Matthew is so sweet...I really love writing about him! Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!

"Alfred...Alfred!"

It hadn't taken Arthur long to recognize exactly where he was, even after weeks of living in the woods. Thankfully, he was able to make it back to his home quickly.

The door was broken in, as he had expected, and he found scorch marks all over the battered living room. His heart sunk at the sight, seeing everything he used to know covered with soot and ash.

And it was empty, save for a figure slouched against a wall in the corner.

"Alfred!" Arthur exclaimed again, rushing over to the fallen person.

Alfred stirred suddenly, blinking up at Arthur with red eyes. He was covered in dust and his face was dirty, but Arthur didn't see any blood on or around him.

"Ugh...Arthur, what the fuck did you do..." he groaned as he struggled to sit up, his hands running over the ground beneath him.

"Saved your arse, that's what I did," Arthur sighed in relief, helping him sit up. Alfred groaned again.

"What the..." Alfred squinted at Arthur. "Arthur...that's you, right?"

"Y-Yes...?"

"Huh. Okay." Alfred shook his head, squinting again. "Uh...okay. Yeah."

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh...no."

"Alfred..."

"No big deal," Alfred said, leaning back onto the wall. "Just...can't see as well."

"What?"

"Uh...everything's kind of blurry. Can't really see edges that well."

Arthur's heart thundered in his throat. But that would mean...

Two sides of the same coin...

In a split second, Arthur made up his mind.

What he couldn't do for the human Alfred, he would definitely do for his other half.

"Come on, up you go," Arthur said reassuringly as he helped Alfred stand up.

"...don't need your help," Alfred muttered, but leaned on Arthur gratefully regardless.

"Okay," Arthur said, ignoring the comment as he put Alfred's arm around his shoulders, supporting him. He looked towards the door that led to his room, and found that it had been blasted off completely.

So the stone was gone. But Alfred was still alive, despite being a demon...either his human blood saved him, or the stone had actually worked.

Which it was, Arthur would never know. But he couldn't deny the sweet relief that was seeping through his veins.

Alfred had survived. He was all right.

And there was nothing more that Arthur wanted.

"Arthur, I'm not wearing these. I did your dumb test or whatever because you asked, but I am not wearing these."

"You look great, Alfred. I'm not sure as to why you believe they're tacky."

But Alfred heard the snicker in Arthur's voice, and frowned into the mirror again.

"My skin is pale. My hair is black. Why the hell did you think I'd look good in red? It's taking all the attention away from anything else! And these are the nerdiest rectangular frames I've ever seen!" Alfred sulked.

"Come on, love. For me?" Arthur pretended to plead, a sly smile on his face.

Alfred turned to him, and Arthur could sense an idea beginning to form in his mind. "So..." Alfred said, taking slow steps towards him. "Would you kiss me with these on?"

Arthur blinked, surprised, as a slight blush spread across his cheeks. "Pardon?"

"Come on, love," Alfred mimicked Arthur's accent as he strode over lazily. "Do it for me?"

Arthur hesitated, his cheeks red as his eyes darted away. It was becoming a habit, not being able to meet Alfred's gaze.

"May I take that as a yes?" Alfred continued slyly, pretending to be genteel as he leaned forward, closer, as their shadows became one...

"Arthur, is that you?"

Arthur jolted backwards immediately, hitting the back of his head on the wall.

"Bloody -" Arthur bit back a curse as he rubbed the back of his head, groaning. Opening his eyes slowly, he found Alfred staring at the source of the voice.

Alice.

"O-Oh, Alice!" Arthur exclaimed, a hand on his head as he slowly walked towards her. Alfred went to his side instantly, only an inch away from him as he studied Alice with a cool expression.

"Oh, it is you. I thought -"

"ALICE!"

A girl rushed into the glasses store, her voice loud, and, to Arthur's ears, slightly obnoxious. She quickly barreled into Alice, causing them both to fall to the floor.

"Oh, you - get off of me this instant, you lump!"

"Aww, Ali, you should stop trying to hide from me! You know you, like, totally suck at hide and seek!"

"We were never playing a bloody game to begin with, you nitwit -"

"Oh, is this that guy you told me about?"

The stranger helped Alice up, although Alice grudgingly accepted her help, and she surveyed Arthur and Alfred with excited eyes. She seemed to be practically jumping up and down with energy. She was noticeably taller than Alice, although she wasn't quite as tall as Arthur.

"Hot damn," she whispered to Alice, her eyes focused on Alfred, "You found yourself a good one."

Alfred stared at her, his eyes slightly wide. Arthur chuckled to himself; her energy probably had him taken aback as well.

Alice sighed. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

"Mmhmm," the stranger agreed, a smirk on her face as she turned to look at Arthur.

She whistled, biting her lip as her eyes lit up. "Oh my god, but he's definitely..."

If she seemed energetic before, now she was completely off the walls with excitement, staring at Arthur shamelessly.

"Amelia, please stop staring." Alice turned to Arthur, an apologetic look on her usually calm face. "I'm really sorry...this is actually the girl I was telling you about before..."

"Oh, you were talking about me? Do tell, do tell!" Amelia exclaimed, slinging an arm casually around Alice's shoulders.

Arthur thought he caught a hint of a blush on Alice's face, but he didn't know for sure. And Alice certainly wasn't wrong. Amelia looked like a lot to handle, possibly even more than Alfred.

Alfred, meanwhile, hadn't said a word, simply studying the two with an unreadable expression on his face. Either way, he seemed to hold no more malice towards Alice, which was good news for Arthur.

Alice sighed, seemingly resigned. "I just met him the other day in the pharmacy. He was purchasing fever medication, as a lot of our customers have recently, and we had a simple chat, that's all."

"Uh-huh. And? What about that hunk over there?" Amelia wagged her eyebrows, and Arthur felt himself blush from second-hand embarrassment. Alice, however, seemed unperturbed as she continued to speak.

"He..." Alice's expression darkened for a moment. "He broke a bottle of the RR02 oil. A shame, really. In a similar manner to you."

"Ohhh," Amelia nodded, with a knowing expression on her face. Suddenly, she whirled on Alfred with a glare. "Hey. I dunno what you're tryin' to do acting all cool and silent and whatnot but she's mine, so don't touch her."

Alfred snorted. "As if. I already have a pet."

Amelia frowned suddenly. "A pet? What does that have to do with having a..."

"Amelia."

"Ohhhh...hey, that's super disrespectful! Such a turn-off."

Alice and Arthur exchanged looks, and they both smiled.

Sometimes, it was nice having someone who just understood.

"Okay, listen, Mr. Hunk, I think you and I need to have a discussion," Amelia said after a while of arguing with an irritated Alfred. But her eyes were vibrant and vivacious as always, and sometimes Arthur found it hard to look away. Although she certainly was a handful, she had a certain twinkle in her eyes and bounce in her step that Arthur couldn't help but feel was charming. She was also undeniably pretty.

"You and me. Man to man. I mean, uh...man to...woman."

"Amelia, please leave him alone..."

"Nah, I'll protect you, Alice! Don't worry!" Amelia chirped as if she hadn't heard Alice at all.

"I don't need protecting," Alice muttered as she averted her gaze.

Alfred had an amused smirk on his face, and Arthur knew that, as much as they disagreed, he didn't dislike the girl. While they had been talking loudly, Arthur and Alice had been chatting while Arthur bought Alfred the glasses.

"Okaaay, that's a yes? Hey, Alice, did I leave my bat in the shop?"

"You always leave it there, Amelia."

"Okay, great! So, hot blond over there," Amelia said, turning to Arthur. "You get him ready in five minutes, yeah?"

Arthur was taken aback. "Ready for what?"

"Time to play ball," Amelia said, winking.

Oh...perhaps she wanted to have a batting competition?

"In any case, put these on," Arthur said quickly as Amelia and Alice left the shop.

"I told you, I'm not wearing those..."

"Alfred. Do you really want to lose to her?" Arthur taunted. "If you can't see it, you can't hit it."

"Tch." Alfred grabbed the glasses from in. Suddenly, he gave the glasses back to Arthur, bending down so that their faces were inches apart.

"Put them on me."

"W-What? Put them on yourself, you oaf."

"For good luck?" Alfred said, winking, and Arthur glared at him.

"Honestly..."

Arthur slowly slid the glasses onto Alfred's face, their eyes locked.

"They're working, yes?" he asked quickly.

"Yeah," Alfred responded, tilting his head. "You get along with Alice, huh."

"And you with Amelia," Arthur countered, thinking. It was uncanny, how similar they were to the two girls...

Alfred and Arthur made their way over to the park, where Amelia was warming up with a few swings.

"Alice, how do I look?"

"Great," Alice said flatly, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"Awww, if you say so," Amelia said bashfully, a pleased grin on her face as she swung again.

"Okay, tiger," Amelia said after a while, sensing Alfred was growing impatient. "We each get three swings. Whoever knocks the ball the farthest wins."

Alfred suddenly grinned as if he found something funny. "So, a tiger and a lion," he mused, turning to Arthur with a glint in his eyes.

Arthur groaned. "We're not discussing that, Alfred. Go on, then. Play the game."

"Arthur!"

Arthur turned around towards the source of the voice, and saw Matthew running towards them, an abnormal, panicked expression on his face.

"Arthur, get away from...wait." Matthew finally reached them, panting as his eyes were wide with confusion. "Wait..."

The four stared at him with equally confused expressions.

"You aren't..." Matthew looked at Alfred, and then at Amelia with a sudden frown on his face. "But if you're both...why are there two of you?"

Alfred and Amelia frowned in unison. "What?"

Matthew suddenly looked from Alice to Arthur, and he slowly seemed to realize something.

He looked down as his hands slowly curled into painfully tight fists.

"Oh, Arthur..." He took a step towards Arthur, then stopped, looking as if he were about to cry.

Arthur walked towards him, frowning. "Matthew, are you all right?"

"Oh, Arthur..." Matthew repeated again, sounding defeated.

"Hey, you two related?" Amelia broke in suddenly, gesturing to Alfred and Matthew.

Matthew smiled slightly. "I get that a lot...I mean...I used to get that a lot..." He shook his head suddenly. "Sorry. Ignore that." He looked at Alfred, sorrow in his eyes.

He looked at Arthur again, calming down. "Okay. Okay, I see," he thought aloud, nodding his head. "This is more complicated than I thought...but it makes sense, now that I think about it."

"Care to explain?" Alice asked, speaking up as she watched Matthew with narrowed eyes.

Matthew looked conflicted before shaking his head. "C-Can you and Alfred come with me for a second?" he asked Arthur quietly. Maintaining as much distance between himself and Alfred as possible, he led them away from the park towards a small cafe on the edge of town.

Sitting at a table, Matthew faced them, although he sat as far away from Alfred as possible.

"Arthur, I..." Matthew looked up at him. "You know already, right?" he asked, broaching the subject again.

Arthur nodded slightly. "The...gist, as it were. I told Alfred already, and he is aware."

Matthew nodded. "It all happened in your past lives. And Alfred, as you know, became...that."

"Thanks."

"No problem, brother," Matthew laughed, then suddenly shut his mouth. "Sorry. Being weird again."

Alfred raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

"Alfred...while you're like this, do you remember anything?"

Alfred sighed, shaking his head. "If Arthur hadn't told me, I wouldn't know shit."

Matthew frowned again, then turned to Arthur. "Arthur. Since this may be...the last time I am able to see you...I need you to listen to me."

Arthur nodded, frowning. "What do you mean by the last time?"

"I..." Matthew smiled slightly. "I'm not supposed to be here. I was never meant to meet you. But I had to, Arthur, and I hope that one day you'll understand why."

Arthur's eyes widened. "Never meant to...?"

"I hope that I'll be forgiven," Matthew chuckled sadly as he shook his head. "But I don't regret anything. Rules were already broken. That's what I mean." His gaze grew more intense as he looked at Arthur. "You two weren't meant to be here. In this time, in this place..."

Arthur's heart thundered in his chest. "What...what do you..."

"In this world, in this time, and in this place, you weren't supposed to be born. Alfred wasn't supposed to be here either, but...I believe two other demons forcibly brought him here. Perhaps that resounded with you, with your soul..."

"M-Matthew, what are you..." Arthur fell silent again, not knowing what to say.

"Either way, Arthur," Matthew continued, his voice slightly lower, "Perhaps that is why this has been challenging for you. This world cannot handle more than one of any soul. For a soul to manifest twice in a given time and place...and to be so near to each other as well..."

"Is that why the girl smells like Arthur?" Alfred cut in, his eyes dark as he looked at Matthew.

Matthew jumped a bit at his interruption, but quickly smiled. "Yes. They are different, but they are the same."

Arthur frowned. Girl...? Which girl?

He couldn't be talking about Alice or Amelia. Could he?

"Anyway," Matthew continued, clearing his throat. Arthur noticed that his voice was getting softer and weaker, and he was beginning to see signs of strain appear on Matthew's pale face. "I-I came to warn you two...you don't have a lot of time left. Unless you resolve the problem..." Matthew looked pained. "It won't just be you..." He began to cough, and Arthur leaned over, putting a hand on his back.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, it's just..." Matthew coughed again. "I-I'm not used to being so close..."

Arthur shrank back.

"No, not you," Matthew said hurriedly, sitting up again as he continued. "You're here for a reason - a reason that defies the very laws of this world. But if you fail, you won't be the only ones who get hurt..."

Matthew toppled over suddenly, and Alfred jumped out of his seat, reaching over to him slowly.

Matthew's eyes shot open, as if burned, as he quickly evaded Alfred's touch, his eyes wide. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

"No!" he cried, then clamped his mouth shut. "I'm sorry..."

"I thought so," Alfred said after a while, narrowing his eyes. "You're an angel. Though you've done a hell of a job hiding it. You even fooled me for a second."

Matthew froze, and Arthur turned to him in shock.

Then, those feathers...

The dreams...

Matthew.

Matthew's mouth quivered as he looked at the ground.

"Then I believe my time is up," he said, his voice calm as he looked at Alfred and Arthur with a smile. "But I believe in you two. If anything at all...if anything is real..." Matthew smiled sadly at them. "I'm sure you two can figure it out. I'm sure you can do it. And Arthur...your dreams? Those were real. Glimpses of other universes, of other worlds...that's why I know you'll be okay."

And in the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving a small white feather on the table.

Arthur and Alfred stood in silence.

"You've met him before?" Alfred asked, his voice even.

"Yes," Arthur said. "Once, after...after I cast the spell in my house."

Alfred nodded.

An awkward silence weighed down on them again.

Arthur frowned, thinking.

He had mentioned his dreams, saying that they were real...

They were distant now, and Arthur hardly remembered them, but he did remember Alfred being in them...

A different Alfred, with strange clothes...

Suddenly, Alfred started humming, jarring Arthur from his thoughts.

Was it Alfred? Or was it another dream?

That song.

From the first note, an intense pain spread throughout Arthur's body, and he felt as if he were being burned. Crying out, he fell to the ground, groaning in pain, as the world faded to black.

It was hot. Too hot. Fire. Was he on fire? No, now he was cold. Ice cold, and he was drowning in it, and he couldn't feel anything anymore...

No. Hot. Too much, too much sensation...

His skin felt mutilated. Cut open. Abused.

He could feel the blood, feel the bruises. Open, gory wounds. A neverending ache. He wanted it to be over.

But it wouldn't be over. That man wouldn't let him get away that easily.

He hated that he loved him. He hated that he believed in a better future.

So much hate.

He couldn't stand it.

Was it...was it his fault? Hadn't he...wasn't it just a misunderstanding?

Do not go further.

No...?

Do not go further.

Please...

Do not go further.

Why not?

You must not. You will break.

Break me, then.

Why?

Alfred...I need...Alfred...

He did this to you. Reject him. Kill him.

No, how could I...

What do you owe him?

I owe him nothing.

Then why do you want to save him? Just let time end him.

No.

He would not.

He could not.

That man was...

"Arthur!"

Arthur opened his eyes instantly, sensing that he was leaning against a wall. Alfred, his eyes blue and watery, had his hands on his shoulders, shaking him.

"Arthur, oh my God..."

Alfred's glasses lay forgotten on the floor as he ran his hands over Arthur's forehead. "I thought you were sick or something, but you were crying...were you having a nightmare?"

Arthur hadn't noticed the tears on his face, and quickly wiped them away. Alfred was frowning.

Why was Alfred frowning?

Alfred leaned forward suddenly, as if to hug Arthur, and Arthur quickly recoiled, shoving him away instinctively as a shock of panic ran through him. Panic, and...pain. As if his body was rejecting Alfred.

Alfred stared at him, his eyes filled with hurt, as Arthur blinked, confused.

Why did he do that?

"I-I'm sorry, Alfred...I don't..." He shook his head. "Just had a bad dream..."

Alfred's eyes widened. "D-Do...was that a dream of...do you..." He dropped his gaze. "No. This was going to happen."

He inched closer to Arthur, but he maintained careful a distance between them. His eyes were hard, his jaw set, an expression Arthur usually saw on the demon Alfred's face.

"Arthur. I...I can't go on like this. It's as if I'm holding back something from you, but it's cowardly, hiding this..." A sad smile appeared on his face. "But it's been long enough. I don't want you to commit to me when you don't even know...what I did. What I'm capable of doing." His eyes grew darker. "So please, Arthur. Hear me out. And..." Alfred looked as if he were about to cry.

"If you choose to leave me after this, if you never want to see me again...I completely understand. So please, Arthur. Let me tell you what happened."

So Alfred will finally reveal everything next chapter...Just as a warning, from the next chapter onwards the story gets dark, so read at your own discretion!