A/N: chapter 9, finally. just a quicky, when Kiku and Yao are talking and thier words and italicized, it means that they are speaking in Chinese! now on with the show!

Chapter 9

Arthur sighed for nearly the millionth time that day. He was overly stressed and hadn't meditated in a few days. He was overly irritable because of this and he felt like ripping heads off. And it didn't help that he had two annoying Asians in the truck with him. Yao was no help at all and just added to all the stress that was building. And then there was Kiku…

Arthur groaned and nearly banged his head against the steering wheel just thinking about the Japanese in the back seat. That boy had been the source of said stress. He was annoying and constantly asking questions and he NEVER minded his own business… Arthur was suddenly very grateful that he was male and could never have children. He would never have to deal with teenagers again.

"What's wrong with you?" Kiku asked, looking at Arthur through the rear-view mirror.

"You," Arthur said simply, glaring at the boy. "You are very lucky that we're on a long, straight rode with no cliffs."

"Why's that?" Kiku asked, blowing a large bubble with his gum and making it pop loudly. It made Arthur flinch.

"Because I would have driven us off the road if there had been," Arthur said, fighting with himself to keep his cool.

"You need to chill," Kiku said, oblivious to that fact that Arthur was trying to keep from strangling the boy. "When was the last time you got laid anyway?"

"One, that's none of your business," Arthur said, gripping the wheel so tightly that his knuckles went white. "Second, you're too young to be asking those kinds of questions."

"I'm 16, dumbass," Kiku said, glaring at the Brit. "And I'm mature enough to know."

"No, you're not," Arthur said, teetering on the edge of insanity.

"Yao says that I am," Kiku retorted, just wanting to see Arthur riled up.

"Yao is sleeping," Arthur said, sparing a glance at the Asian sleeping next to him in the passenger's seat.

"Then we can wake him," Kiku said, leaning forward to wake his brother.

"You wake him and I will dig out your insides with a rusty spoon," Arthur said, glaring at the boy. "It's a very slow and painful death."

"Alrighty then," Kiku said with a smirk. "I still think you need to take a HUGE chill pill."

Arthur slammed on the brakes so hard that it sent both men flying forward. Yao slammed into the dashboard, coughing and sputtering and quickly undoing the seatbelt that was choking him. Kiku was sent flying to the floor of the car, muttering colorful curses and swears. Arthur stormed out of the car and jumped into the back of the truck. He pulled his Sais out of their case and darted off into the corn field they were next to.

"The fuck was that?" Yao asked in Chinese, looking around for the blonde menace.

"That fucking bastard…" Kiku responded, grabbing the seat in front of him and hauling himself into a sitting position. "He could have at least warned us…"

"I don't think he knows the meaning of the word warning…." Yao said, looking out the window, trying to see the blond assassin. "What did you say to him?"

"Nothing!" Kiku said, putting up his hands in a surrender position. "All I said was that he looked stressed and he should chill out!"

"We'll talk about your lying later," Yao said, glaring at his brother. "Right now, we're stranded in the middle of nowhere. How do we get out of this?"

"I don't think we have to worry about that…" Kiku said, pointing outside the window.

Arthur was coming back, Sais in one hand and several stalks of corn in the other. He looked at the two brothers and then held up the corn a little.

"Dinner," Arthur said with a straight face. He threw the corn and his blades into the back of the truck. He then got into the driver's seat and sighed. "Buckle up, both of you."

"Can I drive?" Kiku asked, leaning forward into the front seat.

"No," Arthur said, putting a hand on the Japanese's head and pushing his back. "Put your seat belt on."

"You seem more mellow," Yao said as Kiku buckled his seat belt and Arthur drove off. "What did you go and do?"

"Stress relief," Arthur said simply, keeping his eyes glued to the road. "The warrior's way."

"Ah," Yao said, leaning his head on the window again and yawning. "That explains the corn…"

~*Later that Day*~

Arthur stifled a yawn as he drove on that same long expanse of country road. That was one thing that he hated about where Francis's winter home was. It was way too damn far away… But it was always a nice retreat for the young couple and Arthur loved the smell of the country.

Arthur looked at his two companions and stifled a smile. Yao was still sleeping, a little bit of drool dribbling down his chin. Kiku was looking out the window, blowing bubbles in his gum again. He looked over at Arthur and smiled a defiant smile before resting his head on his hand and looking out the window again. Arthur just sighed and looked back at the road.

"I'm a soccer mom," Arthur said to no one in particular.

"So, you um—" Kiku started, cutting himself off before deciding to go a different route with his question. "You really kill people for a living?"

"Yeah," Arthur said after a slight pause and a sigh.

"Why?" Kiku asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Curiosity killed the cat you know," Arthur said, looking at Kiku through the rear view mirror.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not a cat," Kiku said with a smirk. "So, why?"

Arthur sighed and debated telling Kiku or not. He could easily avoid the question and not answer. But that would lead to Kiku being annoying and bothersome again. Contrary wise, if he did answer, that could lead to even more questions. Arthur was in a tight spot. He had to admit, the kid was good…

"It's what I'm good at," Arthur said bluntly.

"That's messed up," Kiku said in a tone that sounded like he was talking to a kid half his age when Arthur was in fact twice as old as him.

"Yeah," Arthur said simply, focusing his mind on driving instead of answering Kiku's questions.

Several hours later, Arthur could finally see Francis's vineyards coming into view. He smiled as the familiar smell of the country came wafting into the truck. Arthur knew that the vineyards had a mesmerizing effect on him. The smell and the sight was enough to put him into a trance. Even Kiku was quiet, caught up in the awe of the property.

"This is where your fiancé lives?" Kiku asked, his voice small, almost as if he was afraid of breaking whatever spell they were put under.

"Yeah," Arthur said, tears stinging the corners of his eyes. He quickly wiped them away, not wanting anyone to see him crying. "Kiku, wake up your brother."

"Alright," Kiku said, fighting to tear his eyes away from the sight to look at his brother. He shook yao awake none too gently. "Aniki, we're here."

"Huh, who, what?" Yao sputtered, jolting up and looking around, just as Arthur parked the car.

"We're here," Kiku said again, looking out the windows.

Arthur stepped out of the truck and looked up at the Victorian home, feeling instantly calm and peaceful. It was a familiar setting and he knew that things would be alright now. His good feelings tripled when he saw Francis walk out of the house and start down the small hill to where they were.

Arthur didn't let Francis finish his walk. The Brit ran over, throwing his arms around his lover's neck and tackle-hugged Francis as tightly as possible. The Frenchie stumbled back a little, but kept his balance and hugged his fiancé back, gently running a hand through the Brit's golden locks. Arthur buried his face into Francis's shoulder, breathing in his lover's sent deeply. Being back in Francis's arms was something that put Arthur immediately at ease.

"I missed you, mon amour," Francis whispered, rubbing small circles into Arthur's back.

"Me too, you git," Arthur said, chuckling slightly. He held Francis tighter, frightened that this was all a big dream and that he would wake up and still be on that island. "Me too…"

"Don't worry, mon cher, I'm not going anywhere," Francis said with a pleasant smile. He pulled away slightly to kiss Arthur's nose, making the blond giggle.

"I'm sorry to drag you into this, Francis," Arthur said, taking a step back. He could feel the brother's eyes boring holes into his back.

"Me too," Francis said with a chuckle.

"It's so sweet. Don't you think so, Aniki?" Kiku asked, looking up at his older brother with a sparkle in his eyes.

"I think I want to wretch," Yao replied, holding his stomach and covering his mouth with his other hand. Kiku just rolled his eyes and walked over to Arthur and Francis.

"Hi, I'm Kiku," Kiku said with a smile, shaking Francis's hand.

"Bonjour, Kiku. I'm… wondering what you're doing here." Francis said with a small smile and a chuckle. "There's plenty of room in the house. Help yourselves to whatever you need. Oh, and, don't bother Roderich, please, he just found out some terrible news."

"Cool, thanks," Kiku said with a smile before starting his walk up to the house, Yao close behind him.

"What was the news about?" Arthur asked, turning to look straight into Francis's crystal blue eyes. "Was it about Gilbert?"

"Oui, mon amour," Francis said with a sad sigh. "Gilbert is no longer with us."

"My God," Arthur gasped, taking deep breaths to steady himself. "Did the Hand find out? Did they kill him?"

"We don't know," Francis said, pulling Arthur into a tight hug. "All we know is that he is dead. The authorities say it was suicide… He left a note for Roderich."

"My God…" Arthur said again, his breath unsteady. He never particularly licked Gilbert, but the Prussian was an expert spy and had been on the inside of the Hand for years. Arthur knew that part of the reason that the assassins sent by the Hand were so weak was because Gilbert had a hand in it. But now they lost the only contact they had to the Hand…

"Come, mon amour, let's go inside," Francis said, wrapping an arm around Arthur's shoulder and leading him indoors. "I'll make you some tea, alright?"

"Alright," Arthur said, clinging to Francis. He leaned heavily on his lover, his mind reeling over all the new information. Arthur could tell that things just got ten times worse.

As they got closer to the house, a pleasant sound came from inside. It was calm and comforting to the frazzled Brittan. And he knew only one person who could play the piano like that…

Arthur walked in and immediately looked into the living room. Roderich sat at the grand piano and played, his eyes closed. Kiku was sitting on the couch, completely mesmerized. Arthur closed his eyes and calmed down sighing softly. Francis also seemed to relax more as they listened to the beautiful music.

"Chopin, am I right?" Arthur asked when Roderich finished.

"Yes," Roderich said, clearly fighting back tears. "I was his favorite…"

"Who?" Kiku asked, knowing that something was obviously wrong.

"I'll tell you later," Francis said as he sat on one side of Roderich and Arthur on the other. Both Europeans hugged the Austrian, whispering soothing words and comforting their hurt friend.

"Come on, aru," Yao whispered, pulling Kiku up and out of the room. "Let's not disturb them,aru."

"You haven't said aru in a while, Aniki," Kiku said, a soft smile on his face. "Does this mean things are getting better?"

"Yes, much better, aru" Yao said with a smile, ruffling his brother's hair.

"So, the reluctant assassin," Roderich said with a smirk as he sipped his tea. Arthur glared at him form over his tea cup.

"You want to pull the trigger or should I do it?" Francis asked seriously, pressing the end of the barrel of his pistol under his jaw. Arthur just rolled his eyes. Francis sighed and put the gun and his tea down and gently took one of Arthur's hands. "Oh, Mon cher, you're crashing on me, baby. I said that you would crash and you are crashing."

"I just want to get them somewhere safe, give them a chance," Arthur said, putting his cup down.

"They're already dead," Roderich said bluntly. "They have no chance. Don't go down with them."

Arthur sighed and leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs and lowering his head. He hated being put in this situation. He had a gut feeling that was saying to him to help the brothers. But his mind was telling him to leave well enough alone. When he was with Germania, he was always told to follow his instinct, not his head. So when he follows his instinct, his mind tells him to do the opposite. Now, he knows that he really should listen to his mind and get out of there. Even his friends were telling him to listen to his mind. But he couldn't get rid of this nagging feeling that those Asians weren't telling him everything and he wanted to know what they were hiding.

Arthur picked up his head and looked at his two friends with sadness in his eyes. "I'll need passports," Arthur said simply. "I'll need plane tickets."

"Sure," Francis said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'll even throw in some season tickets to the Lakers."

"Francis," Arthur said, his voice nearly pleading. "Please, I know that you always humor me, so just do it one last time."

"I don't want to see you throw your life away for the sake of some brat and his guardian," Francis said, staring right into Arthur's emerald orbs. "Don't do this, Arthur, please."

"I have to," Arthur said, unaware of a pair of brown eyes watching him. "There's something they aren't telling us and I intend to find out what it is. I think it's the reason the Hand is after them."

"I hope you know what you're doing, Arthur," Roderich said, sympathy in his eyes. "I really do."

"So do I," Arthur said with a sigh and a small chuckle.

"Mon amour, why don't you go to bed early, you look like you need rest," Francis said, rubbing Arthur's back a little.

"That sounds like a very good idea," Arthur said, standing up. "Good night, gentlemen, I will see you in the morning."

"Good night," the two said as Arthur climbed the stairs. Kiku sighed inwardly and walked off from his hiding place.

Francis sighed and looked out the window. He saw an eagle perched on one of the fence posts, just sitting there. Roderich seemed to have noticed it as well and drew the curtains, blocking the view of the bird.

yes, i know, i killed Gilbert... but it's nessessary, i assure you!

anyway, nearly ten pages and one and a half scenes in the movie later, chapter 9 is done. i'll call it a day here.

Reviews are a wonderful thing.