Thanks to SweetHoneyBee, Olivia Kirkland, Zaaze, Kattie, ScandinavianTrash, RandomObsession123, and an anon for reviewing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 11

Lovino stared wide-eyed at Kyo, whose red eyes were narrowed menacingly. Lovino didn't want to know what happened, but he had a feeling that he would find out very soon.

Kyo cocked his head to the side, pinning Lovino firmly against the wall. The Italian was starting to panic, but he knew that if he attempted to scream, the Japanese would hurt him in a particularly painful way. And particularly cruel.

Kyo was the only one that had caught on to what Lovino's and Matthew's curls were. It was actually pretty funny when the two realised it themselves. But Kyo took pleasure in exploiting it. It was a very sensitive place, and while it could potentially be used for pleasure someday, Kyo made sure that it brought nothing but pain, and that the pain would last for quite a while.

When he had learned that Allen had been sexually harassing Feliks, Lovino had felt enraged, partly because what Kyo did to him and Matthew could also count as sexual harassment. But it would be a lot harder to explain that it was due to an unruly hair strand.

Matthew would come to him whenever he would have a run-in with Kyo. Lovino was the only one that he could speak to about it. Lovino was the only one that understood, that wasn't an enemy. Lovino was the only one that could comfort him.

But now Lovino was the one at Kyo's mercy, and he only hoped that he'd be able to escape without pain and with what little dignity he had left intact.

"One of my best friends is dead," Kyo said. "And my instincts tell me that somehow, you and your friends are involved."

"Y-your instincts a-are w-wrong," Lovino stuttered. "W-we d-didn't d-do a-anything."

Kyo smiled coldly.

"I know that you wouldn't do anything," Kyo said. "You're too much of a coward. The same with Mattie and Liksie. But Vlad… He's new. We don't know enough about him yet. We don't know how… stable he is. He might be hiding something dark and sinister."

"That's a-a lie!" Lovino said.

"I know that he's in the magic club," Kyo hissed. "And I know that Artie and Lukie don't simply let people in. I wonder… Do you think they've grown bold? That they might have done some summoning in their arrogance? It's something they would do in such a club, isn't it?"

Lovino's breath hitched, and Kyo's smile widened.

"Y-you believe those r-rumours…" Lovino whispered.

"Not entirely," Kyo said. "But it did pique my curiosity."

"Vlad didn't d-do anything!"

"How can you be sure? How can you be sure that he wouldn't try something like that? He wouldn't tell you if he did, would he?"

Lovino trembled, but he didn't say anything. He wondered if Vlad would tell him something like that.

"W-what d-do you w-want?" Lovino stuttered.

"Two things," Kyo said. "First, you will find out from your little friend what he's been up to. Ask him if he ever tried summoning something. Something he wasn't supposed to. Pry the information out of him, if you have to. But I don't think you'll have to try too hard. He's your friend. He'll tell you with enough probing."

Lovino swallowed nervously.

"H-how do you e-even know that h-he's in the m-magic club?" Lovino asked.

"I'm observant," Kyo said. "I saw him walking into their clubroom. And he didn't immediately leave, which tells me that he's a member of their club."

"And… what's the o-other thing y-you w-want?"

Kyo smirked, and Lovino knew that he shouldn't have asked.

"Like I said, one of my best friends was killed," Kyo said. "I still haven't had a chance to work through his death. And since you've so conveniently come…"

Lovino gasped, and in a few fluid movements Kyo had one hand wrapped around his throat, while the other had a hold of his curl. The fingers twisted around, having a firm grip, before they started to tug and twist.

Lovino gritted his teeth as Kyo pulled harder. He could feel the pain throughout his body, and he found that his movements became difficult. And each time Kyo tugged harder or his grip around Lovino's throat tightened, he felt his muscles lock together.

This was why Kyo was one of the worst. He knew just how to hurt him in a way that would make it hard to move for some time. Already he could feel his muscles going slack, and a part of him was glad that Kyo had him pinned to the wall, but another part felt extremely uncomfortable. Which was what the Japanese was going for.

He would not only leave Lovino unable to move, but utterly humiliated.

As the torture continued, Lovino started to black out. Though it was hard to tell with his eyes clenched shut.

Kyo's eyes widened when Lovino's eyes snapped open, except… His eyes were red.

"Shit," Kyo whispered, releasing the Italian, whose hand shot out to grip his wrist with a bruising grip.

"You want to know if something was summoned," Lovino said coldly. "The answer is 'yes'… and 'no'. You and those like you are the reason why we're here."

"Let go!" Kyo said, desperately trying to tug his arm free.

"Not so fun when you're the one on the receiving end, is it?"

Kyo grunted when he was pinned to the wall, Lovino's hand clamped on his mouth.

"Ashes to ashes," Lovino said. "Dust to dust."

And Kyo started to scream as his body was gripped in pain. Lovino simply stared unblinking as Kyo started to decompose right in front of him. Within a minute, only the skeleton remained, before it turned to dust.

Lovino watched all of this calmly, and the wind swept the dust away. Kyo was one of the cruellest bullies, and now he had suffered one of the cruellest deaths. At least the others would have a corpse. Everyone knew what had happened to the others. Kyo wasn't afforded that luxury.

Lovino stepped out into the street, continuing towards his previous destination. All the while, he was thinking about what had happened.

All four of them had blood on their hands now. All four of them had killed one of their bullies. Each a personal tormentor.

Feliks had killed Allen, who liked to sexually harass him. Carlos was killed by Matthew, his favourite punching bag. Vlad had killed Sadiq, who had singled him out and had been particularly cruel to him the last few days. And Lovino had killed Kyo, who liked to torture Matthew and Lovino alike.

The second step was complete. And now the third step could begin.

Feliks was watching a movie when he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his skull. He hissed, hand reaching up to the affected area. What was that about?

He shook his head, pausing the movie and going to his kitchen to grab a glass of water. And once in the kitchen, he realised that he was feeling peckish, so he decided to make a snack for himself as well.

As he fixed himself a sandwich, he caught a movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to the window. He had the feeling that there was something out there, and he hesitated before he stepped closer.

Seeing nothing outside, he shrugged before finishing his sandwich and returning to finish the movie as well.

Vlad jolted awake. He could sense something coming. Something… familiar. Something evil.

He jumped slightly when there was a knock on his front door, and he hesitated for a moment before going to answer it, only to sigh in relief when he saw Lovino.

Lovino raised an eyebrow at this, before walking into Vlad's house. Vlad rolled his eyes, smile on his face, as he closed the door.

"Normally, one waits until one's invited before entering someone else's house," Vlad said as he followed Lovino to the living room.

"Yeah, well, what if you're at a friend's house after having a shitty day?" Lovino asked, sitting on the couch.

"What happened?" Vlad asked, sitting next to the Italian.

Lovino didn't answer immediately, but Vlad was patient. Eventually he sighed.

"Officer Kirkland came to the restaurant earlier," Lovino said. "He offered 'help' and shit, but the only reason why he's interested is because he thinks it's related to the murders."

Vlad nodded his head.

"That's also why I don't want to accept his help," he said. "If he comes back with the offer after it's all over… But I don't think he suspects us."

"He mentioned how it's suspicious that all three victims are those assholes," Lovino said.

"He's aware of magic. He said that his wife and sons told him what they sensed, and he had sensed something as well."

Lovino grew silent, and Vlad turned to him.

"It's more than that, isn't it?" Vlad asked.

Lovino was silent for another moment.

"My grandpa put me on kitchen duty, after giving me yesterday off," Lovino explained. "He didn't want me interacting with the customers, because I fell and spilled an entire order over myself on Monday. I was tripped by the Bad Touch Bastards, but my grandpa doesn't want to believe me that I was tripped. To him, I'm just a useless klutz who ruins everything."

"I'm sure that's not true," Vlad tried to console.

"When Kirkland came, my nonno immediately asked 'what did you do this time?'. I've never done anything that would bring the police! And he just assumed that I did something. And before I went to Kirkland, he told me that I should just go home. He treats me like all I ever do is fuck things up. I can't take it anymore."

Tears were streaming down Lovino's face, and he bit his lip.

"He treats Feliciano like some kind of golden child, and Marcello like an angel," Lovino said. "And me? I'm the fucking black sheep. I'm the useless, unwanted grandson. The one that would of course do something illegal. He doesn't even bother to listen to a fucking word I say."

Vlad's expression was sad as he placed his hand on Lovino's shoulder. The Italian inhaled sharply, before he leaned closer to the Romanian.

"Just tell me what I have to do to make him see," Lovino said. "That I'm his grandson too."

"Have you tried talking about it with him?" Vlad asked.

"Looks like someone else can't listen," Lovino said bitterly. "I told you, he doesn't listen to anything I have to say."

Vlad could say nothing as he decided to hold Lovino. The Italian cried into his chest, and Vlad calmly stroked the other's back.

"You love your family, don't you?" Vlad asked gently.

"Of course I do," Lovino said. "They just don't love me. I'm nothing to them."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"It is. If it wasn't, then why don't my fratelli try to stand up for me when nonno's criticising me? Why does my nonno always think the worst of me? What do I have to do?"

Vlad sighed.

"You should just be yourself," Vlad said. "Your grandpa needs to realise that you're different from your brothers. And in time, I'm sure he'll be able to see the person that I see."

"And who's that?" Lovino asked.

"Someone thoughtful. When we first met, you were the one that decided what I would like to eat. You didn't just decide at random. And it turned out to be a delicious meal."

"That wasn't thoughtfulness," Lovino said glumly. "That was just a coincidence."

"You helped me buy some new décor for my house. You drove us to the mall, even though you knew that your grandpa would get upset at you for going to the mall on a Sunday. And you helped clean my house. If you weren't thoughtful, you would have just lounged around, or not come by at all."

Lovino sniffed.

"Anything else?" he asked.

"You're actually pretty funny," Vlad said.

"In what way am I 'funny'?"

"Your sense of humour is dry and sarcastic, but it's still there. Not a lot of people would be able to pick up on it. And then there's the whole 'stamina' thing in gym class. You're sharp-tongued and quick-witted. And if I could see it after only a week, then I'm sure the people that have known you for longer could see it too."

"Not my nonno," Lovino said.

"Then forget about him. The only thing that matters is that you stay true to yourself. And if people can't accept you for who you are, then you don't need them in your life."

Lovino chuckled, before he sat up, hugging Vlad.

"You know, I actually came to check up on you," Lovino said. "So, sorry I bothered you with all my shit."

Vlad smiled.

"See?" he asked. "Thoughtful."

Lovino smiled, before the smile fell. He had a confused expression on his face.

"You know, I can't help but wonder something," Lovino said. "With your magic… Did you… I mean…"

"Did I what?" Vlad asked.

"Did you… ever summon a demon? Or something?"

Vlad tensed, and Lovino turned to look at him.

"Did you?" Lovino asked.

"…Once," Vlad admitted. "It was an accident. My mother had to help me get rid of it."

"What did it want?" Lovino asked.

"I don't know. All I know is that I'm never going to attempt something like that again."

"…Do you think that that's what's been killing those bastards?"

"I don't think so. It feels different."

"Can you sense them?"

"Da."

"You'll tell me if you sense something like that again, right?"

"Of course. I'll tell you of any danger. And I can tell you now that whatever's been killing them isn't human."

"I figured. You kind of gave the clue earlier."

"Quick-witted."

Lovino rolled his eyes.

"If only my nonno could see what you see," Lovino said.

"It's not just me," Vlad said. "Matthew and Feliks can see it too."

Lovino smiled softly, before he stood.

"I guess I should probably go back home now," Lovino said. "Before my nonno finds another reason to be disappointed in me."

Vlad stood up as well, and Lovino was on his way to the front door when he stopped, quickly leaning against the wall. Vlad rushed to his side.

"Are you okay?" Vlad asked.

"Y-yeah," Lovino whispered. "Just… dizzy, all of the sudden."

"Come sit down," Vlad said, draping Lovino's arm over his shoulders and guiding him back to the living room.

He helped Lovino sit down, and he winced when he saw the Italian's face.

"You're really pale," Vlad said. "I'll be right back."

Vlad made his way to the kitchen, where he quickly poured a glass of water, and then mixed sugar in the water. He then returned to the living room and handed the glass to Lovino.

Lovino stared at the glass for a moment before he took a few gulps. He cringed at the taste, but soon he had finished until only half the contents remained.

"Better?" Vlad asked.

"I don't know," Lovino said. "I'm just… going to rest a while…"

Vlad nodded, and watched as Lovino lay down on the couch. Soon enough, he was asleep.

Vlad sighed, running his hand through his hair. He knew that he needed to keep a watch over Lovino, but his own bed was calling him. His eyes drifted towards the loveseat, and he had a plan.

He went to his bedroom and grabbed his comforter, then went to the hall closet to grab a spare blanket. His friends had warned him that there was a chance they might decide to spend the night, and so they had each contributed to get their own blankets and pillows at Vlad's house.

Vlad had to smile at Lovino's blanket. It had a cartoon tomato giving a thumbs-up, with a bunch of smaller tomatoes in the background. He had decided not to comment on it, knowing that Lovino would be defensive and wouldn't be upfront about it. But it just showed Lovino's soft side, which other people tended to ignore.

Vlad returned to the living room and draped the tomato blanket over Lovino, before taking his comforter and lying down on the loveseat. It didn't take long before he followed his friend into dreamland.

Vlad was jolted awake by a jaunty tune being played. He glanced towards Lovino, realising it was the latter's phone, which was still in his pocket.

Vlad hesitated for a moment, but seeing that his friend wasn't waking up, he quickly made his way to the other, pulling the blanket away and searching his pockets.

He noticed that Lovino and his blanket were both completely soaked, and Lovino was paler than before, except for his cheeks, which were flushed. Fishing the phone out of his pocket, Vlad quickly glanced at the screen, seeing 'Nonno' as the caller-ID, and answering while he placed his hand against Lovino's forehead.

"Where the hell are you?" Romulus Vargas's voice rang out, and Vlad winced at the sound.

"Um, this is Vlad," Vlad said. "I'm a friend of Lovino's. I just moved here."

He heard a sigh on the other end.

"Sorry about that," Romulus said. "Is Lovi nearby?"

"He's passed out on my couch," Vlad said. "He came to check up on me because I'm sick, but it looks like he's sick as well. He's got a fever, and it doesn't look like he's waking up anytime soon."

"Where do you live?" Romulus asked, sounding worried.

"Sixteen Rose Drive," Vlad said.

"Alright, I'll be there soon. Thanks."

"No problem."

After Romulus hung up, Vlad turned to Lovino. He placed the phone on the coffee table before going to the kitchen to get a cold compress. After returning and placing it on Lovino's forehead, Vlad went to get his own phone, calling Feliks.

"Like, what's up?" Feliks asked on the other end.

"Stay home tomorrow," Vlad said. "Lovino's sick as well, and will most likely stay at home tomorrow too. I don't want you to be alone with them."

Feliks was silent on the other end.

"Thanks for telling me," Feliks said. "Like, yeah. I guess it wouldn't be fun without the rest of you like there. You guys should totally feel better, alright?"

Vlad hung up soon after, returning to the living room. And now he had to wait.

This week was my graduation ceremony. I officially have a college degree now, and now I'm doing my honours. If any francophones would like to help me, I'd appreciate it (I'm doing the French honours).