So, my life got busy, with me studying for SATII and such. This is why this took forever. But I'm done! And I hope you guys really like this! Seriously, this is probably one of the more…yeah. It's…okay. I liked it.

THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING. SERIOUSLY! :D

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other. - Douglas Everett (American Hockey Player)

"…Did…save me! Twisted…!"

"…my…save…NO!"

THUD!

The Cardinal immediately stopped his sermon, shooting a glare towards the thud as Romano Vargas blanched, helping his brother up from his collapsed position. "Oi! Feliciano!" he hissed sharply as Feliciano mumbled something incoherently, shaking his head.

A little boy and another man…why were they in so much pain…?!

"Who are you?" he cried out, startling the Cardinal and his older brother even more.

Romano's eyes widened as he tried to shake his brother awake. "Feliciano!" he yelled, suddenly not caring if anyone else in Mass heard.

What was wrong with his little brother?!

Later, as mass dispersed, somewhat early thanks to Feliciano, the two brothers found themselves inside the Vatican, huddled together as Feliciano helped himself to a little wine, trying to calm his frazzled nerves.

"Give me that," Romano growled, snatching the wine out his brother's hand. "I need a bit too."

After taking a sip of the wine, he then glared in Feliciano's direction. "What the HELL was that?" he snapped feverishly as Feliciano winced, shaking his head.

"Fratello…" he began softly as Romano set aside the glass with a rough motion.

"You told me about that dream you had when you were younger, about when that boy appeared," he said suddenly after a bout of silence. "Was it the same boy?"

Feliciano remembered when he was younger, about how a boy had lost his ball then noticed him standing there, and then asked him who he was. The country was a new place, one that he hadn't seen before but knew about because of Marco Polo and various other reports.

"…Yes. It was the same boy," he said after some thought as Romano kicked something with his left foot.

"Dammit! Why the fuck would that bother you again?!" he growled, violently kicking the wall as Feliciano sighed, used to his brother's foul tongue.

"I don't know Fratello…maybe it has to do with the fact that there are people heading over there now."

"Right," Romano expelled a breath. "The team to help…what's his face survive the Akuma."

Of course, the Italian brothers knew about this, seeing as in the Black Order's Central headquarters located inside the Vatican. They avoided that place however, and with good reason.

"Fratello, I'm fine, let's go get pasta okay?"

With a grunt, Romano stood to his feet, shaking his head. "No. I need to go see Leveriver."

Feliciano visibly blanched white at the mention of his name. "F-Fratello, but why? W-We don't need to see him, w-why?"

Romano was inwardly quaking in his shoes but refused to show it, clenching his fists. "They'll have answers won't they? Besides, the pope will let us in and we can demand for answers."

Romano took off, white robe fluttering behind him as Feliciano gave chase, not willing to be left behind there.

"A-Ah Fratello, wait! Don't leave me here, the Cardinal's already angry at me for falling asleep in Mass!"

On the boat heading for Japan, Allen found himself caught off guard, literally and figuratively. Trying to summon some sort of lie, Allen cursed his voice for shaking as he stood to his feet, wobbling as he did so.

"Mr. K-Kirkland!" he called as Arthur sent him a curious glance but decided not to follow with it. "What are you doing up here?"

Arthur stared out at the ocean blue with a faint hint of reminiscence in his eyes. "I enjoy the sea breeze time to time."

Allen shook his head mentally at that. There was no way. There was no way. He was just going to leave that alone and think about it some other time because he really did not need this in the way. There was no way the man in front of him was England!

He would just shove the thought away until he could think about it. Now, he just needed some sort of…question to ask him.

"Are you ever scared?" he found himself asking as Arthur stared at him again.

"Of what?" he replied as Allen returned the stare with equal force.

"Of…losing someone," he replied as he watched Arthur visibly flinch at the question. "If that was too rude then I apologize."

Arthur shook his hand and his head, showing that he was completely or somewhat at the very least, fine with it. "I am scared at times," he replied with a faint smile as Allen stared out at the sea. "Aren't you? I heard of your circumstances from your last journey to Japan."

"…It was from there I gained Crown Clown so…all wasn't lost," Allen replied with a smile, hiding the sudden throb in his heart, as he shook his head. "Lenalee considers her world to be of her friends and family, people who she cares about most in this world…I was just thinking about that…and how it must feel to lose someone in that manner."

"It is always painful when losing someone," Arthur said while suddenly remembering that day…

That day…

"America, what is this?! What is the meaning of this?"

"It is what it says England. It is my declaration of Independence from you! I refuse to stay under your rule any longer!"

"Impudent boy, you cannot survive without me!"

A movement and a punch…an angry yell of pain…

"WATCH ME ENGLAND!"

With a lazy wave of his hand, he sat down on the mast, eyes closed. "It is always painful," he repeated as Allen sat down again, next to the man.

"You must have lost people…that you cared for."

"Lad, everyone always loses someone they care for. There is nothing you or I could do about it," Arthur replied with a dark look as Allen smiled grimly, nodding while running his fingers through his white hair.

Mana…

With a thud, the boat stopped as the captain barked orders in Korean to get ready and get off the ship. Staring up at the two, he motioned them down, yelling that they had to hurry in English.

"It seems that the real journey starts here…correct Allen?" Arthur asked as he grabbed a rope swinging above.

Allen activated Crown Clown, his own eye activated. "It seems that way."

The boat quickly left the port, leaving the group standing there, weapons of various sorts drawn. Slowly making their way up the port, there seemed to be a wordless agreement not to speak up, for fear to attract Akuma.

"We should head for the capital, Edo," Arthur murmured softly to the others as they nodded, quickly moving through the dark streets. Kanda felt his breath labor for a moment before he pushed it aside, rushing forward ahead of the rest of the group.

"He's there…" he murmured almost unconsciously, without him realizing it as he directed his feet in a direction where he could…

…Could feel it…?

Could feel what?

With a rush, he found himself sprinting, pursing something right ahead of him. What was it?

"WATCH OUT!"

"H-Honda-dono! RUN!"

Kanda fell down on the ground again but amid the protests continued forward, eyes narrowed. He had to know, he had to…

What drove him to this point, he wondered to himself in the back of his mind. There had to be some sort of point where the line crossed.

With a loud yell, he slashed through another Akuma as the others followed closely behind, weapons held close to their sides. Kanda seemed to be moving at some inhumane speed, as if he just had to know, just had to keep pushing forward.

An hour….several hours later, the now weary team stopped to take a breather after forcing Kanda to his senses, meaning Allen shouting BaKanda and basically instigating a fight with the Japanese boy.

"What the hell was that?!" Arthur yelled at Kanda, eyes wide and bushy eyebrows raised as Kanda glared back at him, wiping his lip from the blood clinging to it. "You rushed forward as if you had no concern for the rest of the group!"

"Fuck off asshole!" Kanda snapped back feverishly as Yao narrowed his eyes. Lenalee noticed this as Kanda stood to his feet again shakily, eyes narrowed. "Just…leave…"

Before the Japanese boy could take another step, Ivan had appeared behind him and promptly slammed his hand against his neck. "…Perhaps you'll have a cooler head when you've slept a bit…da?"

No one protested this move strangely enough as the small group decided to push through the border cities and into the heart of Edo, where Kanda had directed himself before Ivan knocked him out. Ivan lifted the boy easily on his shoulder and strode forward, metal pipe clenched in one hand, the other balancing Kanda.

"We should hurry. I doubt we'll have this veil of silence for long," the Russian man spoke again to the silent group. They nodded and moved forward.

…

Kanda was dreaming.

He was dreaming of a man who seemed older than he was, older than most people he knew were.

He was dreaming of the same man, crying out for help for his people.

His people?

Who was he?

Kanda had sworn he would get answers and yet…yet…he seemed to be getting nowhere.

What was this?

…

Kiku was dreaming as he relaxed briefly against the broken remains of a temple.

He dreamt of a small boy who suffered through synchronizing with his innocence.

He dreamt of the same boy who killed his best friend to live.

He dreamt of that same boy fighting tears as he did so.

That boy was coming.

And yet, even as he dreamed this, he could not hold back his own tears, his own overwhelming emotions.

Was he cracking slowly?

He arose to someone shaking him frantically. "Honda-dono, we have to move again," a tired voice laced with anxiety called as he got to his feet, naiginta clutched close to him. With a stiff nod, he moved forward, blade edge held closely to him.

"KEKEKEEEE!" The loud shriek permeated the silence as Kiku lifted his naiginta, ready to strike. "You thought you could hide from me forever didn't you? Well too bad for you then!" The level four shrieked, flying forward.

Kiku closed his eyes briefly, smirking just a bit before opening his eyes again, motioning his men back.

"I didn't plan on running away."

The Akuma, regardless, flew forward, fist angled towards the country's head as Kiku bent down, swinging his spear in a wide arc. Getting some distance, he pushed off his left foot, landing some ways away from the Akuma.

With a loud yell, he raced forward, blade lighting up in the dim light as he slashed down at the Akuma, leaving a long diagonal arc across its chest. The Akuma shrieked loudly, eyes wide as it stared at Kiku with a faint mix of emotions, anger and annoyance being one of them.

"You're not an exorcist."

Kiku resisted the urge to roll his eyes, instead going for his impassive mask. "It would seem so," he said with a curt nod as he angled his weapon towards the Akuma. "But I will not stop here for your questions."

Weapon flying in the air, he jabbed straight down and when the Akuma caught the weapon, ignoring the sparks up its arms. Kiku immediately yanked forward, throwing the Akuma towards him then with strength that surprised even him, lifted the Akuma high into the air and slammed him down.

Jumping into the air, he stabbed down into the Akuma's head. "You've been following me for a week," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I would know your patterns by now at the very least."

"…You damn country!" the Akuma yelled, through the innocence naiginta now buried deep in its head. It dropped every pretense of not knowing who Kiku was, shrieking it to the entire world. "The Earl should have destroyed you! You should be dead or at the very least weak enough for me to kill you!"

Kiku laughed dryly, digging the spear point in deeper. "Excuse me as I laugh, but I am Japan, the land of the rising sun. I will not fall to the Earl or you Akuma." He pulled the naiginta out, staring at the Akuma, now missing its face. "Good bye Akuma."

With a squelch that echoed through the field, the Akuma screamed and exploded. Kiku watched it explode from a safe distance before his men came up to him, each yelling if he was alright.

Suddenly caught off by a wave of nausea, he fell to his knees as another Akuma swept in, as if waiting for a chance to strike. It caught Kiku by his neck before he could breathe, before he could move for his weapon.

"Land of the rising sun? Let's see if you can last a blow to the head!" it hissed, opening its mouth wide to shoot his head off from blank range.

He wouldn't die…

Or would he…?

"SHIT! KIKU!"

"CROWN CLOWN!"

Who…?

He suddenly began to fall and fell into a warm grasp. Fingers brushed aside his hair and whispered soothingly.

This voice…

One tear escaped his eye.

"…Yao…nii-san…"

They came. They finally answered his call.

So. My life. I still hate you colleges. Grrr.