A/N: chatper 3, WOOT! are you excited? i am! LET'S GO!

Chapter 3

Arthur stood on the bow of the ship that was to take him to his new home. The wind whipped his hair and red scarf around, making the only noise on the ship at the moment. Arthur exhaled deeply as he looked out into the blue water. The sun shone off the water, blinding Arthur for a moment. It reminded him of back then…

Arthur was lying on a bed in the back of an ambulance, staring blankly at the ceiling with unseeing eyes. There was a heart monitor hooked up to him that blared a single note.

"Quickly, again!" the nurse cried as the doctor tried to shock Arthur's heart back into working…

Arthur sighed and leaned against the railing, staring blanking out in front of him.

"Do you know the way, Arthur?"

Germania tucked a strand of his long blonde hair behind his ear as he walked into the small building. Pushing aside the white curtains that formed the walls around wooden beams, he caught his first look at Arthur's unmoving body. Arthur had been a good student, and now the boy had been reckless again. Germania steeled his mind and walked fully into the room.

The blond sighed and walked over to the side of the table, knowing his eyes have much time. He closed his ice blue eyes and focused all his energy into his Kimagure trance. He hovered one hand over Arthur's heart and moved the other to his head.

At that moment, Arthur gasped as his eyes burst open as he jumped into a sitting position.

"Kimagure?"

Arthur jumped, easily dodging his sparing partner's staff. The wind whipped around his face, making his hair blow into his eyes, blinding him. He looked at the five people around him, calculating everything in his mind.

One of the people around him initiated and it turned into an all out frenzy. Arthur easily dodged and blocked every attack and was able to land every attack he launched. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he was a talented fighter…

"The ability to control time, the future, even life and death."

"I know that I am the best student here," Arthur said, staff in hand as he spoke to Germania. The man was staring at Arthur with an unreadable expression and it made the Brit a little uneasy.

"Not the best, the most powerful," Germania corrected him. "You understand violence and pain. But you do not know the way.

"Teach me then," Arthur demanded, showing no fear, even though he was afraid. He knew he something bad was going to happen, since Germania called the entire dojo to watch. Something very bad was going to happen…

"That's my point. I can't teach you," Germania said, his voice calm as ever even though his words still stung. "I want you to go." Arthur visibly flinched at these words.

"Is this a test, Master?" Arthur asked, confusion clear in his voice and on his face.

"No, not a test," Germania said simply. "Just go."

Arthur felt tears sting the corners of his eyes at these words. Germania wasn't yelling or snapping, but that calm voice was more hurtful than the words themselves. Arthur looked away, fighting against his tears. He was an orphan, what was going to happen now…? He looked back at Germania, sadness in his eyes, trying one last thing.

"I don't have anywhere to go," Arthur said in a small voice. He looked at Germania hopefully, wanting the old man to change his mind.

Germania remind silent, looking into emerald eyes with a look that said his decision was final. Arthur looked down, letting a single silent sob escape. He picked up his staff and slowly laid it at Germania's feet, knowing that this was it… He stood and looked at Germania one last time, his eyes pleading to stay. But his elder said nothing and Arthur walked out, not knowing what to do now…

Arthur sighed and shook his head, getting rid of those awful memories for now. He looked back up from where he was staring at the water and saw his new home in the distance.

The home looked rather large from the boat as it was up on a hill and it had an impressive view of the lake. It was a very modern home, and part of it was just made of glass and steel. Arthur had to admit that it was lovely. He wouldn't mind moving there permanently, if only to get out of the city and not have to deal with anyone anymore…

As soon as Arthur got settled, he pulled out his phone. He wanted to get this assignment over and dome with and just relax for a while. He dialed Francis and pressed the phone to his ear and waited.

"Mon amour, how are you doing? Get to the location alright?" Francis asked happily. Arthur could almost see him grinning.

"I'm fine," Arthur said, going out to pace on the back deck. "So, who's my target."

"The client wanted you there a few days early, it's part of the deal," Francis said. It was his way of saying he was as clueless as Arthur.

"Why?"

"No idea. He just wants you to wait."

"I just want to get this over with."

"Hey, me too. I miss you already. Hey, why don't you tell me about the view? I heard it's gorgeous out there. I mean you go the—"

Arthur snapped his phone shut with a loud sigh and looked out to the sparkling lake. The frog was right, the view was breathtaking. It looked like something out of a painting or a fairy tale. Arthur turned away from it and started to go back into the house.

"One, two, three four…" Arthur counted as he walked.

Arthur went into his bathroom and dumped out his shopping back filled with his new toiletries. He started to arrange the various bottles and tubes and such several time, taking things out of boxes, putting them back in. It was an elaborate puzzle to the blonde that only he knew.

He quickly finished and walked out, leaving a perfect square shape out of the items.

Arthur then walked into the kitchen, a container of coffee in hand. He put it down on the island and noticed a very large fruit basket in the middle of the granite counter. It had all kinds of fruit and scones and croissants in it with a small note form Francis. It read:

"Spoil yourself with some yum yums! :D

~Francis"

Arthur sighed and smiled slightly. That frog really did know how to cheer him up. However, the basket didn't stay intact for long as Arthur started to pull out all the fruit and breads. Again, he started to arrange the items in a puzzle, his mind focus completely on a task that he was doing subconsciously.

Arthur sighed as he finished and walked away, leaving all the fruits in perfect lines and symmetry, again, a perfect square. It had become a habit that Arthur didn't even know he had.

Arthur dove into the water of the lake, feeling every second of the water consuming him. It felt nice, the water was warm even though outside was cold. It was December, after all. The blonde swam up, having to come up for air, and arched an overly bushy eyebrow at what he saw.

He was in a swimming pool in some large mansion. The roof overhead was made completely of glass and steel, letting in light from the noonday sun. There was an opening in the tiled walls that was surrounded in wrought iron that was bent into an intricate design.

Arthur panicked. He knew this place and his eyes went wide at just the sight of it. He pushed himself back under the water and stayed there for a minute, hoping that when he came back up, the vision would be gone…

A ten year old Arthur popped his head out from underneath the water, gasping for breath. He never hated these exercises, but they were just so tedious…

"Come on, Arthur, keep peddling," he heard his father say. He looked over to his father, a smartly dressed man with a light blue dress shirt and kakhi pants on with leather shoes. He was standing near the edge of the pool, clapping his hands in a steady rhythm to get Arthur to go faster. "Five more minutes!"

Arthur gave him a thumbs up. He could feel himself getting more and more drained every second he was in the pool. He started to tread water using his arms as well just to stay above. He could see himself getting below the surface several times.

"Hey, don't use your hands. Don't be lazy, only use your feet," his father scolded, and Arthur nodded again. "Let's go! Let's push, push, push, push!"

"Nicholas, honey, please, he's just a kid," Arthur heard his mother say from above. He looked over to his mother, who was standing on a small walkway that leads into her indoor garden. His mother was in a beautiful floral dress and her blonde hair was up in curls. Her green eyes shined as she smiled at her son.

"Keep going, Arthur," his father said in a calmer voice. He had his hands on his hips and a disapproving look on his face. "Keep going."

Arthur gasped for air as he tried to stay above water. But, despite his efforts, he went under again…

Arthur gasped as he reached the surface again, looking frantically around. He saw the normal view of the lake and his home above him and the calm of the country. He sighed and swam over to land and got out.

Arthur sighed as he pulled his clothes on. These visions of his past they were… unsettling. He had wanted nothing to do with his past for such a long time…

Arthur stopped as he pulled his shirt over his head. He felt something very strange, but it passed in a second. He shrugged the feeling off and picked up his towel and placed it on his head. He started to dry his hair off as he walked into the house.

As he walked into the living room, he stopped short, sensing someone in the house. His eyes darted around, looking for anything to use as a weapon. His Sais were tucked away with his luggage and out of reach. His eyes settled on a box cutter and quickly grabbed it and exposed some of the blade. He placed the towel down and moved slowly, not wanting to startle his intruder.

He saw a shadow move from the staircase that led up to the kitchen. Arthur slowly and silently climbed the stairs, looking over the floor as soon as he could. He saw someone run out of his kitchen and towards the door and jumped up to the second floor. He moved to his left and saw the intruder run past him. He tossed the box cutter with the precision of the ace assassin that he was and caught the intruder's sleeve on the wall. The young boy looked at the knife in shock and then back at Arthur.

Arthur walked over to his intruder to get a better look at him. The intruder was a boy, probably no older than 16. He had short black hair that framed his face and chocolate brown eyes. His skin had a slightly yellow undertone, showing Arthur right away his intruder was Asian. The boy looked at him, defiance and fear in his eyes.

"Jesus, what's the matter with you, you could have killed me!" the boy snapped, not knowing how right that statement was. Arthur glared down at the boy, not saying a word for a minute as he walked over so that he could look the boy in the eyes.

"What are you doing here?" Arthur demanded, not taking any bullshit from this punk.

"Nothing. I'm friends with the Wheelwrights," the boy said, still looking between the blade and Arthur with defiance. The boy pulled the knife out of the wall, freeing his sweater's sleeve. He groaned and stuck the knife into a nearby post. "Damn it, you cut my freaking jacket." The boy turned and was about to leave when Arthur grabbed his arm and turned him back around.

"How did you get it?" Arthur said calmly, staring the boy down.

"The front door was unlocked…" the boy said, his eyes now wide with fear.

"No it wasn't," Arthur said, knowing for a fact that he locked his door.

"Yeah it was!" the boy snapped, getting annoyed now. Arthur just passed tight by him, moving to the front door. The boy followed, trying to defend himself. "Look, the people who live here let me in all the time. Ask anybody."

Arthur ignored the boy and opened the door. He tried to lock and chuckled to himself.

"Hmm, it's broken," he muttered. He closed the door and sighed.

"So who are you anyways?" the boy asked. "My name's Kiku."

"What did you steal?" Arthur asked, turning on the boy.

"Nothing," Kiku said, that look of defiance back in his eyes. "What do you think I am?"

Arthur merely grabbed the boy's wrist and glared at the fisted hand. He fought slightly to get it open, but inside the boy's palm was his necklace. It had been a gift from his mother, it was a silver chain and it's pendant had his name in an open cartouche.

"Please don't call the cops…" Kiku asked, his voice small. "My brother will kill me…"

"In some parts of the world they just cut your hands off," Arthur said, looking straight into Kiku's eyes and scaring the boy.

Kiku turned and tried to run, but as soon as he turned around, Arthur was right in front of him, a deadly look on his face. Kiku gasped and stumbled back a bit before he gained his bearings. He looked behind him and then back at Arthur with a mystified look in his chocolate brown eyes.

"How did you do that?" Kiku asked, astonishment in his voice.

"Get out of here," Arthur whispered, making Kiku that much more afraid.

Kiku just backed up and went to the door, his eyes never leaving Arthur. He nodded slightly and walked out of the house, shaking his head all the way home.

this was a long chapter. it started on page 14 and ended on page 23.

longest one so far.

ARTHUR'S OCD! 8DDDD

i don't know why that makes me happy, but it does!

anyway, love it? hate it? want to stab it and eat it? tell me what you think! R&R would be lovely!