Hi guys! Okay so I know I've ended the last three chapters with a cliffy but what can I say, I'm evil. So I have to ask, I've been hinting Sprance but would you guys prefer Spamano? If it was Sprance the pairings would be, PruCan (Duh.) GerIta, hinted Giripan, and UsUk. If it was Spamano I would do all the pairings above but instead of UsUk I would have FrUk. You choose. Until then I'm going to continue hinting Sprance.
Gilbert squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the impact, but it didn't come. There was a shattering sound from above and pieces of glass came raining down around them, a now bare fluorescent light fixture swinging above. As soon as Ivan and the scary lady made the involuntary movement to cover their heads with their arms and close their eyes Ludwig moved over to a counter on the far wall where some boxes, a gas fixture (the classroom was once a science room among other things) and a bunsen burner were all haphazardly located. He turned the nozzle on the gas and lit the burner almost simultaneously, He only had enough time to choke out.
"Run!" Before the ignited the flame even more.
Giving a swift kick at Ivans more….sensitive parts and stomping down on the lady's arm until he was sure he heard a crack Gilbert scooped up Matthew and bolted after his brother. Alfred slung a half conscious Kiku-fox and sprinted after everyone Arthur, Antonio and a very terrified Francis (who did not do anything to aid in the fight except rock back and forth in a corner) on his tail. Just as they slammed the door closed an explosion pushed them off their feet.
Kiku yipped as he landed hard against his already broken leg and Gilbert rolled over inhumanly fast in midair so that Matthew could use him as a pillow instead of landing on the hard linoleum.
"Come on!" Ludwigs accented voice called from down the hall, damn that German could run fast.
With a few groans and a muffled conversation of;
("Why does he expect us to run? He didn't have to fight!"
"Can it frog, neither did you."
" Si, I have to agree with Arthur here, you, amor (love)...I mean a-amigo did nothing to help." After that Antonio seemed to get rather flustered though no one could tell why. )
-Everyone who could walk got to their feet and started rushing after Ludwig. The blonde man rushed out of the school and into the cover of the woods nearby, only stopping when he deemed they were deep enough in to not be noticed.
"Zhere used to be a cave around here….Vhere is it?" He wondered out loud looking around, finally he saw it, nestled in some trees a stream running in front of it.
Once the able bodied had hauled the incapacitated into the cave and they each had turned on (or downloaded) the flashlight app on their various cell phones they sat down propped up against the stone walls of the cage. Or if you were Alfred and Gilbert, huddled fearfully over Matthew each one clutching his hands and shooting death glares at the other.
"Let me see him please." Arthur's accented voice said and the two figures both turned to see the green-eyed boy standing above them looking superior and a bit scary in his black cloak. (Could that be because they knew what he could do now?)
Nodding they both made enough room for Arthur to squeeze in, both refusing to move more than two feet away from the boy.
The wizard glared under his large eyebrows, not happy about being crowded while working but sighed and didn't say anything after all if it was one of his brothers….no he wouldn't care...perhaps if it were his mother….but she had been dead for years..anyways..He shook himself out of his inner monologue and focused on the problem at hand. Arthur took out a small vial of water and sprinkled it over Matthew, wincing at the hiss from Gilbert when a drop splattered on him as well.
'Sorry. Holy water.' He mouthed apologetically in the vampire's direction.
Gilbert narrowed his ruby red eyes to say, 'yeah, I kinda got zat.' but shrugged it off and let Arthur continue.
'Sana corpore, animo sentiat, et non ostende vulnera!' (Heal the body, mend the soul, let the wounds show no more!) The droplets of water on Matthew's skin began to glow gold and race towards the wound in his shoulder. As soon as the droplets touched it, the skin began to close and in a few moments it was like it was never there.
"He'll wake in a few minutes." Arthur assured them before turning to help Kiku his cape swishing behind him.
Suddenly both Alfred and Gilbert were glad that Matthew had been unconscious because Kiku's yips of pain were heart-wrenching, soon he quieted though and changed back to his human form (clothes still intact thank god.)
"A-arigatou, Arthur-san." (Thank you Arthur.) The Japanese boy inclined his head and he more than likely would've bowed if he hadn't been sitting.
Matthew finally stirred, blinking he looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. "H-huh?"
"BIRDIE!" Gilbert flung himself on the neko before Alfred could and wrapped him in a hug. "You're all right. Gott, you're all right." He whispered into Matthew's neck breathing in the strange scent of the Canadian.
"I'm fine Gil." Matthew whispered, smiling at the vampire that was draped over him.
"You heard him he's f****** fine, now get the hell off my brother!" Alfred yelled trying to shove the vampire off of Matthew.
Gilbert smirked at the American boy and then back at Matthew whose face was now incredibly close to his own...maybe he should close the gap, he was sure his Birdie would taste just as sweet as he smelled, he should do it, just to spite Alfred...no Matthew might not be okay with that and he'd like to have the neko's permission before he did anything Francis-ish. Instead he smiled, and whispered;
"Looks like I'm in trouble." In Matthew's ear and rolled off of him. Much to the disappointment of the neko who was rather enjoying the frigid temperature of Gilbert's skin against his own.
As soon as the vampire had rolled off of him Alfred practically crushed the air out of his brother.
"Oh god, I thought you were dead, there was so much blood and I thought you were dead and oh my god." He gasped.
"I'm okay, I'm fine." Matthew whispered. "I'm fine, maple, I'm fine."
Finally Alfred let his brother go and looked around the dimly lit cave.
"I never even knew this was here. Damn I would've come here all the time if I'd known."
"Then you vould've died long before now." Ludwig stated coming from deeper in the cave. His blonde hair wasn't slicked back like it normally was and fell in his face. "This place vas used as a hideout...but about five years ago it vas abandoned after those damned Twilight movies started getting popular. People kept coming up here looking for the very thing we are trying to hunt."
"Vampires." Gilbert said flatly, giving his brother a look that was half livid and half terrified. "Mind telling us why you know Ivan and whoever the other psycho was Luddy?" He hissed.
Ludwig flinched at the hiss and didn't meet his brother's eye. Instead he sat down heavily on the floor and looked around at everyone. They were all staring at him in anticipation, sighing heavily he motioned them closer. Cautiously the obeyed and came closer to hear the tale, Gilbert and Alfred both hovered close to (Alfred closer than Gilbert, practically on the neko's lap trying to keep the albino at at least an arm away.) -Matthew watching Ludwig distrustfully. The blonde German sighed at his brother's glare and began.
"Zat other 'psycho' as you put it is Natalya, she's Ivan's younger sister. And ve're hunters." Ludwig looked around at everyone's faces as if expecting this to have some impact on them. "Hunters are a special group of people who track down and….dispose of anyone abnormal."
Kiku raised a hand. "Umm, why did these hunters need to dispose of us. What did we do?"
"It's not vhat you did, it's vhat you vill do if you're not contained. Years and years ago ve tried to live in peace with the various..special people of zis vorld but during vorld var two they rose up and started to try to take over the world."
"So Hitler was like us?" Matthew asked quietly and Ludwig jumped a bit, he apparently hadn't noticed the quiet Canadian was among his audience.
"Ja. He was, he was a verevolf if my history is correct. But you see since vorld var two people like you have not stopped following his beliefs, in fact they attack normal humans in his name. Not to mention the werewolves, succubi, and...vampires zat attack for their own personal gain. Ve protect humans"
"BY KILLING US!?" Gilbert exploded. "I didn't ask to be like this! None of us did! I tried everything, bruder, everything I could zink of to refrain from killing people! I'm not an animal, none of us are. You honestly believe that Arthur, the one who healed all these people that he only met yesterday, is a monster, how about Alfred, who protected his brother even when Ivan broke his arm. Birdie? Who got stabbed saving me! Maybe Kiku is the monster, keeping Ivan from hurting Alfred? Are ve? Vell!?"
This time Ludwig met his brothers gaze. "No. I don't believe you are, not anymore . Not since you...changed. And Feli's been..vell opening my eyes to some things."
Francis's 'honhonhon' cut through the air at that statement.
"Pervy frog." Arthur muttered. And Antonio expressed his agreement by 'accidentally' pushing him on the ground and 'accidentally' (okay maybe that one was actually an accident) landing on top of him provoking another 'honhonhon' from the Frenchman.
"How do you mean?" Matthew asked Ludwig curiously, ignoring the antics that were going on near him.
"Vell, ever since East was turned...I can't hurt my bruder." He finished. Gilbert looked at him, shock evident in his crimson eyes. "I just can't."
The albino smiled, showing off his fangs (involuntarily of course.) And ran his fingers through his silver hair. "Vell it's nice to know Feli finally got through your thick skull, how does he know about us anyvays?"
"He's sort of a hunter, more of a spy really, but he'll only inform us of the very dangerous abnormals, the ones who kill for fun."
Everyone nodded their understanding at this and Gilbert took a deep breath before realizing what a big mistake that was. He had fought today, been injured, he needed more sustenance than he normally would. Usually a hunt would last him for three or four days but now...Antonio, Francis and Ludwig's scent were starting to make his mouth water. He froze, his hand gripping Matthew's tightly (Alfred looked like he was about to shoot flames out of his eyes). Ludwig noticed this and nodded;
"Go hunt bruder, I know you need to." His words were calm although fear flashed through his sky blue eyes and he gripped his gun tighter.
Gilbert lowered his head in shame. He despised taking human lives and wished he didn't have to.
"I'll go with you." A quiet Canadian voice said. Gilbert turned to the neko whose ears were pricked and his tail was swishing from side to side.
"Mattie no! He's-" Alfred tried to protest but Matthew cut him off.
"Of no danger to me. Plus can't you see how scared Gilbert is Al?" Matthew smiled kindly at the vampire who did indeed have an expression of shame and terror (terror that was directed at himself) on his face.
"Y-you don't really vant to see me hunt, do you Birdie?" He asked.
"Not really, honestly it grosses me out but you need to eat and I need to find some way to stop my brother from coddling me." Alfred looked like he was about to argue that statement and Matthew rolled his eyes.
Gilbert nodded his agreement and they both exited the cave. Dusk was falling and the sky was a light purple. It was a beautiful night, perfect for stargazing or strolling down the beach with a loved one, not for what the albino was about to do. At least Matthew made it better.
"Come on, race you to the slums." The neko grinned, his tail twitching and his pupils dilated making him look like an excited kitten.
"Think you can beat me?" The vampire gave a cocky half smile.
"Oh I know I can." He answered and they both sped off into the night, forgetting all their cares as they went.
Hours earlier:
Just as fire filled the classroom two bruised and battered figures pushed their way out of the classroom window, choking, sputtering and hissing in pain as they went. It was time to gather some more hunters, this had only just begun.
More of an explanation chapter, and yes I did mean to reference SPN with the whole hunter thing, I didn't know what else to call them. Until next time!