Chapter One: Zero

Many people were thankful for the clocks that were embedded in our wrists. Many believed they were miracles sent by God to help those who were stuck, lost, and alone. Many thought that we, as the human race, wouldn't have made it this far if it weren't for these clocks to help guide us to our mates... our soul-mates. They believed that the clocks brought only love and joy to anyone and everyone. Now that we had these clocks, everyone would be able to experience the overwhelming feeling of love overcoming them as they reached a certain state of euphoria.

I looked around the classroom only to find many of the students falling asleep as our history teacher continued on with his rather boring presentation on how small events could cause government corruption and rebellion. Fortunately, I was placed in a window seat, allowing me to lose any forget about the world and just think while I watched the oh-so-fascinating landscape from the window.

The human race has had these clocks stuck on their wrists for as long as we have been able to communicate with one another. No one is sure as to how we even came to have these devices, only removable once we meet our fated ones, attached to our wrists. I wonder what kind of pot Evolution was smoking when it came up the idea of placing a clock on the wrists of fragile, squishy organisms.

Outside, the green trees were now becoming bright with colorful colors of red, orange, and yellow warning of the drastic weather changes to come. Summers were usually sunny and hot but cool once you got away from the grasping tendrils of deadly sun rays. Winter, on the other hand, tended to be harsh in this city and snow would pile up, causing a lot of extra school days to be added onto the end of the year to make up for all of the days we ended up missing.

School had only started 2 months ago and I was already finding this place to be boring. But yes, I would rather stay at Gakuen W than with my horrible excuse for a family.

Gakuen W was a school that many people looked up to. Mostly for the amazing academics offered to a select few. But sadly, most of the students that attended this school were actually not academically advanced. Instead their rich daddies were able to give enough money to the school administration for their child to be accepted into this prestigious school. I, on the other hand, just received a letter allowing me to enroll at the school because of my hard work. I was rather ecstatic, knowing that all of my studying had paid off, and easily accepted the entrance letter. Within a few days tops, I received a fresh set of uniforms I was to wear, along with a letter stating that the administration was very pleased with my decision.

Gakuen W did have rather impressive academics, to which I found just a bit more challenging than my last school, and this pleased me very much. The library was nice and vast, allowing me to indulge myself for hours on books I never imagined I would have a chance to read. Not only was this place filled with a rare learning experience, it also had one of the best sports team in the nation. Many people prided themselves on our most popular sports team, which to my distaste, was American football. I have gone and seen one of the games that was taking place in the field behind Gakuen W only to be disgusted by the constant rough housing and damage this sport was doing to the players. But it's not like I really cared about the players anyway. For most of them were just stuck-up, snobby jocks that, like I stated before, had to rely on their daddy's money for them to be accepted.

When I received my acceptance letter, I was informed that I would be getting my very own dorm room without having to share with anyone but myself, since I was new to the school. After living most of my life constantly teased by four brothers, my own room may have contributed to my eagerness to go. These brothers of mine would called me "half a man" because of my lack of both height, masculinity, and my apparently feminine hobbies. With a new room all to myself, I would not have to worry about the constant teasing, humiliation, and would finally be able to do everything I wish peacefully. Order and control were ideals that I rather liked, and even though I do enjoy new challenges, I do love it when everything is stable and balanced.

And right now, I really wish that I was back in my room enjoying a cup of freshly brewed tea reading my new collection of books that I discovered when I visited the library yesterday. But alas, time was a bitch.

On my left hand, was a normal, real watch that covered my ticking destiny clock. You would wonder why I even thought about covering my clock and I would simply reply with: I cannot and will not count backwards from the day I am to meet my soul mate just so I could find out what the bloody time is.

After checking the time, I quietly started collecting and packing all of my stuff since class was going to be over soon. The bell rang throughout the classrooms and hallway as many of the students stood up and quickly walked out the door of a, once again, boring history class. I soon followed after them into the student infested hallways as I maneuvered my way to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was a rather spacious place that had many comfy chairs and large tables, a staircase that lead to a patio above the cafeteria, as well as huge doors that led to the field outside for those that wished to play once they were done eating. The food that they gave out in this cafeteria was quite splendid, I must admit, and every day they cooked some work of culinary art that originated from a foreign country. Sadly, today they were serving American hamburgers which were far too greasy and fattening for my liking, which caused me head toward my usual seat with a bowl of salad.

The table where I usually sat at was near the corner of the cafeteria, but had a large view of the outside which was a plus. As I neared my table, I snorted unconsciously when I noticed one very recognizable man.

Francis Bonnefoy was a man that always had a warning sign around him. When people talked about him, one group of people would classify him as the Prince of Charms that could make anyone's legs feel like jelly, while another group would accuse him of being a pervert that you were to stay clear of as if he was the Black Death himself. As much as I would have liked to hope one was more of a fact then an opinion, Francis Bonnefoy was a normal man with a higher libido boiling inside him. He and I were both well acquainted because of one boring summer. We were childhood friends. Many would actually find the idea laughable if we were to tell them World War III rarely broke out. And, of course, their defense to our plea would be the fact that we insult each other about everything possible.

Yes, he and I have had many debates and dares that almost led to us both in the hospital, but that does not mean that I do not respect the man. During the summer we shared together, he helped me through many tough times and I have yet to thank him for that. Because of that, he became my brotherly figure; a brother that I never really had. My real siblings were more like dicks than brothers, but that's a story for another day. Francis was a man who had pretty much everything I wanted, from riches to beauty to respect. And because of that summer, we shared many great memories together that I am still quite fond of. Sadly, he did not return the next year.

It was not until I enrolled into Gakuen W that I ever saw him again. I still remember it like it was yesterday. We saw each other after at least 6 or 7 years of separation; Francis with his trademark long hair and I with my tragic, trademark eyebrows helped us recognize each other in an instant. And in that moment, Francis ran towards me, hugged me tightly, and told me how much he missed his "mon petit lapin". I, on the other hand, tried with all my might to push him away which ended in failure. But nevertheless, I was very happy to know that I was not entering a new school friend-less.

Right now I would describe our relationship together as nothing less than frenemies. We insult one another without a second to rest, but when the time comes, we can share a golden moment of agreement and respect. He is a man that I am rather jealous of, which I do believe is one of the reasons on why I am a bit stingy toward him.

"Afternoon Frog. Got bored of your fair share of sluts and decided to shit with us?" I said without blinking an eye. Francis, on the other hand blinked a few times in disbelief before he opened his mouth for a comeback.

"At least I have made with love with another instead of sitting in my room embroidering and drinking tea like a grandmother."

But then again he also loves comparing me to a grandmother for he knew I hated that.

Before anything too horrible happened, a white haired man came over and stared at me as he patted Francis' shoulder.

"Calm down Arthur, I want to be able to talk to Frenchie here without having to hear him complain about salad in his hair," the man said. I looked down toward my hands to see that the bowl in my hands was a bit higher and closer to Francis' face then I last remembered.

"I-I wasn't planning on doing that!" I stuttered out as I felt my face heat up a bit. As Gilbert snickered, Francis laughed and mumbled about how cute his mon petit lapin was when blushing. Soon the heat in my face from embarrassment was replaced by anger as I threw more insults toward the french git. The two didn't stop laughing for a while.

Gilbert Beilschmidt, was the white haired man's name. He was another man that many people talked and gossiped about, like Francis. He was overly self-confident and always talked about how awesome he truly was and how everything else in the world was un-awesome. Many disliked his personality and stayed away from him, which was actually truly a shame because even I have to admit, Gilbert was a very great man to hang around with. He is a very loyal friend and when he has a plan, he follows through until the end, without backing out. He would stop at nothing to cheer up his friends, even if it meant that he had to blow up this very school. And surprisingly, he was a huge softy, especially when it came to his yellow baby bird named Gilbird who has grown extremely fond of the warmth and attention he receives from his caretaker.

As the two in front of me chatted about their own plans, I pulled out my fork and started to eat my salad in solitude. Well, I wasn't alone for long when another friend of mine sat down next to me.

"Good Afternoon Arthur-san. How has your day been so far?" I looked over at Kiku as I slowly chewed on my salad.

Kiku Honda was a very quiet and reserved Japanese boy. He was the second friend I made when I first started attending Gakuen W, after Francis. We both shared our love for literature and stability, causing the title of "acquaintances" to instantly become "friends". To my surprise, Kiku was actually personally asked by the principal to become the student body president. Because of his timid personality and dislike of refusing others, he accepted the position which he apparently ran so successfully that the principal asked him to become the president for the next year as well. He was currently in his second year of being president.

"Quite well if you count almost falling asleep in history class" I replied stabbing my fork into my salad, trying my best to avoid getting the green peppers. "And you Kiku?"

Kiku opened his mouth to reply but was soon stopped by a man that wrapped his arm around the poor startled japanese boy as the attacker exclaimed, "Kiku! I missed you!"

But what surprised me the most about this silent boy was his relationship he had with the attacker that was pretty much now rubbing his cheek against the furiously blushing Japanese boy. Yao Wang was the cheek-rubbing attackers name and he was currently in a relationship with Kiku.

When I first found out, I instantly looked at Kiku's wrist, even more surprised by the fact that the clock was still attached to him and was still counting down to the day he would meet his soul-mate. I quickly questioned if being in a relationship was a good idea for Kiku since his clock did not have any years left. Stuttering but steadily he told me that he believed in his heart and whenever he was near Yao, he could feel his heart beating loud and strong. He knew that what he was feeling for Yao was not just a feeling of friendship, but something greater.

After that I asked what he thought about the clocks on our wrists. He told me he didn't believe in them.

I then concluded that Kiku loves to keep surprising me. I was very intrigued with the way Kiku thought and I soon began to think very deeply about the clocks and love.

Kiku's lips curled a tiny bit at the tip of his mouth, but nonetheless smiling toward the one he said he loved. Yao then quickly sat himself down in the free seat next to Kiku and the two began to disassemble Kiku's very impressive double bento box.

The inside was filled with many types of food that took the shape of some of the cutest things in the world. There were sausages that have been cut precisely to look like octopi or breads cut in the exact shape of cute critters. I am and probably always will be very jealous of this quiet boy's amazing technique when it comes to making the food look cute but also very delicious. Lucky for me, Kiku always took some time off his day and would help me make a recipe, and no matter how disastrous and somehow black they came out, he would tell me to keep trying. I was very fortunate to have such an amazing friend like Kiku.

As I continued eating my salad, I was soon pulled into another debate/fight with Francis about something I can't recall, as Gilbert watched from the sideline, laughing as he fed Gilbird. Our discussion soon came to a stop when we heard deafening shouts coming from the center of the room. We turned around just like everyone else in the cafeteria to see what was going on.

Two girls were now standing up. One was a busty cheerleader and the other was a girl who you would call a social butterfly. Both were stuck in a very heated argument that was very quickly turning into an all out death battle.

"I told you to stay away from him. What the fuck are you still doing here?" hissed the social butterfly with a demon-like look in her eyes.

"This is America sweet cheeks, and if you believe I'll obey your commands then you are wrong, sooooo wrong" the cheerleader glared as she poked the social butterfly with her neon pink manicured nail.

"Don't fucking touch me, you whore. You might give me an STD," the social butterfly hollered as she slapped away the cheerleaders hand, which was already leaving a mark. "Just Stay. The fuck. Away. From him, Okay? Or is the stereotype of blonds being dumb actually true?" The social butterfly snickered.

The cheerleader, having had enough of the other girls jabs, snapped and tackled the social butterfly. They both collided onto the floor, pulling at each others face, scratching each other, anything that would cause bodily harm. Since the two girls were out of the way, it gave the side of the room I was on a good view of who they were fighting over.

There sitting at the table was a boy with blond hair who had one strange nantucket that stood up toward the ceiling. He then stood up fully revealing his football, sorry, american football jacket. His hands were raised up like an idiot, debating whether if he should interfere the fight or just stand by the side lines.

The girls were fighting over Alfred F. Jones once again. Fights occurring surprised anyone, but the idea that a fight started because of the American football player wasn't very new. Many of the onlookers now returned to what they were previously doing, ignoring the chance to watch another cat fight. I turned around and continued to eat my salad as I tried to return back to the debate I was having with Francis before we were oh-so-rudely interrupted. Francis on the other hand was looking at Gilbert trying to hold back laughter that was threatening to spill out of his mouth. Gilbert was smirking devilishly as he pushed himself up from the table and rummaged through his pocket for something.

"Oh mein gott! There is only one hamburger left!" yelled Gilbert as he poked his head back into the cafeteria. "I guess I'll take it since nobody wants it!"

People weren't really sure what just happened but before anyone knew, Alfred was sprinting toward the smirking boy as he yelled, "Gilbert don't you dare take that hamburger!"

Gilbert was laughing hysterically as he slowly made his way back to our table. The two girls that were fighting stopped, and upon the realization of what just happened and they pulled themselves away from each other.

The cafeteria soon erupted with laughter as Alfred walked back into the cafeteria, with a smile plastered on his face, while gobbling down the hamburger. The thought that Alfred would choose a hamburger and then stop a fight, that happened because of him, between two girls was ridiculous, stupid, and everything else everyone expected the wanker to do. He then sat back down at his table and continued talking to his table mates, completely forgetting the fight that occurred not even five minutes ago.

After my fair share of chuckles, I quickly finished my salad and threw away the bowl as the bell rang for us to head to our second to last class of the day. With that, I gave my farewell to Kiku, Yao, and Gilbert and my final insult to Francis before I turned around and headed for my math class.

The math teacher was already preparing for today's lesson while hurrying to get some students to sit down and have their notes ready. The class started without wasting another minute and soon I was jotting down every step and point our teacher was writing on the board. I very much hate to admit it, but math is not a class I consider an "easy A". Quite the opposite really. Unlike literature and history, I actually found myself studying very hard for math tests, trying with all my might to comprehend the apparently basic mathematics steps.

As I continued on with my notes, the teacher's voice was soon drowned out by the two idiots that sat in front of me.

"How the hell did you even get those girls to fight like that?" a spiky haired blond questioned the person sitting next to him.

"I'm actually not really sure. I was just talking to one and the other came up and bam! The fight just started." That's right, Alfred sits in front of me in math. The other blonde named Mathias always ended up having a conversation with Alfred instead of taking notes. How they talk and still pass, the world shall never know. All I am concerned about is the upcoming test we would be having soon.

But alas, the two kept talking and no matter how hard I tried to concentrate on the voice of our math teacher, those two voices always found a way to wiggle back into my ear.

"So you remember that girl I was talking to you about-" Be quiet.

"I heard that winter is going to be coming early this year and I dunno if-" Shut up.

"Heard Jack was gonna have a party in his room later this week. We need to go and-" Please, I just don't want to fail my test.

"What! No way! There is no way he would have done that to her, like they-"

"But Hayley told me that he was actually-" Before I knew it I was crushing my pencil with a death grip as I balanced my head on my hand. I didn't give a bloody damn about their life, so to suppress my anger, I clenched my teeth , until I was sure that if I loosened my jaw some teeth would fall out.

"So the main point that you will have to at least know for the upcoming test is that-"

"Shut up! Mickey D is bringing back the McRib!? Holy shit we need to go later today! Like, you don't even know how long I have been waiting for this Mathias! This is going to be so awe-"

Grrrrrrrruump

Before I had the chance to snap my pencil in half and smash the heads of the two boys sitting in front of me together, an unfamiliar noise echoed through the room. The noise was surprisingly loud and the classroom was now deadly silent. Until another unmistakable noise emitted through the air.

A chair then clattered to the ground when Alfred suddenly stood up. He stood there for a seconds and before we all knew it, he was out the door sprinting desperately to where we all assumed would be the bathroom.

There was a rather eerie silence in the classroom, although some snickers could be heard, until our math teacher coughed, calling back the attention of all of the students. I was rather stunned with Alfred's sudden action but the teacher understood that when duty called, duty called.

The class soon returned their attention back to the lesson he was teaching as if none of that commotion had actually happened. I was content for now I was able to write down everything that I had missed on because of the two distracting blondes.

"I wonder if he ate something rotten," I heard Mathias mumble with a worried look on his face.

Well, maybe the two of you shouldn't have been talking to begin with. Because of you guys, I always end up missing some important notes and all I can do is rant-oh. A realization hit me when I remembered a conversation that I was having with Francis and Gilbert the other day consisting of mostly me ranting about how I can't take my bloody notes in math class because of the two.

Everything started to fall into place. Gilbert added an extra ingredient to the hamburger that he purposely called attention to for the golden boy to eat, so I could get my bloody notes for the test.

I owe Gilbert a huge favor now.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

After the final bell of the day rang, I made my way over to the student council room. The place had a wonderful view of the school campus and during the afternoon, the sun light would shine into the room at just the right angle for my enjoyment. The room consisted of two leather couches facing a long coffee table in the middle. The student body president's desk was placed the farthest away from the door, right in the middle of two marvelously large windows.

Kiku was already there, working on one of the papers from a pile that was now stacked extremely high. He looked up when he noticed me opening the door and smiled slightly. After he and I became close friends, Kiku asked me multiple times if I would be willing to help him with his duties. I said yes without a second of hesitation, knowing that I would be able to repay for all the times Kiku helped me cook.

After sitting down at the end of the couch that was closest to Kiku's desk, I was given a cup of tea that I quickly started to drink. After taking a warm gulp savoring the hot, sweet flavor, I was in a state of calmness and bliss.

Time seemed to fly by very quickly and before I knew it, the sky was already turning orange. The once high pile of paper was now a few sheets. During our time, Gilbert and Francis came by, which I believe was to just pester me. After getting bored of trying to rattle me up, they began playing games with each other, completely ignoring the fact that two people were actually trying to get some work finished. But, this was a normal thing that occurred quite frequently and I have rather grown to like it.

After finishing my work, I went into deep thought about love and the clocks on our wrists. I was able to conclude one thing after a lot of thinking. I wasn't very sure. Ever since I was a child, I had romanticized about the idea of clocks until I came upon someone who disliked them. My thoughts of our clocks crumbling a bit. I then went from thinking about the clocks constantly to 'Meh. Whatever happens, happens'. My thoughts toward the clocks were quite mediocre, not really caring about the amount time I had before it was going to zero out. But I was still confused about the heart and its connection to love. Kiku said it was like a steady but strong beating that continuously changed along with your emotions.

Suddenly, there was a soft knock on the door that surprised us all.

"Hey Kiku? I have the new student I was talking about the other day," said one of the principals, Mr. Vargas. Kiku, quickly stood up and straightened his uniform, brushing off imaginary dust.

"You may let him in Mr. Vargas," Kiku replied calmly as he walk around his desk toward the door.

I tried to concentrate hard to hear my heartbeat once after listening to Kiku talk about it so familiarly.

The door smoothly opened and walked in a tall man with curly brown hair and green eyes. Kiku then quickly walked up toward him, bowed, and looked at the man's face.

I didn't hear it though. I didn't hear my heartbeat the way Kiku described it; steady, but full of life.

A clinking noise echoed throughout the room as two solid objects fell onto the carpet floor. Both of the solid objects flashing the number "0" with a bright white light. Kiku stared down at the clocks with disbelief as the other boy stared at Kiku with awe and disbelief.

All I heard was the continuous ticking of my clock. The same beat, the same noise, all of it the same as it waited for its very obvious fate. The countdown to the day I was going to lay my eyes on my soul mate.

A/N:Sooooo…..How was it? I would just like to say that this story is not actually written by one person but two actually. I am Renka (pen name) and here is my partner in crime DaPanda. So, basically this is both our first time writing fanfiction ( though I have tried writing original stories that have failed miserably and been burned by fire) so please treat us well!

I would like to just say, as some of you guys have seen that there are going to be multiple pairings, but since this is Arthur's first person view, USUK will be the major one. I have no idea what-so-ever on how long this will take and how long DaPanda and I are going to make this fanfic. But for now please just enjoy it!

Many of you guys may be be rather confused as you read how Arthur doesn't hear his heart beat but the instead the ticking of his clock. This is not because he is a robot. I would just like to state that before people make some assumptions. This will be clarified (maybe vaguely) as the story progresses.

I have seen a lot of people putting fun facts at the end of their fanfics so I decided to do it from now on as well!

Fun Fact: I do not own hetalia…...sob ಥωಥ