Turn Of The Cards
Axis Powers Hetalia
Rating: T? For now. May bump up.
Warnings: Violence, excessive swearing, AU's galore, Card-Lore, Parallel worlds, Gakuen and Magical. Uhhh... Probably more stuff but idek.
Pairings: What I said in the first chapter. An assload of ships. SHIPS. SHIPS ERRYWHERE. Gakuen ships, Cardverse ships, and Gakuen/Card ships. Hooooo.
Notes: More awesome-sauce-ness for you guys. Battle scene for the win. xD And dorky, embarrassed Lovi at the end. I love Lovino so much, I understand his character very well cause I've been through a lot of the things he has, and I got a boatload of social interaction issues and stuff. I just want that dorky tomato to be happy. That is all. -hearts-
Chapter 3: Synchronization, Victory.
Alfred and Ivan silently sized one another up for a moment before Alfred took a stance, raising his sword up and flicking it in a mock salute before preparing himself.
Likewise, Ivan returned the gesture with a similar wave of his scepter, a mockingly polite smile on his face, looking to be calm and at ease, as if they were not even going to fight at all.
Slowly, they began to step sideways in a half circle.
The air was suddenly heavy and thick with tension and it was making all the hair on the back of Lovino's neck stand on end and his nerves suddenly felt jittery and he was tense as a springboard.
Across the way, Francis didn't look any better, his face was twisted into an expression of fear and worry and his hands were shaking.
Looking away from the Frenchman, Lovino stared straight towards the two between again and frowned. He didn't understand it entirely, and he could suppose logically, it was due to his connection to the Spade King, but he felt consciously like he was seeing everything from both the sideline and from the King's own eyes at the same time. It was near dizzying sensation. He wasn't literally seeing it with his eyes, it was inside of his head.
Air suddenly left his lungs in a half-gasp as he felt more than saw the Spade King tense up in reaction just moments before the King of Clubs raised their staff and with a swirl of energy, brilliant blue beams launched towards them.
Eyes widening, Lovino's mouth opened, his heart suddenly racing, and the surge of energy from it, he found himself screaming mentally. "Dodge! It's moving at a curve, go left!"
Whether the other was truly feeling what he was or could sense it, it was exactly what the blond did, diving to the left and tucking themselves as they did a roll before springing to their feet once more and raised their hand that did not hold their sword and a seal appeared in front of them before brilliant streaks of light that almost reminded Lovino of stars shot out in return towards the Club King.
Francis let out a shriek in response, eyes wide from the sensation that was engulfing him from the dual sensation of seeing things from the side, but experiencing it through the Club King as well.
Ignoring the reaction, Ivan merely held up his Scepter again and a large seal appeared in front of him moments before the light could reach him and hit the seal instead, cutting them off and with what looked like a bit of a struggle, completely deflected them off to the side before pushing forward, the Scepter flashing and changing its shape to a halberd of sorts and swung it with plenty of controlled strength at the other.
Another strangled gasp caught in Lovino's throat, his emotions soaring in response. He couldn't control it, at all. He could feel fear, adrenaline, some mixture of excitement and determination filling him and he couldn't quite decipher which was really his and which was Alfred's in the mix of what was what. He could almost feel like it was his own body that was moving instead of Alfred's as he watched the Spade King block and parry every incoming swing from the Club King with his sword.
It was dizzying, he felt almost drunk, or high, from the swirl and rush of emotions and sensations flooding through him. His mind felt addled from how quickly things were going. His body was shaking from it all.
He could feel eyes on him and when he managed to focus his vision, he saw the Club King staring at him with their violet-eyes glinting dangerously. His heart lurched, his body tensed up. He could feel the intent to harm, possibly kill, radiating off of him.
He wasn't sure if it was Alfred actually speaking to him, or if he was just feeling their own emotions when he heard their voice resound throughout his head. "Get down!"
His body immediately reacted and he threw himself down to the ground just as the same bright beams from earlier went sailing over the spot where he'd been standing. He cried out and rolled, instinctively trying to get away from the danger.
His fear drove the Spade King to launch himself at the other King, swinging his sword, the blade glowing brightly. "Leave my partner out of this!" He cried.
"It's fair game to attempt to server your connection, Spade King." Ivan replied with a smile as he blocked Alfred's attack.
"He's not part of the fight! Your duel is with me, and not him." Alfred hissed out.
"And you vowed you would protect him, did you not? So you're doing your job." The other countered, still with that mocking smile and tone.
The words enraged Lovino, and it flooded through him and it must have done the same with Alfred for suddenly he felt their consciousness suddenly flood into one existence, one single entity.
His body was on the ground, but his mind seemed to be completely infused with Alfred's as the Spade King broke through Ivan's guard with an impassioned yell of fury.
There was no longer time to draw this out, enough was enough.
Power surged, emotions intertwined with that power. The only thing that echoed in the pounding of their hearts was a single word. Enough!
Ivan's violet eyes widened dramatically, any colour that had been in their face drained before their lips drew into a dark scowl before they rose their halberd and power of their own surged.
Suddenly things were moving at near light-speed. The two Kings were trading blows and swings with no regard for blocking or safety anymore.
Francis had also crumpled to the ground, clutching at his body as his mind could no longer keep up with the speed and overloaded his senses.
Lovino was keeping up by some miracle, if only because his emotions and mind seemed to be not entirely his own, they were in equal sync with Alfred. He could barely register his own body from this, but he could marginally still control it. He turned his head to watch the fight, although where it had once been mostly through his eyes and seeing it in his mind through Alfred's, it was now the opposite. He was seeing everything visually through Alfred's and his own actual sight was now in his mind. But it allowed him to see things he couldn't through Alfred's.
He could only see what was in front of him right now, not the things around them. From his body's vantage point, he could see things differently. He knew he could use this to their advantage, but how? Things were becoming increasingly more desperate, he could feel Alfred's own strength waning, tiring, and there seemed to be no end to the fight since neither side was gaining ground.
It was like an eternal Stalemate. Two Kings locked in a draw. He needed to help, somehow. Alfred said that they were partners... Partners helped one another, right? But what could he do? He told him to be his support...
"He leaves himself wide open on the side when he swings overhand." He found himself whispering to the other mentally when he saw Ivan swing an overhead blow towards them.
He felt more than heard Alfred's acknowledgment before the Spade King twisted to the side and slashed horizontally to catch the other off guard and took advantage of the opening, sending Ivan staggering with a wince.
Happiness and excitement flooded through Lovino and it surged out between them. "That's it! Keep pressing him, don't let him recover! He's a little slower than you, keep moving and take advantage of his sluggishness! Don't give him the time to start his own momentum!" He cried.
The Spade King did just that, and the tables suddenly found themselves quickly turned as Ivan was now focused on defending himself and recovering rather than attacking and it was taking its toll.
"There! His right flank is exposed but he can still hit you in retaliation, you'll have to time it right if you want to strike with full strength." Lovino observed quietly, using his view from his body to help him figure out the flaws in the Club King's defenses.
"I'll need your help. I can't focus enough. Can you give me the signal when to strike? I have to break past his guard first to get that close." Alfred's voice answered back between them.
"I... I'll try. I can't see as well as I'd like and I don't want to bring attention to my prone body if I try to crawl or move." Lovino admitted.
"It's okay, just do your best. Don't worry about me, focus on letting me know when I get within striking range. Even if it's not my full strength, if I can hit it him with enough force it should still be enough." The Spade King replied.
"Be careful, you idiot. Don't do anything fucking stupid or reckless!" Lovino pleaded quietly.
"I won't, I promise. I'm counting on you." Alfred assured.
Lovino would have been blushing like crazy if he was more aware of his own body at the sudden admission of how much the other really was relying on him. It wasn't anything he was used to at all. No one relied on him for anything. Hell, even his own brother rarely relied on him for anything anymore, not since he had that stupid German to hide behind.
'Now is not the time for your fucking life drama, Lovino! Get it together!' He chided to himself as he did his best to focus once more.
Alfred lifted his blade and with a swing, more of those bright star-shaped lights went flying at Ivan and the Spade King was using the attack as distractions to work himself closer as the Club King was working to block the spells and retaliate.
The closer Alfred got, the more tense Lovino felt. He wasn't sure if it was his physical body or just his soul or consciousness or whatever that was trembling, but it was shaking very hard with the tension he was feeling as he was waiting. They needed to be closer. More to the side.
Ivan finally seemed to gain some bearing on their plan, and had swung his halberd as hard as he could for Alfred.
The tension coiled inside of Lovino snapped and the energy flooded between the two of them.
"Use the moment! Duck under it and push forward. Strike as he's turning! It's our only shot!" Lovino cried loudly.
It felt like time slowed, everything was moving two times slower than it really was as Alfred's body reacted immediately, crouching into a duck to avoid the swing, arm raising with his sword and his other hand clasped around the pommel beneath, taking a deep inhalation as he felt the blade of Ivan's halberd skim the air above him.
"NOW!" Lovino screamed.
And like that, time blurred back into motion as Alfred pushed from the crouch with all of his strength and sprung forward towards the other King. Raising his blade midway he swung it with his full strength straight at the off-balanced Club King and struck his open side deep.
The resounding cry from the Club King echoed as they lost their hold on their Halberd and their body began to fall to the side.
The loud sound of his body hitting the concrete beneath them was louder than any thought it could be.
Alfred was breathing hard, and Lovino could feel how tired he felt. Adrenaline was still rushing through them, but everything felt muted now. As if he were on the outside of it. Suddenly, he felt himself more or less back inside of his body rather than Alfred's. He struggled to push himself up from the ground as he watched Alfred turn to face the other King on the ground.
There was a heavy, tense silence hanging in the air.
Finally, the Club King spoke.
"Very well. I yield this match and concede defeat." Ivan murmured before he pushed himself slowly from the ground to stand. He looked ragged and in pain, but he managed to stand with all the same amount of regalement he had when he first arrived. His violet eyes bore into the Spade King's for a long moment, before he offered a short head-bow in recognition of his defeat.
Alfred returned the gesture with his own head bow before turning towards Lovino and walked over, bending a little to offer his hand to help him stand.
Lovino shakily took it and allowed the Spade King to pull him to his feet.
"We've won. You may now decide your victory condition." Alfred stated with a smile.
"You may claim Ivan as your partner if you wish, or demand something of Francois."
Lovino's face was turning red again as he looked to the ground. "I want... I want Francis to leave me the hell alone. I don't want him in my presence, I don't want him fucking bothering me. I deal with enough shit from people, I don't need his sexual harassment on top of all that." He murmured.
"I see," Alfred murmured before turning to face Ivan and Francis, the Frenchman looking the worst for wear even compared to Ivan.
"Since we're at school, I know there's going to be times I'll be forced to deal with him for classes and the like, but if there's a way to keep him away from me aside from those moments? I want it." Lovino stated.
Alfred nodded. "I understand. Yes, I believe there's something that can be done." Walking across the way to face Francis, the other flinched away from him.
Alfred held his hand up and it glowed. Then he reached out and with the barest tap of his finger against Francis' shoulder, that glow enveloped him too before he nodded in satisfaction and returned to Lovino before he did the same thing to him.
"What was that?" Francis asked.
"He placed a spell on you both. You may only be in that brat's presence if he allows you to be, otherwise the magic on you will repel you away. And if you fight against it, it will force you harder." Ivan explained.
Francis winced at the thought of himself being randomly, magically flung back. "Oh..."
"Is that acceptable?" Alfred asked Lovino earnestly.
Staring with surprise at the other, he nodded. "Y-yes... More than enough..." He mumbled, ducking his head down, face still red.
Alfred smiled and nodded in response. "That's settled, then. "
He turned to face Ivan. "Good duel, Club King."
"I will be sure to repay your might twofold the next time we're fated, Spade King." Ivan replied, before in a flash, disappeared and instead the Card with the King of Clubs embossed on it floated down to hover in the air in front of Francis' face,
Shakily, the Frenchman reached up and grasped the card out of the air and stared at it.
There were loud murmurings now among the students, all had been entranced in wonder at what had now just gone on.
Suddenly, there was now talk with people bringing up the fact some had found Cards of their own now and wondering if the same thing would happen to them.
Lovino was still somewhat off in his own world processing everything while this went on til he felt a hand touch his shoulder and he jolted, eyes wide as his head jerked up to meet the Spade King's gaze.
"Are you alright...?" Alfred asked him with concern.
"I-I don't know..." Lovino answered honestly.
"Everything feels like a fucking dream, but I know it isn't and j-just..." He sighed, running a hand through his brown locks of hair, looking off to the side.
"I dunno how to fuckin' deal with everything, you know?"
To that, the Spade King offered the other a sympathetic smile and nodded with understanding. "I'm sure it must be a shell shock. But... If it's anything..."
Lovino slowly turned his head back to gaze at the other, blinking in confusion.
"I really am grateful for your help. I honestly doubt I could have won without you. Ivan and I have long been matched in power." Alfred explained.
Lovino's eyes widened and his face flushed again before he flung his hands up over his face as he made a strangled sound. He wasn't used to praise or acknowledgment, he had social issues as it was, and for this King to be honest-to-fucking-god thanking him... He didn't know how to fucking deal with this.
"D-don't fucking thank me, bastard... I-I didn't do anything special... I-I just... I just..." He stuttered, trying to find a reason.
He just, what?
"I was just...caught in the moment, too..." He finally answered lamely, finally managing to pry his hands away from his face.
Alfred was still smiling, and goddamn it, his face went red immediately again.
"Even if that's all it was, it still changed the tide in our favor. So regardless of it being circumstance or not, the thanks still goes to you."
"Please stop... I-I can't handle praise..." Lovino muttered out.
Alfred wanted to question why, but instead, thought the better and merely gave a nod of acknowledgment. "Alright."
Before Lovino could say something else, he was suddenly tackled to the ground with a loud yell of, "FRATELLO!"
Alfred looked ready to spring to pry the person off, before his eyes registered who was clinging tightly onto Lovino.
Their hair was a slightly different shade, but their resemblance was near identical to Lovino's, except their face looked a little younger, a bit rounder in a baby-face way, and overall, a more innocent expression. He knew then that things were okay, it was Lovino's brother.
"G-get the hell off of me, idiota! I've had enough of being body-checked for the fucking day!" Lovino yelled as he pried his brother off of his person.
"Fratello, are you okay?! You look so tired! I was worried about you!" And then suddenly, the younger Italian turned to face Alfred and stared with wide eyes filled in wonder.
"You must be Feliciano." Alfred said quietly.
"You know my name? That is very wonderful! You really do look like Alfred! Thank you for protecting my Fratellone! He can be very shy and sound mean but he's my brother and I don't want anything bad happening to him!" Feliciano chattered a mile a minute, and while he ws doing so, Lovino's face was growing redder and Alfred's smile was growing bigger by the moment.
"IDIOTA BASTARDO, SHUT UP!" Lovino yelled, flailing his hands.
Alfred laughed. "It's alright, please don't get mad at your brother. He really is worried for you." He admonished.
Lovino's face ducked down as he covered it again with his hands.
"Yes, I know your name. There is a Feliciano in my world, too. And I am Alfred, just the one of my world. I'm glad I could help, but to be honest, it was the other way around. Your brother was the one who helped me. I understand your feelings, I'm the same way with my own brother. I don't want anything happening to them, either." Alfred replied to all of Feliciano's words.
Feliciano's eyes were shining with admiration before he nodded with a wide smile. He honestly didn't need to understand all the details going on to understand that this version of Alfred was good and wouldn't hurt his brother, and that was more than enough for him.
"Ve~ I'm just happy everything's okay now. Fratello, can we go home now? I'm sure you want to rest too. I'll make us some pasta for dinner!" Feliciano chirped.
"I am more than ready to go home, idiot." Lovino replied, rolling his eyes before looking towards Alfred in question. "...What now, though?"
To that, Alfred simply smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll return to the Card-and my own world. You may call for me if you need me or want to talk or ask questions." The King assured.
"A-Alright..." Lovino said.
Smile still in place, Alfred closed his eyes and in a flash, disappeared, the King of Spades card remaining floating in the air in front of Lovino.
Lovino took the card and glanced once more at it, before putting it into his pocket again before turning to his brother. "Let's go, you idiot. I feel like I could sleep for a whole year. And you'd better make pasta. Lots of it! With extra tomato sauce!" He threatened.
Giggling joyfully, his brother nodded enthusiastically and latched onto his brother's arm and began to lead them away from the campus and off towards their home. "Of course, fratello! I'll make all the pasta you want!"
Three figures were standing in various areas of the campus among the remaining students still talking about the events that just happened, contemplating everything that happened and looking down at the Cards that they held in their own hands.
There was yet another resonating pulse felt from the cards before they fell silent.
The cogs of Fate were stirring to life once more.
Maybe this time, it wouldn't end so tragically.
End Chapter 3.
