Hallway after hallway he ran, blinded by the nauseating smell of smoke that filled his little nostrils. He could barely breathe as the toxic air clawed at his throat. Hands desperately stretched out in front of him, the young one frantically pulled at a knob. It was his only way out, the only choice he had left. With one final pull, the door split open, revealing the contents of the room to the boy.

In front of the boy's terrified blue eyes laid two bodies, both heads severed from the rest. The dizzy smell of roses, blood, and fire tore at the child's nose. And yet, the horrified child still was able to utter those two words.

"M-Mom, D-Dad?"

The two corpses without saying a word confirmed their son's fears. Both sets of eyes stared back at him; unmoving and cold.

Twinkle Twinkle little star…

A shadow like thing arose from the darkness, a dagger held loosely in its blood stained hand.

How I wonder what you are~

Up above the world so high~

Like a diamond in the sky~

The thing neared the child.

Twinkle Twinkle little star, how I wonder what you….

The last of the lullaby sung, the man raised the dagger over his head to bring it down on the child's throat.

"….are."

A scream, accompanied by a gasp for air had Alfred Jones in a cold sweat. No matter how much he tried to slow his breathing, the images of the shadow like man and that lullaby still would clear out of his mind. He shifted in the covers a bit, trying for some relief from his nightmare. Of course his attempts failed in every way, and just resulted in a small moan from the other side of the blanket.

"A-Alfred…" the soft voice muttered. From the light of the moon, the young boy could see the other's almost identical face. "I-It happened again didn't it; the dream?"

For days, no, months, the small American boy had been plagued with the same reoccurring nightmare night after night. His brother couldn't count the numerous amounts of times the other had been in pain. Alfred nodded his head slowly.

"U-Uh huh…T-The one with mom and dad…and that man…I don't get it Matty; I don't get why I get these dreams. I should be over their deaths by now right? So why, why must I still see their eyes, their bodies placed upon flowers, that dagger about to come down. Why must it keep coming back?" The tone in Alfred's voice was enough to make Matthew tremble.

"I dunno Alfred." he whispered softly. "I dunno."

Before long, the light approached their little homemade home. The American blinked before climbing out of the structure and into the alleyway. Ever since that night, both Alfred and his brother had been forced to live on the streets. The two children did their best to try and comfort each other, but sometimes it just wasn't enough. For the most of the day, they wandered around, trying to see if they would get a decent meal, or better, a decent home. But sadly, neither one came true. It wasn't long before dusk approached again. By then, their stomachs were clawing at their sides, begging to be fed. Finally, the two of them traveled to the local bakery. Instantaneously, the smell of sweets filled their noses. Never before had the two felt so hungry. No one paid no attention to their tattered clothes or them in general. They just went about their busy lives. One didn't have time to conversate with homeless orphans.

"Oh look, a cat!" Matthew suddenly exclaimed peering through the window. Sure enough, perched on the ledge was a sleek black car. It stared back at the two with its intelligent green eyes.

"He is quite a beautiful thing." Alfred noticed. "Free, belonging to no one….not giving a care in the world where it will sleep or where its next meal will be…"

"Hey you two! Ya gonna order or you gonna just sit there?" Both whipped their heads around. It was one of the shop keepers .

"W-We…have no money…" Matthew admitted, staring down at his worn out shoes. The shopkeeper frowned, looked the two over, then left. It only was a couple of seconds til he was back with bags filled with treats. He handed them to the surprised children.

"Here, free of charge. You two take care." He ousted the both of them out without saying another word. The boy's took a look inside their goody bags. Sweets and candy littered the inside.

"That was really nice of 'em." Alfred said cheerfully while munching on a tart. Matthew merely nodded his head in agreement. It was the first time in a while something sweet entered their stomachs. Things like that only can once in while now…

Not long after they rounded the corner, seven boys came out of nowhere, cornering them. What seemed like the leader spoke up.

"What do we have here, a couple of brats on our turf?" He snatched the goody bags out of their hands.

"Hey, give those back!" bellowed the American, taking a step forward to confront the bully. The teenager in response punched the little one to the ground.

"No one asked you!" he said before turning to the other brother, giving a rather nasty grin. "Maybe these boys need to be taught whose boss…"

"Run Matthew, run!" Alfred cried out as he himself was pinned to the ground by two of the gang members. Matthew tried to scurry away, but one of the huge ones grabbed the Canadian by the foot and hoisted him up in the air.

The American let out an angry cry as his brother before him was being tormented by the gang. He struggled against the rough hands that grasped him.

"Yer not goin' anywhere boy." The gang sneered.

"Ahem" as single cough that came through Matthew's and Alfred's cries made all of them turn around to find the source of interruption. Through one slightly opened eye, the American took a glance at the figure. He was dressed in a dark cloak, covering the rest of his seemingly high class clothes. Perched ontop of his head was a blue tinted hat, nested on the side. But the most peculiar thing about the man was how his emerald eyes seemed to glow in the nearing sunset. His entire presence seemed to send a chill down the gang's spines. An uneasy silence settled down on them before the man spoke again.

"Excuse me, but I do believe you're harming those boys." His voice was direct, strong, something that would make even the most arrogant proud man shrink down. The leader himself had problems with his response.

"A-And? What's it to you?" stuttered the teenager. Even he wouldn't dare meet his challenger's eyes. "Why would it even concern you what we do; after all, you look like rich trash…" he added in disgust, eying the man's expensive attire. "What could you possibly do; fight us? That would mean your pretty little cloak would get torn…" Most of the words spluttered quickly out of his mouth were from pure nervousness and arrogance. To fuel his confidence, he quickly pulled a knife from his pocket. The others, seeing their leader pull such a stunt, followed suit. After all, there were more of them than him. Seven blades now glinted in the last rays of sunlight. Alfred's eyes widened slowly from looking at the blades to calm, yet fierce eyes of the strange man. Barely giving it any thought, he responded.

"I will if I have to. Though I must warn you; I've taken plenty of gangs with men larger than yourselves; you won't even be so as much of a challenge."

These words infuriated the teenager, with one angry yell, the leader charged at him; his knife positioned high above him, ready to stab the man.

But where a gash of blood and a fallen man should've laid, there was nothing. Instead, the Englishman was seen having a firm grip on the blade, a small amount of blood trickling down the stained silver. The holder of the weapon's hand began to shake. His eyes shifted from the slightly bloodied hand to the man's glaring eyes. It was enough to make anyone's heart stop.

"I do believe you're shaking…will you give up?"

"Y-Yes…" came the quick, terrified voice in response. The man nodded.

"Good." he released his hold of the weapon, causing the other to stumble back. "Now, leave this place all of you. You best find it in your interest that I do not catch you around here again." The leader nodded frantically before running out of the alley; the rest of the gang following after just as fast.

As for the two children, they'd been watching in amazement at the incredible power, the man possessed. When he suddenly whipped around, the two flinched back in fear. However, the gleam that had been in those emerald's had vanished, leaving a softer look upon the Englishman.

"Are you alright lads?" even his voice had changed.

"You're hurt." whispered Matthew.

Their savoir only then glanced down at the damage the blade had done. "Oh right." He mumbled, pulling out a cloth from his pocket and attending to the wound. "It's not a problem. I see more damage has been done to you rather than to me."

"W-We're fine!" protested Alfred, wanting to sound a whole lot braver than what he was feeling at the moment. He attempted to stand, but his leg forced him back down. The man gave a soft smile.

"It's best if you don't try and walk right now." he stated, bending down and taking out a bandage before wrapping it around the small leg. Alfred winced with pain. Te wrapping tightened around his leg, causing some discomfort.

"It'll hurt a bit lad." apologized the man before focusing his attention on the Canadian. Fortunately, only a cut scrapped his arm. A small band covered it up quickly.

"Whatever are you two doing out here so late in the first place? The streets become dangerous at this hour; children like you should be at home."

Alfred frowned. "We can take care of ourselves."

"What just happened might prove something else." the gentleman said. "Now, where exactly do you live? I can take you home to avoid any other encounters." The two hesitated for a moment before following the Englishman out of the alley. "Very good, let's be off~"

He helped the two onto the grand carriage waiting for them before driving them back to the small alley. He jumped down lightly before opening the children's door. Surprisingly, Alfred was able to scurry back into the little shack alongside Matthew. They only caught a glimpse of how shocked the man was.

"You live here? Wherever are your parents?"

"W-We don't have any….they're dead…" the Canadian whispered softly.

"No extended family?"

"Not that we know of sir…"

Uneasy silence followed after. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Englishman led them back to the carriage. The two hesitantly followed. He smiled down at the both of them; one of those heartwarming smiles you knew you could trust.

"Don't worry lads; I'll take care of you from now on."

A thirty minute ride into the country side was all it took. They halted at a cozy looking manor. Alfred's eyes widened.

"Y-You live here, sir?" he asked disbelievingly.

"Why yes, as a matter of fact, I do." the other chuckled, helping the orphans down from the carriage. About right when the door was opened, there were three servants already waiting for their master to return. All did a simultaneous bow.

"Welcome home Mr. Kirkland." they chorused, hurriedly taking the coat off his shoulders and the hat from his head.

The mysterious man merely nodded his head and led the staring children down into the living room. There awaited hot tea and sweets placed on top of a cherry red coffee table. A gloved hand motioned them to sit down and take whatever they pleased. One of the servants from before came in, bringing fresh napkins. The man whispered something to the other who nodded his head before heading back out. The three then sat in silence for a while until the master of the mansion noticed something.

"….Oh good heavens, I've been with you for a while now, and haven't even caught your names! How rude of me…"

"Well….my name's Alfred and this is my brother Matthew…."

"Quite a pleasure to meet the both of you." replied the gentleman cheerfully as he shook both of their hands. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, your new guardian. You must be weary from your entire ordeal tonight. Please, allow Cong to show you to your bedroom." In an instant, the Asian servant appeared, motioning the two to follow him. They went up the stairs and down the marvelously decorated hall. Finally, they came to a halt. Cong opened the door.

"This is where you'll spend your nights." he stated. Both stared at the luxurious space and beds in awe, not even realizing that they had not said thanks to the man nor that the said man was gone. Alfred jumped on the bed, laughing merrily.

"Isn't this great?" We got to live in a house again, no a mansion! That guy's amazing; he rescued us and took us in!" Matthew settled underneath the covers.

"He certainly is something else….he's a good man." Alfred grinned sleepily.

"Yeah, like a guardian angel…"

It wasn't long before the two drifted off into sleep. For the first time in months, they could honestly say that they felt warm.

Meanwhile down in the lobby, Arthur had taken notice of his unfinished embroidery and quickly set to work on it. However, he barely made a stitch in the cloth when the lights suddenly dimmed down. On the opposite couch erupted blue flames. Arthur glanced up and rolled his eyes. It never failed…

The flames died down to reveal another man, grinning towards the Englishman.

"What the hell are you doing in my home? Haven't you learned your lesson the last time?" The man smirked.

"Ah, but Arthur…when I head you had a new pair of children to feast upon, I simply had to dash over as quick as a fox. When was the last time you ate the soul of a child? As I recall, not for two centuries."

The gentleman winced. "T-These children aren't for consumption; I'm going to raise them as my own."

Francis snorted. "I know your obsession with humans, but you can't keep this humble country Englishman act up forever. Hell's just dying to see you again; the boss misses his favorite demon~" The Frenchman got up and walked over to Arthur, grinning devilishly before pressing a kiss to the other's soft, tender neck. Goosebumps immediately erupted from the spot. "And I miss mon petite agneau…"

Arthur in response groaned and jumped to his feet. "I don't understand why you insist on using that disgusting language those frogs created." The demon chuckled.

"It is the latest trend in hell; both human males and females fall for it. Their souls are so much easily stolen from their bodies that way."

"That maybe how you operate, but I made more respectable, different methods that don't include me uttering a single word of that language."

"Tsk. Arthur, you need to keep up with the times. English is only spoken by old men now, hardly acceptable for such a fine looking demon such as yourself. Anyway, I would watch my back if I were you; several things might be after you and those enfants including your own hunger."

"W-What are you implying?" Arthur stuttered, tensing up a bit ate the sight of Francis' knowing grin.

"Just as I prey on lust, you prey on children and innocence. You can taste their souls, oui? I know you're dying to suck the very life out of them…"

"That's enough!' snapped Arthur, paling slightly. "I've decided to leave behind that life. Children aren't meant for demons to feed upon. I thought I made that clear all those years ago."

Francis clutched his chest, faking shock. "Oh my, my! It touches my heart to see how rebellious you've become! Disobeying your demonic half to care for those two." The French demon disappeared in a wisp of black smoke. Arthur, sensing danger, disappeared into the boys' room. Both were now snoring softly in their beds. Francis crouched beside Matthew's bed. He let his breath nip at the exposed neck of the Canadian. He gave a small shiver before turning over. The demon chuckled.

"You 'ave taste mon cher; they're both really cute~ I might just drop by to visit them while they're still breathing."

"I will not allow it." The Englishman said through gritted teeth, his green eyes glowing in the dimmed light. "They're my souls…you can't touch one hand on them." he growled possessively. With one hand he lifted his enemy up in the air. "I suggest you leave now…" Instead of looking fearful, the demon just snickered.

"Mm. That's the demon I remember…very well, I shall leave you for now. But remember what I said. One cannot resist sweet temptation for long." And with that, he disappeared from the grasp of the other. Arthur gave a frustrated sigh before turning his attention back on the sleeping young ones. It was true; the children were like the sweetest fruit, forbidden from him ever tasting it. Yet, one smell of their souls drove his senses crazy. He wondered for a second if he would destroy them there. They were so helpless, innocent…one quick bite and it would be over, painless even. If he did such a thing, then would that satisfy his growing hunger? Human food only went so long. Would it tame the beast once and for all if he just gave into it one more time? No, he made a vow…he would protect these children and raise these children. No one was going to stop him from doing so either; not even Satan himself.

A wave of his hand, and the lights went out. He gave one final glance at the two before leaving the room. His head ached terribly, perhaps some more tea would do the trick…

Down below, outside in the quiet country side, a massive shadow like figure watched the manor with interested eyes. It's lips broke into that of a child's smile.

"Twinkle Twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are…"

Well, that's the beginning for now! ^^ Review if you like, or if you want me to continue! That's what some writers run on you know, reviews~ XD