CLARIFICATION: Since many reviewers are asking, I will answer. No, the other nations did not recognize America, to all the other nations the vampires are just that, 'vampires'. The vampires, however, know exactly who the nations are. An explanation will be provided eventually, but it's a plot device that won't be coming until later.

Warnings: Alternate Universe, Yaoi, Out of Character, Original Characters, violence, vampires, angst and long descriptions

Night was approaching, and while the storm seemed far away, the ominous clouds were making themselves visible over the horizon. The mountains were shrouded in them, and at a distance, thunder continued to rumble. That, along with a fear of the vampires, kept the Transylvanians indoors. The few people who were out rushed to their destinations, hiding in cars or staying in groups. Therefore, the car that travelled slowly down the street was so normal, and blended so well among all the others, that no one took a second glance. The blackened windows caused no suspicion, it was common among politicians and celebrities. When the car finally stopped, no one looked twice when the driver stepped out and opened the passenger door for a young foreigner.

Antonio stepped out of car, sharp suit and unusually sharp eyes. The Spaniard held a yellow envelope in his hands, and he glanced at it briefly before looking at the building in front of him. The complex was near the heart of the city among a mass of others. How easy it would have blended in, how hard it would have been to a searcher looking for something. With so many people around, it was perfect to hide among them, avoiding police - or anyone else's - detection.

But he had been invited, and with clear instructions on how to find someone.

"We are here, da?"

His companion, however, wasn't invited. From behind, Ivan Braginski of Russia stepped out of the car and stood beside him like they were friends. Antonio didn't blink twice, nodding, he began walking to the doors. Ivan and the driver followed, and a porter greeted them. "How may I help you, sirs?"

"I was invited by one of your guests here," Antonio answered as he pulled out a sheet of paper from the envelope. The man's eyes skimmed over it briefly before nodding.

"Of course, Mr. Havana is expecting you." He opened the door for the three visitors, but Ivan said something to the driver and the man left. The two nations followed the porter into the building, but once they reached the door marked POOL he spoke again, "I was lead to believe that you are to be alone, Mr. Carriedo."

"I'm sure Mr. Havana wouldn't mind," Antonio answered. The porter said nothing, opening the door and pointing briefly to the pool, before leaving to his other duties. Antonio and Ivan stepped inside, seeing who the porter pointed to quickly. After all, no one else was in the area, and the person currently swimming laps wasn't exactly small.

Antonio began walking along the pool, following the swimmer's direction. The swimmer had his back to him, but Antonio did not call to draw attention. He briefly admired the man's powerful strokes and the ease he travelled the water with. The bronze, well muscled body showed a person who was less likely to be beaten and not above a barroom brawl. The man who had 'invited' Antonio to Transylvania, it seemed, could be as dangerous as what Antonio was already suspecting.

The swimmer reached the end of the pool just as Antonio arrived, and there was no doubt now the swimmer saw him. The man shook his head, spraying droplets of water that didn't reach the visitor, and removed his goggles. Dark, dark eyes looked at Spain's personification, and Antonio spoke.

"Mr. Havana?"

"Yea."

"I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, I received your letter and came as requested."

"Earlier then I expected, but that's alright." The man pulled himself out of the water with ease, but his eyes quickly fell onto Ivan. With one eyebrow raised, the swimmer looked back at Antonio, "Why is Russia here?"

And that just made Antonio more uneasy, because how could this man know?

Ivan smiled, "I was curious about the situation, da, the vampires are in Eastern Europe, and I want to see Romania." His smile was wide, and Antonio looked at Mr. Havana anxiously. He knew the negative reactions Ivan often provoked in people, especially when he smiled. Antonio never noticed any problem, but as he had been told several times, he never seemed to notice danger unless it hit him in the face. Mr. Havana was a wild card and potentially dangerous, he didn't want him and Ivan to fight.

But the man just shrugged, "You're already here. Give me a sec, I'll come back to you two later." Standing up, he disappeared into the changing rooms. Antonio and Ivan looked at each other, before they found a table at the side. Antonio politely ordered a drink, Ivan remained smiling silently the whole time. He was probably watching the place and noting its flaws, a bar with the tropical outdoor theme, but a fireplace at the side; a female server dressed in swimwear and a male in a classy suit. In any case, the Russian made no comment. As the drink arrived, so did the swimmer, now clad in a robe. Antonio cleared his throat.

"Mr. Havana…"

"Raul."

"Raul?"

"That's my name, for now, Raul Havana (1)."

"Raul," Ivan practically chirped. Antonio glanced at him and saw that he was smiling, and when Raul looked at him, there was a slight smirk on his face as well. The two seemed to be hitting it off better then he could. That should be worrisome, and Antonio forced the frown away as he fumbled with his envelope.

"Well, Raul, I wanted to discuss your letter…"

"Antonio –don't mind if I call ya that, right? – whatever you want to discuss, if Russia wants to listen in, that's okay. He's already here, if you invited him to come it would be rude to turn him away now." A server briefly took Raul's attention away when he was asked whether he wanted anything. When the server left, Raul turned back to them, but he wasn't talking to Spain. "How much do you know about the vampire situation, Ivan?"

Ivan didn't even blink at how Raul knew his name. "What Antonio remembers from Romania's presentation a few days ago," he smiled. With the way he said it, Antonio felt as if he shouldn't have told the Russian anything, but when Ivan had decided to go to Transylvania with him, making a point of going around the country and picking him up as well, Antonio had felt more then obligated to answer his questions about Romania's problems. "Transylvanians are being hunted by three vampires, and it's becoming serious. People are dying, and Romania sent in police and troops, only to have them turned to zombies and the vampires' toys. Now, Transylvania is missing, and Romania is worried."

Raul nursed his drink, "Ain't it ever occur to ya two why Romania is asking for western, and not eastern, Europe's help?"

Spain frowned, that was true. If Romania had wanted help, he should be asking it from his Eastern Europe neighbours (2). "No…we never thought about it."

"How much do ya know about the individual vampires?" Raul asked, and did not seem surprised when neither Spain nor Russia replied. "I thought so, Romania didn't tell ya everything he should've. T'me, it's obvious, Romania's trying ta hit home. He's calling for the vampires' home instincts, because he suspects the vampires are not from Transylvania, but Western Europe."

Spain choked, "What? Impossible, no…"

"You read my letter, didn't ya?" Raul gestured to the envelope in Antonio's hands, "You wouldn't have come otherwise. I know about Romania's presentation, I know he asked you all in one international meeting, instead of requesting an audience individually. Doing what he did gave him advantage, because on the international stage there is pressure to respond to his plea when you're surrounded by other nations. He knows that in face of such publicity, England and France are more likely to come. They're the two he wants, but he's missing the third."

Raul gazed at Antonio, and the normally dim but now serious nation understood, "…me?"

"When I found out ya weren't coming, Spain, I know I wasn't going ta be the only one disappointed. That's why I sent ya the letter, I knew by addressing it ta you, when the public doesn't know of ya existence, you were more likely ta respond. The letter saying that you and Romania's vampire problem might be related no doubt brought ya rushing here. Romania would be happy ta see you here, as would one of the vampires."

"You're saying…that of the three vampires, Romania suspects that I'm related to one of them?"

"Your country, that is, he thinks the same of the other two vampires." Something in Raul's tone seemed to darken. "You will understand, if ya see them. No doubt once the vampires see you, they will react."

"You mean they know what we are?" Antonio's hands clenched, "How? How would they know…how did you know? What I am, what Ivan is? What is your relationship with the vampires? Who are you? One of Romania's men…?"

"No," Raul interrupted. "I look out for Romania because of my own agenda. I am only concerned with the vampires and Gyula. As ya know, he disappeared, and I would like to find him before the vampires do. Transylvania has his brother, the vampires, and I all looking for him but I'm more concerned with what the vampires might do if they find him first. I will aid Romania if it means I can get them distracted, why do ya think I gave that tape about his brother's last appearance to him?"

Antonio froze, staring at Raul. Not even Romania knew who sent him the tape he presented to the international meeting, this was the person responsible?

"Up until his disappearance, while his brother scorned him and he was forced into hiding as his own vampirism grew, I was there with him. Transylvania's last experiment was partly my doing, and it gave him something to do as he was isolated from the rest of the world. As ya could tell from the tape, he succeeded, but the mob came in. The lab is now completely wrecked, the experiment has been destroyed and there are no records to reproduce it. Transylvania took the secret of success with him in his disappearance. Only if I find him can I learn what he has, and I will find him before the vampires, using all means necessary."

"What is this experiment?" Ivan asked with an innocent smile, "The locals said the experiment is for the vampires. What is it exactly?"

Raul smiled back, just as calm, "Just something the vampires want for themselves. I started the experiment, and Transylvania succeeded where I was stuck. He accepted the experiment and followed me, and before I tell ya the full details, I hope ya will do the same." Raul paused briefly to take a drink, and let the implications of those words settle in. "I have no interest in confronting Romania myself, but sometimes he needs to be prodded in the right direction. If I had a nation as a middleman, to make my thoughts and opinions known to him, it would be ideal. We are both concerned about Transylvania, and an alliance would be beneficial to us both. All I ask for is acceptance, and in exchange, I promise to take care of the vampires and give ya America."

The dubious promise from such a potentially dangerous character would have no doubt been tempting for Romania, but the secrecy of the experiment made Spain uncomfortable. "I need to know the experiment details first."

"If ya accept and follow me, I will tell ya everything."

"I can't do that without knowing what this experiment will do."

"It should not in any way affect the humans."

"Then why would the vampires want it too?" When Raul didn't respond, Spain knew he had caught onto something. "It can't be as harmless if the vampires want it too, I can't accept it. You'll have to give me more information before I trust you, starting with how you know what Romania and I are. I refuse to make alliances with people I know nothing about."

"But if you both have a common enemy, and come from the same homeland, doesn't that mean something in this foreign country?" Russia smiled as the two nations looked at him, "Now that you're here, Antonio, everyone will expect you to help. You and Raul both have reasons to work against the vampires now. What's more, you two came from a similar culture, and can try relying on that. After all, Raul, it's not just one vampire who might be related to Spain is it?"

There was a slight pause as Antonio turned back to Raul, who only smirked. When he spoke again, the slight accent in his voice became more obvious. "Observant as ever, Ivan, si, I too once had a bond with the country of Spain, but that was a long time ago. I can assure ya that by now I bear no ill feelings ta any European nation. I am not using Antonio simply as bait or middleman, in fact aside from aiding Romania discreetly I had wanted to see him myself."

"If you want to form an alliance, tell me about the experiment." Antonio stated, and Raul sighed. He looked at Ivan, then back at the Spaniard.

"Ya do know that if I had Gyula do it of his own free will…"

"That it can't be that bad, but humour me, if the vampires want it too it can't be as harmless. I'll like to know what I'm getting into, taking on a bait role aside, I have a feeling you have more reasons avoiding Romania than what you've told me."

"As I said, even as bait, none of ya could die," Raul answered. "You'll understand if I…" Raul trailed off, and then his eyes narrowed. "Looks like I've been discovered."

Faster then Spain's eyes could register, Raul threw himself out of his chair and back into the air just as the lights of the building suddenly switched off. Darkness plunged over the building, and from the bar at the side, the nations heard surprised shouts. There was a crash from the changing rooms, and someone cursing, but the voice was too far to tell if it was Raul or someone else. Startled, Antonio grabbed onto Ivan, half afraid he had disappeared.

Emergency lights flickered on, but they were faint orange lights on a too high ceiling with too many shadows. Antonio didn't let go, and he looked up at Ivan, about to say something comforting that would have gotten Lovino's rants, but the words died in his throat. Ivan was looking around the building, eyes dancing with maniacal excitement.

"They're here," Ivan whispered, his voice eager.

"Who?" Antonio asked, but already had an idea.

"The vampires…" Ivan fell deeper into the shadows as they heard something from the ceiling. Something suspiciously like fluttering cloth, as if someone was up there at the too high ceilings, waiting and watching them all. Ivan looked like he wanted to burst out in uncontrollable laughter, "they're here…they're here!"

"Shsssssh!" Antonio clearly did not share his companion's excitement. He felt a chill run down his body, Ivan wasn't there, Ivan didn't see the photos Romania presented at the meeting. Some of the bodies were relatively unharmed, but the ones that were mangled or desecrated beyond repair…Antonio felt ill. He couldn't die, none of the nations could, but they could feel pain, and hurt. He waited anxiously, frozen, listening to all the little noises and wondering which one was the vampires'.

Quite suddenly, there was silence.

And then Ivan ruined it all by opening his mouth and cheerfully saying, "Raul?"

Before Antonio could react, something dropped from the ceilings and was upon them. Antonio let out a shout as he felt Ivan tore himself him his grasp – or was it something else tearing them? – and there was a loud splash of water. Shouting resumed, and somebody yelled too late, "It's the vampire!"

Spain crashed onto the unforgiving floor, his back screamed in pain, but he pushed himself up. What he saw caused him to gasp and try scrambling back on all fours.

Some of the staff had rushed out, holding whatever weapon they could find. They were attacking a young man with dark hair and eyes, but gleaming white fangs. Despite wearing a long shroud that should have slowed his arms, the vampire was moving fast, dodging or even blocking the blows with fingerless-gloved hands. Those boots, complete with the spurs, were being used to his full advantage, judging by the screams of pain.

Yes, they are young, but they had all the signs: A fear of sunlight, inhumane strength, amazing speed, sharp teeth, and what's more, no reflection in the mirrors…

Romania's words drifted into Antonio's mind, and the nation felt himself pale as he watched the vampire toss another man into the pool. The vampire's strength was too much for his body size, and in the puddles scattered across the floor there was so sign of the vampire; they only reflected the staff members being flung around in the air. Two were knocked to the floor, a third was flung back into the bar, and the vampire suddenly turned to the Spaniard. His fangs were bared, but as soon as he saw Antonio, the vampire stopped. The viciousness disappeared as the vampire looked at him with something akin to confusion. "Spain?"

And as if that Raul character wasn't bad enough, this vampire knew who he was too? But the vampire's distraction was important, because suddenly, one of the men on the floor sprang up. Grabbing a chair, he brought it down on the vampire. The vampire cried out in pain and turned around, but his attacker quickly had backup. One of the umbrellas suddenly lurched forward, striking the vampire, and he stumbled back. The umbrella lurched again, this time hitting the vampire hard and throwing them both right into the fireplace.

From beside the hired help, Ivan smiled, standing beside where the umbrella should be. "Antonio? Did the vampire hurt you?"

"N-no," Antonio stood up, and one of the staff members quickly grabbed him.

"Sir, let's get out of here! Hurry!"

"W-hat? But the vampire…"

"No, he won't die that easily, and now he might attack for revenge. We must hurry," The man was grim as he began dragging Antonio out of the room. Ivan followed the rest of the staff as they rushed out, but Antonio turned his head to watch.

As the door closed, the glass window showed the umbrella being thrown out of the fireplace and splashing into the pool. The body that stepped out was covered in flames and no more then a blackened skeleton, but in front of Antonio's eyes the body healed. Muscle and skin grew over bone as the vampire patted the flames out of his clothing. Dark, dark eyes watched Antonio as he was rushed away, disappearing around the corner.

"Who was that?" Antonio could not help but ask. He half didn't expect an answer, but he received one.

"That's Mexico, sir, one of the three vampires here."

"It should be no problem…no, of course not…yes…yes, just come, there's plenty of space and room left. I didn't know for sure how many I would be receiving so I made the preparations…yes, of course…sure…then I will see you later." After hanging up the phone, Romania turned to his audience, "Spain and Russia are coming."

"Didn't Spain say he wouldn't…?" France began, but Prussia interrupted.

"WHY IS RUSSIA HERE?! HE WASN'T EVEN IN THE MEETING!!"

"Aru, my ears…"

"Neh, neh, I have some ear plugs that came from Korea!"

Romania rubbed his head, watching. His audience was indeed a surprising crowd, on one side, there was England, France, and Prussia. On the other side was China, Taiwan and Korea. The younger boy had apparently followed his elder into Transylvania. China was here because he learned that Taiwan was coming. Why Taiwan was here, Romania had been about to learn, until that vampire came and attacked the house. Romania had only managed to hide the three Asian nations before America and his zombies had been upon them. Luckily, England and the others arrived just in time.

"Russia came with Spain, I don't know why Spain decided to come but I welcome them if they intend to aid me. They will both be staying here."

"I OBJECT!!"

"This isn't your country, Prussia…" Romania trailed off as he watched Prussia shake his head vigorously, shouting out reasons why Russia should no be allowed into the house. "You're not listening to me are you?" When Prussia did not cease his rants, Romania turned back to the other countries. "Well, as I have no interest in repeating myself later, why don't I show you all your rooms, and you can all unpack and freshen up first before I brief you all about the current situation?"

With that said, all the nations were escorted to their rooms. They were in another building now; the original mansion that should be housing them could no longer serve that function with so many bodies on the floors. Romania had been quite upset, the mansion had been one of his personal favorites and one he often used to host foreign guests. It had been a beautiful work of architecture, but for now, it was going to be sealed off and cleaned. He doubted he would be hosting guests in it anytime soon, in the modern world, news and rumours travel fast.

Once all the nations were in their assigned rooms, Romania bid them all goodnight, and silently left to meet his other two visitors. France had the decency not to bother the rest of the nations – maybe he was just too tired – so after a shower, England unpacked what luggage he had with little trouble. While he should be getting ready for bed, he found himself sleepless, despite the long flight. So he stepped out of his room, locked the door, and started to wander down the hallways.

Arthur was minding his own business, simply walking down the hallways with faint orange lights illuminating his path, when he heard quiet voices. Those voices didn't seem like they belonged to Francis or Prussia, they didn't even sound like Romania. Arthur, never the type to run, went to investigate. The voices seemed to be drifting in from the outside, where a balcony that stretched along the whole building like a deck was. Glancing around, Arthur stole a nearby knight armor's sword before flinging the doors open.

An empty deck greeted him. The only noise was the cloth draped over the balcony columns, tossing about in the wind. Arthur blinked, and nearly jumped out of his skin when a voice called out, "England?"

The Englishman whirled around, and his sword pointed to China's startled face. The man was dressed in a long, crimson robe, likely for sleep. His dark hair fell loose over his shoulders, no longer pulled in the strict ponytail. All in all, he did not scream 'threat' at the moment, and completely unprepared for the sword inches from his flesh. As it was, Arthur lowered the weapon. "My apologies, China, I didn't expect to see you."

"Who did you expect to see?" The Chinese man glanced over Arthur's shoulder at the empty balcony. There wasn't even a sign of anyone being there recently, except maybe to clean. Arthur shrugged.

"I don't know, I thought I heard someone so I came, but…" He looked around, half disappointed. China thought of saying something along the lines of 'imaginary friends', but England wasn't likely to appreciate that, so he said the next appropriate thing.

"It's late, we should retire for the night. Tomorrow will be a busy day."

Arthur nodded, silently replacing the sword and heading back to his room. He felt China's eyes behind him the whole time, and briefly wondered whether the other's wounds have healed.

Pushing those thoughts away, the Englishman entered his room and closed the door behind him. His room was dark, just as he expected. He reached over to turn on the lights when a loud howl distracted him. Glancing around, he saw the windows open, the curtains flying back in the strong wind. Letting out an annoyed breath, England marched over and closed the windows. It was only when the noise was shut off did he remember he never opened the windows in the first place.

He felt rather then heard something behind him, and he threw himself out of the way just as something lunged.

England scrambled, back pressed against the wall, and he turned around. A figure roused from the ground, his dark silhouette illuminated by the window. Light briefly flashed over a pair of glasses, and snickering could be heard. "Whoops, look like I got the wrong room. I was trying to find Romania."

"America!"

"That's my name!"

Arthur briefly panicked, he had no weapon on him. No guns, no swords, and he remembered the vampire's speed and power too well. That time the sun had saved him, but now it was night and the realm was America's playground. He needed to get out, he needed a distraction, "I missed you earlier today."

"No you didn't!" The vampire raised his hand, the sleeve had a cut, revealing a faint line of red on skin. "Your bullet got me good! I'm going to need some blood before I can get rid of this…" He didn't get to finish, because Arthur grabbed a vase of flowers and flung it at him. America threw his arm up, and the vase smashed into pieces. England didn't stick around, he turned and fled down the hallways.

And since when did the hallways become so long? They had looked so normal earlier when he had been taking a walk. Where were the displayed swords? Arthur knew better then to expect guns, if they were displayed on public it wasn't likely they were loaded. He heard the whoosh of air behind him, and knew the vampire was pursuing him. Light laughter rattled the air, and if it wasn't for the current situation the laugh wouldn't have sound disturbing at all. Where were the weapons, where, where, where?

Arthur turned a corner, and saw Francis at the end of the corridor. The man was dressed in pajamas, but had thrown a dark navy cloak over himself. His face was serious, as was the rifle he now held in front of him. "England, down!"

The Englishman dropped to the floor, and Francis pulled the trigger. There was a sharp bang and a surprised shout, followed by a loud crash. Francis straightened the weapon as Arthur stood up and looked behind him. Flung several feet behind him was the vampire, he had fallen into a messy array of limbs and furniture, as he seemed to have smashed against a table.

"Looks you got him this time," Arthur panted, he glanced at the Frenchman, "How did you know he was here?"

"I heard laughter and recognized it as the vampire's," Francis answered as he stared at the seemingly young vampire he had shot. For a brief second he almost felt sorry, until gleaming eyes snapped opened and stared back at him. A snarl showed the vampire was far from defeated. Francis' and Arthur's eyes widened, "Oh shit."

The two men dunked as what seemed to be the leg of the table flew towards them. Francis raised his rifle again, but Arthur grabbed him and began to run. "Idiot! Those bullets don't work on them!"

"Well in that case," Francis drew in breath, and even when running managed to make his words loud and clear. "HELP SOMEONE!! THERE'S A VAMPIRE IN THE HOUSE!!! RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!"

"I thought you were calling for help!"

Another piece of furniture nearly took off their heads, but the nations dodged it effectively. They reached the center of the building, where a balcony began as the floor gave away. Francis and Arthur grabbed onto the columns and stared down, the indoor balcony overlooked the lounge on the first floor. Panting, Francis still managed a melodramatic sigh, "Death by vampire or jumping off several floors?"

"Boo!"

"Jump!" Arthur yelled as he scrambled back from the vampire, who had managed to sneak up behind them. The Englishman tripped and toppled over the balcony, and managed to grab onto Francis' cloak along the way. Both of them fell over, and America tilted his head from the balcony, watching as the two adults fell to the ground below.

"Hold onto my rifle!"

"What?!"

"Hold onto my rifle!"

"Why do I need to…?!"

"Just grab it!" Francis shoved the weapon into Arthur's free hand, as the other still clung onto Francis' cloak. Francis searched his pockets, finally pulling something small and firing it. A wire escaped, flying towards one of the balconies and wrapping around one of the columns. It was enough to pull the two adults up sharply, stopping their fall just before they hit the ground. Francis released the wire, and the two Europeans crumpled onto the floor, alive and unharmed. Arthur turned to the Frenchman in disbelief.

"You just happened to have that equipment on you?"

"Have to be prepared for anything when dealing with vampires!" Francis laughed, still out of breath. He looked up, and his smile faded. "I think we better move."

Upon seeing the two men unharmed, the vampire jumped after them. His descent down wasn't as clumsy as the two before him, partially because the vampire wasn't fighting gravity so much but using it to his advantage. Arthur, still holding onto Francis' rifle, opened fire. The vampire only whirled to the side, spinning as fast as a top gone out of control. The bullets couldn't keep up with him, and then the worst thing to happen to a gunman happened: the bullets ran out.

By this time, America stopped at the stairs, staring down at the nations almost cockily. His clothing was rumpled and his hair messier then usual, but the vampire remained just as confident. After observing England try pulling the empty trigger, he spoke "My turn!"

France was flung against a sofa, but the throw was so hard the sofa skidded back and smashed back against a wall. England didn't have time before America turned to him, the rifle was pulled out of his hands and onto England's head. There was a sharp crack, and England crumbled. He was briefly aware of two hands grabbing the collar of his shirt, and his back was pressed against the wall. America's body was warm – weren't vampires supposed to be cold? – and too close, too close. A pair of fangs ghosted over his neck, and England squeezed his eyes shut.

"Hold it!"

The vampire pulled back sharply as a new bullet whizzed forward, taking several strands of blond hair. England crumpled to the ground, still dazed, but he forced himself to look. America turned around, and his lips curled back into a smile, "Why hello there! I didn't know this place has so many guests."

Three new nations now stood at the balcony of the second floor, with China standing at the center as Taiwan and Korea flanked him. Those two held snipers, and while Taiwan looked nervous, she had been the one to shout and fire the first shot. Korea was the only one smiling, and China appeared calm but determined to deal with the current threat. America adjusted his jacket as he spoke, "You know, not that I have anything against you or anything, but I really just want to see Romania. Is it really that hard?"

"Yes," Taiwan answered. The girl's grip tightened on the sniper, watching the vampire cautiously. It didn't do her any good, because in the next second America disappeared and appeared right in front of her, knocking the sniper aside.

"Taiwan!" A blur of red forced America to jump back as China tried to strike him. The Chinese man didn't have any weapon on him, but he was moving fast. Years of martial arts training paid off, for while he fell below with the vampire, Yao managed to twist his body and land on one hand and knee. He was on his feet quickly, exchanging blows with the vampire. Korea squinted, at the rate the two moved, it was almost impossible to set a target for his sniper. He glanced to his side, where Taiwan was quickly readjusting her own weapon, but like him they both knew not to risk shooting China.

"Oh come on, it's not like China could die!" Prussia's loud voice suddenly came from his other side, nearly causing Korea to jump. The silver-haired man was standing besides him, a bag over one shoulder, a sword in the same arm, and a gun in the other. He grinned widely at the two smaller Asians, "You can shoot, and at worst, he loses a limb or gets knocked out for a while. He'll live."

Taiwan's eyes narrowed, "we don't want to go that far!"

"That so?" The Prussian dumped his bag and gun on the floor, holding nothing but the sword now. He rested a hand on the balcony, "Then let me fight the vampire!" Before the other nations could stop him, Gilbert swung off the balcony and raised his sword in the air. "Watch out!"

China had his back on the brash nation, but he moved out of the way fast enough. America didn't bother, his familiar knife flashed and met Prussia's sword easily, but Prussia's momentum gave him extra power. The vampire was forced to move back as the nation pushed forward. Even when it gave out, Prussia rained down blows on the vampire, blows that America managed to dodge at the cost of moving further back.

On the floor, England groaned and rubbed his head. The two fighters in front of him didn't notice, which served the Englishman better. He laid still, letting his eyes focus, as the two fighters got closer and closer to him. When they were close enough, he launched forward with France's rifle. It was empty, but it served its purpose, as England threw it against America's feet. Surprised, the boy fell back, landing besides the Englishman. Arthur could not stop the cold smirk as America whirled around to face him, half stunned and half angry.

Then Prussia was in front of him, and the vampire turned to look up at the nation's wild flashing eyes. With a laugh Gilbert brought his sword down on the vampire. It never hit its target.

With a sharp crack the sword hit something else instead. Gilbert's eyes could only widen in surprise before the sword was twisted right out of his hands and flung to the side. And then, the new weapon swung up at him, and Gilbert moved back, dodging several strikes from a weapon in the hands of a new attacker. He slipped, and a particularly vicious strike hit him on the stomach, forcing him to fall. Obviously satisfied with the distance placed between Prussia and the vampire, the newcomer leapt backwards and landed beside America gracefully.

"I told you that you shouldn't waste so much time playing, Alfred."

The nations stared in shock at the newcomer, and France, who had just managed to stand up, blurted out "Two of them?!"

America, though he was on the floor and looked pained earlier, now chuckled. "Heh, you can lecture me later then, Matthew." The vampire stood up, coming to stand besides the newcomer, who looked almost exactly like him. The only difference was the long, wavy hair that framed the newcomer's softer face. "But guess what? These guys are more fun then I expected! Romania really knows how to pick them!"

"Is that so?" Matthew's eyes skimmed over the nations, briefly resting on England and France. The vampire let out a small laugh, "You seem like you're having your fun, Alfred, but I don't fancy the solo missions you so adore. Knowing the possible reinforcements Romania has, I brought in some of our own." Matthew moved his staff-like weapon behind him, while his other hand rose to snap his fingers. The nations felt the effects right away, for a rumbling seemed to suddenly circle the whole building.

Alfred shook his head, "Matthew, how many did you bring?"

His twin didn't turn around, but continued smiling at the nations, "Should be enough."

From behind him, windows and doors were flung opened as zombies suddenly crawled into the place. Most of them were the same creatures England and the others had fought with earlier. Some of them however appeared even more monstrous: glowing white eyes, long tongues, and pointy ears escaped some of the mask-less zombies. They surrounded Matthew and Alfred, like obedient pets waiting for an order, and their eyes stared hungrily at the nations. Matthew's free hand extended forward, gesturing as he spoke.

"Bon appetite, my minions."

Some of the creatures let our roars as they rushed forward. From above, Taiwan and Korea gagged at some of the more peculiar looking ones, but opened fire. They tried shooting the vampires, but they were too fast. The zombies made easier targets, some exploded right away, others kept going even as their limbs were blown clean off. A few began to crawl up the walls, trying to get to the snipers. In response, they were fired upon with heavier fire.

Despite the injuries they should have sustained, England and France were now on their feet, fighting the monsters and putting them out of their misery. They were glad that the monsters simply dissolved into the dust when they were finished, otherwise the room would have turned into a massacre. What was harder to ignore were the vampire twins, they moved quickly, attacking individual nations briefly before disappearing into the mass of zombies. Prussia and China had the same problem, exchanging brief attacks with the vampire twins before they were interrupted by other attacks.

Korea shot another zombie, and found his magazine empty. Cursing, he looked to his side, where Prussia's gun and bag were. He shook his head at the gun, and then opened the bag, ignoring all questions about privacy and morals. The bag's contents surprised him, and after a second's deliberation, he decided to use it. "Everyone, move out!"

China was fighting America when something landed between the two enemies; something that everyone present in the room recognized. America cursed and pulled back, but it was too late, and the smoke grenade went off.

Clouds spread everywhere, and America's cursing voice was quickly muffled. Confused, zombies and nations alike ran blindly, unsure where they were. Others pulled to a halt, Matthew for one was not willing to risk running right into someone. Above them all, the snipers squinted, no longer able to distinguish between friend or foe. There was coughing, footsteps running, and the occasional high shriek of the zombies. Then, the sound of breaking glass and disappearing footsteps indicated that someone – no one was sure from which side – was leaving.

Prussia scowled as he squinted, watching some of the smoke disappear out the windows. When some of the smoke cleared, he saw that the escaping figures were too large or deformed to be nations, meaning the zombies were the ones retreating. He thought he saw France by one of the windows, until the figure turned around and revealed a face much too young and delicate. It was one of the vampires. Before he could stop himself, Prussia found himself jumping forward and tackling the vampire.

"Oof!" The two of them crashed out the window and rolled onto the wet grass below. Prussia burst out laughing as he fell forward, continuing to roll even as the vampire stopped. The silver-haired man looked up as the vampire pulled himself up, before turning to him. The staff-like weapon almost took off his head, but even on the ground Prussia managed to catch it with his hands.

"Really, Matthew, does hockey mean war to you (3)?"

"Don't call me Matthew," The vampire pulled his hockey stick out of Prussia's hands and hit him with it, hard. Gilbert yelped as the vampire smile at him, "The Transylvanians here call me Canada." Further conversation was halted when gun shots suddenly filled the air. Canada wasted no time, he took off, disappearing into the smoke and the darkness of the night. Prussia wasn't left alone for long, there were footsteps and suddenly a familiar face was crouching beside him: Antonio of Spain.

"Gilbert? Hey, are you okay? Hurt anywhere?"

"Of course not!" the Prussian got to his feet, before realizing something. "Wait…you're here? That means...those zombies and the Russian…"

"We're fighting the slower zombies, those that couldn't escape are being destroyed as we speak. As for the Russian, he's here," Spain winced at the look Prussia gave him. "I couldn't really stop him, you know how persuasive he could be. Ah, but don't look like that! We have more friends with us too!" Spain gestured energetically behind him, and Prussia grudgingly obligated, peering at the figures approaching where he sat. Then his eyes widened.

"Ve, ve, hello!"

"Shut up, stupid brother…"

"The Italian twins and…" Prussia stared, "Germany?"

"Ja," the tall man was neither smiling nor waving, but his eyes said enough.

"Okay, let's get this meeting startled." It was night, and late, in theory any sane person should be in bed sleeping away. The meeting was supposed to have been postponed until tomorrow morning, but with so many unexpected visitors and the earlier excitement, Romania decided that the briefing should be done as soon as possible. Currently they were all in a meeting room at the second floor, while the hired help cleaned up the mess at the lounge. Romania had considered moving everyone again, but as China pointed out, if the vampires were going to find them and make a mess again, there really was no point. "First of all, I welcome you to my country, really. I only wish I could have hosted such meetings in happier times."

"Let it go, Romania," England assured. "It's not your fault, and besides, you asked for our help. We're came here of our own will."

"Yes, of course," Romania gazed at the audience he now had. Not even he had expected such a crowd. Currently, they were all seated at a round table. To Romania's left was China, with Taiwan and Korea at his side. The latter was squirming in his seat, no doubt with an excess of energy he needed to let out. Romania recognized the signs, but China and Taiwan seemed content to ignore him. Both were sitting straight in their chairs, perfectly composed, tea cups in their hands. To Romania's right, England was watching him, as was France, who surprisingly kept his hands to himself, even when the oblivious Spain was beside him. Prussia sat next to Spain, smirking as he propped his elbows on the table, impolite as ever. Beside him, Germany sat rigidly in his chair, perfect composure and serious expression, thwarted only by the Italian boy who had his head on his shoulder. The other Italian twin was glaring daggers at them both.

And it wasn't really their fault, but Romania was a bit ill at seeing twins, the pair of vampires causing him havoc was really ruining the image.

Because the grumpier of the Italian twins was glaring so viciously, he failed to notice that Russia was sitting beside him. But that was okay, because Russia had his head turned away, and was staring over Korea's and Taiwan's heads to China, who was doing his best to ignore him. That was the full circle, and Romania mentally smiled. He had so many nations here to help him, the question was why so many had come. He himself really just wanted three. Nevertheless, he wasn't going to complain about more help.

"Gentlemen, and lady," he added, nodding to Taiwan, "Let me once again express my thanks for all your willingness to help. I am most grateful. Now, I will start off with the obvious. What you saw a while ago, all those 'monsters', they were the zombies I have been talking about. The creatures suspected to be my people, until the vampires sunk in their claws and somehow changed them." A chill seemed to spread through the audience, and Romania continued on.

"Although you've all seen the zombies, I'm aware not all of you have seen the vampires with your own eyes yet. I warned you all they were young, but nothing else. Now that you are all here I feel obligated to inform you of what you will be facing. Those monsters speak for themselves, but the vampires…well, we haven't been able to capture a photo of them, so words will be all some of you have now."

He didn't have a folder or any notes, Romania just spoke without pause. "There's America, although his vampire kin call him Alfred; recognizable by his short blond hair, blue eyes and glasses. He is the, we like to say, crazier one. He does the most ridiculous and bold things, in other words, he's most unpredictable. As some of you saw, he risked coming out during the day, even though sunlight would've killed him. Arguably, he's the most dangerous."

All I ask for is acceptance, and in exchange, I promise to take care of the vampires and give ya America…

Spain shook his head, he wasn't going to say anything about Raul yet, and the man obviously didn't want to be known in Romania. To talk of capturing the most dangerous vampire so confidently, however, made Spain more curious about Raul; but how were they going to meet again? The vampires seem to know of Raul's existence and were hunting him as well.

"His twin is, we say, less crazy, but there have been exceptions to that rule." Romania's voice cut through Spain's thoughts. "We call him Canada, though his kin call him Matthew. Based on appearance, you can differentiate the twins by their hair, because Canada's is longer. He is largely responsible for the zombies, we suspect he might have been the one who created them. Oh, and he also speaks French." Romania coughed, before quickly continuing. "The third vampire is Mexico, those familiar with him call him Miguel. From what I've been told, Spain and Russia had a little run in with him earlier. Though he usually has a laid back and relaxed attitude, he's far from being easy to deal with. You'll recognize him by the wide-brimmed hat and the shroud he always wear. He also speaks Spanish."

Romania wasn't the only one looking at Antonio, and the Spaniard mentally cringed. Raul's other words came back to him: Romania wanted the nations whom the vampires might be connected to. He was one of them, as was France and England. Your country, that is, he thinks the same of the other two vampires…"I see now what the vampires are capable of. The threat they present is real. We need to kill or capture them, and quickly, before they find Transylvania."

"We still don't know what experiment my brother was conducting," Romania shook his head. "But you're right, we have to find him before the vampires. Who knows what they might do, or what the experiment is capable of when it gets to the vampires' hands. The zombies are enough of an example, we need to stop them."

"Mexico recognized Spain," Russia suddenly said. "He called him that, he knows what he is. If the vampires know what we are, they must be curious. We can try using that."

"What are you proposing?"

"Live bait," Russia smiled. He glanced at Spain briefly, before addressing the table again, using Raul's ideas. "None of us could die, no matter what the vampires try we cannot become just another victim. If the vampires are interested, they will not hurt us too badly. They haven't seen all of us, they can't be that prepared. Tomorrow night, we offer them one of us as bait, and when they come, we attack."

"I object," France's voice cut through. Strangely, he didn't seem to be simply trying to be difficult. Something had flickered in his eyes at the words live bait, "No way. No investigation or capture is worth the danger and pain that might come out of this."

"No one said it had to be you," England said crossly. "We could send in China instead, he'll stand out more." Yao's eyes widened as the Englishman continued. "When I was fighting America, he probably heard Prussia calling me England. They already knew about Romania's existence, add in Spain's encounter and they probably expect to see other nations around. If they are bold enough to attack us, I'm sure they will be curious if we set up bait, obvious trap or not. Sending in Yao would work." Korea and Taiwan opened their mouths, about to protest, but someone else was quicker.

"I do not think so, it's too obvious if we sent in someone easily distinguishable." Ivan came to Yao's rescue without blinking. "Yes, we should send in someone the vampires didn't really notice or haven't seen. New things are always more attractive, after all. However, sending Yao or Romania is too obvious, we cannot send them there. We need someone more discreet, but also someone who looks tempting enough as their food. What's more, we need someone who can handle themselves if things get ugly…"

The man hiking in the woods was strong, powerfully built, and healthy. However, he was alone, and equipment-wise was completely unprepared when he got lost in the woods. Mexico comforted him, holding him close and listening to the man's last words, before sinking fangs into skin. The man didn't fight him, and Mexico had a horrible feeling the man might have been subconsciously wishing for death as he sank into the vampire's arms. They were becoming more common.

America and Canada found him with his new victim, but Miguel took one look at them and let Alfred finish his prey. As Alfred drained the victim of his blood, the wound on his hand disappeared, and colour returned to his skin. Matthew sat on a nearby rock pile, arms wrapped around his beloved hockey stick, while Miguel chewed dried chili peppers as he lounged comfortably on a tree branch. Eventually, Miguel spoke "I ran into Spain and Russia today."

"You too?" Matthew glanced at his drinking brother before speaking. "Alfred took another chance at trying to catch Romania, but he somehow ended up in a fight with all the other nations. Alfred, you had your fun but I think you've made the nations more upset. Furthermore, I have a feeling you didn't really mind."

Miguel laughed, speaking before Alfred could. "Among us he kills the most, a young girl, a beautiful boy, but the snob in him loves hunting in society. The blood of aristocrats and other high class victims thrill him the most (4). With the nations around, how could he resist trying some of them? I know I can't!"

(1) Anyone recognize the significance of these two names?
(2) Last chapter Alfred was wondering why Romania chose to do this too
(3) It's a joke that Canadians get more aggressive over hockey than international events. For a Hetalia version about a real example, read Twilight Rose 2's "Hockey Culture" fanfic
(4) Modified quote from "Interview With a Vampire", one of the few stories where vampires actually die in sunlight

More nations have arrived! A mysterious helper, an even more mysterious experiment, encounters of the supernatural kinds, and a plan to bait the vampires.