One single encounter can change your entire life...

Sometimes it may take more than that.

I walked through the crowded streets of a small German town. They were holding a festival that entire weekend and I wanted to learn more about Ludwig-san's culture.

As I walked, I noticed a man...

His red eyes were fixated on me and I thought I had seen him somewhere before.

I kept walking.

Later that same day, there were fireworks. Flashes of green and red and yellow caught my wandering eyes and I stared for a moment.

When I looked down to readjust my vision, he was there again.

His eyes seemed to be glued to me, and this time, I couldn't help but blush in awkward silence.

As he approached, I took a timid step back, unsure of what to think. I considered walking away and pretending that I hadn't seen him. But it was too late. Our eyes had met.

"Hey... don't I know you?" He asked with a look of familiarity but confusion as he stood before me.

"I'm not sure..." I said back with a similar expression.

"You're West's friend, ja?" Another question as he took a small step back and looked me up and down. Then, he walked around me in a circle, inspecting me closely.

I chose to not think twice about it. This man seemed... strange... to say the least. He had a small yellow bird on his head that distracted me for a moment.

"Do you mean Ludwig-san?" I questioned. I'd heard somebody call Ludwig-san that before... who had done it... and why did this man seem so familiar...?

"Ja. That's who I'm talkin' about! West." He said with an almost excited grin, "At least, I think we're talkin' 'bout the same guy..." He looked a little confused again and he scratched his head, causing the small yellow bird to move a little.

Then it clicked.

"Ah! You are Ludwig-san's brother!" I almost shouted, but my voice changed to a much more normal tone, "What was your name again...?"

"OI! How could you forget /MY/ name!" He yelled with slight agitation, "I am GILBERT WEILSCHMIDT! PRUSSIA! THE GREATEST, MOST AWESOME DAMN COUNTRY EVER TO HAVE EXISTED ON YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR A PLANET! KESESESESE!" He laughed loudly and looked at me with his red eyes and his narcissistic smile.

"You are very loud." I whispered to him in a slight panic. People were staring at us and I didn't like it.

He flung an arm around my shoulder and practically forced me to walk with him, almost as though he didn't care who saw.

I couldn't help but blush the most horrible shade of red as this was happening.

"Now, you're that Japanese boy, aren't ya?" He said, never removing his arm from around my shoulder.

"U-Um... yes." I said quietly. I couldn't really look at him. I was afraid that I would blush more.

"What was your name...? Hmm...?" He thought about it for a moment, then just as I started to speak, prepared to tell him my name, he shouted, "You're Kiki! Ja! That was it!"

"A-actually... my name is Kiku..." I looked up at him and he looked down at me. We stopped walking for a second and I thought that he might be angry at me... although he had no real reason to be.

"Well, I'm gonna call ya Kiki!" He smirked, "Okay?"

I didn't get a chance to answer before we started walking again, him still practically dragging me along beside him.

We walked through crowds of people, his fingers laced with mine as he pointed things out, speaking in his loud voice.

He was showing me the German culture that I had been trying to find on my own. It was terrifying at first to hold hands with him like this, but I was soon overwhelmed by excitement as more colors exploded with the black velvet of the sky as the background.

I was fascinated. I was in complete awe. This culture was beautiful. Wonderful.

Intoxicating.

I looked over at Gilbert-san. My heart beat quickened and I felt nervous all of a sudden.

Nothing was different at the moment. He was still dragging me around by my hand, pointing at things and shouting above the other loud voices and noises surrounding us. His red-violet eyes shone with anticipation, as though there were something he was waiting for.

One thing came to mind and I almost froze.

He wouldn't be thinking of /that/, would he?

Images flooded my not-so-innocent mind. Naked limbs and harsh movements timed closely to the irregular breathing. Thrusts and moans. The loud sounds of passion escaping our lips and the wet, slippery noises of flesh on flesh.

I must have stopped moving because Gilbert-san turned to look at me.

"Hey? Are ya alright?" He stood in front of me, my hand still in his, "Your face is all... red... are ya sick?" He poked my forehead with his finger tip a few times before I completely realized what was happening.

"O-oh! Y-yes! I'm alright!" I forced a smile to spread across my burning face. No more images Kiku. No more.

"Okay." He shrugged and pulled me along behind him again.

I felt relieved that he hadn't asked questions after that.

We continued to walk. Our fingers staying laced the entire time. He only tightened his grip when I tried to pull away, so I stopped that pointless motion.

After some time, we sat on the ground together, no longer holding hands.

The fireworks had ended a while ago in a lovely display of too many colors to comprehend. We had both stared on in awe as the wind seemed to sweep away the beautiful sparks of light.

But after they were over, we simply sat beside one another, looking up at the stars as the crowds became almost non-existent. There was a moment that I felt as though we were the only people in the universe as the small lights of the sky seemed to wink down at us.

He looked at me, his eyes almost gentle.

"I think that we should leave now, ja" He smiled. It was a simple smile, yet it seemed to have something hidden behind it.

He stood up, then offered his hand to me. I accepted, of course, but with a nervous smile.

For a moment, I wanted him to kiss me. His lips looked so soft yet rough, his hair so silky and smooth. I wanted to hug him, but it was a stupid, momentary, idea, and I knew that he wasn't thinking the same thing.

He looked down at me as he helped me up, that simple smile still on his lips.

"Ya know, Kiki... you're really cute." He chuckled. He was holding my hand again, lacing our fingers together tighter than before as he smiled down at me, "I like cute things. Why do ya think I've got this little guy?" He pointed up at the small bird on his head. It was asleep now, "I call him Gilbird! Kesesese!" He laughed with a smirk.

I blushed more than I should have, and he noticed. He touched my face with his fingertips, the ones that weren't busy caressing my fingers, and leaned his forehead against mine.

"Your face is all red. Maybe I should take you home." He chuckled with a cute, sincere, smile.

My heart leapt when he spoke. I know he hadn't meant it to sound so... inappropriate... but I couldn't help but think of it that way for a moment.

I nodded, "Yes... perhaps I should go home... but you don't have to take me there." I smiled shyly, but he looked down at me with a weird expression.

"Who said that you were goin' ta your place? I'm takin' ya home with me! It's a lot closer! And West won't mind if ya spend the night!" He put his arm around my waist and we started to walk again.

I couldn't think clearly for a while and I was almost afraid of what would happen.

I kept telling myself not to worry... he was only taking me back to his place so I wouldn't have to walk so far to get home. Then in the morning, I would leave and go home.