time to time we catch a spy on our grounds, every
season or so.

�Your
appearance, and surely your earlier behaviour with my women, does not cast a
very friendly light on you. You�ve not created an impression on us that would in
any way encourage us to share anything with you�

�Look
at me as a warmongering blood thirsty man, look at me as a monster; I couldn�t
give a damn about what you think miss. All I want is your food to send to my
City, where women and children starve to death every day�

The
queen folded her palms neatly at her lap and sighed �And how would we know you
are not from the men�s city?�

�You
shouldn�t care, you give us food or we�ll destroy you. This is not a plea for
relationship miss, this is a threatening demand�

The
queen became silent and eyed her guards as they fidgeted about ready to pounce
this spiteful man before them.

�Who
are these �we� you threat me with?�

�Me and my men. Trust me we can eradicate you and
wipe you off the face of this land. We come from the Dark Side, we are dark
men�

�Trust,
dear sir, is exactly what this negotiation lacks�

�Oh
for god�s sake� David burst out, taking a few powerful steps forward beyond
where Alex stood.

His
face was red, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets with anger. As he
spoke his hands balled into fists and shook.

�Your
majesty I am my City�s undertaker. I am sick and tired of waking up
every morning and having to bury skeletons for people! I�m tired of family
members brining one of them over to my care and then return the next day with
another one of them. I�m tired of hearing women cry as I bury their babies,
their husbands, their children, their friends, I�m tired of
it!�

The
guards took a step back. The waitresses gasped. The queen leaned back into her
throne, casting her eyes down away from David�s fierce glare.

Alex
hung his head for a moment then returned his gaze to the queen who also
levelled her eyes with his. Both their stares were now softer, more serious and
grave.

�I
see� the queen exhaled, placing a few pedicured to
perfection delicate fingers on her lips. �You have my great sympathy and before
you burst out again sir I would like you to give me a chance to speak�

Alex
closed his mouth as he was indeed about to interrupt the woman.

The
queen turned to a woman who so far kept herself hidden behind a drapery near an
exit of the hall to the right of the throne �Bring the treasurer here�

The
woman bowed slightly and disappeared behind the door.

A
few minutes later two women appeared with the queen�s servant.

One
was a slightly edgy looking slim girl in space age pants and a glittering red
vest.

The
second was a scantly clad, well curved and ample woman in a tiny yellow vest
and a tiny yellow pair of tight hot pants. A yellow ribbon held her short
smooth dark blue/purple hair. This woman had a cocky, semi sexy kind of walk
and constantly eyed the three men with a malicious glint in her eyes.

�Your
majesty� the latter bowed with a smooth tone.

�Treasurer, I wish you to listen to this man�s
demands� the queen gestured at Alex.

The
treasurer smiled cunningly.

�Half of your crops. Every season.
Each time you yield crops, you give half to us. Also I want half of your
livestock each litter season.�

�What?!�
the woman shrieked �That�s impossible! We�ll have nothing to eat!�

�Sweet
treasurer� the queen interfered calmly �may I remind you that we have plenty of
grain and preserved food stored each season and that the barns in which we keep
these are multiplying with every year�

�I
want half of your reserves too if you have so many� Alex chimed in.

The
women glared at him.

�Very
well, it seems that our stocks won�t be needed any time in the future as much
as they are surely needed in your City.

�Treasurer,
you will sit with this man and make a list of all the food we will deliver to
their cities in the amounts he will decide.�

�But
your majesty�.� The treasurer objected. She was exchanging looks with her
consultant who mostly shrugged and looked clueless.

�I�m
here!!!�

The
men and women in the hall turned to look at the blond and red eyed head that
popped out of the wall to the left of the door�s guards.

Victoria stepped out of the
wall and turned to look behind her with a gigantic smile �Look! I walked
through the wall!!! I can do that now!!�

�Yes,
you can. Finally� Alex grumbled.

Victoria ignored him. With a fierce
blush she walked to where Alex stood and bowed deeply �Your majesty, I�m
honoured to be called here to meet you�.

The
queen stared at her astonished �Are you with these men?�

�Yes
your majesty�

�What
is your name sweet girl?�

�Victoria
Seras your majesty� she bowed again, giggling a bit. �Wow!!! I�ve never met a
queen before!!� she chirped at Alex.

�Hi
David!� she chirped, making the undertaker mumble a shy �hello� and look away
to hide his slight blush.

�When
we�re finished calculating how much food we�re taking the delivery will be made
immediately� Alex turned to the queen again, his tone now slightly softer and
less threatening.

�Yes,
of course. In the meantime please accept our hospitality and stay within the
palace city�s walls. I give you the honour of dining with me every evening�

�Gee,
thanks�

The
queen ignored the harsh cynical tone of her guest. She was busy trying to gaze
through the curtains on the door by her throne �Who�s there?�

A
timid young girl walked out hysterically mumbling apologies for not making herself seen before the queen. She had light brown hair down
to the mid of her back. Her eyes were rather big, almost gaping, and gave off
an almost distressing complete innocence.
Her dress was simple; denim with little white ribbons at her shins and
sleeves. She bowed deeply before the men in the room and stared at Victoria a little before
straightening her gaze directly at Alex.

She
was scrutinising him and talking to herself silently, counting something with
her fingers.

�What
is it Tohru-san?� the queen asked with the softest,
sweetest voice.

The
girl shook herself back into manners and bowed a few more times �I�m sorry your
majesty but my lady wanted me to go see the new arrivals. I�m sorry if I barged
in here when I shouldn�t�

�You
didn�t barge dear�

�I�m
sorry I stared at you sir� she bowed before Alex frantically.

Alex
eyed her suspiciously �Who is this lady of yours that wished to see who I am?�

�Ah,
her lady is our city�s Oracle� the queen answered for Tohru
�she dreams of the future and consults us with what she sees. Men and women
from all over our side come to this palace to speak to her of their future.
Often she sees things in her dreams and sends a messenger to give pressing
news. She is also a very sweet, kind girl.� She turned to the young girl �which
is why I sent her your help, Tohru-san, when you
arrived; the two of you are so much alike�

The
girl blushed, beaming a brilliant warm smile �Me and
my lady are great friends�

�I�m
so happy� the queen clapped a few times.

�Tell
your lady to come and see me face to face if she wants anything with me� Alex
turned the women�s attention to him.

�Ah!
I will immediately! Thank you for seeing me� Tohru
bowed once more and turned to rush out of the door on her way.

�I
guess we�ll be waiting here for a while� Alex turned to Seishiro �can you send
your shiki to the fort we took and tell the guys there they can come over and
settle down?�

Seishiro
nodded.

The
queen ordered her head servant to organise rooms for their guests.

As
the servant turned on her heels to exit the hall and stopped and turned to the
queen again.

�Your
majesty, the Oracle is here to see the men�

�Let
her in please�

Turning
their attention to the halls� royal entrance, the men of Death observed the
young girl as she walked into the hall.

As
the door opened to let her in a flood of small song birds burst into the air of
the great hall, chirping happily and flapping their wings to manoeuvre
themselves in the air to all sorts of aerodynamic stunts.

The
oracle had a great white parrot on her shoulder, balancing safely as she walked
into the hall. Her long pure white dress gathered on the smooth floor with a
long fan-shaped train. Her small bare feet could be seen taking light steps
under the frilly end of her simple dress. Her long auburn hair spread down her
back above the short cape she wore at her shoulders, which was in the deepest,
darkest, most beautiful shade of indigo.

Her
gaze was steady and strong as it lay immediately on Alex�s questioning one. �You�re
Death of the Dark Side� she said, her voice confident and strong if not a bit
high pitched.

Seishiro
allowed a small �Oh� escape his lips.

�How
do you know of me?� Alex glared at her.

�I
have seen you coming in my dreams� she answered �you came here carrying my
Kamui with you�

(tbc)
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A New World