Chapter Seven:

"…They aren't coming out, either…" Matthew said after a while. He, Francis, Gilbert, Roderich, Feliciano, and Ludwig were all huddled outside the mansion to block out the cold. Gilbert kept fidgeting, probably getting impatient.

"This is so boring!" He hissed, proving Matthew's suspicion correct, "Come on, Roddy, West, let's go see what's keeping them!" Ludwig blinked.

"What? Don't rope me into your strange schemes! Why do I have to come with you?" Roderich asked. He was getting more irritated than normal; huddled against the cold as they all were. Gilbert shot him a confident look.

"You'd prefer to stay out here with Francis…?" He asked, smirking. Roderich froze, then groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Why did I get myself into this mess..?" He moaned. Gilbert just laughed, while Francis looked offended.

"Hey! What is so wrong with being with me!? All I ever do is try to spread l'amour and this is the thanks I get?" He asked, putting a hand where his heart was, "Mathieu, these people are being rude!" Matthew just blinked.

"…What am I supposed to do about it…?" He asked bewilderingly. Gilbert snickered at Francis's taken aback face. Ludwig sighed, and not bothering to start another argument, stood up. Feliciano protested immediately.

"Ludwig, you can't leave me, too! Take me with you!" He whimpered. Ludwig shot a glance at Gilbert, who just shrugged. He sighed.

"Fine, you can come with us." Ludwig turned to Francis and Matthew, "Will you two be alright out here alone?"

"Oui, oui. We'll come in after you if you don't come out in five minutes." Francis nodded. Gilbert smirked again then started pulling on Roderich's sleeve.

"Come on, Roddy! Let's go already!" He whined. Roderich just glared at him before standing up and following after the other three.

***

Arthur and Alfred both spun around to face the door at the sound of it opening. Both were at a loss for words when they saw Gilbert, Roderich, Ludwig, and Feliciano all standing there. The four were gaping at them and the house, and then Gilbert caught sight of the tea on the table.

"Oh, so you guys come into this place that you both didn't want to go in and sit down and have tea and just leave us shivering outside in the cold!?" He asked bitterly, "Did you find your ghost friend, too? Were you guys having a tea party?" Arthur finally found his voice.

"H-How did you guys get in!? This part… This part is only for people she likes!" He exclaimed, still looking shocked. Roderich stared at him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, "We just entered through the door. Though this place is quite nice, I wonder how it's done. Did you guys see Kiku, Yao, or Ivan?"

"You guys sent them in here, too?" Arthur asked, looked horrified. But before anyone could respond, he recovered and shook his head, "Never mind. Lacry disappeared somewhere. Obviously she took a liking to one of you, so you four are lucky. Just whatever you do, don't say anything bad to her or about her or the house or anything. Remain quiet if you cannot act like a gentleman, we can't risk you guys going to another mood. Obviously Kiku, Yao, and Ivan didn't have the luck that we have."

"Would you guys mind telling us what's going on?" Ludwig asked, confused by everything Arthur said. Arthur nodded and gestured for everyone to sit, before sitting himself. Alfred sat down as well, staying oddly quiet. But if you looked closely, you would notice that he was pale and shaking. The realization that he was in a ghost's house had come back to him, and his fear of ghosts were making him behave. Arthur launched into explanation, and answered everyone's questions with ease. At the end of his explanation, everyone fell silent.

"…So… where is she…?" Roderich asked after awhile. Arthur shrugged.

"I don't know. She disappeared a while ago." Gilbert thought about this.

"We should explore! I want to check out that bath you mentioned!" He exclaimed. Arthur and Roderich stared at him as if he had five heads.

"Are you insane? Did you not hear me? If even one of us upsets her we'll be sent into one of her other moods which aren't safe! At all!" Arthur scolded. Gilbert grinned.

"Oh come on! We came all the way here and we are already in, why not have at least a little fun? And if something happens we can always try to charm her again. There's not only you that interests her now!" He said confidently. Arthur shook his head.

"We don't know who that other person is out of you four!" He said.

"Annndddd if we get sent to another mood we have a chance to find the others. Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" Gilbert prodded.

"You honestly don't want to know…" Arthur grumbled. Gilbert turned to Alfred, startling him.

"Alfred, help me convince him! There's nothing some dumb ghost can do to six nations, right!?" He asked, looking for back up. Alfred fidgeted, and then Gilbert understood. He smirked, "Oh, wait, you're scared, too? Never mind then. We won't go if you guys are all scared." Alfred snapped out of his trance at this.

"Why does everyone always assume I'm scared!? I'm not scared! I'm the hero! I say we go! It'd be fun!" He announced. Arthur rubbed his forehead and sighed.

"Whatever. If you guys decide to be idiots, I'll come. Not for you, of course, but everyone would blame me if you guys died." He mumbled. Alfred and Gilbert grinned at each other, then turned to the other three.

"Are you guys in?" Gilbert asked. Roderich glanced at Ludwig, who pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No stopping it, I guess." Ludwig muttered. Feliciano looked scared, but attempted to sound confident as well.

"I'll go if you guys are going!" He chimed, but his voice was shaking because he was still terrified. Roderich sighed again, then shrugged his shoulders.

"I was already dragged into this, may as well accompany you a bit longer. No use being the only one left in this mood."

And so, the six started wandering the house. They explored the kitchen, parlor, the ballroom, and other various rooms on the first floor. All of them had lapsed into a strange silence, communicating through gestures and looks only. Soon, their expeditions came to an end and they all gathered at the bottom of the stairwell.

"Well? What are we waiting for! Let's go upstairs!" Gilbert asked impatiently, walking up to join the others.

"B-but what about that bath up there with the blood? S-she might get mad if we see it!" Alfred stammered. Arthur stared at him for a moment, before a slow grin crept up on his face again.

"Ha! You finally listened? Usually you don't listen to me when I'm telling a story." He said, sounding all too joyous for Alfred's liking.

"It isn't true, is it!?" He accused.

"No, no, it's all real. I'm just surprised that you of all people remember all of the details." Arthur chuckled. This seemed to make Gilbert even more impatient.

"Then let's go see it! Come on! You guys are so slow!" At that, he took off up the stairs.

"Gilbert!" Ludwig yelled, then groaned and stared climbing the stairs after his brother, the others following somewhat reluctantly as well.

***

Kiku and Yao both raced into the kitchen with wide, panicked eyes.

"Ivan, aru? Are you in here?" Yao called, skidding to a stop. Kiku, who had been behind him due to his shorter legs, almost collided into him, but somehow managed to stop just behind Yao. Regaining his calm, he peered into the dark kitchen as well.

"Ivan-san? Are you alright?" Both of the Asians hesitantly took several more steps, looking around wearily while doing so. Finally, they caught sight of Ivan, who had his back towards them.

"Ivan! What was that crash, aru!?" Yao demanded, half relieved and half terrified. Ivan turned towards them, and both gasped. His eyes were red, but not like Gilbert's. There was no pupil, just all red eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness.

"So Ivan's his name, huh?" A girl's voice spoke as Ivan's mouth moved, and then a sickeningly sweet giggle came out, "He's a very bad boy. Sneaking up on me like that." Then, 'Ivan' walked up to the two, grinning a grin that did not match his usual features.

"Oh, how I am so lonely. I wish someone would come in and dance with me. Will you? I tire of the rest of the company." It hissed.

Then everything went black.

***

Kiku blinked awake groggily. He lifted his head, and pushed himself half up. He vaguely wondered where he was and what he was doing here. Then, all of his memories came flooding back to him in a rush that hurt his head.

A scream. A cry for help. Someone calling his name. Ivan, possessed and angry. Yao, being punched in the gut. Yao, flying into another room, unconscious. Heat. Unbearable heat.

"Y-Yao!?" Kiku called, panicked, and scrambled up on his unsteady feat. After wobbling for a moment, he finally regained his balance and looked around, "Oni-san!? Ivan-san!? Where are you guys?!?" His normally calm and passive personality was gone just like that, leaving him sounding scared and vulnerable. His eyes widened as he finally came to his senses.

Fire. That was the source of the unbearable heat. The house was on fire. Flames were dancing in the room he was in, which was the ballroom, from the kitchen. Smoke was in the air, making him cough uncontrollably and making his voice weaker than it was. His eyes skimmed the room for a way out, but his vision was blurry and he was still weak from having passed out.

"Oni-san!? Ivan-san!?" He called again weakly, coming to the decision that he would not leave without them. He forced himself to walk several steps, even though he could barely keep standing. He listened while scanning the debris that was already forming from the fire.

"Aww, look who's lost. Why bother looking for them? You betrayed one and hate the other. Stop wasting your time." A voice spoke from behind him. Kiku whirled around, but no one was there. It didn't matter. He knew that voice by now.

"Lacry-san. Where is my brother and Ivan-san?" He asked, and though his voice was weak, there was somewhat of a firm, resolute tone to it. He was answered by a giggle.

"You're so dumb. Do you not hear me? Why should I tell you where they are, if you aren't wanted in either of their lives?" Kiku frowned, then shook his head violently. He couldn't listen to her. She was just trying to get him to doubt himself. Though she wouldn't need to, the smoke was getting stronger and flames were lapping at the floor. He didn't have long, anyway. So, he walked unsteadily towards the door leading to the parlor. He knew he was being followed, though he ignored the ghost's presence.

"Ni-san? Ivan-san?" He called again. His voice was quiet, but it could be heard since the only other noise was the crackle of the fire. This room wasn't damaged yet. Lacry sighed from wherever she was behind him.

"Stop wasting your time already! You do know that you can only leave while I'm not in solid form? I'm regaining my strength as you wait!" Kiku glared in the direction of the voice, though he still couldn't see her.

"Why do you tell me that? Do you not wish to kill me like my brother and Ivan-san?" He asked, turning his gaze back to the room. The smoke had begun to enter this room as well, so he started to cough violently again.