Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 31

"Are you doing alright?" Arthur asked, turning back to look at Lukas.

"Y-yeah," Lukas stammered. "I'm fine. Just lost in thought."

Lukas had been thinking since his question to Vlad. The realisation of what kinds of emotions he was feeling, and the fact that Vlad didn't seem to recognise the particular emotions, gave him a lot to think about. They had set off to continue their journey more than an hour ago, but Lukas couldn't force himself to focus on the journey. He just needed to get things sorted out inside him first.

He couldn't quite pinpoint all the times he felt jealousy or longing, so he decided to focus on the feeling of attraction that he knew for a fact he felt towards Vlad. That would have been enough to try to figure out, but…

Arthur's voice pierced through Lukas's thoughts. Vlad must have said something, and Arthur laughed in response. At that moment, Lukas focussed on his emotions. He wasn't feeling jealous, but he longed to be a part of the conversation, and… There was the attraction again, but this time, it was triggered by Arthur's laughter. As though Arthur was the one that he was feeling attracted to at that moment.

But it couldn't be that Lukas was feeling attracted to both of his friends, could it? After all… Alright, so he kissed Vlad, even though it wasn't something that he actively thought about as it happened, or that much since it happened. Did he subconsciously do it because he was attracted to Vlad? But he didn't do something like that with Arthur. So… Was there something that caused his emotions to become muddy when it came to Arthur?

Lukas could only think that they had some nice conversations. And it was one particular conversation that Lukas thought about. How… hurt he felt at the thought that Arthur only saw them as strangers that he had to journey with, and Arthur's use of the word 'precious'. Could it be where it began, or was it just something that added to the general state of affairs?

He shook his head. He needed to get all of this cleared up. He couldn't be feeling attraction for both of his friends. So… maybe he was just close to them. Maybe it was purely friendship that he felt.

…No. He never felt that way towards Berwald or Matthias, so that wasn't an option. And Lukas hadn't really been in love before, so he wouldn't really know if that was what he was feeling.

Lukas's hand went towards his pocket, feeling the heat that the Desert Heart radiated. Every now and again, he was sure he could feel movement, almost as though it was an actual heart beating. Vlad told him that the Forest Mind retained an average heat, feeling neither warm nor cool. He wondered if the Ocean Soul would be cool then.

The jewels were the reason why the three of them were travelling together, so despite the dangers that they presented, Lukas was grateful for them. Because no matter how he might have felt about them, Lukas was still happy to have met Arthur and Vlad.

His thoughts paused at the sound of Vlad's voice, yelping in what sounded like pain. Lukas hurried to close the distance as Vlad reached into his own pocket while Arthur watched in alarm.

"What is it?" Arthur asked. "What's wrong?"

Vlad didn't immediately answer, until he pulled out the green jewel. Arthur shuddered at the sight, and Lukas frowned when he saw the jewel glowing slightly before the glow subsided.

"This thing stung me!" Vlad exclaimed, glaring at the stone. "Lukas, how's the other one?"

"It's not bothering me," Lukas said. "It's warm, but that's normal."

Arthur frowned as he looked between the two of them. Finally, he sighed.

"Lukas, were you perhaps touching the stone before Vlad got stung?" Arthur asked.

"I was checking to make sure it's still there," Lukas said. "Why?"

"There's a possibility that Vlad's stone reacted to yours. I think… Just be careful when handling them from now on, alright?"

"Um, technically, the one Lukas has is mine," Vlad muttered. "And the one I have is yours."

"You know what I mean. The one in your possessions. Now, we should hurry. According to the map, we should be approaching a town pretty soon. We should really get new clothes."

Lukas and Vlad nodded, both agreeing that having new clothes would be better for them.

It was about an hour after the gem stung Vlad before they arrived at a town. The three of them enquired about the location of a tailor, and the townspeople pointed them in the right direction. The three entered the shop and immediately went about searching for something suitable to wear.

Lukas and Arthur managed to find things they liked fairly easily, but Vlad needed some help, since this was the first time he went shopping for his own clothes. The owner of the store allowed them to get dressed in a back room after paying, and offered to dispose of their old clothes. It was clear that they were travellers, and that they didn't have much other alternative.

Vlad smiled at the sensation of new clothes. He wondered if he would ever get used to it. And then he wondered if there would be many opportunities in the future for him to get new clothes. Something for him to look forward to.

He checked to make sure he still had the jewel before he followed Arthur and Lukas, who led the way to a quieter part of the street.

"While we're here, I think we should do something about our rations," Lukas said. "We're a bit low."

"Right," Arthur said. "And after that, there's a shrine nearby. We can go there to see if we can contact Auryana and Dosalri." Arthur turned to Vlad. "Do you want to try to contact Lucania?"

Vlad shook his head.

"I think we'd be able to tell if she's been sealed," Vlad said. "We wouldn't be lucky anymore."

"…You're still angry over her abandonment, aren't you?" Arthur asked.

Vlad chuckled nervously, before he looked away. It was true. He wasn't particularly fond of the goddess that allowed him to be abused for ten years. And even if she did use it as a time to allow his luck to grow, it didn't mean that he forgave her. And giving him the magical knowledge that he otherwise would have had did not make up for the loss of his family. It didn't make the pain go away.

The sound of a familiar voice tore Vlad out of his dark thoughts. Arthur jumped, his eyes widening, before he clenched his eyes shut and Vlad could feel the stab of annoyance.

"Oh, if it isn't my favourite trio of travellers."

Vlad turned around to see Francis approaching. He could feel the annoyance from both Arthur and Lukas, though personally, Vlad's emotions were more on the side of nervousness. Why was Francis here? And after their last encounter…

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Arthur snapped.

"Oh, isn't that rude?" Francis said, placing the back of his hand on his forehead. "And here I thought you'd be happy to see a familiar face. That's normal for travellers. I should know."

"'Familiar' does not always mean 'welcome'," Lukas spat. "Where are your companions, anyway?"

"Oh, Roderich is negotiating with a merchant, and Dimitri is taking care of the horses." Francis smiled widely. "Which means I'll be bored until they're finished. You three will entertain me, won't you?"

"Hell no!" Arthur snapped. He grabbed Vlad's wrist and started to pull him away, with Lukas following behind. "Next time you see us, don't bother us."

"Oh, you're so rude," Francis moaned. Vlad sensed annoyance from Arthur and Lukas when Francis started to follow them. "You know, if you continue like that, your friends are going to abandon you. No one likes a rude grouch."

"And no one likes a nuisance," Lukas snapped.

Arthur's speed increased, and Vlad was forced to jog in order to keep up. They entered a busy area, and Francis fell back. Both Arthur and Lukas relaxed when they noticed it too. Arthur released Vlad's wrist as they stopped.

"Why can't he take the bloody hint?" Arthur huffed. He turned to Vlad and his face softened. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"It's okay," Vlad said, a small smile growing. "I've had worse."

"Don't shrug it off," Lukas said. "If it hurts, just say so."

"I'm really sorry about that," Arthur said. "It's just… That man…"

Vlad moved his hand to his pocket so that neither Arthur nor Lukas could see him working to try to get the feeling back into his hand.

"You guys really don't like him, do you?" Vlad said.

"Of course not," Arthur huffed. "It's as though he's purposely trying to rile us up."

"I could feel that."

"Sorry," Lukas and Arthur said.

"I don't understand why you don't have a problem with him," Lukas said.

"Who said I don't have a problem with him?" Vlad asked. "There's something about him and the other two… I don't know. But they make me uncomfortable. It's like… they're faking something. I've seen a bunch of people approach my master throughout the years. A lot of them would compliment him or make themselves look inferior to him, all because they wanted something from him. Some of them succeeded. I got to see some really good actors through the years."

"You think Francis is acting?" Arthur asked. "Or, he's just dramatic."

"I get the feeling he's trying to distract us or something. I don't know. I also don't know why. But it feels as though he's deliberately trying to get you mad."

Arthur and Lukas exchanged a look.

"Let's put as much distance between us and him as we can," Lukas said. "And let's hope we never see him again."

It took a while for them to get their bearings again, and then they managed to find a few stalls that sold food they could take on their journey. While Lukas and Arthur haggled, Vlad watched. He wasn't used to something like this, and couldn't help but stare as they seemed to do this so effortlessly.

As Vlad watched, he suddenly felt a chill in the otherwise warm air. He shuddered and turned around. Something was not right, and he tried to find the cause…

He saw a face in the crowd, and a stab of an emotion that belonged to neither Arthur nor Lukas pierced him. It also wasn't Vlad's. He tried to suck in a breath as his throat tightened and he fell to his knees. That feeling of pure anger… Vlad had never experienced something like that before.

"Vlad, what's wrong?"

He felt Arthur's hands on him as he was pulled to his feet. He still struggled to breathe, and his eyes tried to find that face again, though without luck. The sensation disappeared and he gulped a deep breath. He was trembling, and he knew that without Arthur's support, he would have fallen again.

"What happened?" Lukas asked.

"Let's get somewhere private," Arthur said.

Vlad allowed Arthur to guide him until they managed to find a deserted alley. Vlad slumped against the wall, his legs unwilling to support him.

"What happened?" Lukas repeated.

"I… I felt something," Vlad said. "It was… cold. And then I saw a face in the crowd, and… this anger… It's the first time I felt someone's anger that wasn't yours."

"Then who could…" Arthur started, before his eyes widened and he grew pale. "You don't think it's Nemthys, do you?"

Vlad shuddered. The anger would certainly make sense. But as for why Nemthys would be there…

Vlad realised that he wasn't aware of a single reason why Nemthys wouldn't personally come after them.

"We need to get going," he said. "If he really is here…"

"We need to get to the shrine," Lukas said. "Hopefully, that would offer us some protection."

Arthur nodded, and Vlad pushed himself to properly stand again. He still felt unstable, but he was doing better. And if Arthur or Lukas had to support him while there was a possible danger, then they would be all the more vulnerable.

"We're here," Arthur said.

The three of them stood in front of a building, with stairs leading to the part that they were most concerned with. At the top of the stairs was a shrine, and based on the environment, no one else was there. They would be alone as they tried to contact their patron gods.

Arthur looked over towards Vlad. He was a little pale, but otherwise seemed to have recovered after his near-collapse in the town. Vlad looked up at the building, his expression unreadable.

"Are you feeling better?" Arthur asked.

"Yeah," Vlad said, nodding. "I think… I'm going to wait for you here. I'm a bit tired, and I don't think I can manage the stairs."

"Alright," Lukas said. "If you think something's wrong, you should just scream, and we'll come down."

Arthur's throat tightened. He didn't really like the idea of leaving Vlad alone, but since Vlad nodded his assent, he supposed that it was alright with him.

The moment Arthur's foot touched the first step, an intense pain roared through his body. He screamed, and from the sound of it, Lukas screamed as well. Eventually, Arthur stepped back, and the pain was gone. Lukas slumped to the ground beside him, and Arthur had to fight to remain upright.

"What's wrong?" Vlad asked, looking between the two of them. "You just started screaming."

"Pain," Arthur gasped. He looked at the stairs with suspicion. "I think there's a seal here."

Vlad frowned, before he turned back to the stairs. He reached out his hand and frowned.

"I don't sense anything like that," he said. He then placed his foot on the step and grunted in pain, before he pulled back. "I feel pain too."

"Not as bad as us, apparently," Lukas said.

"I could brace myself, and I'm pretty used to pain." Vlad chewed his lip. "I don't sense a spell on this place. So, I wonder… Could we be the ones with the spell?"

"What do you mean?"

"No," Arthur whispered. "It would make sense. If we had the aid of our gods… Nemthys would have tried to make sure that that wouldn't happen."

"But… When would he have done it?" Lukas asked. "And how?"

Arthur turned to Vlad.

"Do you think he could have done it when we were shopping?" he asked.

"I don't know," Vlad admitted. "But… No. I don't think it was something like that. Maybe one of his followers did it. I mean… this is the first time we're at a shrine. For all we know, it could have happened at any time."

"You have a point," Lukas said. "So… what now?"

Arthur bit his lip, before he looked up towards the shrine. As much as he hated to admit it, they came all the way for nothing. Mortals had to go to specific places if they wished to contact a god. Even sorcerers needed to rely on these places. Arthur and his brothers had managed to create their own sacred space, but to do so now would take too much time that they did not have.

"We can't rely on the gods," Arthur said. "And we can't find out if Auryana and Dosalri are sealed. I think… The best we can do at this point is to continue on our journey. We should leave the forest in two days. As long as nothing bad happens."

"And as long as you didn't just jinx us," Lukas sighed. "I hate to say this, but you're right. Hopefully, they'll contact us."

The three of them turned away, with Lukas's compass pointing them in the direction that they needed to continue in. Arthur hoped that they would be able to reach their next destination without a problem.

"We saw you with them," Roderich said, glaring at Francis. "What were you doing?"

Francis shrugged, though he kept looking in the direction that he last saw the trio. They were on the roof of a building, unnoticed by the mortals below.

"At least tell us you did something that would benefit Master," Dimitri begged.

"I made sure that none of them would be able to step foot on a sacred space," Francis said. "The last thing we need is for them to get even more divine intervention. And I also made the empath a little more… receptive, of others' emotions."

"But he's only supposed to be able to sense the other two," Roderich said.

"Which is why feeling emotions that are not theirs will be too much for him. And I also placed a little curse on one of them."

"A curse?" Dimitri asked, perking up. "What kind of curse?"

"Do you two remember the Plague of Adelop?"

Roderich grinned.

"That should certainly keep them occupied for a while," he said.

"And, more importantly, it should help to cause their luck to run out," Francis said. "Soon, nothing will stop us from taking them to Master."

"How much longer?" Vlad whined. "My feet are burning."

"The new shoes aren't used to long distances yet," Lukas said. "We should probably rest soon."

Vlad nodded, but Arthur didn't respond. Lukas turned towards him and his eyes widened.

"Arthur!" he exclaimed.

Arthur swayed on his feet, his face bone white and covered in sweat. He stopped and his knees buckled. Lukas suspected that this would happen, and caught him before he could fall to the ground.

"What's going on?" Vlad asked.

"He's got a pretty high fever," Lukas said. "We need to make camp immediately, and get him to cool down."

With a fever like that, they weren't going to get very far anytime soon. But what bothered Lukas was the sudden onslaught. He placed his hand on Arthur's forehead and reached out with his magic. Unlike last time, he felt something.

"Arthur's been cursed," Lukas said.