Chapter 8 is up! Sorry it took so long, school's been dragging me down.

And a pretty good time for Vash to get involved, cause this situation's got a very low time limit.

As for Pierre, you'll find out what happens to him right here.

"Vash, what are you doing here?"

"You know why I'm here. You're the one who called me!"

"Yeah, but aren't you supposed to be neutral?"

"Well, yes, but in a time like this, I should probably get involved."

"But how do we know you're just here for the sake of the phone call? You barely participated in the meeting!"

"STOP ASKING QUESTIONS ALREADY! I'm in. That's final." He banged his gun on the floor.

"Fine, fine, you're in. But if my floor breaks, you're paying for it."

"So, this is the plan."

"What is that? I can barely see it!"

On a piece of white paper, Alfred had drawn a diagram. Or at least, that's what it was supposed to be.

Ink-drawn stick figures and a lopsided square outlined the page, along with a few labels.

"Okay, so this square is supposed to be where Toris is. Vash, you're gonna be my backup, obviously. You'll stand right there. Arthur, you're supporting me in battle, so you'll be to my left. Francis, you're my other support, so you stand to my right. And of course, I'm gonna be the hero, so I'll lead the way!"

"Is that it?"

"I'm not done, Vash. So, if the door is locked, you'll break it down with one of your guns. Then we just go in and rescue Toris."

"But what if the enemy's present? Have you thought of that?"

"Then we beat the crap out of him!"

"What if he does that to you?"

"Ah, no worries. I can handle anything anyone throws at me, and Vash is gonna be there, so what am I scared of?"

"The kidnapper could be one of your crazy opponents from the past! You gotta be careful, Al."

"But I already beat them all in the past. I can do it again, you know."

England's expression soured, remembering the Revolutionary War. "Yeah, you did..."

"Anyway, why don't we all just agree to the plan? It seems okay to me."

"If you're coming, Francis, then change out of your flashy clothing."

"What are you saying? That I have no sense of style?"

"JUST DO AS ENGLAND SAYS YOU IDIOT!"

"Alright! I'll do it!" *whispers* "It's bad enough that I'm already scared of him..."

"Now, Alfred, where did you find Toris's phone?"

"In the middle of a vast lot."

"Do you remember what it looked like?"

"Um, it was just a big lot. It has barely any grass, a ton of old car parts and metal, and I remember this old house being close to it. But I don't exactly remember what avenue I was on; I was too preoccupied."

"That should still be enough information to figure out where he is. We'll start searching tomorrow."

Alfred turned away. "If he's still here tomorrow."

"Um, is it me or am I hearing noises here again?"

"No, that's just...the ghost of my former boss."

Karey could only nod in confusion. Lately, she felt like she had been hearing voices inside the old house. When she mentioned it to Harold, he simply told her it was the ghost of some historical figure. Although she seemed to believe him, she was still initially suspicious.

"I swear, if he mentions another 'ghost' we're never coming back here again.

That's when she heard the distinctive voice again- which seemed to come from the kitchen.

"That's it, I'm getting to the bottom of this."

Harold almost choked on his soda. "Wait!"

As Karey made her way to the kitchen, she looked around and saw...nothing.

"Maybe I'm starting to go insane from all this talk."

"Yes, maybe you are." Harold assured her, in an usually calm voice.

Okay, now that's creepy. Since when has he been so calm? "I...gotta go."

"Oh, okay. I'll just go out on another walk."

Pierre sure was glad to be getting closer to his house.

While flying, he had to dodge falling leaves, cats, hawks and even a few trucks.

It was like a typical messenger's trip, only more life-threatening.

But now, he was almost home, and nothing could stop him from delivering the news.

"Hey, aren't you that annoying bird that invaded my property?"

Pierre turned and saw some flying glass being thrown at him. He quickly jumped out of harm's way and started flying in another direction. He looked back and saw a familiar person chasing him. He didn't know what he wanted at the moment, but he was certain that the guy wasn't friendly.

Hastily, the bird dove into an alley and hid there. He watched as the same man walked right past it.

"Stupid bird." He muttered as he walked.

As soon as he was out of sight, Pierre came out and flew back to where he was going.

That had been a close call.

-5:00 P.M.-

After discussing plans, the nations went back home to prepare for whatever they were up against.

Francis had just gotten out of his car when he spotted a white fluff ball coming towards him.

He moved out of its way, mad at first. But his anger quickly dissipated when he saw who it was.

"Pierre?"

Yes, you did it Pierre!

He went through a lot of trouble, but he was able to find who he was looking for.

Please review, chapter 9 will be up soon.

-Blue Cotinga Girl-