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 and any Lost Dimension characters are mine….almost….
TianZhu, I'd like to thank you both for a wonderful story (Guns & Roses) and for inspiring me (more like giving me the guts) to put the X characters completely into the world I created like you did with Akuma's hell. Dankeshein.
Part 9 – The Lost Dimension
One moment they were in the DOE's lair, in Kanoe and Yutu's room, the other they were no where.
The next thing they knew was they were falling towards somewhere, dropping very fast.
Whoever managed to look down through their panic saw a grey land, a ruined land. That is, if they landed at the populated part of the one-planet dimension, which didn't happen to them all.
Yutu had found himself falling quite quickly towards a small group of buildings surrounded by a fence. He was falling towards a long shed, crushing down right through its roof. A big haystack under him softened his landing.
He lay there, thinking about Kanoe and his world. He knew he wasn't there anymore. He stared up through the hole he made in the roof. It was nighttime outside and the air was rather chilly outside. Here it was warm and cozy, the nice little haystack was comfortable never mind where it's exact location.
He checked and found his sharpened ninja whip was still with him and with that some of his confidence returned. He could sense there was water close by which gave him more confidence. If he needed it, he could defend himself pretty well.
Into his sight came the head of a grey horse. The animal sniffed the hand Yutu reached for it and exhaled air through its large nostrils.
Yutu chuckled, caressing the silky soft skin on the horse's nuzzle "Hello there big fellow, how are you tonight? A bit chilly outside, isn't it?". The animal began sniffing away at Yutu. He smiled to himself and chewed down on a long strand of hey he found.
He could easily fall asleep like this, warm and cozy. He was a bit weary from all that happened in the last half an hour of his life so far. Though he no longer felt the heavy dizziness of anemia he was mentally exhausted. He needed some rest and here was a nice place to do it.
The horse turned its head to someone coming into the shed; Yutu heard a strange foreign language spoken by what he imagined would be a young woman, almost a girl.
He froze on the spot and readied his whip. He heard the voice draw nearer to him, the girl must have noticed the horse looking at the haystack and wondered who's there.
The hole in the roof must have also been a rather big clue to his appearance.
Into his view came a young looking woman, perhaps in her late teens, wearing a strange looking helmet. She looked at him with innocent surprise and smiled merrily "Hello" she said in English with a heavy strange pronouncing of the 'l'.
Yutu smiled back at her. His English, as a ward office worker, was a little better then the usual. He guessed her English wasn't that good but decided to give it a try anyway.
Before he could say anything she smiled a street-wise smile at him and asked him "Newcomer?"
"Eh! Oh…eh….yes…my name is….err…call me Yutu. Did you understand me just now?"
She nodded and sat by him on the haystack.
Yutu flipped to lie on his tummy and took some time to look at her strange outfit. She was wearing a blouse half blue and half red, the colors meeting in an angular separation that started from her right shoulder and ended at her waist to her left. The collar of her shirt was black. Her left sleeve was stark white with an orange light-reflecting plastic band at it's bottom. She was wearing a mid-shin length black skirt and a pair of high black boots finished with a white strip.
Her helmet is what was quite strange; it wasn't completely covering her head, it was more like a cap from under which her flowing light brown hair descended. The helmet was designed so that it had the texture of some animal's fur with two ears poking out of it which reminded Yutu of some small mammal.
She noticed he was staring at her helmet and smiled. She pointed at the ears and said "Ferret".
Yutu's English wasn't that good "Ferret! Is that your name?"
"No and yes. You should call me Ferret; my real name is for my base members".
"Base? Am I in some military facility!" only then did he notice she had a black band across her shoulder. He thought it a bag before and paid little attention to it. Now he followed the band and noticed it was carrying an M-16.
"Oh….oh my…."
"Don't worry" she smiled "you're a newcomer, I won't hurt you".
Yutu smiled a weary smile back at her. He was a newcomer, a newcomer where?
Another woman appeared at the horse shed's door. She was slightly fuller in body and wore the same outfit Ferret did. Her helmet was designed to look like the ears of…
"Is this Cow then?" Yutu asked Ferret and the girl nodded ,smiling happily.
The new girl spoke with Ferret in their strange language, the word 'newcomer' repeated a few times in english. The new girl obviously ordered Ferret to do something for the girl got up and took Yutu's hand. "Come with me" she beamed at him.
"Where are you taking me?" Getting to his feet and walking so fast was making him dizzy.
"Don't worry"
"I will if you won't tell me"
"Infirmary" she said, pulling him outside the horse shed, taking the reins of the grey horse and leading it out with her other hand.
Ferret and Cow led Yutu to a shed right next to the horse shed. They dragged out (with Yutu's gentlemanly help) what looked like a roman style designed racing carriage painted in red blue and white. The carriage had the white symbol of a side view roaring lion on its front. Something was written in white under the lion. The letters rang a bell in Yutu's mind.
He pointed at the writing "Kabala?"
The two girls stared at him confused "No, almost" Cow smiled at him. The girls exchanged a few words, sneaking peeks at Yutu from time to time. In the meantime they tied to the grey horse to the carriage and rode it aiming at the big gate in front of the two sheds.
Kabala was something Satsuki knew about and the memory of Satsuki still hurt Yutu. It made him less resistant when Ferret and Cow ushered him into the carriage and climbed on by his sides.
They began riding outside their base, aiming towards a hill in the distance.
Yutu noticed the young black girl in the same uniforms and a different animal helmet who opened the gate for their departure. She smiled the most charming smile at him and yelled "Welcome" after him, waving her hand merrily.
Yutu snapped out of his initial shock and turned to his two new companions "Tell me, is your base full of such pretty nice girls?"
Ferret turned a cheeky smile and him, poking his ribs playfully. Cow smiled quietly.
Yuzuriha and Kusanagi found themselves in a desert of ice. Wherever they looked around was either an endless landscape of ice for ground or icebergs erect from the frozen land in dangerous sharp angles. Wild razor sharp winds whipped cold around them.
"Where are we?" Yuzuriha whispered, looking around in terror.
"I don't know…is this…the dimension this Alex person came from?"
"Y-yes, I think so, we were taken the way Kamui was taken when he was taken so I suppose we're there but…." She was shivering violently. Her short skirt, the thin fabric of her shirt and school vest did not help her with the brutal cold around them.
"It's cold here, so cold" Kusanagi finished what she wanted to say.
They were standing in an ice land like nothing they were told this world would be like.
"W-what do we do now? Kusanagi-san….it's…too…cold here….." her voice was broken by tears, tainted by fear.
He collected the little girl into his arms, attempting to share the body warmth with her.
The freezing wind blazed around them, sharp like icy knifes. If Inuki was here would they be able to join their warmth all together? It didn't seem so; it seemed so deadly cold here….
The two huddled together on the icy earth, hoping for some sort of rescue or at least a quick death instead of this freezing nightmare.
Karen and Seiichiro landed in a huge wonderfully blossoming field of daisies.
The stretches of yellow and white flowers seemed to last forever wherever they looked.
A small house in the distance broke the sea of daisies, standing solemnly atop its little flower-covered hill.
Above them the huge moon hung shedding a brilliant light all around them. The weather was wonderful, if not a bit chilly, little gushes of air swirled the chamomile scent of the flowers from the ground into their nostrils.
Karen opened her eyes and found Seiichiro leaning over her "Are you alright Karen-san?" he looked worried sick.
She fought her blushing off "Y…yes….where are we?"
"I think…I think we're in the dimension Alex and Kamui came from"
She sat up, forcing Seiichiro to take a little distance from her. She looked around at the white and yellow stretches "Oh…. This is a wonderful place! I don't know why it made me think of this place like a war zone, look around us" she grabbed a handful of daisies and inhaled their wonderful perfume.
Seiichiro did not answer her for a few moments "…..I think this field is…magical? Look Karen, the flowers from where you just picked them…."
Karen looked at what she remembered was a small hole in the endless flowers. On every stem that once held a flower, a new flower grew. "And flowers aren't supposed to bloom like that during nighttime, are they?" she mumbled.
They shot to their feet, sensing there was something strange about this field. Where they landed, crushing the flowers, the plants now revived and returned to their healthy stand.
"Hello" they heard a cheerful female voice behind them and turned around. They saw a man and a woman standing a little away from them.
The woman was the most beautiful blond in her late teens, beaming under the moonlight. She stood there in the chilly night air completely naked. She sent a radiating warm hearted smile at them. Seiichiro tried not to choke; Karen tried not to be jealous at her friend's reaction.
The man wore a nighttime robe and glared at them suspiciously. "Are you newcomers?".
Seiichiro and Karen looked at each other confused. Karen knew English well because sometimes she had foreign businessmen over as clients, Seiichiro knew English well because it was essential when it came to translating foreign articles for his magazine.
They smiled at the couple wearily "Are…we…in the lost dimension" Karen finally asked.
"Oh? So you've heard of this place?" the naked woman asked. She didn't seem at all worried at her appearance before strangers.
"Yes, from Alex and Kamui, perhaps you know them?"
Seiichiro made the couple's attitude change completely. The man's suspicion melted completely, he walked forward and offered his hand for a friendly shake. The woman beamed an even wider smile. Karen noted that she actually really beamed a little.
"You know Alex?" the man asked Seiichiro, his strong palm shaking the editor's unprepared one into a frightened little forced dance "Where from? Never mind we didn't introduce ourselves, forgive us. I am Jacob and this is my lovely wife Venus" he wrapped his arms proudly around the naked blond's shoulders.
"Why won't you come in with us, it's chilly outside, and we'll make you something warm to drink" Jacob offered happily.
"Oh but darling" Venus placed her delicate beautiful hand on her husband's chest "they're newcomers they need to go to the infirmary" she softly caressed her husband's unshaved face with the other hand.
"You're right my dear. Well, I'll go prepare the cart, make them some nice warm tea with some honey and lemon while I'm at it"
"Yes my darling" she kissed him lovingly then took Karen and Aoki's hands leading them towards the little house. Her steps were light, as if she was walking on air. She didn't crush the flowers as she walked, Karen noted, she was walking on the air above them.
What was she? Her name…could she actually be the goddess Venus?
"Eh…Miss Venus, why should we be in the infirmary? We're not ill" Seiichiro managed to stammer through his embarrassment of the nonchalant naked woman who was holding his hand.
"It's because all newcomers go to the infirmary as soon as they arrive. That's where you go through a little physical checkup to see you're not hurt from your arrival, where they find out what you've been in your dimension, where they'll find you a job and accommodation"
"That's very organized of you" the windcaster noted out loud, wiping his glasses with his jacket.
"It took us some time until we got this organized, I'm sure there are still flaws in the system but we try to do our best" she smiled radiantly at them.
They were in the little cottage now, sipping some hot tea and chatting with Venus when Jacob returned "So, you said Alex is back?" he asked them.
"Yes, I should think so…." Karen mumbled. Her attention was grabbed by something hung on a coat hanger by the door. It was a shirt and a pair of pants in white and dark blue stripes. By his enthusiasm of Alex's return Karen guessed that it was Jacob who once wore the stripy uniforms, as Alex had a long time ago.
"Ah, thank god, I missed him" with that Jacob gestured them outside.
They were led to a roughly made carriage with two plump work horses reined to it. Karen, Seiichiro and a chirping happy Venus climbed on the hey-padded cart while Jacob took the reins on the driver's bench.
They spent their driving time explaining Venus and Jacob of what happened before they arrived there.
Venus still didn't seem very bothered about her looks never mind how many times Seiichiro stared, shook his head and looked away changing into a deep shade of crimson.
Kakyou was falling down very fast without even knowing why he was falling, let alone knowing where he was falling into.
He fell through high trees into the midst of a forest, hitting the ground with a light thud. The thick lair of fallen pine needles and leaves that covered the ground softened his landing.
It was nighttime and the forest was so thick Kakyou could hardly see the big moon above the trees; he could only see some of its rays piercing through the lush treetops.
He sat up, clinging his aching head that must have gotten hurt hitting something hard under the layer of thick leafs.
Wait! He set up!
Kakyou froze in shock….. he…. can…. move…. like…. he….was….never even damaged! Is he healed!
Could he…..do other things? All he could do before was to somehow hold himself upwards when seated in a comfortable enough chair.
Desperately, he clung a nearby branch and heaved himself onto his frail legs.
Yes! He can stand! He can pull himself that much! Kakyou was amazed, he is healed, whatever it is that did it, however it did it!
He looked around, where was he standing! This isn't a dream, he knew, so where is he? Its pitch black, he can't see a thing, it's chilly out here, where is he for the god's sake?
He began limping at a random direction; his gentle body so out of shape he constantly needed to lean on trees for rest.
He's healed so this can't be that bad whatever it is…. all he needs to do is get out of here and fins some form of civilization.
To his left he saw a dim light though the thick forest branches bushes and trees. He began wobbling towards it, hoping his dwindling strength would hold all the way over there.
He found a small cottage in the middle of a little forest clearing. It was like, the houses you see in picture books of western fairytale books. The way he was right now Kakyou couldn't be picky, strange house or no strange house. The faint smell of food came from the chimney along with soft pale smoke.
Kakyou wobbled over to the hut and knocked faintly on the door, feeling how weak he really was from the faint sound it made. He had to repeat the process after some time, noting no one must have heard him inside.
The smell of food made his stomach turn; reminding him it hadn't worked properly for a long time.
The sound of furniture moving gave Kakyou a touch of hope; maybe he was finally heard. The door was swung open and Kakyou toppled over into the house, unable to hold his body upright anymore. Before he passed out of exhaustion he felt strong arms delicately catch him.
Kakyou opened his eyes and found he was in bed again, but not in the hospital bed he so knew; he had nothing up his vain and no machines beeped around him. Where was he?
Climbing out of his daze, he distinctly remembered that he actually had some physical activity that worked his body into such exhaustion as he felt right now. He tried to get up but his whole body was cramped. Walking for several meters in the forest was like running a marathon for his under-worked body, now his muscles were complaining.
Kakyou did manage to raise his head a little and look at the man who stood alone by a fireplace in the big room.
The man was tall, strapping, standing confidently with his chin a little upwards. He was dressed like something between a hunter and soldier. His more modern looking clothes were in a bright khaki color, looking old fashioned and foreign. Around his shirt collar fur was tailored into the fabric, giving the modern looking outfit something tribal and ancient. His heavy modern dark brown boots were mended here and there by raw skin and decorated by fur at their lining. The man had a shortly cropped mucky blond hair and a healthy tan.
He stood by a fireplace set in a big room which, according to, Kakyou's calculations was the whole hut. A little away from the fireplace stood a table and a chair, a little distance from it stood the bed Kakyou was laid on. Those were the only furniture in the room. They were all made, like the hut itself, out of wood and looked hand made most lovingly.
This man, whoever he is, built this house all by himself with his own hands, it made Kakyou fill with awe.
The man noted Kakyou's awakening and rushed to the bedside. He placed the back of his fingers to Kakyou's forehead and talked something to Kakyou, speaking in a language that sounded heavy and strange, yet soft and musical in a way.
Kakyou stared at the man confused, the man stared back and smiled.
He kept talking, asking questions by the tone, without thinking Kakyou could not understand him.
He got up and brought something from the table, not stopping the chatter for a moment. Perhaps he knew Kakyou couldn't understand him and didn't bother to try and explain himself, Kakyou didn't know.
He was far too confused now to start thinking such elaborate things up. He was snatched from his dreamscape into this forest, healed from his crippled state and then abandoned, weak and frail in a foreign land right in the middle of the thickest forest he ever saw.
The man returned with a wooden bowl and a crude spoon. The bowl contained a most delicious smelling liquid with blobs of meat and vegetables bobbing up and down the surface.
Kakyou gathered the bowl and began eating despite his muscles' complaint at it's weighed in his hands. He hadn't eaten properly since Hokuto's death and his hospitalization, now his stomach ached for nutritious that weren't liquids pumped into his veins.
The man looked at him eat and smiled. When Kakyou's hands began to tremble with the weight of the bowl he took it and hand fed the frail man.
When he finished Kakyou sighed and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his hospital gown.
He looked at the man who still gazed at him curiously and smiled faintly. "Arigato" he made a humble little head bow.
The man crossed his eyebrows, puzzled. "Ah, Japanese" he finally spoke something Kakyou could understand even through his thick accent.
"H-hai…."
The man got up, took the bowl away shaking his head and scratching it looking puzzled.
Kakyou dragged himself to sit up on the bed, leaning his back on the wall. He watched the man struggle to find a way to communicate. Then the man froze, jerking a little as realization grabbed him.
He went back to crouch at the bedside, looking up at Kakyou hopefully, his eyes shining. He pointed at himself and said "Dimitry" then looking at Kakyou asking with his eyes if what he said was understood. He pointed at Kakyou, trying to get a message through.
Dimitry, it was a name Kakyou knew, a Russian name….this man was Russian….was he in Russia! It wasn't that cold outside but he supposed though forest would match a Russian one.
So he's in Russia, however he got there, this man was Dimitri and now Dimitri wanted to know what's his name. "Kuzuki Kakyou" the pointed finger received an answer.
The man stared at Kakyou a little puzzled and said something, making a gesture for something big with his hands to make himself clear.
Dimitri must have thought that Kakyou' full name was the first name, like Dimitri.
Kakyou gently shook his head and said again "Kakyou".
Dimitri was still puzzled "Kuzuki!" he asked.
Kakyou shook his head again, then faintly pointed at Dimitri "Dimitri, Kakyou" he pointed back at himself.
"Aaaa!" Dimitri flashed a broad smile at him, his cheeks gaining a golden aura as the fire sent light through the unshaved spikes on his skin.
Dimitri pointed at Kakyou again and pointed upwards looking asking something.
Kakyou stared back puzzled, knitting his eyebrows.
Dimitri sighed and made a little puppetry with the wooden spoon: He showed Kakyou was the spoon, saying "Kakyou" at the spoon, then showed the spoon falling from the sky while making a long "eeeeeezooooooooom" sound as if Kakyou the spoon was a crushing plane.
Kakyou thought for a while, he was falling when he noticed that he's not in his sickbed anymore, and he did remember falling for a very long time. Dimitri pointed heavenwards again and repeated the show, asking.
Kakyou nodded.
Dimitri made another long "Aaaaah". Then he clapped his hand, got up and began talking a lot, too fast for Kakyou to even try to understand. He was taking something off of the table and wrapping it with some fabric, and then gave it to Kakyou. It was bread, which Dimitri signaled should be eaten by Kakyou.
The big man took Kakyou gently in his arms and carried him outside towards a big black horse that stood nibbling grass by a tree he was tied to. Kakyou faintly tugged at Dimitri's shirt to catch the man's attention and stop him but he was still carried to the horse.
He was sat on the horse before Dimitri himself leaped and sat on the horse behind Kakyou.
Ice cold fear ran through Kakyou's spine, he never met a horse in real life let alone tried to sit on one. This horse was one big muscular beast, it must be capable of running as fast as the wind, Kakyou felt sickness rise in him at the thought of sitting atop of this thing with no experience.
The feeling of Dimitri's strong body behind him melted some of the fear gathering into a heavy ball at the pit of his stomach. Two strong arms almost hugged Kakyou as they held the reins of the horse from each side of him.
Dimitri made a gentle clicking sound and the beast began moving forward…..very fast….
"Dimitri" Kakyou asked faintly, looking back at the man puzzled and miserable.
Dimitri said something in his language then made the spoon show again without the spoon, repeating Kakyou's name. He then said "Infirmary" and pointed forward.
Kakyou looked at that direction confused, shaking his head to say he didn't understand.
"Infirmary, hospital" said Dimitri in a heavy Russian accent.
Hospital! Kakyou knew that word! But he didn't want to go to a hospital, he spent all his life in a hospital, he didn't want to go back!
He walked today, he ate food, he sat up, and he held something! He was in a forest, a real forest and talked to someone with his own voice! He's healed; he doesn't need to go to hospital!
"No hospital…no…." he tried to beg his new friend in his faint Japanese, tugging at the sleeve on the arm near him.
But Dimitri only smiled at him, a soft and kind smile. One hand held the rains while the other gently caressed Kakyou's face. His eyes held such softness and kindness as they traveled over the newcomer's features.
Kakyou blushed so badly he was unable to think or talk for a very long time. He just turned to face the direction they were heading and remained silent. A captive or a survivor, he didn't know.
They were exiting the forest, past a lake and into a built area; Kakyou could see little dots of light in the distance and shady buildings gathering to become a city.
Where was he! He wasn't in Russia…where was he!
Arashi and Sorata landed straight into a big shallow lake.
The two who never had a swimming class or visited the seaside in their life splashed the water hysterically for a while until they realized they could stand in the water. They stood there, the water up to their necks, and stared at each other puzzled.
The water was warm around them from the sun it soaked all day long but their heads were wet and the night was chilly around them. Arashi's teeth were chattering as she spoke "Where are we!"
"I think we're in that Lost Dimension Alex was talking about sis"
"What!" she screamed uncharacteristically "Great, just great….and we're wet!"
"It would help if we'd get out of the water…."
They began walking towards a shore they saw in the distance.
A huge moon hung above them in the clear night sky. It shone down on a serene shore between the lake and a thick wall of a forest. Arashi and Sorata stood in the open air, soaked to their bones and confused out of their minds.
"So….where do we go? Where's everybody else?" they looked around, puzzled, confused, and just a little scared.
Finally they settled down on the shore, somewhat enjoying the magical silence and the beautiful scenery. Little insects buzzed, hummed and clicked in the bushes and trees around them creating a harmony of natural music around them. The earth they lay on was warm and soft. Strangely the sky had no stars in them besides the huge moon.
"Say sis, are you hungry because I feel like catching some yummy fish in that lake"
Arashi shrugged and looked away.
She never liked Alex or what he made of Kamui, now he managed to kidnap them into a completely different dimension that didn't sound like any nice place to live in at all. Actually she imagined this place to be much more hostile and not so….relaxed and serene…..
She leaned back on the sweet smelling earth and took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
This could actually be nice, she felt Sorata lie down by her, taking her hand in his. Yes very nice.
Subaru and Seishiro landed in the middle of what looked like a half ruined city. Around them were buildings looking shady and half destroyed but definitely inhabited. Lights shone in the windows and people's voices came from within them.
The two onmyoujis looked around puzzled and bewildered. "I can't believe it, we're in that dimension Alex came from" Subaru mumbled, getting up and aiding Seishiro with the same task.
"Where!" Seishiro was dusting and straightening his suit. He felt weak, unexplainably weak, alarmingly weak, like something vital was taken from him. It unnerved him.
"We're in a different dimension I think. This is how Kamui was taken away so it makes sense"
"You're telling me we're in a different world now?"
"Different dimension, yes we are".
Seishiro felt horror and shock freeze him. In this world there was no Sakura, therefore no Sakurazukamori powers…..
That's why he felt like half of him was missing, because that is literally what happened. And with the Sakura gone a spell it has on him was gone: the emotion-repressing spell.
He stood there, shaking a bit, emotions swapping through him. A storm raged within him. He didn't like this entire obsession his freshly recovered emotions had of showing themselves.
Subaru gazed calmly around, looking more curious then frightened. Didn't he realize he was in a different world completely! It annoyed Seishiro, unnerved him more then anything.
"Hey there! You two!" came words in English, aimed at the onmyoujis. Two men neared them talking more English and faster then both could understand.
One of them was dressed in tight black pants, a golden jacket and had a shoulder length rich bright brown hair. Under hairs that fell on his forehead Subaru could make out something golden glittering on the man's forehead, it was a letter: H.
The other man was dressed in a snappy yet under-maintained blue suit with a yellow shirt under it. He had a mop of light black hair, unruly and standing in a strange looking almost Afro style around his head. He had a cigarette hanging from his lips and a gun in his hand. Despite his suspicion driven actions his eyes looked like they couldn't care less.
The golden dressed man sent his hand to the other and lowered his fellow's gun "Relax Spike, they could be newcomers".
Subaru and Seishiro who both pulled out their different ofuda at the sight of the gun relaxed a little as they saw the open and welcoming expression on the long haired man with the H on his forehead.
"Are you newcomers? Did you just fall from the sky?" He asked in English. He had a correct British accent.
Subaru hardly knew English; he skipped classes in high school and then dropped out completely.
Seishiro, who had dealt with the odd ambassador and their helpers and had to read several veterinarian textbooks in English, knew more.
"Yes we did, we don't speak very good English" he grunted, feeling more and more annoyed as the moments pass.
The cigarette smoked by the man called Spike made both of them want to smoke one themselves. In matching, almost synchronized moves, the onmyoujis pulled out their own packs, took a cigarette and lit it (Subaru lit Seishiro's then his own). It made Spike smile at them.
"Well" the H man clapped his hands, talking slowly and clearly "we'll walk you to the infirmary where you could be properly checked and welcomed. This is Spike, my companion, and I'm Ace. Pleased to meet you" he offered his hand for a shake.
Seishiro crossed his arms on his chest and puffed smoke at the two new men, making Ace caught a bit.
"Ano…..eh….Sumeragi Subaru and….Sakurazuka Seishiro" Subaru introduced with what little English he knew.
"Subaru! Isn't that a name of a car!" Spike chuckled, making the other three glare at him. He shrugged it off and lit another cigarette.
Ace began walking past Subaru and Seishiro, expecting the other three to follow him, which none did. He stared back at them puzzled.
"Oi, Ace, it's almost time for shift change, why won't we just tell them where to go and leave the rest of the directions to Lestate and Vicki?"
Ace turned around looking at Spike reprimanding "we need to finish our shift properly. We'll get them to the infirmary, then leave. We can't leave a shift unfinished AND besides, they hardly know English, how will they survive here all alone?".
There was a little battle of glares and looks between the two. "'Com on Spiky, come oooon"
Spike sighed and walked over to Ace "Fine fine, come on car man and tuxedo guy"
"Subaru"
"Seishiro"
"Whatever".
The onmyoujis looked at each other, one grudgingly, the other enquiringly "Do we have a choice Seishiro-san?"
"Humph"
They began shuffling after the other two.
They were walking towards a hill on the edge of the city where a big square building stoop atop the hill and by it stretched a large cemetery.
"This is the infirmary?" Seishiro grunted, getting a bit out of breath with the long walk uphill.
"Yes"
"It's not very good if there's such a big cemetery behind it"
"People die here not just because of the infirmary" Ace snapped back, he was becoming impatient with the two newcomers "….err….that didn't come out right, did it…" he looked at Spike a bit embarrassed.
Spike looked back amused and shook his head stifling a chuckle.
Subaru tugged at Seishiro's sleeve to translate something for the two men. After some refusals and persuasions the older man gave in "Subaru-kun wants to say that Alex had told him this dimension wasn't easy to live in".
That made the two at their front stop and turn to them sharply. Ace even took some steps back to Subaru. "You…you know Alex?" he looked hopeful and happy, his eyes glittering with excitement like the golden H on his forehead.
Seishiro translated the question.
"Hai"
"Yes"
"Really, how? Is he here? Did he come with you?" Ace grabbed Subaru by his shoulders, shaking him a bit.
"Ace man, calm down would you, you're scaring poor car man!".
Subaru smiled a little awkwardly.
Seishiro kindly but brutally enough removed Ace's hands from his boyfriend. "Yes, we know Alex; he came to our dimension looking for Kamui and when he finally got him back we were all taken to this dimension"
Seishiro's words took the glitter out of Ace's eyes. "Oh" the man said, looking more somber from one moment to the other.
Seishiro now translated Subaru's words again "Kamui was taken back to his own dimension and Alex went to look for him in every dimension possible. Then he found Kamui again and somehow we're all here. Are you familiar with Alex?".
Spike joined them "Sure we know Alex, we're this place's Special Patrol and Rescue Team. Alex and Kamui used to be part of us, and then they just disappeared one night. Now we know where they went, don't we Ace…Ace?".
Three men stared at Ace who looked suddenly very down and depressed "Yeah…right…whatever…." He shrugged and walked back towards the hill.
"Come on, we haven't got all night you know" Spike said before dragging the rest of them along.
Two vampires stood by the building Kamui and Alex used to live in, where all the Rescue Team members lived.
Lestate, the vampire who turned Kamui to a Creature of Death the first time, looked at the location of the moon in the sky and shrugged at his partner "I wonder what keeps them up so late, usually all Spike wants is to end the shift…".
His partner, a short blond vampire in a tight short blue uniform dress was looking behind her and didn't notice the words.
"What do you think had happened Victoria, Victoria?" Lestate turned around and saw what Victoria saw.
Nataku lay prone on the floor where he landed, trying to recover. "A newcomer" Victoria said, pointing at Nataku.
Both vampires stared at Nataku as the bioroid got up and shook himself. "Newcomers…" Lestate looked up at the night sky "Now that you've mentioned it there were several of them tonight, quite a lot in fact, maybe that's what's keeping Spike and Ace back…." He mused posing an elegant finger on his chin.
"Hey, young boy…girl…what are you!" Lestate stared at Nataku who stared back, looking horrified and blank.
"I don't think he understands you, look, he's dressed like he's Chinese or something. Do you know Chinese Lestate?" the other vampire shook his head and shrugged, looking worried at Nataku.
"He looks like a lost little boy, poor thing…."
He made Victoria emit a long motherly "Oooh".
She offered Nataku her white gloved hand. He didn't get the hint, she simply took his in hers and pulled him to his feet "Come along little boy, we'll take you to the infirmary" she began walking him away.
Nataku's legs were planted in the ground, refusing to be led away. He could sense that same strange, dangerous aura from these two as he sensed from Kamui when the Seals attacked the DOE's lair.
He will not let them lead him wherever it is, he would fight them if he had his ribbon here.
Instead he leaped away to the top of the building behind him, taking Victoria with him (she didn't let go of his hand).
It made the two vampires upset at him "Now now, that's no way to behave little boy" she crossed her eyebrows at him gesturing him she's reprimanding him. Next he was grabbed and hurled over Lestate's shoulder and taken away before he could say a thing against it.
Lestate and Nataku as his captive were flying, hovering like a cloud over the city towards the hill where the infirmary lay.
Nataku noticed, under him, under the body that carried him so firmly, that the younger woman was running on the ground towards the same direction with amazing speed.
They were the same kind of creature only this woman who reprimanded him couldn't fly.
Peculiar.
Alex, Kamui and Fuma landed a few blocks away from where Subaru and Seishiro had landed.
Kamui was shielding Fuma with his body still, half laying on him. He felt Alex's hand on his shoulder gently pulling him away from the limp body.
"Kamui, it's okay you know, we've landed".
The older youth was coming back to consciousness. He opened his eyes slowly. Noting Kamui and Alex above him he smiled gently.
Then he took in where they were, definitely not the DOE's lair, he sat up quickly "Where are we?"
"Fuma, you're feeling better! You're alive! I'm so glad! You're back!" Kamui threw himself on Fuma hugging him longingly.
Fuma embraced him back "Thank you for fighting to get me back, I'd never be able to do it without you, Kamui" he spoke into the boy's hair.
Alex made a little coughing sound; he was getting a little annoyed with this over emotional reunion.
The lost dimension healed whomever it took in from whatever it was they were suffering. That's why Kakyou was no longer disabled, that's why Fuma was rested and healthy after the Dragon of Earth's long abuse and the battle his body had with Alex. Kamui's vampire state was also healed just like when he was taken back to his home dimension.
Alex didn't like it, he was tired of changing Kamui, and he was tired of fighting for him while the boy hardly did a thing to help.
Where was the Kamui who insisted on sharing things, on leaning on him when he was sad, on hearing what troubled him instead of just receiving help? Where was the Kamui who didn't look past Alex and saw Fuma?
Hang on, why was he thinking like that! Fuma was nothing more then a brother figure; he remembered how Kamui talked about the shock of the first time the Dragon completely took over Fuma, about the pain of it.
All he wanted was his friend back, nothing more. Of all the things in Kamui's past Fuma was the sole survivor, Kamui clung to the last relic of his long gone happy days.
He shouldn't feel jealous of Fuma, he should just forget about it.
And in that tone Alex smiled and grabbed Kamui's attention again "Kamui, you know the way from here to the infirmary right? I'll go see where everybody else is. You take Fuma to the infirmary okay?".
Kamui looked at him for the first time since they got there and smiled faintly "Sure, go ahead" he returned his eyes to the bigger teen "Come on Fuma".
A fragment of a second of eye contact, that's all Kamui gave him.
No longer a vampire, Alex sighed and took off flying high to get a better viewing spot. Under him he saw Kamui aid Fuma to his feet and head out to the infirmary. Were they holding hands or is it just his imagination? Alex felt a shiver run down his spine.
Yuzuriha was crying. Her tears rolled out of her eyes and froze on her cheeks; it made her cry even harder.
Kusanagi brushed the little icy crystals with swollen purple fingers, he was getting frostbites.
They were both slowly freezing to death. Will no one find them? Will they really end like this?
Kusanagi remembered the silence in the park before the day of the attack, yesterday….
He was a fool to enjoy the silence a day ago, he should have guessed something was up.
Yuzuriha sobbed, her whimpers softened by the fabric of his shirt and silenced by the freezing wind's roar.
(tbc)
