I think school has finally driven me insane, because this chapter is...wtf... I have no words to describe it.

Before I begin~ reply to The Fujoshi (sp?) ~ I know there are McDonald's in Russia, I've been to one. I drew Ivan's reaction from the reactions of my grandparents when they first ate there (they were like 'wtf is this sh*t?'). And I didn't think it would be as fun if they actually agreed on something. :)


Silence and artificial warmth pressed on Ivan from all sides. The emptiness of the place gave him an inexplicable sense of foreboding that he couldn't shake, no matter how hard he tried. It seemed that Alfred had been gone for hours. His perception of time was skewed, and what could have been minutes passed like hours in agonizing silence.

The stranger with the brown hair, or rather his absence, bothered Ivan. Suspicions burrowed in his mind like tiny wriggling insects. He gave up any hope he had for peace of mind. Growing increasingly impatient, Ivan tapped the toes of his heavy brown boots against the wall in a feeble attempt to distract himself from his own discomfort.

Finally he'd had enough. Ivan purposefully slid out from the booth and, with considerable relief, stretched out to his full height. He turned from the main part of the building and followed a short corridor to the two blue restroom doors that stood at the end. The heels of his boots clicked deafeningly and he almost cringed at how obvious his approach could seem to anyone on the other side of any of those two doors. But he had already decided to look for Alfred and the Ivan of sound mind and body he was now would never be coward enough to go back.

As he neared the door to the men's restroom, he was startled by the sound of muffled voices. Startled, but not surprised. His mind had concocted many vivid scenarios of Alfred's fate, and in most of them he wasn't alone. He had consciously dismissed the idea of the mysterious man assaulting Alfred, but it had remained in the deep recesses of his mind. His intuition hadn't let him down after all.

Curious but wary, Ivan approached the door, hoping to discern some of what was being said on the other side.

"…So if what you're saying is true, then neither Arthur nor Francis know where I am now, then how the hell'd you find me?" that was Alfred all right. Ivan recognized his voice easily, though he could hear nothing more than an agitated whisper.

Ivan could only guess that the second voice belonged to the brown-haired stranger. The calm, contained tone contrasted greatly with Alfred's voice even in a whisper. "I had worked as your personal secretary, though for a very short time," said the other man.

Alfred snorted derisively, "And I still have no idea why he said I should have one in the first place."

"So I did have access to some personal accounts that not even Arthur could get into," continued the second voice, ignoring the interruption, "I tracked you down by records of the payments you'd made. Trust me," he said apologetically, "I would never have bothered you if it wasn't urgent!"

"And how do I know you're not with either of them?" Alfred growled in reply, "All I want is a life of my own. They can choke on the damn inheritance for all I care. They never wanted me anyway, just the money." Ivan's heart clenched painfully at the bitterness in Alfred's voice.

"That is the problem," the other replied in the same dispassionate tone, "You are now legally the sole holder of the property in question. They cannot lay a finger on it without your exclusive permission. And they will be looking for you, Alfred."

A heavy silence followed.

"Think about it," said the second man quietly, "I don't want to see you hurt."

Ivan knew what was coming next, but his body wouldn't move quickly enough as the door swung inward to reveal him to the other two.

The man with the brown hair stepped forward, his gaze locked onto Ivan's widened eyes, a calculating expression on his thin face.

"Toris, no!" Alfred shouted, but the man, Toris, had already grabbed Ivan by the shoulder and pushed him forcefully into the blue hallway wall. He was shorter than Ivan, but he radiated both health and determination, unlike the petrified man he now held captive.

"He's heard everything," Toris shot back at Alfred, "And, according to my contract, I cannot let him walk away from here with that information."

Alfred shuffled his feet at the doorway, suddenly unsure of what to do. "Come on, dude, that's Ivan," he shouted from afar, "He's cool. He probably just had to pee or something, get away from him."

Ivan heard a metallic snik and looked down. He immediately wished that he hadn't. A silvery blade was grasped tightly in his attacker's slender hand, and it was pointed straight at him. His eyes widened at the sight but not, he realized, because he feared for his life. The cold eyes from years ago swam in and out of his vision, and that blade, a much larger one than the one Toris held in his hand, dripped fat crimson drops onto the stained carpet once more. Memories gripped him again, and he remembered that morning at the window, the cool breeze dragging him back to the reality he had so longed to forget. He'd forgotten so well for so long but now, now that a blade swung in his line of sight, all the vodka in the world couldn't erase the torrent of long-hidden thoughts and emotions that ran through his mind.

He felt his arms move of their own accord, felt a burning pain in his side. The world looked as if it were obscured by a semitransparent red haze. Ivan heard someone shouting. It was Alfred, he realized offhandedly. Suddenly a great force pulled him away from Toris's struggling body. Ivan sank to the floor, fists clenching unconsciously, as if they once again wanted grasp his attacker's throat.

Alfred was still struggling with Toris, shouting something unintelligible as he tried to wrestle the knife from his grasp. It was over quickly. The brown haired man wrenched himself from Alfred's grasp and just…ran off. Ivan wondered why that amused him maybe he was lightheaded from blood loss or something. He had been stabbed, right?

Now he watched as Alfred ran to him. Ivan felt as if his mind and body were no longer one. He was floating somewhere in space while Alfred's warm hand grasped his own cold one. He could barely hear his shouts, but he saw the shining blue eyes clearly, and they still drew him in as they had done before.

With some effort, he managed to open his mouth. "I told you it wasn't a good idea to live with me," he whispered sadly. I almost killed that guy. How could someone like me even be alive?

But Alfred didn't leave him. He did quite the opposite. As Ivan's vision grew dimmer, Alfred's face swam closer and closer to his.

"You idiot," he whispered in Ivan's ear, and his soft breath was the last thing Ivan felt before he fell into the merciful darkness.


gaaaah ninja Toris x_x so ooc, but not at the same time

I'm soooo tired, so sorry if this chap sucked.

Thanks to The Fujoshi, Elf Princess Kiri, ScoutingForGuys, haruka4676, Mjawpaws, NightSongstress, and evilqueen13 for reviewing chapter 3!

ok gotta go pass out now. bye.