((IT IS DONE! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter up! But it is pretty long and sorta-explains a lot of stuff and introduces a few minor characters, as well as having some funny moments, so hopefully that'll be enough. It's pretty crappy since it is a first draft and all, but whatever. Things should start getting more interesting from this point on. I'm about halfway where I need to be at this point as far as word count goes… orz
Geez, it seems like Feliciano and Ludwig act couple-y no matter what I do. I wanted this to start out with no pairings so everyone can enjoy it, and then very gradually transition into slight GerIta with maybe some Spamano, but noooo. Apparently they have other plans. WHY CAN'T YOU TWO JUST BEHAVE? .
Oh yeah, and this chapter has a lot of… colorful language. You have been warned.))
"God, my head hurts like a mofo," Alfred moaned, gulping down two Advil pills.
"Are you alright, Alfred-san?" Kiku asked, concerned.
"No," Alfred replied, leaning against his locker. "I feel like shit. I think I might be dying."
"He just has a headache," Matthew explained. "Al's a bit of a drama queen."
"I am not!" Alfred insisted.
"If I may ask, what happened?" Kiku asked, slightly worried about his American friend.
"Ok, so this is going to sound reeeeally crazy," Alfred began, "But last night I heard these voices and then I thought it was a ghost but there was this angel dude who looked exactly like the new counselor dude, you know minus the angel part, and also this weird French guy, and when I found them I think they knocked me out or something," he explained.
Kiku and Matthew exchanged glances, worried.
"I do not think you are the only one to experience such an incident. I had a similar experience last night," Kiku told him.
"Woah, really?!" Alfred exclaimed, surprised. Kiku nodded.
Meanwhile, Feliciano was observing Ludwig nervously. The blonde boy was sitting hunched over at the table, his hands balled into fists and his normally intimidating face frozen in a look of contained rage. He was giving off an aura of doom.
"Ve, Ludwig, are you ok?" Feliciano asked hesitantly. "You look kinda mad…"
"Oh, I'm fine," Ludwig said, his voice disturbingly calm. "I'm just going to murder someone later."
Feliciano's eyes went wide, very concerned about his friend, and also whoever it was he intended on strangling to death. He immediately hugged Ludwig.
"Please don't kill anyone," he said soothingly, hugging him close. Ludwig said nothing, but relaxed slightly, sighing.
"I think perhaps we should talk to Kirkland-sensei after school," Kiku suggested, unfazed by his friends' gay huggle-fest going on without him.
"Oh yes. Talk to him. Of course," Ludwig said slowly. The Jones twins began slowly backing away from him, not wanting to be in the line of fire when he snapped.
"But you're not gonna kill anyone, riiiight?" Feliciano said, smiling hopefully.
"...We'll see," Ludwig mumbled ominously.
"Hey Kiku, if you die, can I have your iPod?" Alfred asked excitedly, causing Matthew to facepalm.
"I, uh... ano... I will see what I can do," Kiku stammered fearfully, blushing in embarrasment.
"Great!" Alfred replied, grinning and giving a thumbs-up.
"I'm sorry about him," Matthew said apologetically, giving Kiku a sympathetic look.
"I understand," Kiku replied awkwardly.
Suddenly the group heard the distinctive click of a camera, followed by quiet giggling. Growling in annoyance, Ludwig stood up abruptly and stomped over to the source of the noise.
"Hand over the camera," he ordered, glaring at the older girl who was crouching behind a nearby trash can.
"Wh-what camera? I don't know what you're talking about, Ludwig dear," she lied, stealthily slipping her phone into her back pocket.
"Give it to me," Ludwig repeated, holding out his hand. "Now."
"I-"
Before she could finish, the bell rang loudly, indicating that it was time to get to class. Ludwig glared annoyedly, but said nothing, instead leaving to go to class. Feliciano and Kiku followed him, with Alfred once again dashing down the hall in an attempt to be the first one to class.
The brown-haired girl slowly stood up, sighing in relief.
"Saved by the bell... Never thought I'd say that in real life," she mumbled to herself, shaking her head in disbelief and smiling slightly. Brushing off her skirt, she took her phone out of her pocket and unlocked it, looking to see how the shot had come out. She grinned widely. Motivated by her fresh catch, she skipped off to class cheerfully, humming to herself.
Class had finally gotten out, and the five friends had met up in the library, determined to find out what exactly was going on and get some answers.
"Ok, I say we drug his coffee, then sneak into his office through the air vents and look at his files," Alfred whispered loudly.
"Um, no offense, Alfred-san, but I do not think that plan is very practical," Kiku pointed out.
"How about we give him a special potion that makes him only tell the truth, then question him?" Feliciano suggested.
"Those don't exist in real life," Ludwig pointed out.
"Why don't we just try asking nicely?" Matthew suggested quietly. Everyone paused and looked at him. He was quiet for a moment, until he realized that everyone was staring at him.
"Um, I mean, w-well, I just think you guys are being a little ridiculous," he explained. "We're high school students, not secret agents. He IS the school counselor. We could just, you know, ask."
"He's got a point," Ludwig agreed.
"Hai, I agree," Kiku added.
"Sounds good to me!" Feliciano announced.
"Ok, but if he lies, then can I knock him out?" Alfred asked. "You know, assuming Ludwig doesn't kill him first and all that."
"I'm not going to kill him," Ludwig insisted. "…Just injure him," he mumbled under his breath. Matthew gave him a look.
"So can we go now? I'm getting bored," Feliciano complained.
"Alright," Ludwig agreed, nodding. He stood up, and the others did the same. They all walked down the hall to the counselor's office, almost losing Feliciano along the way when he got distracted by a poster, and stopped outside the door.
"Ok, who's going in first?" Ludwig asked.
"I say I should go, because I'm the hero!" Alfred announced loudly. Matthew facepalmed.
"I don't care as long as it's not me!" Feliciano decided.
"Why don't I go first?" Kiku suggested. "I seem to be the most diplomatic of all of us…"
"Yes, but I'm the least prone to violent outbursts," Matthew pointed out.
"Why don't you let me go first?" Ludwig said, a sort of hysterical edge to his voice. "Yes… let me go first…"
"Ludwig, you promised not to kill anyone," Feliciano reminded him.
"Well maybe I was lying."
"Come on, guys! I'm going first!" Alfred announced, starting to open the door. Matthew jumped to stop him. Meanwhile, a murderous Ludwig tried to force his way in, while Kiku and Feliciano attempted to hold him back. This resulted in all five of them crashing through the door and landing in a huge pile on top of Matthew.
"Um… Can I help you?" Arthur asked, glancing up from his book and raising an eyebrow at the pile of high school students that had just crashed through his office door.
"I can't breathe," Matthew choked, fruitlessly attempting to get the others off him.
"Ludwig, dude! Get off my arm!"
"I can't until Kiku gets off of me!"
"I-I am sorry! My foot is stuck in the door!"
"Owowowow! Alfred you're stepping on my hair!"
"...Do I need to call an ambulance?" Arthur asked suspiciously.
"No," Ludwig replied firmly.
"Yes please," Matthew squeaked.
"Ah! I got my foot out!" Kiku announced, awkwardly attempting to get up. With some difficulty, he succeeded, with the others following suit. Ludwig immediately lunged at Arthur, grabbing him by his shirt collar and slamming him against the wall in that dramatic way you see in action movies a lot.
"Explain," he growled, "Now. And no excuses."
"Well I would, but now that you're threatening me, I don't think I will," Arthur said stubbornly, crossing his arms in a haughty manner.
"Damn you, I swear I will-"
"Ludwig! You promised not to kill him!" Feliciano exclaimed, clinging to Ludwig's arm.
"Forget that! I'm sick of being toyed with!"
"Ludwig-san, please!" Kiku shouted. "Feliciano-kun is right. Violence will get us nowhere. Let him speak."
"...Fine," Ludwig mumbled, reluctantly letting the British man go. Shooting Ludwig an annoyed look, he hmphed and adjusted his tie.
"Well now that you're actually giving me a chance to speak, I must say, I don't think this is something that can really be explained in one go," Arthur said. "Why don't you boys join me for tea?"
"No. Enough procrastinating," Ludwig insisted. "I want answers now."
"I think tea sounds nice," Matthew replied quietly.
"Yeah, I like tea!" Feliciano agreed.
"Ludwig-san," Kiku began, hesitantly putting a hand on his friend's shoulder, "I understand how you feel. But it is best to use diplomacy and politeness in a situation like this. I suggest we take Kirkland-sensei up on his offer," Kiku said, giving Ludwig a sympathetic yet meaningful look. Ludwig sighed.
"Yes, I suppose you're right... I'm sorry," Ludwig said quietly, staring at his feet awkwardly.
"Hey, don't worry about it, dude," Alfred said, smiling reassuringly. "We all have those moments where we totally flip out and try to murder someone... Well, except Feliciano," he added awkwardly. "I'm not sure he's even capable of slapping someone..."
"Well then, shall we go? My house is fairly close by," Arthur explained.
"Sounds good to me! Is there pasta at your place?" Feliciano asked cheerfully.
"Thank you for having us," Kiku said, bowing politely.
"I'm ready to go," Matthew added.
"Sure, whatevs," Alfred agreed.
"Hmph," Ludwig replied.
"Then it's decided," Arthur announced. "We can take my car."
"I call shotgun!" Alfred shouted. Matthew sighed.
The group arrived at Arthur's house, climbing out of the car. Ludwig was still acting rather awkward after his little episode earlier.
Arthur fumbled for his keys, quickly unlocking the door and opening it.
"Sorry for the mess," he said, heading inside. "Go ahead and make yourselves at home."
"Uncle Arthur, you're back!" a young boy exclaimed loudly, dropping a toy gun and running up to Arthur and hugging him. "You were late, so I thought maybe the zombies got you!"
"What zombies..?"
"Well since you weren't home I thought something must be keeping you, and what if it was something really bad, like a zombie apoca- Woah, who are all of they?!" he exclaimed, staring in wonder at the five high school students.
"Oh, these are just some students," Arthur explained casually. "Everyone, this is my nephew, Peter."
"Ve~ Hi Peter! I'm Feliciano!" Feliciano said, smiling widely.
"Nice to meet you, Peter-kun," Kiku added politely. "My name is Honda Kiku."
"I'm Matthew," Matthew said, waving slightly.
"My name is Ludwig."
"And I'm Alfred, the hero!" Alfred announced, grinning widely.
"Wow... So you guys go to World Academy W? That's so cool!" Peter exclaimed, jumping excitedly.
"It is?" Kiku asked, confused.
"Yeah! I've always wanted to go there!" Peter explained. "Hey, uncle Arthur, when can I go to World Academy W?" he asked. Arthur rolled his eyes.
"I've told you a thousand times before, you can go when you're older. You're not even in middle school yet."
"But I wanna go now!" Peter whined. "I'm smart! I can go!"
"First of all, it's not just a matter of being smart, and second of all, I don't have time for this conversation right now. We have important things to discuss. Why don't you go play with Paula or Raivis?" Arthur suggested.
"But I wanna talk about important things too..."
"No. Now go on, go play somewhere else," Arthur repeated, waving his hand dismissively.
"Whatever," Peter mumbled, pouting and stomping out the door. Arthur sighed in relief.
"Sorry about that. He can be quite a handful sometimes."
"I have never seen someone so excited to go to high school before," Kiku observed quietly, surprised.
"Yes, Peter's a little odd," Arthur explained. "Anyway, I suppose we'd better get started. I'll go put the tea on."
Arthur walked over to the kitchen, taking a teapot out of the cabinet and filling it with water. He put it on the stove to boil and turned to get some tea bags, only to find something else entirely. He jumped, startled.
"Bonjour, Arthur!" Francis greeted him, grinning amusedly and sitting on the counter.
"Geez, frog, what the hell was that for?!" Arthur shouted. "And how did you even get in my house?!"
"I stole your keys a few months ago," Francis explained casually. "I got bored so I decided to sneak in and surprise you. Peter was in on it, by the way."
"So THAT'S where those keys went! You ass, do you know how much it cost me to get those bloody keys copied?!"
"Well however much it was, I'm sure it's not nearly as much as it would cost to get those gigantic eyebrows plucked," Francis retorted, smirking.
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU FUCKING WANKER?! HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE THOSE KEYS SHOVED UP YOUR-"
"Hey, like, where's your bathroom?" Alfred interrupted, poking his head into the kitchen.
"Down the hall, first door on your left," Arthur replied, his hands still wrapped around Francis' throat.
"'Kay, thanks," Alfred said, running off.
"Anyway, where was I?" Arthur wondered out loud. "Ah yes... I'M GOING TO TAKE THAT PRETTY FACE OF YOURS AND TURN IT INSIDE-OUT YOU CHEESE-EATING SURRENDER MONKEY!"
"I'D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY, YOU COOKING-IMPAIRED BLACK SHEEP OF EUROPE! I BET YOUR BRAIN IS JUST AS SCREWED UP AS YOUR LANGUAGE!"
"AT LEAST ENGLISH DOESN'T SOUND LIKE THE SPEAKER IS CHOKING ON THEIR OWN VOMIT!"
"Um, excuse me," Matthew said quietly.
"YOU TAKE THAT BACK, YOU CULTURALLY DEPRIVED LIMEY!"
"OH, YOU MEAN LIKE HOW WE TOOK BACK WATERLOO IN 1815?!"
"DON'T YOU GET ALL HISTORICAL AT ME!"
"WHY, IS IT TOO MUCH FOR YOUR LITTLE FRENCHY PEA-BRAIN TO HANDLE?!"
"AT LEAST MY BRAIN IS IN MY HEAD AND NOT MY ASS!"
Just as Arthur was about to open his mouth to retaliate with some equally vulgar and insulting retort, the teapot whistled loudly.
"Oh look, it's time for tea." Arthur calmly stopped trying to strangle Francis, opening the cabinet and taking out several tea cups and saucers.
Francis sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "You and your tea..."
"Tea's ready, everyone," Arthur announced, putting the cups and pot on a tray and carrying it out into the dining room. He then went back to the kitchen, grabbed several different boxes of tea, and brought those out as well.
"Alright, we've got Earl grey, orange, jasmine, vanilla, rosemary, chai, mint, chamomile... Pick whatever you'd like," he said, brewing a cup of Earl grey for himself.
"This is quite different from Japanese tea," Kiku observed.
"Yes, I suppose it is," Arthur agreed. "I don't think I could live without good British tea."
"Owowowowow! It's hot!" Feliciano shrieked, abruptly placing his cup down and waving his hands frantically in front of his mouth. Ludwig facepalmed.
Meanwhile, Francis returned from the closet with a bottle of wine and a glass.
"Arthur, pour me some wine," he ordered.
"No. Pour your own damn wine," Arthur replied.
"But I'm a guest! I shouldn't have to pour my own wine!" Francis insisted.
"A guest has to be invited," Arthur pointed out, "And I DON'T recall inviting YOU to come over."
"Yes, but it's your house," Francis argued.
"If it bothers you so much, just go home and pour your own bloody wine!"
"I shouldn't have to go all the way home just for some wine!"
"Well I'm not pouring it for you, so either get it yourself, or don't have any at all," Arthur decided, crossing his arms stubbornly. Francis stuck his tongue out at him and reluctantly poured a glass of wine.
It was then that Arthur noticed all the teenagers awkwardly staring at them.
"Oh, er, sorry about that," he said awkwardly. "This is my... coworker, Francis," he explained, carefully avoiding using the word partner this time.
"Hello~" Francis said cheerfully, waving. " It's nice to finally get a proper introduction, oui?"
"Oh hey, I remember you! You're that man-chick who broke my Lego house!" Alfred accused. Francis gasped, looking insulted.
"And you're the little brat who ruined my beautiful foot! And after I just got a nice manicure, too!" he retorted, glaring.
"Are we really having this arguement?" Arthur asked, sighing. "Come on now, this is ridiculous."
"It is absolutely not ridiculous! He ruined my perfectly beautiful foot!" Francis insisted.
"Enough!" Ludwig shouted, slamming his hands on the table. "In case you've forgotten, we came here to get some damn answers, not to sit around having tea while you two argue! Now if you're not going to explain things already, then I am leaving!" With that, he abruptly stood up and stomped away.
"Ludwig, wait!" Feliciano exclaimed, running after him. "Come back! Please! Ludwig!"
The rest of the group was silent for a moment, slightly shocked by what had just happened.
"...Well, shit," Alfred said, breaking the silence.
"I think that about sums things up, yes," Arthur agreed quietly.
"Ludwig! Wait!" Feliciano shouted, finally catching up to him. The blonde boy was stomping around outside the house, looking annoyed and mumbling German curse words under his breath.
"Please don't go," Feliciano begged. "Don't be mad, you know how Alfred is, this sort of thing happens all the time!"
"I'm sick of this," Ludwig mumbled. "I came here to get some damn answers, and nobody is being serious. In case you've forgotten, he broke into our houses while we were sleeping, and nobody seems to care but me! Oh no, the Lego house! How terrible!" he exclaimed sarcastically. "Assholes, all of them. I shouldn't even have come here. He's probably some sort of psychopath or something. Don't blame me when you all get kidnapped," he finished, kicking a rock for good measure.
Feliciano sighed. "I'm sorry... Really, maybe once everyone calms down he'll explain things better."
"Yeah, well, I'm not sticking around to find out. I'm leaving," Ludwig announced. "I have homework to do and Gilbert will worry if I stay out too late without telling him. It's pointless to stay here."
"Please, you have to stay!" Feliciano insisted. "I don't want you to go!"
"No," Ludwig repeated.
"Please? Just one more try? Please, Ludwig?"
Once again, Ludwig found himself unable to say no to Feliciano's face. The idea of upsetting him- really upsetting him, not just telling him he can't have candy before dinner or beating him at a board game- was just wrong to him.
"...Fine," he said reluctantly, "I'll give it one last try. But if things don't get serious soon, I'm leaving."
"Yay!" Feliciano exclaimed happily, hugging his friend on impulse. "Thank you, Ludwig!"
"Yeah, whatever," Ludwig mumbled. Smiling widely, Feliciano dragged him back inside, where the others were looking rather forlorn.
"Welcome back," Kiku says awkwardly, nodding towards his friends. Realizing they had come back, Arthur quickly stood up.
"I'm very sorry about that," he said sincerely. "You were right. We have more serious business to attend to, and I should have realized that earlier."
"Yes, I may have been a bit... immature," Francis added reluctantly.
"Well anyway, can we PLEASE actually be serious now?" Ludwig asked, annoyed.
"Yes, of course," Arthur replied. "Have a seat."
Ludwig obeyed, sitting in a chair next to Kiku.
"Alright, I suppose you're all wondering about last night," Arthur began, somewhat awkwardly. "It's more than a little difficult to explain, but I'll try my best."
"I'll help too," Francis added. Arthur rolled his eyes.
"I suppose I should start with explaining myself," Arthur mused. "I'm sure you're all wondering about that."
"Yeah, are you like an angel or did you just escape from a preschool Christmas pageant?" Alfred asked, not even being sarcastic. Arthur gave him a glare.
"Neither, thank you very much. I'll start from the beginning. For as long as humanity has existed, there have been special individuals known as 'Guardians'. These people are just what the name states, guardians of the Earth and humanity. Guardians have special powers, longevity, the ability to use magic, etcetera. They also have the ability to grant special powers to certain individuals based on their nationality, so that these individuals may help protect humanity during times of crisis. That's you."
"You can't be serious," Ludwig mumbled.
"I am entirely serious," Arthur replied. "Everything I am telling you is the truth, regardless of whether or not you care to admit it."
"Much as I hate to say it, he is right," Francis added. "He's really not lying, believe me."
"So do we turn into angels now, too?" Matthew asked.
"First of all, I am NOT an angel," Arthur snapped. "That form allows me to use magic and abilities I can't normally. Guardians have been around for far longer than any sort of religion. Where do you think they even got the idea of angels in the first place? Besides, if you really knew what you were talking about you'd know that the angels in the Bible look nothing like the popular image in modern media, I have absolutely no idea where that idea came from in the first place."
"Um, I-I'm sorry," Matthew stammered fearfully. Arthur rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, where was I? Ah yes... Your abilities. First of all, you can't use your powers in everyday life. In order to do that, you have to transform first."
"Oh, you mean like Sailor Moon?" Kiku suggested.
"Um... Well I suppose if you want to think of it that way-"
"Yes, it's almost exactly like that," Francis interrupted. "You even get stylish costumes!"
"Ooh, that sounds like fun!" Feliciano said excitedly.
"It sounds horrible," Ludwig mumbled.
"So can I be Captain America?!" Alfred asked enthusiastically.
"Um, I don't think that's how it works, Al," Matthew said hesitantly.
"Why not?! If Kiku gets to be Sailor Moon I wanna be Captain America!"
"I believe you misunderstood what I said," Kiku replied awkwardly. "I am not Sailor Moon."
"But you just said you were!" Alfred insisted, getting increasingly confused.
"Look, nobody here is Sailor Moon, now can we please get back to business?" Ludwig interrupted, annoyed.
"Yes, this really is getting ridiculous," Arthur agreed.
"I still wanna be Captain America," Alfred mumbled, pouting slightly.
"Anyway, as I was saying," Arthur began, "You boys will have powers more suited to actual combat, whereas mine are slightly more... unorthodox."
"And what is the point of all this?" Ludwig asked suspiciously.
"That's the rather unpleasant part," Arthur said reluctantly.
"As if this whole thing isn't unpleasant," Ludwig mumbled.
"He is serious, I'm afraid," Francis added, for once not teasing anyone.
"I fear we are on the verge of disaster," Arthur explained solemnly. "I sense that there is a war coming, one far different from the wars of the past century. I don't think humanity is prepared for it, and if I'm right, we're going to need far more than just guns and bombs."
"And your solution to this is to get a bunch of high school students, half of whom can't even open a door without getting into trouble," Ludwig said sarcastically. "Well. Good to know the Earth is in good hands."
"Look, I know what I'm doing," Arthur replied, glaring. "And you won't be alone. Francis and I will help you prepare," he added.
"Oh, well in that case, I suppose it's completely fine," Ludwig announced, his words dripping with sarcasm.
"Dude, stop being such an ass about it," Alfred complained. "We get it, you're skeptical. Geez."
"Oh come on, don't tell me you actually believe this crap and are ok with it," Ludwig argued.
"I do," Matthew replied quietly.
"I agree with Matthew-san," Kiku said hesitantly.
"I do too!" Alfred announced, crossing his arms.
"Ve, it sounds kinda weird to me, but I can't really not believe it 'cuz weird stuff happens to me all the time!" Feliciano agreed cheerfully.
Ludwig stood there silently for a moment, before slamming his head against the table in frustration.