A/N: What's this? A new story? It is indeed, but I mostly want to see the feedback for this idea. I had the thought in my head for a bit and I wanted to toy with it, so I'm not sure how long this story'd actually be and I also don't know where I'm going to go with this. So many roads to choose from.

Anyway, please disregard my little OC in this. I only really threw her in there because I felt the need to give Japan a girlfriend but I didn't think the other pairings for him in Hetalia would suit this story. So you have her for now.

I may change the title...I'm not good with titles...

I DO NOT OWN HETALIA NOR ITS CHARACTERS~~Hidekaz-sensei does. :)

"Mr. Jones, will you please shut your mouth?"

"Oh ouch, Kirkland dude. Sorry."

"That's Mr. Kirkland to you, Mr. Jones."

"Oh, Mr. Jones was my father. My name's Alfred. You can throw an F in the middle of there as well for effect if you want!"

"I'll throw an F on your paper if you keep this up, Mr. Jones."

"OH! BURN!" I smirked as I won this little battle of the wits between Alfred and I as the other students laughed. Alfred didn't seem too affected by his loss though and only laughed with his friends, admitting his defeat. I turned back to the board to continue my writing. My third block was always the most…lively of all of my other blocks. But that was because of Alfred and his little gang.

The kids weren't necessarily bad as they were a handful. First and foremost there was Gilbert Beilschmit. I knew that he was trouble the moment I saw him. A boy who wears red contacts and has sharpened canines and wears eyeliners generally is. And then his clothes barely qualified for the school regulated uniform when he practically only wears the plaid blue pants. He's a nuisance, yes, but he was also a good kid if you got him on a good day. He doesn't pay attention in class and often talks to those around him. I had tried to put a seating order before, but I discovered quickly soon after that Gilbert was actually a better student when he was sitting with his little gang, so I left them be. For now.

He was tamed mostly by one Matthew Williams, Alfred's younger twin brother. The two were very difficult to tell apart –Alfred and Matthew- so the only thing I had to go on really was the seating chart and how they acted. Matthew was much quieter of the twins and was much more mature as well. He was a great student academically too, which I appreciated. He seemed genuinely interested in my class, which is more than I could say for most of my other students (I teach *AP English Literature). He tended to keep his older brother and Gilbert both in check whenever they became too noisy. The poor boy had to put up with Gilbert flirting with him all of the time, though. He seemed to ignore it, but sometimes I wonder if there was something between the two of them.

Then there was Kiku Honda, a small Japanese boy. He was generally quiet and quite studious. He helped me whenever I needed anything done in the class and so he was sometimes considered the 'teacher's pet' (really, America was such a childish place), but he didn't seem to mind. Or at least he didn't show it. He seemed to be the smartest of the group, if his grades and how he answered questions in class were to go by. I quite liked him.

His girlfriend (from what I gather) is Nicole Starr. Personally I favoured her just a bit considering she was from England as well. She was the only girl of their group, but that didn't make her the most responsible or mother-like as most would suspect. She was as loud as Alfred and Gilbert was and was just a bit crude, but she worked hard when it came down to actually doing work (although she was a procrastinator and often forgot to do her homework).

And lastly there was Alfred (F.) Jones himself. He was loud and childish and his grade wasn't very good in my class at all. I didn't understand why an American, who speaks English (or American because the Queen knows they don't use proper English here) cannot pass an English class. Perhaps it was because he wasn't much of a reader. He tended to slack and he dances upon my nerves quite a bit. But personality-wise, he wasn't a bad kid. He seemed to be the 'leader' of the group with the way they all seemed to gravitate around him. Why he and his younger brother had different last names was never completely cleared up. I felt it rude to ask, but one of the other students took care of it for me. The boys had simply responded that it was their parents' choice and it had been left alone at that.

They all had this strange aura around them that seemed to draw in and also reject others. They were all popular in the school, knowing the names of everyone in the class and knowing everything that happened in the school and the suburban township we lived in. Whenever there were group projects or discussions in my class (which happened often due to the nature of the course I teach) every one of the students formed one group to sit with Alfred's Gang (as his group has been called around school. Honestly it wasn't difficult to know when they were being talked about when they're referred to as that). And yet even though they clamoured to sit with them, Alfred's Gang didn't hang out with anybody but each other and none of the other students tried to join them to become a part of the gang. It was a strange phenomenon that left me questioning how the social hierarchy of school must be different here in America than it is in England.

I flipped through the papers in my hands, passing out the recently graded vocabulary tests to my students as they wrote down the notes I had placed on the board for them to copy. I found Alfred's and sighed in slight frustration. I walked over to said boy and slapped the paper down onto his desk, twisting it so that it was facing him right-side up. The bright red 67 was clearly displayed. Alfred looked from the paper to my frowning face and grinned.

"What's up, teach?" He asked. My frowned deepened.

"My name is Mr. Kirkland and you will call me as such." I stood up straight and folded my arms across my chest as I heard some of the other students snicker about how Alfred was about to be chewed out again. Chewed out, maybe not, but I was damn well going to say something about this grade. "How do you keep failing my tests, Mr. Jones?"

Alfred grinned and leaned forward on his elbows, cocky as ever. "Last time I checked, a D is a passing grade!"

"Perhaps in other classes, but not in mine. I do not understand how Mr. Honda over here can receive a better grade than you when the boy is Japanese and you speak English as a first language."

"Yeah, Alfred!" Nicole added for effect, snickering with Gilbert. I ignored them but Alfred gave them a half-hearted dirty look to them. I'm sure I saw him give them the finger as well, but I ignored it.

"English is my worst subject, man! Give me a break, Mr. K!" He whined. "Your tests are hard!"

"No they're not." Matthew muttered from next to him. It was easier to tell the two apart when they were right next to each other, but sometimes I accidentally forgot the boy was there and I managed to stop myself from jumping when he spoke.

"They are too!" Alfred objected.

"'Mr. Kirkland'," I corrected for the third time now, "and nevertheless, you need to study more! Perhaps you need tutoring." I stated, drawing his attention back to me. The boy became too distracted easily, but I suppose it's reasonable with the type of friends he kept.

"No way!"

"Maybe Mr. Honda would be willing to help." I turned and handed Kiku his paper which had a strong 98 on it. Kiku smiled and thanked me softly. Alfred groaned as I finished handing out the papers and walked back to the front of my class. The bell rang a moment later and the students rushed to gather their items in a hurry to leave the portables so that they wouldn't be late because the portables were too far placed from the main school buildings. I cut Alfred off as he tried to leave the classroom. "I'm serious, Mr. Jones. If you don't pull your grades up I will require you to have after school activities with me."

Alfred just grinned again. The boy was always grinning. "Whoa, didn't know you liked me that way, Mr. Kirkland!" Everyone who was still in the classroom who had heard him laughed and I couldn't help the heat that rushed to my face at the implication.

"Of course I do not mean such a thing, twit!" I hissed, embarrassed because I did admittedly find him a little bit handsome. It couldn't be helped, blast it. I may be a teacher, but I was only 23 (I graduated early from high school and college)! I was still young enough and I was surrounded by eighteen and seventeen-year-olds all day!

"Whatever you say, dude!" Alfred waved as he left.

"I'm sorry for my brother, Mr. Kirkland." Matthew apologized as he followed.

"Please ignore Alfred-san." Kiku said.

"Student-teacher relationship? How dangerous!" Nicole commented absently, appearing to be thinking it over much more than she really needed to do.

"Remember that it's a crime, Mr. Kirkland!" Gilbert laughed, running out of the room carrying his torn backpack over his shoulder. I glared at the group, annoyed by half of their comments. And then to add to my annoyance, there was the chuckling from the other teacher who happened to habit my portable. I turned and scowled at Francis Bonnefoy, my hated (what I suppose Americans would call) 'frienemy'. I couldn't stand the man, but admittedly he was my…friend in a sense. He was a French man who taught both French I and II and his third class consisted of Psychology (although how the devil he was licensed to teach it, I'll never know). Actually the classroom was really his as I was a 'floating' teacher with no set classroom yet. During third block and his break block I taught in his classroom. Unfortunately the man didn't leave when I taught.

"Flirting with the students now are you, mon cher?" He asked, smug smile on his face. I wanted to punch the stubbly beard on his face off. He flicked his wavy blonde hair over his shoulder in what I suppose was supposed to be a flirtatious way (the man was constantly trying to get in peoples' pants, namely mine and some of the other teachers. He's almost been arrested for flirting with some of the students who were eighteen) but it turned me off quite quickly. How I was able to date this man in the past was a puzzle that I feel I will never solve.

"You know I wouldn't do something like that, frog. That's more of what you'd do." I snorted and went over to my items to gather them. My next block was my planning period and I had some papers to grade. I would head back to my office to do so.

"Indeed? Well, Alfred is quite the handsome character, no?" Francis slithered over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I stiffened, feeling sick to my stomach instantly and by force of reaction I elbowed him in the stomach. He grunted and pulled away as I glared. "Feisty as ever, I see."

"Don't touch me. And yes, even if Alfred is handsome I would never do anything with him. He is my student and nothing more."

"A shame. So many delectable foods held before us but just out of reach." He sighed sadly and fixed his hair a bit in the mirror he kept in the classroom. I couldn't help but agree with him a bit. There were so many handsome and sexy kids in this school, but none of them were allowed to be touched. Honestly, why did the girls have to wear those lovely red plaid dresses? They make the skirts so short as well. Although, I did prefer men over women and there were plenty of good-looking male students. I bit back my own sigh before forcing such inappropriate thoughts away.

"Anyway," Francis finished fixing his hair and joined me before I could leave. "Tonight would you like to go out to get a drink?"

I raised my eyebrow at the suggestion. I felt up for some nice scotch, but I shook my head. "You know I don't like drink on school nights."

"Then don't drink enough to get smashed. Just a few."

Again I shook my head. "It's not any fun unless one becomes sloshed. I'll pass."

He pouted. "If you say so. I was going to invite some of my lady friends~" He teased me with the prospect of getting laid. I hadn't had a good rut in a couple of years. I seriously considered it. Francis had a nice taste in women…

"Not tonight. I have things to do. Another time, perhaps."

"I'll hold you to that." He told me as I left the building and the students for Francis's last class filed in.

I left the school with all of the other kids when the final bell rang and sighed to myself as I waited in the line to drive out onto the street crowded with parents picking up their kids, buses fighting to get through, and students' cars as well as teachers trying to leave. The end of the day was always a hassle, but it usually went by within about ten minutes. I glanced out of my car's window and saw Alfred and his gang running up the road I was waiting on. They appeared to be racing. It surprised me that even Kiku would participate in such a childish activity, but at the same time I felt a little glad to see that he was still young. I envied the young. Not that I thought I was old, of course, it's just that teenagers have so much more energy.

Alfred spotted me watching them and paused, jogging in place to wave at me with his ever-constant grin. I smiled and gave a short friendly wave back. Alfred then turned and rushed to catch up to his friends, shouting something that I didn't hear. The line was moving now and so I drove quickly to pull out of line and drive home.

My house wasn't too large, a plain white house with two floors. It was a simple two bedroom/one bathroom that had wooden floors. It was plainly decorated as well with only a couple rugs, table in the kitchen with four chairs, a nice sized television (although I didn't watch it much), and a couple of knick-knacks. It wasn't much, but it was my home and that was what I cared about. I lived on the outskirts of town, on the edge of the large forest that surrounded the township I lived in. It was nice hearing the noises of the forest when trying to fall asleep. My simple bedroom was the one facing the forest.

I walked upstairs and placed my briefcase and box of papers I needed to do on my bed before lying down next to it. I had to go shopping today, I knew that. I was running out of ingredients, tea, and television dinners. Unfortunately I was not blessed with the art of cooking like Francis was and so after nearly burning down my flat three times, I conceded to just buying the dinners. It was less expensive. I pulled off my shoes and decided to take a long shower before Peter arrived home. Peter was my younger brother who was only twelve. He moved with me to America after our parents died and he preferred me over our elder brothers (although how, I wasn't sure since he called me a jerk all of the time). He came home about half an hour than I did.

I was there to greet him dressed in my casual wear of a white button-down and dark green slacks. I left off the sweater-vest because it wasn't quite cold enough for it yet. Peter looked similar to me with the blonde hair (that was more of a platinum blonde while mine was more golden) and the large eyebrows all of us brothers had inherited. Unlike me he had my mother's blue eyes while I had my father's emerald ones. He dropped his bag on the floor where I immediately scolded him to put it at least out of the walkway. He listened.

"Hey Arthur, can I head over to my friend's house for the night?" Peter asked, hopping over to one of the dining chairs and sitting down.

I frowned. "You're not allowed to on a school night."

"But it's only one night! And besides, I'll bring clothes and his mum will take us to school in the morning!" He protested.

I was against it. I didn't like letting Peter go out with friends on a school night because he never did his homework, but I could tell he was going to be persistent. It's a curse that he also developed the Kirkland stubbornness. And as I well knew, I wasn't Peter's parent. I was his elder brother. And besides that, I was going out for a while and I knew he would become bored.

I gave in. "Just this once." Before he could cheer I added, "But you must finish all of your homework or else this will not occur again." He pouted but conceded before running upstairs to pack. I walked over to the door to put on my shoes. When he came back down I told him that I would drive him to find out where his friend lived before I went to the store. The rest of my day was uneventful, almost dull now that I think back to it, as I bought the food items I needed and drove back home to put them away. I made tea for myself while I waited for my television dinner to finish and sat by myself to eat. It was a typical night, but I grew bored. The evening was nice out and so I decided to go for a walk.

It was one of the more pleasant autumn nights as I walked the backstreets of the neighborhood I lived in. It wasn't like in the city where the alleys were disgusting, concrete, and reeked of trash and vomit. The backstreets I walked were the dirt roads between the fences and the walls of the houses. The roads were many and were sent in many directions, but if you headed east you would eventually end up out in the forest so it wasn't too difficult to get lost. I looked up to see the stars on the cloudless night. The moon was almost completely full. I liked living in this suburb because you could see many more stars than back in London. It was nice.

I was only about outside for about half an hour, I suppose, and was on my way back when I first heard the wolves of the night. The howls startled me for a second, but I quickly calmed. Hearing their howls had become normal in my life for a while. It was strange to have wolves in this part of America –we didn't live near Canada or in the Northwest- but at the same time I liked it. The wolves seemed as if they embodied the spirit of the forest in my perspective. And I had always enjoyed the forests, having grown up following unicorns and other forest-dwelling creatures (unicorns are real, damn it! Do not patronize me!)

However this particular night the howls seemed closer than usual. Much closer. I turned my head in the direction they had come from. It hadn't been very far at all. I frowned and walked faster, a sense of foreboding enveloping me. Something bad was going to happen, I could tell. My instincts were right as I reacted to a loud rustling noise nearby me. I turned swiftly and just in time for something black –I didn't see clearly what it was only that it was larger than a dog- attacked me. I yelped as its claws sliced across my forearm but it didn't do any more damage as it was ripped from my body. I opened my eyes and to my shock and horror saw three wolves of ranging colors –I couldn't name the colors at the time but now I know they were dark brown, black, and tan colors- ripping whatever creature attacked me to shreds. As I watched, a silver-colored one rushed out and joined the feast and another tan one ran over, but didn't attack and only watched. Within seconds the wolves pulled away and seemed to bury the remains –a disgusting pile of goo- in the dirt before turning to the one wolf that hadn't joined the killing. The tan wolf –I suppose it was the leader- gave a sharp bark and the others dashed off down one of the alleyways, jumping up onto buildings and over fences in such a way I understood immediately wasn't normal for any animal.

Finally the pain and the shock of it all caught up to me and I whimpered softly. That seemed to attract the last wolf's attention and it turned its head towards me. I flinched back in fear and tried not to look into its eyes. I had read before –where, I don't recall- that you were not supposed to look wild animals in the eyes for they took it as a challenge. The wolf approached me and my breathing increased rapidly. My hand was clamped tightly over the bleeding wound on my arm. The wolf's snout appeared in my vision as it sniffed me. I couldn't help as my eyes jumped to look it in the eyes for just a glance, but then I was caught. Its eyes were a bright blue –the color of the sky. I couldn't look away. There was just something about them that told me that there was intelligence there and that it would be bad on my part to not meet its eyes –rude almost. We stared at each other for a long moment before a distant howl caused the ears of the wolf to turn to the sound and it looked up to sniff the air. It howled loudly back, startling me from my trance before it turned. It glanced back once at me and I thought I saw a familiar sparkle I had seen somewhere before appear in its eyes before it too dashed off.

Soon after the event I stumbled home in a state of shock. What had I just seen? What was that creature that attacked me? What were those wolves? They didn't seem to be natural wolves. There was something different about them. I had no answers for any of my questions, however, and set to work on cleaning up my wound. It was a single thick claw mark that bled freely and ran down from my wrist to about an inch above the crook of my arm. It wasn't deep enough for stitches, but it hurt like a bitch. I cleaned it up and wrapped it before I decided it was time for bed. It wasn't too late, but the event had worn me out greatly. I slept fitfully that night.

"Mon cher, you do not look so good." Francis pointed out to me as I placed my stuff down on my desk to prepare for my class in his classroom. I sent a weary glare to him, but didn't feel up to deny it. I felt dreadful. This morning I woke up with a paler-than-normal face and dark shadows under my eyes. It assumed it was from my lack of sleep. My body felt as if it was in pain with every step. Honestly, I shouldn't have even come to school, but I didn't want to waste an absent day and I actually felt better this morning. But as the day had gone on, I felt progressively worse.

"It doesn't matter. After this class I will go home." I told him.

"It is probably good that you did not come out with me. You must have caught a cold, no?" Francis walked over and placed a hand on my forehead. I was too tired to fight back against him. "You have a fever."

"It's an hour and a half. I'll manage." I turned away from him and began writing on the board. My arm felt like it had weights tied to it and the arm where I had been wounded was throbbing painfully. I huffed slightly with exertion. Damn it, I just wanted to go home and sleep.

Some of the students, including Alfred and his friends, were in the class before the bell and as they began talking, I overheard them. "Hey did you hear the wolves last night?" One questioned.

"Yeah, they sounded a lot closer than usual. It's scary."

"What's so scary about it?" Matthew asked, leaning forward in his seat to join the conversation. "They're just wolves."

"Yeah," the other girl said and turned to her, "but they could hurt people!"

"I like wolves, though." Nicole stated, watching them.

"Hey, what do you think, Mr. Kirkland?" Alfred suddenly called, startling me from arranging my papers on my desk. I blinked at him, caught by his eyes –they reminded me of the wolf's eyes. I quickly pushed the thought away.

What did I think of the wolves? "The wolves, you ask? I say to leave them be. They haven't injured anybody and they seem kind enough to me. Unless they do something to injure the humans, then we have no need to interfere." Alfred grinned at me, apparently approving. The bell rang and I began class. In the back I saw Alfred's Gang chatting with serious but slightly confused looks on their face, as if they were trying to solve a problem. I scowled. I may be sick, but I demand full attention from my students!

"Mr. Jones, do you and your friends have something you would like to discuss with the class?" Every head turned to the group as the group focused on me. There was a serious look in their eyes that I haven't seen before and it threw me a little. Ugh, my head is pounding. Alfred focused fully on me and Nicole shook him to get his attention and muttered something. Alfred nodded.

"Ah no, Mr. K. We were just talking about a game we were playing last night."

I glared. "Discuss it elsewhere, but not during my class time. And it's Mr. Kirkland." I reminded him.

"Are you okay, sensei?" Kiku asked me, using the Japanese term for teacher to refer to me as he usually did.

"Yeah, you look sick." Gilbert added. The other students nodded and agreed.

I shook my head. "I'm a little sick, but there's no need to worry. Now back to Hamlet…" The students didn't bring up my sickness again and the class proceeded without distraction, however Alfred's Gang kept chatting quietly in the back. Whatever they were talking about I felt wasn't at all about a simple game of theirs. But they didn't question me and I didn't question them. It wasn't my right to pry. As soon as class was done, I began packing in a hurry and left the room. All I wanted was to sleep. I feel as if I barely made it home and I only managed to change into my pajamas before I collapsed onto my bed and passed out.

I don't know for sure what woke me but I awoke to the black of night. My curtains weren't closed but it was cloudy outside and the moon couldn't be seen. My alarm clock read 11:31 at night. I shuddered and coughed. There was a horrible smell, but I didn't understand where it was coming from. My arm was killing me. Something was wrong with it. Probably because I didn't change the bandages. I pulled off my shirt and unwound my bandages slowly (my body felt so heavy and stiff). To my horror, the smell became worse and I discovered it was from my arm. It was red and swollen to nearly twice its usual size. From the wound black goo oozed from it, causing me to gag. I tried to wipe the goo off on my covers, but more came.

I was terrified. I had never seen anything like this. I had to get to the hospital. I had to call 911. My cell phone and the only house phone I had was downstairs though, so I dragged my body to its feet. I barely managed to stay on my feet and I don't know how I managed to end up downstairs. My legs gave out on me before I reached a phone and I collapsed onto a rug, huffing. My body ached and I felt as if I was dying. My lungs wouldn't function properly. I wondered if this was the end.

But then the door to my house opened and two creatures rushed in. It was too dark to see color, but even so I knew they were the wolves by the shapes of them. One of them came up to me and sniffed me before turning to the other wolf. The second wolf nodded its head –or at least I think it did- before the first wolf dashed upstairs. The second wolf approached me and I looked blearily into the blue eyes of the beast. It was the same one as the night before.

It pressed its cold nose against my heated cheek and I gasped, waking slightly. It stared me in the eyes for a moment before bringing its face close to my oozing arm. It seemed to be asking permission. I stared at it. "Are…" I gasped. It was difficult to gather enough air to breathe, "are you going to…help?"

The wolf nodded its head. I was right; this creature is much more intelligent than the average beast. I nodded back slightly and the wolf pressed its tongue to my wound. My eyes widened as fiery pain shot through me and I would've screamed had the wolf's tail not been shoved into my mouth. Normally I would've cared about such a thing, but I was blind to every sense but white hot pain as I shrieked around the tail. I would've thrashed if I could. The pain seemed to last an eternity before it dulled and faded. I was left gasping as the tail was removed from my mouth. I stared at the wolf, wishing I could thank it if I had the energy. I think it understood, though, as it leaned forward to nuzzle its head a little against my face. Its fur felt good. The second wolf dashed downstairs looking like it was dragging my bed set. I wanted to complain as it glanced at me and ran out my back door that I heard open and close. It was a moment later that I couldn't hold on any longer and I lost consciousness.

The first wolf ran back into the house a few minutes later and approached her leader. They both looked at the unconscious form of Arthur Kirkland before their bodies began to shift. A second later Alfred and Nicole stood in the places of the wolves. Alfred looked at his friend. "Did you destroy the scent?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, "some of the stuff got on Kirkland's comforter and sheets. I burnt them."

"That's good." Alfred sighed. These kind of situations were troublesome. It was only by his teacher's bad luck that the man had been infected. "I've fixed his injury." Alfred kneeled and gently ran his fingertips on the length of Arthur's wound. It was already healing.

"He'll be okay. I can't smell it any longer." Nicole informed him.

"Good thing I brought you. My nose isn't good for tracking these kinds of things." Alfred smiled gratefully at her. She smiled back. Alfred leaned over and scooped Arthur up into a princess hold. He was surprised by how light his teacher was and shifted him into a better hold. Arthur's head lulled onto Alfred's shoulder and the boy gazed at his teacher silently before he and Nicole travelled upstairs to place the teacher onto the bed. Nicole left the room for a moment before coming back with a spare blanket. She covered Arthur's form.

"I'm glad we found him. I'd be really cross if he had died. I really like him." She said.

"Yeah, he's a cool teacher." Alfred wiped some of the sweat on Arthur's face off, brushing his hair back as well. There was a faint smile on the teacher's face –one of relief and thankfulness. The sound of familiar howls reached his ears and both Nicole and Alfred's heads turned towards the sound.

"We'd better go." Nicole said. Alfred nodded and their bodies both shifted into the forms of wolves before dashing out of the house.

A/N: *Advance Placement a.k.a. a college course. I don't know if they have AP classes in other places, so for those who don't know…

Yeah, new story. I'm excited about this, but this story can go in so many directions. Which path will I choose…?