((Part 3 is here! Rejoice!))

China didn't know what was happening to him.

He felt tired all the time, he couldn't sleep, he kept feeling sick, and now he was deathly pale and extremely stiff. He couldn't move his legs anymore, and his arms were unusually achy.

He had decided to stay in bed that day, not like he could get out of it anyway what with his legs.

Was he dying?

Nah. He was immortal, 4000 years old at that. He had learned long, long ago that he couldn't die unless he was fatally damaged, and even that took a lot. So, that possibility was out, not that China particularly cared.

He tried to think. The symptoms started when that…thing bit him.

…

…Hold the phone.

China sat up suddenly, panic building in his chest. What was that thing? And why exactly did it seem so human? How was that possible?

Then, it struck him.

Oh. Heck. No.

China rolled off the bed, crashing onto the floor. He had to get to where he kept all his Chinese medicine ingredients. He couldn't allow this to happen to him. No way, no how.

He dragged himself to his secret spot in the basement (via secret passage that Hong Kong has NO IDEA he found) and looked through all his ingredients. There had to be something, anything he could use.

As he looked, he felt himself started to panic. He never thought he would encounter one of those around his house, what would happen to everyone else if it bit them? Chaos, that's what.

China looked at the last bowl of ingredients, feeling tears starting to slip down his cheeks as he stared into the bowl with crushing defeat.

There was nothing he could do to stop from becoming a jiangshi.

He was doomed.

Hetalia, aru!

"So that's what's going on?"

Korea and Hong Kong had finished their explanation of the dangers of jiangshi, New Orleans was beginning to get why the two seemed a bit out of place upon her arrival.

"So, what you're saying is, China got bitten by a bloodsucking zombie creature and is now turning into one even as we speak?" New Orleans said almost incredulously.

Korea and Hong Kong nodded simultaneously.

New Orleans sighed. "Well. Not the hang-out I had in mind. But if I were you two, I'd try and get him back to normal before this weirdo supernatural transformation is complete. Mostly because not only will it spell trouble for us, but because I don't think my caretaker America would like one of his allies a zombie very much." She made a face.

"Good point," said Korea.

"But the real problem is, what do we do?" Hong Kong asked.

"Hey!" said Korea. "Hong Kong's dad is England, right? We can borrow a spellbook and see if we can find something that can turn Aniki back to normal!" One could almost see the light bulb flashing above his head. "I'm a genius, da ze! But of course I am…genius originated in Korea, da ze!"

"Arrogance must have originated in Korea, too," said Hong Kong slyly.

"Enough fooling around," said New Orleans. "I think that plan could work!"

"In that case!" Korea said, fist-pumping, "Asean Sensasean shall commence Operation: Jiangshi Panic starting now!"

"Hooray!" the three teenagers cheered.

Hetalia!

Hetalia!

Hetalia, da ze!

((A/N: That's a triple eyecatch.))

China was feeling terrible.

He could barely move now—his arms were the only things that were halfway flexible. His skin had turned snow white, and China knew his eyes were becoming a gold color now.

But that wasn't what was worrying him at the moment.

There was hunger nagging at him. And China knew full well it wasn't a craving for food. No, it was worse than that. China just couldn't bring himself to think of it because of how scared it would make him.

He turned over on the bed, feeling sick to his stomach. He didn't want this at all. And he couldn't even stop it.

Why was he the one with all the bad luck?

China looked up through the window and gazed at the bright full moon above.

"Someone help me, aru…"

Hetalia, aru!

"Geez," said Korea, who had managed to make a quick run to England's and retrieve the aforementioned spellbook. "A couple of us have super strength but only those weird Italian guys get super speed? That's messed up, da ze."

"Just get in here," said Hong Kong, not amused.

New Orleans laid the book on the table and started skimming it as Hong Kong read over her shoulder. Korea went to go and check on China as they browsed.

"There," Hong Kong said, pointing to a page. "There's a lot of ways to repel a jiangshi, but there's only one to turn someone back into a human after they've been bitten by one."

"A potion!" New Orleans' eyes sparkled with excitement.

"That shouldn't be too hard," said Hong Kong, reading the rest of the page.

Suddenly, Korea bounded into the room, obviously in a panic. "He's gone!"

"Huh?"

"Aniki's gone! He escaped through the window in his room and he's gone!" Korea yelled, looking rather alarmed.

The other two followed Korea to China's bedroom, where the place looked ransacked. The window was broken, and a small yellow tailsman laid in the pile of things China had overturned in his attempt to escape.

"I knew this would happen," New Orleans said lowly.

"Hmm," Hong Kong pondered. "Well, alright. Initiate Plan B. Let's get to work on this potion, you guys."

"Coming!" the other two exclaimed, following him out of the room.

Hetalia!

After much running around and gathering things, the trio had finally managed to finish the potion.

"Ok! Checklist!" New Orleans, announced, tapping her clipboard. "Jiangshi-to-Human potion?"

"Check," said Hong Kong, holding up a syringe filled with red liquid.

"Why on God's green earth did you put into a syringe?" New Orleans asked, disapproving.

"One, it's easier, and two, we're saving his life. Who cares what the old man thinks," said Hong Kong nonchalantly.

"Whatever," said New Orleans. "Tailsman for subduing said jiangshi?"

"Check, da ze!" Korea held up the tailsman.

"And spellbook for just in case? Check." Nodding, she gestured for the others to follow. "Let's go!"

The three teenagers marched confidently out the door and into the warm night, where a white full moon hung mysteriously overhead. The bamboo swayed lazily in the breeze as the trio made thier search for their zombie sensei.

Suddenly, they heard a rustle.

"A rustle, da ze!"

"Hmm?"

"I didn't hear anyth—" New Orleans let out a scream. The boys whipped around, startled.

A pair of pale, sickly-colored arms had wrapped around New Orleans' shoulders, pulling her into the thickets. "Help me!"

"Korea! Get her!"

Korea moved forward and managed to wrench the girl out of the jiangshi's grasp. The zombie parted the bamboo and revealed itself, making the teens gasp.

China's skin was deathly pale, and very papery, like he was made of papier-mache. He was dressed in Qing dynasty robes, and a crown adorned his head, covering his graying hair. His nails were almost claws now, and he had fangs and glowing gold eyes.

"...ack..." was all China could say.

"It's worse than I thought!" Hong Kong said.

"Do something!"

Korea started running in the opposite direction.

"Hey!" New Orleans yelled. "Where are you going? Get back here!"

"Fleeing originated in Korea!"

"NO IT DID NOT!" New Orleans shouted after him.

"Forget about him," said Hong Kong. "If he gets lost it's his fault."

The jiangshi made a big leap and slammed itself onto New Orleans, ready to eat. "...ack..."

"Help!" New Orleans whimpered futilely. The jiangshi lowered its head towards her neck.

"Not quite, dude!"

Suddenly, the jiangshi screamed, permitting New Orleans to sneak away. As she stood up, she saw the syringe jabbed in the thing's back. Hong Kong pressed the top, allowing the liquid to enter the zombie's body.

The zombie stopped moving completely. Hong Kong exhaled, glad the deed was done.

"Well! That was a close call," said New Orleans, standing up. "Good job, Hong Kong!"

Hong Kong smiled, and gestured to China. "Look."

New Orleans looked. Before the teens' eyes, the zombie's skin was coloring, all the way until it was that creamy silk color it usually was. His hair smoothed out and his fangs vanished, until in the jiangshi's place was a disoriented China.

"What happened, aru?" he gasped.

"China!" New Orleans got to her knees and hugged the nation, smiling.

"Xiexie...but seriously, what happened, aru?"

Hong Kong smiled slightly. "We turned you back to normal."

China looked down at himself, touching his hair and chest and looking at his hands. "Oh my God! I...I...I'm human again, aru!" China leaped up in joy. "I'm not a zombie, aru! I'm so happy, aru!" But in the midst of his jumping there was a cracking sound.

"My legs, aru..."

"You're not a zombie but you're as old as one."

"Shut up, aru! Don't be rude, aru!"

The trio proudly went back to China's house, smiling broadly at their victory. Korea was sitting out front, waiting patiently (sorta).

"Aniki!" he cried, not hesitating to hug China. "You're all fleshy and awesome again! Uri nara mansae!"

"Yeah, great, aru," said China flatly. "Now could you please get off me, aru?"

Korea pouted but stopped embracing the shorter nation, and China turned to the other two. "Thank you both for turning me back, aru. I don't know how I'll be able to repay you."

"I have some ideas..." said Korea, leaning on the top of China's head.

"Oh, shut up, aru."

"Glad we could help, China," said New Orleans happily, saluting. "But I better head back home. And try to explain to America that his ally became a bloodsucking zombie over the week..." she added, heading out of the forest.

Hong Kong turned to China, smiling lightly. "No problem, sensei. Because while I personally think jiangshis are, like, pretty awesome, I wouldn't want to see you as one." He then turned away, quietly commenting, "Besides, I think you're old enough as it is."

"WHY DO YOU MAKE EVERYTHING YOU SAY SO SNARKY, ARU?!"

"Like, that's how I roll."

Epilogue, aru yo!

The next morning, China was absolutely ecstatic to wake up and not feel dead tired or sick. Then, he felt excited that he could smell and crave food instead of blood. Following that he was happy to be able to relax and not throw up all the time. ("God, sensei. You sound like a pregnant mother." "STOP THAT!") All in all, China was feeling much better after being turned back to normal.

Three days later, though, China was in the bathroom, puking his guts out once more.

"Oh, right. I forgot to read the fine print on that potion recipe. It said, "May cause vomiting due to high achohol levels."" Hong Kong scratched the back of his head, saying in a sing-songy voice, "Oopsie."

China came up for a second, glaring at Hong Kong. "I sometimes wonder if there's a glitch in your memory or you're forgetting on purpose, aru," he said groggily before throwing up again.

((Yay! The end!

Anyway, so that's that. Questions? Comments? Ideas for another fanfic like this? Improvements? Just leave them for me.

I hope you enjoyed this. Please review!

~TRACK-A-sama))