Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia.

Chapter 8

Vlad yawned, going over the paper one more time before he clicked on 'print'. It was Thursday night, and he had to hand in his homework about what philosophy meant to him the next day. He'd actually finished it the previous day, but had refrained from printing it due to his time in the library having been cut short by the next class.

It was only the first week, and already he knew that he was going to need every second of sleep that he could get. The workload was already quite brutal, and he knew that it would only get worse. He tried to spend as much of his time on work as possible, allowing himself only half an hour of each day dedicated to recreation.

He needed to get some rest, otherwise he couldn't see how he would last until the end of the semester.

He retrieved his paper from the printer, being careful of the still-wet ink and placed it aside, before opening the search engine to try and get started with his research project. This was a project that he would have the entire semester to do, but he had no intention of waiting until the last minute. Not after seeing the rubric.

He started searching the keywords he'd written down earlier in the day, taking note of the websites that had information on the subject, but mostly looking for their sources, especially regarding academic texts. He then made a note of those results in his notebook, hoping that the campus library would have them. He kept working until the hour he had in front of the computer was over, and by that time he was grateful. He didn't know which hurt more, his shoulders or his eyes.

Vlad looked behind him when he sensed movement. Arthur came into the room with his own bag. Vlad yawned again before standing up.

"I just finished," Vlad said. "Good luck. I know it's late. Would you like me to bring you some coffee or tea?"

"Some black tea would be nice," Arthur said. "Thank you."

Vlad flashed a quick smile. As he passed Arthur, the Brit suddenly grabbed his arm. Vlad turned to him with a confused expression.

"Have you had any more… attacks during the week?" Arthur asked.

Vlad hesitated before he nodded his head.

"There was one on Tuesday," he said. "I think it was because there was a naga nearby. We actually managed to become friends. He told me, for example, that your family pretty much rules the supernatural Meldale. Why didn't you say anything about it?"

Arthur cleared his throat, his cheeks reddening.

"I knew that it wouldn't be necessary," Arthur said. "After all, I told my parents that my housemates are both practitioners, so you didn't have to make your presence known. And… I didn't want you to act differently around me. I've had enough grief from the ordinary humans for being a Kirkland."

"I guess it's not easy being rich, huh?" Vlad asked, smiling to let Arthur know that there were no hard feelings. "Anyway, I'll go get your tea."

As Vlad made his way to the kitchen, he couldn't help but feel a chill. He stopped, looking out the nearby window. For some strange reason, he had the feeling that he was being watched. None of the fairies were nearby, so he knew that he couldn't blame them. But still, something was off.

He hissed when he felt a sudden burst of pain in his skull. He grabbed his head, pressing his back against the wall. He waited for a vision to come, but none did. He remained like that until the pain in his head dulled. He shuddered, before running the rest of the way to the kitchen.

Vlad had noticed the last few days that there was some sort of presence at night, especially when he was out in the city. But this was the first time that he'd sensed something like this at the house. He knew that he would need to bring this up with Arthur and Lukas, and that they needed to reinforce the defences of the house.

As he waited for the kettle to boil, he sat down at the kitchen table with his hands pressed against his temples. His hands were still shaking, and there was something seriously off about the presence he'd felt. Even though it seemed to have gone, there was still a trace of it that lingered. What did it want?

"Are you alright?"

Vlad yelped at the sound of the voice with a violent jolt. He whirled around and sighed in relief when he saw that it was Lukas standing at the door.

"D-da," he stammered. "I'm fine, but… Did you… did you feel that presence too?"

"What presence?" Lukas asked, taking his coffee mug to the sink.

"There… I sensed something earlier. It felt like something was watching me, and then my head started to hurt. I've been sensing something like this all week, but it's the first time I've sensed it here."

As he said it, he realised that he was being ridiculous. It was late at night, he was tired, and he still had to get used to the city. There might have just been someone passing by, and his instincts were reacting to that. He was also still a bit paranoid after realising that there was a vampire coven interested in him, and from what Raj told him, they were bad news.

"I see," Lukas said. "Can you perhaps pinpoint when you sense this presence?"

"Wait," Vlad said. "You… believe me?"

"I have no reason not to. You're clearly shaken by something, and I have no doubt that you might have sensed something. I know of at least a few things that can only be sensed by one individual, regardless of the magical proficiency of the people around them. That usually means that something is hunting you."

"Please don't say something like that when I'm already freaked out."

"Sorry, but it's a possibility. We should probably ask Arthur for a list of creatures in Meldale, then we should narrow down the list. If something's hunting you, then we need to stop it."

"Shouldn't we avoid the worst conclusion until we have more evidence?"

"We should be on our guard until we can be sure that whatever it is you're sensing is safe. It's better to be cautious than dead."

"Da, I guess I see your point."

The two looked up when the kettle reached the end of its journey to boil. Vlad quickly started to work on the black tea.

"I think chamomile would be better for you right now," Lukas remarked.

"It's not for me," Vlad said. "It's for Arthur. He's got the last shift on the computer tonight. I figured he could use something."

Vlad left the tea to steep for a few minutes. Lukas frowned, before he went to the cabinet that Arthur designated for his teas and Lukas's coffee. Vlad blinked in surprise before turning his attention to the sink, where Lukas had just deposited his latest cup.

Vlad and Lukas waited in silence. For once, Vlad wasn't nervous about the silence, and instead relished it. His hands were still trembling, though it was only a faint tremor that he could easily hide from Lukas. When he deemed the tea ready, he threw the teabag away and carefully made his way back to Arthur.

"Ah, thank you," Arthur said, smiling as he breathed in the scent of the tea.

"Sorry if it's not to your tastes," Vlad said. "The tea you make is usually so tasty."

"Don't worry. I learned how to make tea from my grandparents. Not too many people know about all the tricks. Besides, I expect that you would be more used to the way you make it."

Vlad smiled before yawning again. Arthur frowned.

"I think you need to get to bed," Arthur said. "You're pale too. And please, don't yawn in front of me. I don't need that now."

"Sorry," Vlad said, before turning around and waving. "Goodnight."

Vlad passed Lukas on his way to his room, and froze when he arrived in his room. On the bedside table was a cup of tea. When Vlad approached it, he could smell the scent of chamomile. He remembered what Lukas said about chamomile tea, and smiled. His housemates might not have been the most affectionate, but they had their own ways to show that they cared.

…

Lukas went to the study, where Arthur was working in front of the computer. Lukas cleared his throat, causing Arthur to look up as Lukas closed the door.

"We need to talk about Vlad," Lukas said.

"Why?" Arthur asked. "Did something happen?"

"Maybe. He told me that he felt a presence earlier, and that he's been feeling it all week out in the city. He looked shaken, so I don't think whatever he felt was benevolent."

"A strange presence…? Did he tell you anything else?"

"No. I wondered if I could get a list of the creatures living in Meldale. That way, we might be able to narrow down what Vlad might have sensed."

"Of course. I'll ask my parents tomorrow, and then we can go through it together. We can also put the library to use."

"Thanks." Lukas was silent for a moment. "I noticed something about Vlad. He seems to be a bit more sensitive than the two of us. And then there are the visions." Arthur whipped around, his eyes bulging. "I overheard you two talking. I won't bring it up with him. It's his story to tell, after all."

"Right. Thank you. And sorry for not telling you."

"It's fine. But still, Vlad's sensitivity is worrying me slightly."

"…His family magic had been dormant for a long time. Which means he doesn't know what could be passed down along his bloodline. I think… We'll need to find out exactly what Vlad's capable of, before he gets hurt."

"Right. He's the one in the most danger with this. We should probably discuss it with him tomorrow. I don't think he'd appreciate it if we went behind his back."

"Of course. Are you going to bed now?"

"I can stay up a little longer, if you'd like. I wasn't happy last night when I was the last one to bed."

"You don't have to go to the trouble. But I appreciate it."

"I also think it might be a good idea to start looking into some of your tomes. I kind of feel guilty that I've been neglecting this subject."

"Go ahead. You might want to look at the ones in the basement. They're normally better, but stay away from the grimoires. It's too late at night, and there might be an accident."

"Understood."

Lukas made his way to the basement, and as he passed Vlad's room, he noticed that the light was off. He wondered if the Romanian drank the tea he left him, and he hoped that Vlad would be able to enjoy a peaceful night's rest.

He scanned through the tomes of magical texts, searching for something that seemed interesting. His hand hovered over a book that was titled Lore of Eastern Europe. His mind went back to Vlad before he removed the book from the shelf.

A few minutes later, Lukas was in the study with Arthur again. His eyes scanned the table of contents, and he smiled slightly when he realised that it would indeed be useful. At the very least, he might be able to find something to talk with Vlad about.

…

Vlad was dreaming. He knew he was. That was the only explanation for where he was, and who he was looking at.

Vlad Tepes.

He watched as the man paced around, occasionally upending a random piece of furniture. Something was bothering him, but Vlad couldn't even begin to imagine what it could be. Sure, he knew the history, but it could be anything.

They both turned to the door when they heard footsteps. Three men arrived, dressed as noblemen, but Vlad could tell that there was something off about them as well. In fact, when he looked back at Tepes, he noticed that there was a strange aura around him, despite this being a dream and Vlad shouldn't have been able to see something like this.

"Did you find him?" Tepes asked.

"Yes, my lord," one of the men said. "However… There's… I think you better see for yourself."

Vlad knew the history of Vlad Tepes. He knew how cruel the man had been. So to see him pale with worry was jarring. He followed after them, mostly because he knew that this was what the vision wanted from him, but also because he was curious to see what could have frightened someone like the Impaler.

They were led to a room, and Vlad stared at the pale man lying on the bed, his breathing laboured. He had shaggy black hair that reminded Vlad a bit of his own, but that was nothing compared to the black splotches on his face. Vlad knew that this was no ordinary illness.

'A curse…' Vlad thought.

"What happened?" Tepes demanded, rounding on the three men.

"We found him near the mountains," one of them said. "A demon. There was a gypsy camp nearby…"

"N-no…"

Vlad jumped. He turned towards the bedridden man like the rest. Actually, now that Vlad looked carefully, he looked to be around his age, if not younger.

"F-Father…" the boy stammered. "Don't… They t-tried t-to… help. They… They know… what we are. They don't… mind."

As he spoke, Vlad could see the fangs in his mouth, and the red eyes were filled with pain. Vlad looked over towards the other men, seeing the red tint in their own eyes and the slight hint of fangs.

Vampires.

This must have been after Tepes was transformed, but how long afterwards wasn't evident. Tepes went over towards the boy – his son – and clasped the youth's hand. Even knowing what Tepes was, Vlad couldn't help but notice that his son's hand was even paler.

"If you don't want harm to come to them, then harm shall not befall them," Tepes said. "We'll find a mage that can help. We'll set right whatever this is."

The son looked pained, but he shook his head.

"Father…" he gasped. "There's… Something you should know. There's… A girl… among the gypsies. She's… She's carrying… my child."

Vlad remembered the vision he saw previously. Tepes's reaction upon seeing the child. There must have been a reason for him to see something like this.

Unfortunately, that was where the vision ended. The scene turned black, and Vlad could no longer hear anything that any of them were saying.

…

Vlad gasped when his eyes snapped open. It took him a while to realise that he was in his room. He took a deep breath, grimacing when he realised that he was soaked in sweat. He thought back to the dream, and realised that he could still remember it in perfect clarity. Just like one of his visions.

This had never happened before. He'd never had a vision while he was asleep, and he had no idea what could have triggered it. More importantly, why did he have a second vision regarding Vlad Tepes, and did the fact that both had something to do with his son and grandchild have any relevance?

He looked towards the nightstand, groaning when he realised that there wasn't a glass of water. His throat felt like the Sahara, and he hated the thought of leaving the comfortable bed. But his throat and mouth demanded attention, and so he reluctantly got out of bed.

While he was pouring the water, a wave of dizziness suddenly washed over him. He gripped the counter with one hand while the other hand still held the glass underneath the faucet. He whimpered when he felt bile searing his throat.

He quickly turned off the faucet and placed the glass on the counter before he gripped the counter with both hands. It was only the first week of classes. He couldn't afford to be sick. He looked up at the window in front of him and froze.

With his shaggy hair, red eyes, pale skin and dark circles, he looked a lot like the son in the vision that he saw. He shook his head, trying to clear it of the ridiculous thought. Still, there was an eerily uncanny resemblance.

"It's late," he muttered. "I'm tired. That's all this is. Nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing to worry about."

But he was still worried, and he knew that this would bother him for the rest of the night. He needed to get to bed and sleep and ignore the thoughts trying to intrude inside his head.

He took a few deep breaths to steady himself, and when he felt the bile disappear, he took a few sips of the water. The cold liquid helped to calm him, and he added more water. When he felt that he would be able to go back to bed without incident, he started to make his way back up.

By the time he made it to his bedroom, half of the glass's contents were gone. He took a few more sips before climbing into bed. When he closed his eyes, his mind kept flicking between the image of the Impaler's son and his own reflection.

He tried to tell himself that it was just in his head, but then his mind drifted to Feliciano and the other vampires. He knew that they were interested in him for some reason, and that for some reason the fact that he's Romanian was significant to them.

Vlad knew that Arthur had a lot of tomes, and he suspected that the rest of his family would have a lot more. Perhaps Vlad should start doing a bit of research to see if he could find some answers.