Okay, so I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and I've decided to change a few things. Nothing major, so don't worry, but I thought that I should go ahead and tell all of you.

((((SO PLEASE LISTEN)))):

1) I changed Vash's name to Heidi.

2) I'm no longer writing in the accents because I have realized how annoying and pointless it is.

3) And I don't know why I added a third one.

Thank you, enjoy and PLEASE REVIEW!

He wasn't aware of where he was, or what was going on. The only thing that was relevent to Ludwig was the pain and the fact that there were people around him, each messing with a particular limb or other part of his body. Everything seemed urgent, panicked even.

"I don't know. His blood pressure has just plummeted." A voice to his right said, sounding frustrated and alarmed.

"Do you have any idea what could be causing it?" One with a higher voice asked stupidly.

"If I did, do you think that we'd be here right now?" The frustrated one bit back.

"Will you two stop bickering!" Another voice, a woman's, came in. "It doesn't matter what is causing this, just so long as we fix it for the moment."

"For the moment?"

"Well, we can't just let him die, can we?" Her tone suddenly switched to cool. "We were in some deep shit the last time that happened, remember. Not to mention that we still don't know what family this one branches off from."

"But weren't DNA samples sent in?"

"Yes, but they came back as inconclusive. For both of them." The woman said in a perplexed tone. "It's odd, really. Their DNA is so close. It acts almost in sync."

Ludwig fidgeted and weezed as his mind tried to claw its way back to the surface of his senses. Everything was bleak and he just felt drained, like he was running low on oxygen. But when he tried to breath, his chest would constrict in defiance, like it was cased it cement or quick sand.

He knew deep down what was going on, but he just couldn't manage to piece it all together.

He did recall something that happened a few days ago, before he felt like such utter shit.

"And how long have you been feeling like this?" The doctor had asked him.

Ludwig frowned, wishing that his hands would just stay still. He pressed the left one on his face in hopes that it would stop the shaking. It didn't.

"I don't know." He answered in an unsteady voice, wishing that his brother was there. Or his uncle, or Eliza, or just somebody that could lend him some support.

"Well, I can't help if you don't tell me anything." The man said, his voice rising the slightest bit, like a chiding parent. Ludwig scowled, not appreciating being treated like a child.

"I honestly don't know. However long ago it was that I was brought here." His voice was shaky, and he didn't know whether it was from his current state, or the fear that came with it.

The doctor noted this and grasped the German's arm, stretching it outwards. He dexterously ran his gloved fingers down the boy's muscled limb until he reached the point to where back tissue merged with that of his biscepts. Ludwig's teeth compacted as he forced heated air through them.

His pain didn't signal the doctor to cease though, but rather to explore the demon's reactions further. He asked Ludwig where the pain was the worst.

"The shoulder blades." He grunted out, trying to be as coopertive as possible.

He had been pulled from his room a few days back and put into some type of infirmary when they noticed that his health was stagnating. Ludwig didn't complain, finding it as a relief that they weren't going to neglect him like some kind of a dog.

That meant that his brother would be cared for too.

Right...?

Ludwig's neck jerked upwards once the medical man had made direct contact with one of the bruises, leaving his waned blue eyes to explore the high ceilings.

The place was rather large, actually, and held something that Ludwig didn't think he'd ever see in this place.

Windows.

They were large and narrow, similar to something you might find in a church ( Ludwig wondered if the room had been renovated ).

He didn't understand why they would allow something like that here, in a place that was meant for confinment, but did notice how they'd close a select few each night, one of which being his. As for the rest, he did not know, for the beds were seperated using large pillars, each with strange markings, like some type of ancient Hebrew writings. When Ludwig would try to touch one, it would literally force him back, like a magnetic force.

The walls and ceiling around the windows owned the same type of symbols as well, but that still didn't stop Ludwig from trying to plot a way through one of them.

So he'd wait. Night after night, wondering how he could escape. How he would escape.

"Ludwig."

The German faced his left, to where the voice had come from. He braced his nerves once he saw who it was.

"Don't call me that." He warned passively.

Yao laughed as if Ludwig were a yapping puppy, rather than a half-demon. What freaked the German out was how genuine the man's laugh would always ring, and how it would just echo in the ears, even in the long nights where he'd just stare at the windows.

"I believe that the doctor was asking you something." He grinned cheerfully from the corner of the German's room, accompanied by the other asian man that was with him last time.

Ludwig blinked, unaware that any words had been aimed at him. He looked back down at the doctor, who had a look of impatience stamped to his face.

"W-what?" The German blushed.

"Have you been feeling any movement underneath the shoulder blades?" He repeated, this time, very slowly and in a computerized voice.

"I..." Ludwig stuttered indecisively, wishing that he wouldn't have been distracted.

"Y'know what." Wang Yao stepped forward, grabbing the doctor's shoulder. "I think that Ludwig here is feeling a bit under the water. Why don't you leave him to me."

The doctor stood, gathering his tools. "As you wish."

He then left the room without another word.

Ludwig watched closely as the man passed through the invisible wall with ease. He wondered...

"Don't get any ideas." Yao threatened, his voice suddenly turning cold.

Ludwig's attention snapped back to the asian man, marveling at how somebody who was nearly a foot shorter than him could be so intimidating.

He said nothing and moments later, Yao's smile returned.

"You're much more complient than your brother."

The half demon's brows furrowed uncontrollably at the man's statement. "What are you trying to say?" He growled.

The younger man with the black hair stepped forth, placing his hand on his sword handle menacingly. Ludwig stepped back.

Wang gave his alley a look that said for him to back down. The brown eyed stared at his boss for a moment before standing down obediantly. Yao smiled warmly.

"I apologize for that. My brother is just protective."

Ludwig's brows furrowed in perplexion. His...brother.

Yao looked practically giddy. "Yes, this is Kiku. My kid brother." He gestured towards Kiku like a hostess on a prize show.

Kiku bowed.

"What do you want?" The German grunted, trying to ignore the throbbing that was eminating from his upper back.

"Ai ya, you Westerners can be so rude!" The man scoffed. "I was just checking up on your condition."

"My condition?"

Just like all of the other times, Yao's lips tilted downwards without notice. Ludwig couldn't help but feel uneasy from this.

He stepped forward, his eyes showing that his mind had gone somewhere else.

"Are you aware of what those marks mean, ?"

Ludwig held his jaw in a set position and decided that the outcome would be less destructive if he didn't speak. Still, his head wondered, like it always did.

They were given to my brother and I by our mother, was the first thing that his brain said without hesitation.

"They represent family." Yao answered in somewhat of similarity.

Family, Ludwig thought, with minor interest. Family...

Wang smiled, and this time, to the German's surprise, it appeared that something lay underneath it. Something close to sorrow.

"There is strength in family, you see. Its bonds are something that have the potential to either build up trust and love, and create a stable life," he paused for dramatic emphasise.

The blond remained silent, mezmirized by the man's words, but also leery of them.

"Or..." He could have sworn that he heard a crack in Yao's silky voice.

The man's eyes were still absent as he finished. "They can be used to destroy those lives instead." He stretched his index finger outwards and pointed at Ludwig, directly at the forehead.

"Tell me Ludwig, do you know who has the ability to do such a horrible thing?"

Ludwig coughed uncomfortably. "I don't see the point of th-"

"Who has hurt you the most in your life?"

With those words, flashes of imagery ran through the German's mind.

He could remember how lonely he had felt, he could still feel the cold drops of rain kiss at his cheeks. He could see the grey sky, in all of its dread.

He didn't used to be this way. Things were happy at one point. When did they change?

He could see the flashing of the ambulence lights after they found him, and hear his brother's muffled voice as he hugged him and begged for forgiveness. Still, unlike him, Ludwig had refused to cry. His child face stayed still, unmoving and dry of tears. Why was that? Was it to spite him-he looked back at the house-

to spite that man?

"I've never been hurt." Ludwig said indifferently.

Yao chuckled at this. Ludwig hated that.

The older of the two asians made his way towards a section of the "room" that held a newly implanted sink and a few shelves of bathroom supplies. He picked up a mirror.

"In hell, there is no organization- no society. It's all about taking what ever you can get whether you need it or not, and getting it by any means possible." He held the mirror behind Ludwig, allowing him to see the full extent of his family marks.

"So," he continued. "Family, down their," He pointed down to the floor, "is near impossible. But up here, a demon can prosper- or rather, a demon family can prosper. And it doesn't take long, either. Female demons are strong, and their offspring usually only take up to three months in the womb, so reproducing is rarely a problem."

Ludwig remembered being told that he and Gilbert were both born early. He wondered how early.

"What is your point?" He asked reluctantly, staring at the marks in the mirror.

"There are different families, some bigger than others." He continued. "They are divided into clans and usually have a pure line of blood, and-" He pressed his finger against Ludwig's back. "A very specific set of family markings."

"So you think that I'm from a...clan?" The word felt wrong on Ludwig's lips. Too barbaric in a sense.

"Very possibly. But your blood seems like anything but pure, considering your human side."

Ludwig held back his retort.

"The full picture here is something good though."

"And how is that?"

"You've been scared about what is happening to your body, haven't you?" He said in a voice that was almost unmistakably empathetic.

Ludwig blushed, not dreaming to talk about his fears or his body with someone like Yao."That's redundant. I-"

"So you don't deny it." He smiled a smile that made him seem like a mother ( Ludwig could see it clearly in the mirror ). "Well, you should be thankful then. For DISC finding you and your brother, I mean. When two demons reach maturity together, especially under the possibility of them not being in a single clan, things can get ugly."

Ludwig wanted to ask more, but didn't want to hear about he and his brother ripping eachother's throats outs.

"The possibility that you two belong to a clan makes it an easier job for us to manage your...bodily changes."

"Changes?"

"Well, yes. You've been experiencing them, haven't you?"

Ludwig remained silent.

He laughed adoringly. "It's quite all right. No need to be ashamed. It's just natural, and the benefits that follow are usually right for the reaping, aru."

Ludwig wriggled a brow at that. Benefits?

"But," his voice became stern once more, but still resembled that of a mother's. It left Ludwig with a sense of longing. "Half-demons, like you and your brother, lack something in their DNA. They're...unstable."

Ludiwg's eyes narrowed. Unstable?

"That's exactly why you both need to stay here. It's a matter of safety to you, and all those around you."

Ludwig couldn't swallow this. Stay here! For how long? Their whole damn lives?!

He'd rather be dead.

Then Ludwig thought back to when Roderich was trying to help them get somewhere safe. He tried to get them to safety, and that resulted in him getting injured and wrecking his car.

What good did that do?

Then there was the time when Gilbert tried to do...what ever he was doing, and accidently set himself on fire. He was lucky to not have gotten hurt, but...

...what if it happened again?

Ludwig thought, what was the point of living, if they were just ticking time-bombs.

Then again, he could be making something out of nothing.

"Here, we can help you two surpress, and maybe even control your demon side." He placed the mirror back on the shelf and faced Ludwig. "What do you think those collars are for?"

Ludwig had to fight the urge to tug at the metal ring around his neck.

"We can't do that ourselves?" He questioned. "You say that you're helping us, but then why did you have to kidnap my brother and I?"

"Because you belong to DISC now. It's law." Yao explained, as if that justified the violence he had brought into their lives. "Not to mention that we still don't have a hold on your condition. I'm still perplexed by this just as much as you are."

Ludwig doubted that.

"And how is that?" He snarled, being sure to put as much venom in his stare as possible.

Yao didn't answer, unaffected. Instead, he receeded in his own head, mumbling gently to himself.

Ludwig's mouth set out like it did when he became over-stressed ( which was often ). He even felt a tad bit quesy for some reason. Maybe even light-headed.

"Well," The womanly man started. "None can be said until we know where your roots lay, but the blood tests both failed for some reason. Even on the second and third attempt. I assume that somebody tampered with your blood when you were young."

"Tampered...with my blood." And Ludwig thought he found the word "clan" unsavory. He could feel his limbs shaking now, but it wasn't from the shock. Something was wrong.

Another sharp pain hit his back, this time, much worse than the others. Paralyzing. He grabbed onto one of the nearest thing- which happened to be a shelf- and shreiked in surprise before becoming dizzy and slowly passing out.

Sorry, had to stop writing eventually. Man, that was a work-out. Hope you guys enjoyed it. I was mainly using this chapter to explain some things, and to finally allow Ludwig to show back up. I've been getting some really good ideas though, and can't wait to write them all ( and how is this related to Hetalia, I ask myself ).

Thanks and have a very pasta day/night!