Hello everyone! These are just some bunnies that have been rather insistent. Not all chapters are related - if they are the title will let you know. Feel free to adopt any and link me to your story please!

To those reading my other stories - they will be updated asap! My telephone lines (and, thus, internet connection) were off for awhile because the people rebuilding the roads damaged the phone lines for more or less the entire area. It was frustrating. Anyways onto the story and remember - if you wanna adopt one, do it and link me!

Rites Of A Snake

Matthew moaned in anguish as he and Gilbert made their way through a jungle denser than a black hole.

He was going to kill the Ger-Prussian for this. And then bring him back just so he could kill him again.

"Damn you, Gilbert. Damn You to Hell and Back."

Said Prussian turned back to look at him. "What? How can you even think of damning my awesomeness to anywhere!? Then again, you would be blessing them."

His overly dramatic expression of shock then contemplation only added to the Canadian's ire.

"Gilbert," Matthew spoke, with the tone of someone trying to explain one-plus-one-equals-two to a three year old, "We are trekking through the forested equivalent to a desert. To look for relics that, for all we know, could have already been dug up and mounted in a museum how long ago. And we barely even have any training in archaeology!"

Ok, so his comparisons could use some work but he was determined to get his point across.

"I'm tired and sweaty and goddamn it I Want To Go Home."

Fullstop. Period. Point driven home.

However the hard-headed Prussian just laughed.

"You crack me up, Birdie!"

Seeing his friend about to reach breaking point, Gilbert conceded.

"Ok. Ok. Half an hour more and we'll leave. Promise." The albino put his hands up in surrender.

"Fine." Matthew spoke, sighing.

The two continued on their way, hacking bushes to the ground when needed and generally trying not to fall on their faces in what looked like mud (Matthew hoped it was).

After about fifteen minutes, Gilbert paused in his steps.

As he held out a hand for both silence and for Matthew to stop, the Canadian couldn't help but worry.

Listening carefully, Matthew heard what made his friend stop.

Low grunts from behind the surrounding bushes. As if someone was trying to get out of something... or move something.

Motioning for Gilbert to quietly load up his shotgun, Matthew moved some of the foliage and peered behind them, trying to be as quiet as possible.

When he saw a shirtless, tanned, blond trying to pull himself out from what appeared to be the beginnings of some sort of contraption not unlike a giant finger-trap lodged in some bushes, what Gilbert dubbed his 'Canadian' instinct kicked in.

Noisily moving the foliage to make his presence known, Matthew expected the man to be relived and call for his assistance.

What he did not expect was for the blue-eyed blond to panic with slightly louder whines and grunts signalling a renewed effort in his bids to escape whatever held him down.

Starting slightly, Matthew tried to calm the blond as Gilbert made his way through the bushes to inspect the trap.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. We're trying to help you." Matthew soothed. As they moved closer to the blond, the sudden change in his breathing rate made Matthew think he was beginning to hyperventilate.

Instinct took over and Matthew sat down in the mud, pulled the man onto his lap and began to comb pale fingers through the other blond's hair, murmuring soothing words, despite not knowing if the man even spoke a lick of English (or French, actually).

He heard Gilbert give an impressed whistle after parting some bushes next to him, when the blond was starting to calm down.

"Gil?" the Canadian inquired, a bit fearfully.

"It's a giant finger-trap...sort of. We're going to have to cut him out."

Matthew sighed in relief. At least nothing was chopped off (well he hoped nothing was).

As Matthew's hands unconsciously moved from the man's hair to his back, the blond in his lap started...purring?

Looking down in surprise, Matthew thought, 'Well, at least he isn't panicking anymore.'

"Ummm...Birdie? You're gonna wanna see this."

Gilbert's tone (as well as his English – he hardly ever used American slang like that) made Matthew look back up.

"Gilbert?" Matthew responded, worried.

"Seriously, come here." The Prussian's voice held a bit of a squeak to it (Gilbert would later deny it for years to come).

When Matthew made his way through the undergrowth (not noticing the flash of worry that made its way across the other blond's face), he felt his heart jump in shock.

Where the man's legs should have been on the other side of the weird finger trap thing was instead a giant, black (and sapphire-shaming blue) snake tail. It occasionally twitched indicating either discomfort or nerves on the part of its owner.

"Oh My God." He finally voiced, after what felt like hours of silence.

"You got that right, kid. Holy..." the albino seemed to be at a loss for words. "Well...pass me the knife."

"Eh?!" Matthew exclaimed in alarm.

"To cut him out. Jeez, what? You think I'm going to kill him?... Assuming it is a he, of course." Gilbert added after seeing the flash of guilt that had made his friend's face. With the wording he used, he'd have probably thought the same thing, anyways.

Stifling a giggle at the last sentence, the Canadian did as he was told and went back over to soothe the agitated snake-man.

-xx-

Alfred gulped as the blond human made his (it was male, right?) way through the foliage to where his tail would undoubtedly be seen...again.

He knew he shouldn't have slithered through that thing! But the trinket was so damn shiny!

Now these humans would capture him, and put him in a cage and he would be miserable all his life! (But the blond smelt so good. Surely he couldn't be that mean?)

Nevertheless, he seriously regretted wandering off, now.

As the humans' whispering ceased and the foliage was noisily moved again. Alfred fought the whimper that made its way out of his throat.

The blond emerged from the bushes seconds later, brushing and pulling twigs and leaves from his clothes and hair.

He hoped the human wasn't that mean.

-xx-

As Matthew approached the obviously frightened snake-man (What were they called again? Naga? He still couldn't really believe one was here. In front of him.), he tried to calm his breathing. From what he knew about snakes (and most other animals really), when you were scared, angry or nervous they picked up on it and responded accordingly. It wouldn't do to have the...creature?... kneel over with a heart attack or something. Or get mad either.

"Hey. It's ok. I'm here to help." Matthew whispered as he edged nearer to the Naga.

Hesitantly embracing the being, Matthew rested his (the snake's) head against his chest and ran his fingers through the wheat-blond locks.

When he felt the creature stiffen (most likely from the cold metal of the scissors that touched his tail), he started rubbing his back. After awhile, the stiffness eased, suggesting the Naga was becoming more comfortable around him.

"Done!" Gilbert called from behind the bushes.

Matthew felt the Naga shift around a bit, as if testing that he was, indeed, free before pushing himself up so that he was level with the Canadian.

'I'll be so embarrassed if this snake turns out to be female.' Matthew thought, eyeing the creature warily. He didn't look like he was about to attack but Matthew couldn't really be sure.

The snake fixed his bright blue eyes on him for a few moments before he...rubbed against him?

Matthew started a little as the Naga pressed his face under Matthew's neck and, well, rubbed his body against his. Like a dog or cat might do to another, except, thanks to his scaly lower body, not as warm.

Was the snake purring?

But as fast as it started, it was finished and the human-reptile shot up onto a sturdy tree branch and, with a glance back to the two of them (Gilbert had seen everything, Matthew realised) took off, shooting his body from one tree branch to another and was gone before any of them really realised it.

Matthew turned to see Gilbert examining two shiny, round pieces of what looked like metal on the ground.

Seeing his friend's inquisitive look, the Prussian clarified.

"I think he tossed them to me before he took off." All he saw was something shiny flying at him. He thanked God for his reflexes.

"Coins?" the Canadian enquired, seeing the identical markings on the objects. He was proven wrong however, as, when Gilbert turned the 'coin' on its side, the ridges showed they opened.

Inside were two small, golden rings of slightly different sizes.

A distant roar, however, made the boys pause as they were going to try them on.

"Maybe we should go back." Gilbert murmured, recapping the rings.

"Agreed."

And the two swiftly retraced their steps.