Hi there, and welcome to my first attempt at a Hetalia story! In fact, this is my first venture back into the world of fanfiction since I was like, twelve. Haven't written for in years, and I'm curious to see just how rusty I am. My previous experience was in writing Yugioh stuff, but now I've got me a new account and a new fandom to gush over so let's see how it goes.

Bear with me, audience, I beg of you!

Rated T for Lovino's mouth and France's general presence.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or Aladdin in any way shape or form. So there.

Antonio and the Fabulous Genie of the Lamp

-Chapter One-

Arthur heaved an impatient sigh as he adjusted his cloak to better shield himself from the chilly night air. It was an aggravating mystery, where all the infamous desert heat disappeared to as soon as the sun set and the moon began it's shift. Though he couldn't complain too much. Afterall, the Royal Vizier, trusted advisor to the Sultan of Agrabah, wasn't exactly supposed to be wandering around outside palace walls while the rest of the kingdom slept peacefully.

He was just about to consider turning his horse around and heading back to the warm comfort of his own bed when the soft sound of hoofbeats caught his ears, only audiable in the deafening silence of midnight. Within a few moments, he could make out a figure on horseback, steadily making their way towards him. When they finally came to a stop a couple of yards away and dismounted, Arthur greeted them with a sneer.

"You're late."

"Yeah, I know. I'm like, sorry about that." The man pulled off the hood that had been hiding his blonde locks, smiling lazily as he affectionately patted the horse (which in Arthur's opinion looked just a little bit off somehow) beside him. "But I couldn't decide what to wear. I mean, like, what looks coolest for a secret meeting you know? I was totally gonna wear this awesome black thawb, but then I couldn't find a matching hat and-"

Arthur had to interrupt him before this ramble went any further.

"So do you have it then?" he demanded, clutching the reigns of his horse tightly in an effort to keep from slapping the blonde.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Totally!" The young man dug into the pockets of his robes, pulling out a rather oddly-shaped golden trinket. "I had to slit a few throats and sabotage a few wardrobes, but I got it!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and held out his hand, only to have his prize jerked out of his reach. The blonde man smiled slyly, wagging his finger and making a clicking noise with his tongue. The gesture only served to annoy the official further. "Ah-ah-ah. You owe me a little something first, pal. The treasure?"

Suddenly, a bright green blur zoomed across the blonde's line of vision and he felt something soft brush against his hand. He cried out in surprise, recoiling from the contact, and realized with a start that his hand was now empty. His gaze snapped up to the older man, amazed to see the small golden object now glinting in his palm. His eyes widened in disbelief, but Arthur merely seemed amused. He had heard rumors of a bushy-browed man in Agrabah with mysterious powers. He'd dismissed it all as mindless gossip, but now he found himself wondering.

Before he could get himself past gaping stupidly, Arthur chuckled and pulled something out of his vest, holding both items delicately between his fingers and examining them in the moonlight. They appeared to be nearly identical, now that he got a good look. Like two halves of some larger, broken piece of jewelry.

"Oh, trust me, my garish friend. You'll soon get what is coming to you." There wasn't time to contemplate on this somewhat ominous statement. As soon as Arthur pressed the halves together, revealing a scarab, a bright light exploded from the object and a pair of glowing yellow wings sprouted from either side. They fluttered wildly until Arthur released it, watching enraptured as the creature spun around in the air before shooting away, leaving a trail of golden dust behind it.

"Quickly! After it!" Green eyes sparkling with excitement and anticipation, the Vizier delivered a kick to his horse's side and bolted off in that direction. "We absolutely cannot lose sight of it!"

"H-Hey, like, wait for me!" The other man scrambled up onto his own horse and followed close behind, mind still reeling from the bizarre spectacle they'd just witnessed. The scarab weaved through the sky with impossible speed, the horses barely managing to keep within sight. The dazzling light and the way it's flittering wings almost sounded like windchimes held both men captivated, as though in a trance. Arthur could feel his heart pounding away in his chest as the suspense continued to build.

So close. He was so close to finally achieving his dream. Just a little bit further, a smidge bit longer, and the most powerful magic known to man would be under his control.

"Faster! We're almost there, I can feel it!"

"I can't, like, go any faster! Just where are we going anyway?"

In a matter of minutes, they had their answer. As they came upon a large sand dune, the scarab split itself in two again, each piece circling the mound once before lodging themselves into the sand, sitting there for a moment, still glowing a brilliant yellow. Just as the pair halted their horses a few feet away, the ground began to rumble. The earth itself seemed to shift and the dune grew larger, a huge mass rising up from beneath the sand. The scarab halves glowed brighter, morphing into two luminous white ovals, like a pair of menacing eyes that belonged on some fiercesome beast.

The commotion caused the horses to panic, crying out in alarm and rearing up to kick their front legs wildly. The two riders were thrown from the animals' backs, and the steeds swiftly evacuated the area, leaving two awestruck blonde men gaping at the billowing winds and shifting earth. What was previously nothing more than a sandy hill suddenly began to take the shape of a tiger's head, the ears and jaw jutting out and all the little curves of the face and whiskers becoming visible. Finally, the winds died down and the sand settled again, the tiger's jaw falling open to reveal sharp teeth and a mouth that glowed an eerie yellow and orange, as though there was a fire burning somewhere inside. A tense silence hung in the air for a second or two, before Arthur pushed himself up to his feet, gazing up at the beast, astounded and breathless.

"At last.." he murmured, then threw his arms up in celebration, eyes alight and cheeks flushed with excitement. "AT LAST! After all my years of searching, I've finally found it! The Cave of Wonders!"

"Oh...Em...Gee.." The other man, aghast and barely able to process his own words, staggered to his feet and just stared. He cautiously stepped closer, and as soon as he was within reach, Arthur's hand snapped out to grab his robe, pulling him close and immediately capturing his attention.

"Now remember! You get me that lamp! You can have all the treasure to yourself, but that lamp..! That lamp is mine, do you hear me?" The dark hiss that puncuated his statement was more than enough to coax a frantic nod of agreement from the other man. Arthur hmphed and shoved him forward, folding his arms up and watching, waiting with bated breath as his lackey approached the opening.

The man drew a shakey breath, licking his lips as his mind became enthralled with fantasies of glittering gold and jewels. Riches beyond his wildest dreams lay just beyond this cave, and he couldn't wait to lay his eyes on his new fortune. He hoisted himself up onto the tiger's lips, peering down it's throat in time to see the tongue morph into a a staircase that descended into a blinding light, making it impossible to tell what exactly await him at the bottom. Working his way around one of the teeth-it was almost as tall as he was-he had no sooner lifted his foot to step down when a hot gust of air blew him back, sending him tumbling back into the sand. The blonde yelped in shock, shoving his hood out of his face and looking up to meet the now narrowed eyes of the tiger.

"Who dares disturb my slumber?" A deep, gravelly voice boomed, the lips contorting to match the sounds before releasing a low breath and reassuming it's prior agape state. The blonde felt himself tremble slightly, but swallowed back his nerves and crawled back a few feet before pushing himself up again, calling out in response.

"I-It's like, me, Feliks! I'm..you know, just a humble thief or whatever! I'm here seeking the legendary treasure!" As an afterthought, he bowed deeply in respect, figuring if there was anyone in the world that he needed to show it to, a giant talking sand tiger was most definitely it.

"Know this, thief. Only those whose worth lies far within may enter here. One who is a diamond in the rough.."

"Er..yeah, totally! I got it!" Feliks glanced back towards Arthur for some sort of explaination (or maybe even a little reassurance would be nice) but the man just snorted and waved him forward.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Move it, you bloody git!" Feliks sighed and turned forward again, biting his bottom lip as he stood up straight and moved ahead. Much more hesitantly this time. He sucked in a deep breath, hands shaking as he pulled himself up once more. He could hear the tiger exhale, feeling the more gentle, warm breeze as he continued inside. Coming to the top of the staircase, he stood there, debating with himself if he really wanted to go through with this. There was still time to back out. He could still turn around and go home and go back to pickpocketing on the streets where it was safe and free of magical talking caves. Of course, he'd probably never get a chance like this again.

Balling his hands into tight fists, chewing on his bottom lip nervously, Feliks lifted his foot, slowly, very slowly, leaning his weight forward and stepping down onto the first stair. He cringed, listening, waiting, expecting something awful to happen. Something to explode, collapse, to suddenly become engulfed in fire, but nothing happened. All was calm and he was still alive. He breathed a sigh of relief and pressed onward.

Without warning, a white hot flash of light enveloped his vision and the ground quaked under him. The walls around him trembled, sand spilling from the ceiling. Feliks yelped, nearly positive he could make out a feral growl, and twisted around, clamouring for the exit. The tiger lifted it's jaw, tilting it's head back just slightly, and before the blonde could make it to freedom, the enormous jaws had clamped down ontop of him, burying the screaming man beneath a mountain of sand.

Arthur cried out in devastation, shielding his face as the wind whipped violently about. Within seconds the magical being had sunk back into the earth, a dulled orange light still flashing beneath the surface as that voice echoed through the air.

"Seek thee out...

A diamond in the rough.."

The raging winds died down and the once fiercely glowing eyes had shrunk into the small, listless half-scarabs, which rolled down the mound and settled to a stop at his feet. Arthur stared down at them, disheartened, his shoulders slumping. He sighed in disappointment and frustration, closing his eyes and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

"I can't believe it! We were so close!"

A tiny voice piped up behind him, interrupting his thoughts. The Vizier turned his head up to see a mint green rabbit with wings fly out from under his cloak, dipping down to pick up the pieces. He held out his hand and the creature dropped the gold into his palm, looking deeply dissatisfied. "Master, I'm starting to worry that we may never get our hands on this lamp."

"Patience, Flying Mint Bunny." The rabbit sat upon his shoulder and he gently pet it's head. "Obviously, that Feliks bloke wasn't worthy."

"That's not exactly a surprise." Mint Bunny muttered, earning a small chuckle and a light tap of repremand to the top of the head.

"Yes, yes. Well, it wasn't a complete waste of time. We found the location of the cave. Now we just need to find the right man to send in."

"Yeah, but what's with this Diamond in the Rough thing? What does that even mean? Somebody who is valuable on the inside but not on the outside or something? How are we supposed to find a guy like that?" Arthur hmphed, lowering his head slightly while a dark smirk played upon his lips, eyes narrowing in determintaion.

"Don't worry, my adorable little friend. I've got something in mind." A low, devious chuckle spilled from his throat, a sound made all that much creepier and unsettling by the cold stillness of the otherwise silent desert plain. And then.

"Master? How are we going to get back home without any horses?"

"...Bollocks."

Well, there's my first try there. Have I totally butchered the characters in my attempt to relate them to their Aladdin counterparts? Let's hope not.

If it's not too much trouble, can I get some feedback? This would be greatly appreciated, thank you!