I'm aware this chapter is like, short. But it's only a transition, the real action is next. In any case I'm sorry for making you wait, I'm really really sorry and I'm trying my hardest to up date as fast as I can. In a brighter note, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR READING, REVIEWING AND EVERYTHING ELSE! And big thanks to Hippie Vampire. I really really thanks her.

Returning home

What woke him up this time wasn't a bucket of water, nor noises from voices that talked around him. Sunlight fell directly over his face, forcing his eyes open. He had to blink a few times for his eyes to adjust to the harsh light. Well, one couldn't say that his hosts were perfect, considering that they were making him sleep outside over damp grass, with only a thin blanket to cover him...

Something wasn't quite right.

Looking around himself for the first time, he realized the situation he was in. He was alone, in the middle of the clearing in which he had fallen asleep in Adolf's tent, beside Arthur, his belongings (as in his own tent and the few things he had brought along) right beside him in perfect order. They had actually left. Getting up, Alfred almost felt as if the last few days had been nothing more than a dream. For what other reason would he stay beside some Hybrids, why would he still think about them and their different personalities, why would he feel that he had been left behind...

Shaking his head, the dirty blonde felt like an idiot for the first time in his life. He had attached himself to them hadn't he, however slightly? A bitter smile drew itself in his lips. That would teach him. Maybe next time he wouldn't do something quite so stupid and would for once listen to his voice of reason (that reminded him of Ludwig and Hans). He got up and started packing up (even if there wasn't much to do) before he headed out.

This time finding his way was harder. He tried to remember the path he had taken to follow Lovino from the river, but even that memory was quite blurry. He tried harder, trying to listen to the nature around him. Maybe if he paid attention he could hear the river flowing and he was sure that from there he could return back home. He walked around for a few hours, and by the time he had been able to find the river it was already noon, like his stomach constantly reminded him.

He tried not to think about the delicious food that Francis and Feliciano had done for him. He tried, he really did, but he had to admit that nothing could quite compete with that food. Sighing and closing his eyes, the American decided to stop for a little rest. Sitting near the riverside, he looked into the water, remembering the time he had found Arthur bathing himself in this very same river. A blush rose to his cheeks when he actually took notice of his actions, and was quite surprised the little Bunny Hybrid hadn't done anything to him because of that. Maybe he too hadn't thought too hard about that?

He kept walking through the forest; the crunch of leaves and the whispers of the wind only accentuated the loneliness that surrounded him. He kept an eye around him, instinctively searching for any sort of movement, half hoping to see a pair of fluffy ears on top of bright blond hair. He hummed a song to himself, trying to distract himself. It was sad to say that he failed royally at that.

When he finally reached the end of the forest he was ready to run to the nearest fast-food he could find. His stomach only growled louder at the thought of the delicious food that was just waiting for him. Even if he was in the zone the furthest from real civilization and technology that didn't mean that they didn't have everything one needed to survive: fast-foods, malls and shops still littered the place, even if it was in a lower frequency than what he was used to. Maybe Mattie thought that five malls in one single zone was a bit too much but Alfred thought it was perfect.

He looked around himself. He could see a few houses around him (no apartments) and he noticed a woman and her husband watching him with wide eyes, their little dog pulling on its leash so that they could continue their walk. Blushing, the SA agent supposed that after a week in the forest without taking a bath he was quite a sight to see. Wincing, Alfred decided that maybe taking a shower before returning home would be a smarter move.

"You finished with your vacation?" Turning around, the dirty blond wondered if it was natural that the first one to find him was always Vash. Said guy was watching him, one eyebrow cocked in surprise and curiosity. He had a pair of pants and a short-sleeved green shirt and jacket, gun mysteriously absent. Beside him was a younger girl (twelve maybe?) who although she had the same hairstyle had a pretty white summer dress and a light sweater on top.

"Yeah..." What more could he say?

"Hope you had fun," the blond sounded like he could careless and was simply trying to keep himself polite. "Let's go Lily."

The younger girl (sister?) turned towards Vash, a frown marring her pretty face. "Brother, we can't leave him like that. Why don't we invite him over so that he can take a shower and have something to eat? After, you can take him back to his home." Alfred could se that the trigger-happy blond wanted to argue, but a small pout from his sister stopped him.

Looking between the two of them, the American already knew how things were going to end. "Fine. He can come." Bingo!

Smiling, he followed the two of them back to their own home. They didn't live very far and for that Alfred was thankful. His feet were killing him. The house was a two-story, washed white place with a small yard in the front. There were a few flowers planted, and as they walked inside the SA agent caught sight of a ceramic gnome hidden behind some flowers. This place was the kind of house you didn't see any more in the city and saw them mostly in a photo of some kiddie's story book.

He had to raise an eyebrow at that. Vash didn't seem like the kind of guy who would willing live in a place like this. In the dirty blonde's head, the violent blond belonged in a small, run-down apartment with a good number of dangerous guns and weapons lined up against a wall. Maybe Mattie was right, maybe he watched too many action movies for it to be healthy.

"Here we are," said the yound girl with a soft smile. "Make yourself at home. You can take Big Brother's bathroom. Just walk up the stairs; it's the door in the end of the hall to the left. You should give me your clothing too. I can put it to the wash. After you are done go to the kitchen. You look like you could do with a meal or two."

More like four or five, thought Alfred to himself as he thanked the blond girl and walked upstairs as quickly as he could. He could feel Vash's evil eye following him all the way to the top. His instincts of survival (which he did have, no matter what others said) were telling him to run for his life. Being a hero, he couldn't do something like that, so he went for the next best thing: he rushed as if the Devil itself was after him.

When he reached the bathroom he walked in. The place was simple and white. Quickly taking off his clothes, he placed them outside the door, so that Lily could take them and wash them and hopped into the shower. Feeling the warm water over himself almost made him sight in happiness. It felt awesome taking a shower after a long week in the forest. Closing his eyes, Alfred wondered were the pack of Hybrids had gone. Had they passed the border without problems? Had they been caught? What if one of them was seriously hurt?

Alfred's eyes widened as he imagined the poor little Bunny Hybrid all alone in the forest, blood seeping down his arm, calling for his other pack members with only silence as his answer. The SA agent had to take deep breaths before he started hyperventilating. He's just a Hybrid, he's just a hybrid. Forget him, forget him...

"Mister? I have your clothes! I'm leaving them behind the door okay?"

"Thanks!" Lily left and Alfred realized he had yet to present himself to the little girl. Sighing, he finished quickly, got dressed as fast as he could and walked towards the kitchen. Whatever they were cooking it smelt good, even if at this point anything seemed good enough to eat. Never in his life had a day passed without him eating at least a meal and he wasn't about to start.

The kitchen was simple, like the rest of the house. There were touches of light green here and there, reminding him slightly about his childhood home. The kitchen was similar to this one, but instead of green his step-mom preferred soft reds and blues. He really should find some time to visit his parents one of this days.

"Here you go! I hope you like it," Lily served him a plate while he sat down. He took a bite and looked up to the girl's nervous face and Vash's warning eyes. He nodded his head, smiling. The young girl clapped her hands in delight, a huge smile on her lips. "That's great! When you finish eating, Vash will take you back home in his car. We can't just let you go like that, you must be so tired!"

Vash didn't bother hiding his distaste, but nodded none the less. All he could hope for right now was that he wouldn't do anything to him on the way there. After he had finished, they walked up to the garage, leaving little Lily to clean up the dishes. They hardly talked to each other, Alfred only telling the other blond his address, which Vash wrote down on his GPS.

Even if Alfred wasn't a very silent person he believed that if he as much as tried to start a conversation, the temperamental teen wouldn't hesitate on throwing him out. When they finally reached his apartment he sighted in relief, turning to thank the other one. He walked directly to his place and simply scratched the polar bear's head before he walked into his room and flopped down to his bed. He was so tired.

The first thing he had done after waking up was call Gilbert. Whining about the whole week he had been forced to stay home, they decided to meet up in a club, because it was obvious that Alfred needed a good lay if he was thinking about pre-prubescent kids. He dressed up, getting a pair of dark jeans, a crisp white shirt and polished shoes. He thought about gelling his hair, but decided against it. He simply didn't pull off that look.

Leaving a note to Matthew, saying he had returned and he was hanging in the club with his team to celebrate a successful mission, he closed the door, remembering to feed the bear (what was its name again?) before he left.

He walked all the way to the club, putting on his bomber jacket. It had belonged to his father, and before him to his grandfather. He loved that jacket to dead and Gilbert had even once said that if he ever gave that jacket to someone, it would mean that he was in love... which wasn't that far fetched, considering that he had never wanted to share his precious possession to his old girlfriends. Maybe someday he would find somebody to give it to, like his father had done before him and his grandfather before that. Who knew?

When he reached the club, Gilbert was already waiting for him. He was dressed all black, with a simple red shirt to add a little bit of colour. He looked like a demon that was visiting Earth, especially with his white hair and blood red eyes. They showed their SA badges and the bouncer let them in without question.

Being a man of the Government had its perks.

They danced and drank the whole night, laughing and flirting with any girl that caught their interest. While Gilbert ended up getting a few slaps for being too straight-forward, Alfred settled with a pretty light brunette, with shinning green eyes. They ended up making out in a couch in a dark corner, but Alfred didn't feel like going further with her. Somehow, he didn't feel he was being fair with her. He said his goodbyes, and shouted to Gilbert that he was leaving, while said albino was charming a young man. He shook his head. It would be nice to see Gilbert actually being in a serious relationship. Even he had had quite few serious ones, lasting at least a few months before they broke up. Gilbert's didn't even last a day.

Walking out, he decided to visit the only park in his zone. It wasn't even that big, but late at night there was this quaint feeling in the air that calmed the SA agent. Finding a lone bench he sat down, closing his eyes and just letting the sound of nature surround him. Opening his eyes, he looked around himself, catching a young couple a little further down, sitting in their own bench. He felt lonely all of a sudden and wished internally that he could find somebody with whom he could share his life. He remembered his mother and his father's relationship and even the way his stepmom and his dad acted around each other. They hid nothing to each other, whispered sweet things into each other's ears and loved each other dearly.

He had always wondered why his relationships never worked. There wasn't that soft and discreet companionship and he never felt completely comfortable with his girlfriends. That was one of the reasons they broke up. In fact he had almost given up on love, deciding to focus himself on his career. He really wished to find somebody to love.

Sighting, the sixteen year old got up, bright and innocent green eyes flashing through his head before he walked home. Maybe he should simply concentrate on his job before he searched for love.

So there you go! Things are heating up from now on! :P Check out my profile because I decided to place a poll over there to check out what other pairings people want, beside the obvious. You can find about anything over there.

See ya all on the next chapter!