Thanks to Zaaze, Time Turner, Atzuyi, ScandinavianTrash, Under Celestial Stars and Mehloveshorror for reviewing.

And just in case there's confusion, I update once a week with a few chapters in backlog. The reason I do this is because I have a tendency to change things, especially in the first few chapters. I've starter rewriting my Canmania after four chapters, I've lost count on how many times I've restarted the CanadaXWorld, and many other stories. They're usually safe after ten chapters, which is why I wait until then to start posting. So, weekly updates with prewritten chapters. Otherwise, who knows how long you'd be waiting for a chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 13

Lovino gasped when he opened his eyes again. It was as though he was forbidden from having a single night's sleep without being haunted by memories of what happened in the three months the vampires had him in their clutches. He wondered if he would ever be able to move past it.

His first instinct was to seek out Vlad, but after a moment he realised that he was in Vlad's room, and Vlad wasn't there.

He didn't realise how much he depended on Vlad to be able to go to sleep, but now the thought of sleeping without Vlad's help seemed impossible.

He sat up in the bed, trying to summon the wings, using the fear provoked by the dream. When he felt the familiar weight on his back he sighed, trying to wrap them around his body.

With his wings wrapped around him, he lay back and went to sleep, hoping that this time he could sleep peacefully.

…

Lukas and Mathias were standing in front of the house where Lukas could sense his magic's trace, along with Emil, Berwald and Tino.

"Is this the place?" Mathias asked.

"Ja," Lukas said. "I can sense him."

"Were you really not going to share?" Tino asked. "I mean, if his blood smells that delicious, then shouldn't we all get a piece of it?"

"Let's not focus on the human," Lukas said, looking around. "I'm more concerned about that other vampire. He was holding back, and I want to know why."

"That can't be the only reason," Emil said.

"You're right," Mathias said. "We really want that other vampire that was with the human. He sure as hell wasn't recently sired. He claims to be older than me, in fact. And he humiliated us."

"He was also rude," Lukas said. "He didn't even introduce himself. And he was pretty powerful. If we could have that power…"

"Oh, so we're going to kill him to get his strength?" Tino asked. "Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Ja," Berwald said. "So, where is he?"

"He should be around here," Lukas said, looking around again. "You don't just abandon a human once you become interested in him. Especially if there are other vampires interested in the same human."

"So, he'll come," Mathias said. "In fact, he could be around here somewhere."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Emil asked. "Let's look for him."

"He might be in one of these abandoned houses," Lukas said. "This would be a good place to start."

"And once we find him," Mathias said, "we kill him."

…

Feliks had fallen asleep, but Vlad was still wide awake, listening to everything around him. He had heard the vampires clearly, and also what they intended to do.

He was angry with himself for forgetting about the magic trace, but it couldn't be helped. The damage was done.

Besides, the vampires seemed more obsessed with finding and killing him than with Lars and his family. That was good. The Nephilim weren't in danger.

Yet.

And as for the threat towards him…

"Good luck with that," Vlad muttered.

He knew full well that there was no way for the vampires to kill him. He had tried. For nine thousand years, he had tried. But there were only a handful of beings that could kill him.

And all of them enjoyed his pain too much to want to relieve him of his misery.

Vlad glanced towards Feliks, knowing that the phoenix would be able to handle himself if the vampires arrived. In fact, the vampires would get a nasty surprise if they tried to harm the firebird.

Vlad stood from his spot, moving towards the door. He needed to put some distance between him and the vampires. He couldn't fight to kill, and there were no angels of death nearby to take the pressure off of him. And he would still need to put distance between him and Feliks if the other became a wildfire, killing anything in his path. It was also risky, not because he could be hurt, but because his presence might alert something.

Vlad cautiously left the house, making his way to the roof. He noticed that none of the vampires thought to look up. It might buy him some time.

He summoned his wings, before taking flight. Some time alone in the air might do him good.

He could still see what was happening beneath him, but none of them would notice him. They wouldn't look for him in the sky.

As he hovered, he sensed a presence behind him, and he turned to see an old, familiar face.

"Heracles," Vlad greeted. He saw the state of the other's wings. "What happened?"

Heracles sighed, before he looked towards his black wings.

"I was dragged," Heracles explained.

Vlad nodded. While other creatures only saw fallen angels, they could be divided into three groups: fallen, dragged or pushed. Fallen angels were the ones that fell because of their own choices. Dragged angels were usually because of demons that pulled them down. And pushed angels were betrayed by fellow angels.

"Who?" Vlad asked.

"Natalya," Heracles said.

Vlad felt a chill go down his spine. Oh yes, he knew Natalya well. She was the sister of the demon that had ruined his life. And she had done something similar to Heracles.

"I heard you're taking care of Nephilim again," Heracles said.

"Da," Vlad said.

"Do you think it's possible for me to just look? I… I want to find him or her. My heartwing. My hope. I heard it's still possible for us to find them."

"Da, it is."

Heracles stared at him for a moment before he gave a small smile.

"I'm glad," Heracles said.

"We have something we need to deal with," Vlad said. "Afterwards… I hope you realise that there's a chance that they're not around."

Heracles swallowed nervously.

"I realise," Heracles said. "But you can understand why I would want to see for myself."

"Da, I do."

Heracles nodded.

"Could you perhaps tell me where they are, so that I can see for myself?" Heracles asked.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. There's a chance you'll lose control if you don't find what you're looking for. If you'll wait for me to finish, I'll be able to take you. But I can't leave them in your presence without supervision."

Heracles bowed his head.

"I understand," Heracles said. "I've been very angry lately. It's not like me. Do you get angry so often?"

"It's normal," Vlad said. "You feel cheated, and that the rest of the universe needs to repent for what happened to you. And when you don't feel angry, you feel sad. Sad that something like this could happen."

"Exactly. I… I'm sorry about the way I acted all those years ago. I… I understand now."

Vlad smiled softly, before looking towards the east.

"The sun will rise in an hour," Vlad said. "I need to go back to my shelter."

"I don't know how you do it," Heracles said. "I think it would drive me insane, existing only in the darkness of night, never being able to enjoy light again."

Vlad smiled sadly.

"Da, it's torture," he said. "But it will hopefully end soon. The price I demanded from the angels for this task is for that part of the curse to be lifted."

"Then I hope you succeed. I will see you soon, Vlad."

"Da. I'll see you soon."

…

Emil had entered one of the abandoned houses, only to step back immediately. He smelt fire, brimstone and smoke.

He gagged, his instincts alerting him to leave, but he was curious. He couldn't hear the sound of anything burning, so what caused it?

He swallowed, before stepping into the house again. He searched around, before spotting a figure lying in the corner on old pillows, fast asleep.

The Icelandic vampire knew that it wasn't a human. He had been around long enough to know that vampires and humans weren't the only creatures with above-average intelligence. And while none of the creatures fed on vampires, there were still those that were dangerous.

He would say that this one was.

A part of him was curious about what this creature was, but another part of him told him to get far away as soon as possible. A creature of flame wouldn't be good for him. He had met a lava creature when he was still living in Iceland. It was an experience he didn't want to repeat.

He noticed that the creature, which resembled a young man, didn't wake up, in spite of breathing. That was strange. He should have woken up as soon as he smelled Emil.

Deciding that he wouldn't test his luck, he turned to leave again, before he caught another scent. It smelled like a vampire, but instead of being a dead scent, it was alive.

He froze. That should be impossible, but if it was the vampire that Lukas and Mathias was after…

Well, his curiosity was officially piqued.

He tensed when he sensed time running short. He had about an hour before the sun rose, and he would prefer not to be around that fire creature.

So Emil left, knowing that he would need to alert the other four.

…

Vlad sighed when he touched down, walking into the house he and Feliks had claimed. He froze, however, when he smelled another vampire's scent.

It was faint, which meant that the vampire was no longer there. But their shelter had still received an intruder.

He looked towards Feliks, who was still asleep, and judging by the lack of scorch marks, there had been no fight. So the vampire had been there and must have smelled Feliks's scent, which spelled danger for vampires.

Any minor vampire wouldn't have figured out the danger, but someone like the Nordics would have. And the Nordics were the biggest threats at the moment.

He needed to keep them away from Lars and his siblings.

Luckily, they wouldn't be able to do anything during the day, so Feliks could simply try to convince them before the sun set again. And Vlad knew how important it was now.

He was the Nordics' target, and they knew that he was interested in Lars. So they would use the Dutchman – and possibly his siblings – to get to Vlad.

They needed to get out of there before they had the chance.

…

Michelle wandered around Feliks's home, mindful of the Nephilim sleeping in some of the rooms. She knew that Vlad had a soft spot for them, but why would he be teaching them again, especially if he only woke up a few days ago?

She knew about the vampire threat, but she didn't really think much about them. They were outside her domain, and she herself wasn't considered food to them.

But Vlad wouldn't immediately go for the Nephilim, so why…?

And it was clear that they didn't know much about the supernatural world. She had told them a decent amount, but had to keep repeating the basics. It was exhausting.

She would have to wait for Feliks and Vlad to come back in order to ask what was going on.

…

Feliks yawned and stretched when he woke up. The sun had risen a few hours ago, and he was fully rested and ready for the day.

When he spotted Vlad, however, he had to cock his head to the side.

"Like, what's wrong?" Feliks asked.

"One of the Nordics was here last night," Vlad said. "He at least knew not to wake you. I went out for a while."

"Like, to do what?"

"Just gain some distance. They're looking for me, and if you and the Nephilim come in the crossfire…"

"Like, why would they even go after you? You're not prey to them."

Vlad sighed.

"Feliks, there's something you need to know about vampires," Vlad said. "They can get stronger by defeating and killing another vampire who is just as strong, or even stronger, than them."

"And they totally classified you as that."

"Da. So now, they want to defeat me to claim my power."

"Like, good luck with that."

Vlad chuckled.

"The problem is, I fear they might use the Nephilim against me."

"You're totally worried about them, and not yourself."

"Da. Feliks, I need you to try to convince them again. Before nightfall, please."

"Like, I'll see what I can do. But the older brother is totally a killjoy."

"He has his reasons."

"Like, I still don't like him."

"I know, Feliks. I know…"

They were silent for a few moments.

"Vlad?" Feliks prompted. "Like, why are you even doing this? Like, since when do you want to make angels happy?"

Vlad sighed.

"I was offered the promise to be able to walk in the sun again," Vlad said. "Well, the original offer was that I'm 'forgiven', but…"

"You're totally not the one at fault," Feliks finished. "But, like, why sunlight?"

"Think of it this way: how would you feel if you could no longer fly? That a world to which you used to belong is completely inaccessible to you? I was a creature of light and life. Now I'm condemned to this world of darkness and death."

Feliks looked down.

"Like, I understand," Feliks said. He stood. "Like, I'll go see if I can talk to them."

Vlad nodded, and Feliks left.

Feliks only had to walk about three houses before he arrived at the house of the Nephilim. He took a deep breath, before knocking.

He waited for a while, before the door opened. To Feliks's annoyance, the one that opened the door was none other than Lars.

"We're not interested," Lars said.

"Like, you mean you're not interested," Feliks said. "Where are Bella and Henri?"

"It's none of your business," Lars said.

Feliks narrowed his eyes.

"Like, you need to come with us," Feliks said. "You're safe with us. Like, you've got five vampires interested in you."

"Then I'll fight them off," Lars said.

"Like, these aren't the newbies you're used to. These are Vikings. They were brutal when they were alive, and they're even worse as vampires."

Lars began to close the door, and Feliks tried one more thing.

"If you don't want to protect yourself, then do it for your siblings."

Lars paused, before he glared down at Feliks.

"We were fine before you came along, and we'll be fine without you," Lars said, before he closed the door in Feliks's face.

The phoenix sighed, before he summoned his wings and took to the sky. He figured that Henri and Bella were still in high school. So he would just need to find them there.

And what better way than a bird's eye view?

…

Lovino was sitting at the breakfast table, dark rings around his eyes. He couldn't sleep at all, his nightmares unrelenting.

"Whoa," Alfred said as he entered the kitchen. "What's up with you?"

Lovino's only response was to shoot the middle finger, and Alfred rolled his eyes.

"I'm assuming you'll want coffee," Alfred said. "I'll make it as strong as possible."

"Great," Lovino said. "You can finally make yourself useful."

Alfred just chuckled.

"You know, I missed it," Alfred said. "Your grumpy attitude, your sarcasm…"

"The tiny amount of sleep I've got isn't enough for this shit," Lovino said. "So shut up."

"So, why didn't you get enough sleep?"

"If you can't figure it out, then it's not worth explaining."

Alfred shrugged, continuing with the coffee.

Just then, a girl that Lovino had never seen before entered. Lovino stared at her, before turning to Alfred.

"Who's she?" he asked.

"Bonjour," she said, and Lovino tensed. "I'm Michelle. I'm an old friend of Vlad's. I didn't see you last night."

"Michelle's a mermaid," Alfred said. "Dude, you missed a lot. She told us a lot of things about the supernatural world."

Alfred placed the cup of coffee in front of Lovino, who gulped it down. Both Michelle and Alfred stared at him in surprise.

"I'm out of here," Lovino said, and he made a hasty retreat, just as Matthew entered the kitchen.

Matthew stared at Lovino, before turning to Alfred.

"What happened?" Matthew asked.

"Don't know," Alfred said.

"I wonder if it's me," Michelle said, looking worried.

Matthew's eyes widened, and he suddenly understood.

"It's the French," Matthew said. "One of the vampires that kidnapped Lovino was French. He asked me not to speak it."

"He was kidnapped by vampires?" Michelle asked, cocking her head. "Which vampires, exactly?"

"Don't know what they call themselves," Alfred said. "One's French, another's Spanish and the other is a German albino."

"The Bad Touch Trio?!" she asked, horrified.

"You know them?" Alfred asked.

"O-oui. They… they have a way of traumatising their victims."

"How?" Matthew asked.

"I don't think it's my place to say," Michelle said. "Just know that he has probably suffered at the hands of three of the cruellest vampires in the world."

The two brothers exchanged a glance, before their gazes shifted towards where Lovino had disappeared.

…

Vlad was sitting in the living room of the abandoned house they were residing in, glaring at the window. The curtains had been removed, and the sun was streaming in.

Vlad stuck out his hand, but quickly retracted it when the sunlight burned him.

He hoped the angels kept their end of the bargain. He couldn't wait to feel the sun again without it burning him. He wanted to feel the warmth comforting him, and not threatening to destroy him.

His thoughts wandered to the Nephilim, and in particular Lovino. Did the other manage to sleep without him to chase away his nightmares? Were they all safe?

Vlad shook his head. It wouldn't help to dwell on those thoughts at the present time. They currently had three Nephilim to convince and five powerful and ruthless vampires to keep away. If the Nephilim in Feliks's house were in danger, then someone else would try to protect them.

For now, Vlad had other things to focus on.

There are two Dutch exchange students in my French class, and one of them brought drops (salmiakki) yesterday for the Netherlands's liberty day (well, she was speaking French when she explained. I think that's what it's called). Asides from biltong, South Africans generally have more of a sweet tooth. She brought a bag for the lecturer and another for the rest of us, and our lecturer apologised for not liking it. Many of the others apologised as well. I got the other bag, since there are a few of my relatives that like it (we occasionally have it in South Africa, but it's rare). And earlier the week we had a discussion about niknaks and how it's one of the things South Africans miss the most while abroad.