Uhh.. About the update...

I've been busy doing my Chinese homework...

I'll seriously try to be more active! Promise! ;A;

(Oh, and fanfiction . net was being a bitch yesterday, so I couldn't update fffff)

I do not own any characters!

Enjoy~~

"Alfred," Alice said, trying to wake him up. "Okay I get it! I'll go to sleep, just let go of me! It's too hot!" She hissed and shook the American, who was dead asleep. It didn't really work.

"...you little fucker..." The girl growled and punched Alfred in the gut, this time waking him up.

"Mmnnhhh..." He groaned, half awake now as Alice punched him even harder. "Ouch!" Alfred hissed and opened his eyes. "What are you doing?" He asked, surprised by the sudden pain in the stomach.

"Oh, I'll tell you." The girl hissed and punched him lightly on his chest. "You're holding me like I'm a fucking Care Bear! It's too hot!" Alice said and shoved herself out of Alfred's arms.

"But did you really have to wake me up like that?" He asked, massaging his stomach. "It hurts ya 'know..." He groaned.

Alice calmed down a little. "Well, I'm sorry, but you wouldn't let go." She muttered and turned around, her back facing Alfred.

Alfred blushed a bit, thinking of a good response. "We-well, you were the one who wouldn't go to sleep in the first place!" He stuttered. He was a bit embarrassed that he fell asleep while hugging Alice. "A-and-…" He trailed off. "A-anyways, just go to sleep already." He muttered and also turned around, now having both their backs facing each others.

"…Fine." Alice replied.

Soon, the two of them were sound asleep.

Alice's POV:

Where is this? Why is it so dark?

Oh, someone opened a door... I wonder if he'll let me out...

"Oi, snotty brat, hurry up and go make me some breakfast!" He shouted at me. The man had a beer-belly and smelled like alcohol.

Who is he? And why do I have to make him breakfast?

He suddenly kicked me, making me tumble onto the hard floor.

It hurt.

I tried to scream, but nothing came out off my mouth. I just sat there, staring emotionlessly into the man's eyes.

I pitied him, disgusted him.

He kicked me again, this time the blow aimed at my head. I felt a searing pain, yet I couldn't say anything. He took the bottle he was holding and smashed it on the floor. Shards of glass got into my eyes.

He stabbed me in the stomach with the smashed glass bottle.

Blood gushed out from my mouth, dripping down onto the dirty floor. I lifted my head up, looked at him, the sight a bit blurry.

I hated him, pitied him, I detested him.

Why?

He kept hitting me, kicking me. Never stopping for a single day, and the pain, it was unbearable.

And the blood, it was a never-ending ocean of red.

In the end, I could feel my consciousness slowly slip away. I just let it go. I didn't want to stay. I wanted to run away. Far, far, far away from here, some place where no one could hurt me.

I never felt so frustrated before. I wanted to fight back, but I couldn't. All I could do was to watch the little girl's soul slowly fade away with each miserable day.

I felt worthless.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Alice's POV:

"Alice!" I heard someone shout. "What's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?" The voice gradually became louder. It sounded familiar.

I slowly opened my eyes. The feeling of dried tears stained my cheeks and I could feel new ones flowing down my cheek. Sweat ran down my forehead, blending in with the salty droplets. I was shaking.

The never-ending pain was gone. My head was completely fine. I wasn't bleeding anywhere. I looked down at my stomach. It hurt, and there was a wound on it.

I sat up and curled up into a ball, hands covering my ears, and screamed.

Was the man still here? Was he going to hit me again?

"Alice!" I heard the familiar voice shout. I stopped screaming and looked at him. He was staring at me, eyes wide and full of worry.

He wasn't the man from earlier. He wasn't going to hit me. He was worried about me.

Then I remembered.

"...Alfred...?" My voice was shaky, and I was cold. I reached out my hand and touched his face, checking if it was real. He had a deep frown on his face.

The boy suddenly held me tightly in his arms, leaning his face on my shoulder.

"Calm down… It was just a nightmare…" He whispered soothingly in my ear.

"...Is he still here..?" I asked. "I-I have to run away, or else he'll hit me..." I tried to struggle out of his embrace. "Let go of me! I-I have to-" I stopped struggling. He had a tight grasp of my shoulders, staring right into my eyes.

"No one is going to hit you. You're safe now." He said with a firm voice.

I felt my heart stop.

"A-am I safe now..? Will no one hit me anymore?" I stared at the boy with wide eyes.

"…Are you going to hit me?" I asked. Alfred's frown suddenly disappeared. He had a surprised look.

"What? Hell no! Why would I do that?" He said and chuckled a bit. "Silly, no one's gonna hit you." Alfred smiled the sweetest, most reassuring smile ever.

That's when I lost it. Tears slowly flooded down my cheek. The boy embraced me again, letting me cry all I want.

At last I could let out all the frustration, all the tears I'd been holding up.

I slowly drifted away, still in the boy's arms, and into a deep slumber.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Alfred's POV:

I got woken up by Alice in the middle of the night. She was struggling and kicking in the air. First, I thought she did it to annoy me, but then I saw she was crying and sweating like crazy.

I sat up and tried to wake her up. She kept murmuring "He'll hit me again today " and "Stop".

I realized she was having a really bad nightmare.

I shook her, hard. She seemed to wake up a little. After a while her murmuring stopped. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked a few times. First she blankly stared into the ceiling. Suddenly, she looked at her stomach. Her eyes widened and she quickly curled up into a ball and started to scream.

I didn't know what to do. It's not normal to suddenly burst into a scream like that.

"Alice!" I shouted. She stopped screaming and slowly turned her head around to face me. Her eyes widened, as if she realized something.

"..Alfred..?" She said in a shaky, barely audible voice. She stared at me, and slowly reached out her hand and touched my face, as if she was checking this was reality.

I couldn't stand this anymore. She looked as if she would break any second. She looked so fragile. I pulled her into a tight hug.

I didn't want her to break. I wanted her to stay whole. I didn't want her to fall into pieces. So I held her tightly, making sure she wouldn't shatter. I rested my face on her shoulder.

"Calm down… It was just a nightmare…"I whispered in her ear, trying to calm her down. It seemed to work. But she suddenly started to struggle.

"...Is he still here..?" She asked. I looked at her, confused. "I-I have to run away, or else he'll hit me..." She said and tried to get out of my grasp.

It seemed like she really did have a bad nightmare. She couldn't even separate the difference between reality and dream. She started to panic and flail her arms, trying to get free.

"Let go of me! I-I have to-" She said before I put my hands on her shoulders, making her come face to face with me. She stopped screaming and looked at me with fear flashing in her eyes. She looked so fragile.

"No one is going to hit you. You're safe now." I said with a firm voice and looked straight into her eyes.

Her eyes went even wider. Fear slowly fainted away and was replaced by hope. Her eyes were shining with hope.

"A-am I safe now..? Will no one hit me anymore?" She said as if she couldn't believe it. But her face soon turned into an insecure frown.

"…Are you going to hit me?" she asked. I was surprised.

Me? Trying to hit Alice? Dude, I would've been dead even before I could think about it!

"What? Hell no! Why would I do that?" I said and chuckled. "Silly, no one's gonna hit you." I smiled.

If so, then I would protect her.

I saw that she was crying.

Not silently crying or anything. She was almost choking with the tears that were streaming down her face. I couldn't bear it anymore, so I just hugged her, letting her cry all she wanted. After a while, her shaky breath slowed down, and she fell asleep. I wiped away her tears using the shirt I was wearing. Her eyes were a bit swollen.

Poor girl, I couldn't imagine what her dream had been about. She must've been through a lot. I'm really glad I could help, even just a little. She looked so peaceful. And she was hugging me tightly, too.

Who's the one not wanting to let go now, huh? I chuckled. I felt the sleep catching up to me. I glanced at the clock. 03:56 am. I hope we didn't wake anyone up.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Normal POV:

Francis woke up as usual at 06:30 am. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"What a wonderful Sunday morning. I wonder how Alice and Alfred are doing..." He thought and went inside the guest room. He was surprised by what he saw.

The two of them were still sound asleep, and Alice was hugging Alfred. The girl's face was buried in the boy's chest. Alfred was hugging Alice back, leaning his cheek onto the top of her head.

Alice used Alfred's arm as a pillow. The real pillow was a bit damp because of the sweat and tears. The two of them really looked like a couple.

Francis smiled. "'Just friends', huh?" he thought and chuckled. He grabbed his camera and took a photo.

"How cute." he murmured with a smile for himself before he closed the door.

"I better go get some ingredients to the restaurant... Oh, and that breakfast I promised..." he thought and went to change. After he was done, he went outside to the market.

The autumn mornings were chilly, and the sun just rose. Leaves in shades of yellow, red, and brown were falling from practically everywhere. It was beautiful, though. The water droplets shone in the grass, making every grass-land glitter. It was just a bit foggy, and the air was fresh and clean. Not many people were up this early. Therefore, he could walk undisturbed, thinking about life and such.

Francis loved mornings like these.

Sunday morning, 11:20 am.

Alice got woken up by Alfred who was snoring really loudly. She soon realized she was hugging him, and that he was hugging her, too. A slight heat appeared on her face. She didn't bother to move away, though. It was warm and cozy. She tilted her head up and looked at Alfred's sleeping face.

"Aww..." She thought and chuckled."He sure looks peaceful." She smiled for herself.

After a while, Alice got tired of doing nothing and decided to wake Alfred up.

"Aaaalfreeed," She said and shook the big guy. Alfred was a heavy sleeper, Alice knew that. She was his roommate, after all. So she poked and slapped him lightly in the face a few times.

"Heeeeeey, you gonna wake up or what?" She asked, annoyed as she kept smacking him. This wasn't going to work. Better go with the other method...

"Alfred, you better go on a diet or something." She told him. A smug smile appeared on her lips. "You've been gaining some fat around your tummy." She dragged away the blanket and lifted up his shirt. "Look." she said and poked him on the stomach. She knew that this was his weak point; his tummy.

Alice kept poking him, talking about salads and how much fat a hamburger contained. Alfred was awake by now. He just had his eyes shut and waited for her to finish talking.

"Alfred, I know you're awake. Open your eyes already." Alice said and pinched his cheeks. "Rise and shine!" She grinned.

Alfred chuckled and opened his eyes. The morning sun hurt a bit.

"Heh, I was just waiting for you to finish your diet-talk." He said and sat up."And I'm not fat! "Can't you see its muscles?" He added with a pout. He them looked at Alice.

"Anyways, you seem pretty energetic." Alfred examined the girl carefully. Her eyes were a bit puffy and red, or else she was just perfectly normal. She stared at Alfred with confused eyes.

"Well, yeah, I slept pretty early yesterday thanks to someone." She said sarcastically. "And stop staring at me. It's getting creepy." The smaller blonde said before she jumped off the bed and stretched. Then she went to the mirror.

"Whoa!" she suddenly burst out. Alfred got off the bed and put his glasses on.

"What?"

"I look like a freak! What the fuck happened last night? I feel like shit!" She turned around and faced Alfred, who was confused. "...She didn't remember?" he thought, shocked.

"Wait, you don't remember what happened?" He asked with a frown on his face. Alice stared at Alfred for a second.

"What...? Something happened last night..?" She said before her face got red. "J-just wh-wh-what happened...?"

Alfred laughed at her reaction. "Pff..!" He managed to say before he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, seriously dude, it's nothing like that!" He laughed as he walked over to the girl and ruffled her hair. "I was just kidding."

Alice's blush started to fade away. "Oh well... Let's go get some breakfast!" Her face brightened with a smile as she walked out of the room. "Alfred! Come on, hurry!"

She noticed the American standing in the living room, looking a bit dazed.

"I was just spacing out a bit." He said when he walked into the living room. "Oh look! There's the cat."

"Yeah, you go play with him." Alice chuckled as she watched America and him wrestle around. "Francis! Is breakfast ready yet?"

Francis walked into the living room with his apron on. "Yes, yes. Come on, I just finished making and preparing." He said as he wiped his hand off on the white apron and went back inside the kitchen.

"Al, breakfast's ready. C'mon." Alice said and dragged Alfred away from the cat.

Francis had made croissants filled with chocolate, and some earl grey tea. He knew that Alice loved that flavor.

"Enjoy your meal." He smiled as watched the two of them dig in. Alice and Alfred sure enjoyed it. Alice went to wash the dishes when they finished.

"It's just a 'thanks' for letting us stay over. Don't get any ideas!" She said. Francis just chuckled and nodded.

"Alfred," he said and walked towards the American. "I have something for you." Francis walked into his room.

"What?" Alfred asked and went after him.

He was halfway there when Francis came out of his room again.

"Here," he said and held out a photo.

Alfred just looked at Francis with a confused face as he took it. "What's this- WHAT?" he shouted, surprised, at the last part and feeling his cheeks burn. "WHEN DID YOU TAKE THIS PHOTO?"

On the photo, there was Alice and Alfred, hugging each other as they were sleeping.

"Well, I just walked in to check on the two of you and you were like this." Francis pointed at the photo, which was now in Alfred's hands. "I can keep it if you don't want it."

He smirked. Alfred twitched and tucked the photo into his pocket. "No way, and delete the file from your camera!" He yelled and stomped away in embarrassment.

He didn't really like the fact that Francis had taken a photo of the two of them when they were asleep. But he thought that Alice was pretty cute when she was asleep, so he didn't rage on the Frenchman too much.

When the Alice and Alfred had changed to their normal clothes (Alice had her wig on, of course.), Francis drove them to the school dorms. They thanked him and went inside the school.

"Pheeew," Alfred sighed as he unlocked the door to their dorm. "That was one hell of a day!"

"Yeah," Alice replied and sat down on her bed, fiddling with her phone. "Anyways, I'm gonna go check on Liz. And you're coming too."

"Nah, I'm gonna sleep some more. I didn't really sleep well last night..." Alfred yawned. It wasn't really his fault. He had to wake up several times to check if Alice had any more nightmares. She didn't, though.

"No. You are coming with me. Show some gratitude! She covered up for us, even when she was sick! We owe her big time!"

"..I guess you've got a point there..." Alfred sighed and stood up, stifling a yawn. "Alright, I'm coming too."

Alice fumbled with her phone and sent a text.

[Liz, we're coming over. You OK?]

[I'm better today. I think I'll be attending the classes tomorrow. :)]

[Good. We're on our way right now.]

When they got inside the room, they clearly saw that Liz was still sick, so attending the classes was out of the question. They chatter for awhile as time flew by. When Alice and Alfred were finished, they went back to their own room.

"Alfred, we should go buy her some chicken soup or something." Alice said when she sat down on her bed.

"… Sure, sure…" He answered with a mumble. He was lying on his bed and staring at the roof. "Hey, Alice…"

"Yes?"

"Do you really not remember anything of what happened last night?"

"All I can remember is that I slept really early because of you. Seriously, you sleep way too early-"

"No, I mean... Did you have a nightmare?"

Alice frowned a little at the sudden seriousness in Alfred's voice. She stared at him for a while before she answered "No."

She actually did have a nightmare. She just didn't want to talk about it.

"...'kayo." Alfred just replied, trying to make him comfortable on his bed. "Anyways, I want to take a nap. What're you gonna do?"

"I guess I'll go and buy that chicken soup. And maybe some other necessary things for Liz…" Alice sighed and stood up. "I'll wake you up when I get back." she said and unlocked the door.

"Alright, bye," Alice waved and went outside the room.

Once she was gone, Alfred took out the photo out of his pocket and stared at it for a while, feeling a small smile grace his features.

He wanted to know her better. He liked the way she smiled when she showed happiness and how flustered and red she'd become whenever something embarrassing happened.

Alfred chuckled. "I'm really starting to become a pervert, huh?" he thought.

"Hi Al, I just forgot something." Alice suddenly was inside the room. Alfred flinched and quickly shoved the photo under the blankets.

"O-oh, hey Alice," Alfred said, slightly blushing. "What the hell was I doing?" He thought as he watched the girl search for something.

"Looking for something?" He then asked. "Need help?"

Alice was still searching. "Nah, it's just that I dropped some money." She suddenly turned around. "Maybe it accidently fell on your bed..." she said and went for Alfred's bed. He flinched as he realized she was going to lift the blanket.

"A-ah, Alice!"

Alfred, somehow, wrapped his arms around Alice and flung her across the room, and down on her own bed. It was only a one or two meter between their beds, so the fall wasn't that dangerous. But it still shocked Alice, who was lying on the -now messy- bed, and in an impossible upside-down position.

"What the fuck!" The girl exclaimed as she sat up. "Alfred, why did you do that for?" Alice asked while trying to fix the wig. It had become de-positioned when she tumbled on the bed.

"S-sorry… Uhm, here's your money!" Alfred quickly grabbed some money out of his wallet and helped Alice up. "Uh, I'll make your bed later, bye!" He said and pressed the money into the confused girl's hands and shoved her out of the room.

"Wait, what? But Alfred-"

But he'd already closed the door, letting out a heavy sigh; the American went for his bed to pick up the photo.

Ugh. What a boner killer.

ALFRED.

DID YOU GET A BONER JUST BY LOOKING AT A PICTURE OF ALICE? OHMYGOD.

Uhm. Sorry about the late updates. Lol. My guy friends are sleeping over at my house... And we LOVE watching horror movies. And for my beta-reader; Det är Nicke och hans brorsor lol.

This took kinda forever-ish to write. I tried to find inspiration. Nope. Nothing. Oh, and there's gonna be more drama in next chapter. Muahaha.

My beta-reader is awesome. Lol. She's in China right now. The time difference is pretty big between the two of us... This was her response to my mail (Schmempai, I hope it's okay):

"*Sigh* Seriously? I was scrolling the web on my iPhone, and then decided to sleep. But after checking my e-mail and seeing your oh-so desperate shit... I'm currently hiding in the bathroom and trying hard not to let my mom know I'm still wide awake... *Sigh* Alright, here's your damn fanfic, better give me some fucking cred! We clear?

From your too good too be true beta reader..."

Ohyes! I will give you cred! Here's the link!

fanfiction[.]net/u/2147350/iCrystal (remove the "[]")

And here's the link to her HikaruxKaoru fanfic:

fanfiction[.]net/s/7127128/1/Only_a_Game (remove the "[]")

See you~

(2011-08-04)