Here we go! That's all I'll say besides enjoy!

Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya!

Chapter Five : Danger!

The whomp, whomp, whomp of the helicopter blades sounded over their heads as they flew over the landscape to their destination. Someone had taken a tumble in an inaccessible area so it was up to the rescue helicopter to get to them and take them to the nearest hospital. Matthew looked over the shoulders of both pilots as they whirled their way to the rescue.

"So, Ivan," he said, over the sound of the blades. "Have you and Yao set the date yet?"

"Nyet," Ivan replied. "But we are thinking before Li Xiao goes to college so he can be there and the rest of Yao's family can join us for the wedding."

"What about your family?" Aleksander asked while keeping his eye on where they were going. "You mentioned your father and an older sister, will they be coming?" Ivan just stared straight ahead.

"Nyet," he replied. "They won't be able to make it." It made Ivan a little sad that his older sister and even his father would not be able to be there at his wedding. Maybe, at some point, they would be able to have a second ceremony that his family could attend but something radical would have to happen where Natalya was concerned first.

Aleks gave a quick glance at Matthew. There was something going on with Ivan's family, they were both picking up on that. He rarely spoke of his family and he only ever mentioned his sister, Katyusha and, on occasion, his father. And, if they had not picked a date, how did Ivan know his family would not be able to come?

There was more to this than Ivan was letting on but it was clear that he was not going to divulge his family secrets any time soon and they did not feel they could confront him about it, assuming there was anything to confront. It could be that Ivan had had a painful falling out with his family, in which case, it was none of their business.

All talking stopped as they came into view of the accident scene and they concentrated on the task at hand.

Natalya sat in the nondescript car, watching the Rescue Station at a distance as the helicopter returned and landed. The blades slowed to a halt and the crew departed, giving the helicopter the once over while ground crew began to refuel it for the next emergency. Natalya's eyes immediately went to the tall figure of Ivan as he checked the tail rotor. She smiled after not seeing him for so long and soon they would become one. She just had to find out who this Yao was and deal with him.

She hung around until Ivan left and she followed his car as Ivan drove home, unaware that his stalker sister was on his tail. She followed him for five minutes before he pulled into the drive of a one-level house and she waited for him to go in before she got out of her car and made her way to the window and peered inside. She could see a Chinese man sat in a chair, seemingly reading a book without looking at it, running his fingers across the pages and then it clicked. He was reading Braille! The man was blind!

Ivan came into the room and the Chinese man's head turned in Ivan's direction. Ivan went up to the man and lightly kissed him in greet and Natalya realised that this was Yao and she growled her jealously of his affection for the man she considered to be hers. How dare that …. that ….. blind man think he could take Ivan from her! She would make him pay! Ivan was hers!

Then she heard footsteps coming toward the house and hid. Another Chinese person came into view, a teenager this time and he went through the front door calling, "I'm, like, home!"

'That must be Li Xiao,' Natalya thought. 'He could be useful to deal with Ivan's soul mate. I'll keep an eye on him. In the meantime, I better deal with that little matter!' With one last look at the house, she went back to her car and then to her motel to make plans.

Sergei had a monumental task ahead of him. Natalya had arrived but she would not be easy to find so he began looking for this Ivan Antonov, knowing that she would turn up around him sooner or later but Natalya had tried to wipe her search history. Eduard had managed to recover some but not all and Ivan Antonov's address was missing so Sergei had to find him but Norway had a lot of people to search through.

This was going to take time.

Yao may have been blind but he had something of a sixth sense about some things and, right now, he could sense that he was being watched and had sensed it for the past few weeks. It happened a lot when he first went to Alaska and then in Canada as he dressed in traditional Chinese attire which was eye-catching to others in a different country but, once the novelty wore off and people became used to it, the sensation of being stared at disappeared. This was not disappearing and Yao could feel someone's undivided attention aimed at him.

"Is someone staring at us, aru?" he asked Vladimir as they sat in their usual coffee shop. Vlad look around at the other customers in the shop but no one seemed to be staring them or even looking quickly away when he looked their way. Everyone else seemed to be involved in their own business and paying no attention to the Chinese man and the Romanian. A movement caught his eye and he looked toward the window but there was no one there looking in. just people walking past, going along their way.

"I can't see anyone," he replied. "Why?"

"I'm not sure," Yao said. "I just get the feeling that someone's watching me, aru." Vlad frowned.

"Why would someone bother doing that, Yao?" he asked. "You don't have an enemy in the world." Yao became silent and Vlad frowned again, wondering whether he was wrong about that. They knew next to nothing about Ivan, Yao and Li Xiao before they came to Canada but a family issue had been mentioned. Vlad wondered if it was something to do with that.

"Can we leave, aru?" Yao asked. He did not look at all comfortable so Vlad stood.

"Okay," he said and Yao stood and he and Vlad left the coffee shop.

Natalya peered at the two men through the window of the coffee shop, her gaze firmly on her rival. She had been watching him for some time now while she waited for her work visa to be approved but she did not anticipate any problems with that. She was a fully-qualified pilot of both planes and helicopters and, in a country as vast as Canada, piloting skills would be welcome.

When she first saw Yao with Vlad, she wondered if the Chinese man was cheating on her brother which made her seethe with anger at the idea that anyone would do that to Ivan but, even to her unstable gaze, it was obvious that the two were never more than just friends which was a pity. She might have been able to use that against Yao. She even saw Yao and Ivan together, sometimes with Li Xiao and it sickened her how loving they were with each other. Ivan was hers and she would make sure that both Yao and Ivan knew it.

She saw Yao ask Vlad something and Vlad looked up and gaze around the shop and she hid, not wanting him to see her staring and tell Yao whom she had no doubt had been told what she looked like and would tell Ivan. She was not ready to reveal herself just yet.

The two men got up from their chairs and Natalya ran for her car, staring at them from the driver's seat,e specially at Yao. She could see nothing special about him that she could not surpass (in her own mind) and she grew angry at Yao for stealing Ivan from her, angry at Ivan for allowing himself to be stolen and angry at fate for trying to pull Ivan and her apart but her particular hatred settled on Yao. If he was out of the picture …...

She saw Vlad put his hand on Yao's arm as they walked to the crossing on the corner and waited for the walk sign to light up and she started the car as the sign went to walk and pulled out. When they were part way across, she stepped on the accelerator and shot toward them.

Vlad heard a car start up and never thought anything of it as he and Yao began to cross the road, then he heard the car accelerate and turned to look down the road. His eyes widen as he saw a grey car coming right at them at high speed and he grabbed Yao and ran with him to escape the oncoming car.

Yao had heard the car then heard it speed up. The next thing he knew, he was seized, he guessed by Vlad, and rushed forward and then he was falling to the ground. He felt himself landed on someone but then his forehead hit something hard and then he knew nothing.

Vlad dove to get them both out of the path of the car, turning as they fell, trying to put himself in between Yao and the asphalt. The car missed them by inches and shot away while people, who were not in shock, came running to their aid.

"Are you all right, Yao?" he asked, sitting up. Yao did not answer and Vlad turned to his friend and found him unconscious. He pulled on Yao's shoulder, rolling him onto his back and found that he had not completely protected Yao. Yao's head had hit the road and blood was streaming from the head wound.

"YAO!" he yelled and turned to the crowd who had come to assist them. "Can somebody call an ambulance, please?" Someone took out their phone while Vlad tried to assist his friend, ignoring the mutterings going on around him.

We should call the police too. That was practically a hit-and-run!

That was no hit-and-run! The car drove straight at them!

What! You mean it was attempted murder!

The ambulance arrived within minutes and, after a quick examination, they took Yao to the hospital along with Vlad and, on the way, Vlad called Ivan.

Ivan was at the hospital in no time, along with Aleks and Matthew after getting another crew to cover them (they could not go out with only one pilot and no winch man), his heart was pounding at the thought of his soul mate being injured. All Vlad could tell him was there was an accident and Yao had been hurt and he raced to the hospital, to find Vlad in the A & E waiting room while the medical staff were seeing to Yao. He was sipping coffee as he waited for them.

"Vladimir!" Ivan called out and Vlad turned to look at Ivan and came toward him.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"A car almost hit us," Vlad replied. "I managed to pull Yao out of its path but he hit his head when we fell. I didn't see the driver, they drove off. I'm sorry!" Ivan shook off the apology.

"Yao could have been killed if the car had hit him," he said. "I am grateful! How is Yao?"

"The doctor's still with him," Vlad said. "He was unconscious when we were brought in. The car just came right at us." Aleks went to his soul mate's side.

"Are you all right?" he asked, putting his arms around him. Vlad nodded.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Yao took the worst but I swear I tried to brace his fall!"

"Are you all with Yao Wang?"

A doctor, holding a clipboard, had come up to them while they talked and Ivan turned to him.

"I'm his soul mate, Ivan Braginski" he said. "How is he, doctor?"

"He's still unconscious," the doctor replied. "We don't think there's any severe brain damage but we're going to give him a scan, just to be sure. Concussion is possible but we'll keep an eye on that and we would like to keep him in to be safe. Is there anything in Yao's medical history we should know?"

"Da," Ivan replied. "Yao is blind as the result of an accident some years ago. He has some damage that blocks his sight. It is considered too dangerous to repair." The doctor made notes on the clipboard.

"Thank you," he said. "I will let you know when Yao is back from his scan and please! Try not to worry!" The doctor walked away and Vladimir shook his head.

"I still don't understand what happened," he admitted. "If I didn't know better, I could have swore that the car was deliberately driven at us. Yao even felt like someone was watching him!" Ivan gave him a look and pulled out his phone, walking away for some privacy while he made an urgent call, leaving his friends looking after him in confusion.

"What's going on?" Matthew mused.

Ivan found the number for his father's private phone and called it. After what Vladimir had said, he had to know if Natalya had found out where he was and left Russia for Canada. She was the only one who would mean Yao that kind of harm and if she hit Vlad as well, to her that would be collateral damage so he had to know, not only to protect Yao but to protect his other friends and Li Xiao as well.

Dmitri Arlovsky was surprised to see his son on his phone's caller-id. Ivan had not called in nearly four years, although Dmitri knew where Ivan was and was proud of the life his son had forged for himself and his little family. He even knew about Ivan's engagement to his soul mate and he wondered why his son had broken communication silence after so long. Whatever the reason, it had to be serious. He pressed to accept the call to hear what his son had to say.

"Privet, moy sin (Hello, my son)," he greeted.

"Privet, Otets (Father)," Ivan replied. It was good to hear his father's voice again after so long but Ivan had a very important question for him. "Father, is Natalya still in Moscow?" Okay! Not what Dmitri expect Ivan to say and he did not know whether he had good or bad news for him.

"Nyet," Ivan's beating heart almost stopped at his father's reply but he took a little comfort at his next words. "We believe that she is in Oslo. She thinks you're there under the name Ivan Antonov and I've sent one of my best people to retrieve her. Why?"

"Yao was almost hit by a car today," Ivan replied. "Thanks to a friend, the car missed but Yao was still injured. The driver was not caught and Vladimir said it looked like the car was driven at them so I thought ….."

"Yes, I can imagine," Dmitri interrupted. "Everything points to Natalya being in Norway but I will contact Sergei and see what progress he has made. Take care until I contact you again. Good luck, moy sin!"

"Thank you," Ivan replied. "I'm waiting for your call. Tell Katyusha I miss her. Proshchay! (Goodbye!)."

"Proshchay, Ivan!" Dmitri said and the call ended. Dmitri scrolled through his contacts, found Sergei's number and pressed call.

Ivan put his phone away and went back to wait with his friends for the doctor to tell him he could see Yao and found the other three men staring at him. They had watched him as he spoke on the phone and, while they did not hear what was said, they knew it had not been a social call.

"Is there something wrong, Ivan," Matthew asked. Ivan had to decide if he should tell them or not, if Natalya was in Norway. If she was then she had nothing to do with what happened to Yao so he decided to wait until he heard more from his father.

"Everything is fine," Ivan replied. "I was just telling my father what happened. He was … concerned." The other men just looked at each other.

"Ivan, if there is something wrong," Aleks said. "You can tell us. We'll do what we can to help, you know." Ivan gave a small smile. This is what he had always wanted. Friends who would want to help him when he was in need and, if he needed help, he would ask.

"Of course," he replied. "And I will ask if I need help, I promise!" But the others were not ignorant of the fact that Ivan had dodged the question and there was no opportunity to call him on it as the doctor returned to tell Ivan that Yao was back and he could see him.

Natalya cursed her temper! When she saw Yao and the other one crossing the road, all she could think of was one fast drive and the one who was stealing her brother from her would be gone. Yes, she might have hit the innocent one as well but it was a small price to pay for her date with destiny. But now that she thought about it, she thought it was a stupid move. It might alert Ivan to her presence and she did not want him to know she was here just yet but, if Ivan contacted their father, he would learn that she was in Norway. As long as no one realised that she just used Oslo as a way to get to Canada.

The car would have to go! They would be looking for it as a near hit-and-run vehicle so she drove it out of town to a secluded area. She took a gas can out of the trunk and began throwing the contents over the car and inside it. When the can was empty, she threw the can into the car, stepped away and struck a match. She threw the match on to the car and the gasoline ignited, engulfing the car in fire and she walked away from the inferno.

When she was half a mile away, the car exploded.

Yao woke up the next day. He was disorientated at first as nothing was familiar and the headache did not help. Sounds, smells, even what he was lying on felt strange but there was one thing that was familiar. The feel of Ivan's hand in his and it stopped him from panicking and he squeezed Ivan's hand.

"Podsolnukh," he heard Ivan's voice say and felt Ivan's lips press against his forehead. "How are you feeling?" Yao groaned.

"My head hurts," he moaned. "And my throat is dry." Yao felt Ivan let go of his hand and then he heard the sound of running water. The sound stopped and Ivan took his hand and put a glass into it. Ivan continued to support Yao's hand as he brought it to his lips and tasted the sweet, thirst-banishing water and savoured it as it eased his dry throat.

"What happened?" Yao asked. He had realised that he was in a hospital which he was familiar with from when he had the accident that stole his sight.

"You were almost hit by a car," Ivan replied. "Vladimir pulled you out of the way but you hit your head. The doctor said there's no damage and you escaped concussion but you've been out for a full day."

"Yeah," Li Xiao's voice said. "You, like, worried us, Dàgē! (Big Brother!)." Yao held out his other hand and felt it being taken.

"Sorry, Li Xiao," he replied with a little laugh. "I'll try to avoid cars from now on."

"You could not have avoided this one," Ivan replied. "Vlad seems to think the car came straight at you. And Vlad mentioned you felt like you were being watched." Yao went still.

"Could it be Natalya?" he asked, not without a little fear.

"I called my father," Ivan replied. "Natalya is not in Moscow but Father thinks that she went to Norway, thinking that I'm there and he has someone looking for her there but I think we should be cautious for a while."

"I'm postponing college until, like, Psycho Bitch is caught," Li Xiao replied.

"Nyet!"

"Búyào!" (Don't!)" Yao and Ivan both spoke together.

"I can protect your brother," Ivan said, adamantly. "And if I feel I can't, I will get help, even send Yao back to China if I must but you will not sacrifice your education!"

"I agree!" Yao replied. "You have worked hard for your place in college, don't throw it away. It may not even be her. It maybe that someone accidentally stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake and then panicked when they almost hit us."

"My father is finding out what his subordinate has uncovered," Ivan replied. "He will call us with more information. There is no need to panic yet."

Natalya had acquired a new car and she sat in her motel room, making plans. She would continued to watch Yao and Ivan but make no more moves while she waited for the much needed work visa. It did not matter if the police found the burnt-out car, it could not be trace back to her as she had stolen it in Ottawa. With it burnt beyond recognition, there would no finger prints or forensics for the police to use.

Once the visa was approved she would make her move. It meant an innocent person being hurt but it was necessary to bring her and Ivan back together so she could live with it.

Becoming one with Ivan was all that mattered.

Who does she plan to hurt? Wait and see! ;) Now here's a question! Which personification do you think Sergei should be? I'm thinking Serbia or maybe Siberia, do you have any other suggestions?

To Normandy – Ahh! What it's like to be wanted! ;) Natalya is just going to get more and more bonkers and thank you so much for the compliments and praise! XD

Well, next week we might catch up with an old friend that will change Matthew's life and Ivan's worse nightmare comes true. D:

Till then,

Hasta la Pasta!