Of Strange Travelers and Stranger Nations
---
"Ah, it seems like Syaoran-kun's taking a while," Fai said, smiling at the ninja grouching beside him.
Kurogane sighed exasperatingly. "Where'd that kid go? We're supposed to meet him here, right?" He said this rhetorical-sounding question at the smiling magician next to him.
Fai answered him anyway. "Syaoran-kun said that we'd meet him at the other side of the street we were just in. He also has the map Arthur-san gave us so he shouldn't have gotten lost. And since we can still communicate, he and Mokona aren't too far away."
Kurogane looked back at the empty road they walked across and muttered, "Could those people have caught up with him?"
He was silent for a moment before giving him a smaller smile. "That's a possibility." Then, his smile became devious. "Is Kuro-pyû worried about our Syaoran-kun? You're a nice guy after all!"
"What d'you mean by that?" Kurogane quickly glared at him.
Fai saw a sudden motion from the corner of his eye and made a calculating smile. "Either way, we'll have our hands busy while waiting for him." The ninja merely huffed as they both turned to finally face their pursuers approaching them. It seemed like they waited long enough to stay in the shadows.
The first one of the two that moved towards them was very pale with silvery white hair. Fai heard they were called albinos. This particular albino had glinting red eyes that beamed with confidence. He also had a scheming grin on his face. Interesting.
The albino's companion was less certain about approaching them, or at the very least confused. He seemed more focused on keeping his umbrella upright against the coming wind. A very bright umbrella. That looked like a tomato, complete with the makeshift leaves at the tip.
"You two! The one with the coats!" the albino called out to them, confidence booming from his voice. It didn't seem to matter to him that they were the only ones out on the street that moment. When the Fai looked at him as if he just noticed him, the stranger flashed them a toothy grin. "Yeah, I'm talking to you!"
Fai gave him an innocent-looking smile. "Yes, my good sir! Is there something we can do for you?"
The albino's companion huffed when he finally caught up to him. "Prussia… why did you come out like that all of a sudden?" he asked the other even as he tried to regain his breath.
The man—Prussia laughed. "Isn't it obvious?" he asked back. "Someone as awesome as me shouldn't be hiding behind buildings like a coward! I should face the enemy head on without fear!" He laughed aloud once again.
Kurogane looked at the albino with a critical eye. "Enemy?"
"That's right!" he replied readily, his eyes still laughing. Fai thought he answered it rather automatically and without thinking.
Beside him, his companion looked worried. "Prus—I-I mean, Gilbert…"
Hm, well that was an interesting turn. That'll be left for later, though. Fai looked at the albino and suggested, "Were you going to ask us something?"
It was amusing to watch the albino's expression turn from sheer confidence, to confusion, then the sudden moment of realization happen within a matter of seconds. "How do you know Engl—Arthur?"
Ah, now he understood. Fai regarded the still staring Kurogane and himself as he replied, "We're travelers, you see, and Arthur-san offered to be our hosts while we're staying here in this country."
"You're travelers?" The other companion suddenly perked up and came closer, his eyes bright. Now that Fai looked at him more closely, he somehow reminded him of Syaoran-kun. Maybe because of the mess of brown hair. Maybe because of the glint in his eye that was hardened with determination. The stranger continued, getting back his attention, "Just the two of you?"
"There are two, no, three more people in our group," he replied. Kurogane muttered something under his breath, but Fai knew what he said, and just let himself continue. "One of them is resting in Arthur-san's house, while the other two are somewhere here in this city."
"The one that got away!" the albino exclaimed.
Fai nodded and smiled, if only to cover up the ninja now looking darkly at the two. "That's right!" He leaned close to the one that reminded him of Syaoran and said, "So then, how do you know of our little host?"
"We were going to a pub and haul Arthur over for a drink," the companion smiled at him innocently.
"A pub, you say?" Fai's eyes sparkled at the sound of something relating to liquor.
The companion nodded. "Want to join us?"
"The more the merrier!" the albino added, stopping in his staring contest with the ninja.
Out of delight, Fai held onto the companion's hands and remarked, "Would we!"
The other just laughed and was about to say something when a shriek pierced their ears.
"Damn stupid Spagna!!"
After the echo stopped ringing in their ears, all eyes turned to a certain fuming teenager holding onto an umbrella almost identical to the one the albino's companion was using. Only, it was a much brighter red, brighter than one ever thought possible. He also had a long curl crossing the side of his hair towards the left, dangling as if it could do so on its own.
"Idiot fucking Spagna!!"
With that screech, the albino couldn't avoid the plank of wood thrown his way; it looked more like it was aimed for him. In the next second, Fai barely dodged a trash lid going straight to his head. Instead, it went for Kurogane, who nimbly caught the flying saucer with his bare hands.
Fai tried to make a whistle. "Kuro-sama's so cool!"
"Shut up" was all he got before the ninja used the lid to shield himself from a worn-out shoe and an already broken toy car. It looked like the violent teenager decided to throw disposables at them after using that one wooden plank.
Fai looked at the plank's victim who surprisingly leapt right back on his feet and began to laugh again. "You can't defeat the awesome Prussia so easily!"
The teenager paused in his sudden rain of fury to glare at the laughing albino. "Why you…"
"Loviiiiiiii~!"
And the companion was suddenly by the teenager's side and hugged the life out of him. None of them even saw him move. "Oh, Lovi!" he purred as if he didn't notice the teenager's near choking state. "You should've said that you were here this whole time."
"Shut up!" the teenager managed to shout. His face was turning redder than his umbrella, an incredible feat in itself, either from the lack of air or from the growing rage clear in his eyes. "Let me go, dammit! Let me go or I'll eat all your fucking tomatoes!"
The one called Spagna froze for a moment, before hugging the angry teenager tighter. If that was possible. "No, Lovi! You can't do that!"
As the scene continued to go on, Fai looked at the albino who resumed his staring contest with Kurogane. "I forgot to ask, who are you exactly?"
He broke eye contact with the ninja again to smirk at him. "I'm the awesome Gilbert!" he said, pointing his thumb at himself. He pointed to the other two still at it as he continued, "that's Antonio and Lovino. Antonio's cool (but not as cool as me) while Lovino's a jealous former charge of Antonio's."
"It's Romano to you bastards!" the hot-tempered teenager—Romano shouted despite being hugged to death.
Fai just smiled at all of them. "You can call me Fai. And this shady-looking fellow here is Kuro-pii!"
"It's Kurogane! And who are you calling 'shady'?" The ninja turned those glaring eyes at him again, but Fai laughed it off.
Gilbert laughed along with him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Now that that's settled, let's go bar-hopping!"
Antonio must have reacted to this because Romano somehow removed himself from his deadly embrace and hit him on the stomach with his knee. When the poor man slumped to the puddle-filled floor, the teenager kicked him on the side. Repeatedly.
As much as Fai liked the sound of liquor, he shook his head. "We still have to find Syaoran-kun and Mokona."
"What?" the albino blurted. "Well then, if that's the case, the awesome Gilbert will help!"
"You will?" Fai smiled wider.
"You will?" Kurogane looked at the albino skeptically.
"Lovi and I will help too!" Antonio was suddenly revived, looking soaked but refreshed.
"What the fuck!" Romano looked about ready to explode as the other merely latched an arm around him and went back to the other three.
"Then, as the hero, I'll help you too!"
Aha, Fai thought he saw someone else approaching.
The new teenager before them had bright blue eyes framed around a pair of glasses and blonde hair, a short strand sticking out on the side. He wore an interesting brown jacket over a printed t-shirt and blue jeans. He also held an umbrella in one hand and a strange rounded sandwich in the other.
"Where the fuck did you come from?" Romano spat, pausing in his struggle to remove himself from Antonio's arm.
The strange teenager laughed aloud as he approached them. "I heard your call for help, so here I am!"
"Nobody called for help," Kurogane muttered, eyeing the weird new kid. Was he serious?
But it was Fai who asked, "And who would you be?"
The teenager laughed again and stuck out his now free hand, pointing his thumb at himself as he announced, "Alfred F. Jones, hero at your service!"
A/N: Oh dear, more and more characters appear out of the rain. I hope I can keep up with it all. Wish me luck!
As always, reviewers on the twin stories deserve a huggle :"