A/N: I am a horrible person, I know. SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN FOREVER :'(

Anyway, next chapter is here. If you notice how Kiku's dialogue seems different, it's because I cut the whole l's to r's thing. I've received a few complaints about it, and I have to agree, it was getting annoying. Just imagine his speech probrem (hee hee hee) in your head.

Thanks guys for sticking with this story! Hopefully I'll get a bunch of writing done over winter break!

I do not own Hetalia (though I wish I did )

Ludwig's POV

From the moment I caught sight of the bear looming over the scarily pale Feliciana to the time it slumped by my feet, completely lifeless, I was mentally cursing in German.

Scheiß auf diese verdammte Scheiß-bastard mit einem verdammten scheiß schwanz!

I had no clue as to how to handle my current situation; all I knew was that the bear-under no circumstances- was going to harm Feli. I wouldn't allow that to happen.

"FELI!" I yelled, momentarily catching her attention. She immediately switched her gaze back to the bear.

"Ludwig, I'm over here." Her voice held no tremor, but her eyes revealed the sheer terror she was experiencing at that moment. She was obviously making an effort to not startle the creature, so I complied with her wishes, creeping closer to the scene as quietly as I possibly could.

Since her view of the bear was limited, she couldn't have seen the slight shift in his legs, as if he were preparing to attack. Panicked and clearly not thinking straight, I shouted, "HEY, BEAR! OVER HERE! LOOK OVER HERE, SIE SCHEIßE KOPF!"

My plan- if randomly yelling at a bear to divert its attention could be considered a plan- didn't work the way I'd hoped. While my action did distract the bear momentarily, causing him to return to his less threatening stance, he kept his gaze on the trembling Italian. I knew I had to switch tactics.

Though every fiber of my being was screaming for me not to abandon the girl for even a second, I dove behind the trees, fingers raking the dirt for something to throw at the bear. I was clawing at the ground like a madman, knowing that a second wasted was a second closer to the creature striking. Just as my palm brushed up against a stone, I heard a pathetic whimper escape from Feliciana's lips.

"Ve, I really hope there's pasta in heaven!"

Bolting back into the clearing, I hurled the stone at the animal, my heart stopping momentarily at the sight of Feliciana shrunk up against the tree with the bear's claw hovering over her face.

My constant training and target practice paid off: the stone slammed into the back of its head, and it slowly twisted its head to face me. Those dark eyes bore into mine, as if saying, you did not just do that.

Well, I did.

And I was probably going to die for it.

The last few moments went by in a blur. The bear charged, but I didn't bother moving. It was physically impossible to outrun a bear at such close proximity, so it would be pointless. Feliciana's expression switched from grateful to horrified as she watched the scene, screaming out my name.

Though I didn't want to die (or be seriously injured, for that matter), I knew that it would be worth it. I couldn't let Feliciana be attacked; it was the gentlemanly thing to do.

Besides, I had grown fond of the Italian.

I braced myself for impact, but a crack rang out, and the bear slumped at my feet. A stream of crimson blood leaked from its fur.

Without bothering to search for the cause of the creature's death, I flew over to Feliciana, relief slamming into me like a tidal wave. "You all right, Feli? Did it hurt you at all?" I began tugging at the duct tape that bound her to the tree. She was still very pale, but not just from the recent terrifying events. The material seemed to be digging into her skin, enough to disrupt her blood flow. My brow knotted with worry.

"N-no, I'm alright. You?"

"I'm not the one duct taped to a tree, am I?" I retorted, noticing how she clenched her teeth every time I touched her binds. Removing my hands, I muttered, "We're going to need a knife or something like that to get this off of you." She nodded, and I stole a brief glance at the dead bear. "By the way, do you know why that thing died?"

Instead of replying, her eyes drifted off behind me, her lips parted slightly in shock. I followed her gaze, taking a sharp inhale of breath at the sight of the headmaster wielding a shotgun. He took a step towards us, eyes stern but full of concern.

"I woke up when I heard the screams and came to investigate," he started, panting slightly. "I found the other students running in this direction. They said that you, Ludwig, ran over here when you heard Feliciana screaming. You left so quickly that they couldn't catch up to you." An almost imperceptible smirk appeared on his face.

At that last statement, my face reddened slightly. Surely the headmaster wasn't trying to imply anything… right?

"I told them to wait by the tents while I grabbed my gun. It's a good thing I got here in time; otherwise you two could've been seriously injured… or worse."

I gulped at the thought and turned back to the Italian. She was staring at the bear with glazed over eyes, her skin several shades paler than she had been a couple of seconds ago.

Worry clenched my heart as I gently grabbed her shoulders, staring straight into her amber eyes. "Hey, Feliciana, are you sure you're okay? You don't look so good." She opened her mouth as if to reply, but couldn't form any words. Confused, I turned to Headmaster Kiku, who removed a knife from his back pocket and started hacking at the tape.

Seriously, how many weapons did this guy just have lying around?

"The tape has cut off her blood flow, so she'll be experiencing dizziness and nausea," he explained quickly, severing the last piece restricting her torso. I held out my arms to catch her as she fell forward, feet still attached to the tree. There were dark red marks where the tape had been on her skin.

"Is that better, Feli?" I asked, keeping her steady against my chest. There was no reply. Confused, I peered down at her eyes, which were shut.

"She must've passed out or fallen asleep," I muttered to myself, gently setting her head against my collarbone. The headmaster finished releasing her feet and I scooped up her legs, holding her knees on either side of my waist. Though she was asleep, her arms naturally wrapped around my neck.

"Exhaustion has taken its toll on her," Kiku muttered. I nodded in agreement, hoping he couldn't hear my rapid heartbeat as she melted comfortably into my arms. Side by side, we silently made our way back to camp.

All of the anger I had been harboring against Lovina for hurting her sister instantly melted when I looked at her face. It was as red as a… well, as red as a tomato, ironically. Her eyes were puffy from crying, and she didn't even bother removing Antonio's sympathetic arm from her shoulders. The moment she caught a glimpse of us emerging from the bushes, a sob heaved from her throat and she lurched towards us, eyes set on her sister's limp form. "Oh mio dio, Feliciana!"

I didn't hesitate in letting her scoop up her sister, who slowly blinked open her eyes at Lovina's warm embrace. Everyone else crowded around, concern and curiosity sparking their interest.

Feliciana, now fully alert, widened her eyes at the sight of her sister crying against her shoulder with everyone else standing around, looking down at the ground awkwardly.

"Ve, Lovi, did something bad happen? And why are all of you covered in chocolate?"

Her comment seemed to lighten the mood a bit, and some of the people around us chuckled. Lovina just sobbed in response, clutching harder.

Gilbert wove his way next to me, attempting to look impassive, but I could see the worry in his eyes. "So what happened back there, Luddy?" I caught him eyeing my hands, which were scraped and bleeding from my search for a stone.

"Yeah, what did happen? All we heard was a scream, and then we had to sit out here until you guys showed up," Antonio added, glancing at the two Italian sisters. Lovina had calmed down some, but kept her arm firm around her sister's shoulders, as if she were afraid she would disappear if she let go. Alex stood close by, looking equally guilty.

"Well," I started, slightly uncomfortable from all of the attention, "after being sprayed by chocolate and hearing Feliciana's scream, I ran over to see if she was okay. For some reason she was duct taped to a tree…" I glanced over at Lovina, hoping she would fill in the gaps. Alex spoke up instead.

"It was my fault, really. Feli overheard our revenge plot and tried to warn the guys, but then we caught her, and I suggested that we duct tape her to a tree." She scratched her head sheepishly. "Now that I think about it, it probably wasn't the best idea…"

Lovina glanced at her friend before saying, "It really wasn't all her fault. I was the one who came up with the stupid plot in the first place." A pained expression crossed her face, and she held her sister closer.

"Anyway," I announced, trying to save Lovina and Alex from shaming themselves further, "it turns out the reason Feliciana was screaming was because of a bear."

Maddie squeaked slightly at this comment, and Gilbert's eyes widened. Lovina didn't make a sound, but her face visibly paled.

"I thought it was Gilbert at first, to be honest," Feliciana commented, shuddering at the memory.

"What happened after that," Francis prodded, intrigued. It seemed that everyone was captivated by this story, so I told them the rest with as much detail as possible.

There were plenty of gasps and whimpers as I continued, and I received several looks of pride from my big brother. When I reached the end, when the headmaster shot the bear, Alex whooped loudly.

"HEADMASTER KIKU IS SO FREAKING BADASS!"

We all exploded into laughter, and even Lovina cracked a smile. The headmaster, overhearing this comment, just sighed.

"I forgot to mention, students: we will be leaving the campsite shortly. Due to recent events, the trip has been reduced to a single night."

I glanced up at the sky, shocked to see the sun peeking out from behind the trees. We had spent the entire night discussing the bear incident.

Looking around, everyone was still talking to one another comfortably, and I saw Kiku smile slightly. His plan to have everyone bond, oddly enough, worked.

Feliciana's POV

We had all packed up our stuff and stacked it close to the road, awaiting the school bus that would take us home. I giggled slightly at the sight of the boys; they were still slathered with chocolate and sprinkles, not yet bothering to change their clothes.

"That's it," Arthur grumbled, glaring at Alex. "I need to change. Right now." With a huff, he shouldered his bag and began marching towards the privacy of the trees. Francis's eyes glimmered, and I knew he was going to seize the moment to say something "perverted," as the other girls called it. He caught the brit's elbow before he could leave.

"How much do I have to pay you to watch the show, mon amour?" Gilbert and Antonio cracked up while Arthur reddened and shook him off, disappearing in the woods.

I sighed at the three boys, while my sister, still latched onto my arm, muttered a string of curses in their general direction. Seeing that this would probably be our only moment alone for a while, I nudged her elbow gently to get her attention.

"Lovi, you really don't have to feel so guilty about what happened. I'm not mad, honest." She winced slightly, averting her gaze to a random tree in the distance.

"It's not that. I know you're not mad, Feli, but I'm the older sister. I'm supposed to protect you and take care of you, but instead I just… failed. I was the one who endangered you in the first place." Her eyes began to glisten with unshed tears yet again, a rarity when it came to Lovina. She refused to cry, especially in front of other people, so I knew that her guilt must have been hard to bear.

No pun intended.

"Well, I'm safe now. The only one who truly got hurt was the bear." I casually tugged down on my sleeves, making sure that they covered the red spots on my arms. A glance at them would only cause Lovina to cry again.

"BUS IS HEEERE!" Alex announced enthusiastically, causing several others to moan and cover their ears.

Remembering how Arthur was still out in the woods, I mumbled, "I'll be right back," to Lovina. Before she could protest, I sped off in the direction he marched off to.

It didn't take long for me to spot him, standing in shorts and a tank top while washing his pajamas in a nearby stream. He was muttering to himself, something about a "bloody Frenchman." I smiled, about to tell him about the bus's arrival, but froze.

Wait… were guys supposed to have breasts?

Right on cue, Arthur glanced in my direction and shrieked, dropping his… well, her pajamas in the water. She didn't even watch as they were swept away by the current. My mouth was wide open, but no sound came out.

"Erm, I can explain," she muttered, sounding embarrassed, covering her chest self-consciously.

"You're a girl," I stupidly replied.

"Yes, well, I came over here to join this school, but after the female branch of the academy was infested by rats, they limited the number of applicants. Since I couldn't get in as a girl, I disguised myself as a guy, and well… here I am." I noticed how her hair fell past her shoulders, much longer than it had been a second ago. She noticed my stare, and smiled nervously. "Yeah, I wear a wig during the day. And bindings around my chest."

I nodded, still not speaking. I was unsure of what to say.

"… You won't tell anyone, will you?"

"Oh, no!" I exclaimed shaking my head rapidly. "I just didn't know what to say. So you're a girl? I thought you seemed a bit feminine, but I didn't say anything because Lovina says that some guys have feminine tendencies or whatever, and you always looked kind of pretty for a boy." Arthur blushed, tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear.

"My name's Alice, by the way. Just so you know."

"Okay, Alice." I smiled at her, and she giggled in response.

"It just feels so good to finally tell someone. I thought I was going to explode, dealing with those guys all day." She rolled her eyes in annoyance and began binding her chest over her tank top, tugging on the fabric to fully conceal her curves.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I came to tell you that the bus is here." Alice's eyes widened, and she rapidly dressed herself in fewer than thirty seconds, tucking her blonde locks into her wig before speeding out of the woods with me on her heels. Everyone was already inside, and Kiku had a puzzled expression on his face for our late arrival, but said nothing.

As we climbed into the bus, Francis cooed, "had a little extra fun back there, did we?" I tipped my head to the side, unsure of what he was suggesting. Alice did, apparently, because she yelled at him for being a bloody git before storming into the back of the bus.

I slipped into the spot next to Ludwig, glancing in Alice's direction. Now that I knew her secret, it was up to me to keep that way.

I really hoped that my dreadful secret-keeping skills wouldn't mess this up.

By the time we arrived back at the school, I was ready to crawl into my bed and sleep for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, classes went on as scheduled, so I was thrown into hours of math, science, English, and history, barely listening to the professors as I dreamed about a pillow and some blankets.

Even after classes ended, my day had little improvement. Since the girls and guys had bonded so much during the trip, a plan was set to have a horror movie marathon later that afternoon. Being the scaredy-cat that I am, I blatantly refused Lovina and Alex's offers to attend at first, but after a promise of pasta at the party (the one thing I treasured more than sleep), I tagged along. Since we weren't required to wear uniforms after classes officially ended, we were all three decked out in sweatpants and T-shirts. I was wearing one of my personal favorites: a black top with the Italian flag proudly printed at the front.

We were the first group to arrive (Gilbert had planned for the party to take place in the lobby on the second floor since it had the biggest T.V., and the headmaster reluctantly agreed), so we claimed some comfortable spots to sit in. There was one couch and two plush chairs on either side, but the space was limited, so a few people would end up on the floor. Lovina sighed as she collapsed into one of the chairs, sinking into the soft material. I followed her suit, but instead flopped onto the couch. It was as if I were lying on a cloud.

My eyes threatened to shut, seeing that I was still exhausted from last night, but Alex leapt onto the couch with so much force that I bounced off, hovering in the air for a second before landing back onto the cushion. "THIS IS SO FREAKING BOUNCY, DUDE!" she crowed.

Terrified of having my head impaled in the ceiling, I resorted to sitting on the floor.

Eventually, everyone else pooled in as well. Alex, Francis, Arthur/Alice, Gilbert, and Maddie were all crammed together on the couch. Lovina kept her armchair to herself, but Antonio sat close to her feet, trying his best to strike up a conversation. Elizabeta and Chun Yan, who had brought a stuffed panda as big as herself, shared the other one with Roderich talking to Elizabeta on one side and Ivan talking to Chun Yan on the other. I sat in front of the couch with Ludwig, a large bowl full of popcorn sitting between us.

"I'm still mad about how they lied about the pasta," I sulked. He chuckled lightly, ruffling my hair. The lights dimmed, and we turned to face Gilbert, his finger still on the switch. The albino smiled darkly, holding a flashlight up to illuminate his face.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and whatever the heck Francis is… what you have been summoned for tonight is not just a horror movie marathon. No, it's much more than that." He flashed another evil grin, slowly pacing towards the Television. Ludwig and I exchanged looks.

"As you all know, claims have been made over which sex is the most badass: male or female. Tonight is the ultimate test."

"I thought we were done with this," Roderich sighed, massaging his temples.

"No! The war has only begun! Tonight is a competition: we will watch a series of horror movies, and if you scream, you lose. The person who goes the longest without screaming, whether male or female, determines which sex is most badass." He pressed a button on his phone, and dramatic music began to play.

Alex, Antonio, and a few others whooped. I groaned.

Tonight was going to be a long night.

A/N: As you can probably imagine, the next chapter is going to have ULTIMATE fluff :D

If any of you have special suggestions for the next few chapters, I'd love to hear them! The whole Arthur/Alice thing was inspired by a comment, actually

Love you guys! Thanks for reading!

~Hastalapasta