A/N- Agh, so! My laptop broke. So I couldn't post anything. I wrote chapters 3 and 4 though (4 is being re-edited again, it'll be out within the next few days), and some of 5 on my iPod. I'm so sorry~!

I also did some planning for other fics, though~

I know, I should probably focus on this one. I really should.

Disclaimer. About Hetalia. I do not own.

The first few days of searching for the four did not go well. Which should be read as "there were no results whatsoever".

Erszébet, Gilbert's (and, by extension, Antonio's) sometimes-friend, was the first person to see the two Italians again when she was going to the park, and she even talked to them for a couple minutes, apparently. She gushed to Roderich about it during a visit to his house (a visit that Gilbert insisted on tagging along to). "The younger one especially!" she'd said. "He had the adorable little face, and he almost looked like a girl. He had this funny little curl, too, but he said no one could touch it. He had this funny habit of saying 've'. I don't really know what it means, but maybe it's Italian." She shrugged. "Anyway, I think you would have liked them."

Gilbert, interested in the description of the mystery boy—which coincidentally matched Antonio's description of one of them—interrupted the conversation in a fantastic display of grace and tact by putting a hand on her shoulder and yelling "Halt!" as loud as humanly possible. It got their attention very quickly. "The older one. Did he have dark hair?"

Erszébet looked at him sharply. "I'm trying to talk to—"

"Answer the question. The older one. Did he have dark hair and a foul mouth?"

She still looked annoyed, but thought it over. "I guess, I only heard him talk once or twice. Why? Do you know them?"

Perfect. "Where did they go?"

"And you're sure Lovi and Feli went this way?" Antonio asked again as he, Gilbert, and Ludwig traveled up the stream in the woods. They didn't go there often, so Antonio didn't know the area as well. The creek, though, ran through that rich neighborhood where Roderich lived, if he was right, and the park nearby.

"Erszébet said that they were going upriver! We just follow it a little fast and then we find them!" Gilbert answered confidently. Still, he was trudging quietly, obviously not wanting to face the possibility of scaring off the two adorable Italians or Alfred and the other one, if they saw them.

"We shouldn't be stalking them." Ludwig said again. Antonio, for one, was offended. They were not stalking, they were just looking for his new friends!

Gilbert, on the other hand, was completely unbothered by the semi-insult. "Then why are you here, little brother?"

"To keep you out if trouble." He didn't mention that Gilbert had dragged him along by the collar of his shirt despite the protests and reminders his older brother wasn't allowed out of the house. It was actually very amusing to watch, but Antonio didn't point that out, either.

Gilbert was right, and they did catch up to Lovino and Feliciano, who were cautiously walking upriver. The albino silently warned his companions to stay quiet until they could find and opportunity to surprise them, obviously finding this to be fun. They also had to hide, because Lovi kept looking back nervously before continuing with his brother. It was a long walk. Or at least it felt long, it was probably only around five or ten minutes.

Eventually, the boys very randomly turned at a ninety-degree angle, walking calmly away from the stream. Gilbert and Antonio exchanged a puzzled glance: there were no real landmarks around here, so it seemed kind of weird to move at this particular spot. They aren't lost, are they? Antonio thought. If they were, then he could help them. They just had to follow the creek! The trio gave chase silently.

The first thing they noticed as the forest cleared a very old but large bus became visible. Like, a school bus, but what might have been a sunshine yellow was now more akin to puke yellow thanks to age and dirt. A very worn school bus, at that, rusted and dented with cracked windows, and Antonio was pretty sure it was missing a tire—which would be weird because really, why would someone need a bus tire?

They second thing he noticed was that a young blonde boy, definitely no older than Antonio himself, was pointing a gun out one of the windows. And not one of those cute toy guns that kids get for their birthday—that was a real pistol being pointed at them. "Get any closer and I'll shoot." Those words were not a threat but a promise. Gilbert, Ludwig, and Antonio immediately stopped and all put their hands up like they do in the cop movies. Because if you put your hands up, then they might not kill you.

They were about to talk, but then Lovino, not noticing them, started cursing. "You do this all the fucking time! Dammit, you bastard, do you even look at who you're pointing that stupid thing at?" So this was a regular occurence? Did that mean the blonde was talking to the brothers? They still didn't move, unsure of what to do.

Antonio's suspicion was proven correct, as Blondie ignored the outburst. "Get any closer to Feliciano and Lovino, and I shoot! I dare you!"

That caused the brothers to whirl around, dropping the oranges they were holding. Lovino's amber eyes were wide as they recognized Antonio. "What the hell are you doing here? Who the hell are they?"

"I'm awesome!" Gilbert replied confidently, leaving Ludwig only to sigh, exasperated.

Rather than answering, Antonio nervously asked, "Lovi, why does he have a gun pointed at us?" He tried to smile, but it was shaky and it might or might not have made him angrier.

"They followed you two idiots!" Blondie yelled at them from his place on the bus. "They. Followed. You." The little girl staring at them impassively at Blondie's side was not helping either side.

"That's impossible! I kept looking to make sure!" Lovino sputtered out, turning around to face the bus and angry blonde guy.

"Yeah, looks like you failed a spot check there, huh?" Gilbert sneered, obviously trying to shake off the danger. He didn't lower his hands, though. Lovino ignored him in favor of arguing with the blonde one.

"Ve~, hi Antonio! Who are your friends? Do they like pasta?" Feliciano didn't seem to think they were in danger at all. Well, for a moment, anyway. Then his eyes widened and he shook his head. "Ve! W-wait, don't!"

Something sharp pressed up against his back. "Who are you and why is Vasch waving his gun, wanker?" A voice hissed at him. He turned his head a fraction to see someone, with damp blonde hair and crazy eyebrows, glaring at him.

"Now, now, Arthur, so uncouth," A different, much silkier and airier voice said. This one belonged to a wavy-haired boy with blue eyes. "They will think us savages if you are so rude to them." He noted that there was a probably a knife at Gilbert's back, too, and "Arthur" had a hand around Ludwig's neck. It wasn't enough to choke, but definitely enough to threat. Ludwig chose wisely not to move.

"We have knives to their backs and a gun pointed at them," Arthur replied bluntly. "I don't think they think of us as civil."

"Oui, but being thought of as a savage is hurtful, non?"

"I don't think of you as savage," Ludwig said (not too quickly, probably trying to be steady), wanting to salvage the situation.

"Now, see, the little one feels the need to reassure us. Look what you have done." Arthur didn't reply, but Antonio heard angry muttering. The only word he caught was 'bloody', which was not reassuring.

"Hey! Don't talk bad about my brother!" Gilbert spat, not too happy with the turn of events.

"They weren't, and you're not helping." Ludwig sighed again.

"Lovi, did we do something wrong?" he asked again, hoping to get back to what he considered the most important topic.

"Arthur, Francis, Vasch, will you shut the fuck up?" Lovino snapped. "The Spanish one is fucking harmless. He's that Shadow Ridge kid we told you about. The one who gave us the tomatoes." Antonio thought back to a few days ago when he first actually met the brothers. Oh, so maybe that's why didn't eat them immediately! They wanted to share with Vasch and Arthur and Francis and that little girl who still didn't talk.

Did that mean Alfred and his brother would come, too? Alfred said he was a hero, so everything would be fine, right?

"What about us?" Gilbert demanded, ruby eyes glaring.

"I don't know you." He replied unsympathetically.

"They're fine, Lovi!" Antonio went for assuring. "They're my friends!"

"That's nice," Antonio smiled happily, completely missing Lovino's sarcasm.

Vasch listened carefully, paused, and finally lowered his gun, not taking his angry green eyes off of them. As if that was a cue, Antonio felt the sharp presence of the knife leave his back, and then a much sharper sense of relief. He might have also felt an emerald glare on the back of his head, but he wasn't sure about that one.

"S-so, Lovi, why are you here?"

Lovino glanced to the bus, glanced to Vasch and the girl, glanced to Arthur and Francis, and then finally settled his gaze on the three. "Bastard, this is where we live."

"So, yeah, that's why Captain America is the best superhero ever!" Alfred was saying as the appoached the bus. He was having a (mostly one-sided) conversation on heroes, Matthew trimphantly clutching a bag of McDonalds as they made their way home. His stomach knotted with hunger—he was pretty excited to eat. Lovino and Feliciano and Vasch probably got something, and maybe the others. He hoped so, anyway. Feli and Lovi could've gotten caught, or just unlucky. Vasch was smart, but smart did not mean fortunate. If only. Days like that were horrible, but they plowed through.

Much better than going back.

When the boys boarded the bus, ready to call out the usual greeting, they stopped. Stared. Reached for their pocketknives on instict. Watched the three guests carefully.

Two strangers and Antonio. There. On the bus. On their bus.

"Um..." Even Alfred was at a loss for words. He glanced back at Matthew, who usually had a better grasp on situations, but the older twin just shook his head, not understanding either. "Hello?" Antonio waved cheerfully at the greeting. Alfred quickly glanced towards Vasch, whose grip on his gun left his knuckles white as snow. For a minute, Alfred considered panicking, until he noticed that his finger was not on the trigger.

"Hi, I'm Gilbert! I'm awesome!" Someone with a shock of white hair—which was startling on it's own because only old people were supposed to have white hair—and glinting red eyes smirked at him. A younger kid next to him—who looked more like a regular person—introduced himself as Ludwig.

"Alfred. He's Matthew." Alfred wasn't sure how to react, since usually when people come by Vasch is screaming bloody murder and threatening and everyone else—even Lili—has their knives out. Here, it looked like they were talking. And why was Antonio here? And did he bring any tomatoes?

Gilbert looked past Alfred to see the other, who was watching them warily. "Hey there! I almost didn't see you!"

"Happens a lot," Matthew replied shortly.

"Does it really?" Alfred turned his head to glance at his brother, who only gave him an exasperated look, although he didn't know why. The younger brother returned to the others. "So... Why are they here?"

"For reasons unknown." Lovino's fast reply was tense and maybe solemn, and he shot Alfred a glare. It wasn't really surprising—Lovino was generally not a cheerful person—but Alfred still didn't like it. He bristled a bit, ready to fight back.

"Maybe you three should go home before it gets too dark," Francis interrupted, calming the storm before it started using distraction, "We can't really afford to give you dinner, anyways, and I'm sure you would not want to stay the night."

"Very well," Ludwig replied immediately, much to the dismay of Feliciano, "It was very nice of you to clear up this misunderstanding." The twins wore matching blank expressions. There was a misunderstanding? "Brother, Antonio, let's go home. Now." He shot an unreadable look at Gilbert as Gilbert opened his mouth.

"If you say so..." Antonio also seemed reluctant, but he flashed them all a smile. "Bye! Lovi, maybe I'll see you around sometime!" The three walked off the bus, only Lili actually giving a goodbye, and Antonio and Gilbert kept waving as they disappeared into the woods.

Alfred didn't really know what just happened, so he said the first thing on his mind. "... How come he can call you Lovi, but I can't?"

"Shut the fuck up."

While they ate their dinner of Chicken McNuggets with fries, a couple oranges, and some semi-stale biscuits, Matthew noticed Vasch was very tense. He seemed to dig his fingers into his food, he gripped it so tightly. When their de facto leader spoke, he flinched. "Should I repeat your exact words to you?" he asked Alfred.

Alfred shifted in his bus seat. Matthew saw immediately this was not his twin's ideal topic of duscussion. "I'd kinda prefer it if you didn't."

"'We'll probably never see Antonio again.'"

"I just said not to! And I said 'probably'. How did they find us, anyway? We were supposed to be private school kids or something, living in Shadow Ridge!"

"They followed Lovino and Feliciano." Vasch replied tersely.

"Vasch, maybe you should calm down..." Matthew began, but he was ignored. Of course he was. Why would anybody dare pay attention to what he had to say?

"It wasn't on fucking purpose!" Lovino snapped from his seat. He and Vasch silently glared at each other for a good couple minutes. Matthew could almost feel chills on his spine despite the summer heat. Why, why, why did they put the two most temperamental people in the world in the same city and allow them to meet?

"The Spanish one, Antonio, he was nicely shaped, non?" Francis casually asked Arthur, who did his best to ignore the comment. "And the little one will surely grow up beautifully."

"Ve~, you think so, big brother?" Feliciano said.

"Do not call that freak 'big brother'!" Arthur and Lovino snapped in unision. Matthew sighed, observing the display as he did everything else. Francis really wasn't that bad—the closest thing he (and probably everyone else) had to an older brother figure. Sure, he loved Alfred, but not only was Alfred the younger brother (and it showed with his... mannerisms), he never really could pull off the older-brother-act (and he tried, all the time) like Francis did. Francis always told them stories about the stars and and art and history and legends about a woman called Jeanne D'Arc and he explained things that were hard to understand, and even knew stuff that Arthur didn't, and Arthur spent so much time reading! He would always keep the peace between Lovino and Vasch and whoever they were fighting, even if he liked picking on Arthur himself. He was older and smarter than anyone else, and he showed it off, too. So really, why shouldn't Feli call him 'big brother'? Matthew himself only didn't because he thought it would be a little embarrassing... and Francis would never let it go if he did.

"Shut up! We can't trust any of them, so quit talking about them!" Vasch yelled, regaining the attention of all seven others. Lili nodded in agreement, likely because that was what dear brother said. Then again, he was the most experienced in this life than anyone else, so he must know what he was talking about... He decided not to have an opinion on them quite yet. And he figured they would come back, so he could make his opinion later.

"I think we can," Alfred said, voice steady, any previous discomfort gone. "They're nice people, even if they're kinda weird." Coming from you? Really? Matthew didn't voice that thought. They were all a little off-kilter, he supposed.

"Ve~, I think so, too!" Feliciano agreed, nodding. "If they're nice and willing to help us, then they're good, right?"

"The last people seemed nice and willing to help us," Lovino grumbled. "Now we live on a old bus and steal most of what we eat. There's no way we can trust them," The last sentence was said with finality and a bit louder than was probably nessecary.

"I'm not sure of them, myself." Francis mused. "I feel like they are good people, but we've only just met them, non?"

"They're not bad... but they aren't good," Arthur concluded, blinking slowly and setting his green eyes on the rest of group. "Let's just leave it at that for now."

"... Brother," Ludwig sighed, "What are you doing now?" Gilbert was busily collecting a number of sticks from the area, while he and Antonio watched on.

"Leaving a landmark so we know where the bus is!" Gilbert replied cheerfully, placing down the sticks in a careful fashion. It looked like... something, but Ludwig didn't know what. A campfire, maybe? "Kesesese!" Ludwig would never understand how that qualified as a laugh, but it was yet another thing that his brother was very proud of. "We're totally coming back to that awesome place!"

"Of course we are!" Antonio agreed. Ludwig wondered if he was the only one who thought it strange that the duo seemed completely adamant about knowing these kids on the bus. He himself thought they should be tentative when trusting these eight—they were likely a group of thieves. He didn't want to imagine what they went through to get the bus.

"Exactly! So we need to make sure we know where to go!" Gilbert went on cluelessly, Antonio even joining to help.

Ludwig didn't question further.

A/N- And everyone finally meets!

Francis is definitely the big brother of the group, even if the others try to deny it. He does his best to act like it, too~.

Arthur and Vasch are the opposite. They act like surrogate big brothers to the younger kids, but not as... obviously as Francis, and would immediately deny it. Lovino is the same way to Feli. In the end, they're all the older brothers~.

Alfred likes to claim he's like a big brother... but he isn't. He really isn't. It's cute, in it's own way!

Review, please? I'll drink pickle juice if you do!