Kiku stood outside Kirkland Publishing Co., sopping wet and filled with uncertainty. Arthur had yet to send Kiku any updates on the process of editing the Japanese authors' newest manga, and seeing as Kiku had received the dream offer of turning his series into an anime a few weeks ago, he desperately needed his story finished soon, if not now. He had tried calling Arthur's office phone, but he had only been met with rushed excuses from Francis, Arthur's secretary- Arthur had a meeting, Arthur was busy writing his own book, Arthur was getting married- all of which were obviously untrue. Well, at least the last one. So, today Kiku decided that he would just man up and confront his publisher about the lack of correspondence- even if it was primarily against pretty much all of Kiku's reserved nature to do so.
He opened the door to the reception room, walking inside quietly towards Francis, who appeared to be dozing off with his face leaning on his computer keyboard, which, upon further inspection, was revealed to cause the document Francis had obviously fallen asleep writing be filled up with pages consisting of phrases like: " nun juubvggfvycxcxgvhu09". Kiku deliberated whoever to wake Francis or wait until he woke up himself, but after notching that the mouse pad Fracis's cheek was resting on was moving the curser progressively closer to the print button on the 203 page document, he decided that it was in the best interest to both Kiku and the printer if he woke Francis up now.
He started to shake Francis, slowly and gently at first but becoming a lot firmer when the Frenchman wouldn't wake up. The Frenchman awoke with an unattractive grunt, wiping a bit of drool off his face. He then turned towards Kiku, looking like a deer caught in the headlights, obviously very self-conscious of his lack of composure. And he had a right to be. His hair was mussed, his clothes wrinkled, and a bit of drool was still present on the side of his cheek.
"If you tell Arthur anything about this-" Francis let the threat hang in the air. It was unneeded. Kiku would never tell Arthur about this moment- he was too polite to put Francis into such an uncomfortable position, even if Kiku was a bit annoyed at Francis for feeding him lies about Arthur. However, Kiku snapped a photo of the Frenchman without compunction, as it might be just the tool he needed for getting Francis to open up about where Arthur's true whereabouts were. He wouldn't show the photo to Arthur, that would be just a bit to cruel for Kiku's standards, but he was sure Matthieu would be pleased to see the pictures during his and Kiku's next meet up. He was sure the Frenchman's boyfriend, who Kiku knew harboured a bit of a mischievous side underneath all his politeness, would have a lot of fun teasing Francis about the pictures. If it ever came to that.
But first Kiku would ask Francis politely, keeping his trump card hidden. Once the secretary had regained his composure, he turned towards Kiku.
"So, what are you doing out this late at night, mon ami?" Francis asked, twirling a pen in his hand absentmindedly.
"I've come to see Arthur-san. It has been a few weeks since I gave him my manga to edit, and he still has yet to reply," Kiku explained, hoping that for once Francis would tell him the truth about Arthur. It must be very serious if it was being hidden from Kiku, one of Arthur's personal friends and regular clients. Francis suddenly averted his eyes from Kiku's, instead pretending to sort through some papers.
"Francis-san?" Kiku asked. The Frenchman continued, pretending he hadn't heard. Kiku looked at him pointedly, but the Frenchman simply looked away.
"Francis-san, I am sure that Matthieu would find the picture I took of you in your disheveled state very amusing," Kiku said off-handedly.
Francis froze. A paper from the middle of the pile came loose and floated to the floor.
"You... you wouldn't..." Francis stuttered. Kiku gave a small smile.
"Now, if you don't mind, what has happened to Arthur-san?"
Francis sighed, plucking the paper from the floor and unceremoniously stuffing the lot into one of the myriad of drawers that lined the room. "It is complicated, mon ami. I... I don't think that... I can't really explain... perhaps Arthur should explain to you once he returns. Yes, I think that is best."
Kiku took his cell phone out of his pocket and waved it in front of the Frenchman. "Remember, Francis-san. All I need to do is press the send button, and Matthieu-san will see it."
Of course, the Frog's selfishness won out. The horror of Matthieu seeing those photos would be... unparalleled. Well, Arthur in his angry moments could certainly rival, such as Arthur's reaction would doubtless be if he told Kiku, but... Francis had to save his and Matthieu's relationship.
"Arthur has... well, you know the story he has been writing?" Francis started. Kiku nodded in response.
"Yes, I have read the first few chapters. It is very interesting."
"Well-"
Suddenly, the door burst open, and Evan the absolutely terrifying security guard walked in. Francis gulped, his face turning as white as a sheet. Evan seemed to lower the temperature of the room wherever he went, causing Kiku to shiver slightly.
"Francis, the time has arrived to lock up. I need all visitors," he turned towards Kiku. "To leave."
"You should go, Kiku," Francis said nervously.
"But what about-"
Francis didn't let Kiku finish, ushering the protesting Japanese man out the door, slamming it behind him. Kiku sighed, too resigned to even send the stupid blackmail to Matthieu. At least the rain had stopped, although there will still large puddles of water scattered everywhere, which soon soaked Kiku's boots and trousers as he walked back to his flat.
However, soon the unrelenting skies of London were back at it again, icy cold droplets soaking through Kiku's coat. He dived for protection underneath some trees at a local park, hoping to shield himself from the rain, when through the curtain of water Kiku spied Matthieu. Matthieu was talking to someone near a small group of bushes. He moved to approach his friend, when he saw it. The man Matthieu was conversing with had disappeared into the bushes, like magic.
Kiku froze as Matthieu turned away from the bushes, looking right where Kiku was standing. There eyes locked in mutual surprise.
Matthieu ran.
Arthur guessed he passed out after that startling image, because when he awoke he was in a very different surrounding indeed. He was in a dimly lit room, made from what appeared to be mud brick. The roof was thatched and shelves containing variously coloured liquid adorned the walls. A short man in what seemed to be a loosely-fitting rough-spun tunic scampered around; grabbing bottles off shelves and snatching dried herbs from the strands of rope they hung from.
It occurred to Arthur then that this was all probably all a prank of Francis's design, some kind of twisted joke. At least that explained where the Frenchman had been the whole day. If that was the case, Arthur mentally filed away a reminder to fire him the moment he got back home. For now, however, Arthur supposed he could play along with Francis's little joke.
He laughed softly to imagine the stricken look on the Frog's face when he revealed his prank, only for Arthur to reply calmly that he knew all along, and then note that such a stunt would cost Francis his job. A bolt of pain stabbed his chest at the laugh, however, reminding Arthur that he was injured and still lying somewhere in a mud hut. Oh well, he could file for a lawsuit later.
At his groan, the man in the room perked up, walking over to where Arthur was lying. Now that he was closer, Arthur could get a better look at him. The man had reddish-brown hair with a small curled strand sticking out, sort of like Mattheiu's hair, but more of a spiral than a loop. He had amber eyes and olive skin, and he grinned brightly at Arthur.
"Ah, you're awake now, ve. You look hungry! Do you want some pasta?" The brunet said with a very thick Italian accent. He held up a plate of spaghetti, what he had been presumably been making while Arthur was sleeping, and Arthur realised he was indeed hungry. His stomach growled loudly in reply, and the Italian handed him the plate, running off again to check a few books.
Arthur stared at the pasta, then back up again, seeing the Italian's head pop up over the bookcase. What... exactly... was Francis doing?
Arthur heard the sound of a door opening and closing. He slowly set the plate on a wooden bedside table, trying to see who had come in.
"Ah, hello again!" The Italian man bounced around the bookshelf. "I would like to introduce you to-"
"Kiku?"
An obviously Japanese man had followed the Italian in. He had short, chin length black hair, amber-brown eyes and was small in stature. His arms were folded so you couldn't see his hands. He was practically identical to Kiku, except he was wearing a Japanese-style rough-hewn brown tunic (not quite a kimono) and at his waist was a rather large, intimidating black katana.
The Japanese man blinked. "Who?"
Arthur scanned him again. As far as he knew, Kiku didn't have any identical twins, or any family in England. Arthur cocked his head, then held out his hand. "Arthur. A pleasure to meet you. And who might you be?"
The Japanese man bowed. "Honda Sakura. A pleasure to meet you too, Arthur-san."
Arthur blinked. "Wait... Sakura? You're a girl?"
In one, fluid movement, the Japanese man -girl- had her katana drawn, had leapt to his bedside, and had the tip pressed against his chest. The Italian gasped and fell over backwards, causing an assortment of rather important-looking vials of multicoloured liquid to topple off the desk and smash on top of him.
"Just because I carry around a katana and can fight does not mean that I cannot be a girl, Arthur-san," Sakura spat.
"Sakura! Don't attack our patients, ve!" The Italian groaned, standing. His tunic was now stained with bright pink and blue liquid. Some patches had melded to create a luridly violent shade of purple.
Sakura huffed and re-sheathed the katana. She muttered something in angry Japanese, only one word of which Arthur could understand, yarou -asshole- before giving him an angry amber glare.
"I- I-" the flustered Brit protested, sure he was red in the face. "I'm not sexist, I just have a friend who looks a lot like you!"
Everybody said Kiku looked like a girl, especially from behind. Arthur had gotten so used to correcting everyone that his perception had been skewed until he thought that everyone in Japan who looked like a girl was a guy.
Oh, bloody hell, now he sounded racist. It took a millisecond to decide wether or not to say that piece of information out loud.
"Anyway," the Italian said awkwardly, smiling, trying to pretend nothing had happened. he stuck out his hand, a cheerful grin plastered on his face. "I'm Feliciano! Buongiorno! Nice to meet you!"
Arthur shook his hand gingerly, painfully aware of the fact the Italian's hand was covered in a strange blue substance. Sakura went back behind the bookcase, and Arthur heard the sound of a door opening. He thought for a split second that Sakura had gone, until he saw her return.
"Ludwig wants Arthur-san's status report. He is getting impatient," Sakura said. Feliciano jumped and ran out of the door, only pausing to offer a hurried "Ciao!" before disappearing.
Arthur pulled himself up to a sitting position, wincing. He noticed the mud-brick floor was stained with pink, blue, and fluorescent purple.
Sakura glared at the bookcase, avoiding meeting Arthur's gaze, arms crossed. Had that remark really made her detest him so much? he cleared his throat uncomfortably, wishing he had something to say to break the ice. Well, nothing like some improvisation!
"Erm, uh, Sakura," he started. He cringed. He sounded like a bloody idiot. "Where are we?"
Sakura's glare turned full force onto him. "That does not concern you."
"Seeing as I'm being kept here, it does concern me!" Arthur said vehemently. Sakura shook her head and returned her stoic gaze to the bookshelf. "Ludwig is the leader. If you wish to know something, Arthur-san, ask him."
Arthur opened his mouth for a retort when the door opened again, Feliciano bouncing in again. The man who followed was the tallest of them all by far, his neat blond hair almost brushing the ceiling. His hard blue eyes were like ice, and it seemed as though he lived in a perpetual frown. He too was in old-fashioned clothing, consisting of a white-edged blue tunic with navy blue breeches and brown boots. He too had a sword strapped to his side, although it was a western-style broadsword. He wore white gloves on both hands.
This must be the infamous Ludwig. Arthur tried to sit up a little straiter. This man had a cold seriousness too him that said clearly he was not to be trifled with.
"Welcome, Arthur," he said. His voice was deep, with a thick German accent. "Welcome home."
"What?!"
A/N (ThatOneFlyingMintBunny): I am soooooo sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long- hope this chapter makes up for it. I move in and out of fandoms very quickly- in my absence, I have fallen in love with Team Fortress 2, Sherlock, Death Note, Deadpool and In The Flesh, my current main fandom! Happy late new year!
Here is the ever-suffering beta reader (and my best friend) ParallelDimension, to release her frustration with the lateness of this chapter.
A/N (ParallelDimension75): HOW LONG DID THAT TAKE?! HOW LONG?! HOW DAMN LONG?!
Ahhhh... The shift key is so good with stress release. Thank you, O Mighty God Apple. Thank you.
One thing I just have to mention for the sake of it, though; Bunny actually called Evan the janitor. Yeah. She messed up and wrote the wrong thing- in her own story. Cue slow clapping. Another thing I have to mention, which I hate, is how since you are the one who actually publishes, I don't get a rebuttal to your rebuttal of whatever I wrote up here. On the subject of Yugaina's name, my friend actually speaks Japanese. You do not. I trust her. I do not trust you. Nor do I trust Google Translate or the Internet, seeing as neither have a particularly clean record either.
I am pretty sure the rest is self-explanatory.
A/N (ThatOneFlyingMintBunny):
1. I haven't written in six months or so. There's bound to be some mistakes, such as the janitor thing, and you don't have to be rude.
2. Because most of what I write is like: (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧*:・゚✧ "Happy Holidays thank you for waiting for me to post I love you all! Also PD75 acts like my favourite character lol that's why I like her!" and most of what you write is:(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻ "You suck so much Minty screw you I hope you get killed by a fork also I DO NOT act like your favourite character which also happens to be one of my favourites." So I have the right to a rebuttal. Besides, you can comment.
3. Did I mention Yugaina in this chapter? Like, AT ALL? If you're replying to the chapter I wrote SIX MONTHS AGO then MY GOD I ALREADY KNOW WE'VE BEEN OVER THIS FIFTEEN THOUSAND TIMES OMG GET OVER IT MAIA I ACCEPT DEFEAT CALL HER WHATEVER YOU WANT GOOOOOOOOOOD! I was expecting you to say something like "Oh great, more fandoms means more stupid OTPs for you to annoy me with", to which I would reply something like "HaahhahahahhhahhahhaaahhhahahhhaaSirenhhahahhhahJohnlockhahhahahhahahhhaaa CakeandChipshahahhhhaahhahahhahahahaaTexasToasthhhahahahahahahahahSpideypoolhahahahhhahahhahaaa"
End of rebuttal. *bows*
