I really appreciate all of the comments guys! TT^TT

I don't deserve them, really!

I'm also very, very sorry for the irregular gaps in between posting. Homework... Tests... Projects... And other school-relating things.

Ugh. Effort. I hate effort.

Sometimes.

Anyways, I love you all!

"So,"
Alfred started, polishing off his sixth hamburger.

That is positively inhuman,

Kiku couldn't help thinking, keeping his gaze on Alfred's mouth-

To be able to talk around all of those hamburgers...

"Y' lo'kn' fer yor shoulm't?"

Kiku tried to process the words; but found that he couldn't.
"Er..."
Kiku managed to get out, a look of positive confusion etched onto his features. Alfred looked at him curiously, as if he actually expected Kiku to understand anything he'd just said. The American cocked his head, glasses sliding down his nose. Alfred finally put down his sixth- seventh? burger to push them back up onto the bridge of his nose with his ring finger. Kiku had to stifle an impolite snicker at that. In all the anime he'd ever watched, the smart guy with the smooth voice (that all the girls fell for) always had glasses, and those characters always pushed them up just like Alfred just had. But the funny thing was, Alfred was probably the farthest possible away from being one of those book-reading, smart, and smooth characters. Kiku realized the American was waiting for a reply and Kiku jumped back to this world.
"I'm sorry, excuse me?"
He spluttered.

Alfred grinned.
"You're looking for your soulmate-"

He let that one phrase out of his mouth before picking up the paper cup of soda and slurping at it, muffling anything else he could be saying. Kiku let out a small, inconspicuous sigh and shifted his position so that his chin was in his hands.
"Yes, I'm looking for my soulmate."

Kiku confirmed, so quiet his words were almost inaudible. But the sentence didn't go unnoticed by the eager American before him. He'd finished eating by then, and the cup of soda was now empty; the eleven hamburgers Alfred had ordered now reduced to crinkled-up orange wrappers and little corners of cheese and lettuce that had dropped from the sandwich. Oh. So he'd been eating eleven cheeseburgers, not hamburgers. Kiku guessed that probably didn't matter.

"What's her name?!"

Alfred grinned eagerly, picking up one of the balled up wrappers and throwing it at the nearby trashcan, easily getting it in. Kiku blushed slightly, just a mere dusting of his cheeks, before correcting the American in his quiet voice.

"What's his name."

Kiku waited, and the American only smiled wider.

"Oh, okay. What's his name?"

Kiku raised his head up in disbelief. He hadn't expected the American to go along with it so easily.

"Arthur."

Kiku supplied quietly, but the other heard nevertheless. Kiku looked up, expecting to see Alfred nodding contemplatively or maybe scarfing down another hamburger- no, cheeseburger, (why did it matter so much?) but Alfred's eyes were alight with glee.

"What's his last name?"

Alfred asked bouncily. Kiku cast his gaze away and told him that he didn't remember.

"Well that's pretty fucking bad."

Kiku recoiled as if he had been slapped in response to the vulgar language. Cultures were so different. Was it totally okay in America to go around talking up a storm of swears? Kiku supposed it was, because nobody gave the pair a second glance.

"Er, yes, I suppose so."

Kiku responded slowly, unable to keep the excitement from showing on his face.

"I know an Arthur, though. And he can't find his soulmate, either. For some reason he didn't get anything under his pillow."

Alfred laughed. "I guess he doesn't have a soulmate!"

The Japanese man's eyes widened at his good fortune. Alfred must have realized that Kiku was waiting for him to go on, but paused.

"Do you want to get out of the airport?"

Alfred asked suddenly.

"Are you waiting for a flight or something?"

Kiku questioned in reply with his stilted English. The American shook his head.

"My soulmate was going to come to America today to meet me, but their flight got canceled."

He sounded solemn for a second there, but his voice brightened up immediately after, so Kiku wondered if he'd missed it.

"Anyways, let's get out of here, yeah?"

Alfred stood, threw away his trash, and beckoned for Kiku to follow him. Alfred flagged down a cab when the two walked out of the airport. It actually wasn't that bad when it came to temperature, but Kiku didn't bother to unbutton his coat. Alfred didn't feel the slightest bit of unease when it came to bringing an almost-complete-stranger to his house, but Kiku couldn't help feeling slightly awkward, suspicious, and confused. Maybe this was normal for the American? Kiku smiled inwardly to himself, sighing. Well, I may as well trust him; he is my only chance of finding Arthur. He thought to himself as the cab driver picked up his small suitcase and dumped it into the trunk.

Alfred went round to the other side of the cab and jumped in, patting the seat next to him eagerly, motioning for Kiku to get in. He opened the door reluctantly and slid in, closing the door behind him, listening to Alfred tell the cab driver (this time a brown-haired young man) where to go. The cab started, and Kiku stifled a sigh.

No turning back now.

Kiku managed to find sleep in the cab, which was surprising, because Kiku could only fall asleep when things were absolutely silent. Alfred was being uncharacteristically quiet, and Kiku couldn't fathom why. When Alfred realized that Kiku had finally awoken from his sleep, he perked up immediately. Was he hiding pain with a smile? Kiku shook his head. Alfred's blue eyes were, honestly, very easy to read. Kiku could see the swirling of pain inside them.

"What's wrong?"

Kiku ventured. Alfred smiled brightly.

"Nothing, dude, I'm fine!"

Kiku snapped his jaws shut, stopping himself from asking anything else. The car ride was silent the rest of the drive to Alfred's house.

When the cab finally parked, and Alfred paid their driver, (though Kiku tried to persuade the American to let him pay) they stepped outside. It had gotten considerably cooler, and Kiku dipped his chin into the folds of his black, Western-styled coat. Alfred led him up the paved path to his house, which was actually quite bigger than Kiku expected.

"You're tired, right?"

Alfred asked Kiku, and Kiku nodded quietly.

"You can sleep in one of the guest rooms~"

Alfred said, smiling, and helped Kiku with his suitcase up the winding staircase, leading him down the corridor to a fairly sizable room. It had tasteful cream colored walls, a small bed in the corner of the room with a dark blue and gold spread, and empty wooden bookshelves that covered the wall on the other side of the room. A small door immediately next to the foot of the bed was half open to reveal a closet, which was empty. Next to the head of the bed was a nightstand and a pretty white drawer for clothing.

"Why don't you get settled here, dude! Come downstairs, I'll be in the kitchen. You must be starving! I sure am!"

Kiku puzzled over this for a moment. It had only been an hour since Alfred had eaten those eleven cheeseburgers. The Japanese teen came to the conclusion that Alfred was probably one in a million- no, billion, to be able to eat that much.

Kiku bent down, unzipping the suitcase's zipper and letting out a shaky breath. Alfred seems like a good person, he decided. With dainty fingers, he picked up the clothing, about to put them into the drawer, before reconsidering. I'll probably only be staying the night. Kiku reasoned, then stopped and folded the shirt once more, putting it back into the suitcase and zipping it back up. Padding down the winding steps, Kiku could hear Alfred yelling out swears and curses as he probably cut himself (not purposely, of course) with a kitchen knife.

"Shit! That hurt!"

He heard the American yelp good naturedly upon seeing Kiku enter the kitchen.

"I'm trying to make a cheeseburger, but I can't cut the tomato."

Alfred sighed along with Kiku. Cheeseburgers? Again? This was going to get old, but Kiku could only smile as he took up the knife and cut the tomato for him.

"Thanks! You're pretty good at that! Did you take cooking lessons or something?"

Kiku shook his head, unable to stop himself from laughing quietly to himself. The room fell into a slightly awkward silence, which Kiku ignored. Alfred spoke up.

"So, do you want to know where Arthur is?"

Alfred asked, his voice dropping slightly. He sounded almost sad. He could sense the mood, and he knew, for some reason, that Alfred didn't want him to say yes. With some hesitation, he did anyways. Alfred sucked at pretending.

"Alright! What about I drive you to Canada tomorrow, okay?"

Kiku spluttered for a moment.

"Canada? Wh-why?"

Canada wasn't far from where they were now, but it was still a good two hour drive. Kiku didn't want Alfred to have to spend so much money on gas for him.

"Because, Arthur's there."

Kiku was incredibly lucky. For some people, it took years to find their soulmates. Others, their soulmates died before they were found. But Kiku was lucky. Through his initial panic, he'd found a beacon of hope (being Alfred), who was going to lead him straight to his soulmate.

It was really too bad that Arthur had cancer.