Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 11

"So, what's a dhampir?" Vlad asked.

"It's the child of a vampire and a human," Feliciano said. "They're loyal to the sire of a bloodline, just like vampires. My grandpa likes having a few of them around, and he often seduces women to get them pregnant. They're able to operate during the day, and so they can act as spies. Not only that, but their blood is useful to vampires. It makes us more resistant to our weaknesses. We're also better able to control our hunger if we have dhampir blood in our systems."

Feliciano considered for a moment whether he should tell Vlad about Francis being a dhampir before deciding against it. He would already be in trouble for telling Vlad this much, should word reach his grandfather.

He knew he was safe there. His grandfather was aware that he had a place of his own, but since he didn't spend too much time there, his grandfather wasn't too bothered. As far as Feliciano knew, the older vampire didn't even know where Feliciano's apartment was. And just in case, Feliciano had made sure a long time ago that the place was soundproof, even to a vampire's sensitive hearing. He'd tested it by playing music in the apartment and going outside to determine whether or not it was sufficient.

"How many of them are there in Meldale?" Vlad asked.

"About four," Feliciano said. "Two of them are still in school and one of them is still a toddler. As useful as they can be, there's a high chance that a baby like that would die in the womb, or die within the first two years of life."

"And, what about the fourth one?"

Feliciano flinched and averted his gaze.

"…It's Francis, isn't it?" Vlad asked. "He was at the party, and I've seen him during the daytime."

"Please don't bring it up if you see him," Feliciano said. "I could get in a lot of trouble."

"I understand. So… what are you doing now? I mean… Are you still spying on me, or…?"

"I fed my grandpa a few false things, but I can't do it forever," Feliciano said. "I want to give him something that would make him lose interest in you. Unfortunately, I don't even entirely know what he really wants to learn through you."

"So, if you could figure out what he's interested in, then you could try to lead him down the wrong path." Vlad's eyes widened. "Did… Did you tell him the name of my hometown?"

"No," Feliciano said. "I didn't think it was relevant, and I had no interest in betraying you like that. Besides, he has no interest in going to your home country. He doesn't like the vampires there. He calls them savages."

Vlad sighed in relief. He grew thoughtful as he sipped the last of the coffee. The pasta had already been finished a while back.

"Does your grandpa have a library, or a journal or something?" Vlad asked.

"Both," Feliciano said. "But most of the books are normal, and everyone has access to it. His journal, on the other hand, is something different. He rarely writes in it, and he keeps it in a safe. He'll know if I get anywhere near it."

Feliciano could see the disappointment on Vlad's face. It must not have been easy, knowing that he was the target of someone that might not have had the best intentions for him.

"Is there anything we can do?" Vlad asked. "I mean… There has to be something we can do."

"The only thing I can think of is to share mundane things," Feliciano said. "My grandpa should get bored after a while."

"Mundane? In what way?"

"Your day at campus, your homework… Those things really bore him."

Vlad nodded, standing up. As he picked up his coffee mug, Feliciano saw it. The way Vlad's eyes lost focus, his hand slowly seemed to slacken…

Feliciano used his vampire speed to reach the other side of the counter before Vlad collapsed. He grabbed the mug in one hand and cradled Vlad in the crook of his other arm. He stared down at Vlad while he tried to process what had just happened.

This reminded him of the other day, when Vlad collapsed next to him. He quickly placed the mug down. As carefully as he could, he carried Vlad the short distance towards the sofa and gently laid him down.

As Feliciano pulled away, he caught a whiff of Vlad's scent. It wasn't the first time he smelled the Romanian, but something about it changed, though it was hard to tell what exactly was different.

He shook his head, before stepping back. Vlad's eyelids were fluttering frantically, and he wondered what was going on. Feliciano crossed his arms, trying to control his shaking hands.

He didn't know what to do. He remembered that there was some sort of magical interference the last time this happened, and had no idea what that would mean. Could he even help Vlad when he was like this?

Feliciano started pacing, trying to calm himself. He would give Vlad some time, and if necessary, he should try and get in touch with Vlad's housemates. Hopefully there was a way to call them.

…

Vlad knew that he was having another vision. He was in some sort of chamber, and two men were with him. One of them was pacing frantically.

"There has to be something we can do," he snapped. "These humans… They're nothing but worms. We shouldn't have to hide!"

Vlad detected an Italian accent, but that wasn't the only thing about the man that caught his attention. There was something about him that was almost familiar somehow, though he knew for a fact that he'd never seen him before.

"You've seen what humans can do in the name of hatred and fear," the other man said. "And they far outnumber us."

"Then we increase our numbers!" the Italian said. "You've demonstrated how easy it is! We just have to outnumber them!"

"And what do you think we would have for food? And as soon as they suspect that there is something amiss, they will respond in fear and paranoia. However, there is a comfort, if that is what you seek."

The Italian arched his eyebrow as he stared at the other man.

"The most powerful among us was known as the Prince," the other man said. "But for some reason, he just disappeared. And his son disappeared with him. The son was empowered by a demon, and it is said that he will return again, and blood will flow in rivers. He will lead us against the humans."

The Italian smirked. If Vlad had been there in the flesh, he would have shuddered at these words, and their reactions. He looked closer towards the Italian, paying special attention to his eyes.

Feliciano's eyes.

…

Vlad slowly came to. He was on some sort of piece of furniture. Based on the segments he could feel, it was a couch or something. And it took him a while to remember what had happened.

He'd had another vision, and he remembered the one person clearly. He realised now that they were vampires, and that the Italian that had seemed so intent on dominating the humans was Feliciano's grandfather. And actually seeing him showed that Feliciano had reason to be worried about him.

He opened his eyes, and it took him about two seconds to recognise Feliciano's apartment. Said Italian was immediately at his side.

"Thank goodness!" Feliciano said. "What happened? Are you okay? Do you need something?"

Vlad sat up, and it took him a moment to get the room to stop spinning. This vision seemed to affect him worse than the others.

"I… I wouldn't mind some water," Vlad stammered.

Feliciano rushed off, and Vlad tried to process the vision. They had spoken about a prince that had been the most powerful vampire ever seen. And this prince's son had been 'empowered' by a demon. And he had seen two visions regarding a certain prince and his progeny.

This couldn't be a coincidence, but were they truly relevant?

He realised that the first time he had one of these visions was when he was near Feliciano, and he'd had another vision with Feliciano in tow. But what about the second time?

"Here you go," Feliciano said, holding out a glass of water.

Vlad took it and carefully took a few sips. He then fixed Feliciano with a level stare.

"Feliciano, I'm going to ask you something, and I want you to be completely honest," Vlad said. Feliciano looked apprehensive, but Vlad decided to continue. "Were you anywhere near my house earlier this week?"

"This week?" Feliciano asked, a frown on his face. "No, I don't think so. I mean, I sometimes go out to wander at night, but I don't think I was anywhere near your place." Feliciano raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not stalking you, I promise!"

Vlad kept his eye on Feliciano for a few seconds longer before he sighed, deciding that he would trust that Feliciano was telling the truth.

"Sorry about that," he said. "It's just… And what I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. I do not want to find out that your grandpa knows about this."

Feliciano eagerly nodded. Vlad thought carefully about his words and sighed, taking a huge gulp of the water.

"I sometimes get these… visions of things that happened in the past," Vlad said. "It's the reason why I pass out. I don't completely understand what triggers them, but I think proximity to something or someone might be the cause. And right now… I had another one. I think I saw your grandfather. You have the same eyes."

Feliciano's eyes widened, before he closed them and nodded.

"Si," he said. "I think that's one of the reasons why he still keeps me around. I'm basically just a skinnier version of him, or at least that's what he tells me."

"You are not like your grandfather!" Vlad snapped. "From what I saw of him… he's not a good person."

Feliciano laughed sadly, before he sat down next to him.

"That's an understatement," Feliciano said. "I'd really like to leave, but I don't have that option. He doesn't want to let me go. And even if he did… The others wouldn't hesitate to try to kill me. I'm weaker than most of them, and they have numbers on their side. And… I don't want to die."

Vlad stared at Feliciano. Even though Feliciano had lived longer than humans could dream of, he wasn't bored with life yet, and he could still find some sort of joy. The art supplies that he could see and the dedication that Feliciano had shown for the painting showed that he still had his joys.

"The vision also mentioned something else," Vlad said. "I think it might be a prophecy. It mentioned a prince."

Feliciano's eyes widened.

"He… He mentioned that," Feliciano said. "When he heard you're Romanian, he said something about the prince's land."

"…I think I know who it is," Vlad said. "Two of my visions involved Prince Vlad the Third. We discussed him a lot in History class. Anyway, I now know that he was really a vampire too. I don't know if he was really the strongest vampire…"

"That must be it! My grandpa must think that you're somehow connected. So… What did the prophecy say?"

"I'm paraphrasing something that's been paraphrased, so it might not come across as accurate. Anyway, the other vampire in my vision told your grandfather that he seemed to think that the prince's son, who was empowered by a demon, would return and lead the vampires against the humans. He also mentioned rivers of blood."

Feliciano flinched.

"So, that's why he's so interested in you," he murmured. "We just… somehow have to convince him to lose interest in you. But since it's something he's really interested in, it's not going to be easy."

"I suppose so," Vlad sighed. "If only we had more information. Isn't there some sort of library with knowledge that the mundane humans shouldn't know about?"

"If there is, then the Kirklands would probably have that. You… You could ask Arturo. You can explain to them what's going on, and get them to help you. Because… If there is a prophecy, and if my grandpa's really interested in it, then a lot of people will die."

Vlad nodded. He tried to look for a place to put the empty glass, but there wasn't a table or anything nearby, so he put it on the floor.

"I'm safe for now," Feliciano said. "My grandpa knows that you don't work on Saturday, and Sunday's shift is too early for me, so he won't expect anything. And I don't think that… that anyone knows about our meeting tonight."

Vlad picked up on the hesitation. There was something else that Feliciano wasn't telling him. Should he ask, or was it something that could cause trouble for Feliciano as well?

"What would happen if someone does know?" Vlad asked.

"Then they'll tell my grandpa, and he'll expect an answer from me." Feliciano shuddered. "He won't be happy that I kept it from him."

"Is… Is there some way you can hide from him?"

"This place," Feliciano said, gesturing to the apartment. "But if he wants to, then he'll find me, and if I try to run away, he's going to come after you and your housemates, and he'll try to find the answer for himself. But his methods… You don't want to know."

Vlad knew enough about history, and knew enough about Feliciano's family background to have an idea what methods his grandfather would employ. And he couldn't do that to Arthur or Lukas.

Vlad tensed when Feliciano suddenly laid his hand on his shoulder. He could feel the Italian's sorrow.

"This wouldn't have happened if we hadn't met each other at the party," Feliciano said. "You're in this mess because of me."

"…Don't blame yourself," Vlad said. "You said that he has spies everywhere. It would have been a matter of time before one of those spies caught sight of me and reported me. And the one he would have sent this time wouldn't have been as nice as you."

Feliciano shuddered, agreeing with Vlad.

The two remained like that for a while, neither really ready to move.

…

Gupta remained just outside Feliciano's apartment. He couldn't believe that Feliciano thought that no one knew about this place. The only reason why Romulus allowed it was because it kept Feliciano out of the other vampires' hair. Besides, all of them had their own places away from their mansion.

Feliciano was fortunate that Gupta had kept quiet about the meeting with Vlad. If Romulus heard about this, then Feliciano would surely be in a lot of trouble. But he had to compliment Feliciano on the soundproofing. Gupta actually had to cast a spell to make the things they discussed audible, but it had been worth it. He learned something very interesting about Vlad.

This was very valuable information, but he didn't think that he would give Romulus this information quite yet. Gupta wanted to learn more about this so-called prophecy. He needed to know what exactly it meant, so that he could use it to its true potential. But it was clear that Vlad was central to it.

He would just need to convince Vlad to share the content of the visions.

He was grateful to Romulus for helping him in a time when it was dangerous for him, but after a few centuries of being used by someone who expected unquestioning loyalty, Gupta was frustrated. The pressure that Romulus placed on him to get more information on Vlad and his magic was starting to wear on him. And the Italian's complete disregard for the difficulty of the task angered Gupta.

Gupta rubbed his arm, remembering the conversation he'd had with Romulus the previous night. Romulus wanted to know why it was taking so long, and he did not appreciate it when Gupta explained that there were other spells cast on Vlad that made it difficult to learn much about him. Romulus had been busy at the fireplace, and after Gupta informed him that he hadn't learned much, Romulus had stabbed his arm with the hot fire poker.

Feliciano was lucky that Romulus didn't have high expectations for him, or that Romulus didn't care much about what Feliciano did on his own time. But if Romulus were to hear about Feliciano's opinion regarding being part of the coven, then Feliciano would have been in a lot of trouble. He would endure suffering that he'd never even imagined. And the threat of that…

It would make Feliciano an eager, if not willing, ally.

It didn't seem as though Feliciano was about to reveal to Vlad about Gupta's involvement in the coven. That was good. It meant that he could continue working on gaining Vlad's trust. Eventually he would have to reveal to Vlad that he was a mage, but the time was not there yet. He still needed to find a way to make the revelation seem natural.

When the conversation fell into a lull and it became clear that they wouldn't be discussing anything important, Gupta deftly leapt from the building. He hoped that his staff didn't make a mess of his café. He was rather enjoying playing that role.

…

Vlad listened as the taxi drove away, taking Feliciano with it. He took a deep breath before he unlocked the door. He needed to tell the other two everything. They needed to know, and he needed allies.

Lukas came out of the kitchen when Vlad entered. He smiled lazily.

"Did you enjoy your date with Feliciano?" Lukas asked.

Despite himself, Vlad could feel his cheeks heat up.

"It wasn't a date!" he insisted. "Anyway, where's Arthur? There's something I need to tell the both of you."