Hey there! I'm back! We're back in Halloween Town, and those who are there will now tell the story... and reveal a major plot twist! Heh heh heh... but which plot twist do I speak of? You shall find out... um... sooner or later...

Sorry for any/all OOC-ness. No one is perfect, if it's a story the characters are going to act at least a little out of character since they have never been in that type of situation before. I try to keep them in character as much as possible, but they will NOT always be in character, okay?

Okay! Now that that's settled, on with the story~!

-~-Lovino's POV-~-

I blinked up at the skeletal man towering over us, eyes instinctively (and subtly) scanning the area for an escape route.

"Wh-who are you, dammit? What the fuck do you want with us?" I managed.

He looked at me quizzically. "What do I want with you? I only just found you in the graveyard, hiding behind a tombstone. What makes you think I want anything from you?" he asked.

I managed a slight stutter, but nothing coherent. Noticing my state, Canada stepped in.

"We were attacked and kidnapped from our homes. War tactics 101 is never trust a stranger," he explained. "Until you can prove to us that you mean us no harm, you cannot expect us to trust you under any circumstances."

-~-Canada's POV-~-

When I spoke up, the skeleton's gaze snapped over to me. His expression was unreadable. I shrank back, hardly enough to be noticed, waiting for the inevitable question of "who are you?".

"War tactics? What are you talking about? There are no wars going on right now," the skeleton asked. I blinked. Unexpected question.

"Yeah, well, we've been through a lot of wars, and, like Canada here mentioned, old habits die pretty fucking hard," Lovino spat out, glaring cautiously at the skeleton.

"Lovino!" I squeaked, shocked by his words. In true "Lovino" fashion, he was acting tough and swearing as a defense mechanism.

"What's your name?" France asked, glancing at Lovino as he swore at me.

The skeleton sent Lovino an odd look, clearly shocked by his actions, before registering that France had asked him a question.

"Oh, right, my name is Jack," the skeleton replied at last. He sent Lovino one last look before glancing around. "Hey, where'd the other guy go?"

Lovino stared at Jack. "Who? Canada? He's right here, idiota!" he stated irritably, pointing... away from me? What the heck?

I tapped him on the shoulder hesitantly. He turned sharply. "Oh, hi Canada... Wait a second..." he began, looking confused. "If you're here, then... who the fuck is that?"

I followed his gaze. "Alfred?"

My twin glared at me. "DON'T call me that. That stupid Yankee can crawl in a hole and die for all I care," he growled.

I laughed nervously. "Okay, Al, joke's over. Seriously, what are you doing here?"

His eyes darkened. "I said, DON'T CALL ME THAT!" he yelled. I stared at him, gears turning within my skull.

My eyes abruptly widened.

"No way. No friggin' way. It's not possible. It's just not possible," France murmured.

My "brother" glared at France. "Oh, you're here too? Damn, those stupid kids didn't even get any of the strong people!"

Upon hearing this, my jaw dropped slightly and my mind went blank. Had he just insulted me, or had he forgotten I was there?

-~-France's POV-~-

We were screwed. What looked like the États-Unis d'Amérique we all knew and loved was actually the États confédérés d'Amérique, his polar opposite, the flip side of that coin. He disliked America because, all throughout history, the two of them had never been able to agree on anything.

You see, it wasn't JUST the Confederacy, this guy was also the Loyalist, the Reds, the Japanese (in WWII)[1], and the opposite of everything America believed. They stood for the same things, but could never agree on anything and never picked up the same beliefs at the same time. He hadn't been seen for years, and Alfred was beginning to believe he had somehow died.

Not many countries had a complete, constant polar opposite, the only two that spring readily to mind are America and (sometimes) Japan.

This guy being the CSA was the one-and-only explanation for his evident hatred towards Alfred, a man with the exact same face, as well as me. I had helped Alfred gain independence, and then had not helped him after my leader promised I would.

I glanced at Canada, babbling in French in a futile attempt to calm both him and CSA down before things got ugly.

-~-Canada's POV-~-

I couldn't believe it. No, I REFUSED to believe it. I had to be mistaken. Yes, that was it.

My hands clenched into fists as I struggled not to punch that jerk in the face. This wasn't my brother, he was too cruel to be my brother.

"Shut up, France!" the Alfred look-alike shouted. Something snapped within me.

"Shut up yourself!" I yelled. Everyone froze, their gazes snapping towards me.

-~-Jack's POV-~-

I was extremely confused at this point. No one would trust me, and I still didn't fully understand why. Then this new guy shows up, everyone seems happy to see him at first, but then he says some stuff and everything explodes. The longer-haired blonde started babbling in a language I faintly recognized as French, and then suddenly the shy blonde shouted.

I moved to stand between the shy blonde, identified by the mouthy brunette as "Canada" and the newcomer, another blonde similar enough in appearance to be a twin, holding out my hands to keep them away from each other. "Hey, hey, hey! Calm down, you two! There's no need to fight!" I cried desperately. Canada broke free and punched the newcomer in the face.

"Hey!" I yelped, grabbing him again and holding him back. "I dunno what's got you so mad at him, but please, calm down!"

Slowly, the blonde calmed down, still thrashing around in my arms at first. "C'est un connard, se faisant passer pour mon frère..." he murmured in frustration.

"I have no idea what you just said, but it's okay, that guy's gone now," I said, releasing him once he had calmed down enough. He sank to his knees.

"Cela n'aurait pas pu Alfred, il n'ya aucun moyen..." he whispered.

The long-haired blonde walked over and knelt next to him. "Je sais, je sais. Mais il est parti maintenant. Il n'y a pas besoin de s'inquiéter," he whispered.

"Hey, um, who are you?" I asked.

"Come stupido di noi a non introdurre noi stessi!" the brunette snapped sarcastically. I stared at him. He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm Lovino, the Frenchman over there is France, and the other guy is Canada."

I nodded. "Got it. Lovino, France, and Canada."

I shifted uncomfortably, glancing down at Canada, who was still shaking, the poor boy.

"Why don't you three stay at my place? After all, it can get pretty cold here, and you probably have nowhere to go anyways, so...

"Thank you, sir," France murmured. "I know we may seem ungracious, acting so suspicious of you, but... this is quickly turning into a war situation."

I smiled. "No big deal," I replied. "What kind of monster would I have to be to leave three helpless, confused, and frightened people out here alone without even offering to help?"

Lovino gave me a weak smile, the first one I had ever seen him wear, and the four of us trudged towards my house.

-~-Unknown POV-~-

I shivered slightly, cold despite my warm, thick coat. I was used to the cold, somewhat, but that didn't mean it didn't bother me.

I knew I didn't deserve kindness after everything I had done, but I prayed that someone, anyone, even Belarus, would find me and save me...

Can anyone guess who the unknown POV was? Non? SERIOUSLY? It's a bit obvious...

-sigh- Oh well. Best get going on the next chapter... How will everyone react to the disappearance of the newest capture-ee? Will Canada, Lovi, France, and Jack find him/her? Will the captured finally remember their cellphones and call those whom they left behind?

FIND OUT NEXT TIME!

~ XionAmmy out!