*Italy's Innocent Face*

…

…

…

…

…

We will now return to the story.

/= ? =/

The city was so much different compared to the old run down area that could barely qualify for being a town. Arthur opted that it was safe to walk around in their given attire, and for the most part they were right. Many of them looked like noble people, wandering around with people that, while poor, still seemed content.

"I'd much rather live here." Alfred pointed out.

"It has a different air about it…" Matthew looked around. "More…open?"

"Strange…it's like this isn't even part of Charice's world." Kiku looked at Li Xiao. "Do you sense it?"

"Yeah…something else other than Shadows…" Li Xiao blinked. "This makes it…weird."

The crowd continued to move along, surprised that the place seemed more normal than the last place they were in. Li Xiao couldn't help but wonder if they were going away from Charice's psyche. After a few minutes he felt Feliciano's fingers tighten around his arm, and he turned his head around to see that a figure was rapidly approaching them. As it was getting closer, his face was clear to everyone.

"Lovino?"

"VEEEE!"

The figure grabbed him, making the Italian panic. After a few minutes of hard staring, the man sighed and stepped away from him. Li Xiao could now clearly see that it was Ludwig, wearing noble green attire and a green and gold bracer around his neck. He looked more like an empire than a republic, making Feliciano blush and turn away.

"I-I'm sorry…I thought you were someone that I know."

"O-oh…that's all right…" Feliciano looked up. "Y-you're…"

"M-my name is Ludwig, leader of the Green Soldiers." He stated, oblivious to his shaking. "And you are…?"

"Y-you…you don't know…?"

"Hm?"

"N-nothing…my name is Feliciano."

"You…sound like Lovino."

"…r-right…"

"I-I'm sorry, the Green Soldiers?" Alfred jumped in front of Feliciano. "Is that some kind of country or something that I don't know?"

"No. How far away is your land? The Green Soldiers are the national army of this land." Ludwig said with a perfectly straight face. Gilbert had to chuckle. "I'm the lieutenant commander of that army and the valet of the prince Lovino."

"…prince…?" Antonio was surprised.

"Oi! You really know how to get lost around here, don't you…freaking bastard?"

They all turned their heads to see Lovino walking toward them, wearing a bright blue outfit rather deserving for a prince. Ludwig could only shake his head and ruffle the other's hair, making Feliciano whimper and hide behind Alfred. Antonio looked like he was getting openly sick.

"You don't have to worry about me, my prince. I know around this city."

"Yeah, well…you were late. We have to meet the queen later for a treaty, remember?"

"Right, right." Ludwig smiled. "Sorry."

He then proceeded to graze his lips around Lovino's forehead, making the whole crowd get a little sick. Antonio was vomiting over the side while Feliciano buried his face in Alfred's jacket. Only Kiku was able to keep his head together for a few minutes in order to raise his voice.

"The queen?"

"Yes. The queen of a kingdom far away. Having an alliance helps all of us in the long run." Lovino stated.

"I am aware of that. I am a prince of a far away kingdom and I know well about alliances." Kiku commented, sounding extremely calm.

"I see. Perhaps we should make an alliance one of these days."

"I will take that statement into consideration."

"Good. I hope you enjoy your stay in my kingdom." Lovino smiled. "And if you shall excuse us, we have a meeting to go to."

"Another time, then."

The two of them turned and walked away in grace, leaving a trail that made the whole group stare at each other in confusion. Antonio had just finished vomiting and cleared his mouth just as Feliciano finally openly wept on the American's back. Gilbert and Li Xiao couldn't help but worry about him.

"Um…s-should we go follow them?"

"…yeah, Mattie's right." Alfred stated. "Let's go."

/=+=/

The group followed what direction they could possibly remember as they headed deeper into the city. The people around them started getting extremely familiar in appearance, some of them even turning into the TV characters she would enjoy watching. Matthew was leading the way, allowing Kumajiro to sniff them out. For some reason, the bear was actually willing to go along with this. After a few minutes of walking around aimlessly, they finally found themselves in front of a rather interesting building. Alfred blinked and fixed his glasses.

"Dude, that's the American Embassy in the Philippines!" He stared up. "Down to the cracks in the doorway!"

"The…embassy?" Gilbert looked up.

"It's definitely that. I've seen this before." Antonio blinked. "Charice invited me here."

Li Xiao noticed with surprise that the gate was unlocked, and opened the door to let themselves in. He walked forward as he noticed Ludwig and Lovino talking to a familiar face as they went inside the building. Before the figure walked in, they made eye contact, making everyone flinch. Five seconds later, a huge Shadow appeared in front of them.

"Gah!" Gilbert jumped back. "Shadows? NOW?"

"Forget that! We have to get him out of the way!"

/= "" =/

This Shadow consisted of a being wearing the American flag and eating everything in its path. Arthur's spells weren't even throwing a dent in it, and when Feliciano tried to attack he got knocked out of the way. The only person that seemed to actually get anything out of him was Alfred. He was grinning the entire time.

"Hey guys! Check this out!"

Alfred laughed as he jumped into the air, summoning his Southern brother as the both of them started shooting at the Shadow with grins on their faces. After a few seconds, they both looked at each other.

"Ready, bro?"

"Ready as ever, partner."

They both lifted their hands as they revealed that they each had their own Persona cards, their symbols glowing on their arms. Alfred summoned what looked like a white Shikigami, while Jackson summoned a huge golden dragon. Li Xiao stared in confusion as they both tore through the Shadow with ease.

He's a…?

"Alfred!" Arthur stood up. "You're a Wild Card?"

"Eh? I am?" He looked at Jackson before laughing. "Holy crap, I am!"

"Fantastic." Kiku sighed. "But whatever, we have to get into that building-"

"Veee! Guys, the door's locked!"

Everyone turned their head to see that Feliciano was already at the door, unable to open it. Li Xiao was about to question it when he suddenly realized that Antonio was looking away from them, staring at the city with the most fascinated look on his face. He quietly walked to his side when he noticed it as well.

"Guys. You might want to get over here."

The crowd awkwardly followed him, and gasped at what they saw as well.

"Wait a minute…" Antonio turned his head.

"How is it suddenly nightfall?" Gilbert screamed. "It was early morning when we got here! Did we really take that long?"

"I don't think it's that…someone's manipulating this entire world. They want something to happen." Arthur turned his head. "But this realm…this realm looks so familiar…"

"…oh my god."

Everyone turned their heads to a terrified Kiku. He looked at Li Xiao.

"Please, listen to me. I have an idea what's going on."

"You do?" Alfred blinked.

"What's going on?" Feliciano whimpered.

"We have no time to waste. We have to find Ludwig now!"

/= Replace all "?" with "Servant of Evil –classical version- Instrumental" =/

But you probably already knew that.