Dro: Well, this just keeps getting more exciting by the second. The usual request: read and review!

Chapter Summary: Feliciano maps out a plan of action. It goes awry.

Warnings: None

Disclaimer: Dro doesn't own APH, people. If you don't know that by now, you have most definitely not been paying attention.

A choked sound erupted from Ludwig's throat. He suddenly felt dizzy, his eyes unable to process the image in front of him, his brain unable to comprehend even the possibility of that person's presence. But there he was. The Feliciano he'd left behind stood against the wall, dark elegance controlling his countenance. His hair was slightly longer than his own Feliciano's, but somehow, that made him look so much older. That, and his eyes. They seemed to teem with knowledge that stretched from distant millennia. He was calm and calculating, his face betraying no emotion. He was Feliciano, and yet, at the same time, he wasn't. He was everything that Ludwig's own wasn't. He was brave and daring. He was incredibly clever and strategic. He was powerful and graceful all at once. He was a killer…

The elegant man pushed himself from the wall and stepped further into the room, an indifferent line controlling his lips. Brown, knowing eyes roved around the room, as if he was mentally breaking down the thoughts and feelings of everyone else in the room and cataloguing them meticulously. He probably was. Alfred was to recover from his shock.

"W…What are you doing here?" He looked ready to tackle Feliciano to the ground.

"I've been here. For the entire four years. In fact, longer than you." Feliciano answered simply, his voice calm and even.

"What?" Alfred and Ludwig replied in unison.

"Ask Arthur." Feliciano closed his eyes and shook his head. "But I must say, Alfred, it would be better for you if would refrain from treating me like an enemy. I came here to offer my help."

Alfred seemed to be on a verge of a panic attack. "Okay, hold on! Arthur, did you know about him?" He rudely pointed a finger at Feliciano. Arthur seemed to be frozen to the spot, his green eyes uncomprehending. Ludwig knew it was because he was caught and he couldn't think of a way out. He had seen that look on England's face many a time in the past.

"I…Yes."

"Huh? How long?" Alfred seemed to be lost between confusion and anger.

"The whole time. The other me sent him here before you returned. But I decided it would best if I didn't say anything. He promised me he would leave us alone and not interact with any nations. And he hasn't, as far as I know. Until now."

Alfred looked on in total disbelief from Arthur to Feliciano. Before Alfred could speak again, Feliciano cut him off. "When I found out that Yao had been here and kidnapped your Canada and Russia, I figured it was time for me to come out of hiding. I knew you would end up traveling back to my world, and since this is partially my fault, I would like to come with you and help."

"Your fault?" Alfred switched into his defensive mode. "How is this your fault?"

Arthur was the one that answered. "Because his presence here kept the connection open, Alfred."

"…Oh. I see." There was a dull anger building behind Alfred's blue eyes, but he contained it. "Well then, I guess the least you could is help us, huh?"

Feliciano shrugged nonchalantly. "I offer my help not out of guilt but out of logic. The ramifications of whatever Yao is planning could have the potential to affect far more than just you and your immediate family. If there was anything I learned from being a part of the USSR, it is that ambition can quickly spiral into tyranny when it is fulfilled. I do not want to see Yao regain any of the ground we took back from Ivan, nor do I want any of my world's negative influence to permanently affect your own."

Ludwig sighed inwardly. It had been four years, and this Feliciano had become far more stable emotionally, but he was so composed that it was almost disconcerting. His emotions seemed to have dulled and been repressed instead of recovering. Which Ludwig couldn't blame him for after what had happened.

"Ve…"

Ludwig turned his head to peek at his own Feliciano, who had risen along with Romano. Neither Italy seemed to know what to do. Feliciano's eyes were wide and glued to his parallel self. It wasn't everyday you came face to face with a parallel version of yourself, and it seemed to have shocked Italy out of his usual demeanor. He almost looked…defensive. There was a hint of anger behind those normally docile brown eyes, and Ludwig wondered where the hell it had come from. He had never seen Feliciano react like that before. He turned back to the other Feliciano, wondering what it was about his presence that set Feliciano off.

The other Feliciano suddenly switched directions and looked him in the eye, and Ludwig felt a pit of nervousness in his stomach. He hadn't seen this Feliciano in years, and he had no idea what feelings the man had for him. Hell, he had no idea what his own feelings were. Feliciano seemed to scrutinize him from head to toe.

"You have been well, yes, Ludwig?"

"Ah…" That had not been what he was expecting. "Yes. I have."

"Good." His eyes briefly flicked back to Ludwig's own Feliciano, and he could have sworn he saw a hint of amusement in them. "So, this is the other me?" Yes. Definitely amusement. "I have watched you from afar at times, Feliciano Vargas." The corner of his mouth perked up. "And you as well, Lovino Vargas. Though you knew that, didn't you?"

Wait, what? He turned back to Feliciano and Lovino. Feliciano was staring at Lovino, who seemed to be at a loss, but then he recovered. "It was you…four years ago. You were watching us from across the street when we went into the café. I thought…I thought I imagined that."

"No. No imagination. I was just following up on Ludwig to make sure he was all right." Feliciano had turned back to him, smiling slightly. He said nothing else to Ludwig, but there was a clear message written into those highly intelligent brown irises. We will speak later. He turned to face the majority of the nations, including Alfred and Arthur. "Now, I think we should concoct a quick plan and head out, yes? We'll need to time to scout Paris for Yao's hideout. Though I'm pretty sure I know where it is."

Alfred frowned. "And how is that?"

Feliciano smiled that little smile of his, where just the corner of his lips seemed to ridge a millimeter, but that one little movement controlled his entire face. "I knew all of Yao's strongholds and safe houses. I stole their locations from him for Ivan just in case Yao was to defect."

Alfred snorted. "Trusting guy, Russia, eh?"

"You expected more of him?" A single, slim, brown eyebrow rose. "Don't. Ivan had no care for those other than himself. If you were an asset, he desired you. If you were a hindrance, he got rid of you. That was as far as he went into relationships."

"And you worked for this guy?" Turkey piped up. He was looking back and forth from their world's Italy to the other one, as if he couldn't quite believe there were actually two of them.

"I was…not in an emotional state to make the right choices at that time." The subtle shift in Feliciano's tone, from soft and calm and cool to sharp and heated—nearly undetectable in actual speech, but having a profound affect on the atmosphere of the room—immediately silenced Sadik's inquisitive person. Feliciano continued. "The past does not matter at this time, however, and I would like to refrain from discussing it. I can help you if want. I feel obligated to, for the sake of your world and my own, and I will do my best to retrieve your Canada and Russia unharmed if you let me." Arthur made to respond, but Italy kept going. "Keep in mind before you answer that, unlike you, I know intimate details about my world's Yao, including his tricks, his servants, his traps, and his hiding places. I can break down Yao's strategies and find ways around even his most carefully laid plans. I have done it before. And I can do it again."

Arthur and Alfred exchanged glances, and Ludwig found himself ambivalent. He did want Feliciano's help. Hell, they probably couldn't do this without him. Anything they tried by themselves would likely end in disaster. But he was quite honestly afraid of being around this Feliciano while his own was so close. He was afraid of his feelings betraying him. He was afraid of his own Feliciano seeing it that way even if it didn't happen. He was torn.

"Fine." Alfred suddenly said.

All eyes were on him.

"Yes?" Feliciano asked.

Alfred stared him down. "Fine. You can help us."

Feliciano nodded. "Very well. The first thing you must do, however, is calm down. It will be pointless to attempt to plan something so sensitive while you are high strung and frightened. We will meet again later. After dinner. Arthur's room, I believe, would be best, since he charmed it earlier. Room 404. Until then." He made a little wave with his hand, turned, and flitted out of the room, completely silent and uncomprehendingly graceful.

They all stood in silence for several moments until Arthur finally said, "Wait, how did he know I charmed my room?"

Alfred added, "How did he even know your room number?"

No one was quite sure they wanted to know the answer to that.

"This whole affair worries me." Arthur murmured. Alfred laid beside him, thoughtfully silent, and he leaned over and pressed his lips to his lover's in a brief kiss.

"Me too. I'm worried about Matt, Arthur. What if he's hurt?"

"We can only hope he's not."

Alfred bit his lip. He didn't want to say this, but… "There was blood all over the floor at his house."

Arthur gasped. "Oh God…It…It could have been Ivan's."

"That doesn't make it any better. If Ivan was hurt, then Matt would've been hurt too. Just not physically." Alfred didn't like his brother's relationship with Ivan, but that didn't mean he didn't try to at least respect it. He knew Mattie cared a lot about the Russian. Mattie loved Ivan. Anything that hurt Ivan also had the potential to hurt Matt.

"Alfred…" Arthur ran his hand through Alfred's hair, trying to soothe him. "Please don't try and bear this on your shoulders alone. You know this isn't your fault."

"I know…but…what does Yao want me for, Arthur? What kind of ritual is he planning?"

Arthur shook his head. "I don't know, Alfred. I really don't. There's a lot of possibilities. Many, many spells—many dark spells—require a sacrifice. As for why Yao needs you specifically, I can only guess." He leaned over to return Alfred's kiss, pressing their lips softly together before deepening it. Their tongues met briefly before a knock interrupted him. Alfred climbed off the bed and answered, revealing Feliciano hanging around in the doorway. He entered without an invitation and closed the door behind him.

"You're early." Alfred noted. The others weren't supposed to arrive for at least another hour and a half.

"I am." He confirmed. "Pack your things. We're leaving in half an hour."

"Excuse me?" Alfred balked.

"The meeting was a ploy. I don't want to involve anyone more nations than necessary. Therefore, there are four people only I want involved. Getting too many inexperienced people together to try and tackle something of this magnitude is a mistake, but I couldn't tell you that earlier with all of them watching." He said it like was the most insignificant fact in the world. "Ludwig is already waiting with Yao. They both agree."

"Yao?" Arthur questioned. "Why Yao? I understand Ludwig, Alfred, and I, but Yao?"

Feliciano eyed him carefully. "Are you willing to let Alfred go to my world without you?"

"I…what? No, of course not. But I can't go no matter what. I'm the caster of the spell here, which makes me the anchor, so I can't leave. The only way…" A sudden thought struck him. "Yao…" It was something he couldn't believe he'd never thought of. Yao was old, much older than himself. Therefore, didn't it make sense that Yao of all people would know… "Magic. Yao can do magic."

Feliciano nodded. "He has not in a long time, but he remembers how. He will act as the anchor. You will go with Alfred. It will do us good to have another magic user on our side while we fight."

"How did you know Yao could do magic?" Arthur asked, curious.

Feliciano smiled his little smile again. "I did some research."

"You mean you spied on him, right?"

Feliciano really smiled this time. "You are catching on, Alfred."

Thirty minutes later, they were gathered in Ludwig's room. Arthur had helped Yao draw the necessary circle for the spell. Ludwig leaned against the wall, seemingly contemplating the situation. Alfred knew that, of course, he was thinking about Feliciano. He didn't want to leave Feliciano anymore than Alfred wanted to leave Arthur. Unfortunately, Ludwig didn't really have the option of taking Feliciano with him. It was too dangerous. Alfred was both surprised and not to find that Ludwig had agreed to go. Ludwig had been clinging to Feliciano since they'd returned, but even he could see that Ludwig's feelings for the other Italy still lingered.

"Finished." Yao said. He had the spell out and was reviewing it again.

Arthur sighed. "Are you sure you can do this?"

"Do not doubt me, Arthur. I was doing magic before you were born. It has been a while, but I know I can still do it. Have some faith in me."

Arthur nodded slowly. They all looked around at one another. Four of them were going back. Feliciano was finally going home to the world he'd forsaken. Ludwig was returning to a world he'd almost gotten himself too attached to. Alfred was facing the same situation. He was afraid he would run into the other Matt, and with his own Arthur there…And Arthur himself was going. Arthur, who had never been there, who had never seen the destruction, who had never seen the parallels of themselves. Something in Alfred's mind was screaming at him not to do this, and he caught a glimpse of some half-formed premonition that depicted ultimate disaster.

But if they didn't go, he would lose Matt, and the world would lose Russia. And that would be a definite disaster. So they had to go no matter what. Any consequences that arose from this couldn't possibly be any worse than losing Matt. If Matt died, Alfred…he didn't know what he would do. He couldn't lose Matt, so he had to go, no matter the cost.

He was the first to step into the circle, his bag slung across his back. Arthur joined him next. Feliciano filed in, nothing but a small black bag hanging at his side. Ludwig was the last to step in, looking abnormally stiff. Yao looked them all over and took a deep breath.

"Are you all ready?"

Arthur's hand shot out and squeezed Alfred's, and Alfred interlocked their fingers. "Ready." He said. Ludwig nodded silently. Feliciano made no movements whatsoever.

Yao sucked in another deep breath and started speaking the spell. His voice was calm and his words were fluid. The circle lit up, and Alfred prepared himself for that inevitable intense pull that accompanied the teleportation. He wondered—feared—for a brief second if Arthur would be torn away from him. Yao sped up slightly as he neared the end of the spell, one small hint of panic evident in his voice. He was afraid of messing up and sending them somewhere they could never return from. Alfred was afraid they would all die there and then Yao would be left thinking it was his fault forever.

He finished it.

Then Italy burst out of the closet and jumped into the circle, grabbing onto Ludwig at the last possible second. They had no time to react. Alfred had let go of Arthur's hand to get Feliciano out, but it was too late. There was a bright burst of light, and Alfred felt that hand of God wrench him away from the world. The next thing he knew, he was staring up an overcast London day, with a brand new Big Ben towering over him.

And then he realized he was alone.

Dro: Uh-oh...-snickers-

Next Chapter: Matt and Ivan wake up in Yao's base. Alfred runs into someone unexpected. Something unexpected happens to that unexpected someone.