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Chapter Text

Prologue

My name is Italy Veneziano, though my human name is Feliciano Vargas. I’m the younger twin brother to Italy Romano, or Lovino Vargas. I am the anthropomorphic personification of Northern Italy, and now considered the main personification of Italy. I’m happy-go-lucky, and highly oblivious. I love to paint, draw, sing, dance, play most instruments, and be around my friends. I am only as old as my nation. As a nation, I am immortal in every sense of the word; I cannot die from starvation or dehydration. If I do die, I don’t stay dead; I’d simply come back to life. I am immune to all direct illnesses, and can only be affected through my people. I do not age past my early 20s. I am weak, and cowardly, and only good at running away and making pasta (among other delicious foods). I am clumsy for no reason. I am stupid.

This is what everyone knows about me, but much of it is a lie. I am not the main personification of Italy; Romano is. After all, Rome is the capital, and Rome is his heart, not mine. Venice will always be my heart. I am not oblivious, nor am I always happy. Much of my happiness is real, but there’ve been countless times when it’s been faked. And one cannot be a great artist if one is blind to detail. Romano and I are not actually as old as our nation, but older—that’ll be explained later. While I am immortal as any nation is, there’s one aspect of a nation’s immortality that I did not receive—once again, that will be explained later. I am not weak or cowardly. Romano and I run the Italian Mafioso behind the scenes. We rule our own underworld as a way to control crime in our nation. We’ve both killed many humans, and know how to fight, kill, and hide the evidence. I am clumsy for a reason. I am not stupid—I secretly helped Galileo with his theories of the Sun being the center of the solar system, even when the church persecuted him; I secretly helped him continue his research. Leonardo da Vinci was my best friend for decades, and we constantly worked together on many theories and theorems and paintings, and debated many things back and forth for hours with topics that would make anyone else’s heads spin! I even helped him come up with the idea for, and design of, the helicopter and calculator! I had even co-written The Divine Comedy with Dante Alighieri. I am not an idiot. I am not stupid. Only Romano and I know the truth. We hoped that it would stay that way, too, but it was not to be. My name is Italy Veneziano, AKA Feliciano Vargas; and I was never supposed to exist.

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Chapter 1—The Quake and a Spell

It all started at a seemingly regular meeting in Naples, Italy with 10 nations, and 12 representatives—America, Canada, France, England, Russia, China, Japan, Germany, Prussia, Spain, Romano, and myself. America was speaking about some bullshit that nobody was listening to (what? I actually have opinions too, you know) when it happened. The building started shaking, and everyone started panicking (though those of us who live in earthquake areas, such as America, Romano, myself, Japan, etc…, were much calmer) and the whole room dashed under the reinforced table.

Romano was seizing, as nations do when they suffer a major earthquake like this, and even I was feeling some of the ill effects (severe twitching and some bruising)—we are the same nation, after all, but Romano’s more attuned to the southern region of Italy, while I’m more attuned to the northern region. As the shaking got worse, a loud groaning was heard just moments before the ceiling collapsed upon us. Luckily, the table was sturdy enough and held. Before long, the shaking subsided both in the room, and my brother. As the dust settled and everyone calmed down, we found ourselves trapped under the—thankfully rather tall—table.

“Is everyone alright?!” America asked urgently. “Italy, how’s Romano?”

“Ve~ He’s fine.” I answered, before Romano spoke up himself.

“Don’t answer for me, idiota!” He mock-glared at me.

“Ve~” I answered, using my verbal tic as a private way of telling Romano that I was there.

“Chigi.” He answered the same way. That’s why we developed them, our verbal tics. It’s a private way of telling each other that we’ll always be there for one another, and that we care.

I couldn’t help the flash of angry, murderous green eyes in my memory, with the distinct sound of a knife cutting through the air… I mentally shook off the memory—now wasn’t the time for a flashback.

“Dudes, I don’t think we can move this. It’s too dangerous. I don’t doubt that we’re strong enough, but I’d rather not die by being crushed by a building, ya know? It kinda hurts.” America said, crawling back to our little misfit group under the table. Taller nations, like Germany, had to duck, while shorter nations, like myself and Japan, didn’t have to bend down as much. Russia had actually taken to lying on his belly.

Spain crawled over to us, and started babying Romano. It was so cute~

“Everybody is alright, right?” Germany asked, before verifying that everyone, indeed, was all right. “Right. Then let’s go over what we know. There was an earthquake.”

“Nooo, really?” America muttered under his breath, earning himself a glare from Germany and a chuckle from me.

“We cannot dig ourselves out, and our cell phones have no service.” He continued, as if he were never interrupted. That last piece of information, however, sent almost every pair of hands to their phones, mine included. Many colorful words in many different languages floated around me as everyone saw for themselves that there was no signal on any of our phones.

“Aw man! I knew I should’ve switched to Verizon!” America complained. “Stupid cheap knock-off. I don’t even have 3G! How am I supposed to play Five Nights at Freddy’s?!”

“America…” Canada sighed, but nobody noticed him, as usual. Kumajiro was staring at Romano and myself intently, making me uneasy. He never liked me. He could probably sense it… I was never supposed to exist… The familiar words rang through my head. It wasn’t a lie. I wasn’t putting myself down or anything. It was a simple fact; I was never supposed to have existed. Northern Italy was never supposed to have been. Italy was always meant to be one country, never two. But I’ll explain about that later.

That’s probably why my friends almost died… If I’d never existed, I would’ve never heard those rumors… Stop it! I thought to myself, Don’t you dare go back into that depression! I was having a good day, after all. I half-expected a mental retort. Must be asleep…

“Damnit! Perhaps I could…?” England whipped out his spell book and started chanting in rapid Latin. Then France sneezed, causing some of the dust to fly into the air and England to start coughing, successfully butchering the spell. However, unlike when he usually messes up a spell and it becomes a dud, this time, a ball of soft green light flew right at me. Through the dust, nobody could see what was happening until it was too late.

The light hit me square in the chest, and was absorbed into me. I didn’t feel anything more than a warm tingling sensation. Everyone was frozen, more from shock than anything else. Before anyone could say anything, the light reappeared, only it looked different. It was now almost pure white, with tendrils of icy-blue and gold, as well as flecks of black and crimson. It then seemed to explode once in the center of the group, touching everyone with its light.

“What… just—?” America started, before he was cut off as a blinding white flash caused all of us to close our eyes and turn away. We felt, more than saw ourselves being pulled somewhere… If only we’d just been sent to another location… If only…

Chapter Text

Chapter 2—The First Memory

When we finally opened our eyes, we found that we were no longer underneath the table. We weren’t even in the building anymore! We were in a spacious field covered in an untouched layer of pure white snow. It was silent.

I sat up straighter, warily, expecting my head to bump the table. When it didn’t, I cautiously stood up, and found that we, indeed, were no longer in the destroyed Meeting Room. The others soon followed my example, standing up and stretching. It was then that everyone started to talk about where we were and what happened.

“Don’t look at me! I didn’t cast that spell! The spell I was casting was a simple communication spell to tell the others where we were and request help. I’ll look in my spell book to see if it might clue me in on where we ended up, though.” England said, thumbing through his little book of spells and incantations.

“Ah! I am not feeling the cold, da?” Russia said, causing us all to realize that we weren’t cold. In fact, we weren’t even making footprints in the snow! America reached for a tree nearby, only for his hand to pass through it.

“AHHH! I’m a GHOST!!” He cried, clinging to Canada.

I then saw something… an old tree. I cautiously walked forward for a better look. When I saw what was etched into it, I froze; my stomach dropped. My heart was beating rapidly in my throat as my blood turned to ice in my veins. “V-Vino…?” I called out, using the sacred nickname our mother used to call Romano. I only used it when I was truly terrified or in desperate need of his comfort.

Immediately, Romano was at my side, not even bothering to hide his concern. I didn’t spare him a glance, though, my were eyes glued to the etchings in the tree.

“What is it?! Are you hurt? Are you okay? Do you feel—”

“Look.” I cut him off, pointing to the tree-trunk with a shaking hand, leaning on Romano for support.

There, etched in the tree was a heart with the initials “E. F.” and “C. V.” Romano froze like me.

“H-how? Felice…” He rasped out, beyond shocked. The fact that he was using Mother’s nickname for me proved this, as he only used it when he was truly scared. “This tree was cut down over two thousand years ago…”

My eyes widened in realization. “Vino… I think… Doesn't this clearing look familiar?” His eyes widened in realization as well.

During some point, the group migrated over to us. “Dudes, what’s up? You look like you just saw a ghost or something!” America said.

“Maybe we have…” Romano whispered, still staring at the carving in the tree. He reached his hand out, only for it to pass through the trunk.

“Mon Cher! Are you okay?! You look as pale as the Italie twins!” France cried out, looking at England who was staring at his spell book in shock, his face a sheet-white color that almost blended into the snow.

“I… I found the spell… There’s no way I could’ve cast this… It hasn’t an incantation, and is an intent-only spell. You have to have known that it exists in order to cast it… But…”

“Just spit it out, already, aru!” China interrupted impatiently, but England didn’t seem to care. He looked up at me and Romano; to this day, I’ve never seen him look so apologetic.

“It shows the memories of the person who was hit by the spell…” He stated.

“Wh…what?!” Romano and I cried out in shock. It would explain the field, the tree, why we couldn’t touch anything, and why our nation felt so far away… But…

“Vino… I’m scared… I don’t want them to know…” I muttered to my fratello, who pulled me into a one-armed hug.

“I know… They won’t leave you, you know… I’ll always be here, Felice… And if they do leave you, I’ll put the largest Hit in history on them.” He said, making my lips twitch in a small smile.

“Grazie.”

“Reverse it!” America cried out, his strong sense of justice wouldn’t let him watch something so private. Not without a fight, at least.

“I can’t!” England snapped, frustrated. “I didn’t cast the spell, and even if I did, there’s no way to reverse it once its target is hit!” He sighed in defeat. “The only way out of this is to watch the memories… All of them…”

“Do… Do we have to?” I asked in a small voice. I really didn’t want them to know my past; it’s private! And there were things in there that even Romano didn’t know about!

“I… I’m sorry. If there was any way…” England trailed off. In fact, all the nations looked distinctly uncomfortable.

Being immortal brings a sense of clarity to most nations. Everyone has skeletons in the closet. Everyone has secrets they don’t want anyone to know, ever. I’m no exception. I never was, and never will be.

“Then I suppose there’s no choice…” I sigh in defeat, taking a few deep breaths to try to calm myself.

“If any of you bastards so much as glare at my fratellino…” Romano let the threat hang in the air, but unlike when he usually threatens nations—which is usually just to keep up his fake ‘tough-guy’ act—there was an undertone to his voice that they’d never heard before. It was the same tone that he used in the Mafioso (Mafia) when he meant business.

Romano and I turned back to look at the Carved Tree. “This is where we were born.” I stated, sighing heavily. “Romano and I will explain most of the stuff going on, so you don’t get too confused. If you’re going to know, you might as well know the facts instead of coming up with crazy scenarios later.”

They nodded, looking a bit more comfortable now that they ‘had my permission’ to watch the memories, but nobody looked particularly happy.

“If you don’t mind my asking, where are we?” Japan asked tentatively, not recognizing the area.

“We’re near the Tiber River.” Romano said; looking off to the West, where we knew the river lay. “The year, is…” he hesitated for a moment. I nodded my head, encouraging him to continue, as I gripped his arm, giving him the support that only physical contact between twins could. “It’s 753 B.C.”

Multiple cries of “What?!” in various languages sounded throughout the clearing. “You’re older than me?!” Japan cried out uncharacteristically, more shocked about our true age than any of the other nations. After all, I’d always acted younger than even Germany. Of course they’d all believe us to be young and naïve.

“We were a premature birth. We came into this world long before we were supposed to. We came into existence before our nation even existed.” I said, further shocking the nations.

“In all my 4,000 years… I’ve never heard of such a thing happening, aru…” China said numbly, still trying to register the information.

Before any more could be said, there was a bright flash of white light right below the Carved Tree. When the light died down, there were two infants lying in a snowdrift wrapped in white blankets. The infants looked only days old at most.

With a shock, the others realized that those two infants were us. Nations had always appeared as toddlers or children—never infants.

“But! How...?!” England stuttered out. Nobody seemed to be able to form a coherent sentence. The infants, uncomfortable in the cold, started to cry loudly.

A tawny Italian wolf silently stalked into the clearing to investigate the source of the noise. The nations froze, forgetting that the wolf couldn’t see them. She made her way over to the infants, and most of the nations looked ready to run to our infant-selves’ aid. She sniffed them for a bit, before curling herself around them, keeping them warm as best she could. She nuzzled them a bit as they finally calmed down and opened their eyes for the first time. Lovino’s eyes were a sharp green with golden specks, while Feliciano’s eyes (well my past self, but I’ll just refer to our past selves by our human names to avoid confusion) were molten gold all the way through. They looked up at the she-wolf, and innocently reached out and grabbed her fur. She licked their hands in an almost affectionate way. At some point, some curious foxes wandered by, and the she-wolf chased them off, protecting the young infants from becoming an easy meal.

“Huh… I wonder if we would’ve survived that? I mean, we weren’t full nations yet; our country didn’t even exist!” I wondered aloud, disturbing a few nations with how carelessly I spoke about permanent death.

“How should I know?” Romano replied easily.

“I’m just glad you’re both safe.” Spain said with a sigh of relief once the foxes were gone. Japan and Germany nodded their heads in agreement.

“I wonder… Would the legend of Romulus and his brother being suckled by a she-wolf have anything to do with you two?” England asked.

“Ve~ We’re the reason it was started. Rumors got around town that we were suckled by a she-wolf until… we were found. Anyways, with them hearing me call Vino, Romano, at least once, which sounds similar to Rome and Romulus, it must’ve gotten mixed up through time. It’s kinda funny, actually.” I said. Romano squeezed my arm comfortingly, still keeping me wrapped in a hug. My usage of his nickname didn’t escape him. He knew… He knew I was scared… I didn’t want them to know… To know that I wasn’t a full nation. Neither of us were.

After what seemed like about 15-20 minutes—and was probably hours in the memory judging by the sun’s position—Romano and I heard the distinct sound of snow crunching underfoot. By this point, the infant twins were asleep, as the she-wolf had suckled them when they’d cried out in hunger earlier.

We looked in the direction of the sound, along with the she-wolf. It took nearly everything Romano and I had to not burst out in tears when we saw her.

A young woman, in her early 30’s, stumbled through the snow. Her medium-length light brown hair and hazel eyes shined in the midday sun. She stopped when she caught sight of the wolf, clearly afraid.

Out of pure instinct, Romano and I fell into defensive stances, ready to defend her at a moment’s notice, before remembering that this was a memory, and that we couldn’t change anything. The others noticed our strange behavior, but didn’t say anything… yet.

“Shhh… Be still, oh free one.” She said in a rich, warm voice that brought tears to my eyes. Romano was nearly in tears as well. How many times had we wished to hear this voice again? Prayed for it? To think it would come from a silly spell… But she couldn’t see us… She couldn’t touch us… We weren’t really there. And that only made me want to cry more.

The wolf, on the other hand, had gotten up and stood in front of the infants protectively, as she stared at the woman with a wary gaze. Something sparked in the woman’s eyes, as she took another step forward, despite the growling she-wolf.

“Is that woman crazy?! She’s gonna get eaten!” America cried out.

“Hey! Watch it! Don’t you dare speak about her that way!” Romano growled out, almost sounding like a wolf himself. America took a step back in surprise, not expecting such a harsh reaction from Romano. I was even glaring at America a bit, surprising the nations as well. Luckily, America did the intelligent thing and apologized and backed down.

Apparently, the wolf had wanted this reaction from the woman, for she backed down, giving the woman a long stare, as if trying to convey a message of some kind, before running off in the direction she came from leaving the human woman with the infant twin nations, who had woken up at the she-wolf’s departure.

Taking immediate notice of the now crying twins, the woman rushed to them and gently picked them up in her arms, cradling them lovingly while looking around for signs of anyone else.

“Shhh, shhh, it’s alright, now. You’re safe. Where’re your parents? Are they dead? Oh, you poor things. It’s alright, I’ve got you now.” She hummed a bit as the twins finally calmed down, looking up at the woman curiously, even reaching out for a few strands of loose hair. “Now aren’t you precious? Tell you what; you can live with me from now on. You’ll need names, though. Let’s see… Hmm… For the one with green eyes… how about Lovino, after my father? Your eyes remind me of him. And the one with golden eyes… you can be Feliciano, after my maiden name, Felicia. Yes, Feliciano and Lovino Vargas. That sounds wonderful. Now, you must be hungry. How about I feed you some milk when we get home? Lucky for you, I’m not dry yet.” She explained to the oblivious twins as she walked back towards the river.

“This,” I start, trying to keep my voice from trembling, “Is Emma… Our mother.” A realization seemed to dawn on the nations. It suddenly made sense, why we were so protective of this human woman, and why we were acting so strangely around her. Very few nations ever had a mother figure, let alone an actual mother. America, Mexico, and Canada were lucky to have Native America, and Egypt was lucky to have Ancient Egypt. Romano and I were lucky to have Emma. “She’s a 32-year-old widow, who recently lost her husband and newborn child. She found us in the snow, and took us in as her own, even after she found out about what we were.” I explained, as Romano was too emotional to speak, staring off after our mother.

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Chapter 3—A Nation’s First Tear

A little montage was shown of Emma raising us, as we grew older and older as the seasons changed. It didn’t show enough to really get a feel of individual interactions, but it was enough to show the love in the household. Finally, the memories slowed down to show Lovino and Feliciano—it’s so weird to talk about myself in third person—standing in the small living room, with a strong fire going, showing that it was cold out. Romano and I shifted awkwardly. We recognized exactly what memory this was.

“Come now, Felice, Vino… What’s wrong?” Emma asked, concerned as the young twins, seeming to be about two or three, glared daggers at each other. The nations took in a deep breath; they could practically feel the malice in the air. Though Lovino was glaring at Feliciano with murder in his eyes, Feliciano was only glaring at Lovino with mild annoyance.

“By the way,” Romano started, giving them a mild glare, which happened to be on par with his younger self. It unnerved the nations. “If anyone calls either of us by those nicknames, you’ll wish you weren’t immortal…” A few of the weaker-willed nations gulped.

“Why are you always fighting?” Emma continued, snapping everyone’s attention back to the memory.

Then, in eerie synchronization, the twins turned as one towards Emma, and with dead serious expressions said, in perfect harmony, “Because I/he was never supposed to exist.” Emma blinked, not expecting such an answer. And it wasn’t said out of spite either, but stated as a simple fact; as if someone had asked what color the sky was. It was almost painful to watch.

“Itary-kun…?” Japan asked worried. Why would Italy believe that he wasn’t supposed to exist? He wondered. In fact, many of the nations were staring at me with intense concern.

“Feliciano? Did Lovino tell you this? Don’t believe a word of it. And Lovino! Don’t tell your brother such things!” Emma scolded.

“He didn’t tell me anything, mother.” Feliciano said calmly. “I just know it. We both do.”

“It’s a nation thing.” Lovino said.

“A… nation thing? You mean you just know things?” Emma asked, obviously, they’d already told her what they were.

“Yes. But we were born early. Too early.” Feliciano said. “We don’t know everything we should. We know we’re immortal. We know what we are. We know who we are. I am North Italy, and Romano is South Italy. But that’s wrong. There’s not supposed to be two Italies. There’s only supposed to be one. I was the weaker one. Romano was supposed to absorb me. I was never meant to be born. I was never supposed to exist. That’s why he hates me. He’s not whole. We can never be whole, now. Neither of us can ever be full nations, because it’s split between us. We’ll always be naturally physically weaker than the others. Because I now exist, fate has been altered. Those who mess with fate have to pay a price… Momma… I’m scared… I don’t want to pay a price…” Feliciano’s calm demeanor suddenly broke as he started tearing up and crying into his mother’s shoulder.

The nations looked on in shock. Italy wasn’t supposed to exist?! But how?! Why not?! They tried to imagine a world without me, but they couldn’t. “Itary-kun…” Japan whispered sadly.

“It’s true, you know. Every word. Even the price.” I stated, glaring at the ground. How I hate my price. That price cost me not only my happiness, but Romano’s too. It took Grandpa Rome… and Holy Rome… And I’m so scared that it might one day take Germany or Romano as well.

“Oh, Italien… Don’t you ever believe that you weren’t supposed to exist. I don’t care what fate says, you exist, therefore you are meant to be here.” Germany said, pulling me into a hug.

I stiffen in surprise at first, before letting the tears fall. Spain was hugging Romano in the same way, though he didn’t cry. Must’ve been something else that he didn’t really get the chance to absorb from me before we were born… I thought to myself.

“Wait a minute… You hated each other?” Spain asked after a moment of silence.

“Well… I wouldn’t say we hated each other…” Romano trailed off nervously. He really was a dick to me when we were younger.

“Si… I followed him around everywhere… I’m sure I just annoyed him a bit…” I suggested as I wiped away my tears. I was trying to tone down our actions as children… Then again, how do you tone down your older twin brother trying to kill you on multiple occasions because you were never supposed to exist in the first place? Yeah… Somehow I doubt that they’d take that well…

“You two are going to stop fighting, you hear me? I’m tired of you two trying to kill each other every time I turn my back!” Emma scolded both the twins.

“Okay, so maybe we hated each other a little…” I admitted, “but I grew out of it by the age of 10! We’re only 2 here, but we start aging slower around 5 or 6.” I explain.

“And you Romano?” Spain asked, making Romano gulp.

“I… Uhhh… took a bit longer…”

Spain glared at Romano.

“Fine! Forty years, damnit! That’s how fucking long it took me to warm up to Feliciano, okay?! But I stopped trying to kill him by 25! Oh wait; there was that one time at the cliff… What were we, 32?” He admitted, as the nations glared at him.

“Stop!” I scolded, sounding quite a bit like Mom. “It was natural. Instinctual. He couldn’t help it! It was hard-wired into both of us! And he’s more than made up for it, so just leave him be! I tried to kill him a few times, too, so it’s not like he was picking on me.” I defended my brother, glaring at the nations harshly enough to make even Russia take a step back.

In a flash the scene changed. Feliciano was following Lovino through the forest, as Emma kept a close eye on the two. “Boys! Be careful! That storm yesterday made the ground muddy and slippery, so watch your footing! Lunch will be ready in about an hour!” She called out as the boys, who looked about 3 ½ or so, entered the forest.

“Yes, Mom!” They cried out in sync, before glaring at each other.

“Come on, Lovi~ Let’s play together!” Feliciano said happily, making Lovino’s glare darken even further.

As Lovino made his way further into the forest, Feliciano tried his best to follow him, but seemed to run out of breath a lot faster than Lovino. This worried the other nations. They were twins, right? So it couldn’t be a difference in age. And they were both nations, so Feliciano couldn’t be ill. Then again, no nation had been born prematurely before. Never before had a nation been born before their country… So did that mean that the twins were more human than nation here? Could they die? The nations didn’t want to think such things, but the thoughts meandered their way in through the cracks and crevices of their subconscious minds.

The twins finally stopped by a muddy slope. “Lovi! Do you want to play now?” Feliciano asked as he stopped to catch his breath. Lovino didn’t say anything. He just turned and glared murder at his little brother, and tackled him to the ground, trying to get a strangle hold on him. Feliciano fought tooth and nail, his adrenaline pumping, as his survival instincts took over. They tumbled and rolled, scratching and biting viciously, drawing blood.

The nations stumbled, shocked at what they were seeing. They’d seen war and famine, murder and arson, you name it, they’d probably seen it. But to watch a three-year-old child attempt to murder his younger brother in cold blood was horrifying to watch.

They twisted and tumbled and rolled, each one trying to get on top of the other, either to kill or escape. Eventually, unable to see where they were going, they tumbled right off the slope, just as Emma, who’d heard the ruckus and came to see what the problem was, ran into the area. She watched, horrified, as the twins tumbled down. With a sickening crack, the memory went black.

“What happened?!” America asked urgently, worried for the twins, though Romano and I were right there.

“We broke our necks and died.” Romano stated with a shrug. “Our mother was scared to death. She hadn’t really seen any proof of our nationhood yet, so imagine her shock to find us both at the bottom of the slope, broken necks, not breathing… It scared her pretty bad. We were grounded for a month, remember that Felice?”

“Si… no desserts either… Worst of all I had to share my room with you…” I tack on playfully, smirking at Romano.

“That’s my line! You were the one following after me like a lost little puppy!” He shot back.

“Oh, like you’re one to talk? Remember that time mom actually got us a puppy? You chased poor Asher around for weeks! There’s a reason he liked me more.” I quipped back.

“Shut up! At least when I was 5 I had stopped wet—” I slapped my hand over his mouth.

“You swore you’d never mention that again!” I hissed, as he smirked and licked my hand. “EWW! Gross! No licking!” I say as I childishly wiped my hand on his shirt.

“OI!” He complained, before we both broke out laughing. The nations just stared.

“Umm… Mon Cher?” France asked, unsure of how to handle the two of us being so open. Romano, especially, as he’d been very careful to never show anyone—not even Spain—this side of him.

“This is usually how we act in private.” I explained, “Since you’re going to be viewing basically my entire life, which encompasses a lot of Romano’s as well, I figure we don’t really have a reason to hold ourselves back any more. We don’t have to put up false bravado. On the other hand, it’d be near impossible to keep false appearances up anyways due to, also, what you’re watching.” I said.

Then, the next memory appeared. Mom was laying in bed, looking very ill. Romano and I pale as we recall this day. The day we nearly lost our mother. “We were roughly 7 at this time…” I said, gesturing to our younger selves, watching the doctor from a corner of the room. Lovino wasn’t even glaring at Feliciano. They were both too caught-up in what was happening. They looked about 6.

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do for you…” He said to our mother. “The most I can do is make sure your children go to the proper place.”

“Thank you, doctor. My boys are strong… They’ll be fine. I’ll write up a Will for you soon.” She said, her voice weakened and strained.

The nations looked at us with pity and sorrow. “Mon Cher… I’m so sorry.” France said.

“Shut up.” Romano shot back with a glare. “Just watch.”

The doctor packed up his things, and started to leave, when Lovino stopped him.

“Hey! Wait! You’re supposed to make her better! Fix her! Make my momma better!” He demanded, angry and scared.

“Lovino… Come here. You too, Feliciano…” Mother called, using our full names. Lovino and Feliciano then went to Emma, the doctor leaving while he could.

“Listen, boys… I’m not going to make it.” She started, before Lovino cut her off.

“NO! D-don’t say things like that! Y-you’ll jinx it!” Lovino had this desperate, hopeful smile on his face. “You’ll get better! Just like you always do! You can’t leave us yet!” He said, fighting back tears.

“I’m so sorry my sons…” Emma’s voice was soft. Quiet.

“NO!” Feliciano screamed, “You! You can’t die on us! Please! Momma! You can’t leave us yet! We need you! It’s not your time! Please!” He was ready to cry, already sniffling.

“No… I’m already 39 years old… I’ve long overstayed my welcome on this Earth. I’m just so glad that I could have two wonderful, beautiful sons like you… Thank you… Please grant me this one selfish wish after I go? Don’t fight any more. Love each other. Be brothers. Please…” The words were too much for Feliciano, as a single, heavy tear fell on her bare arm.

China watched with wide eyes as the tear was absorbed into her skin, the area glowing a soft golden hue for a split second. “It’s true…” He whispered to himself.

“NO! We won’t! You still have to be here for us! Please, momma… Please….” Feliciano trailed off, climbing into the bed and curling up next to his mother, Lovino doing the same, still not letting his tears fall.

The scene seemed to fast-forward through the night, and to the morning. The twins awoke to the doctor opening the door. They watched, fear shining in their eyes, as he gave their mother an exam to estimate how much time she had left.

After multiple checks and exams, he turned to Emma with this absolutely gobsmacked expression. “You… I don’t know what kind of miracle this is, but God isn’t ready for you yet. You’re well on your way to making a full recovery.” He stated.

“You mean, she’s gonna get better?” Lovino asked hesitantly.

“Yes.”

“MOMMA!” The twins cried in joy, flinging themselves into her waiting arms. She sobbed with relief.

“Thank you, doctor, thank you.” She cried.

“What the bloody hell happened?! Not that I’m complaining or anything, but she was dying just a few hours ago!” England said, utterly confused.

“I think… I think I know…” China said slowly. “I… I heard the rumors more than three and a half millennia ago, but I never thought that they were true…”

“What is it?” Romano asked, wiping away a few tears that had leaked out of the corner of his eye. I, too, was crying, but I didn’t really bother to wipe them away before facing the others. Romano and I had always wondered what sort of miracle occurred that night.

“It’s an old legend… A legend about the power of nations, aru…” China started. “Apparently, a nation’s first tear, cried for the pain of a loved one, has tremendous healing powers, able to bring someone back from the brink of death.”

At his words, Romano and I eyed each other. If this was when my First Tear was cried, then Romano’s must’ve been… That day…

Chapter Text

Chapter 4—Chinks in the Armor

The scene changed again, only this time, it was snowing outside.

“Felice! Bundle up! Don’t want you catching cold, out there. Your brother might be fine, but we don’t want you getting sick!” Mom said, handing out a coat to a 7-year-old Feliciano. Romano and I paled at this memory.

“Getting sick? What is that about?” Germany asked, confused.

I flinched, grabbing onto Romano a little tighter. He sighed. “Honestly, if they didn’t reject you when they found out we aren’t full nations, they won’t reject you because of this. I’ll tell them mine, too, okay?” He asked me, placing his hand gently on my head, as I hesitantly nodded.

“Tell us what, aru?” China asked, suspicious.

“About the weakness… the chink in the armor…” I muttered.

“We both have one fatal flaw in our nationhood… in our immortality.” Romano stated, making many of the nations blanch.

“A flaw? In your immortality?!” America gasped, unable to comprehend it.

“Si. It’s the only way around our immortality. I’m weak against poisons and venoms. If I’m poisoned badly enough, or bitten by something with strong enough venom, I will die. And I won’t come back.” Romano said heavily, causing many nations to gasp. The concept of permanent death is foreign to most nations, at least, in regards to another nation.

“Mine is illness. I can get sick, like a human. And I can die from sickness, like a human. When I was little, before I fully connected with my nation, I was a very sickly child. My immune system was pathetically low. After connecting with my nation, it went up to an average Italian’s immune system strength. Just know that I, like my brother, have this one weakness.” I said, still clinging to Romano with a vice-like grip.

“Itary-kun… We will never use this against you.” Japan said as the other nations nodded their agreement. My eyes went wide, traveling from nation to nation.

“You… don’t hate me?” I asked, surprised.

“Why would we hate you?” Prussia asked, appearing offended.

“I… I’m not like you… I’m not a full nation… I can die like a human… I can get sick like a human, and become frail and weak… well, weaker.”

“Aiyaa! Is that what you’re worried about, aru?! If you get sick, come to me or Japan, aru! We’ll fix you right up!” China said as Japan nodded his head with a soft smile.

“Ja! Und next time you get sick, tell me.” Germany stressed, “I’ll cancel training until you’re better.” He was already planning to read up on all the medical books he could get his hands on.

“Yeah, dude! And I may not be good with sick stuff, but the doctors in my country are, like, totally awesome! We have state-of-the-art tech here, yo! Come to me, and I’ll patch you right up!” America proclaimed.

“Right. Ignore him, and come to my place. A nice cup of tea always calms the body.” England said.

“Non! Don’t listen to him!” France shouted, “He’ll feed you his crap! Come to moi! I’ll treat you to wine and a five-star dinner~”

“I will keep General Winter away while you are sick, Дa?” Russia said, smiling.

“I’ll make you maple syrup and fresh pancake—”

“ZE AWESOME ME WILL MAKE YOU AWESOMELY BETTER BY BEING IN MY AWESOME PRESENCE! I AM AWESOME!” Prussia cut Canada off.

I smiled, “Grazie...” I was so relieved. They still like me… They don’t hate me… I was so terrified that they would reject me when they found out…

“Roma! How could you not tell me this sooner?! What if something happened to you?! You know how many snakes there are at my place! And you’d better stay far away from England’s food! We don’t want you getting food poisoning from it!” Spain said, a grin on his face as England scoffed and muttered how his scones were delectable under his breath. Yeah… Right. Delectable to fungi and mold, maybe…

“Don’t call me Roma…” Romano growled at Spain, but Spain ignored it as usual. I winced a bit. Ve… Touchy topic…

“Lovi~!” Feliciano’s voice called, drawing all of our attention back to the source of everything… the memory. Feliciano was seen running out into the freshly fallen snow towards Lovino.

“Aww, crap.” Romano muttered under his breath, wanting to apologize to me, but knowing that I would only glare and say he was already forgiven.

“Let’s play together~! Do you want to play, Lovi? Loviiiiiii~ Lovinoooo~ Loooooviiiiiii~” Feliciano kept calling, until Lovino finally turned away from his snowman to send a death glare at his little brother.

“Boys!” Emma called, her voice holding a no-nonsense tone that only mothers could truly master. “No fighting. Play nice. Felice, don’t annoy your brother. Vino, don’t murder your brother. I’m going to start some lunch. I’m making stew!”

“STEW!” The boys cried out together in excitement, before Lovino turned to glare daggers at his brother, while Feliciano smiled. Emma sighed and went inside, keeping an ear out for them from the kitchen.

“Lovi~! Play~!” Feliciano pressed, his cheeks rosy, and an excited look on his face.

“Shut up!” Lovino yelled, picking up a handful of snow and compacting it with his hands before throwing it at Feliciano.

Feliciano didn’t seem to realize the malicious intent in the throw, and believed his brother to be starting a game with him. “Throw snow at each other? That’s kind of weird, but whatever!” He muttered to himself, creating a snowball and throwing it with devastating accuracy, hitting Lovino dead in the face.

Lovino paused, as if trying to register what his brother just did. He slowly turned, looking quite a bit like Russia, and glared. “You’re dead!” He whispered, not wanting his mother to hear him.

Feliciano, recognizing the real danger he was in, dived away as he was bombarded with snow. Lovino somehow even threw the head of his snowman at him—which was twice the size of the child, at least.

Feliciano, laughing and enjoying the ‘game’, was quick to retaliate. He hid behind trees and bushes, and hid among the snowdrifts to bombard his older brother with snow from all angles. The snowman forgotten, an epic snowball fight began.

Before long, both brothers built walls and forts, each one using war tactics that they instinctively knew as nations, and implemented them with frightening precision. The nations couldn’t help but be impressed—whenever it looked like one brother would get ahead, the other would counter the attack with a creative strategy. It honestly started looking like less like a child’s snowball fight, and more like a snowball fight one would expect trained military adults to carry out.

“Mon Cher~! This looks fun~! Let’s try it sometime, oui?” France asked, looking more and more excited. At least, until one of Lovino’s oddly shaped snowballs hit Feliciano in the arm.

“OW! No fair! You’re using ice-balls!” Feliciano complained. The nations winced, knowing how much it hurt.

“Romano!” Spain admonished.

“Oi! I was just trying to win… And kill him…” Romano admitted. I just laughed. “I started using ice-balls in retaliation, I believe?” I said, making a few nations stare at me in surprise.

Sure enough, Feliciano started using ice-balls as well. It turned into a snowball/ice-ball all-out warzone. Sometimes rocks and sticks could be seen flying across the battlefield, either aimed at the opposing force, or at their walls and forts in an attempt to knock them down. Feliciano was grinning and laughing. Every time he tried to hide, Lovino found him because he couldn’t contain his giggles. Even Lovino seemed to be enjoying himself, and was smiling freely, openly, with great joy. He, too, was laughing ecstatically.

Lovino threw a particularly hard ice-ball at Feliciano, hitting him right in the head. Feliciano fell to the ground, breathless and tired from running around in the snow.

The snow game stopped. Feliciano didn’t retaliate… He didn’t get up. Lovino, taking the opportunity presented, bombarded his brother with snow and ice. A few rocks were tossed in, too. When, after all that, Feliciano still didn’t get up, Lovino felt that something was wrong.

The nations were quiet. The light, fun, playful atmosphere that was there just moments before, was suddenly gone. They felt something heavy settle in the bottom of their stomachs. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

“Oi! Jackass! Stop playing around! If this is a trick to get me, I swear I’m gonna pound you into mulch!” Lovino threatened, approaching Feliciano cautiously.

Feliciano didn’t even twitch. When they got closer, they saw that Feliciano had a nosebleed, and looked flushed. He was wheezing, and seemed to be unable to get enough oxygen into his system.

“Oi! Idiot! Stop playing around! Get up!” Lovino yelled, kicking Feliciano’s leg. No reaction.

Romano was very pale, by this point. He clearly remembered the feeling of terror that spread through his system. Seeing me like that… There was that feeling… that I would disappear and never return.

Feliciano then started coughing. It was a terrible, wet hacking cough. He covered his mouth with his hand, but when the coughing resided, he didn’t have the strength to keep his hand up anymore. It fell to the snow, revealing it to be coated in blood.

The nations couldn’t see Feliciano’s hand from their angle. But Lovino could. He paled drastically, and shook. “M-MOM!” He cried, sounding absolutely terrified. The nations, now really scared, stepped around Lovino to see what made him freak out so badly.

“No…” China whispered, seeing the blood staining the snow crimson. It was leaking from Feliciano’s nose and mouth, and dripping from his pale hand. He may not have been able to identify it exactly, but he knew it was likely fatal. Whatever it was, Feliciano’s chances of survival in that day and age were slim to none. The nations all seemed to realize this on some level.

“V-Vino… I’m scared…” Feliciano wheezed out, barely able to speak above a whisper. Perhaps, by some form of cruelty, a large, dark bruise blossomed visibly on Feliciano’s head, right where Lovino’s ice-ball had hit him just moments earlier.

“F-Felice…” Lovino said, using Feliciano’s human name for the first time.

Emma, hearing the panic in her son’s voice, ran out in a worry. Upon seeing her youngest lying in the snow, with blood on his face, she ran out, and swooped him up in her arms.

Hours later—though only minutes to the nations—the doctor finished examining Feliciano. He turned to Emma—and Lovino by default. The nations waited with baited breath hoping that he’d be okay. They knew that I was still there—that somehow, I’d managed to survive—but they were also terrified. They’d just learned that I could die permanently by illness, and here my younger self was, looking like he was on death’s door.

“I’m sorry. There’s been an epidemic sweeping the country lately… Your son’s just one of the unlucky ones. He has a day at most.” The doctor said, packing up to leave. “There’s nothing I can do. I’ll call the undertaker and have him make a casket for you, free of charge. I know money’s tight for you, Emma…” Emma looked heartbroken; she started crying.

The nations froze. Hearing that offer, for the doctor to have a casket made for me? It terrified the nations, and really hit home for some of them. They realized just how real the possibility of my death was. Many of them went very pale.

“Hey… Hey! Stop crying! He’s a nation! He’ll be fine!” Lovino said, but he didn’t seem convinced of his own words. “He’s not sick… He can’t be sick… He… he’s a nation… like me…” Lovino looked so lost and alone and hurt.

I hugged my brother tighter, to remind him that I was still here.

“Vino…” Feliciano’s weak voice came from the sickbed. Lovino’s head whipped up, as Emma smiled slightly.

“I’ll go make us something warm to drink.” She said, leaving the room to hide her pain.

“You… You can’t die! You’re a nation! So get better already!”

“Vino.” Feliciano said again, stressing the name. “We both know that…” He stopped to catch his breath. He seemed so tired, and so weak. He looked to be in great pain, as well, with a very high fever.

“If I was a full nation… I wouldn’t get sick… You can feel it, can’t you? I’m going to die. I’m going to die, and I won’t come back. I’m going to disappear before our nation even comes into existence… I wonder… are there others like us? Don’t let my death get you down, Vino… Just… live, please… Live for me, or for mom… Live for us, and make new friends. Please?” Feliciano panted, the monologue taking his breath from him again.

“N-no… You… you can’t die!” Lovino finally exploded, pounding his fists on the bed, causing it and Feliciano to rock dangerously, and Feliciano to wince. Lovino immediately stopped, seeing the wince, and looked at his hands with horror.

“I… I always wanted you to die… to make me whole, like I was supposed to be… But I don’t want you to die, now… I …” Lovino stopped, fighting his tears, as he grabbed his brother’s hand. “I WANT YOU TO LIVE!” He screamed, letting the tears flow at last, a particularly thick and heavy tear, falling on Feliciano’s hand, the area glowing a soft emerald as it dissolved into the skin. This time, we, the nations saw it—Lovino’s First Tear.

“I don’t want you to die anymore! You’re my fratellino! My little brother! You’re all I have! I don’t want you to leave me alone! Please! I need to protect you! I need you to be there for me! I need you to live! Please, Felice! Please…” He sobbed brokenly, “I don’t want you to leave me alone… please… don’t leave me… Ti voglio bene…” He whispered, crying into his brother’s chest, being careful not to put too much weight on him.

Our Romano was also crying, grasping onto me with a death hold. His tears were staining my shirt, but I didn’t care. I wrapped him in a hug.

“Shhh, shhh… Vino, I’m here… Vino. I’m still here.” I reminded him softly, humming our mother’s lullaby into his ear as I rocked him slightly.

“Vino…” Feliciano whispered in shock, before smiling. “Ti voglio bene, fratellone.”

I smiled, that was the first time we called each other fratellone and fratellino… That was also the first time we told each other that we loved one another. Romano was silently crying into my chest now, as I continued to hum to him, and rub his back with one hand, and run my fingers through his hair with my other… Just like momma used to. The nations had respectfully turned away from us to give us as much privacy as they could.

“I’ll try, fratello… Just don’t hate me if I can’t.” Feliciano whispered.

“Idiota! I could never hate you… not anymore…” Lovino whispered brokenly, crawling into bed to snuggle with his fratellino.

For the first time since their birth, the two brothers looked completely content in each other’s presence. They lay together that night, sleeping as one. A whole, for the first time in their lives.

When morning came, the doctor returned. Again, like with Emma, he declared that Feliciano was pulling off a miracle, and was on the slow, long road to recovery. The nations let out a sigh of relief, as Lovino and Emma cried in joy. Feliciano slept peacefully with a gentle smile on his face, refusing, even in sleep, to relinquish his grasp on his fratellone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5—Asher

The memory changed again, this time, it was late summer, and Feliciano—who was looking much healthier much to everyone’s relief—and Lovino were sleeping together in one of the two beds in their bedroom.

“Vino, Felice! Time to wake up! Breakfast’s ready, and I have a surprise for you!” Emma called from the kitchen. The two boys sleepily rubbed their eyes and stretched, before blinking at each other and breaking out into wide grins.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” They cried to each other, embracing the other in a hug.

“Ve~ I know this memory!” I said happily, remembering the surprise.

“Si! I was wondering if we’d see this one.” Romano grinned, also sounding strangely upbeat.

“It was our 30^th birthday. The last memory was when we were 25.” I said.

“Oh… You’re aging so quickly, though…” England pointed out; his eyebrows converging into one big fuzzy mass in the center of his forehead, making me chuckle a bit.

“We aged much faster before we connected with our nation. In fact, we were about this age physically when our nation connected.” I said, gesturing to our current bodies.

“Yeah, a fucking pain in the ass that was. Young adult one moment, and a toddler the next! I fucking shrank! SHRANK!” Romano complained. “Do you know how long it took us to get our coordination right again?! Do you?! And don’t even get me started on having to go through puberty again!” Romano yelled.

“Ve~ Lovi~ Calm down, Viva!” Whoops, there goes the Viva tic again…

“Che… Fucking… Wait, where’d the Viva come from?” Romano asked.

“Ve~ I don’t remember… It just pops out sometimes~” I covered.

“Hmm… Weird… Hope I don’t develop one…”

“You already have—you ‘che’.” I pointed out.

“Ah, go fuck off.” He muttered playfully.

“Ve~ You first~” I counter. Before we could start our bantering, our younger counterparts rushed into the kitchen, and greeted their mother, who was waiting patiently with three plates of breakfast.

“I made your favorite~” She said, “Happy Birthday, boys. You’ll get your present when you finish eating.”

The two boys ate in record time—while still somehow managing to enjoy their food—before zooming back up to their mother.

“We have a present this year!? What is it?!” Lovino asked, excited.

“Aw~ Roma~ You’re so cute~!” Spain said, trying to hug Romano, only for Romano to dodge and move to my other side.

“Che. I told you, fucking Tomato Bastard… Don’t call me that!”

“Yeah, momma~ What is it?! Is it another art tool?!” Feliciano asked, also excited.

“Just close your eyes, okay?” The twins obeyed, as Emma walked out of the room to retrieve the gift. She came back in leading… something. The nations couldn’t see because of the furniture in the way.

“Okay, boys. Open your eyes.” She stated, as the twins’ eyes flew open.

“WOW~!” They cried in joy, as they were greeted with the sight of a small, grey wolf pup.

The puppy yipped happily, at the sight of the twins, and jumped on them, licking their faces.

“Is he ours?!” Lovino asked excitedly.

“Yes, but you have to take care of him yourselves, all right? Teach him to hunt, feed him, and wash him. You also need to make sure he goes to the bathroom outside.” Emma said, a smile playing on her lips.

“YES! Thank you Mom!” The boys cried out.

“Vino? What are we going to name him?” Feliciano pointed out.

“Oh, um… hmm….” Lovino looked at the pup with a critical gaze. The puppy, eager to play, couldn’t sit still, and kept running around the twins.

“That is one high-energy pup.” Germany said. As one who raised dogs all his life, he’d seen many high-energy pups, but this one seemed absolutely wired. Perhaps it was American…

“Ve~ He is a wild wolf pup, you know. His mother and siblings were mauled by a bear and made into dinner. Mother found him and healed him up, while surrounding him with our scents. He became attached to us immediately.” I explained.

“Makes sense.” Prussia said with a nod.

“How about Fluffball?” Lovino proposed. The nations shot Romano an odd look. “Fluffball? Really?” Spain asked.

“No? Crimson Fireball of Doom?” Lovino tried again. The nations gave Romano a look.

“I wasn’t too good at picking out names, okay?” Romano defended.

“We could tell…” England trailed off.

“Ve~ I think we can do better.” Feliciano said also giving Lovino a look. “Look at his fur color. It’s like ash…” At the last word, the puppy paused in his running to look at Feliciano with deep sapphire blue eyes that stood out brilliantly against his grey-white ash colored fur.

“Ash? You like that name? It’s a little plain, though…”

“Ash…ette?” Lovino tried.

“It’s a male.” Emma said, amused.

“Oh… How about Ashetto, then?”

“Too long… How about Asheo~!” Feliciano tried. The pup sneezed and shook its head.

“No, then… how about Asher?” Lovino tried again. The pup looked at the twins and yipped happily.

“Asher it is, then. Welcome to the family, Asher~” Feliciano grinned. The pup, now named Asher, ran to the young boy and covered his face in slobber.

“ACK! VINO HELP~!” Feliciano cried, trying to escape the wet tongue. But Lovino was too busy laughing his ass off.

The memory shifted to the twins playing with Asher. Well, Feliciano was playing with Asher… Lovino was chasing the poor pup. “Come back here! I just want to pull your tail a bit! Does it come off? Asher~” Lovino continued, chasing the pup around.

“Ve! Don’t hurt him! Of course his tail doesn’t come off! Does your arm come off?!” Feliciano called. He attempted to chase after Lovino and Asher, but quickly ran out of breath. Lovino noticed immediately, and stopped his pursuit. Asher, who’d been having fun being chased by Lovino, also came, sensing something wrong.

“Ve… I’m fine, just a little tired.” Feliciano tried pushing his brother away, but Lovino persisted, laying his hand on his brother’s forehead. “You feel kinda warm. I’m taking you back inside! Momma’ll make you better! We don’t want you getting sick again.” Lovino said firmly, leading his twin inside by the wrist, making sure not to drag him too fast.

“Ve… Okay.” Feliciano said disappointed that his fun was over for the day.

“Were you okay, Mon Cher?” France asked, worried.

“Ve~ I was fine. Like we told you earlier, my immune system was pathetic when I was a child. I would get sick all the time. I’d usually just get little fevers and sneezes and whatnot, but sometimes I’d get really sick… But it was something we were used to. I actually started to develop a stronger immune system in the decades leading up to us finally connecting to our nation.” I said, before the next memory came up.

The memory started with Lovino and Feliciano, each one looking about 8, sitting on the side of the road in the nearby village. Feliciano looked rather bored, and was playing with a fully grown Asher—who was larger than the child—while Lovino was sitting with his head resting on his hands, staring off into space with a dreamy look in his eyes.

“I’m telling you, Feli~ She’s perfect!” Lovino started. Feliciano rolled his eyes; he’d heard it many times before.

“Si, si.” Feliciano muttered, paying more attention to Asher.

“I mean it! She’s beautiful, smart, beautiful, funny, beautiful, caring, did I mention that she’s beautiful?”

“Lovi~ Someone’s got their first crush~!” Spain cried out in happiness.

“OI! Shut up! She turned out to be a bitch, anyways, so drop it.” Romano said, disgusted with his past self.

“Ve~ Vino, it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” I put a hand on his shoulder.

“No, it was mine. I was wrong to blame it on you. I’m so sorry, Felice… I just…” Romano shook his head, stopping our whispered conversation before the others could take notice.

“Look! There she is!” Lovino said, cutting himself off mid-sentence. The nations followed his gaze to a young, 13-year-old girl with long brown hair, and brown eyes. She was smiling happily as she spoke with her friends.

“Liana~” Lovino sighed in happiness.

“Into older girls, huh?” Spain asked jokingly.

“Technically he’s much older than her, so he’s into younger girls.” France pointed out.

“Seriously, shut up.” Romano warned. They wisely dropped the teasing.

“Can we go home, now? I don’t want that bastard Marks and his gang to show up…” Feliciano trailed off nervously.

“Marks?” England asked. The nations were a bit taken aback by Feliciano’s cursing; he was so young, and the Feliciano that they knew wouldn’t cuss like this. What happened?

“The town bully. He really had it out for Veneziano… I’m sorry to say I didn’t do much to help.” Romano muttered the last part quietly.

“It’s okay, Lovi~ Most of the children in the village had heard that I was a ‘sickly child’. They stayed far away from me. I was the most popular punching bag in the village…” I admitted. Ve… How I wish I could fight him now. I’d knock his lights out with a flick of a finger! Ha!

Lovino ignored his little brother, waiting until Liana and her friends were out of sight before standing up and brushing himself off. Feliciano nervously did the same.

“Can we go now?” Feliciano tried again.

“Yeah, sure.” Lovino said, as the brothers started walking home.

“HEY! SICKO!” A boy, about 15, cried as he threw rocks at the twins. Feliciano visibly flinched.

“Don’t look at him; just ignore him.” Lovino advised, as he calmly continued walking. A few of the rocks hit Feliciano in the back of the head. A few tears welled up in his eyes, but he made no move to do anything but continue to walk home with his brother.

“Sickey~ Misfit~ Bastard~ Come on! Are you deaf as well as dumb? Or are you just retarded?! Huh? Come on!” The boy, Marks, continued.

“Ignore him.” Lovino pressed, when Feliciano looked like he was going to retort.

The nations watched in surprise, expecting Lovino to curse out the human child who had the nerve to threaten his younger brother. All the nations knew that I was untouchable territory so long as Romano was around. You mess with one twin, you mess with both. And if someone hurt me, Romano was sure to come after them with the force, grace, and fatal accuracy of the Mafioso.

They’d always assumed it was this way. But it wasn’t. Romano had to warm up to me. At this point, he was only accepting of my presence and conversation. He wasn’t trying to kill me anymore, and didn’t want me dead, but he also wouldn’t go out of his way to protect me if he believed I could handle it myself. At this point, he still put himself before famiglia. He would soon learn better—we both would. It was this experience that made us create the first, and most important founding rule of the Mafia.

By the time Feliciano and Lovino got home, Feliciano was in tears, holding his undoubtedly bruised head, and nursing his nearly non-existent pride.

“Shut up! It doesn’t hurt that much! They’re just sticks and rocks!” Lovino yelled at his brother. Feliciano, not wanting to go back to being on bad terms with his twin, shut up, having to visibly bite his lip hard to stop his wailing, though his tears were still flowing.

“God! I’m such a bastard!” Romano yelled at himself. “DAMNIT! LISTEN TO YOUR FUCKING FRATELLINO WHEN HE SPEAKS!” He yelled, trying to get through to his younger self.

“Vino… Stop it. What’s past is past; there’s no changing it now.” I said. The others looked ready to say something, but I stopped them with a well-placed Russia-like glare. There was no way I’d let them yell at my fratello for this. No way. He beat himself up enough over it.

“Umm… Romano…? Can… Can I ask you something…?” Feliciano asked in a small voice.

“Hm? Yeah, sure. Speak up so I can hear you, though.” Lovino said distractedly, too busy putting on his night-clothes to give his fratellino his full attention.

“Um… that girl, Liana... I think—”

“Isn’t she just perfect?! I’m gonna make her my wife, some day! Then we’ll be happy forever!” Lovino cut him off.

“I think it’s a bad idea to—”

“I mean she’s absolutely perfect! I can’t find a fault about her~!”

“She bullies others, including me…” Feliciano pointed out, “but what I wanted to tell you is that you’re imm—”

“Yeah, yeah, so she has a few quirks, but so does everybody! I used to bully you, right? Surely I can teach her to show her kindness more often! We’re meant to be~! I just know it! I mean—”

“YOU’RE IMMORTAL!” Feliciano finally shouted, tired of getting cut off. Lovino stopped, shocked that his timid brother cut him off. Feliciano used his shock to finally make his point. “I know you really, really like her, but you can never be together! You’re immortal. She’s not. You’re a nation. She’s human. She’ll grow old and die, and you won’t. She’s already 13, and you’re still 8. You’ll stay 8 for decades before you can finally age to 9. How long do you think it’ll be before you’re 13? She’ll be long dead by then! It just won’t work. What I’m the most scared of, is that she’ll say yes, and then leave you when she finds out, or that you’ll be forced to watch her grow old and die… Please… Please, fratello… I don’t want to watch you go through that… I can’t…”

The nations sobered when they heard Feliciano’s speech. Many of the nations had made the mistake of loving a human. France, England, Japan, China, America, Russia, even Canada. Every nation has at least befriended a human at some point. If they weren’t rejected for their immortality, then they were rejected by time or bad fortune.

“Wha?! What are you talking about?! Don’t be silly! Surely, there’s a way to make her immortal, too! If I love her enough, she’ll have to become a nation! She’ll have to!” Lovino said.

“Oh, Roma…” Spain sighed. He hated watching his charge like this… Seeing him love and lose… It hurt them all, because they could all relate on some level.

“Don’t call me that.” Romano’s voice held a venom in it this time. Spain decided that maybe he should heed his younger charge’s warning, and lay off the nickname for a bit.

“There isn’t.” Feliciano said firmly. “I know you want to, but wouldn’t it be easier for you both if you just kept your distance? Surely you could—”

“Keep our distance?! The FUCK?! NO! I love her! She loves me! I can see it! I know! I just… Need to tell her.”

“Please! Listen to reason! She’ll die!” Feliciano reminded him harshly, needing him to understand.

“NO! What?! What would you know about love?! You’re hardly even in the village! You’re always sick! Because I look like you, the kids in the village hate me. You’d better pray that she doesn’t reject me because of you.” Lovino stated with a menacing glare. He then climbed into bed, muttering to himself. He was in his own little world, not paying any attention to his brother. Feliciano had this incredibly hurt look on his face.

“I’m so sorry, Vino… I… I’ll try to be better for you…” He whispered sadly, before turning and climbing into the separate bed on the other side of the room. He shivered under his blanket, reaching for something before realizing it wasn’t there. His twin was in another bed… Another world. A world that he couldn’t reach… A world he wasn’t sure he wanted to reach.

“Vino…” He whispered sadly, “I just don’t want you to hurt…”

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: A Brother’s Oath

The next memory opened up to show the two boys in the village once more. Lovino was watching Liana again, but she seemed to be 14 now instead of 13.

“A year has passed since the last memory.” I said, shivering slightly. I remembered this one clearly. This was the start of the mafia, in a way. It was the event that jumpstarted the events that would lead to the birth of its first and most basic unbreakable rule—Famiglia Before All.

Romano also paled greatly as he recognized this memory. “Ve~ Just so you guys know, Vino’s going to do something incredibly stupid here and in the next memory or two. Do not blame him or get mad at him. He’s already beaten himself up enough over it, and he doesn’t need any help with that. Remember; this happened over two thousand years ago. I may hold a grudge like no tomorrow, but I’ve long since forgiven him.”

“Wait, you hold grudges?!” England asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Felice can hold a grudge that makes the rivalry between you and France, or Russia and America look like child’s play. His shit list is one of the hardest to get on—you have to do something beyond devastating to get on it—but it’s even harder to get off. I was on it for 150 years, and I’m his brother. Even as a child, he could hold a grudge. It took him 80 years to forgive and forget about Marks and his gang. That was long after they died, too.” Romano explained. Some of the nations blanched.

“I’ll just tell you now; two people are on my shit list right now.” I chirped happily, enjoying seeing them pale even further. “One of you likely knows who you are, and if you don’t it’ll surely come up in the memories later. The other…? It’s whoever cast this spell. I’m fairly sure it wasn’t you, England, so you’re safe for now.”

England let out a breath of relief. He’d seen me angry before. It was during 9/11. I was livid at what happened to America. England happened to be in the vicinity, and saw me mad. He’d steered clear of me for a year after that. I swear he actually pissed himself! He looked like we do when presented with his cooking. Ha!

“Oh! There she is! I’m going to tell her!” Lovino said. “I’m going to tell her! Tomorrow!” He continued.

“Roma…” Feliciano sighed, before giving his twin a sad smile, and pushing him gently in the direction of the girl. “Tell her now, or you’ll regret it forever. We’re going to have to move in a few months again, you know. You’ll likely never see her again.” Lovino looked back at his brother in surprise.

“I thought you were against this?” He asked suspiciously, not taking his eyes off Liana.

“I am. But if it makes you happy, even for a short while, then I’ll support you in whatever you do.” Feliciano said, that sad smile still on his face.

“Grazie.” Lovino said, before speeding off towards his crush with a determined look on his face.

“And I’ll be here to pick up the pieces when you break.” Feliciano whispered to himself, staring off after his brother.

“Hey! Freak!” A familiar voice called. Marks and his group swaggered up to Feliciano. They looked 16 now, and some of them had alcohol in their hands. The nations stiffened. With Lovino distracted by the girl, there was nobody to protect Feliciano.

Feliciano seemed to realize this, too, for he started shaking like a leaf. “H-hey Marks… I heard about your engagement to Liana… Congratulations…” Feliciano stuttered.

“I couldn’t bring myself to tell Romano… I tried to bring it up multiple times, but he wouldn’t listen. So I finally decided to let her tell him herself.” I explained.

“Yeah. She’s a good catch. She’ll make me some good sons. I hear your brother likes her, though. Doesn’t he know she’s mine? He can’t touch my property without my permission.” Marks said, taking another swig of his drink. Feliciano seemed to realize just how dangerous the situation was, and took a step back.

“I-I know! She’s telling him now! I swear!” Feliciano quickly blurted out.

“Oh? Well, that solves one issue, then.” Without warning, he swung a hard punch and hit Feliciano in the face with a loud CRACK! Feliciano fell to the ground, his nose broken.

The nations started yelling indignantly. While they may have seen it coming, they didn’t want to see it happen. And watching a 16-year-old beating up an 8-year-old? It was sickening.

“I’m sorry!” Feliciano cried out, not knowing what he was apologizing for, but knowing that he must’ve done something to anger the bully.

“Heheheh~ What a great stress-reliever! Some of the villagers say that I’m too angry. So I came up with the perfect solution! I can beat you black and blue to get rid of my anger.” He gave a nasty, feral grin, and started kicking the downed Feliciano in the abdomen.

“STOP!” China, among other nations, yelled. They could hear Feliciano’s ribs cracking.

Feliciano’s cries of pain were drowned out by the bullies’ laughter. It seemed like hours. It may have been. Lovino finally started wandering back into the memory, before stopping a few feet away from the whole fiasco. He looked rather shocked at the bullies stomping on and kicking his brother, who lay in a quivering heap in the road, bloodied and bruised.

Feliciano looked at Lovino through a thick black eye, and reached out a hand towards him. “V-Vi-no… H-help…” He cried weakly, his voice hoarse from screaming and crying. He just barely blocked a kick to his neck with his other arm.

Lovino, however, only glared at Feliciano coldly, before spitting on the ground near his face and walking away. Not once did he glance back, even when Feliciano continued to cry out to him desperately.

The nations stared in shock, unable to comprehend what Lovino had just done.

“Aww~ What’sa matter? Yoouur brootherrr leefttuu?” Marks slurred, obviously drunk, as he stomped viciously on Feliciano’s outstretched hand. A loud snap telling the horrified nations watching that it was broken. He kicked Feliciano in the face again, breaking his nose again.

“P-please….” Feliciano begged, tears streaming down his filthy face. He couldn’t stop staring at the place his brother had spit, nor could he stop himself from looking off in the direction his brother left in.

“Come on, Marks. Your paps will get suspicious if you’re out late again.” One of the few sober bullies said, looking around him nervously.

“Yeeeerriight…” Marks slurred. “Yooou!” He said to Feliciano, “I’m not dooone witchuuu yet! Know that I’llll finish disss laterrr!” He said, going for another kick. A low growling noise and a sharp bark made him freeze as he came face to face with a very pissed off Asher.

The tame wolf was bristling with anger. His sharp teeth were bared at the bully as he stood protectively in front of his downed pack member.

The bullies were quick to stagger away, most of them dead-drunk. None of them wanted to face a fully grown male wolf, after all. Behind them, an innocent 8-year-old child was left, bloodied and bruised and broken lying in the road as the night rapidly set in.

“DO NOT yell at Romano.” I reminded the nations, who looked about ready to come out of their shock. “I told you—I’ve already forgiven him. This is long past, and he’s more than made up for it.”

“But–!”

“No.” I stated firmly, cutting America off. The other nations made noises of disgruntlement, and a few brave souls glared at Romano. I gave them an icy glare in return. They soon stopped.

Feliciano didn’t have the strength to move, let alone walk home. He lay there, sobbing until Asher turned around and nuzzled him, letting him know he was no longer alone. “A-Asher…” Feliciano said with relief.

“Could you get Lovi? Oh, wait… he left… Could you help me, then?” He asked weakly. Asher seemed to understand, though, and crouched down. Feliciano was able to heave himself onto the wolf’s back.

Asher carried Feliciano home that night, being as gentle as he could. They snuck into the house to find Emma waiting impatiently. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw the state Feliciano was in.

“What happened?!” She asked, horrified. She was already getting out the medical supplies and treating Feliciano’s wounds.

“N-nothing…” Feliciano gasped out as his mother accidentally jarred his broken hand.

“Don’t you dare lie to me, Feliciano.” She warned.

“R-really!” He tried again.

“You should know to obey mom when she uses our full names…” Romano muttered to me. I nodded my head, knowing how stupid I was being here.

“Feliciano Chigi Vargas, you will not lie to me!”

“Your middle name is Chigi?” Spain asked, shocked.

“Yes…” I said, embarrassed. I loved my name, really I did!

Chigi was a name picked out by my father. Both our middle names are. That’s where Romano got his Chigi from. He’s calling me by my middle name in a secret way of asking if I’m still there. Asking for confirmation that I’m still there for him. I ‘ve’ in response to let him know the same, or ask him the same.

When I ask ‘ve’ and Romano ‘Chigi’, it’s the equivalent of asking ‘are you there?’ and confirming ‘I’m here.’ But when we switch it up and I say ‘Chigi’ and he goes ‘ve’, it’s as if saying ‘I’m here for you.’ And the response is ‘I know you are. I am too.’ It’s a secret little code we developed.

“So what’s your middle name, Lovi?” Spain asked. Romano blushed and muttered something. “Huh? I couldn’t hear you~!” Spain repeated.

“I said you’ll find out in a minute! I think she got our middle names mixed up. Mine should’ve been Chigi, and mine should’ve been yours.” Romano muttered.

“Fine! I-it was the bullies in the village. They got drunk and came after me… I was stupid. I said something I shouldn’t have and they beat me up for it.” Feliciano said. “I’m sorry, momma… Please don’t be mad at me…?”

“It’s okay.” Emma sighed. “I’m not mad at you. Just don’t lie. It’s unbecoming of you. Neither of you should lie. Speaking of which… LOVINO VE VARGAS! COME OUT HERE THIS INSTANT!” She yelled.

“Ve? That’s your middle name?” America asked.

“Si. It’s an actual name, for the record.” Romano said.

Lovino came running out of the room, and stopped before his mother. He stared between her and his brother in slight fear. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to—!” He started, before Feliciano cut him off.

“I told her everything, Lovi. About how I told you to go ahead. It was stupid of me to provoke those bullies, I know. I’m sorry. Momma! Please don’t punish Romano, too! He didn’t do anything wrong! I made him go home first! I thought I could handle myself.” Feliciano lied. Lovino hid his shock well, or as well as a 32-year-old in an 8-year-old’s body could.

“Alright.” Emma said after a minute. It was obvious that she saw through the lie, but was letting it slide. “But Felice? Stay away from the village, please? I hate seeing you like this.”

“Si, mama…” Feliciano replied.

The scene blurred to show the twins in their room. Feliciano was all patched up, and Lovino was staring at him from his bed. “Why?” He asked simply. “Why did you cover for me?”

“What happened with Liana?” Feliciano changed the subject.

“Answer my question!”

“Because you’re my brother! I don’t need any other reason!”

“Bullshit! I left you there to die! I spat at you! Why the hell would you still call me your brother?!”

“Because you’re all I have! You and momma and Asher are all I have! If I didn’t have you three… I would be all alone. And that’s worse than anything.” Feliciano said quietly. “Now, what happened with Liana? You have to tell somebody. Otherwise you’ll end up bottling it up, and that’s not good!” Feliciano said.

“Well… She’s engaged… To Marks, of all people! He’s not right for her! I am! I’d make her much happier than him! He’d only abuse her! Look at what he did to you! But I can’t piss off the village bully! His father owns the damned place! But I’ve got a plan! I’m going to talk to her tomorrow! We could run away together! She could come with us, and the four of us, plus Asher, could be a big family! We could move a few months early, right?” Lovino sounded so hopeful. Feliciano sighed.

Later that night, after Lovino was asleep, Feliciano lay awake, still aching something terrible from his injuries. “Asher, am I doing the right thing?” He asked suddenly. Asher lifted his head from Feliciano’s pillow. “I mean with Vino… I don’t want him to hurt… He’s going to lose her either way… Isn’t it better to have lost her before he had anything? Isn’t that better than to have had that love reciprocated? She won’t go for him, I suspect. I’m his brother, after all. I’m the sick one. Nobody wants to be around me, let alone be my sister-in-law. She’ll only ever see him as a child, anyways… So what should I do? Do I let him go for it and risk him breaking? Or do I let him live in wondering? I’m honestly not sure which is worse.” Feliciano sighed, running his hand through Asher’s fur. “I hope I’m not making a mistake. I don’t want to lose him… He’s the only one I have… He’s the most important person to me.” Feliciano whispered, before finally falling asleep.

The nations sighed in sympathy. Even so young, they hadn’t realized how philosophical I could be.

Before anyone could say anything, the next memory popped up, showing Feliciano sitting at the top of a sheer cliff, Asher at his side.

“ITALIEN! GET DOWN FROM THERE! You don’t know if it’s unstable or not!” Germany yelled out of reflex.

“Ve~ Germany, I’m fine. Vino and I hung out there all the time, Viva~! It was our secret meeting spot. He’d gone to meet with Liana, and I was waiting for him to return…” I trailed off, knowing what was coming next. Romano winced, also remembering what had happened at the cliff.

Lovino came stalking out of the tree line, a deep, hateful scowl on his face, as he glared harshly at Feliciano.

“Vino! You’re back!” Feliciano jumped up to greet his brother. “How’d it go? What’d she—”

SLAP!

The sound echoed around the suddenly still area. Even Asher seemed shocked at the turn of events. The nations couldn’t comprehend it. Lovino had just slapped Feliciano. Open-palmed slap. Feliciano’s head slowly centered itself to stare open-mouthed at his brother, his left hand migrating up to the red palm-mark on his left cheek. “V-Vino?”

“Don’t you dare!” Lovino started, livid. “She said no because you were my brother!” He hissed the words, putting enough venom in them that Feliciano staggered back in shock. “It’s your fault! We’d be together if you weren’t here! If you were a part of me like it was supposed to be!” Lovino’s rant was steadily climbing in volume and ferocity. He started advancing on a frightened Feliciano, who was backing up in fear.

“Vino?” He asked, terrified of the look in Lovino’s eyes.

“Don’t call me that.” Lovino replied with a deadly calm. He was inches away from Feliciano, who was now backed up all the way to the cliff. “You aren’t my brother. You aren’t Italy. You are nothing but a sickly child who gets in my way, and follows me around. That’s it. Just do the world a favor and off yourself before you can mess up anyone else’s lives.” He said coldly. The nations stared at Romano in shock. Romano was crying openly, sobbing into my shirt as he managed to choke out apology after apology.

“Vino… I said it was fine. I’ve forgiven you. You had a broken heart… We all do and say things in anger and frustration and sorrow when our hearts are hurting. Trust me, I know.” I said comfortingly. I glared at the other nations in warning over Romano’s head. If they so much as say one word about this to Romano…

Perhaps by some cruel twist of fate, at the exact moment that Lovino turned and started walking away, the cliff face crumbled under the children’s feet. The two started falling, and Lovino grabbed Feliciano’s broken hand as his other hand grabbed the edge of the cliff. They hung there, suspended above a deep gorge with a deep, fast-moving ravine miles below them.

Feliciano cried out in pain at the strain suddenly put on his broken hand. “V-Vino?” He asked surprised. His brother just told him to go kill himself, and here he was saving him from falling. Why?

“I-Idiot!” Lovino called “D-Don’t let go! I–! I didn’t mean what I said! I’m sorry! I was just frustrated and–! And angry! And–! I don’t know, okay?! Just don’t let go! I’m so sorry!” He cried, tears flowing.

“I… I’m sorry, Vino… You’re right.” Feliciano said sadly, before he smiled brightly at his brother. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be a good little brother for you. I’ll be better in my next life, okay?” He said, before letting go.

“NO!” Lovino cried, as Feliciano’s hand slipped through his own. He stared, unable to comprehend what just happened. The nations watched in horror as Feliciano fell, a sickening crack sounded as his head hit a rock jutting out of the cliff face. He landed in the river below. They could see no sign of him.

“Damnit! He can’t swim!” Lovino cried out. Asher was barking at the edge of the cliff above. “ASHER!” Lovino called urgently. The wolf stopped, and waited for his orders. “Go get mom! Lead her to the riverbank! Hurry!” Lovino called out as he pushed off of the cliff, and followed his brother, avoiding the jutting rocks.

The nations couldn’t do anything. They couldn’t think to say anything. The way Lovino had acted at the beginning of the memory was a foreign Lovino to them; but just now, that was pure Romano. That was the Romano they knew. The nation of Southern Italy who’d do anything to protect his little brother.

The memory phased out, before coming back in fuzzy quality. Lovino was dragging an unconscious Feliciano onto the riverbank. “O-oi… Stay with me, Felice… Please… I’m sorry… I’m so goddamned sorry!” Feliciano was shivering hard, making the nations worry. “I… I promise… I swear… I’ll look after you. I will always protect you. Just give me one more chance, Please! I know I’ve been a dick. An asshole. A bastard…”

“Don’t forget jackass…” Feliciano said weakly, causing Lovino to jump to his side.

“Felice! You’re awake!”

“N-not really…” Feliciano replied, already starting to fade out again, his head was bleeding badly, and his shivering was getting worse.

“Hey! Stay with me! Please! I was a jackass, too, alright?! Just… don’t leave me! Please stay awake! Can you hear me?! Hello?!”

“V-Ve… Vino…”

“Chigi… I’m here.”

“P-please stay… w-with me… I-I’m so-sorry… I co-couldn’t do it… I-I tried… I-I’m t-too scared to… to… leave by myself… I’m sor-rry…” Feliciano said, his voice growing weaker by the second.

“He’s in shock, aru! He’s also going to develop hypothermia if he isn’t warmed up soon.” China said, worried.

“Hang on! Please, don’t sleep!” Lovino said urgently, gently slapping his brother’s face to get him to stay awake.

“But wh-why not?”

“Because Mom’s coming! She’ll be mad if you fall asleep!” Lovino said.

“S-she wi-will?”

“Yeah, so you gotta stay awake, alright?! I’ll make you that stuff you really like! You know, the one you haven’t named yet? With the long wheat!”

“Oh… My favorite… Y-you p-promise?”

“Yeah, but only if you stay awake, okay?! Can you do that for me?”

“I-I’ll t-try… But I’m… so… tired…” Feliciano’s eyes started to droop again.

“NO!” Lovino yelled, somehow managing to snap Feliciano awake again.

“VINO! FELICE!” Emma’s frantic voice called, as she ran into the scene. “What happened?!”

“Mom! He fell off the cliff! He hit his head hard! Please make him better!” Lovino sounded terrified.

“M-momma… V-Vino said h-he’d ma-make m-me… that stringy s-stuff I li-like… If I c-could st-stay awake…”

“Yes, we’ll both make it, so don’t fall asleep.” Emma said urgently, Asher pacing nervously beside the family.

“Asher!” Emma said, “Go fetch the doctor!” Asher barked and ran off in the direction of the village. Emma, who happened to have a blanket with her, stripped Feliciano to the nude, and discarded the sopping wet clothes before wrapping Feliciano up in the blanket, making sure to apply pressure to his bleeding head. By this point, his shivering had stopped, and his breathing was getting slower and shallower.

They rushed home, trying to keep Feliciano awake, but somewhere along the journey, he finally succumbed to the encroaching darkness, and the memory blacked out.

“What the hell did we just see?” America asked, not sure how to approach the situation.

“A very private moment between brothers.” England stated heavily. Everyone sighed tiredly. We were all exhausted from watching these memories, and we weren’t even through my childhood yet. My first childhood. Because we had two. But we’ll get to that later~

“He’s developing hypothermia…” China said, worried. The nations looked at me with anxiety.

“I’m fine. I lived. That’s all that matters.” I said.

“The hell it is! You scared us to death!” Romano argued.

“I’m sorry!” I said quickly.

“No, no… I’m sorry. It was my—”

“I swear that if you say it was your fault one more time…” I trailed off, leaving Romano to come up with a suitable ending.

“Alright… But I am sorry…”

“Hey! The next memory’s coming up!” America said, eager to see if I really was all right or not.

The scene popped up again, this time to show Feliciano laying in a bed, with the doctor looking at him. His face was flushed, and he seemed to be breathing quickly, and shaking badly; every few seconds he’d give a weak cough.

“I’m afraid he’s got pneumonia.” The doctor said.

“Hypothermia can turn to pneumonia if you’re not careful…” China whispered, unable to stop the medical knowledge that spilled from his lips.

“What does that mean, doctor?” Emma asked, looking terrified.

“Give him plenty of fluids and rest. Either he’ll get better in a few weeks, or he’ll die. It all depends on how strong he is.” The doctor said.

“That’s really all they can do?!” America asked, shocked. They called the doctor over to tell them the obvious?!

“In those days, yes. Not many people were educated. Hardly anyone was, actually. Our father was well learned, though, and taught our mother how to read and write among other things, and she, in turn, taught us. A bit of medical knowledge was among the ‘other things’ he taught her, which is why she’s always able to treat my wounds and sicknesses.” I explained.

“Why was your father so well-learned, aru?” China asked, curious.

“He was from the House of Chigi.” Romano stated.

“The House of Chigi? You mean that royal Roman family? They didn’t pop up until the early 13^th century! We’re still in the BC’s!” England complained.

“They didn’t make an appearance until the 13^th century. It existed long before then. Our father left that life, though. He was the youngest of 15 sons, and decided that he wanted to explore the world, and found our mother. His birth name was Christopher Vargas Chigi, but switched his middle and last names around when he left. He married our mother, and became Mr. and Mrs. Emma and Christopher Vargas. They had their first son together, and named him Alexander, after our grandfather on our father’s side, but Alexander was born with a weak heart. He died days later when an epidemic struck. That same epidemic took our father as well. They’d been together for ten years, and married for eight. It took them that long to have a child, and she lost them both in just a few days. He taught her all about his family history, in hopes that she could help him teach his sons and daughters. About a week after their deaths, our mother found us. She named me Lovino Ve Vargas, as ‘Ve’ was a name that was carried by the firstborn son of the Chigi Family, and Veneziano was named Feliciano Chigi Vargas, so that the Chigi link would never be lost.” Romano explained.

“So you’re technically Roman Royalty!? Dude! That’s awesome!” America shouted, awestruck.

The memory changed once more. It was night, and Feliciano was still lying in bed, looking very sick. His breathing was quick, and he was still coughing badly. He looked to have a high fever, too, and had a wet washcloth folded up on his forehead to keep him cool. A bowl of cool water was sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. Lovino was sitting in a wooden chair beside Feliciano’s bed. He was holding his brother’s hand in both of his, and had it pressed to his own forehead.

“V-Vino…?” Feliciano asked quietly, before a coughing fit wracked his already exhausted body. Lovino helped him through it.

“You should be asleep, idiot... Why would you do that? Why’d you just let go? I didn’t mean what I said, I’m so, so sorry, Felice… I don’t know what I was thinking… I’m such an idiot!”

“I… I’m sorry… I thought… I thought that your life would be better without me… I have for a while, actually. I’m always sick, and causing you trouble… And now I’ve finally cost you your girl… I’m so sorry, Vino… I’ll try to be a better brother for you, I promise!” Feliciano said the last part a little too forcefully, and it sent him into another coughing fit.

“Idiot! Don’t talk! Just rest… And listen… It’s not your fault, okay?! It’s mine…” Lovino gently caressed the hand-shaped bruise on his brother’s left cheek. He looked ready to cry. Without thinking, he bent down and kissed the bruise. “Mi dispiace, fratellino… I shouldn’t have done that… I shouldn’t have said what I did. God, I’m such a bastard, aren’t I? I… I’m a terrible big brother! But I’ll be better, Felice. I promise! I’ll look after you, and protect you always. I’ll put you and your needs first, and I’ll always be there when you need me, even if you don’t want me to. No matter what—I’ll always be there for you. This I vow. Famiglia Before All. This will be the rule that will govern my life. Family first. Always.” Feliciano looked at his crying brother with a sad, yet hopeful smile. He weakly reached up his free hand, and wiped the tears away, his own tears flowing.

“Famiglia Before All. This I, too, shall vow.” Feliciano repeated in a tired voice. “We shall both live by this rule, fratello. When one of us breaks, the other will be there to pick up the pieces, okay? There’s no need for just one of us to carry such a burden. We’re twins! We’re half of a whole—of each other. We weren’t made to be alone; we were made to be one.”

“Si…”

“It wasn’t your fault, fratellone.” Feliciano started, “It may have been your actions, but what happened is the result from both of our choices. We’re both at fault for this, okay?”

“Get some rest, Felice… You need to regain your strength.” Lovino said, re-wetting the towel on his twin’s forehead.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Human Friends

The next memory faded in, showing the brothers and their mother to have sacks and other personal objects. Feliciano looked to be completely recovered, and Lovino seemed to be hovering around him, as if he thought his brother would shatter if he wasn’t too careful.

“Vino, I’m fine!” Feliciano said, as if for the umpteenth time. Lovino didn’t look convinced.

“Are you sure it isn’t too heavy? You did just get over your cold, you know. Maybe I should take the pack, just in case?”

“Vino, stop mother-henning Felice. If he says he’s fine, then let him handle it. He’ll ask you if he needs help, right Felice?” Feliciano looked at his mother with a grateful smile.

“I promise, Vino. Please?”

“Fine… But you have to tell me if it gets too heavy, or if you get tired, okay?”

“Okay. Ve~”

“Chigi.”

“Umm….?” America asked, lost.

“We had to move often, since we didn’t age at the same rate as humans. We moved every 3-4 years or so. This is roughly 2 or 3 months after the last memory, I think.” Romano explained.

“Si~ And Vino was overprotective of me, since that last memory. I swear, it took me weeks to convince him that, yes, I did know how to feed myself, and that, no, I wasn’t going to get sick from playing with him and Asher outside. I swear! He actually made himself sick once by worrying over me so much!” I said, as Romano turned slightly red.

“There’s nothing wrong with worrying over my own brother, is there?” He asked.

“Nope~ It’s rather entertaining, though.” I chirped.

“Ah, shut up.”

“Ve.”

“Chigi.”

“Why do you do that, anyways, if you don’t mind my asking?” Canada spoke up.

“Do what?” I asked, confused.

“I am thinking that I would be liking to know, too, дa? Why is it that you are calling each other by your middle names?” Russia chimed in.

“It’s a thing we do… It’s private, so we’d rather not explain.” I finally said. It was something that was just between Romano and I, and I didn’t feel comfortable explaining it to the others. It was bad enough that they’d see our whole lives; I wanted at least one thing kept between the two of us. Besides, they’d never look at our tics the same way again.

“That’s quite understandable.” England said with a nod. The others—even Russia—backed down as well, understanding the need for some form of privacy.

“So you had to move every 3-4 years? Man, what a pain!” America changed the subject. Heh, and they say he can’t read the atmosphere. He just chooses not to.

“Yeah… It was a pain in the ass, but it was necessary.” Romano said, barely suppressing his shiver. I, too, had to barely suppress mine as I recalled the one time we forgot to move within the set time frame. We still had the scars.

They watched as the memory did a sort of montage thing, showing the three of us—plus Asher—trekking through the forests along the stream for a few weeks before finally coming to another town. The montage continued, showing us moving into another remote house just outside of town.

“We call this room!” Feliciano and Lovino yelled, as time seemed to resume as normal.

“Alright, set your stuff down. You can go exploring, if you want.” Emma said, as she started making the place look more like a home.

“Yay~” The twins shouted in excitement. “Come on, Asher! Let’s go!” Asher barked in agreement, as he followed the twins outside.

“Those are some rambunctious kids, you go there.” One of the village men who’d come to greet them said.

“Yes, they are. They take after their father.” She said with a fond smile.

“Vino! Let’s check out the village! Maybe they’ll have some new books!” Feliciano said, excited at the prospect of new reading materials.

“You think? It’s kinda small…”

“Come on! Please!?”

“Oh, alright. But don’t run ahead!” Lovino said, grabbing his brother’s hand, and keeping a hold of it. “I don’t want you running off and getting lost.”

“That was one time, fratello.”

“Which is one time too many, for me!”

“Hey! Look. There’re some kids over there! They look about our age! Can we go say hi?” Feliciano asked, his puppy-dog eyes turned on full-blast.

“Damnit! You know I can’t resist those!” Romano mock-glared, gently thwacking my head.

“Ve~ I know~ That’s why I do it! It works on Germany and Japan, too~” I whispered to him, making him chuckle.

Lovino took one fatal look at Feliciano. “Fine… But just for a little bit, okay?”

“Grazie~” Feliciano said happily, before practically skipping over to the other kids, dragging Lovino with him.

“Hello~” He said warmly, with a large grin. There were three kids, two boys and a girl. The first boy had blue eyes and short, light brown hair. The second boy had reddish-brown hair—though not quite as red as the twins’—with brown eyes, and the girl had dark brown hair with hazel eyes.

“Hi. Are you two new here? I haven’t seen you before. I’m Kalin.” The blue-eyed boy said, sticking out his hand to shake. Feliciano took it cheerfully.

“I’m Feliciano~ This is my older twin brother, Lovino. We just moved here today~”

“Hi.” Lovino said with a slight smile.

“I’m Riean, and this is my cousin Hazel.” The second boy said, gesturing to the hazel-eyed girl.

“Nice to meet you~” Feliciano chirped back. The five kids then started talking about a variety of things ranging from where the twins came from and how old they were—the twins lied, of course—to things to do around the village and good ghost stories they’d heard. The five seemed to hit it off right away, and even Lovino seemed to like hanging out with the kids.

“Wow, this is a bit of a change from the last village.” America commented.

“Si~ they were good friends of ours. Our first human friends, actually.” I said sadly.

We were then treated to a montage (again) of Feliciano and Lovino playing with Kalin, Riean and Hazel. They counted about three winters in the memories, before it finally slowed down.

Once again, Feliciano was in his bed, looking rather ill.

“Again, aru?!” China asked, worried.

“I already told you; my immune system was nearly non-existent when I was little. In all honesty, it was a miracle I lived long enough to become a nation.” I said heavily, making a few of the nations wince at the thought. “Vino and Momma were used to me getting sick at least once a month. Usually it wasn’t anything to worry about, and I could just sleep it off for a day and be back on my feet by the next. But then there were times like this,” I gestured to the memory, “where it took more than just a good night’s rest to recoup.”

“Momma! I’m fine! I promise!” Feliciano pleaded with his mother.

“No you’re not. You’re sick. You’re not leaving this bed for at least three days.” Emma said sternly.

“WHAT?! No! I can’t! The Carnival!” Feliciano cried out, devastated. “It’s tomorrow! Vino, Kalin, Riean, Hazel and I were all planning to go! We’ve been planning it for months!”

“I’m sorry, Felice, but you’re in no condition to go outside, Carnival or otherwise. It’s much too cold out there right now; General Winter’s coming, and you know how much he loves to make you sick.” Emma pointed out.

“No! But! But! Vino!” Feliciano turned to his twin for support.

“Sorry, but I’m with mom on this one. You’re too sick. If it makes you feel any better, I’ll stay here with you.” Lovino said.

“No… No, it’s okay…” Feliciano forced a smile. “Just because one of us is sick, doesn’t mean we both have to miss it! Go! Have some fun for me, and bring me back a treat!” Lovino stared at his twin in slight surprise.

“No.” He said at last. “I’m not going. I swore to protect you and watch over you always. As such, I’m staying. Besides,” Lovino shot Feliciano a bright grin. “What kind of fratellone leaves his fratellino sick in bed while he goes out and has fun? Not a very good one, that’s for sure. I’m staying right here! Whether you want me to, or not!”

“Are you sure, Vino? I can watch your brother for you. I know how much you two have been looking forward to this.” Emma said, replacing the wet towel on Feliciano’s forehead.

“Si! Of course I am! I’m the fratellone, here, so I’m the one who’s gotta look out for Felice! Besides, I’m the man of the house! I’ve gotta protect you, too!” Lovino said, puffing his chest out a bit.

“Oh? Then in that case, you could help me with some household chores, Mr. Man-of-the-House.” Emma stated, laughter playing in her eyes.

“Uh… well, I’m still a kid…” Lovino trailed off nervously, “And I still need to take care of Felice! But when he’s better we’ll both help you around the house!”

“Hey!” Feliciano cried, not sure if he liked his brother volunteering for him.

“I’ll look forward to it, then.” Emma said, not expecting it either way.

There was a knock at the door as three sets of footsteps came into the room. It showed their friends, Hazel, Riean, and Kalin.

“Hey, Feli. Heard you got sick. Sorry to hear that. And right before Carnival, too! Man! What horrible timing!” Kalin complained, plopping down on Feliciano’s bedside.

“I’m sorry guys, you’ll just have to go without me. But bring me back something cool, okay?” Feliciano said, grinning.

“Huh?! What’re you talking about, Feli?!” Riean asked, sitting in the now vacated chair, as Emma had gone to the kitchen to start lunch.

“Yeah!” Hazel spoke up, “It’d be no fun without you! Besides, you two are moving again soon, right? Searching for a better doctor to help you… So we’re not going to waste a minute of our time together!”

“Besides…” Riean spoke up again, “There’s no way Lovi would go without you! He’s probably already talked you into letting him stay here with you, am I right?”

“Guilty…” Feliciano said, with a small smile. “But you guys really don’t have to! I mean—”

“Nope~! No way! We’re staying with you!” Hazel cut Feliciano off firmly. He sighed, seeing no way out.

“Fine… Grazie, you guys.” Feliciano said.

“So you missed a Carnival? That sucks!” America said, crossing his arms.

“Yeah… We’d been looking forward to it for months! You have no idea how big of a deal it was that the Carnival was coming to our little village. Everyone was stoked! I just wish I hadn’t gotten sick, but we all still got to spend time together.” I said, watching as the children in the memory played with a trottola, or spinning top.

“Si… Isn’t that when you invented Pick-up-sticks?” Romano asked.

“Oh yeah~! I think so!”

“You invented that?! Dude! My people still play it!” America said.

“I’m not sure if I invented it per-say… I just thought it up one day. Someone else probably already came up with the same idea elsewhere…” I deflected. It was likely true, anyways.

The memory shifted again. Ve… I’m getting so tired from all this… We’re not even through my childhood yet! If anything, we’re probably only halfway through my FIRST FREAKING CHILDHOOD! The crap?! I just want to fucking rest, is that really too much to ask?!

I suddenly felt a wave of sharp fatigue wash over me, and I swayed, leaning against my brother.

“Itary-kun? Daijobu?!” Japan asked, worried. The others also looked at me with concern. They had, after all, just recently learned that we have exceptions to our immortality. They have reason to be worried.

“Ve~ I’m fine… I’m just tired, that’s all.” I said. Why am I getting so tired all of a sudden? Am I getting sick?

“Oi! Scone Bastard! Is there any way to pause this stupid thing so we can fucking rest?! I’m getting hungry and tired, damnit!” Romano complained.

“Ve~”

“Chigi.”

“Well… Let me see,” England said, just as the next memory popped up. The twins and their mother were packed up and ready to move again. It was a scene that was very familiar to Romano and I.

“I’m going to miss you, Feli…” Hazel said. She’d developed a small crush on me, but I—thankfully—never had to tell her that I didn’t see her as anything other than a friend. I think she knew that, and that’s why she never asked.

“We’re all going to miss you two… Come visit us if you can? And get better soon okay Feli? Find a good doctor who can cure you for good!” Kalin said decisively, Riean nodding his head in response.

“Of course! We’ll never forget you as long as we live!” Feliciano cried out, tears streaming down his face. “Ciao! Hazel! Riean! Kalin! It was fantastic to know you~!”

“Si! We’ll miss you guys! Grazie for everything!” Lovino called, as they and their mother had already started to travel.

“IDIOTS! WE’RE THE ONES WHO SHOULD BE THANKING YOU!” Kalin called, also crying. Just as the memory was starting to fade back into the next one, England found what he was looking for.

“Ah! Found it!” England cried, before reading the spell in Latin. A deep green light shone, and we all found ourselves in a living room.

“Ve~ Where are we?” I asked, still too tired to stand up by myself.

“This is where we can rest. The memories have paused. There’s food in the kitchen, and bedrooms for us all. I could only make a few bedrooms, though, so some of us will have to share…” England said, looking rather proud of himself.

“I call sharing with fratello!” I yelled, happy to share a room with him again.

“Yeah, yeah. The Potato Bastard and the Albino Bastard can share a room, too.” Romano said, before leading me to the bedrooms.

They were all relatively the same, but I didn’t care. I was just so tired… I just wanted to curl up and sleep.

Once Romano closed the door to our bedroom, he sat me down on the bed before sitting beside me.

“Are you okay?” He asked seriously, worry and concern shining in his eyes.

“Si… Just tired, I suppose. Must be the emotional strain… I hope I’m not getting sick again.” I sighed in irritation.

“Okay. I’ll keep an eye on your temperature, just in case, though.”

“Si, mama.” I rolled my eyes as I curled up into the soft pillow. I was already half-asleep, and couldn’t be bothered to put forth the effort of removing my clothes. “Just don’t make pasta tonight… I don’t wanna miss it.” Romano just smiled softly. The kind of smile he reserved for me.

“Alright. We’ll have pasta for breakfast, then.” He started to take off my shoes and clothes. We were brothers, and preferred sleeping in the nude anyways~

“Buonanotte, fratello… Ti voglio bene… Ve~”

“Ti voglio bene, fratellino. Sogni d’oro. Chigi.”

I don’t remember him taking off anything after my jacket. I fell asleep while he helped me. All I do remember, is Romano humming our mother’s lullaby softly to me as I slipped into a world of snowball fights and ash-colored wolves with our mother humming softly as we spent those wonderful, perfect days together.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8—Death’s Fangs

I woke up the next morning with a bit of a stress-headache. Romano stirred awake beside me.

“Buongiorno, fratellone.” I muttered, stretching out my aches and stiffness.

“Buongiorno, fratellino. Headache again?” He asked.

“Si… just a little one, though.” I stated. He leaned over, and checked my forehead for a temperature.

“You’re good. No fever.” He told me, before climbing out of bed and helping me up. We got dressed before we went to the kitchen to start breakfast for everyone.

Morning… I hear a sleepy voice in my mind.

Well, good morning to you, too, sleepy head. I mentally chuckle.

Yang was a… sort of split in my mind. He was formed during a very stressful and… well, bloodstained time of my life. We’d started off as bitter enemies, but after a lot of time, we’d grown fairly close to one another. I now consider him my annoying kid brother. The only problem is that I was physically unable to explain his presence, so even Romano didn’t know about him.

Wait… where the fuck are we? I couldn’t help but chuckle at Yang’s confusion.

If you’d bothered to wake up yesterday instead of sleep through all this shit, you’d know. We got hit by a weird spell yesterday, and now have to watch my life. All of it. From birth to present, with my Group present.

Wait… if you mean…? Even that place?

Yup. I stop, a sudden thought occurring to me. W-wait! You don’t think that’d violate the Contract, do you?! I half-panicked as Yang sent me waves of calm.

Ying! Hush. You’re fine. It said, ‘within your power’. This is obviously not within your power or ability, so… I’m guessing we’ve found ourselves a loophole. Does that mean I can come out?

No. Not yet. They’d have far too many questions. We’re still on my first childhood.

Damn! That far back?

Yeah. Now shut up, fratello’s talking again.

I’m fratello, too, you know.

Yeah. Annoying Fratellino. I mentally stuck out my tongue as I tuned back into what Romano was saying.

“You feeling okay today?” He asked me, likely concerned because I’d spaced out.

“Si, I’m feeling just fine. I think it has something to do with the memories, but I’ve actually been feeing quite a bit better~!” I explained. Maybe this’ll be good… let go of a bunch of emotional baggage and all that…

Don’t jinx it. You’ve gotta relive a ton of bad stuff, too.

Yang? Shut up.

So we’re back to that. He crossed his arms within our mindscape and pouted.

“Good… I think. Damn, I just wish that we didn’t have to watch all these memories.” Romano sighed. Hmm… I need to cheer him up…

Oh, I know that train of thought~! This is gonna be good!

“Ve~ Lovi~ I want to surprise everyone, wanna help me?” I asked with a mischievous smile. Romano quirked an eyebrow.

“Depends… What sort of… surprise?”

“Come on, I’ll show you! Just get the camera ready~!” I said, already starting the preparations.

When the other nations finally meandered their way down to breakfast, they stared in shock. In front of them, lay each of their favorite breakfast dishes from their home countries. Made flawlessly. CLICK! Romano took the picture with a flash, startling the others out of their stupor.

“H-how…?” China stuttered.

“Ve~ I looked up the recipes one time~ I thought that, after yesterday, you’d all appreciate a little taste of home, so Romano and I made this for you guys~!” I was acutely aware of Romano snapping more than a few pictures of their shocked faces. That’s one for the scrapbook~

Along with the other thousand photos of their reactions to the same freaking thing.

Yang? Don’t be a spoil-sport.

“Thank you, Italy; Romano.” England said, truly grateful for some food from his house—though it was modified greatly. I’m Italian! I can’t just make British food of all things! I have standards, regardless of what I’m making!

Everyone was very impressed with our cooking skills, to say the least. They dug in with great fervor. China and America offered to do the dishes, since we cooked.

“America?! You’re offering to do the dishes without being told to?!” England gasped.

“Oh, shut up, Iggy! I do have manners, you know! I just don’t use them at your place!” America shot back with a grin, before retreating into the kitchen after China, intent on finishing the task at hand.

“Ve~” I said quietly to Romano.

“Chigi.” He replied.

“Well, to continue the memories, we just need to head out through that door. We’ll be able to return here whenever we need to, so don’t worry about that.” England said as he pointed to a white door connected to the living room.

I sighed. I didn’t want to watch more of my past. It was kind of depressing, after all… And judging by the start of that last memory, the next one will be about the next village…

Nobody really wanted to continue the memories. It was an invasion of privacy, and everyone knew it. Even Russia seemed more than reluctant to go back to watching them, but the spell was already invoked. The die have been cast. I wonder if this is also part of my price? How terrible that they should also have to shoulder my burdens. Especially fratello. I shuddered slightly, fully aware of my brother watching me protectively.

“Alright, the dishes are done.” America said, coming out of the kitchen with the others.

“I suppose we have to continue watching, don’t we?” France asked tiredly.

“I’m really against this, dudes. We’ve already seen too much…” America pointed out.

“I’m so sorry… there’s no other way…” England reminded us gently.

“I know… It’s okay, really!” I said, smile on my face. The others froze. They knew the smile was fake—it had to be—but even though their minds told them that it was fake, it looked absolutely genuine. If they didn’t know better, they would’ve believed that I was truly happy.

“Stop it. You’ll break them; they don’t know how good you are at acting…” Romano reminded me, though I could tell that even he was surprised by how well I was acting.

No, keep going~! I wanna see what they think of how good you really are.

“Oh, you’re right. Sorry…” I smiled sheepishly. A few thousand years of practice can go a long ways. I thought dully to myself, as my hand gripped my Journal just a little tighter, before I slipped it back into the shoulder bag I’d happened to have grabbed just before the spell hit.

“Alright… Let’s just get this shit over with. Judging by the memories, we’re just over halfway through our first childhood.” Romano said.

“Only halfway?!” America cried out.

“Wait… What do you mean, ‘first childhood’, aru?” China asked, confused.

“Oh, well we weren’t connected to our nation yet, so we continued to grow at a semi-constant rate. We were teenagers when we finally connected, and then shrunk. We call our second childhood our ‘chibi-years’.” I explained.

“Chibi…? Where did Itary-kun learn about that?” Japan muttered to himself, unaware that I could hear him. I decided to let it slide.

Romano pushed the door open, and we all stepped through with varying amounts of hesitance. Before long, we found ourselves in yet another village.

Feliciano and Lovino still appeared the same age—8—as they walked throughout the village.

“Ve… Vino I’m scared… The kids here are so mean… They’ll beat me up again, I know it!” Feliciano said, obviously scared.

“Not while I’m around!” Lovino declared.

“They beat you up last time too…” He pointed out.

“W-Well… I was just having an off day! That’s all! Next time I’ll get them for sure!” Lovino stated.

“Oh no… They’re here…” Feliciano’s voice was small and timid as he clung to his fratello, his body shaking. Lovino also looked scared, but he put on a brave face for his brother.

“Hey! Demon Spawn! What are you still doing here!? I thought we told you to go back to Hell!” A child—no older than 8—yelled viciously.

“How terrible!” France whispered out. All the nations have seen children being bullied, but they usually put a stop to it when they could. But it was something completely different to see someone they knew being bullied as children. The fact that those children being bullied were nations didn’t make it any better. Even Yang moved about my mind uncomfortably.

There was a group of roughly 7 children coming towards the twins. They stopped a few feet away, hesitant to go nearer.

“Get outta here! Demons!”

“Devils!”

“Witches!”

“Evil!”

They started throwing rocks and sticks at the twins. Feliciano looked petrified. A particularly sharp rock cut his cheek. “Felice!” Lovino cried, shielding his brother with his own body. “Let’s go home…” He finally relented, leading Feliciano home again.

“That’s right! Go back to hell!”

I flinched at the cruel words. I’m a devil? Demon? Evil? I should return to hell? Heh… Sorry, but Hell hasn’t been built yet, you little shit. I know… I’ve been there.

You’re being a bit overly dramatic again, Ying.

So? I think I’ve the right to be dramatic in my own mind, Yang.

Fair point.

The nations watched sadly as Feliciano and Lovino stumbled home, tired and worn.

“Again?” Emma asked, medical kit already out.

“Yeah… They don’t like us…” Feliciano mumbled.

“That’s an understatement…” Lovino muttered.

Emma treated their wounds with a tender touch and a loving hand. “Now, I’ll talk to their parents again. Just try to steer clear of the village. Give them a few weeks to settle down. They’ll probably be mad that they got in trouble again, so you should avoid that place as much as you can, alright?” The twins nodded their heads solemnly.

“Momma…?” Feliciano started timidly. “Why… Why do they hate us?” His question was simple, but it hurt the nations to hear such a broken tone on such a happy child.

“Oh, Felice… They don’t hate you. They just…” She searched for the right words, bringing her two sons into a hug. “They just don’t understand. They know you’re different, and they don’t understand it. They don’t want to understand it. People can be like that at times. When they don’t understand something, they hurt it. I don’t really understand why myself, but that’s just how some people are. That’s why we move so often, so they won’t see just how different we are.”

“Momma?” Feliciano asked again, quieter this time. “Am I a demon?”

“Itary-kun.” Japan said seriously, looking at me. “Don’t ever believe that. You are a nation. You are not a demon or devil or whatever they told you.” The other nations nodded their heads.

“I know now… I just didn’t understand why I was so different then. But thank you. It means a lot to me.” I said with a smile. Romano smiled beside me, bringing me into a one-armed hug. I know I’m not a demon… I know I’m not a devil… I’ve met him myself… But I am a killer. I kill humans and nations… It’s my fault that they died so many times… And Grandpa Rome… and Holy Rome… My fault… it always is… One day, I’m just so terrified that Romano will die, too, and it’ll always be my fault. Always.

Hey… I know it may not mean much, but… umm… I don’t think you’re a killer either… Not like that.

This is surprising. I raised a mental eyebrow. You’re trying to comfort me?

D-don’t get used to it or anything!!

Tsundere~

Sh-shut up!!

Romano squeezed my arm lightly, knowing where part of my mind was trailing. “It’s not your fault, you know. I’m just as much at fault for those deaths as you are.” He whispered, referring to our other abilities.

“I… I know, but… I still feel them, fratello…” I whispered hoarsely. Japan gave us a worried glance. So he heard us, huh? Well, it doesn’t matter much anymore. They’re going to find out soon. That memory’s coming up, after all…

You make it sound like it’s something terrible. Compared to That Place, it’s really not that shocking.

But it may be to them. That’s what I’m worried about… I’m different, even for a Nation… what if…

Stop it. So what if you’re different? After all that you’ve done for them… When they find out they’ll be thanking you on their timedamned knees. And if they don’t, I’ll make sure they do.

The memory blurred to show Feliciano and Lovino playing together in a field in the forest with Asher. “Vino~ Asher~ Come on~! Let’s go to the river!” Feliciano called, excited. “You promised me you’d teach me to swim!”

“Alright! I’m coming! Just slow down, I don’t want you getting in if it’s too cold, you know. We don’t want you getting sick again.” Lovino said, catching up with his twin.

Romano and I winced, remembering this memory. I winced a bit. The first time I almost…

Romano gently squeezed my arm. “Ve.” He said. I smiled.

“Chigi.” I replied.

The nations watched as Lovino and Feliciano stripped down to the nude, and played in the water, Lovino showing Feliciano how to float first, and then move in the water, both being careful to stay in the gentle current. Asher was acting as a watch-out, making sure neither of the boys strayed into the deeper, more dangerous waters.

Eventually, Feliciano got the hang of it, and was even able to put his face underwater. The boys started a water fight, and were having a blast. Even Asher joined in.

“ACHOO!” Feliciano sneezed, stopping the fun. “Alright, time to go home, then.” Lovino said.

“Aww! But fratello~”

“No. You’re going to get sick if we continue like this. Now put your clothes on, and we’ll head home.” He said firmly. Feliciano sighed, and obeyed his brother.

The two walked back through the forest, admiring the natural beauty of the place. Asher seemed on edge for some reason, but the twins didn’t notice. The nations did, which set them on edge, too.

Asher suddenly started growling, causing the twins to fall silent. He was growling at something in the grass near Lovino. I gripped Romano’s arm, needing the comfort of him being there.

You’d think I’d be used to the idea of my twin being in mortal peril.

Hey, it’s been a while. I ain’t gonna blame you for being a bit overly protective. Besides, you’re kinda out of do-overs.

Am I, though?

“Asher? What’s wrong?” Lovino asked, not understanding.

He barked, and growled at the twins, trying to get them to move. Feliciano started pulling his brother away, realizing that there was some danger.

“A-Asher?” Lovino asked, scared that his companion was growling at him like that.

“Fratello… Asher wants us to move… There’s something there…” Feliciano pulled again, making his brother stumble towards him and away from Asher.

A terrifying hiss came from the grass, as a snake lunged, attaching itself to Lovino’s ankle.

“ARGH!” He cried out in pain, as Asher lunged for the snake, managing to crush it in his jaws without hurting either of the twins.

The nations—especially Spain—were pale. They knew Romano was mortal to poisons, but they had yet to actually see it like they had my illness.

Lovino was on the ground. It took Feliciano a moment to realize something was wrong—drastically wrong.

“Vino?! Vino?! Can you hear me?! Are you okay?!” Feliciano asked, on the verge of a freak-out.

“I… I’m fine, idiota… I just… Damn! This fucking bite hurts.” Lovino said, grasping the bite, which was still bleeding.

“Y-you need to get that looked at, Roma… J-just go to the hospital...” Spain said, not quite able to comprehend the situation.

“Idiot. There are no hospitals then. You know as well as I do… I’m a dead man.” Romano said darkly. I gently punched his shoulder. “And don’t call me that!” He added shooting a glare at Spain, who held up his hands in the universal ‘I surrender’ motion.

“Stop being a dick, fratello. You survived. You’re not dead. That’s all that matters.” I said. “You scared me to death, you know that?”

“Lo siento. Grazie, for saving me.” Romano said in a whisper.

“Di niente.”

“Y-you’re not fine! D-damnit! Asher! Go get mom! HURRY!” Feliciano cried out, looking ready for a panic attack. Asher barked, and ran off for the house, the dead snake still in his mouth.

“R-Roma… Please hang on… Y-you’re a nation! You’ll be fine! You’re immortal in every sense of the word, unlike me! You have to be fine!” Feliciano pleaded.

“N-no… We both know… I’m not immortal to poison… I’m dying Felice… and I won’t come back. Like with you being sick.” Lovino seemed to be having trouble breathing. Feliciano put his brother’s head on his lap as he held him, tears streaming down his face.

“H-hey… Don’t cry, Idiota…” Lovino said, raising a hand weakly to brush away the tears.

“You can’t die! You can’t! You promised me! You promised! Remember? You said you’d always be there for me. That you’d always protect me, and help me whether I wanted you here or not… You can’t just break it! You can’t!” Feliciano hugged his dying twin tightly.

“C-Can’t breathe…” Lovino gasped out, as Feliciano loosened his grip enough for his brother to get some oxygen.

“VINO! FELICE!” Emma’s voice called.

“MOMMA! OVER HERE!” Feliciano cried out.

“I’m tired…” Lovino said drowsily.

“NO! Don’t fall asleep, Vino! Please! Keep your eyes open!” Feliciano pleaded, shaking him a bit.

“I… I’m trying… But… sooo… tired…” Lovino struggled to keep his heavy lids open.

“MOM! HURRY!” Feliciano cried, as his mother ran into the field.

“Vino! Felice! What’s wrong?!” She asked, panicked.

“Vino was… He was bitten by a snake!” Feliciano cried out. “He’s not immortal to poisons and venoms! He can die! Please! Please help him!!!” Feliciano gasped out, still trying to keep Lovino from falling asleep.

Emma took Lovino into her arms, as Asher guided Feliciano to the house. The four of them came back to the house with the doctor already waiting there.

He spent about 15 minutes looking over Lovino, before coming out of the room, his face sullen.

“I’m sorry. There’s nothing I can do. Your son is going to die. I estimate that he has about a day at most. You should say your goodbyes now.” He said, walking out the door without glancing back.

“No… No, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!!!!” Feliciano screamed, chasing after the doctor.

“Felice!” Emma cried, trying to grab his arm before he could do something drastic, but she missed. Feliciano put his famous Italian speed to good use, and caught up with the doctor in a matter of seconds. He didn’t stop running. He tackled the doctor, and started pounding on the surprised man’s chest.

“YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO SAVE HIM! NOT LEAVE HIM TO DIE! FIX HIM! FIX MIO FRATELLO!” Feliciano yelled, angry tears streaming down his face.

“I’m sorry, boy, but there’s nothing I can do. He’s going to die.” The doctor said gently.

“No… YOU’RE WRONG! YOU DON’T KNOW HIM LIKE I DO! HE’S STRONG! HE’S INVINCIBLE! IMMORTAL! HE WON’T DIE! He… he can’t… He promised me he’d stay with me forever… he swore it… he said he’d always be there… he… he can’t die! HE CAN’T! YOU CAN’T SAY IT! HE CAN’T DIE! He’s mio fratellone… He’s too strong… to die…” Feliciano trailed off into sobs and hiccups. Emma finally caught up, scooping up her son with an apology to the doctor, as she carried the despairing child back into the house.

I was silently sobbing; Romano wrapped me up in a tight embrace to remind me that he was still there. The other nations just stared unable to process my utter despair at the mere thought of losing my brother.

You think this is bad? Wait ‘till we get to the Mansion. I thought darkly at them.

Yeah, why is this bothering you so much? I mean…

Because… It would’ve been permanent.

Ah… I see. No do-overs.

Yeah.

The moment his feet touched the floor, Feliciano rushed into the room with Lovino. The nations stared. Lovino lay quite still on the bed, his face both pale and flushed, and he looked to be struggling to breathe. His ankle was wrapped up and visible, as he had kicked off the covers.

“V…Vino…?” Never in his life, had Feliciano ever seen his brother in such a weak, venerable state. It scared him; it terrified him. And he vowed then and there to never see it again.

Emma closed the door, leaving the twins to themselves. Feliciano slowly, mechanically, walked forward, and sat on the wooden chair beside Lovino’s bed.

“H-hey… wake up. I… I know you’re faking it… The doctor’s wrong. He has to be. You don’t get sick like me… you’re the strong one…”

“Heh… Isn’t this ironic? I’m usually the one in the chair…” Lovino said, cracking open an eye.

“Vino! Please, tell me you’re playing! You’re faking it, right?!” Feliciano’s tone was desperate. It visibly hurt the nations to hear it.

“I… I’m sorry. Maybe I should’ve remained an asshole to you… Then you wouldn’t be in pain right now.” Lovino said.

“NO! I… You’re the one in pain right now, fratello! Get better so we can play again! I had fun today, you know. You need to teach me how to swim!” Feliciano said, trying his best to avoid the inevitable.

“Idiot… Stop trying to kid yourself. I’m dying. I’m going to die, and I won’t come back. There’s no saving me. Poison is to me what illness is to you.”

“NO! You… You can’t die!” Feliciano pounded his fists on the bed, tears streaming. The nations watched, hoping for another miracle tear, but they were all normal. No golden tear to make him magically better.

“You’re the strong one! The invincible one! The immortal one! You were the one who was meant to be Italy, not me! Please!” His anger faded to only despair, showing that he’d truly accepted the death of his brother. “Please… I can’t go on without you. I’ll stop fighting, too. You can’t die. Please… Didn’t you always promise to be there for me? To protect me? Who’s going to be there for me with you gone? Momma will die one day… she’s only human. We both know that. She won’t live to be a thousand like we will. I can’t live on forever if I’m alone. I need you here… Don’t leave me… please…”

“Feliciano… Oh, Veneziano… Fratellino… Ti voglio bene…” Lovino said quietly.

“Ti voglio bene, fratellone. Ve…”

“Chigi…”

“I…” Feliciano trailed off as he realized that Lovino had fallen asleep. He knew… He knew that Lovino didn’t even have a day.

“I… God… I don’t know if you’re there or not, but I’ve heard that you’re up there somewhere… You’re the one who created everything, right? Including us? I… Please! Please!” Feliciano bowed his head in prayer; his own hands clasped around Lovino’s pale one. “I can’t lose him! Oh, Dio… If you’re really there, please bestow upon us one of your divine miracles. Make him live. He has to live. It’s not his time, yet. I know it! Please! I believe in you. If you do this one thing… Grant me this one wish, then I swear on all that I am, that I will always follow you. Please… Just don’t take my brother away from me. He’s all I have… Please…” He trailed off in broken Italian, too upset to form coherent sentences.

Romano cradled me, comforting me as I relived the emotions of the memory. “Shhh, Shhh, I’m still here. I kept my promise. I’m still here. I’m not dying.” Romano whispered into my ear, as I tried to quiet my hiccupping body. The tears wouldn’t stop flowing.

Even still, I couldn’t help but mentally scoff at my past self. If there is a God, then he doesn’t care. Not if he lets a place like that exist.

Feliciano, exhausted by his first prayer and emotional breakdown, laid his head down in his arms and started to fall asleep, tears streaming down his face at a steady rate.

“Please, God. I pray to thee… Save my brother. Amen.” He whispered. For just an instant, Feliciano glowed a brilliant white, and the nations swore they saw white angelic wings spread from his back. The glow transferred to Lovino. As soon as the glow died down, Lovino took in a deep breath in his sleep. He seemed to be breathing easier. Somehow, Feliciano started sleeping easier, too, as if he knew that somehow, his brother would be okay.

“Grazie…” He whispered in his sleep.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Saving a Brother

“A miracle, aru?” China asked, awed. The nations kept staring between Romano and I and our younger selves in shock.

“Maybe I should convert to Catholicism?” Someone muttered, but I couldn’t tell who it was through my sniffles.

“Lovi… I didn’t realize that…” I trailed off, Romano also staring in shock.

“So this was when you first accessed it… So young, too. I couldn’t do that for a few more centuries, at least.” He muttered to me.

“Do what, if I may?” Japan asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

“Ah… It’ll come up later. We won’t be able to explain it well right now, so please just be patient.” I said, a teasing smile on my face. The others sighed in reluctant acceptance. Though I really don’t think it’ll actually come up, but now, at least, they won’t ask about it.

What was that, anyways?! You really expect me to believe that you’re an angel or a saint or some bullshit like that?

What, you don’t believe me? We’ve met a literal demon, after all.

I know you.

Fair enough. It was an early manifestation of my raw Magick.

But I thought you didn’t have the Old Magick until…?

Oh, I had it. I just had no idea how to use it. If I didn’t have it, I probably wouldn’t have been able to use those Ryuuzu spells.

I see… So you can’t explain that because…

Exactly.

“But… I thought I was the only nation-Angel…” England muttered to himself in disappointment.

The memory sped up to morning. Lovino was just waking up. “Huh…? Feliciano…?” He asked, his voice already sounding stronger.

“V-Vino?! You’re okay?! How do you feel?! Are you sore?! Do I need to go get mom?! Are you weak?! Headache?! Water! You’re probably thirsty! I need to get you some water! Where’s the water?! Fuck!” Feliciano started freaking out, running around the room. Neither twin noticed Emma peeking in through the door to their room.

“Feliciano!” Lovino finally cried out, making Feliciano freeze mid-step, a comical expression of anxiety and confusion on his face.

“Yes, Lovi?” He asked innocently.

“I’m fine. I don’t know what the hell’s going on, but I’m fine.” He assured his frantic little brother.

“But… maybe the bite wasn’t that bad? You’re sure you’re fine…? You’re really fine…?” Feliciano slowly walked over to the bed, tears ready to stream down his face again.

“I’m sure… I felt like death warmed over yesterday… I’m perfectly fine now. I don’t know why… Maybe some miracle…” Lovino trailed off as he found himself with an armful of Feliciano.

“I’M SO GLAD!! You’re Alive! Thank God!” Feliciano cried out, beyond relieved. He was shaking. “Don’t you ever, EVER, scare me like that, again, okay?! EVER! I don’t want to lose you… never… Okay…?” Feliciano said, refusing to let go of his brother as they snuggled under the covers together.

“Never… I promise.” Lovino stated. I hid my half-wince half-scoff. You don’t know it, Fratello… But at some point, you’ve broken every promise you’ve made to me…

Someone’s in a mood.

You’re a mood.

…What?

I don’t know, actually. It seemed like a good retort.

It didn’t even sound good in your head.

Shut up, you! I mentally glared at him.

I spotted Emma in the doorframe, tears streaming silently down her aging face. “Thank you, God…” She whispered under her breath. I blinked in surprise. I knew she wasn’t overly religious. She’d hardly mentioned God before, and soon after this memory, she’d start teaching us a bit of religion. But she’d never been the kind to get on her knees and pray. I knew she loved us both to death, and that she’d do anything to protect us. Did she hear my prayer all those years ago? All those eons? My first prayer? Did she witness my Magick?

The scene faded into another one. Lovino looked much better, but was still in bed.

“Oi! I’m better now, so why can’t I just go to town with Feliciano?” Lovino demanded, looking frustrated.

“Vino, you still need another day of rest. Momma said so!” Feliciano shot back, giving his brother a mini-glare to keep him in place. “Momma just needs me to run to the market and grab us some stuff for dinner. I’ll be fine, Vino. Don’t worry so much.”

“Famous last words.” America said quietly, feeling like something bad was about to happen. Canada sighed at his brother’s antics, but let it slide. He’d actually been rather quiet recently.

“Fine. Not like I have much of a choice. Bedridden like this. Fucking annoying is what it is. How do you stand it?!” Lovino complained, as Feliciano whacked him on the back of his head.

“OW! What was that for?!” Lovino demanded.

“No cursing!” Feliciano said firmly, as Lovino blinked in disbelief.

“Wh… What? Since when?!”

“Since Mom’s around.” Feliciano whispered, gesturing to their mother’s humming in the kitchen.

“Okay… But why can’t she go to the market? She knows how the bullies are…”

“I already asked her. The dinner she started… She thought she had all the ingredients, but she doesn’t. If she leaves it now, it’ll be ruined by the time she gets back. I’m going because I’m not only faster, but the pot needs to be watched constantly.” Feliciano explained.

“Still, man… After seeing what those kids were like before, I’m surprised that your mom let you go back…” America trailed off.

“I actually offered… I knew that we couldn’t afford to waste food. She was going to have me watch the pot while she went to town, but I wasn’t confident enough in my own cooking abilities yet to watch it. I could only make what I would later call pasta, at this point.” I explained.

“You invented pasta?!” Germany’s eyebrows raised in shock.

“Si~ Well, modern Italian pasta. Noodles actually came from China; I just made it into something that you recognize today as pasta. Why do you think I love it so much?! In all honesty, it reminds me of mama… Plus, momma made the best pasta~” I trail off dreamily at the thought of Momma’s Pasta… So good~!

Wish I could’ve tried it.

I’m sure you would’ve loved it.

“Alright… Just be careful… I won’t be there for you if you get into trouble, what with me being in bed like this, so please don’t go getting into trouble…” Lovino trailed off nervously.

“Ve~ Fratello, I’ll be fine~!” Feliciano said.

“Chigi. I expect you back before dark. If you’re not back by then, then I’m coming to find you.”

“Of course you are. Ti voglio bene, fratellone.” Feliciano said from the door.

“Ti voglio bene, fratellino. Be careful.”

“Always.” With that, Feliciano ran out the door, and headed down the road to town.

The nations followed Feliciano as he entered the town. “Ve… Looking at the sun, it seems like I’ll have an hour or so before sunset… That should be enough time to get the food for momma~ She’s making some of her special stew to help Lovi get better~ Yay~!” Feliciano said to himself, as he hummed a little tune.

About a half-hour later, he was walking back through town, a basket in his arms as he carried the necessary ingredients home.

“Hey! It’s the little demon!” A young voice cried. An 8-year-old boy came out of the shadows. It was one of the same kids that tormented Feliciano and his brother in the earlier memory. There were about 8-10 other children there, too. Their ages ranged from about 6 to roughly 12.

Feliciano froze, fear flashing across his face. The nations also stiffened.

“Where’s your devil of a brother?! Huh?”

“I heard he died. Bitten by a snake, wasn’t he?”

“No! I heard he somehow survived! He must be the devil, if he lived through a snake bite! After all, a snake wouldn’t kill its master!” Another child said.

“So if his brother’s a devil, then he must be one, too!” A young boy said.

“Yeah! That’s right! Stay away from him, before he burns us in Hell!”

“No!” Another child cried out, a disturbing smile on his face. “Look… This one’s scared of us. We have more on our side… Let’s just get rid of it while we can!”

The children started surrounding Feliciano, and the nations had a flashback to Marks and his gang. They watched in horror as the children ganged up on Feliciano, using sticks and rocks as weapons to beat the helpless nation. Feliciano curled in on himself to minimize the damage; the groceries lay forgotten on the side of the road.

The nations watched in revulsion and shock as the children mercilessly drew blood with sticks and stones and flesh and nails, each one hitting and kicking the young Feliciano. I could feel Yang bristle in anger, and it made me smile slightly to feel his protectiveness for me. He cried out in pain, but for the most part, bit his lip and bore it.

“Hey!” One of the older children cried out, taking out something from his pocket. The nations froze. Feliciano’s eyes widened in fear as he, too, recognized the object. His pupils dilated as his fight-or-flight instincts truly took hold.

The child held a knife. And it scared Feliciano shitless. Two of the older children grabbed Feliciano from behind, and hauled him up to a semi-standing position. He tried his best to curl in on himself, but to no avail. His strength was spent, and his body was beyond listening to him. He could only stare in horror as the boy ran at him, knife positioned for his heart. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the blow. It never came.

He opened his eyes to see his brother, Lovino, on top of the knife-wielding child, breathing hard, showing that he’d run the distance from the house.

“AH! It’s true! He is a demon!” A child cried, pointing at Lovino.

Lovino, for his part, looked livid. His green eyes shone red in the torchlight as he bent back the wrist of the knife-wielding child. There was an audible crack as the boy howled in pain. Lovino grinned and took the knife, stepping off the boy.

For a moment, with his glowing red eyes—courtesy of the torchlight—as he held that knife, he truly looked every part the demon the children claimed him to be. He took the knife firmly in his hands, and with hardly a grunt, snapped it in two.

Tossing the broken metal to the ground, he leveled a terrifying glare at the children. “Leave. Now. Before I decide to send you to hell to meet the real devil for daring to mess with my fratellino.” He growled.

The children scrambled, fear evident in their eyes, leaving a bloody and beaten little boy for his brother to deal with.

Lovino turned to Feliciano once the kids were gone. He nearly had a panic attack when he saw just how badly injured his little brother was.

“O-Oi! Fratellino! You alright?! What did they do to you?!” Lovino cried out in worry and panic, hoisting his nearly deadweight brother up, and pulling his arm around his shoulder.

“I… It’s nothing I haven’t had to deal with before, Vino… G-grazie for saving me, again… I… I’m such a hopeless idiot! I’m always being rescued by you… Why can’t I fight? Even just once! I want to be the one to protect you, fratello…” Feliciano cried tears of frustration and pain. He was beyond disappointed with himself for his weakness, his unwillingness to fight.

“Because I’m the fratellone, the older brother. I’m supposed to protect you. Not the other way around. But I suppose I could spar with you if it bothers you that much… That way if someone else tries to bully you, you’ll actually be able to defend yourself until I show up.” Lovino said. Feliciano grinned brightly.

“Really?! You mean it, fratello?! You’ll teach me to fight?!”

“Si… I don’t really know how to fight myself, but… Aw fuck!” He cried as he looked at the remains of what was supposed to be their dinner. “It’s stomped to dust! Now what’re we going to bring home?! We can’t afford to buy more!” He complained. Feliciano looked sadly at the ground.

“Ve…” He muttered sadly. “I’m sorry… If I’d been better at protecting it…”

“Don’t. It wasn’t your fault. It was theirs. Nobody else’s.” Lovino said.

The twins stumbled through the door, both out of breath. Emma was waiting with the medical kit ready once more, and smiled sadly at her boys. “Honestly, what am I going to do with you two? When Vino just ran off yelling ‘my fratellino’s in trouble! I know it! He needs me!’ I didn’t know what to think. Now you two come back a mess. I suppose we’re due for another move?”

“We sorta might’ve accidentally on purpose scared the crap out of every child in the village?” Feliciano said timidly. Emma blinked, but said nothing.

“And… I maybe sorta kinda might’ve accidentally jumped on top of the mayor’s son and broken his wrist…” At Emma’s look, he explained. “But he was about to stab Felice with a knife! I swear!”

“It’s true, momma! He took out a knife and was about to stab me. I would’ve died if Vino hadn’t have arrived when he did.” Feliciano said quickly.

“I’m not mad. I’m very proud of you standing up for your brother, Vino.” Emma said with a sigh, before she smiled. “Now you two have had a busy day. We’ll move as soon as Feli’s wounds are healed, so we’ll start packing tomorrow. But for now, head to sleep, my little angels.” She said with a smile, kissing them both on the foreheads. “I’ll bring you some dinner when it’s ready.”

The boys paused at their door, listening. They heard Emma heave a heavy sigh. “I’m getting old… I’m already 74… How much longer will I be able to protect them? They’re still only children… They’re not ready to be on their own yet… But I’m already so old and worn and tired… I just need to make sure they’ll be able to take care of themselves and each other before I go… That’s all. Please… whatever power is out there… Don’t take me before they’re ready.”

The twins silently closed their bedroom door, and crawled into bed together. They looked at each other with blank expressions; eerily similar to the ones they had when they first told their mother that Feliciano wasn’t supposed to exist.

The nations shivered, not used to seeing them look so vacant. It just seemed wrong. I smiled at them softly, trying to make them just a little more comfortable.

With a nod to one another, and no words exchanged, the twins climbed out of bed, and sat on their knees. They spoke in perfect unison.

“Please don’t take our mother yet. We still need her. Please watch over us and guide us; keep us safe and sound.” Lovino stopped there, but Feliciano continued, his brother looking at him in surprise. “If she must be taken from us, as we know must be done some day, please give us the power to grant her wish. Please… I want to be able to protect Lovino like he can protect me.”

The nations said nothing as they watched the twins crawl back into bed, and hold each other in a gentle hug, each one taking comfort in the other’s presence. The memory faded.

“Dude, you really weren’t liked by those kids.” America said, avoiding the touching and very private scene they’d just witnessed.

“That’s an understatement…” I muttered.

“Why? Those children from the other villages may not have liked you much, but these ones seemed to really hate you.” Canada pointed out.

“Our nation presence was starting to filter through.” Romano said, turning to the nations with a serious expression. “We didn’t realize it at the time, though. We felt different to the children—as they were much more aware of these things than the adults—but they didn’t know why. They only knew we were different, and naturally became afraid. Humans fear what they cannot understand. This has been proven to us many, many, many times over the past two millennia. The thing is, our Nation Presence back then was warped… Different, due to our premature birth. It didn’t give out a sense of comfort or safety like usual, but just… strangeness.” He finished.

“Romano.” Spain stated seriously, grabbing my brother by his shoulders, and looking him straight in the eye. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again, okay?” He brought his charge into a hug, tears streaming silently down his face.

“O-oi… Tomato Bastard….” Romano said quietly, before hugging him back. I smiled sadly, wishing that I, too, could find comfort in someone. Everyone here was nice, and all, but Germany was too stoic for me to hug him like that, and so was Japan… How nice it would be if Hungary or Austria were here to give me comfort…? I thought to myself. Hungary was my mother figure after our mother had passed… And Austria was like the father I’d never known. Christopher and Emma would always be my true, real, parents, but Hungary and Austria came very, very close.

No. I thought again, I wouldn’t want them to see this… It’s bad enough that the others are watching them, but for my adoptive parents to see it too?! That’d just be… no… Besides, the Mansion’s in here, somewhere, I’m willing to bet… It was a pretty big part of my life, after all. I’d be shocked if it wasn’t in here. Even Romano doesn’t know about the Mansion, though…

Well, I should hope not. If he did know, then we would’ve violated the Contract somehow, which is not an option.

Yeah, no joke.

Still… You had a shitty childhood.

Thought you’ve already gone through all my memories?

I have. But it’s still different to watch them like this. Unlike you, I don’t have an eidetic memory.

I shivered as I realized what was coming up. We watched Emma, Feliciano and Lovino set out on the road once more. I hope they don’t hate me. I looked down at my hands, practically envisioning the blood dripping. After all… the next memory will show me for the murderer I truly am… All those people I’ve killed… That I still kill… Millions from every nation… I hope they don’t push me away, but even I hate myself.

“Lo siento…” I whispered, as the next memory finally started to play.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10—General Winter

Romano was the first to notice my distress. “Felice? You okay?” His question drew the attention of the others. Romano then sighed as he wrapped his arms around me. “Idiota. They won’t reject you for that…” He said softly.

“B-but… they’ll be sickened by me! I know it! I’m a murderer, after all! The blood of millions of humans! On my hands!” I cried out, making the other nations flinch back in surprise. The surprise turned to horrified shock as my words registered.

You’re not just talking about your Powers, are you?

What do you think?

“Itary-kun? What do you mean?” Japan asked gently, not sure whether or not to believe my words given my current state of mind.

“Don’t listen to him.” Romano said softly, though everyone heard him.

“Idiota…” He said to me. “It’s not your fault. You can’t control it… you can’t stop it. You’d be dead right now if you didn’t have that power…”

“But… I’m sorry fratello, you’re right… I… I just…” I sighed, not wanting to sound ungrateful, but at the same time the guilt was nearly overwhelming. Romano’s face also shone with guilt.

“I’m so sorry, Felice… I only did what I had to… I regret nothing.” He said firmly.

“I know, Vino… I’m not mad at you… I never have been. I’m grateful for my life, really I am!” I said, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. “But… it’s hard sometimes, you know? The guilt never goes away…” I looked at my hands. For a moment, they dripped with an endless amount of blood. What sickened me the most was that the blood belonged to not only humans, but children and my friends, too. “The blood is still there…” In more ways than one….

At least the Time-Shards are gone?

Sure. But the hallucinations aren’t.

They’re alive, though. That’s what counts.

Romano wrapped his hands gently around mine, and kissed them. “But you’ve also saved many lives with these hands. Surely, that counts for something?”

The next memory finally popped up, as the travel scenes that’d been showing finally teetered off to show the four of them—Asher now grey around the muzzle—in another house.

“We’d been living in this house for about 2 years or so by this point. We’re 45 in this memory.” Romano explained.

There was a thick layer of snow outside, covering the forest in a blanket of untouched white. Many of the nations sighed as they were reminded of older, simpler times.

Lovino, Feliciano, Asher, and Emma were huddled up together around a fire. They all looked thin and tired.

“Momma? I’m hungry… Can Vino and I go hunt?” Feliciano asked.

“Hunt? You hunted?” Canada asked, mildly surprised.

“Si… Vino and I had started learning how to hunt when we were 30. We were quite good at it, too… Momma was too old by this point to hunt, and the cold hurt her joints… She was aging so quickly…” I sighed, but shook my head. “This winter was particularly harsh. We had little-to-no food, and the village didn’t take too kindly to us. They didn’t have a good harvest that year, so they weren’t too generous with donations. We were also low on money, so it was bad all the way around.” I concluded.

“Alright, but be careful. Be home before dark, a storm’s supposed to roll in tonight. See if you can catch something, but don’t push past dark.” Emma warned, as Feliciano and Lovino grabbed their bows and arrows, specially made for their size.

“We will, momma!” Feliciano and Lovino called back in sync.

“Asher!” Lovino called with a sharp whistle. Asher dashed over, and stood beside the twins, ready for a good hunting trip.

The scene faded into the next. It had obviously been a few hours since they’d left, but the twins were crouching in some nearby bushes. Feliciano stealthily, smoothly, and silently scampered up a nearby tree. He and Lovino readied their arrows, and took aim. Their target was a nearby buck. It looked healthy and large enough to feed the family for a few weeks, if they rationed it right.

As if some silent signal passed between the twins, they both fired, tagging the buck in one go. Once their meal-to-be was secured, Lovino and Feliciano tied it to a strip of wood that they’d prepared. They then tied it to Asher, who proceeded to pull it—and the deer—home.

That was when it all went wrong. The storm had come hours earlier than expected. The three were caught in the middle of it. The nations followed the twins as they finally navigated their way back. Romano kept looking at Feliciano.

After what seemed like hours, Lovino led Asher into the house with their kill. The nations let out sighs of relief, but Romano and I only tensed further, anxiety welling up within us both.

“Momma! We’re back! We brought deer!” Vino said.

“Itary-kun…” Japan started slowly, as they watched as Emma came to greet him. “Where are you…?” His question made the nations freeze.

“Vino, where’s your brother?” Emma asked urgently. Lovino whirled around, expecting his twin to be right behind him.

‘Did you see it this time, Fratello?’ I asked him through our mental Link.

‘Yeah… you tripped… I never even you shout.’ He replied solemnly.

“F-Felice!” He cried, running back out the door, and into the horrific blizzard.

“VINO! COME BACK!” Emma cried as she attempted to follow him out into the storm. She couldn’t even make it more than a few feet outside the house, before her joints locked up. Asher nudged her back inside, before following after his alpha.

“I’ll come home soon, mom! I’m going to go find him!” Lovino called back, not slowing down his pace.

The nations watched with rising panic as Lovino trudged through one of the worst blizzards they’d seen. Even Russia would’ve been hard-pressed to go out in that storm.

“FELICE!” Lovino called, his voice lost to the winds. “FELICIANO! VENEZIANO ITALY IF YOU DON’T COME OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! I SWEAR! I’LL… I’ll… I DON’T KNOW WHAT YET, BUT YOU WON’T LIKE IT! PLEASE… FELICIANO CHIGI VARGAS!” He cried, as he continued trudging through the deepening snow.

Sometimes, he’d fall into a particularly deep patch of snow, and sink in up to his shoulders or neck. He was shivering badly, and some of the nations were afraid he might collapse in the snow, and die from exposure. They were more worried about me. After all, unlike my brother, I was able to die from this sort of thing.

Lovino kept going, though. Retracing his path as best he could, but even he kept getting turned around in the sea of white. He could hardly see his own hand in front of his face.

Suddenly, a loud sharp bark from Asher made Lovino turn. “W-what is it-t, Asher?” He stuttered, too cold to speak straight. Asher only barked again, and dug at a spot in the snow. Lovino’s eyes widened, as he fell to his knees and started digging desperately.

At last, he found a hand. The nations froze. It was my hand. Feliciano’s hand.

Lovino pulled a frighteningly pale Feliciano from the snow. He wasn’t shivering, nor was he conscious, but he was breathing—barely. Asher barked, again, before running a few steps ahead and back, wanting Lovino to follow him. Lovino dragged his brother as best he could after Asher, who kept barking, rushing ahead, and then rushing back.

Eventually, Lovino found himself in a cave. It was damp and cold, but it was out of the storm. He sighed as he dragged Feliciano in. He then got a good look at his brother, and so did the other nations. It seemed surreal. Feliciano was a pale grayish color, and was no doubt on his way to severe frostbite. He was, thankfully, breathing, but his breaths were shallow and slow. Hypothermia.

“F-fuck… I-I need t-t-t-to… G-g-get him… warm, somehow…” Lovino said, before he pulled open his brother’s jacket, and opened his own. He brought Feliciano into a hug, trying to use some of his body heat to warm him. Asher joined in, too, his fur likely warmer than bare human skin—once you got past the snow.

Despite his best efforts, it didn’t seem to be working. “No… You can’t leave me like this, Felice! I won’t let you!” Lovino cried.

China and Japan stared. They kept looking from Feliciano to me. “How did you survive, aru?!” China asked suddenly. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad your alive, but…”

“What China-san means, Itary-kun, is that… by all means you should be dead… The state you’re in, in this memory, is mere minutes from death’s door. Without proper, modern medical treatments now you’re going to die…” Japan said, unable to see how I could’ve lived.

“In a way… I think I did die… I sacrificed something great, but it was well worth it.” I said, turning back to the memory.

“Wait, you were mortal to illness, not cold.” France puzzled.

“I am thinking that cold is close enough to kill him, дa?” Russia looked at me, and I nodded.

“Just watch.” Romano said, cutting off the others’ questions.

Lovino started sobbing, holding his brother close. He knew there was nothing more he could do. That his brother was as good as dead.

“How I hate my job…” A wizened old voice echoed through the cavern. Russia’s eyes widened in recognition, as did Canada’s. They also realized just how dire the situation was if he was there.

“W-who’s there?!” Lovino demanded, tightening his grip on Feliciano. An old man with a white beard and white hair with skin as pale as snow, and eyes like blue ice, stood at the entrance of the cavern. He was dressed in a dark blue coat and scarf with a hat atop his head and a cape billowing in the blizzard. He didn’t seem bothered by the cold, and he actually seemed to meld in with the raging storm behind him.

“I am known as General Winter.” He said. The nations gasped.

“No… If he’s there…” Canada trailed off.

“He came for me.” I said softly.

“Why are you here?!” Lovino demanded. General Winter only pointed towards his brother. “Felice?! No! You can’t have him! He’s my brother!”

“I’m sorry, child… It pains me, it truly does… but I must… It is the law… A balance must be maintained.” He spoke without emotion. It was obvious that he’d spoken the lines many times. “I have come for the one known as Feliciano Vargas. Personification of Northern Italy.” He stated.

“No… NO! He’s my brother does that mean nothing to you?! YOU CAN’T TAKE HIM FROM ME! OVER MY DEAD BODY!” Lovino snapped out.

“I do not want to kill more than I must…” He said tiredly.

“No! Take me! Leave my brother, and take me for your stupid balance!” Lovino cried. “You need to kill someone, right?! To keep that balance you were talking about?! Then take me!”

I whacked Romano on the back of the head. “OW! The fuck Felice!?”

“Don’t you dare try to trade your life for mine!” I glared.

“Damnit… You didn’t hold back, either… Ow…” Romano muttered, grasping his head.

Oh, he held back, all right. You’re head’s still attached. Yang idly commented, though he knew I was the only one who could hear him.

“Nope~”

“I cannot. One life does not equal another. His life is to end today.” General Winter spoke again, moving towards the twins. Asher was growling, but he knew not to approach the man—to touch him would be death. The nations shivered, unable to see how Lovino had gotten me out of this alive.

“PLEASE! There must be something I can do! ANYTHING!” Finally, the General stopped.

“Anything…?” He asked.

“Yes! ANYTHING!” Lovino shouted, wild hope shining in his eyes. The General paused to consider something.

“Very well. I will spare your brother’s life on one condition… He becomes the new General Winter.”

The nations froze, unable to comprehend the statement. They turned to me, and I flinched into my brother.

Hush… It’s okay… they won’t react like that…

“What? But why him!? I can do it!” Lovino demanded.

“No… He is the one destined to die today. If He becomes the new embodiment of Winter, then he will survive this night. He will become immune to cold and all that comes with it. He will never shiver of cold, nor will he ever contract illnesses of the cold or anything of the like. But be warned. He will become sensitive to heat. He will have to learn how to control his powers and emotions. If he has a large enough lapse in control, he could ice-over the entire world.” The nations shivered at the thought. “But more than that, he will become winter and all that it entails. Winter is not always pretty. He will kill. Many. Whatever winter kills, he kills.” General Winter said. Something clicked for the nations. What I’d said earlier, about how I’m a murderer, and how I’ve killed millions.

“Oh, Italien…” Germany sighed sadly. But none looked more sorrowful than Russia.

“Италия… I am thinking that you are a good person with lots of warm happy smiles. You are no killer…” I mentally scoffed at Russia’s words.

No killer?! Yang laughed.

Uhh… mafia, anyone?

“And you are being a bright sunshine to us all. You are good person. You are not bad.” Russia sent me a small, warm, smile.

Despite the inaccuracies in his words, I sent him one, too. “It’s okay, Russia. You’re a good friend, you know that?”

“I am… friend?” He looked at me in shock.

“Si.” I grinned. I knew just how much such a simple meant to him.

“Alright… If it’ll save my brother… he might hate me forever, but at least he’ll be alive to hate me…” Lovino said.

“Are you sure? There will be no turning back from here on out.” General Winter said.

“Yes. But one question… Why? Surely, others have pleaded as I have? Why have you given only me this chance?”

“Because you and your brother are not human. Humans could not handle my powers. They would die. As for why I’m making this deal in the first place… I’ve been around for billions of years… I’m old and tired. I am worn… I wish for nothing more than Eternal Slumber… By handing over my powers to someone else, I can pass the gauntlet on, and finally sleep.” He said, a wistful smile on his face. “I will stay only long enough to teach him to use his powers. Three Winters. That is all.” He said.

He stayed a hell of a lot longer than that. I mentally snorted.

Isn’t he still around?

Yep. Enjoying his vacation.

“Are you ready?” General Winter asked, kneeling down next to the twins.

“Si.” Lovino said, laying Feliciano on the cold ground. General Winter placed his hands on either side of Feliciano’s temples. He closed his eyes, and concentrated. An icy-blue white glow started enveloping the two. Feliciano’s face scrunched up in pain, but color started returning to his skin. He made no sound.

At last, General Winter stood, holding Feliciano in his arms. “It is done.” He said. He looked lighter, happier than before. As if some great burden had suddenly been lifted.

“Is he alright?!” Lovino demanded.

“He is fine. He will live, young one.” The General said as he started walking out of the cave. The blizzard seemed to part for him. Lovino and Asher followed close behind, staying in the bubble of protection that calmed the storm.

At long last, they made it to the house. The General turned to Lovino. “When he wakes, he will be confused and disorientated.” He pulled out a necklace. It was a beautiful snowflake made of ice on an ice chain. “This will not melt. Have him wear it at all times. It will keep him sane until his training is finished.” The General said, fastening it around Feliciano’s neck. Instantly, Feliciano’s face, which had still been scrunched up in pain, relaxed.

“Sane…?” France asked, but his voice was ignored in favor of watching the memory unfold.

“Head inside. Our training will commence in three days. Have him meet me in the clearing nearby at sunrise. Don’t be late.” He warned, as he vanished back into the blizzard.

Asher and Lovino, who was now carrying Feliciano, walked back into the house, tired, cold, and scared shitless.

“VINO! FELICE!” Emma cried upon seeing her sons. She immediately babied the two boys.

“Momma… I met General Winter today…” Lovino said, making Emma stop.

“Y-you what…?” She knew the legends. To see General Winter meant you—or someone with you—was going to die.

“He came for Felice… I told him he couldn’t take my brother. We made a deal. He made Feliciano into the new General Winter. He’ll start training him in three days… He said he’ll no longer become sick or be killed by snow or cold or anything like that… D-did I do the right thing, momma? What if he hates me when he wakes up? He’s Winter now… He’s strange even by nation standards! He’ll kill millions and blame himself! All because he can’t stop the cold from coming with the Winter! What if he can’t handle it?! I didn’t even ask him! What if he… what if he hates me…?” Lovino looked so sad and scared at the mere thought of his brother hating him.

“Vino, I could never hate you.” I said truthfully. Even after That. I could never truly hate him. “A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole, idiota.” I reminded him.

You really are a saint if you can forgive him after what he did to you. Or me, for that matter.

Yeah, well… I’ve had a lot of time.

Romano smiled, and leaned into me. “I’m the one who’s supposed to call you idiota, idiota.”

The scene changed again. Lovino was sitting beside Feliciano’s bedside once more. The nations realized with a start just how used to seeing this scene they’d become. It scared them a bit, just how easily they accepted seeing Feliciano—me—lying in a bed weak and frail. Again, Yang shifted uneasily in my mind.

What gives? You’re restless today.

I can’t help it! You’re not supposed to be so tiny and fragile and weak!! It’s not right! You’re strong!

Are… are you… Yang… are you worried about me? I asked him incredulously.

So what if I am?! You’re my vessel! Of course I’d be concerned with the durability of our body!

I mentally laughed. You can come out and say it, you know! You’re worried~!

N-no I’m not! Wh-who would care about something that happened so long ago?! It’s stupid!!

Uh, huh. Just admit it, Tsundere~ You’re worried about me~!

NO!

Yang. We share a mind. I can feel your feelings. I laughed internally as he became more and more flustered. I finally decided to let it rest and watch the memory.

Lovino laid with his head in his arms, dozing lightly, as Feliciano started to stir. He cracked open a golden eye, and stared at the ceiling, with a puzzled look on his face. He reached up his right hand and fingered the necklace given to him by General Winter, his puzzled expression only deepening. Finally, he turned to Lovino.

“Vino…?” At the sound of his brother’s voice, Lovino’s head whipped up.

“Felice! You’re okay!” He cried in joy, hugging his brother. Feliciano hugged back, though terribly confused.

“What happened? What’s wrong? Did I collapse again?”

“N-no… You were… You almost died in that blizzard… you fell behind after our hunt, and I didn’t notice until we got home… I… I found you buried in the snow… Well, Asher found you, I just dug you out, and…” Feliciano waited patiently for his brother to continue. “I managed to drag you to a cave… To wait out the storm. But you were dying… I could feel it… You… you weren’t going to make it… Then… then he came… General Winter came for you.” Feliciano stiffened.

“He… came? For me…?”

“Si… I… I struck a deal with him… there was no other way! I swear it! I… I understand if you hate me for it, but…”

“Vino? What is it?” Feliciano asked, scared.

“I… The only way he’d spare you is if you became the new General Winter…” Lovino closed his eyes and cringed back, as if expecting an explosion.

“Okay.” Feliciano said simply.

“O-okay?! That’s it?! I… You’re Winter now! You’ll be forced to kill people!” Lovino cried.

“I know. I know what Winter does to people, fratello. Hell, I’m usually its victim… I guess not anymore, huh? I wonder if I can still die from exposure?”

“No… you can’t. At least that bastard, General Winter, said you couldn’t. He said you’ll never get cold again, and you’ll never get sick from being cold, either.”

“Really?! Awesome! We can have awesome snow days, now fratello! Even in Summer~!” Feliciano cheered.

“I don’t think you really understand, Veneziano.” Lovino said.

“I know.” Feliciano said seriously. “I know I don’t understand yet. I can’t comprehend something I haven’t experienced yet. I don’t feel very different, though…” Feliciano said, as he held his hand out in front of him.

“That necklace you’re wearing dampens your powers, I think.” Lovino said. “He said not to take it off until your training is done. Some shit about you going insane, so you’d better listen!”

“I will, fratello… I promise… and grazie, for saving my life.”

The scene changed once more, showing the brothers and Asher hiking out to the clearing.

“What’s he like, Vino?”

“I’ve told you! He’s big and a bastard!”

“That’s not very nice!”

“I don’t have to be nice! He almost killed you.” Lovino pointed out.

“Indeed I did.” General Winter said, appearing before the children without a sound. The twins jumped, as Asher yelped in alarm, also startled.

“Feliciano Vargas, I am General Winter. I will teach you for Three Winters about your new abilities.” He said, getting straight to business. Lovino and Asher sat beneath a tree to watch.

“You may have already discovered a few abilities. You can create, control, manipulate, and disperse snow, ice, frost, sleet, and cold.” He held up his hand and formed an ice snowflake like Feliciano’s necklace.

“Now you try. Concentrate. Imagine the object’s appearance in your mind, and will it into being.” He said. Feliciano held up his hand, and concentrated. A swirl of icy-blue white energy swirled in his palm before taking shape into a sloppy, but still recognizable snowflake made of ice. It was nowhere near as detailed as General Winter’s, but it was a start.

“Good. Now again. You’ll do it again and again, until you get it to look as detailed as mine. Then we’ll move on.”

“General Winter was a harsh teacher.” I said, catching the attention of the other nations. “He was strict and no-nonsense, but he was kind once you got to know him. And he never breaks his promise. Ever.”

“Da… General Winter can be a very good friend and ally.” Russia said.

“Yes… He once promised to never forget me… He hasn’t forgotten me once.” Canada said happily.

We were treated to a little montage of my training with General Winter. It included both hilarity and embarrassing mess-ups, pranks pulled on Lovino and Asher, and serious training on emotion management and power control. Plus many, many lectures. He talked my ear off, almost literally.

Finally, the day came where my training was finished, and he was to remove my necklace. He snapped his fingers, and the snowflake necklace fell from Feliciano’s neck. A shockwave of pure energy emitted from the child, as he doubled over, clutching his head. A snowstorm kicked up around him, encircling him as he cried out in pain.

“THE VOICES!” Feliciano cried.

“Voices…?” America asked, worried.

“The voices of all those touched by winter.” I stated, creating a mini blizzard in the palm of my hand. “Every life, human or otherwise, touched by my snow, is touched by me. I can see them, hear them, feel them. It’s like the connection to our people. From the old man shoveling snow from his driveway to the little boy freezing to death in the woods. Every nation. Every being. I feel them all. At the time, Vino and I weren’t connected to our nation. We didn’t know about the connection between a nation and their people yet. We hadn’t experienced it. This was my first taste, and I didn’t particularly like it. Then again, it’s probably something akin to joining with your nation in the middle of a large disaster, minus the pain. I could hear hundreds of thousands of people crying out in the cold. Dying. I was only 8 emotionally, you understand. I didn’t know how to handle it. Sometimes, I still don’t.” I admitted.

“They aren’t your fault.” Japan said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

“Ja… You may be winter, but winter has to come at some time. Without death there would be no life.” Prussia said.

“Funny; General Winter told me the same thing.” I told him.

“Feliciano!” Lovino cried out, trying to run to his brother.

“No.” General Winter stopped him from reaching Feliciano. “He must overcome this himself, if he is to truly become the embodiment of winter.”

“But! He’s in pain!” Lovino said, unable to stand there and watch his brother suffer.

“He must overcome this himself.” General Winter repeated.

“V-Vino!” Feliciano ground out through gritted teeth. “H-he’s right! L-Let me h-handle t-this!” Lovino stood back, not happy in the least with his brother’s decision.

After almost an hour of struggling, Feliciano straightened up. “I…” he started, before his eyes glowed white as snow, and power poured out of his every pore. “I AM WINTER!” He cried, raw power lacing his voice. With that cry, another shockwave of energy was released, and the storm calmed.

“Well done! You have become one with your power.” General Winter said, pride shining in his eyes.

“I… I can still hear them… Are they the people touched by winter?” Feliciano asked, visibly disturbed by the voices suddenly appearing in his mind.

“Yes. They’ll follow you until the day you die. I, myself, can still hear them.” He said.

“I see… I suppose I’d better get used to them then…” Feliciano said solemnly; his eyes had nearly lost that innocent sparkle. It was still there, but it had dulled, saddening the nations.

“Vino~ Look!” Feliciano said, creating a snow bunny in front of him, and animating it so it moved like a real rabbit. “I can make you some pets that don’t eat your food, now!” He teased.

“OI!” Lovino started to chase Feliciano around the clearing, starting a major snowball fight. It was hilarious and lighthearted and full of fun, and even General Winter joined in at some point. Feliciano and the General created snow people to join in the war, and it became a frenzy of snow flying everywhere.

“YOU ARE ON ZE AWESOME PRUSSIA’S AWESOME TEAM!” Prussia cried out, causing a few nations to chuckle. The lighter atmosphere was greatly appreciated, after all the pain and sorrow that we’d witnessed so far.

“Ve~”

“Chigi.”

“Hey, dude! California’s in a bit of a drought right now, d’ya think that you could—”

“Sorry America,” I cut him off. “It doesn’t work that way. I have to keep the balance. The last time I let it get outta whack, I almost set off another ice-age.” The nations shivered at the thought. “I’m that powerful. I am the sole embodiment of winter, after all. If I don’t keep a firm hold on my emotions, then I could cause some serious environmental issues. And before you say anything, Global Warming has nothing to do with me as a season. Or Summer, for that matter.” I state, adding a sidelong glance to Romano.

“Aw man!”

“But I wouldn’t be breaking any rules or boundaries if I… made us a little snow-day when we get back~” I say, gesturing to the snowball fight in the memory. Even General Winter was having a blast.

“I was thinking we could invite General Winter to come too, дa?” Russia asked.

“Ve~ Sure! I haven’t seen him for a few decades~ It’d be nice!” I smiled, enjoying the thought.

“Just don’t push yourself.” Romano mumbled to me.

“Si…” I muttered back, before turning to the others. “Grazie… For not abandoning me.” I said, mentally wincing at my choice in words.

“Abandon you?! Why would we do something like that?!” Germany asked.

I ask myself the same question.

“Well… I’ve killed millions of people… humans… even children from every nation. Including yours. Every year. Hypothermia, cold exposure, any number of things. Even suffocation via snow! I… I’ve taken so many lives, and I… I thought you’d hate me for it…” I said, looking at my hands. I can still see the blood…

It’s on my hands, too… Not just yours. Don’t worry… I’ve gotcha.

You always do. I mentally smiled at him.

“Itary-kun.” Japan said, placing his hands over mine. I looked up, startled. He smiled at me gently. “It isn’t your fault. Like we said, your season must come regardless. To have life, there must be death. We may not like it, but it’s necessary. It’s not your fault. You can’t help it.”

“I… I once tried to stop it.” I said quietly. “I tried to stop winter from coming… I held it back for 3 weeks. I nearly died because of it. The rebound nearly caused an ice-age, and I vowed to never hold it back for so long again.”

“Would you happen to have had anything to do with that recent cold-snap in Slovenia?” Canada asked delicately. I flinched.

“Yes. I… I was very sick and in a stressful situation.” I admitted. “I had a temporary lapse on my power control. Luckily, I was able to regain control…” Thanks again for that help, Yang.

Anytime.

“It wasn’t your fault.” Romano said.

“That explains the heavy snowfall in southern Utah…” America muttered to himself. “And the sudden sub-zero temps in different areas of my nation.”

“Wait! You were sick, aru?! Recently, aru?! I thought you said you were better now, aru!” China said, making the other nations’ eyes widen in realization.

“Si. Nation or not, though my immune system is much better now, I can still get sick. Just last month I caught a nasty bout of the flu that had me stuck in bed for days! It was such a pain.” I said.

“So you weren’t at the meetings…?” Japan trailed off.

“Si… I was in the hospital for a while. I was pretty sick a few months back, and I… well… I nearly died again. But anyways, that’s still a ways up. It’s not overly important, so I’m not sure if it’ll even show up in the memories. We’re still only just finishing up our childhood, and then… Oh, Dio! Our teenage years!” I paled rapidly.

“Oh crap!” Romano also followed my lead and started paling. The nations didn’t quite know what to do.

“What’s so bad about it?” America asked. We just looked at each other.

“Japan? Remember what I told you in World War Two…?” He looked at me puzzled, for a moment, before his eyes widened.

“Oh… So it happened then?” He asked, now understanding part of why I was so nervous.

“Si…” The other nations just looked between Romano, Japan, and me.

“I suppose we’ll just have to wait until the memories come, oui?” France finally said, giving me a comforting look. Yeah… Still on my shit list, Francie~! I thought back snidely as I gave him a gentle smile. Sometimes, I wonder what the others would say if they knew what I was thinking.

I turned back to the memory, watching as our past selves played in the snow. Momma had come out and joined us, now. It was all of us. Vino, Asher, Momma, General Winter and myself… We were all playing together in the snow, laughing and having an absolute blast. I smiled, reaching for Vino’s hand. We watched together in contentment one of the last happy memories we had together with our mother. This day was forever ingrained in our minds, and we would treasure it always.

Perhaps, I thought to myself, something good did come from this spell after all? I get to experience these happy times again with my new eidetic memory… I’ll never forget, now. Never. Grazie.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11—Alone

The next memory came up. Lovino and Feliciano were sitting in the living room, their mother asleep on the chair by the fire.

“We’d just celebrated our 48^th birthday.” I said.

“Vino…? Is momma asleep?” The still 8-year-old asked. Lovino glanced at his mother, and nodded his head. Feliciano turned and looked at his mother with a critical gaze, which looked far too old for a face so young.

The nations, too, looked at Emma. Her once youthful appearance had given way to age. Her hair was thin and grey, and her face had many wrinkles and sunspots. Her laugh lines and worry lines were the most prominent. She looked so old and frail. It seemed to happen so suddenly, but the nations knew they’d just been avoiding seeing it. It was always that way with humans—they grew old and died.

“Momma… she looks so old, Vino… I don’t think she has long.” Feliciano said quietly.

“Wh-what are you talking about, Felice!? Of course she has time! She’s mom!” Lovino whispered back viciously, refusing to accept that he would lose her soon.

“But she’s human. Vino, look at us. We’re eight. We’ve been eight for decades, now. She’s already 80. Humans don’t usually live that long… And her hands shake so much, Vino. She can’t even sew anymore! She’s falling asleep so often now, and I… I’m scared… I really don’t think she has long…” Feliciano whispered sadly.

“I… I’ll keep my promise. I’ll always be here for you, Felice. Even when she goes, I’ll be here. Okay? But… She’s mom! She’s not going anywhere for a long while!” Lovino said, getting up. “Come on, Felice. Let’s head to sleep.”

“Okay, fratello…” Feliciano said as he slowly stood up as well.

The scene changed again, and we paled drastically upon seeing our favorite foods spread across the table. “This is our 50^th birthday.” Romano said quietly. The nations sensed that it wasn’t a topic open for discussion, and wisely said nothing.

“Happy Birthday!” Emma smiled, as she greeted the sleepy-eyed twins. We watched the montage of our perfect day. We got our favorite foods. We played our favorite games. It was the most perfect day imaginable. Feliciano even made a light snowfall to play in. And when night came, Emma gently tucked them both into bed, and sat there, singing a lullaby to them as they fell asleep to her running her hands through their hair, carefully avoiding their curls.

Little ones, shut your eyes,

Listen to my lullaby

Angels sweet, don’t you cry,

As I lay with you this night

Precious ones, rest your head

You are safe within my arms,

As you dream, gentle minds,

Together for all of time.

(A/N: The lullaby is up on Youtube as of Sep. 17, 2018 [I made the song myself~!]. The link is in the A/N.)

She kissed them both goodnight, and—for the first time in the memories—spoke in Italian. While she’d spoken it many times already, she hadn’t spoken it in the memories. “Sogni d’oro, my sons. Always remember that I love thee.” She said, kissing their foreheads again, before she slowly backed out of the room. There was a sense of finality as she closed their door; a single tear ran down her face.

The scene changed again. It was early morning, the very next day. The house was quiet as the twins awoke. Too quiet. The nations and twins were both on edge. There was an unnatural stillness all around them.

“Vino…” I whispered, knowing what memory this was.

“It’s okay…” He muttered back to me, also recognizing the memory. I could feel Yang push calm towards me mentally.

“Ve…” Feliciano said upon awakening.

“Chigi.” Lovino replied, smiling softly to his twin.

“Vino? Isn’t it a bit quiet?” Feliciano said, anxious. He could sense something off.

“Yeah…” Lovino said, before sniffing the air and climbing out of bed. The two of them made their way to the kitchen, and froze upon seeing it untouched.

“Mom’s not up yet…?” Feliciano questioned, worried.

“I… guess not… Maybe she slept in. Let’s go check on her.” Lovino suggested, not bothering to hide his own worry in front of his twin.

The nations watched as Feliciano and Lovino headed towards their mother’s room. Opening the door, they found her still asleep in her bed.

“Mom? You okay? You’re usually up by now…” Feliciano trailed off, “Mom?” He and Lovino headed to the bed.

“H-hey…” Lovino started, very pale, and shaking. “Sh-she’s not breathing! Call the doctor!” He cried.

Feliciano was quick to comply, running as fast as he could to the nearby town to call the doctor. The doctor came only to tell them that she’d died in her sleep, peacefully, of old age.

“O-old age…? Bu-but! We still need her!” Lovino said, crushed. Feliciano didn’t want to believe it.

“Y-you’re kidding, right? S-she’s not dead… She can’t be! She’s mom! Mom’s strong! She can’t die!” Feliciano started to cry, “she can’t…” Lovino hugged his brother, as the doctor apologized, and left.

“Oh, Italy…” Germany sighed. The nations looked at us with pity and sorrow. Only America, Canada, and those who knew what it’s like to lose a mother, gave us comforting looks and smiles. We didn’t want pity. We didn’t need it. Our younger selves didn’t want pity either. They just wanted their mother.

The memory changed yet again. It was night, and voices could be heard outside.

“Oh, Dio! No! I don’t want to see this again!” Romano cried, as I felt a strong shiver run down my spine.

“Lovi? Ita? You okay?” Spain asked, drawing the nation’s attention to us.

“No. We’re not. This… this is about 8 months after the last memory… Those of you with sensitive hearing should cover your ears when we warn you…” Romano said, shuddering.

“W-we made a mistake.” I wince at my choice of words. “We… We let people know we didn’t age… We forgot to keep moving after our Mother died… They thought us demons… devils… And the fact that Mom lived to be as old as she did… They thought she was some kind of witch.” I shuddered again, as a few nations paled at the implications of my words.

I’d probably tremble, if I hadn’t been through what I’ve been through.

Yeah, well… Your brother’s in a bit of a tougher boat than you right now anyways. He’d probably appreciate someone who’s not also scared out of their wits.

A few townspeople snuck into Feliciano and Lovino’s room as they slept, being careful not to wake them. Suddenly and without warning, the men jumped the twins, tying them up.

“Oi! What the fuck?!” Lovino yelled, already starting on bad habits of cursing.

“VINO!” Feliciano cried, as they started dragging him away, only for a man to kick Feliciano in the ribs. He spat up blood.

“FELICE!” Lovino yelled, angry and scared.

“If you’re wondering why I didn’t freeze the ropes and break free… It’s because I had my power limiter on. I frequently had nightmares, so I slept with it on so I didn’t cause a snowstorm in July or anything like that… I quickly learned from my mistake. Through my panic and the limiter, I couldn’t remember how to access my powers.” I said quietly. Nobody replied.

Asher growled menacingly before he charged at the man who kicked Feliciano. The men were understandably scared. Asher was a very large wolf, after all, and even with as old as he was, he was surprisingly agile and lithe. Another man brought down his wooden pole on Asher, who flew into the wall hard. With a strangled yelp, he fell to the floor, still.

“NO! ASHER!” Feliciano and Lovino cried. After all Asher had done for them? He was a precious member of their family. The nations cringed at the horrid sight of the memory. To lose their mother and then their companion so soon after one another?

“You heathens shall kill no more!” A man cried, “We know you were responsible for Old Man Harggin’s Death!” He continued, “He wouldn’t have made such a mistake on the farm! You killed him! We know it! You unaging devils!”

The scene phased into another one. One that made the nations blanch sheet-white in horror. Feliciano and Lovino were tied up to a stake, and the villagers were just holding out their torches to light the pyre.

America shuddered, having lived through his fair share of witch burnings. Though they weren’t common at all back in the days of our childhood, these villagers were scared enough to make it happen anyways.

“Burn the devils!” Someone cried, causing cheers to erupt from the crowd. The pyre was then lit. The flames danced closer to a terrified Feliciano and Lovino. Feliciano, however, was tied ever so closer to the flames than Lovino, as well as downwind.

“I’d cover your ears now…” I said, already covering my own ears, alongside Romano. The nations numbly followed my advice just as the flames started licking Feliciano’s feet.

He tried to be brave. He tried to be strong. But it soon grew to be all too much, and he let loose a bloodcurdling scream. Every nation winced, horrified at the sound. Feliciano struggled as hard as he could to break free, as did Lovino as the flames reached him and he, too, started screaming, but they were tied with thick rope, and their wrists and ankles were held together by chains. Chains that were now glowing red-hot.

Romano and I winced, wishing we could rub our wrists as our scars started to twinge, but we dared not uncover our ears for fear of losing our hearing. Prussia and America winced in sympathy. They were both very pale, Prussia in particular. He’s a left-handed albino. He’s probably been through this himself. And America had those Witch Trials... I reminded myself.

It seemed to last for hours. The screaming never stopped. It just kept going. Nobody, man, woman, or child, seemed to care. In fact, they gathered around to watch in glee.

America felt sick. This was too much like the Witch Trials. Only Mexico and Canada—and a handful of states—knew that he, himself, had been caught up in those, too. He had been burned at the stake as well, and on another occasion, he’d been tossed into the river to drown. He was lucky he had his extraordinary strength; otherwise he would’ve had to wait until someone fished his body out of the river to come back to life again. But watching Feliciano and Lovino burning like that… Then the thought that it nearly happened to one of his states? His children?! He felt beyond sick. If he weren’t covering his ears right then, he probably would’ve held a hand over his mouth to hold back the bile. Instead, he swallowed it back down.

Then, when Feliciano and Lovino’s legs were blackened and charred and the flames were already halfway up their bodies, a familiar wolf leapt into the flames.

“No way…” England whispered, but nobody could hear him, as they were all covering their ears. Asher, howling in agony, fought his instincts to flee from the flames, and bit through the ropes that bound Feliciano and Lovino. He could do nothing about the chains.

Feliciano, upon recognizing that Asher was in the flames as well, felt something within him snap. His necklace shattered into a fine white snowy powder as a shockwave of pure icy energy erupted from his body. The flames froze, and the chains broke, but every living thing remained untouched, even as nearby houses were flash-frozen by the sudden influx of power. Feliciano and Lovino crumpled to the ground, no longer having anything holding them to the horrid pyre.

“A-Asher…?” Lovino’s voice was hoarse and bloody from screaming himself raw. Feliciano was in no better shape. Their legs were useless at this point, and they were hardly coherent.

“T-The devil has unleashed his true power!” A man cried, coming out of his shock at Feliciano’s abilities.

“They’ve enlisted the help of the wolves! Kill them!” A woman yelled. Asher, if wolves could have expressions, would’ve looked urgent. Feliciano and Lovino seemed to know what he wanted, and grabbed onto his fur. The faithful wolf dashed away from the enraged villagers at full speed, carrying Lovino and Feliciano with him.

The road was rough and uneven, and the twins cried out in agony as every little bump and jar aggravated their injuries. There was also the added pain of any dirt, sticks, rocks, roots, and whatever else was littering the forest floor that brushed against their legs, literally rubbing them bloody and raw.

Eventually, they came to a cliff. Asher was panting, obviously badly burned himself. The villagers were catching up, and they had no place to go. Below them was a deep canyon with a fast-moving ravine at the bottom, much like the one Feliciano fell off of decades before. They had only one choice. One of the villagers shot an arrow, just as the wolf made his decision.

Asher jumped.

The three of them fell, screaming and howling down the impossibly deep canyon, landing, by some miracle in the water below, just as the villagers reached the cliff-face. The memory blacked out.

Holy shit. Okay… you get brownie points from me.

Gee, after being burned alive as a child I thought I’d get the whole cake at minimum.

The cake is a lie, I thought you knew this already?

Shut up.

“Wh-wha?” Germany couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“That was good dog.” Russia said sadly, knowing that Asher’s injuries were too grave for him to survive without modern medical treatments.

“Si… He was…” Romano said softly. He was particularly fond of Asher… We both were. Asher was like another brother to us. He was famiglia.

“I hoped I was the only one.” Prussia muttered, but everyone heard him.

“What was that, aru?” China asked. Prussia only sighed and lifted up one of his pant legs, revealing a nasty burn scar.

“As a child, I was also thought to be a demon, because of my white hair and red eyes.” He let the pant leg down. “I lost track of how many times I was burned and drowned.” Nobody said anything, but Germany was the most shocked out of everyone.

The memory then came back; a little hazy at first, but then it cleared. Feliciano, Lovino, and Asher were lying by the riverbank, presumably far, far downstream, seeing as they were out of the canyon. Asher had apparently dragged the twins out of the river.

“Unh…” Feliciano was the first to wake up, before he started crying in pain. “V-Vino…” He struggled against his screaming vocal chords and harsh coughs.

“F-Felice?” Lovino asked, also coming to. Then they heard a whimper, and saw Asher; an arrow snapped off in his midsection.

“Asher!” The twins cried, dragging themselves to the last member of their perfect family. Asher whimpered, and licked their hands, almost as if apologizing to them. He had used up all his strength to save them. He closed his deep sapphire blue eyes, and died.

“NO!” The twins cried. First they’d lost their mother, then they were burned alive, and now they’ve lost their last family other than each other. They were weak, scared, and hungry. They were in pain, mourning, and tired. They were cold and wet. But most of all, they were alone.

A rustling in the bushes snapped them out of their shocked and sorrowful stupor. A pure white wolf stepped forward with five pups. She gave them a cursory glance, as she cautiously sniffed them from afar. She then saw Asher. She bound over to him, and nuzzled him, before howling in the most painful, grief-stricken howl the nations had ever heard.

I winced in sympathy. Now, having had a wolf-bonded, I could understand their words. Asher had said goodbye… he was sorry for leaving us ‘pups’… and he was apologizing for leaving his wolf family behind.

“They were mates.” Romano explained. “Those pups are Asher’s kids.”

The puppies then stumbled forward as well, to mourn for their father. After a few minutes, the she-wolf turned her golden gaze to the twins, staring as if trying to convey an important message.

She then yipped, and the puppies came running. Three were Asher’s coloration, one was pure black with golden eyes, and the fifth was a reddish-brown color that matched Lovino’s hair with bright green eyes. The green-eyed pup hesitated, before yipping something back, and bounding over towards the twins, standing in front of Lovino with an expectant gleam in his eyes.

The mother and her four other pups stopped and watched, as Lovino stared at the pup, not knowing what to do. The mother growled a warning, but the pup just sat down, as if to say, ‘I’m staying whether you like it or not!’

Romano and I smiled, remembering this. Lovino hesitantly stretched out his hand, stopping centimeters away from the pup’s head. The pup then pushed his head forward, touching Lovino’s hand.

Lovino and the pup yelped in surprise as a shock ran through them.

“Did you just…?” China asked in awe.

“Si. That is Asher II, my Bonded.” Romano stated proudly.

The memory blacked out there, fading to the darkness as Lovino had this soft smile on his face. “We’re not alone anymore, Felice…” Lovino said faintly before the darkness took over at last.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12—New Arrivals

“Okay, dudes. We need a break.” America announced. I honestly agreed with him, and it looked like everyone else did, too.

“Alright. Everyone in favor of heading back to the Pocket Dimension I created earlier?” England asked. Many nods and affirmative noises were made. “Very well.” He started chanting in Latin again, and with a flash we appeared back in the same living room area as before.

Was it really only a few hours ago? It feels like years… I thought to myself.

You’d think, of all people, that you would be the one most acutely aware of time.

Well, excuse me for being used to a different timeflow than ours.

Ying… it’s been years, now…

But can only a handful of decades really make up for thousands?

“Veneziano? You okay?” Romano asked, interrupting my mental conversation.

“Si. I was just thinking… We’ve seen so much already, and we’re only through our first childhood.” I said.

“Speaking of which, do ya mind cluin’ us in on what to expect in the next chapter of your life?” Prussia asked, kicking back in a relaxed position on the couch, taking up the entire thing. Germany elbowed his brother. “Ow! The hell, West?!”

“Be a little more sensitive!” He chastised.

“Well…” I was about to tell them a little bit, when a flash of light blinded us all. It looked exactly like the light that brought us here. When it died down, two figures stood in the middle of the room.

Oh, fuck no! I didn’t mean it seriously! I cursed fate in every language I knew, as Yang busted his gut laughing his ass off.

“Where are we?” Hungary asked as she looked around at the stunned group of nations. South Korea looked just as mystified.

“Ita?! Oh! You’re okay!” Hungary lunged for me, wrapping me in a gentle, motherly hug. I smiled and clung to her. I may not have wanted her there, but she was very much appreciated.

“Does anyone know what is going on?” South Korea asked, looking at myself and America in particular.

“You might wanna sit down for this one.” America said, gesturing for the two new arrivals to sit down.

“Well… Where to start…” England then went on to explain about our situation.

“Wait…” Hungary said when he’d finished. “You’re saying that we have to watch all of Ita’s memories from childhood to present?! That’s not right! You have to stop this!” She yelled, indignant.

“You really have the worst luck, you know that?” South Korea looked at me with sympathy.

“No kidding.” I replied with a tired sigh.

“We’ve tried. There’s no way out.” Romano said tiredly. “We’ve already gotten through our first childhood, and—”

“First childhood?! What’s that supposed to mean?!” Hungary looked so lost.

“Fuck. I don’t want to explain everything again!” Romano yelled, pulling at his hair.

“Ve~ Fratello~ You shouldn’t pull at your hair like that. You’ll go bald!” I warned him.

“I don’t care! Nations can’t go bald! Look at China! If he isn’t fucking bald after 4,000 years of nationhood—and several centuries of parenthood—then I certainly won’t go bald after 2,000!” He turned to Hungary and South Korea.

“Fine. I’ll explain the bare minimum. Any details, you’ll have to get from someone else.” He said, before launching into a bullet point explanation. He told them about our mother, the circumstances of our premature birth, how I wasn’t supposed to exist—which nearly gave Hungary a panic attack—how we didn’t get along well (he glossed over the murder attempts), bullying, Asher, the whole sickness and poison being our weaknesses thing, how we’ve almost died, like, 5 times, the whole General Winter fiasco—for which I demonstrated my abilities, much to their awe and amazement—our mother’s death, being burned at the stake—nearly giving Hungary another panic attack—and finally Asher’s death and Romano’s bonding to Asher the Second.

“Wow… just…” Hungary was in tears. She charged towards me, and clung to me like no tomorrow. “OH ITA! I’m so sorry you had to go through all that! You never–! And then–! When you were with us–! OH! And Romano, too!” She couldn’t stop sobbing. South Korea looked at me with a helpless shrug. Clearly, I’m on my own with the Death Hug of Doom.

Nope… Yang’s voice sounded as strangled as my voice would’ve been if I’d attempted to speak. I’m here with ya, buddy.

Great, cause that makes me feel so much better. I mentally rolled my eyes.

“Ve…” I gave her a soft smile. “It’s okay. It’s all long past. It happened over a millennia ago, remember? We’ve moved past most of that stuff.” I said.

“Sooo…” Prussia trailed off, obviously wanting something.

“Oh, right. You wanted a little warning of what’s to come, right?” I remembered.

“Fuck. You came at a fucking great time.” Romano said sarcastically.

“Our teenage years are next.” I explained with a grimace. “We… we weren’t exactly ‘model citizens’ if you catch my drift. We were street-rats. Nearly got our hands cut off for stealing on multiple occasions. There’s also… Well, you’ll see… I… let’s just say that if we didn’t connect to our nations when we did, we’d be very, very different than the Italy and Romano you know. The streets hardened us. We were the Mafioso.”

“The mafia?!” Germany cried out in shock.

“Si… Oh, right, you didn’t know… Well, I’ll save you the headache. Felice and I have been Dons of the most powerful Italian Mafioso since its birth. We’ve killed many to protect our famiglia, and control the criminal underworld of our nation; even today.” Romano said. The room seemed to go catatonic.

“Uh… Vino…? I think you broke them…” I trailed off, blowing a bit of ice-breath in Japan’s face. He blinked, but did nothing about the tiny tendrils of frost spreading across his black hair. Huh… He usually handles it so well, too. Maybe it’s because he’s on overload with everything he’s seen today? Must be it. After all, he’s dealt with the Mafioso personally before. He already had his suspicions after seeing us in the field. He runs his Yakuza the same way we run our Mafia. Yang cackled in the back of my mind.

“Whoops.” Romano shrugged, but still looked at the others with interest, waving a hand in front of Spain’s blank face. “Well, we’re heading to bed. ‘Disturb us and die’ and all that shit.” He said with a flippant wave as he walked to the stairs. “Oi! Veneziano! You coming?” He asked, looking back at me.

“Si~ I’m coming, Vino~ Ve!”

“Chigi.” With that, we walked up the stairs and into the same room we used before. Unknown to Romano, I kept listening to the others while pretending to sleep. It took them a full hour to snap out of their stupor and follow our lead to bed. I slept easily that night, listening to the lulls of their heartbeats and breaths. I was quick to fall into the land of nightmares carved from my own memories, haunted by gunshots and shadows and the scream of a young girl who never got the chance to live. I shivered in my sleep. My dreams did not bode well for the future memories…

Chapter Text

Chapter 13—First Kill

I woke up beside my fratello, as always. I smiled, feeling actually good today.

You awake, lazy-ass?

Yup. Ready for anther round?

Si.

You sound stressed.

Well, gee. I wonder why. Not like everybody and their fucking mother’s watching my goddamned memories right now or anything. I answered sarcastically.

Jesus! Sorry! Damn, what crawled up your ass and died?

My ambition, asshole.

You’re no ray of sunshine, either. He quipped. Come on, you’ll need me when we get there. That was pretty traumatic, you know.

Gee, ya don’t say? You realize that your being there was part of the problem initially, right?

No, I was there as a result of the initial problem. Anyhow, you should probably wake up Sleeping Beauty over there. He chuckled.

“Vino~ Time to wake up~ We overslept a bit, and I can smell Miss Hungary’s cooking~” I tempted him. He may never admit it, but he loved Hungary’s cooking.

Romano cracked open a deep green eye. “Food?” He mumbled, making sure he heard right. If he was going to put forth the effort to actually climb out of bed he wanted to make sure it was for ‘a damn good reason’, as he put it.

“Si. Food. Miss Hungary’s.” I said with a playful smirk. He closed his eye again, before stretching.

“Damnit! I wanted to sleep a bit more!” He said, reaching his arms above his head as he spoke. “Ah, whatever. It’s food, so I guess I’ll get up.” He finally concluded.

I chuckled a bit at my brother’s antics. He could be so simple sometimes~ I, too, stretched and got up.

“What memory do you think it’ll start with?” Romano asked suddenly. I grimaced at the reminder of the memories.

“I really don’t know…”

“You have a feeling don’t you?”

“Not one of those feelings, but yes; I have an idea.”

“Well?”

“I’m no fortune-teller,” Romano snorted. “but so far the memories we’ve seen are all important memories to who we are. They were events that shaped us into the people we are today. What was the next significant memory of our young life?” I asked him. Romano paled a bit.

“Our first kill…” He muttered.

“Hmm…” I hummed in agreement. “It was my first physical kill, but your first kill regardless. We were both shaken up.”

“Yeah, but you kept your head; I nearly lost it.” Romano said.

“It wasn’t easy. But I considered my first kill the day I received my winter abilities. It helped that I killed them with it. Besides… I don’t think my mental state at the time could be considered ‘keeping my head’.” I reminded him.

“Y-yeah… Let’s head down to breakfast. I’m starving!” Romano said, heading out the room and towards the kitchen. I sighed and shook my head.

“What am I going to do with you?” I asked myself with a tiny smile.

By the time we got down to breakfast, most everyone was already there. “You overslept!” France said, “Luckily we saved you some breakfast~”

“Luckily?! Considering the fact that you’re watching our fucking memories, I’d say we’ve earned a fucking breakfast.” Romano said.

“Ve~ Vino~ Here’s your cappuccino~” I said, pushing the cup into his hands. He gratefully took a long drink from it.

“No shots?” He asked, disappointed.

“Nope. It’s not in the kitchen, I checked. Only cappuccinos.” I replied, grabbing my own cup and taking a nice long drink. “Ve~ Sorry about him. He’s always a little cranky until he gets his morning coffee~!”

“Oi! Don’t apologize for me bastard! Besides, I did nothing wrong!”

“Sure you didn’t.” I said.

“It’s quite alright,” England said, gesturing to America, who looked ready to drop dead at any moment. “He’s never awake until his fifth cup of coffee… At least.”

“Nineteenth, actually.” Canada corrected, nursing his own coffee, which smelled strongly of maple syrup.

“Nineteenth?! How is he not having a heart attack!?” France asked, shocked.

“This kind of coffee is nothing. You should see what he orders at Starbucks. 19 cups of 6-shot espresso with 5 extra shots; each. He drinks 19 of those, and then he’s awake for the day.” Canada answered. Even I was surprised. Sure I knew he drank a lot of coffee. With as many kids as he has, I don’t blame him. But that much?! He should be on the floor…

Well, he could function just fine in the Mansion without his coffee.

Yeah, but he was human there. I reminded Yang.

“No wonder he’s always bouncing off the walls…” England muttered to himself.

“Aiyaa! I’ve seen the prices there! If you have money to waste on Starbucks like that every day, you have money to pay me back, aru!” China shouted.

“Dude… waaay too fucking early to talk politics… or debts… or anything… Besides, I own a good share of Starbucks, so I drink there for free.” America mumbled, looking into his empty cup. “Mattieeeee~ more pleaseee~” He demanded in a whiny tone. Canada sighed and refilled his cup. Again.

He mumbled an incoherent thanks as he took another large gulp. Where did he get that kind of metabolism? Sure, mine was fast, but he could pack away the carbs like nobody’s business. I was only as fit as I was because of all the physical activity I got between Germany’s ‘training’ (I scoffed at it; I worked harder doing delivery jobs in the mafia!) and the mafia.

Plus, Romano and I sparred often, which was a sight to see... Or it was before the Mansion. America? Sure, he was active with his kids, and he sometimes helped out with the FBI and CIA and other organizations of his country, but he also owed a hell of a lot of his good figure to his fast metabolism.

“Haha. Geez, I knew you drank a lot of coffee, but this is ridiculous!” South Korea chuckled as he nursed his tea.

“Speaking of… any idea how you two got here? Or why?” Germany asked the new arrivals.

“Perhaps because they’re close to Ita?” Prussia shrugged.

“Well, that might explain Hungary, but what about South Korea?” England asked.

“Actually, Yong Soo and I are pretty close. We’ve been good friends for years. Not my fault nobody noticed.” I shrugged.

“Yeah! The three of us are practically a trio!” America grinned, throwing an arm around South Korea.

“You never told me this?” Romano raised an eyebrow in interest.

“It’s a long story, and I’m pretty sure it’ll be revealed soon enough.” I waved it off. My brother shrugged and accepted the answer. We both had things we didn’t tell the other. There was no reason to be hurt.

Don’t you three go pranking together?

Si. Though the three of us have been through some… err… hard times together.

Oh yeah! You were kidn—

Please don’t. I cut him off mentally. It wasn’t a time I liked to think about.

After everyone was fed and properly caffeinated, we sat down in the living room. “Oh, Ita… You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to…” Hungary said, pulling out her frying pan. “I’m sure I can find whoever cast this stupid spell and get them to reverse it!”

“There’s no way out of this.” Prussia said, “We’ve already tried everything.”

Psh! You tried nothing! You just shut up and accepted it!

Yang… you’re trying my last nerve, and it’s still morning.

What can I say? Your ADHD is kicking my ass.

Time, please… I can’t handle you so early… I quietly got up and made myself more coffee as I listened to the conversation. Only Japan, Romano and Canada noticed me get up, but neither said anything.

“But… But! There has to be something!” She demanded.

“The only other way is to kill the one hit by the spell. Since I’m sure we don’t want to kill Italy, our only other option is to watch the memories.” England stated. “Besides, he’s a nation, so as soon as he revives, we’d be sucked back in, so it’s really a moot point.”

I shivered at the thought of one of them killing me, as I sat back down next to Romano. [A flash of metal and angry green eyes—]

NO! I cut off the flashback before I could fall too deeply again—Yang helped me to block it out. Romano noticed my distress, though.

–You okay?– He asked me silently, tapping on my arm in Morse code. I nodded my head.

–I’ll be fine– I tapped on the back of his hand.

–You sure?–

–Si. Just… some bad memories.–

“Ve.” I said quietly.

“Chigi.”

“If you two are done…” America winked at us, showing that he’d ‘heard’ our conversation. Nobody else seemed to notice, though, not even Canada. I shot Romano a look. We need to be more careful.

The others headed towards the Door that would lead us to the next set of memories.

“One last thing.” Romano said. The room paused to look at him. “We take a break whenever either I, or Feliciano deem it necessary. Regardless of where we are in the memory.”

“Fair enough.” Prussia said, before opening the door and stepping through.

“Joy.” I muttered under my breath, stepping through as well.

We found ourselves in the middle of a bustling town. It seemed to be a few centuries later. So we were right then… I thought to myself. Sometimes, I really wish my instincts weren’t always right.

“It’s about 491 BC. We’re 262 years old here.” Romano said as the others blinked at the sudden year jump.

All sorts of people were milling about. The nations looked around themselves in either nostalgia—the older ones—or awe—the younger ones.

“So where are you two?” America asked, not seeing us in the crowd. We didn’t say a word. Instead, we pointed mechanically towards a dark alleyway. The nations looked.

It was decrepit, and shadowed heavily, but they could barely make out two distinct curls hiding under old patched-up hats. The twins looked about 11 now, showing that their aging was slowing down quite a lot. They were wearing old, dirty patched-up coats to match their patched-up hats. They looked like poor beggars. With a start, the nations realized they probably were.

The twins eyed the crowds milling about with critical eyes. Vivid green and molten gold stared with incredible focus. Neither twin had a trace of a smile, and they both wore hard expressions.

Feliciano was the first to make a move. He plastered a soft, innocent smile on his face, as he deliberately bumped into an older lady who looked very well off. She was wearing a fur coat, and expensive jewelry on every finger. She was also rather plump, showing that she had good wealth.

“Oh! Sorry, ma’m.” Feliciano said in a heavy accent. If the nations didn’t know any better, they’d say it was real. The woman looked ready to reprimand him, but stopped when he held up her wallet. The nations raised an eyebrow. If he was a pickpocket, he was doing a pretty shitty job.

“Y-ya dropped this, ya see. I… I thought ya’d like it back… I took nothin’! I swear!” He said, smiling. The woman narrowed her eyes and swiped her wallet back, looking through it while keeping a firm eye on the boy. She raised her eyebrows when she saw that, indeed, nothing was taken.

“I see. Thank you for returning this to me, young man. Take this.” She gave him some coins, and walked off, completely missing Feliciano sticking his tongue out at her back. He walked back over to his brother in the shadows.

“She actually gave you something this time.” Lovino said with surprise.

“Si… I was surprised, too. You got it, right?” Feliciano asked, holding up the handful of coins. It wasn’t much. The woman had been very stingy.

“Do you even have to ask?” Lovino replied, holding up a coin purse. The nations stared.

“Wha—?!” England stammered. “But you! And he?! How?!”

“Huh? Simple. I distracted her by making her shuffle through her wallet, because they’re so trusting these days,” I said, rolling my eyes, “while Vino snuck up discreetly and took anything good in her purse. Sometimes we’ll change roles, and others we’ll do a double-heist, where one of us will take the desired object at the same moment the other bumps into the target. Then there are the times when we ‘snatch-and-dash’ so to speak.” The nations stared at us, the whole thing foreign to them.

Sure, nations have lived in hard times before, but they’d never been on the streets. No matter how bad things got, a nation was never homeless. They’d always have a place to return to with at least some food. They never had to resort to stealing unless their government was completely against them. I believe Japan had to steal at one point in his life, but it wasn’t for food. It was stealing information, weapons, those sorts of things. Back when he was a ninja around the… Meiji era, I believe? When the Tokugawa era was ending and the Meiji Restoration was about to begin. I’m pretty sure that’s right.

“You… you really had to steal to eat?” Hungary asked, tears in her eyes.

“Si… We’d go hungry otherwise. Besides… It wasn’t just us.” I said, turning back to the memory.

“Ve~ Let’s go before we’re caught again. Don’t want Stronzo to find us.” Feliciano said. Germany choked, hearing a swear word come out of ‘my’ mouth.

“W-What did you just say?!” He demanded.

“Ve~ Relax, Germany~ I said Stronzo, I know it means bastard, or asshole, and the like, but we nick-named a particular police officer that. It was really funny, because he didn’t know what it meant! He only knew we were insulting him~! Ve!”

“Ha! I remember him! Stronzo was so much fun to mess with!” Romano burst out laughing. “Remember that time with the chicken?!”

I started laughing uncontrollably. “You mean with the bucket and the cabbage?! HA! How could I forget?! It took him months to grow his hair back!” I laughed. The others just stared.

“Ummm… bucket? Chicken?” Germany looked so lost. I attempted to quiet down my giggles, but one glance at Romano, and we both broke out laughing again.

“N-never mind.” I gasped out through stray chuckles. “It’s too hard to explain.” The others looked distinctly disappointed, but said nothing.

Instead, they followed the twins through the winding backstreets of the city. It was a maze, and the nations wondered how they didn’t get lost. At one point, Asher II joined them. Though he was still a rather small puppy, and his ears were still somewhat floppy. He kept pace with the twins rather easily, and stuck to the shadows to avoid panicking any nearby people. Eventually, they came to a shady looking warehouse. They knocked on the door in a particular pattern.

“Wha’s da pass’ord?” A heavily accented voice asked. It sounded like a man.

“We’ve got it.” Lovino said gruffly, accurately replicating the same accent.

“Hm? Oh! Lovs! Fells! Was wondrin when yous guys’d come back!” The door opened to show a thin, dirty man, roughly 30-something.

“We got the gold, Reg. Now give us our goods.” Lovino said, refusing to set foot in the place. The nations peered inside. They saw dozens of alcohol pots littering the floor. The man was obviously a drunk.

“Yeah, sure.” The man went back inside and returned in seconds. He held at least 4 coats that looked to be in fairly good condition, and three bags of… something.

Feliciano reached up and grabbed the bags. Like his brother, he’d kept his face blank the whole time. He looked in all three bags, before nodding his head. The man, Reg, handed Feliciano the rest of the stuff, and greedily took the coin purse from Lovino.

“Pleasure doin’ business wicha, boys.” He said greasily, shutting the door again. The twins let out sighs of relief as the walked away.

“Look Vino! Four new coats! And three bags of food! This’ll last us awhile!” Feliciano said happily, and Asher barked happily, wagging his tail as he padded quietly next to Lovino, who smiled tiredly.

“Yeah… It will.” The twins walked in silence, taking even more back roads before reaching another rundown place. It wasn’t a warehouse, but a rather large shed that looked ready to collapse. Lovino knocked on the door again, using a particular pattern.

“Who’s there?” A young voice asked.

“It’s us.” Lovino said. Asher barked once to let them know he was there, too.

“What’s the password?” The voice asked again.

“Open the fucking door now, or I’ll fucking break it down!” Lovino snapped.

“Okay! Okay! It’s you!” The door opened to reveal a boy no older than 8. “Welcome home, Feli! Lovi!” The kid smiled, before walking inside. He then saw the wolf pup. “Asher!” He grinned as the puppy yipped happily and proceeded to lick his face.

“GUYS! THEY’RE BACK!” As if someone called ‘fire’ about 4 more kids stampeded into the room, all looking younger than 10. They were all filthy, and ragged and skinny. The nations stared, as Romano and I looked on with soft smiles. Our first famiglia…

“Feli! Lovi!” The kids cried, tackling the two nations in a giant hug. “We haven’t seen yous for days!” One of the kids cried, “We was worried old Mr. Stronzo gotcha!”

“Timmy! Use proper language.” Feliciano chastised.

“Sorry… I mean… We were worried old Mr. Stronzo got you.” He repeated.

“There you go. Knowing proper language pays off, you know. It’s best to get in the habit now.” Feliciano said with a smile. “Now… Who wants presents?!” He asked, a large grin on his face.

The children went wild. “LINE UP!” Lovino called, and the children immediately fell into some sort of organization, with Asher finishing off the line proudly. “Report!” He said sharply.

“Raggis! I’m fine!” The oldest boy with sandy blonde hair, looking to be around ten, said.

“Jenny! I’m also fine!” A brunette girl, also around 10, said.

“Harold! Okey-dokey~” The boy who opened the door said. He looked about seven.

“Harold, be serious! Hazel! Reporting for duty! Just fine!” A dark-haired girl with sharp blue eyes said, gently slapping Harold on the back of the head. She looked 8 as well.

“Timmy! I’m alright!” A red-headed boy with brown eyes said, freckles sprayed across his face. He looked about 6.

“I’m a-okay!” Asher reported diligently, making the nations flinch back in surprise at being able to understand him.

“Well, fratello got hit by the spell, too, technically, right?” I tilted my head. “It’d make sense if we could understand Asher since Romano can.”

“That does make sense.” England nodded.

Oh, this’ll be interesting for sure.

Then there was a pause.

“Where’s Lulu?” Feliciano asked, a look of intense worry on his face.

“Lulu’s not well… She got sick… has a fever…” Jenny said, her hazel eyes shining in worry. Asher whimpered softly, nuzzling Jenny’s hand.

“Who are these children?” France asked bewildered.

“They’re our family. They’re street-rats like us. Rejects. Misfits. We took them in and gave them a home… a family. We’d give them food and clothing and protect them… We’d educate them to the best of our abilities. In return, they’d help us when we needed it. It was a simple relationship. Not easy by any means, but simple. Romano and I were like the older brothers of the group, even though sometimes some of them were ‘older’ than us. They didn’t mind, though. We had more experience on the streets and in the real world than they did. They never questioned our immortality. It was one of our few rules. One of the only other rules was that when they decided to leave, they tell no secrets. Secrets stay secret. No betraying famiglia. Period. It worked, too. Some of them grew to become successful members of society. They made something of themselves. Fun story; Little Timmy there? One of his descendants would one day become our boss.” I said, a proud smile on my face. Romano’s eyes also sparkled with pride. Despite what Timmy did to us, we were still proud of him. I suppose parenthood worked like that—no matter what your kids did, you’d always care for them and love them.

“We did that little ‘line up and report’ thing to make sure everyone was alright after we’d been gone for awhile. If anyone was hurt, sick, missing, or the like, we’d know. It was a good thing, too, because if we didn’t do that, they’d get distracted and forget to tell us something important. No matter how mature they are, children are still children.” Romano added.

“Lulu’s sick? Oh no. Let me look at her.” Feliciano said, before Lovino pulled him back.

“No. I’ll look at her so you don’t get sick, too. God knows we don’t need two of you sick right now. I’ll be fine. You distribute the goods.” He told Feliciano.

“Ve… Okay. Tell her I said ‘hi’.” Feliciano said with a small smile. Lovino nodded as he walked off to check on the child, Asher hot on his heels.

“Lulu was only 4, you know. She was left on the streets as an infant, abandoned in a pile of garbage because she was born blind.” I said, staring after Lovino sadly. “She actually wasn’t completely blind… By some miracle, she was able to gain sight in her left eye. Her right eye is blind, though. That never changed. Vino and I raised her from birth, pretty much. Her first sound was ‘lulu’ so that’s what we decided to name her. We saw her as our own. I’m not sure if I saw her as a daughter or a little sister, but she was ours.” I spoke quietly.

“Si… of all the children we rescue, the ones we raise from infancy are always the hardest to lose.” Romano said softly, a tenderness in his voice that the nations hadn’t heard before.

They watched silently as Feliciano passed out the four coats and rations of food to the starving children. They looked so grateful for something as simple as bread, that it made the nations’ hearts break.

“Feli?” Timmy asked, tilting his head to the side in a confused, innocent manner that made Hungary coo.

“What is it Timmy?”

“I… I was wondering… Where’s your food?” He asked, looking at his untouched bread. The other kids stopped eating for a moment. The older ones—Raggis, Jenny, and Hazel—looked at Timmy and Feliciano with a slightly pitying gaze, before retuning to their food, while the seven-year-old Harold looked at Feliciano with confusion.

“I already ate mine on the way here~ You know how impatient I can be~” Feliciano lied smoothly. Timmy and Harold seemed to accept the answer and went back to eating. The nations, however, did not; and stared.

“Y-you didn’t eat? Ho-how often?” Hungary asked.

“We gave almost all our food to the children. We ate maybe once or twice every other week to keep up our strength… We also would eat just before we’d make a run so we had the stamina. As nations, even partial ones, we can’t die from starvation or dehydration. But they can.” Romano said, refusing to look at the other nations.

“Ve… we didn’t mind, though. The children ate, so we were happy!” I said, smiling widely.

Before they could say anything more on the subject, the scene changed. Lovino and Feliciano were sitting on the roof of the shed, gazing at the stars.

“She’s real sick.” Lovino said.

“You’re worried, you slipped into the accent again.” Feliciano pointed out.

“Course I’m worried! She’s dyin’, Felice! She’s dyin… An’ there’s nothin’ we can do about it!” Lovino cried quietly, his accent thickening.

“I know, Vino… It hurts me, too, ya know… She’s our little angel… The only untainted thing in this backwater street life. I… I jus’ wish… Isn’t there somethin we can do?! Anythin’!”

“She needs medicine, Felice! She’s got the Fever! She ain’t comin outta this unscathed… If she comes outta this…” Lovino said quietly. Feliciano sighed heavily.

“I… Vino… I can’t lose someone else. I… We lost Momma and Asher… I… I’m not sure I can lose a kid like this. Tyler was bad enough—”

“Don’t mention T–… that name… I… I can’t…” Lovino said harshly.

“I… I’m sorry, Vino. I slipped. Mi dispiace.”

“No, it’s… I’m sorry I snapped, Fratellino.”

“Ti voglio bene, fratello. Ve.”

“Ti voglio bene… Chigi.”

“Lovi…?” Spain asked, unsure.

“Ty—…” Romano sighed, still unable to bring himself to say the name. “He was the first child we rescued.”

“He was only three, and had been abandoned by his abusive parents. We took him in as our own, and raised him as our son. We re-named him. He was happy… so happy… Then, when he was 14… he… he got sick… Real sick…” I said, starting to slip back into my old accent. I caught myself, and forced myself back into my actual voice. “We’d already told him we were nations, or immortal at least. He was so innocent… He… he never made it to his fifteenth birthday. He…” I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Tyler had always been a sensitive topic for Romano and I… More so Romano than myself, as the two had been more father and son, while I had been more like the doting uncle.

I felt strong arms wrap around me. I looked up into America’s gaze. I was so shocked… America and I were good friends, sure. But he’d never been good at the whole comfort thing…

“Alfred?”

“Just cry, Feli.” He said softly. “It’s hard to lose a child…” He looked off into the distance with a wistful glance. “I’m sorry you know what that feels like.”

And so I did. We both did. Romano and I sobbed into Spain and America respectively. I felt so light afterwards… So feather-light… When was the last time I’d cried like this? I couldn’t remember… It had been at least a century, though… Oh, no… I remember now… It was Holy Rome.

That sob-fest was the closest thing I’d come to laying my soul bare since I’d lost Holy Rome… My dearest… Acel…

The scene in the memory changed again, drawing our attention. America released me from the hug.

“Grazie…” I whispered just loud enough for him to hear. America just smiled softly and ruffled my hair, careful not to touch my curl.

“You’re welcome.” He whispered back.

“Hey… um… Not to sound ungrateful or anything, but why’s the puppy still alive? It’s been over 200 years, right?” Spain asked with his head tilted.

“No, he’s a bonded.” China explained. “A nation will sometimes bond with a single animal, who then shares the nation’s immortality. They also share a mental link and can understand the entire species, as we’ve seen with Asher.”

“Ja! You totally can! Why do you think Gilbird is still around? He’s my bonded!” Prussia proclaimed, sticking his chest out proudly.

“So you’re bonded to a chick,” America pointed to Prussia, “you’re bonded to a Dire Wolf mix,” he pointed to Romano, “and you’re bonded to a carrier pigeon?” He pointed to France, who nodded thinking of Pierre.

“Don’t forget~ You’re bonded to a horse, and I’m bonded to Kumajiro~!” Canada smiled.

“Oh yeah!” America grinned. “I keep forgetting he’s your bonded. I suppose that makes sense, seeing as he can talk.”

“You’re bonded to a horse?” England asked, surprised.

“Yeah, man! Spirit’s awesome!” He grinned. “He usually just hangs around the house, though.” America turned back to the memory as Feli and Lovi started talking.

“Are you sure this’ll work?” Lovino asked Feliciano. The two of them were sitting in a dark alleyway, looking for all the world, like they were up to no good.

“It has to.” Feliciano said with finality. “I can’t lose her, Vino… I can’t. Not like this.”

“Okay.” Lovino sighed. “It should come soon. The carriage has the medicine she needs… but it’ll be heavily guarded. Swords and knives and the like. Please be careful…” Lovino said, trying desperately to get his twin to listen.

“I will be. Don’t worry so much, Vino~” Feliciano chirped, touching the stone wall, and causing some tendrils of frost to slither out. “You have Winter on your side, after all.”

“Don’t you dare go getting an ego on me! That’s what killed Jeff!”

“I know.” Feliciano said, flinching at the mention of another dead child.

“Sorry.” He quickly apologized. Feliciano dropped it.

“There it is!” Feliciano whispered, pointing to the carriage.

“Right…”

The scene changed again.

“WHAT?! Where’s the Awesome Action?! The fighting?! The Awesomeness!?” Prussia demanded.

“Sorry… apparently the fight wasn’t that big of a deal… It’s what came after the fight…” I said darkly.

It showed Lovino and Feliciano trapped in an alleyway. In Feliciano’s left hand was a bottle of the medication that they so desperately needed. Three very large men were closing in as two equally large men stayed back. These men were well-muscled and knew how to fight. Hungary and Spain looked ready for a panic attack… again…

The three men came closer, backing the twins up against a dead-end. “Fuck! We’re screwed!” Lovino cursed, before letting out a stream of curses in rapid-fire Italian. Feliciano looked down at the medicine in his left hand, before looking up again, a raging fire in his eyes.

“No! We can’t let it end here! For Lulu!” Feliciano said, but his words did little to help the situation. It was still dire. The three men each held sharp swords in their hands, and looked ready to go in for the kill. Something in Feliciano seemed to click… or snap, depending on how you looked at it.

“Romano. Stand back.” He said in a calm, dead serious voice that left no room for argument. It wasn’t a request; it was an order. Lovino jumped at the sound of his actual name. He hadn’t been called that in decades, after all. He did as told.

“F-Felice…?” He asked, not knowing what his twin was going to do. Feliciano closed his eyes for a second, as if mustering up the strength to do something. The nations noticed his mouth moving in a rapid, silent prayer.

“…please forgive me; may God have mercy on my soul, Amen.” He said, before he charged forward.

“NO!” Hungary cried, watching as the blade came for him. He caught it with one hand. Blood dripped from his palm, but ice rapidly crept over the blade, and he broke it into tiny pieces. The three men paused, shocked at the display of unnatural power. Feliciano used this to his advantage. He coated his right hand in sharp ice, turning his fingers into a spear, and slammed it into the man’s chest, running him through. Ice rapidly encased the man, as he fell and shattered. He didn’t think about what he’d just done. He moved like a man possessed, and repeated the action with the second man, before ducking under a swipe from the third, and grasping his face. He screamed in agony as he was frozen solid from the inside out.

“Don’t mess with General Winter.” Feliciano said with a horrible, hollow tone. His body started oozing a white energy… the very essence of winter. Lovino’s breath became visible, showing that the temperature had dropped drastically. Ice and frost crept out from beneath Feliciano’s feet, and trailed along the walls around him. He went to kill the other two, who looked ready to charge. He turned his gaze towards them, his eyes shining a soulless white.

The nations stared in horror. He had lost control. He had snapped, and killed humans. That was understandable, given the circumstances… And to see such a young(ish) child kill so efficiently and coldly was highly disturbing on its own, but he seemed to be… enjoying it. The thought sickened them, but they knew it wasn’t Feliciano they were staring at. Those were not his eyes.

I looked on in horror. While I had been mostly aware of my actions during that time, I had never realized just how… dangerous and wrong I looked. I looked like an angel of death, sent by Lucifer himself. Romano trembled beside me, as I wrapped him in a gentle embrace.

“Chigi.” I muttered to him.

“V-Ve…” He replied, grasping onto me.

“FELICE! NO!” Lovino cried, as he went to kill the last man—the other one had run—who had sunken to the ground and pissed himself. Feliciano didn’t listen. He continued his slow, agonizing advance, smirking as the man trembled in terror.

“A demon, am I? I’ll show you just how much of a demon I can be.” He said. His voice sounded wrong. Layered, as if several voices were speaking on top of Feliciano’s voice. It was higher and deeper at the same time. Every word dripped with power, as his every step caused ice to continue to spread.

Lovino lunged forward, grabbing his brother’s arm before crying out in pain, and pulling back; his hand showed signs of severe frostbite. Still, even then, Feliciano advanced.

“STOP IT! STOP IT NOW! GIVE HIM BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER! VENEZIANO!” Lovino screamed, falling to his knees and sobbing. Feliciano paused, grasping his head as if in pain.

“R-Ro…man…o….?” He stuttered out in broken speech. Lovino looked up, shocked… hardly daring to believe that he’d somehow gotten through.

“Y-yes! YES! It’s me! Please come back to me, Feliciano! I need you!” Lovino cried desperately.

“P-ple…ase… h-he…lp… me…” Feliciano panted, clearly fighting something for control.

“How?! How can I help you?!” Lovino demanded, desperate to do something.

“T-the… l-lulla…by…” Feliciano stuttered. Lovino knew instantly what he meant, and, without question, started to sing their mother’s lullaby. As he sung, Feliciano seemed to calm down, the white tendrils of energy fading into harmless snowflakes. His eyes slowly faded back to molten gold. Feliciano fell to his knees, exhausted, and sobbed.

“Vino!” He cried, looking at his bloodstained hands. “I… I… Oh, God! What have I done?!” He sobbed, hugging his brother tightly. He then caught sight of Lovino’s hand. “NO! I… I even hurt you!? I really am a… a monster! A demon! They were right! I am a killer! Look at what I’ve done!” Feliciano wailed; his heart-wrenching cries made the nations wince and cringe.

“Shhh. Shhh… It’s okay Felice… I’m here. I’m not leaving you. You’re not a monster. You’re my brother. It doesn’t even hurt, see?” Lovino lied, flexing the injured hand and fighting off a horrible wince.

“It does! I’m so sorry! Vino! God! I’m sorry!” He cried; the guilt was overwhelming.

The fifth man, forgotten in the alley, saw his chance. He grabbed a nearby dagger and slowly crept up on the hysterical twins. The nations glared. If there was one thing that pissed off nearly every single nation in the whole fucking world, it was a coward that would strike while the enemy was defenseless and/or in the middle of a mental/emotional breakdown.

He readied the dagger, preparing to plunge it into Feliciano’s back, when Lovino spotted him. “Look out!” He shouted, pulling his twin to the side just in time to avoid the fatal blow. Lovino glared hell at the man. Without much thought, the man charged. On pure instinct, Lovino picked up a nearby sword from one of the fallen men. He dodged the blow, and leapt to the side, but the man kept running. He was going for Feliciano.

“DIE! DEMON!” He cried.

Lovino didn’t think. His brother was in danger, and that was all that mattered. He took his sword, and stabbed it right into the man’s back, somehow managing to run him completely through. Lovino stood still. Even Feliciano froze. He removed the blade. The man slid off of it with a sickening wet sound, and fell to the ground, very still. Lovino had splatters of blood on his face and his arms and hands, though admittedly Feliciano had much more blood on his person. He let the sword clatter numbly to the ground, unable to comprehend what he’d just done.

Lovino Ve Vargas, and Feliciano Chigi Vargas had taken their first lives. They had both lost control on some level, and it terrified them.

“V-Vino…?” Feliciano asked feebly after sitting there for who-knows-how long, still unable to look away from his blood drenched right hand. Lovino made some sort of noise in acknowledgement.

“I… I think we should go now… Lulu… she… she needs her medicine…” Feliciano stuttered out, looking at the bottle in his unstained left hand.

“R-right…” Lovino said. The two brothers, no physically older than 11, walked back to their abandoned shack filled with hungry kids, stained with their first blood. The haunted, jaded looks in their eyes saddened all the nations. Russia, particularly, who treasured the innocence of children above all else.

“Vino…?” Feliciano asked suddenly, as they stumbled up to their home. “A…are we…? Are we demons?” Lovino was silent for a moment.

“No. We’re just a couple of street-rats struggling to survive. By any means possible. Yes. We k-killed, tonight…” They both looked a little green at the reminder, before Lovino continued on. “But… It was to protect our family… Remember, Felice? Famiglia Before All.”

“Si… I remember… Maybe… We can’t protect them forever, Vino… But I never want them to be stained like this…” Feliciano said, looking at his bloody arm again.

“Nor do I, Felice… Nor do I…” Lovino agreed. “But sometimes, life’s a fucking bitch, and there’s nothing you can do to fix it or make it better. So we’ll just have to deal with it… One day at a time, Felice… Just… One day at a time…”

“Ti voglio bene, Fratellone. Ve.” Feliciano said.

“Ti voglio bene, Fratellino. Chigi.” Lovino replied.

The nations remained silent. This wasn’t something that they could comfort us on, and they knew it. Every nation had killed at some point. Well, micro-nations, not so much, but the full nations had. Even Sicily. But it’s different… Killing a human to protect your nation is one thing, but in self-defense when you’re mentally eleven years old is something completely different.

Romano and I had noticed… when we connected to our nation our thought process sped up. It changed us… we realized later on, that during the time before we connected to our nation, our minds worked somewhere between that of a nation, and that of a human. Even still, though our minds are now wired like nations, some parts remain hard-wired like a human’s. Part of that is self-preservation. It’s why we’re so prone to running away.

We’re called cowards because we have the self-preservation instincts of a human, not an immortal nation. Nations, by their very nature, are brave in the face of death. They instinctively know that they cannot die permanently. Romano and I, however, don’t have that. In a life-or-death situation, we take it like a human; with a mortal mindset. Which is why wartime is so hard for us. Sure, we’ve fought on the battlefield, but it doesn’t make it any easier. The mafia is different… It’s different because we’re protecting famiglia. We’re protecting each other. But it never makes staring death in the face any easier.

I sighed as I watched our younger selves sneak past the sleeping children, to the wash-area, and start washing off the blood. “Ti voglio bene, fratello…” I mutter to my brother, as I lean against him. The whole thing was rather… draining.

“Ti voglio bene, fratellino.” Romano replied, also sounding tired. The memory started to change, and we braced ourselves for the next onslaught of memories.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14—Lulu

Romano and I stiffened greatly as the next memory faded in. We were back in the shed, and the children were all asleep underneath their coats. They were huddled together in a big group for warmth.

The twins looked to be about 14 now, a great change from the 11-year-old kids they were just a memory ago.

“This was… four years after the last memory.” I said, swallowing hard.

“Only four?! Dude, you had a serious growth-spurt!” America said, a large grin on his face. The others looked grateful for his lightening the atmosphere, but Romano and I couldn’t enjoy it; we knew what was to come. Nothing happy was ahead, not really. The only ‘happy’ memories ahead started when we were found by Grandpa Rome. That wouldn’t happen for long time. We didn’t bother to really count the years. They just kinda… blurred by. We never told Grandpa Rome about our mafia either, come to think of it…

“What about the girl, aru? Lulu?” China asked. Romano and I flinched.

“Oh… Mon Cher, I—”

“She lived.” I cut France off. “The medicine worked. Lulu survived without any permanent side effects. She’s eight in this memory… She’s over there, if you’re wondering.” I pointed to the little girl in the sleeping heap. She had white-blond hair, and deep blue eyes, though they were closed at the moment. Her right eye, I knew, was a milky white, though.

Feliciano and Lovino were just pulling on their own coats and hats, getting ready to leave, when Lulu grabbed the back of Feliciano’s shirt.

“Lulu?” Feliciano asked, crouching down to her level. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“I… You can’t leave! You can’t!” She cried in a soft whisper.

“What? Why not?” Lovino asked gently, bending down to her level.

“I… I have this terrible feeling… Please! You can’t go!”

“Lulu…” Feliciano said softly, placing a comforting hand on the top of her head. “We’ll be fine. Lovi and I go out on runs like this all the time! We’ll be all right. We always come out alive, and that’s what matters.” He gave her a bright grin.

“No… Not… I can’t explain it… I just have this feeling… no; it’s stronger than that… I know… I know that something bad is going to happen if you go… Please stay! PLEASE!” Her voice had been growing steadily louder, and had woken up the other children.

“Lulu?” A ten-year-old Timmy asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “What’s up?”

“Sounds like she doesn’t want Feli and Lovi to go out again…” A 14-year-old Jenny stated. “Man… I wanted to get some more sleep before heading out to work, but alright…” She complained, grabbing a 14-year-old Raggis and pulling him up as well.

“Hey!” He complained. “I can manage to go back to sleep!”

“Yeah, but then you’ll be late for work again!” Jenny shot back. Raggis just grumbled and begrudgingly put on his own coat.

“Please…” Lulu said again, her dark blue eye shining with tears.

“I…” Feliciano looked conflicted for a moment. I held my breath. Please… Believe her… If you don’t… “I’m sorry, Lulu, but we need the food. Raggis and Jenny may work jobs, now, but they can’t pay for all of us. If it makes you feel better, we’ll do a small run. Only what we need. We’ll make it fast, okay? Back by dark? And if we aren’t, you can come and find us, okay?” Feliciano compromised. “And we’ll leave Asher here with you.” The pup yawned sleepily and nodded his head.

I bit my lip. I couldn’t cry now; this happened centuries ago! I just… If I had listened to her, could I have made any difference? Her ability was just like mine, but mine hadn’t developed by that point. Vino’s hadn’t either.

“Felice…” Romano nudged my shoulder slightly, pulling me from my dark thoughts. “It wasn’t your fault. It was both of ours. I didn’t listen either.” He whispered to me. I sighed, but nodded my head. Vino’s right… But I did feel something… a sense of foreboding…

Hey! This was forever ago! Millennia for you! It shouldn’t bother you anymore…

Are you trying to be a dick? I mentally snapped back at him.

I’m trying to be a good brother, damnit!! I’m not good at this sort of thing… JUST FUCKING FEEL BETTER!!

That’s not how that works. I mentally deadpanned, though I appreciated his effort.

Feliciano looked at Lulu. He hesitated for a moment, before reaching into the pocket of his old patched-up jacket. The nations barely caught the frost creeping out—the only evidence that Feliciano had used his winter powers again.

“Here. Take this; it’s a special charm. If you really, really need me, just talk to me through it, and I’ll come.” Feliciano said, pulling out a beautiful crystalline snowflake on a silvery ice-chain. The nations marveled at the detail of the snowflake.

“Wow~” Lulu also saw its beauty. She gently took it from Feliciano’s hand, and put it on. It was a perfect fit.

“We’ll be home soon, okay?” Lovino said, patting Lulu on the head tenderly.

“Hey! Can I come, too?” Timmy asked, hurriedly putting on his jacket.

“Sorry, but you’re too young, still.” Feliciano said with a smile. The ten year old frowned and pouted.

“But I’m 10! I’m old enough!”

“Not yet, you aren’t! You know the rules. You start street-training when you’re 13, if you haven’t found a job by then.” Lovino said. “Speaking of which… don’t you have somewhere to be today, anyways?”

Timmy looked away from the twins. “N-no…”

“He’s a terrible liar.” South Korea commented quietly, noticing the morbid mood that Romano and I were in. He didn’t know what, but something happened. He just hoped that if it was as bad as he was thinking, that he could help us out somehow.

“We’re off!” Jenny called, as she dragged Raggis out the door.

“Ciao! Be careful and safe! Watch out for each other!” Feliciano called after them. They waved back, showing that they heard him.

“Hey… someone’s missing…” France pointed out. That other girl… Hazel… She was gone.

“Ah, yes… Hazel…” Romano started sadly. “She got into a bad run… She got hurt real… Er… pretty badly.” He forced the street-accent away. “She lived, but was crippled. She lost her left arm—from the elbow down.” He then smiled. “Though just a year and a half later, she found a job, and by this point, she’s working hard as a well-paid maid of a wealthy businessman. Engaged. She went on to have a good-sized family.”

The nations let out a sigh of relief, having feared the worst when Romano had paused.

“Harold! Watch over Lulu, Belle, and Kou, okay?” Feliciano said.

“Yeah, yeah! Go on and bring back some grub, okay?” Harold, now 11, waved them off.

“Belle? Kou?” China asked, confused. He didn’t remember those names in the introductions in the last memory…

“Belle and Kou were two of the newer street-kids we added to our famiglia over the past 4 years.” I explained, pointing them out. “That’s Belle.” I pointed to a pretty young girl, about 8, with long, curly brown hair, and sparkling hazel eyes. “And that’s Kou—though his real name is Kouki.” I pointed to a 6-year-old boy. He had short black hair, and dark brown eyes. He was obviously Japanese.

“Nani?” Japan could feel this boy. He didn’t expect to be able to feel the boy as he did his own people. Especially since this was a memory, and the boy—being human—was long dead.

“What is it, Japan?” China asked.

“I… He’s one of my people. I can feel it.”

“You can?” I asked, surprised. “He…”

“He was almost sold into slavery.” Romano said heavily, picking up where I left off. I shot him a grateful look. “We were on a run, and saw the exchange point. The kid looked about ready to keel over, and so we rescued him before the buyer showed. He didn’t know the local language much, but as nations, we were able to understand him enough to teach him. From what we could understand, he was brought over from Asia with his parents, who were later killed in an accident of some kind. He wouldn’t say how; he witnessed it himself, so we never pressed him for it. But his… older brother…” Romano hissed the word, hating that such a person could be called a brother, “sold him into slavery for his own personal profit.” He spat, feeling the need to cleanse his mouth of the whole thing.

Japan was livid. He didn’t show it, but his fists were shaking hard. How dare someone betray family like that! How dishonorable! “Arigatou for saving him.” Japan said tightly with a deep bow of gratitude. He appreciated that Romano had told him the entire story. He felt, as the boy’s nation, that he needed to understand the child. Even if he was dead and gone.

“Kou~ Belle~ You two be good for Harold, okay?” Feliciano called. The two children looked up.

“Okay~” Belle chirped happily, her personality reminding the nations a lot of Feliciano’s own happy personality.

“Hai. Be careful… come home safe, Aniki…” Kou said softly. Japan smiled. It’s good to know that he’s found himself a good family, then.

“Oh! And Kou?” Lovino said, as Feliciano handed his brother a wrapped parcel. It was small, and wrapped in something that was likely pulled out of someone’s trash, but it was fairly clean and looked to be wrapped with care. The Japanese child looked up at his two older brothers.

“Happy birthday!” They smiled at the same time. The child blinked, confused.

“It’s been a year since you joined the famiglia~ That’s your birthday here, silly!” Feliciano explained. Kouki’s eyes widened in excitement as a small smile played on his lips. He carefully unwrapped the gift, to reveal a small dagger. It wasn’t new, but it was still very well taken care of. It obviously cost quite a pretty penny.

“This is… for me…?” He asked in awe.

“You’re giving a six-year-old a weapon?!” Hungary asked, shocked. I flinched back slightly—women were scary when angered!

“Technically, he’s seven now!” I said, before Romano quickly jumped in, saving my ass from the wrath of her frying pan.

“It was a hard life on the streets! In our famiglia, back then, they’d get some sort of self-defense weapon at the age of 7, or one year after joining the famiglia, whichever is applicable. We always taught them how to use the weapons before we gave it to them, so they wouldn’t hurt themselves or the other kids. As much as we wanted to protect their innocence, it’s just not realistic here. If they die because they didn’t know how to defend themselves, that would be on us.” Romano said, wincing heavily at the last part. The nations didn’t miss my flinch, either, but kindly ignored it for the time being.

Kou’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the gift. “A-arigatou! Grazie mille!” He said, hugging Feliciano and Lovino tightly, a large grin on his face.

The nations chuckled. He seemed to have a personality similar to Japan, so the sudden outburst was rather entertaining for them. The fact that the child bore a striking resemblance to his home-nation made it all the better.

“The kids kinda picked up some Italian from us, even though the language itself wasn’t around yet.” I smiled softly.

“Don’t forget—” Lovino started, before Kouki cut him off.

“Famiglia before all.” Lovino looked a little surprised at being cut off by the normally timid child, but then chuckled and rubbed the child’s head.

“Si. Famiglia Before All.” He said as he and Feliciano stood up.

“Be good everyone~ We’ll be back by dark at the latest~!” Feliciano said, before turning to Timmy. “And you have a job interview to get to.”

“Aww~ But I don’t wanna!” Feliciano gave him a sharp look. The nations blinked at how much like a father the twins looked. Timmy grimaced, and sighed in defeat. “Fine. I’ll go.” Feliciano nodded his head in approval.

“And don’t forget to wash up before you go!” He called back to the stubborn child.

“Yeah, yeah.”

Feliciano and Lovino smiled softly at the children. “Ti voglio bene, famiglia~” They called in sync, as the children replied similarly.

With that the memory faded to the next one. Lovino and Feliciano were crouching on the roof of a building, looking for something.

Romano and I grasped each other’s hands for comfort, knowing what we were about to witness… again.

The sun was lowering, showing that it was about an hour or so until dark. “We’ve got the goods… let’s head back, yeah?” Lovino said, his street-accent starting to shine through again.

“Si, let’s—”

“HA! Found ya!” A man appearing to be in his late twenties cried out as he stepped into view. He had short dirty-blonde hair, and watery blue eyes. He had this crazy, victorious grin on his face. “You little punks won’t get away this time!” He declared.

“Ah, Stronzo! I was wondering where you went off to! It’s been awhile!” Lovino said with a happy grin, as if greeting an old friend.

“Si~ How’ve you been?” Feliciano tacked on. This, of course, only angered the man, who started to turn red.

“So this is that cop that kept giving you trouble?” Germany asked.

“Si. Stronzo was so entertaining~!” I chirped, trying to ignore what was still to come.

“Stop playing around, rat! I’ll get you this time! You’re under arrest! I’m going to make sure they get your hands for this one!” He glared.

“Haha! Good luck, Stronzo.” Feliciano stressed.

“THAT’S NOT MY NAME!” He cried out angrily.

“No, I’m pretty sure that Stronzo is your name.” Lovino confirmed with a small nod.

The cop charged them with a sword, hoping to hit one of them, but they easily sidestepped him, and he went running off the side of the—fortunately short—building.

Everybody winced as they heard a very loud THUD. The nations—and the teenaged twins—looked over the edge to see what unfortunate fate had befallen their favorite cop. He was lying in a garbage heap, dazed and undoubtedly bruised. But he was alive and relatively unharmed.

“Well, we’ve got to go. Things to steal, people to terrorize, you know.” Feliciano commented casually to the downed man.

“Really? You were taunting him? It’s a wonder you don’t still have issues with law-enforcement…” America said.

“Hello? Mafia?” Romano reminded the nations, who winced.

“Riiiight… By the way, if I catch you guys doing anything illegal in my country, I won’t go easy on you.” America warned us, while casually checking his nails.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less. And if we catch you messing with our Famiglia, we’ll treat you like Stronzo, here.” I replied with an easy smirk, making a few nations blink in shock.

“Haha! Challenge accepted!” America grinned. Of course, he wasn’t planning to mess with us or anything. He was, however, planning to see if he could catch us without bringing the law into the picture. He was a pretty good detective, despite what the other nations might think.

“Heh. Good luck, Stronzo.” Romano teased. America huffed.

“Come on, I’m not nearly as idiotic as him.” The superpower nation pointed to the cop still lying in the trash.

“Good point.” Romano shrugged.

Feliciano and Lovino started walking away, heading towards home. Feliciano suddenly missed a step, and stumbled with a loud gasp.

“Felice?” Lovino ran back to his brother who was hunched over, clutching at his heart. The nations stiffened. Was something wrong with Feliciano?

“S-something’s wrong! We need to get back now! Lulu! She’s calling!” Feliciano gasped out, as he took off at full speed towards the shack they called home. It only took Lovino half a second to follow his panicked brother.

A moment later, though, Lovino also doubled over in pain. “A-Asher!” He cried out, tears pricking his eyes.

It was dark by the time they finally reached their hide out. They stopped at the ominously open doorway. It was too dark to see inside. The nations stiffened… It was too quiet.

I clutched Romano like a lifeline. I couldn’t see it again… but I couldn’t find the strength to turn my head away either. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw it again. I felt Romano clutch me as well. This wouldn’t be easy on either of us. I felt Yang send me calm and comfort from my mind, as well.

Grazie, fratellino.

Prego, fratellone. I could practically feel his blush.

Feliciano and Lovino hesitantly walked into the shack. The scene before the nations was horrific. Blood everywhere. The children were dead. Asher was laying in a heap discarded in the corner.

“I-I thought they were…” France looked at Asher and the children in sorrow.

“Asher’s immortal, since he’s my bonded. He’ll revive like a nation, don’t worry about him.” Romano’s voice was quiet and subdued.

“No…” Feliciano breathed, unable to take his eyes off the scene before him. I couldn’t look away either. Neither could Romano.

“C-check for survivors!” Lovino commanded, as he forced down his bile to check the bodies for a pulse.

“R-right…”

Japan bowed his head. The nations all did. These were children… and they were murdered.

“Belle is dead. So is Raggis.” Lovino’s voice came from the other side of the room.

“He and Jenny had come back from work early that night…” I explained numbly. The nations didn’t say anything. They knew apologies wouldn’t do anything to help.

Feliciano looked to his left. “Harold is dead, too.” His voice broke, but he refused to let the tears fall.

“So is Jenny.” Lovino’s voice called back.

Feliciano got this panicked look on his face when he realized that three children were unaccounted for. “Where’re Kou, Lulu and Timmy?!”

Lovino’s eyes widened as he and Feliciano rushed out the back. There, they found Lulu.

Her body was cut up in multiple places, and she was obviously tortured. Her left eye—the one that could see—had been gouged out of her socket while she’d been alive. It was floating somewhere among the carnage. Her hair had been cut nearly to the scalp, and she’d been flayed open. The snowflake that Feliciano had made for her that morning lay in the cooling pool of her blood; smashed to pieces.

The nations looked on, horrified. How could anyone do such a thing to a child?!

“Look.” I said, numbly pointing to the fence behind Lulu. Someone had written a message in her blood.

Come find me… Demons. The message read. The nations stared.

“LULU!” Feliciano cried. He ran to her, and fell to his knees beside her, not caring that he was kneeling in a cooling puddle of blood. He reached out, and hesitantly touched her skin. It was cold. Too cold. “No… NO!” He cradled her in his arms, and sobbed. “Lulu! I’m sorry! I should’ve listened to you! If… If I had… I'm so sorry!” He repeated apology after apology through his sobs. Lovino, as well, had fallen to his knees in defeat. He then caught sight of the message.

“F-Felice…” He whispered in shock, staring open-mouthed in horror at the message. It took Feliciano a few minutes to calm down enough to look at his brother. Lovino only pointed to the fence.

When Feliciano caught sight of the message, the nations expected to hear another sob of horror, or for him to cry out in rage. Instead, he gently placed Lulu down, and closed her eyes before standing up and walking over to the fence. The blood was dried. His eyes darkened. No longer did they appear to be happy molten gold. Instead, they had a distinctive gleam to them that the nations recognized as someone who would do anything for vengeance. His eyes had a fuchsia glint.

He punched a hole in the fence. “I will find you. And I will make you suffer for killing famiglia.” He promised. The nations shuddered. They’d never seen me angry before.

Ice and frost started to form around Feliciano’s feet. His eyes shone with icy blue specks, but they were mostly golden. My eyes widened. No… “To think… even back then…?”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you.” Romano said.

“Huh? Oh, just… thinking aloud…”

Was that you? I asked Yang.

Maybe? I am a personification of your anger and hatred, so it’s entirely possible that I’m a reflection of your winter powers or something, and that’s why my eyes are icy-blue?

Yang’s eyes were icy-blue, but other than that and his white hair, he looked just like me. Well, he also had freckles. It had never occurred to me before that he could be a representation of my General Winter powers.

“Y-you really are a monster!” The nations jumped in shock—as did Feliciano and Lovino. The twins whipped around to see Timmy, covered in blood, but relatively unharmed, staring at Feliciano with fear and horror.

Feliciano immediately reigned in his abilities, but it was too late. “Timmy! You’re alive!” He cried out in relief. Feliciano took a step towards the boy, only for the boy to take a step back.

“S-stay away, you monster! Demon!” He yelled, making Feliciano freeze, a look of terrible shock and pain crossed his face before he smiled softly at the boy.

“I know you’re scared, but it’s us. Feliciano and Lovino.” He tried again.

“Yeah… Timmy, it’s okay. Are you hurt? Where’s Kouki?” Lovino tried diffusing the situation, but it only made things worse.

“No! You… you knew?! Those men came and killed everyone! They were looking for you! They said it’s what we deserved for working with monsters!” Timmy glared at the twins, hate and fear shining in them. “They’re dead because of you!” He shouted. Feliciano and Lovino recoiled as if they’d been slapped. Romano and I couldn’t help but flinch at the harsh words.

“You haven’t aged in all the time I’ve known you, but then age by three years in four! You’re not normal! You’re not human! You’re Monsters! Murderers!” He stopped, taking a few deep breaths, as if steeling himself for something. “I’m grateful that you showed me how to survive the streets. For that alone, I will not hunt you down and kill you myself. But I cannot stay with things like you. I’m leaving the Family. If it could ever be called that in the first place.” He muttered the latter part to himself, but the nations caught every word. He turned around, before he continued speaking. “Never contact me again. If you do, I will not be held responsible for what I will do.” He said, and with that, the young boy left without looking back.

“How terrible, aru…” China whispered to himself, unaware that I could hear him.

“Oh, Ita…” Hungary wrapped both Romano and me in a hug, and cried. I held back my tears easily with only minimal effort. I had a long, long, time to practice, after all. Romano let a few stray ones run down his face, but nobody said anything on the matter, for which we were grateful. Lulu was still a sensitive topic, and I’d honestly blocked out what Timmy had said all those years ago.

I gazed at my past self, as he sank to his knees and sobbed, mourning the loss of the entire famiglia. South Korea just looked on saddened.

“Fratello?” Feliciano asked, looking just as broken as the day Emma died, if not more so.

“Si…?” Lovino asked, turning to look at his little brother. Lovino, himself, looked hollow, like he was numb inside and out.

“We can’t let this happen again.” Feli said. “We need to get stronger. We need to protect our famiglia. And train them to protect themselves. We won’t always be around to save them, and perhaps… perhaps taking in children wasn’t the best thing to do…”

“You know why we can’t let adults join the famiglia. They’d ask too many questions. Besides… I like helping the children.” Lovino said, looking to Lulu.

“Si… I do, too. But… maybe we should start helping the children indirectly? That way we don’t put them in danger.” Feli stepped numbly forward, back towards what used to be their home. “We can let adults join if we’re more… distant.”

“Felice.” Lovino said suddenly, sounding stern and hard. Feli jolted in surprise and turned to his brother. “What are you going to do from here?” He asked, making it sound like the most important question in the world. And in a way, it was.

Feliciano paused for a long moment, carefully looking over his options. “I don’t know.” He spoke slowly. “But all we can do is move on. And we can start by finding out who killed Lulu and the others, and bring them down.” He finished darkly.

“Si. I agree. We’ll send their soul to burn forever in the Netherworlds; even if we have to sacrifice ours to do so.” Lovino agreed.

“Si. For Famiglia. Souls be damned.” Feliciano looked back at the message on the fence. “You want a demon? Fine. Now you have two. And they’re after your blood. Don’t beg the Devil for mercy, because he just sent us.” He chuckled darkly under his breath.

A good number of nations shivered at his tone. They’d never seen Feliciano so… hateful. So ready to kill. Was this really the same Northern Italy that sang and made pasta all day and waved his white flag? The same nation whose motto was practically ‘make pasta, not war’? How little did they honestly know about the two brothers?

Lovino had a matching murderous look in his eye. These two were out for blood. They were going for the kill, and nothing would stand in their way.

The scene finally faded out, but the vicious glares of gold and green eyes wouldn’t leave the nations’ minds for many centuries to come.

Words: 4,256/4,356

Pages: 9

A/N: Wow, look! Another update so soon! Don’t count on the continued pace, though. This one was already written, so I wanted to let you all know that yes, I’m still here, and no, I’m not discontinuing anything. I’ve recently started another fanfiction (I’m sorry!) that’s surprisingly not Hetalia related. It’s actually a Rise of the Guardians fic. I couldn’t help but try my hand at it! Jack Frost has so much angst potential, having been alone for 300 years~! And I thought a change of characters would refresh my writing for these fics. Don’t worry, though, the fanfics I have posted now will be my first priority. And my RPG (Which I’m planning to update this month!! [October of 2018]) Let me know if anyone would like to see me branch out beyond Hetalia, though. (Just for kicks, I once tried a ‘characters watching the show’ fic with The Batman while the Young Justice crew watched. It was… interesting. Wanted to get to the ‘big reveal’ of Robin’s past. :P Yeah… didn’t get that far.) I am seriously looking forward to Hetalia Day~! Anyone going to the one in Escondido, CA?

Edited: 07/09/2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 15—New Profession

Nothing was said as the scene faded out and was replaced with a new memory. There were two figures covered in dark black hooded cloaks that hid their features well. They were standing in an alleyway, shrouded in shadows. The nations had learned by now that any double suspicious figures were likely Feliciano and Lovino.

The twins stayed in the shadows of the alley for what felt like hours, before an expensive-looking wagon passed by. Without a word or signal, the twins dashed forward, one of them hopping on to the side of the closed wagon, while the other slid underneath. Neither made a sound and both remained completely undetected, even as one of them slit the throat of the guard beside the driver.

It was done so efficiently, that the driver didn’t even notice that the man beside him was dead. The nations stared in shock. It was like watching a couple of shadows kill, and Japan in particular was strongly reminded of the ninja his nation was famous for.

The nations didn’t realize that the other twin had snuck inside the wagon until they saw him slip out the door. Without any more time wasted, they slipped back into the shadows of another alley. A successful assassination.

The memory shifted before anyone could really start to register what they’d just seen. The two shadows stood before another, equally shady character. This man was dressed in an expensive-looking cloak, and his eyes darted around nervously. He held a pouch in his hand, heavy with gold.

“It’s done?” He asked quietly, his voice sounded greasy and oily. One of the twins nodded, and tossed a ring to the man. It clinked to the ground. He quickly bent down and inspected it closely, before nodding with a large grin. “Yes, yes. You two do deliver! Now, about the payment…” One of the shadows reached into a pocket, keeping his hand concealed. The oily man tensed. “Now, now! No need to get violent! I have it here! The agreed amount! I just… was wondering if we could barter a bit on the price, I mean, it is a little high…”

At some point one of the twins had nabbed the pouch, and was looking through it to make sure the amount was what they’d agreed upon. And that it wasn’t forged. He glanced at the other shadow and nodded, stepping back and disappearing into the darkness.

“Oh, um… all right, then! Very good, very good.” Before the man could say anything else, the other shadow also vanished into the night.

As the next memory emerged, the nations finally seemed to break out of their stupor.

“Assassins for hire?” England asked. His tone wasn’t accusing. In fact, it was more curious than anything else. Then again, he was a former pirate. He’d likely run across many contract killers in his time sailing.

“Si. This was a good number of decades after that last memory. We’d become rather well known for our… services. Best money could buy.” Romano explained, his chest puffing slightly with pride, even after all these years.

“Yeah. But what we were really after was information.” I told them.

“Ah, still trying to figure out who did it?” Prussia asked delicately, not wanting to bring up the last memory so soon.

“Si. And we weren’t getting any closer. It was so frustrating, but we’d made a name for ourselves.” I answered. “Everyone in the shadows knew our names.”

Wait… you were assassins, or Assassins?

Haha… Both, actually. Though we didn’t officially become Assassins until much later… Ezio actually brought us into the fold, but I’m not sure it’ll show that…

Why wouldn’t it?

Just a feeling…

The memory shimmered again, showing the twins, now devoid of their cloaks, relaxing in a rather nicely refurbished warehouse. “Well, that was another bust. No new information. Why is this stupid cult so hard to find?!” Lovino scrubbed aggressively at his hair, letting out a frustrated growl.

“Calm down, fratello. Don’t make yourself bald before you turn fifteen.” Feliciano teased. The two still looked only to be fourteen years old, though they had a decidedly darker air about them. Lovino was lazily cleaning and polishing a bow, while Feliciano was playing with daggers, seemingly bored.

“You realize how much you remind me of your 2P right now?” Canada spoke up, startling the group.

“Woah! When did you get here?!” South Korea exclaimed, pointing at the quiet nation.

“I’ve been here the whole time.” He growled out, giving him a glare that caused the dark-haired nation to take a nervous step back.

“O-oh, I see! S-sorry about that! My family always says I’m not observant!” He quickly amended, not wanting to piss off the violet-eyed nation any more than he already had. After all, even Russia was intimidated on some level by Canada.

I chuckled, sharing a knowing glance with my brother. It was, after all, very unwise to anger a Canadian.

“Ugh! Fratello, I’m bored!” Feliciano’s voice brought the group’s attention back to the scene before them. “I could use a good lay…” He muttered, causing Hungary to choke on her spit.

“WHAT?!”

“Oi! We were fourteen! We had hormones running through our bodies for the first time. You didn’t really think we were virgins, did you?” Romano smirked, raising an eyebrow.

“If you wanna go have fun, find a brothel or something. I’m comfy.” Lovino said disinterestedly.

“Humph. But that last time, the three of us had so much fun!” Feli pouted.

“Yeah, but I’m not in the mood right now.” He shrugged.

“Oh~ A threesome?” Spain waggled his eyebrows.

“Shut up! You really think we didn’t experiment?” Romano defended himself.

“We don’t exactly have a preference. We’re bi. Or would the term now-a-days be pan?” I tilted my head.

“Whatever. We were hormonal teenagers discovering shit for the first time, okay? Lay off. You all had that phase, too.” Romano shot a look to Spain, France, and Prussia in particular. Though privately, I doubted that Germany ever had that phase.

“It’s nearly dark, can’t we go now?” Feliciano changed tactics.

“Our target won’t be there until after dark.” Lovi reminded his brother.

“I know, I know. Our target will arrive at that shady-assed brothel just after dusk, right?”

“Right.” Lovino glanced out the window. The sun hung low over the horizon, nearly touching the ground. He sighed. “I suppose it is about time for us to head out.” He relented.

“Yay~!” Feliciano cheered, grabbing his black cloak. He tossed another to his twin. “Come on~”

“You are way too happy.” Lovino deadpanned.

“It’s not like I like killing people.” Feli defended. “Okay, well, maybe a little, but they deserve it! We only take the jobs that kill the corrupted people in power and the jackasses who hurt other people. What’s so wrong in enjoying cleaning up the world a bit?”

I noticed that America shot me a questioning look. “What is it, America?” I asked quietly.

“You sound… like a different kind of assassin…” He glanced around, making sure nobody else was listening in.

I smirked. “Nothing is true.”

He blinked in surprise before smirking back. “Everything is permitted. Good to find a fellow member among the nations.”

“Fratello’s one, too.” I nodded my head in his direction.

“Mattie’s not part of it explicitly, but he’s a sympathizer. He’ll support me when I’ve got missions.”

“A Hunter and an Assassin…” I whistled lowly. “Heavy workload.”

“Don’t forget father.” America chuckled.

“That’s a dangerous line of thinking, aru.” China muttered to himself. “Do you still think that way?” He asked, looking between the two of us.

“Sometimes.” I admitted. “But more often than not, my reasons aren’t so black-and-white, nor are they entirely moral.”

“So what if we like the thrill of a good fight? It’s in our blood. There’s a reason why our grandfather had so much land. He also loved fighting.” Romano crossed his arms disinterestedly as he watched our younger selves head to the meeting location.

The scene flashed again, and the cloaked twins were standing in front of a very wealthily dressed, very dead man.

“STOP!” A few men ran into the room, brandishing swords. It seemed the police had arrived—or the equivalent thereof for that time.

“Stop, huh?” Feli asked, holding his hands up in surrender, his back to the new arrivals.

“So we’ve finally caught the infamous Shadows of Death.” The lead officer said, his brown eyes glittering with excitement. He had long black hair, which was tied back into a low ponytail. The two men on either side of him had equally long hair, both a lighter brown.

“Turn around! Slowly, and keep your hands where we can see them.” He ordered. Slowly, Feli and Lovi turned to face the men, though their hoods kept their facial features hidden in shadow, their eyes seemed to glow out of the eerie darkness.

As quick as a flash of lighting, the two engaged the three men; the sound of metal against metal filled the room, before Feliciano impaled the one with an icicle that he hastily created with his powers. He quickly ducked and spun, narrowly avoiding having his head cut off by the lead cop. Lovino had just incapacitated his foe, as Feliciano knocked the blade out of the cop’s hand. He created an ice-sword, and held it to the man’s throat, when something akin to recognition flashed in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” Lovino asked, wondering why his brother stopped.

“No way…” He lowered his hood, causing the man at his feet to gasp.

“F-Feliciano?!” He cried in shock.

“Kouki? Y-you’re alive?!” Feliciano shakily dispersed his sword, taking a step back.

“Lovino?” Kouki turned, looking at Lovi, who’d also lowered his hood. “You two are the Shadows of Death?! But why? Why become murderers?!” He glared at his former caretakers.

“To avenge those who killed everyone.” Feli answered after several moments of hesitation. “Do you hate us?” He asked, his golden eyes were guarded.

Kou was silent for a moment. “After you left, we were attacked. These men came in, looking for you. Nobody wanted to sell you out, so we kept our mouths shut. They tortured some of the older kids… Then they killed them. I managed to hide, early on. I’m not even sure how I managed it, anymore, but I hid beneath Jenny… she shielded me. Timmy was the one to sell you out.” His bangs shadowed his eyes for a moment. “He was terrified of dying. He told them everything he knew about you two, much to the horror of those of us left alive. Lulu was so mad. She started telling him off, but… But those men took her outside. I never saw what happened to her, I just know she died. Timmy ran off somewhere. As a ‘gift’,” he snarled, “they let him live. The damn coward ran. I wasn’t able to catch anything of value, except that the men were after you.” He sighed, looking up at Feli and Lovi. “I don’t hate you two. I don’t blame you two. They told us you weren’t human. That you were devils or something. Evil, they said. That you were immortal, and should be killed. I didn’t believe it. None of us did, except Timmy, apparently. Know that everyone believed in you till their last breath. I still do. So what if you’re immortal? You saved us. All of us. That’s not evil.” He smiled.

“You…” Feli had tears running down his face, as his shoulders slumped with relief. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Of course I am.” He smirked. “I suppose I have the same goal as you do. I’m hunting down that stupid Cult, too. We’re just doing it from different angles, I suppose.”

“Well, whatever the case, I’m glad you found your feet.” Lovino smiled softly, ruffling Kou’s hair.

“H-hey! I’m not a kid anymore!” He protested, playfully slapping away Lovi’s hand.

“You’re a kid to us!” Feli reminded him.

“Yeah, well, still!” He pouted for a moment, before smiling. “I’ve got a wife and three kids, now. I’m going to protect them… no matter what. And to start, I’m going to extinguish that group that murdered my first family.” He reached into his boot and pulled out the knife that Feli and Lovi had gifted him with all those years ago.

“You kept it?” Lovino raised an eyebrow.

“Of course. It was a gift from the men I consider my fathers.” He smiled, and Feli and Lovi flushed.

“Just don’t get too caught up in revenge.” Feli warned him.

“Like we’re ones to talk?” Lovi raised an eyebrow at his twin. “We’ve been hunting them down, too!”

“Y-yeah, but he’s human!” Feli defended.

“And we’re mostly mortal. Not much of a difference, except we don’t age.”

“Anyways, I should get going.” Kou said, wincing as he looked at his downed men. “Did you have to kill that one, Feli-Otou-san?” He asked, nudging the man Feliciano had stabbed earlier with his foot.

“Self-defense.”

“Eh, he was a jerk, anyways.” Kouki shrugged as he checked on the other one. “Good. Jack’s alive. He’s a good man. A little single-minded, and terribly blind when it comes to the law, but still a good man. He has a kid on the way.” He smiled.

“Oh, glad I didn’t kill him, then.” Lovi glanced out the window. “We need to get going, too. Our job is done. We need to go receive our payment.” He said, bringing up his hood again.

“You’re right, fratello.” Feli sighed. “It was good to see you again, Kou. I’m really, really glad that you’re okay.”

“I’m glad you two are okay, too.” He smiled. “And don’t worry. I’ll make sure to tell everyone about my daring and dangerous encounter with THE Shadows of Death, and how I barely survived.”

“Don’t get too dramatic.” Lovino deadpanned, as Feliciano also brought up his hood and approached the window.

“Till next time, Kou~” Feli grinned and waved as he and his brother hopped out the window, allowing the memory to fade again.

A/N: Wow, sorry it’s been so long, guys! I’m back to holding down two jobs, but rest assured, I’m still writing~! (Though Chrome Shelled Hetalia and HetaOni: Italy’s Story have been my main focus as of late, as they’re almost finished!!)

I apologize for any inconsistencies, and the lack of general reaction from the viewers in this chapter, but there was a lot going on, and they’re all kind of shell-shocked. Don’t worry~! We’ll see more of the viewers later, after they break back to the Break Room.

I will add more people in later, including the 2Ps, so look forward to that, as well, though that’s not for a long while.

I will likely speed through their time with Grandpa Rome. While it was an important part of their childhood, it was not a main focus point thereof, and I’m looking forward to them getting into trouble with the other nations later on.

For the record, this memory takes place in 486 B.C. I state this only because I actually put forth the effort of calculating this shit out, so I wanted to put it there so it wasn’t for nothing. They are 267 years old here.

They will get their revenge in the next chapter (at least, that’s the plan.) So look forward to it~! :D It may be short. If that’s the case, I’ll update it sooner than the length of time it took for this chapter.

Please review~! ^^ I always check for new reviews!

Pages: 5

Words: 2,163 /2,356

Posted: 12/17/2018

Edited: Jul 9 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 16—Revenge

“I’m very relieved to know he’s alive.” Japan sighed in relief.

“I know! At least some kind of good came out of that terrible nightmare.” China said, observing the next memory.

The twins were once again standing in an alleyway with their black cloaks on. “We finally tracked the bastards down.” Lovino smirked.

“It’s about damn time.” Feliciano huffed, gripping an ice blade in his left hand.

“Wait, you’re left-handed?” America asked, surprised.

“I’m actually ambidextrous. I got bored, so I learned to use my non-dominant hand, my right, just as well as my left.” I chirped happily. I’d enjoy watching us get our revenge again.

“Dude… there’s such a thing as having too much time on your hands.”

Oh, America. You have no idea.

Hey… are we doing anything interesting yet? I heard Yang ask with a tired yawn.

Nah, not really, just about to watch my past self get some gory revenge. Go back to sleep, lazy-ass.

So… nothing new, then. And I’m not lazy.

I mentally chuckled.

I can always rely on you to make me pull my head out of my ass and laugh, regardless of how macabre your jokes may be.

You’re welcome.

The cloaked twins made their way silently into a rather extravagant house, silently taking out the guards as they went. They moved like the shadows they appeared to be. Some of the nations even lost sight of them a couple of times.

Finally, they came to a room with a rather simple door, which Lovino promptly kicked in.

“Wh-who are you?!” An older man, with grey receding hair and more than a few wrinkles stood abruptly from his chair behind the desk. He wore expensive clothing, leading the nations to believe that he was the one they were after.

“Marceus, I presume?” Feliciano’s smooth voice betrayed no emotion.

“Again. Who are you? Where are my guards?” The man demanded, reigning in his fear as best he could.

“Oh, they’re… otherwise indisposed.” Lovino smirked. “They won’t be coming to join the party, I’m afraid.”

“As for who we are… We are the Shadows of Death.” Feliciano’s voice was menacing, and the man shivered in fear.

“Why would you come after me?!”

“You told us to come and find you, did you not?” Lovino lowered his hood, mirrored by his brother.

“Si, he did. You wrote it on the fence thirty-three years ago in the blood of an innocent little girl.” Feliciano’s golden eyes flashed icy-blue for a moment before he regained control, though ice still spread beneath his feet.

“N-no! It can’t be! You haven’t aged a day!” The man cried in disbelief.

“Of course. We are demons, after all. Wasn’t that why you wanted us dead?” Lovino replied easily, twirling his knife idly.

“Don’t bother trying to escape. You wanted us to find you? Here we are. Now it’s our turn to avenge all those children you murdered.” Feliciano calmly strode towards the man, who backed up against the wall behind him.

“Y-you don’t understand! I-I-I was ordered to do that! Really! I was only following orders!”

“Oh, please. We’ve done our research. You are the head of the Crimson Warrior Cult. You did what you did because you were under the impression that we were housing the souls of some sort of devil, and that by taking out what we held precious, we would be ‘freed’ and ‘eternally grateful’ to you. That we would do your bidding.” Lovino sneered at the man sniveling before him. “You were wrong. But you did unlock our inner devils. But we’re anything but grateful. Now it’s our turn.”

The nations looked away as Lovino drove the dagger into the man’s eye, carefully carving it out with a sickening squelch. Feliciano joined in, slowly freezing the man’s blood. They made it slow. Lovino using physical torture, while Feliciano used his winter powers.

It took the man almost an hour to die, and neither twin left the man until they were sure he was well and truly dead. Luckily for the nations, the scene had sped up, so it was only about three minutes instead of fifty.

“Man, remind me never to piss you off.” Prussia looked a little green.

Nobody really knew what to say. Any nation was capable of torturing another being, but very few actually did it. It was not usually something that they needed to do, nor was it something one typically enjoyed.

The scene faded and the two, without the cloaks this time, sat on a bench, waiting for someone. Asher, much to the nations quiet relief, was laying at Lovino’s feet, still a puppy, though he was a bit bigger, now. His ears were straight, and no longer floppy. A tall figure with long black hair and eyes approached the two, sitting beside them. His hair was peppered with gray, and lines aged his face.

“Hey, Kou.” Feliciano greeted easily. Kouki reached down and scratched Asher behind the ears, who licked the older man just as eagerly as he had with the other children. Kou smiled.

“I heard you took care of him.”

“Si. We did. It’s over. They can rest easy, now.” Lovino leaned back, watching the sunlight filter through the trees.

“What are you going to do from here?” Kouki asked, tilting his head.

“I’m not sure. We don’t really need to worry much about money, what with our side business and all.” Feliciano closed his eyes in thought. “I suppose we’ll just try to help as many people as we can.”

“I’ve been wondering this for awhile, now… Why don’t you age?” Kou asked hesitantly.

“We’re Nations. Immortal beings that represent our land and people, or something like that. I’m not entirely sure what that means, but we were born too early. So the only immortal thing about us is that we don’t age. And we’re really, really hard to permanently kill.” Lovino answered.

“Rather, I think we can die if someone kills us, but we can’t really die from accidents like a broken neck. We heal really fast, so stuff like that fixes itself before we die, die.” Feli explained.

“Huh. So are there others like you?” He asked, staring off at the horizon.

“I… don’t know.” Lovino looked at the ground. “We’ve never met or heard of anyone like us… For all we know, we’re the only monsters of our kind.”

Feliciano shot him a sharp look, but didn’t correct his brother. “It’d be nice to meet some other people who don’t age, though.” He smiled as he looked up at the clouds. “I wonder if maybe they could answer some of our questions?”

“For all we know, there are no others like us.” Lovino butted in, wanting to stop any ‘false hope’ his brother could have. “There’s no use in getting your hopes up about it if they may not even be there.”

“I see… I wonder if Nippon has someone…” Kou looked off in the distance.

“Nippon?” America asked, confused.

“That’s what my name used to be. It changed to Nihon after the Wars.” Japan explained, watching Kou with a touch of sadness.

“Ah, I see.” America nodded his head.

The three sat there for a good while, watching as the sun eventually fell below the horizon. “I hear there is great fortune to be found in the west. The great City of Rome has much to offer.” Kou spoke suddenly, breaking the peaceful silence.

“Rome, huh? I’ve heard that, too.” Lovino hummed. “Maybe we will go check it out. Not like we don’t have the time.”

“I’m in.” Feli grinned. “I love seeing new places~!”

“Guess that settles it, then.” Lovi smirked. “I somehow doubt we’ll see you again, Kou. But I hope you and your family live long, happy lives.”

“Thank you.” He smiled, looking off at a very pretty brown-haired woman with hazel eyes. “My wife is here, so I suppose I should get going. Did I tell you I’ve just had my fourth child? My second son!” He grinned proudly.

“No, you didn’t!” Lovi lit up. “What’s his name?”

“Lovino.”

“Huh?”

“His name is Lovino Feliciano. After you two.” Kou laughed at their stunned faces. “I wanted you two to live on, somehow, even after you continued your journey. Now your namesake can continue to look after my family for generations to come.”

“That was so sweet!” Hungary smiled, resisting the urge to coo at the young infant held in the woman’s arms.

“We should go.” Feli reminded his brother. “It’s nearing sundown.”

“You’re right. Even we don’t want to be caught out after dark. Farewell, Kouki. I hope to meet your descendants someday.”

With their final goodbyes, the scene faded out with the last rays of the setting sun, leaving the nations once more in the Break Room, courtesy of England.

A/N: Holy shit, guys! Not only do I update three stories in one day (yesterday), and upload a oneshot today, but I’ve updated TWO FUCKING DAYS IN A ROW! WHAAA?! What is this magic?!

I thought you’d appreciate it, though. We’re just about to wrap up this Arc, and soon, they’ll meet Grandpa Rome~! (Though he, unfortunately, won’t get much screen time.)

Words: 1,432/1,475

Pages: 3

Posted: 12/18/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Amarantha

“So, I imagine everyone’s tired.” England started awkwardly.

“I’m tired, but not ‘go to bed’ tired, ya know?” America shrugged as he flopped down on the couch.

“I know what you mean. I think it’s because we’ve been standing for so long.” China gratefully sat down in one of the plush armchairs, his bones creaking and popping as he settled.

“You’re starting to sound old, again.” Japan warned, a playful smirk on his face.

“Oh, don’t you start! Even though you’re only half my age, you’re still one of the oldest countries here.” China protested.

“Just because I am also old, does not mean that you are not still old.” Japan chuckled softly before heading towards the kitchen. “I’ll go make us some tea.”

“Coffee…” America groaned, half-melting into a pile of mush from lack of caffeine.

“Uh… your brother’s melting. Is that normal?” Prussia asked Canada.

“When he hasn’t had his coffee? Yeah.” Canada sighed. “Come on, Al. Don’t melt completely. I’ll make you your afternoon coffee.”

“Really?!” America sprung up, solidifying suddenly. “Aw, man! You’re the best!” He grinned.

“Yeah, yeah.” Canada grumbled as he followed Japan to the kitchen.

Half an hour later (and several cups of coffee for America) showed the nations gathered around the living room area talking amongst themselves about everything but the memories.

I turned towards my brother. “You know, it’ll probably have her next, right?” Romano’s shoulders slumped.

“I know. I’m sort of excited to see her again, but…”

“You’re terrified of the pain, aren’t you? I feel the same way with… Holy Rome.” I admitted, looking down.

“I’m sorry.” Romano reached out and squeezed my hand in comfort. “I’ll get through my part so I can support you in yours.” He smiled softly.

“What luck we have, eh? Not only have we both loved and lost, but we can’t even keep those moments and memories private.” I sighed, leaning back in my chair. The ceiling suddenly became the most interesting thing. I started picking out different pictures in the texture. “I don’t suppose we could just sit it out or something?” I smiled bitterly. “There are some memories I don’t even want you to see.”

“Really? Well, I suppose that makes sense. A lot of things have happened without either of us there for the other. But… you wouldn’t keep anything big from me, would you?” He raised a concerned eyebrow.

“Not unless I had to.”

“So that’s a yes, then.” He sighed. “You have a really bad habit of hiding things that you feel will hurt others.”

“So I care about you. Is that really so wrong?” I shrugged, tapping out a mindless rhythm on the arm of my chair.

“No it isn’t. But not trusting me to help you is. What if you got hurt? I don’t know what I’d do with myself if something happened to you because you were too damn stubborn to share it with me.” He crossed his arms. I closed my eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze at the moment.

“Then it’d be my fault. Not yours.” Because it was my fault. And it always will be.

Oi…

It’s true.

No, it’s Adelchi’s fault.

“Idiota. At least promise me that if you can, you’ll tell me going forward, okay?” Romano didn’t like it. I knew he didn’t. But it was the most he could do at that time.

“All right. If I can, I’ll tell you going forward, unless I really can handle it myself.”

“That’s as good as I’m going to get right now, isn’t it?” He sighed.

“Yup.” I popped the ‘p’.

“Honestly, baby brother, you’re hopeless.” He smiled softly, ruffling my hair, causing me to open my eyes again and bat his hands away in protest.

“Oi~” I complained. He just laughed and poked my nose, making me cross my eyes to watch him. And I’m older than you, so… I didn’t voice my thoughts.

“Just remember. You’re my little brother, so you’re my responsibility. It’s my job to protect you.” He met my gaze. “So let me do my job once in a while, would’ya?”

“All right, all right. If you insist.” I playfully stuck out my tongue.

The rest of the evening (at least we assumed it was evening, as there was really no concept of time in this place) passed by relatively peacefully. China made everyone dinner, and then we all headed off to bed.

I found it rather difficult to sleep, that night. I feel sorry for fratello. Tomorrow’s going to be difficult for him.

Don’t feel bad for the stupid bastard. I’m shocked you still care after what he did.

Pipe down, Yang. He doesn’t even remember That.

Just because he doesn’t remember doesn’t mean he didn’t do it.

I can’t hold it against him any longer. Those were special circumstances.

Yet you still can’t trust him completely, can you? You’re still doubting him in the back of your mind, wondering if he’ll do it again.

Shut up. You’ve been so nice lately, and now you’re being a dick again.

Nice? I’ve been a dick this entire time. You’re just used to me by now.

No, I think that us getting out of that place changed you. That finally… after all this time… you’re changing. And it’s pissing you off. I smirked as he growled. Ooh~ Hit a chord, did I?

Yang didn’t bother to respond, leaving me to my thoughts. Eventually, I climbed out of bed without waking my brother and went to the living room. Nobody was awake, so I sat on the couch and pulled out my old Journal from my bag. It was about the size of your average book, and had Celtic-like knots on the cover that ended up forming a cross. It was a dark reddish brown in coloration and looked somewhat like a very thin bible, but I knew better. The darkened coppery stains on the cover were anything but innocent.

I carefully set it back in my bag, deciding now was not the time to tread among those memories. They’d come up sooner or later as it was. No need to go torture myself needlessly.

Instead, I pulled out my sketchbook and a pencil and got to work. I didn’t really have anything in mind to begin with, so I just let my mind wander as I drew.

“Ah, that’s very good, Itary-kun.” Japan’s voice startled me quite badly, almost making me ruin my sketch.

“J-Japan? What are you doing up at this hour?” I asked, looking up at the brown-eyed nation behind me.

“At this hour… Have you been up all night? It’s nearly five in the morning.” His eyes softened in concern.

“Oh. I couldn’t really sleep.” I admitted. I glanced down at what I’d been drawing. It was Holy Rome. Oh. I shook my head, closing the book and putting it away. Thankfully, Japan didn’t comment further on the drawing.

“Will you be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. It’s not my first sleepless night, and it certainly won’t be my last.” I chuckled, slinging my bag over my shoulder. “Shall we start breakfast, then?”

“If you’re sure.” Japan relented, smiling softly.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, mostly because everyone was still waking up. It wasn’t too long after, though, that we started the memories again.

“All right, everybody ready?” England asked, looking reluctant. Romano shifted nervously beside me, and I reached out to offer him support. “Then here we go.” England muttered a few words under his breath, and the Break Room faded away.

Feliciano and Lovino were walking down a busy street. They seemed older, now, likely around sixteen or seventeen years old. I winced lightly as I recognized this memory. “It’s about 254 BC, now. We’re 499 years old.” I said, making some of the nations blink at the time jump.

“So, I’m guessing we just skipped boring stuff, then?” America asked. Romano nodded.

“Pretty much. This is the next most important event.”

The twins were busy talking about something, so Lovino didn’t notice until he crashed into a pretty young girl of about fourteen years, sending them both toppling to the ground.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was going!” She said, pushing her long chestnut hair out of her bright green eyes.

“No, no, it was my fault. I should’ve…” He stopped as he caught her gaze, and he seemed breathless.

Feliciano watched in mild interest, while I held back a chuckle. Romano, on the other hand, looked like a blind man seeing the world for the first time. He couldn’t take his eyes off of the girl in the memory.

“I-I’m sorry, where are my manners? My name is Vargas, Lovino Vargas.” He quickly held out a hand for the girl and helped her up.

“I’m Amarantha, but I hate my full name. Please call me Amara.” She smiled brightly at him.

“I’m sorry, for knocking you down…” He said again, shuffling awkwardly.

“I-it’s okay, really.” The two just stood there for a few moments before Amara spoke again. “Well, I-I should get going.”

“Oh, right. Sorry again.” Lovino took a step aside so she could pass, and he couldn’t help but stare after her as she continued walking.

“I know that look.” Feliciano smirked. “Go on, fratello.”

“Wh-what?” Lovino stared at his brother in confusion.

“You like her. Don’t try to deny it. Go. If you miss this chance, who knows if you’ll ever meet her again?” Feli chuckled as he gently shoved his brother in her direction.

“F-fine. But only because you’re making me!” He blushed lightly, before running off after her. Feli watched as the two fell into step beside one another and started talking.

“Ah~ Young love~!” France grinned.

The scene faded out to show the two sitting in a living room. “So? How’d your date with Amara go?” Feli asked as Lovino walked in through the front door.

“It went… well.” He smiled softly, a light blush on his cheeks.

“This is a few months after the last memory. They’d been dating that whole time, but didn’t admit it until weeks after they’d started.” I informed the nations.

“Sounds serious.” England observed, feeling bad for Romano. After all, she was only human.

“We were.” Romano stared at the scene sadly.

“Hey… um… She wanted to take us both out to eat for our birthday, tomorrow.” Lovino grinned.

“Oh, that’s nice of her! But go without me.” Feliciano smiled.

“What?! But it’s our birthday, and she invited you, too!” Lovino argued. “Besides, it’s our five hundredth birthday. That’s a pretty big one.”

“I know, I know. But I want you two to spend it together. We’ll spend the next one together, okay? I know how much you like her. She is only human, fratello. You have hundreds of birthdays to spend with me. She won’t be here forever, so you should spend as much time with her as you can.” Feli said, a smile on his features.

“Are you sure?” Lovino asked, concerned for his brother. “We’ve never spent a birthday apart.”

“I’m sure. Go. Have fun.” Feli grinned. “And tell Amara I said hi, okay?”

“Will do.” Lovino finally relented, letting the memory fade.

There was a quick montage of the three of them spending time together, showing Amarantha becoming an important figure in both their lives. It showed Lovino and Amara kissing, Feliciano helping her pull pranks on his brother, and a few scenes of the twins continuing their ‘business’.

It finally slowed to show the three sitting in Feli and Lovi’s house. “Amara… there’s something you should know.” Lovino started nervously.

“Oh?”

“We… we aren’t exactly human.”

“I sort of figured.” She chuckled.

“Wh-what?” Lovino looked shocked.

“Well, it’s been two years, but you two haven’t really aged. And don’t think I haven’t noticed your insane healing abilities. So, what are you?” She asked eagerly, sitting forward.

“We’re nations.” Feli said, filling in for his shocked brother. “My full name is Veneziano Italy, and his full name is Romano Italy.”

“Romano… I’ll call you Roma, then.” She smiled.

“That’s an unusual reaction.” Prussia noted, watching as the two explained as best they could what they were.

“Indeed. She took it very well.” England agreed. He’d seen his fair share of unsavory reactions.

“Is that why you don’t like it when I call you ‘Roma’?” Spain asked suddenly, looking at Romano.

“Yeah… That’s Amara’s nickname for me. Nobody else.” He said quietly. Spain winced, but seemed to accept it.

The memory blurred again, this time showing the two on a date with Feliciano sneaking along.

“There’s something I want to ask you, Amara…” Lovino started, looking extremely nervous.

“What is it, Roma?” She asked, chuckling lightly. “You look so nervous all of a sudden.”

“I… would you…” He took a deep breath and shook his head. “Would you marry me?” He looked her in the eye, red as a tomato. Amarantha stared at him in shock for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

“Oh, Roma. You idiot. Of course.” She grinned, laughing as he twirled her in a circle. Lovino’s laughter was so carefree that it made the nations blink in surprise. His entire face lit up as he pulled her in for another kiss.

In that moment, Lovino looked so bright and full of hope, laughter, and light. He seemed like a completely different person from the jaded, broody Southern Italy that cussed everyone out every chance he got.

The scene blurred to show Lovino literally skipping through the front door. “SHE SAID YES!!” Lovino shouted joyously.

“So I heard.” Feli smirked as he scribbled down something on a piece of paper. “Congratulations.”

“Wait, didn’t you need her father’s permission in those times?” America asked, confused.

“She didn’t have any family, really.” Romano explained. “She was an orphan for most of her life. Most men in those days wouldn’t have asked, but simply would’ve used her, and made her his wife, but… I wanted to give her the choice.” He smiled softly, blinking away the wetness in his eyes.

“I see… She seemed like a very independent woman.” America continued, thinking of some of the women he’d come across in his youth.

“Oh, she was a little spitfire, for sure. She wasn’t afraid to tell me what she thought, nor was she afraid to correct me if I was wrong. I had several men tell me to keep her in line, and I kindly responded with a fist in their face.” He chuckled, remembering some of the fights he’d gotten into in his youth.

“Ah~ My little tomato is all grown up and getting married!” Spain teased, but internally he was heartbroken on Romano’s behalf. He knew she was human, and so was now most definitely dead.

The scene blurred again, this time showing the two wrapped in their cloaks once more. “This is about three months after the last memory.” I stated softly, glancing at my brother in concern. Romano was stiff as a board, and had paled quite badly. I reached out to him through the link, trying my best to take his mind off the current memory. It was a terrible night for us both.

“So our target is supposed to be here soon, are you ready?” Lovino asked, notching an arrow on his bow.

“I’m always ready, fratello. Now are you ready for the big day tomorrow?” Feliciano smirked, nudging his twin playfully.

“Now’s not the time, Felice. You know as well as I do that this is an important mission.” Lovino chastised, but they could still hear the happiness and excitement in his voice.

“There he is.” Feli pointed to a balding fat man who was casually walking down the dirt road. He had a couple of well-armed men tailing him, presumably his guard. Lovino readied his bow, but before he could fire, a scream filled the night air. In his surprise, he let the arrow fly too soon, embedding itself in the dirt just in front of the now frightened man, who quickly ran away. A failed mission.

But the two instantly sprang into action, running towards the sound of the scream.

Romano closed his eyes and turned his head. Once was bad enough. He wasn’t going to watch it again. I didn’t blame him. Instead, I pulled him into a hug, allowing him to bury his face into my shirt as I covered his ears. I played Momma’s Lullaby through our Link to block out any unnecessary sounds.

The two ran out to a horrific scene of Amarantha on the ground, a knife buried in her gut and two men laughing as she struggled to breathe.

“Amara!” Lovino cried in horror, running to his fiancé. Feliciano let his ice spread as he attacked the two men, who’d just been openly planning on ‘having their way’ with her.

“Amara? Amara! Stay with me!” Lovino begged as he started to treat her, only to find that the wound was too serious. His limited medical knowledge couldn’t save her.

“R-Roma…” She gasped out in pain. “L-listen to me… I want you to know that I love you. Don’t you dare blame yourself for this… Promise me…” She coughed badly, and her breathing became raspy and shallow. “Promise me… my beloved husband.” The shining light in her bright emerald eyes dimmed, as her breathing became quiet, before it finally stopped.

The nations had been so enraptured in the scene that they didn’t realize the two men were already dead until they looked up to find two ice-blades buried deeply in their chests.

Feliciano’s head was bowed. Lovino’s breath hitched, as he gently shook her. “Amara? Amara?!” He tried desperately to get her to respond, unable to believe that she was gone. “C-come on, wake up!” Tears flowed thickly down his face.

“Amara?! AMARA!!!” His scream filled the night sky, making the nations feel sick. Quite a few of them knew what he was feeling. This was a very private memory. They had the decency to look away from the scene, at least.

I tightened my hold on Romano as he shook, his head still buried in my shoulder. I pretended not to notice the growing wet spot, and gently rubbed his back, humming our mother’s lullaby verbally, now. “It’ll be okay, fratello. I’m here. You aren’t alone. She’s at peace, now.” I spoke softly, gently rocking him. I caught England’s gaze and thankfully, he got the message.

With a quick mutter, we found ourselves back in the Break Room, and I didn’t hesitate in bringing my brother upstairs away from the other nations. We would continue with the memories in a little bit, but for now, my brother just needed some peace and quiet. I prayed that I would never hear such devastated sobs come from my twin again.

A/N: Holy crap, guys… A THIRD fucking update! Believe me, I’m as shocked as you. I wrote this in a day, and I’m blown away. So we finally find out who this mysterious Amarantha is~! I’m sorry that I couldn’t do her justice.

This was my FIRST EVER attempt at writing romance of any kind. I, myself, have never really had a romantic relationship before, so I’m not entirely sure what it’s really like aside from movies and TV. I method-write, meaning everything I describe, I do so by putting myself in my main character’s shoes. I close my eyes and think, ‘what do I see? What do I smell? How would that situation make me feel?’ That’s why I can make some of you cry. I try my absolute best to write authentically.

That being said, having never truly experienced romantic feelings, I’m at a loss when writing romance. That’s another reason why my stories are never romance. I do apologize if it disappoints anyone. (Hopefully I can do Holy Rome more justice, but somehow I doubt it. -_-)

This next chapter should wrap up the Second Arc of this story (out of, like ten).

ALSO~! An awesome friend of mine, RewriteTheMoon, introduced me to an app called Telegram. My username on there is still SilvermistAnimeLover, and you can text me on that from another country~! :D And it’s free!! So please, feel free to message me when you’re bored. Just mention that you’re one of my readers so I know you’re not a wrong number. ^^

Okay, super long Author’s Note is now done. XD

Words: 3,025/3,151

Pages: 7

Posted: 12/19/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Ties of Brotherhood

Everybody was gathered in the living room, Romano included. His eyes were slightly red, but nothing else betrayed his earlier breakdown. Wisely, nobody brought up the last memory either.

“Is everybody all right to continue?” England asked, his gaze lingered a little longer on my brother.

“I’m fine.” He snapped.

“R-right. Sorry.” England averted his gaze.

I gently tapped on the back of Romano’s hand before opening our Twin Link. ‘Are you okay, fratello?’

‘I’m fine… I’m just… frustrated, I suppose.’ He answered, mentally sighing. We followed the group to the door and back out into the memories.

‘You’ve Blinked Out again.’ It probably would’ve been a question if I couldn’t already tell.

‘Yeah. This next memory will probably explain it, anyways, won’t it?’

I looked around, recognizing my past self and Lovino sitting around a sparse living area. Lovino seemed out of it.

‘Yup. Most definitely.’

“So you really can’t hear me at all?” Feliciano asked, but Lovino showed no indication of having heard him.

“If you’re talking, I can’t hear you. I already told you, I’m apparently deaf.” Lovino answered, making the nations startle.

Good Time! Talk about jumping right into it! I sighed.

“Wait, what?!” Spain whipped around to Romano, who’d been standing in the back with me.

“I suppose I should explain a bit.” I sighed. “We don’t know why or how, but one day fratello just woke up… deaf. Completely and entirely deaf. I think someone had slipped him some kind of poison or something, because it affected him right up until we connected with our nation. Though it sneaks back in from time to time. We call it ‘blinking out’. It’s usually a result of stress, though we’ve learned how to manage just fine despite these disabilities when we do blink out.” I explained.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘we’?” Germany asked, his eyebrows knitting together in concern.

“Ah… well, it wasn’t too long after fratello lost his sense of sound, that I…” I trailed off, a blush of embarrassment on my face.

Japan’s eyes lit up in sudden understanding. “You went blind, didn’t you?”

“Yeah. I sometimes blink out, too, but I’ve learned a lot of tricks to help me when I do. It’s part of the reason why I don’t like quiet rooms… I feel severely disadvantaged and vulnerable when there’s not some kind of ambient noise in the background.” I admitted.

“Wait! So you went blind,” France started, pointing to me, “and you went deaf?!”

“Pretty much.” Romano said. “Also, if you’re wondering, I’m actually blinked out right now, so while I can read your lips pretty adeptly, you do need to face me first. So if you’re talking to me while facing away from me, I’ll just ignore you.”

“Felice…” Lovino spoke again, his words sounded somewhat slurred. “W-what am I going to do? I can’t even hear myself speaking right now. I’m scared.”

Asher whined and pushed his nose up against Lovino’s hand, but his words weren’t translated into comprehensible English for the other nations, likely because Lovino was deaf, and I hadn’t been able to understand wolf at the time.

The nations winced as Lovino’s voice trembled with uncertainty and fear. They’d never heard my brother speak like that before, and it unsettled them. They were so used to the loud, brash, confident persona that my brother had built for himself, that this meek scared little boy was a frightening contrast.

“I-it’ll be okay, fratello.” Feliciano spoke slowly, annunciating his words carefully so his brother could try to read his lips.

“H-how will it be okay?” Lovino whispered, looking to his baby brother for comfort.

“We’ll figure something out.” Feli promised, though it was unclear if that promise was to Lovino or himself. Lovino looked down at his feet, deep in thought. Feli tried to get his attention, but quickly remembered that his brother couldn’t hear him.

With a sigh, he sat down next to Lovino, whose head quickly shot up. “Maybe…” Feliciano’s eyes lit up with realization. “Maybe the vibrations?”

“What? I can’t hear you!” Lovino spoke a little too loudly, and Feliciano was quick to repeat his earlier statement, slower this time.

“Vibrations?” He tilted his head, confused. Feli nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! You could learn to sense stuff. I hear that when you lose one of your senses, the others become stronger!” He grinned.

Lovino looked at his brother, unsure of how to handle his sudden enthusiasm, or understand the words that were spoken too quickly. “I’ll try…” He sighed.

The scene faded away into a montage of Feliciano throwing harmless items at his brother from different angles as he tried to dodge. It also showed them sparing quite spectacularly, reminding the nations that these two were not as innocent as they first seemed. They also saw brief glimpses of some diction lessons that Feliciano gave his brother so he could speak clearly and at a proper level without tipping anyone off about his disability.

It finally slowed a bit, showing a very concerned Lovino talking to a rather panicked Feliciano.

“I… fratello, I don’t know what’s wrong! I-I can’t see!” Feliciano cried, tears running down his face. He looked terrified as he reached out blindly ahead of him, nearly jabbing a concerned Asher in the eye. Lovino reached out and pulled his brother into a hug.

“You… you went blind?” Prussia looked at me in shock.

Didn’t I just tell them about this?

You know, even after the Mansion, some of them are still a little slow.

“Yeah. You’ll learn fairly fast that whenever something happens to one of us, something similar will happen to the other.” Romano said, shrugging his shoulders.

“That’s usually how it works.” I sighed. “He goes deaf; I go blind. He loses his left shoe; I lose my right shoe. He gets hit by a car; I get hit by a goddamn airplane.” I glared at my brother. “And then he hits me with his fucking car.”

“Oi! That wasn’t my fault, and you know it!” He huffed, crossing his arms.

“Right…” I rolled my eyes. “So if that wasn’t your fault, then I suppose that my crashing your speedboat was cool?”

“You what?! You said it was an accident!”

“And you said that it didn’t really matter because you didn’t use it anyways.” I countered. “And don’t you dare think I’ve forgotten about my fucking Lamborghini!!”

“I got you a Ferrari!”

“I want my Lamborghini back, you asshole!” I glared.

“I said I was sorry!” Romano put his hands up in surrender as he took a step back.

“As much as I hate to break this up…” England cut in, gesturing to the memory that was now showing my past self attempting to navigate an obstacle-filled room.

“Ah, I remember this. We saw some bats flying around once, and fratello heard someone talking about their echolocation clicks. He got the idea that maybe I could learn how to do the same thing.” I informed the nations, wincing as my past self ran shin-first into a rather heavy wooden crate.

“Did it work?” France asked, curious.

“You tell me.” I smirked as the memory changed.

This new scene showed Feliciano and Lovino surrounded by fifteen grown men armed with various weapons. It looked like a street fight of some kind. Feliciano’s eyes were a milky white color, disturbing the watching nations, and making Hungary tear up.

Asher was sitting in the shadows, yawning. He didn’t seem concerned about his bonded in the slightest. With a smirk, Feliciano closed his eyes and hummed a random tune, easily dodging a swipe of a sword to his side.

With that, the fight began. Lovino and Feliciano dodged and struck back with incredible fierceness. Feliciano, despite being blind, was accurate enough to still kill or severely incapacitate his opponents, while Lovino, though he couldn’t hear them coming, had sharp enough instincts that he could easily dodge oncoming blows.

The nations watched in awe. While it wasn’t the most graceful fight they’d ever seen, indeed, parts of it involved crude and unrefined movements, it was still an incredible battle.

“All things considered, you are doing very well.” China complimented.

“Ja… Especially since you’ve had no formal combat training.” Germany agreed.

“Though I am being disappointed that you are not using General Winter’s abilities.” Russia admitted.

“Well, I wasn’t entirely confident in my ability to fight blind, yet. So I tried not to use those powers unless I knew exactly where my enemy was. I didn’t want to freeze my brother by mistake… again.” I replied, watching my past self fight. I ignored Romano’s mutter about how it took him a week to re-grow his curl. Wow. I was so…

Weak? Vulnerable? Pathetic?

I was going to say unrefined, but sure. That works, too.

“Apparently fighting blind originated in Italy.” South Korea blinked. “Can you teach me?!” He turned to me suddenly.

“Wh-what? Teach you? Uh… I’m not sure…” I chuckled, not sure how to handle the situation.

“Oi, leave Veneziano alone, would’ya?” Romano butted in. “He learned it out of necessity, not for some cheap party-trick.” He glared lightly at South Korea, who sheepishly backed off.

“Sorry.”

“There. All done.” Lovino said, smirking at his brother, though Feli couldn’t see it.

“That’s all of them?” Feli asked, tilting his head to listen for any more foes. As he spoke, he used hand signals that the other nations didn’t really recognize.

“I don’t see any more.” Lovino replied verbally as he scanned the surrounding area.

“You made up your own sign language?” Japan asked, pleasantly surprised.

“Si. It wasn’t really even a concept back then, but we had to find some way of communicating. And since Vino couldn’t always see my mouth, this worked out perfectly.” I smiled. “It’s our own secret language.”

“That’s handy.” America grinned. “Mattie and I sorta have our own thing, too, but that’s just because nobody else really knows ASL.”

“Wait, you do?!” England blinked rapidly, sharing a look with France. “Well that explains a few things.”

“Oui. Like all those times you two got out of trouble. And here we thought you had a twin link.” France crossed his arms as he leveled a stern look at Canada.

“O-oh, well… Y-you see…”

“What Mattie means to say is… It’s been decades, man! We got away with it when we were kids, so you can’t hold it against us now!” America grinned.

“AL!” Canada whisper-shouted at his brother. “That is not what you’re supposed to say here! Are you trying to get us in trouble?!”

“Hold on. I think we need to take another break so I can speak to my son in private.” England said, sending America a stern look as he once again called up the Break Room.

“Well… should we start dinner?” I asked my brother, who shrugged and nodded.

“Yeah, sure. Why not?” We made our way to the kitchen, leaving the FACE family to take care of whatever business they needed to in private.

“Grandpa Rome’s next.” I said softly, knowing my brother could read my lips.

“Si… Though it’s what’s after that that worries me.” He sent me a concerned look.

“You mean…” Holy Rome… I shook my head. “I’ll be okay.” I reassured him, though he didn’t seem convinced.

“Don’t pull that crap, Veneziano. You know as well as I do that—”

“I’ll be fine, fratello.” I stated again, more firmly this time.

“You’re so stubborn.”

“I learned from the best.” I smirked.

“Shut up.” He rolled his eyes and turned away from me, ending the conversation. “Pass me the tomatoes.”

“Sure, sure.” I chuckled as we began making pizza together. At least… right now… everything’s okay.

A/N: Wow! Still on a roll~! Another chapter! Next should be Grandpa Rome!! This concludes Arc II Of Memories of Old~! *Throws confetti*

Next we start Arc III, the Re-Childhood Arc. It shouldn’t be too long, as I count Holy Rome as its own Arc. This’ll mostly be a ‘filler Arc’ or an information type Arc. That being said, I’ll do my best to make it enjoyable.

Please comment, I love hearing what you have to say. Again~ I now have a Telegram account, so feel free to send me messages on there. It’s a free app that doesn't charge for messages to/from other countries. My username on there is still SilvermistAnimeLover.

I dedicate this awesome chapter to my friend RewriteTheMoon. Hang in there~! You can make it through Finals! :D

Words: 1,794/1,959

Pages: 4/5

Uploaded: 12/21/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: Grandpa Rome

“Here we are again.” England sighed, looking around the room. Everyone was gathered together, prepared for the next memory.

“Hold on a second.” I said, drawing the room’s attention. “We’ve pretty much finished our first childhood, now.”

“Oh, thank Gott!” Prussia exclaimed, throwing his hands up in relief. “That took forever!!”

“How the fuck do you think we feel?!” Romano twitched. “And I can hear you whispering over there, France.” He turned to face a flushing blonde.

“Well, it’s true! You were adorable!” He paused for a moment. “Ah~ You can hear again!” He grinned.

“Yeah, I’ve blinked back in, so what? It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve blinked out around you guys. It’s just the first time you were aware of it.”

“Wait, so you’ve gone deaf around us before?!” China asked, shocked.

“Si, we have. We’re just really good at hiding it.” I smirked. “After all, you wouldn’t notice when I blink out because my eyes don’t go all milky anymore. I just tend to space out a little more often because I’m listening to my surroundings. It’s also usually at those times when I’ll make more noise, not that I usually like the quiet anyways.”

“So… all those times you were humming while cooking or something…?” Germany shuffled a little.

“No, I wasn’t blind every time. But sometimes, yes, I was.”

“Why didn’t you tell anybody? Either of you?” Spain asked, hurt.

“Why should we?” Romano crossed his arms. “So someone could make fun of us, or use it against us, or God forbid, baby us?! Hell no! We’re capable of taking care of our own damned selves, thank you very much.”

“And be honest.” I continued. “You would’ve babied us, wouldn’t you? I know you wouldn’t have let me cook while blind, Germany.” I shot him a knowing look, and he flushed lightly.

“You could’ve gotten hurt…”

“And in all honesty…” I trailed off, letting Romano continue.

“We would’ve gotten sick and tired of your worrying and pity.” He glared. “We’re strong, capable nations, regardless of what you think. If you knew we had ‘disabilities’” he used air quotes, “you would’ve looked down on us even further! You already look at us like weak little annoying shitheads who can’t do anything of value. Have you ever thought that maybe we just don’t use our strength? That perhaps, we are strong, but just don’t want to become like our Grandfather?”

“W-what?” England stuttered, confused.

“He grew too big to manage.” I said, looking down at the ground in sadness. “He tore himself to pieces inside. He really just wanted everyone to be happy and safe and no more war, but… He didn’t go about it the right way. We don’t want that. War… it only brings pain and loss and suffering. I don’t want any more war… That’s why… I’d rather surrender than fight.”

The room became unbearably silent, and the lack of ambient noise made me feel anxious. I subconsciously shuffled my feet in an attempt to ease the painfully empty sound space around us.

“Well…” Hungary finally broke the silence. “You said we were about finished with your first childhood?”

“Yeah.” Romano answered. I relaxed a bit as their voices filled the silence. “We’ll probably be connecting with our nations here, shortly. Which means that Nonno will be showing up anytime, now.”

“Nonno means grandpa, for those of you who don’t know.” I chipped in, just in case.

For the benefit of the watchers or the readers? Yang suddenly asked me mentally.

Umm… the… readers? I had no idea what he meant by that.

Eh, never mind. Forget I said anything. I’m interested to meet your grandfather, though. From the history I know, he sounds rather bloodthirsty.

Oh, no! He’s so nice, and he really cares about everyone. Yang huffed in disappointment.

So he’s boring, then?

By your standards? Yes.

“Well, no use in dilly-dallying any further.” England sighed as he went to the door again. “Let’s continue this.”

The room dissolved around us and gave way to a scene of Feliciano and Lovino fighting. Again.

“You guys got into a lot of trouble when you were young, didn’t you?” China spoke up.

“Yeah. We had a talent for finding it even when we weren’t looking.” I chuckled.

Feliciano was about to send a second guy flying when he froze, a sudden look of pain crossing his face. Lovino was in the same position. The men that they were fighting took their chance and ran off while they could, leaving their downed comrades to their fate.

“F-fratello? I feel off.” Feliciano said before gasping in pain. Asher came over and whimpered as he nuzzled Feli’s hand.

“You mean other than the sudden fucking migraine?!” Lovino winced, holding his pounding head. Asher turned his attention to his bonded for a moment before whimpering in pain, himself. The nearly fully-grown wolf stood tall with his ears easily reaching Lovino’s chest. It surprised the Nations to see such a large wolf and realize that he wasn’t finished growing. His chestnut fur glistened in the sun, even as he sank to the ground in pain.

“Do you hear… voices?” Lovino asked suddenly, a somewhat horrified look overcoming his features.

“Y-yeah… and more than normal…” Feliciano barely had the chance to nod before the two collapsed to the ground in agony. It took everything they had not to scream out in pain as they writhed in the bloodstained dirt.

The sound of bones breaking and tendons snapping had the nations gasping in awed horror. Asher was in the same state, and he growled in pain. Slowly… agonizingly slowly, Asher, Feliciano and Lovino started to shrink, de-aging to their chibi selves. As they did so, their bodies contorted unnaturally as their adult bones were broken by their smaller bodies, mended, and broken again before they shrunk to the appropriate size.

Romano and I winced and looked away. To be honest, while it was excruciating, we’d blocked out most of the pain. It was too much for us to handle mentally at the time, so after the fact, we’d simply… forgotten.

At some point, Feliciano and Lovino had started screaming, and Asher let out a terrible howl of pain. Now, all three were so weak and exhausted, that they could no longer manage even that much.

“Mein Gott…” Germany breathed in shock. He couldn’t take his eyes off the scene before him. He, like the other nations, were transfixed in horror.

Finally, after what felt like hours, the three stilled. The only sign that they were even still alive was the steady rise and fall of their chests. Asher, now a puppy again, let loose pitiful whine.

Feliciano was the first to move, his small form covered in blood, staining the traditional white clothing that all nations were found in. His own blood.

“F-fratello?” His voice was high and reflected the child he now was. He stopped, confused at his own voice, before he blinked in shock. “Ah! Fratello! I CAN SEE!” He grinned and jumped to his feet, but miscalculated his step, and fell flat on his face.

“Oi, shut up, Felice, I’m trying to sleep.” Lovino mumbled, before he groaned in pain. “Ow, why am I fucking sore everywhere?” he asked, before he shot up, wide awake. “I can hear!” He blinked in shock, staring at his twin. “And you can see!” He gasped. “And you’re fucking tiny!” He pointed a finger comically at his brother.

“Ah! Me?! You’re tiny!” Feliciano cried out, pointing back at his brother.

“You’re both tiny, and I’m a fucking puppy again!” Asher complained, pouting adorably.

“Well, fuck.” Lovino huffed, crossing his arms. “What’re we supposed to do now?! I’m still hearing voices, you know.”

“Me, too. Do you think it has anything to do with what we are?” Feliciano asked, curious. “I mean, it sounds like the dull roar of a crowd or something.”

“Wait… you couldn’t hear your people before this?” Spain blurted out.

“No. We were technically mortal, you know. If we’d gotten stabbed in the heart or something, that would’ve been it.” Romano rolled his eyes. “I thought we’d covered this already?”

“Well, we might’ve survived a stab wound to the heart… if our healing abilities kicked in fast enough, that is…” I thought back to how our healing abilities were back then. “On second thought, maybe not.”

“And you were out there pulling dangerous stunts like that?!” Hungary gasped, going pale. Many of the nations also looked incredibly disturbed at the notion that we’d been fighting blind and deaf as mortals.

“Yeah, so? We didn’t know any different!” Romano crossed his arms with a huff. “Don’t lecture us on the irresponsibilities of our younger selves, when we had nobody to teach us what we were. We figured all this shit out on our own, thank you very much.”

“That’s actually really impressive.” China muttered.

The scene blurred, showing the two, now in different, non-bloodstained clothing, stumbling down the street. “I can’t get used to these stupid short legs!” Lovino hissed after he tripped for the fifth time. Even Asher seemed to stumble over his too-large paws. He growled at his feet.

“I can’t believe I went from a ferocious Dire Wolf… An apex predator, to an adorable tiny puppy.” His ears lowered in defeat. “I’m officially humiliated.”

“How do you think I feel?!” Lovino barked back—almost literally.

“Is Asher complaining again? I can’t get used to it either, fratello.” Feliciano admitted, stumbling a bit when he overestimated the reach of his leg again.

“This is so cute.” America chuckled. Hell, even Japan was softly laughing.

“I’m not cute, damnit!” Romano snapped.

“Sure you weren’t.” England reassured him, causing Romano to twitch in irritation.

“I thought I felt something over here…” A familiar voice said, drawing my attention. My eyes widened and I poked my brother. He followed my gaze to a familiar man. He was tall, and had a messy brown mop of curls and honey-gold eyes alight with warmth and laughter. He had golden armor on, and wore a bright red cape.

“Oh? Who are you two, new nations?” He asked, stepping over to Feli and Lovi. China also gasped when he saw him.

“Rome…” He whispered under his breath.

“So this is the Great Roman Empire.” Germany muttered to himself, appraising the man that stood before him. “Wait… I think I saw him in a dream, once…” He muttered to himself. I gave him an odd look, but ignored it for the most part.

“That’s right… Germany wouldn’t remember...” I whispered softly.

“Who the fuck are you?!” Lovino demanded, holding up his chubby fists in what would’ve been a threatening manner, had he still been his teenaged self. But because of his current predicament, he ended up looking incredibly adorable.

“Oh~ You’re so cute!” Rome cooed. “I’m the Great Roman Empire.” He grinned proudly. “But you two can just call me Grandpa Rome.” He smiled softly, patting their heads.

Feliciano looked up adorably confused, tilting his head like a lost puppy, while Lovino shoved his hand away violently. “Why the fuck would we call you that?! We don’t even know you, you weirdo! And you have the same name as this country?! The hell?!”

“Oh? You two don’t know? You are nations, aren’t you? Can’t you hear your people?” Rome asked.

“Y-yeah… we can… I’m Fe… er… I’m Italy. Veneziano Italy.”

“So… you’re one too…?” Lovino gave Rome a suspicious stare, like he didn’t believe him.

“Si. I am. You two must be very young, so I’ll take you under my wing and teach you everything I know.” He smiled.

“… Italy.” He finally looked down in defeat. “Romano Italy.”

“Oh? You’re both Italy?” Rome asked in surprise. “That’s unusual. Well, I’ll split what I know between the two of you, then.” He smiled.

“So, Romano, Veneziano, will you two come home with me? I’ve got plenty of food and a nice warm bed for you two.”

The two stood there for a long moment, staring at one another in deliberation. “What do you think, fratello?”

The nations jumped, hearing Feliciano’s older voice speaking, even while his lips didn’t move.

“Are we hearing your thoughts?!” England startled.

“Sort of. We have a twin-link. We can speak mentally to one another. That’s what you’re hearing.” Romano explained. “Though we could only do that after our connection to our nation. And at first, it only worked within a certain distance of one another. Like here, for instance… it only worked with eye-contact.”

“I don’t know… He seems suspicious, but… there’s something about him that seems familiar… Like we can trust him, but I’ve never met the guy!”

“I know, Vino, but… Surely we can give him a chance? I’ve never met another Nation before! Maybe he can teach us how to be… well, Nations.” Feliciano pointed out.

“Fine. We’ll come with you, Rome.” Lovino relented. “But the puppy comes, too!”

“Yay~!” Feliciano and Rome cheered in sync. They stopped and stared at each other for a moment before laughing.

“Oh, great. Now there’s two of them.” Lovino sighed. Asher shook his head in exasperation.

The scene gently faded out, leaving the scene of the smiling new family of four fresh in the minds of the nations watching.

A/N: Wow. And the trend continues~! So, enter Rome! :D Not too much interaction here, but I hope I was still able to do him justice. I’m trying to stay away from stating the year, because it’s honestly just giving me a headache at this point. :P So I’ll likely stay away from such things until we enter the HRE Arc, which will be the Arc after this one. THIS CHAPTER MARKS THE OFFICIAL START OF ARC III, the Re-Childhood Arc.

We’ve made it this far, guys! Stay with me! ^^

Things should pick up the closer we get to modern-day. (And HetaOni, what I know a lot of you are waiting for. Quite honestly, so am I).

Again, I have a Telegram account, now (SilvermistAnimeLover). For those of you who don’t know, it’s a free app that lets you text someone (even if they’re in another country) for free. ^_~ So please send me messages. I’m on Pacific Standard Time over here in Sunny Southern California, so if I don’t get back to you for a bit, I’m either asleep or at work. :P I have weird hours at work.

Happy Holidays to everyone~! Christmas is literally three days away, and I’m excited for a day off. ^^ (You know you’re an adult when your Christmas wishlist consists of socks, blankets, and beef jerky. LMAO)

Words: 1,903/2,224

Pages: 4/5

Posted: 12/22/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Introductions

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN WE’RE LOST?!” Lovino’s voice greeted the nations as the next memory faded in.

“Uh, well… You see, I don’t normally come to this area of my country, I only came to find you two, and—”

“How the hell does a nation get lost in their own damn country?!” Lovino continued to rant. “You’re hopeless!”

“He got lost?” Germany gawked. How could one of the greatest empires ever to have lived, have gotten lost in his own country?

“Yeah… sounds like him, all right.” China deadpanned. “He’ll be hungry soon, too.”

The four were wondering around some desolate area that didn’t have any towns. By the looks of it, they’d been wandering around for a few days. Their clothing was dirty, and they looked rather hungry.

“Ah~ I miss his food.” Rome said with a dreamy look in his eye. “And his tea.”

“Aiyaa! That’s what you miss?! You stupid, hardheaded, idiotic…” China trailed off into semi-profane mutters. But internally, he cried.

“You knew him?!” America asked, surprised. “I mean, I knew you were old, but—”

“You don’t want to finish that sentence, aru.” China glared at the American.

“Yes. I knew him rather well. We were… friends.”

Romano twitched a bit, sensing that there was more to it than that, but he let it be. After all, it wasn’t our business what they were. It was China’s to tell, not ours.

“Miss who, you creepy bastard? Anyways, you got us lost out here, you damn idiot!” Lovino twitched, glaring at Rome. “Are you really even a nation? You seem too incompetent.”

Rome stumbled and fell at that. “Come on, that’s not fair! Everyone makes mistakes! I just got a little lost, that’s all. You’ll do it one day, too!” He huffed and crossed his arms.

“Are you sure you aren’t the child?” Feliciano asked, a drop of sweat rolling down the back of his head. Even Asher gave Rome a sidelong glance.

“E-even the dog?” Rome fell into a mild despair.

The nations couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. It was too funny! Watching these two chibi-nations speaking to the Great Roman Empire like he was the kid was just too much for them to take.

Honestly, Romano and I couldn’t help but chuckle, too. We were such little asses back then.

The scene blurred to nightfall, where the four reluctantly made camp. Tired out by their long trek and their suddenly shorter legs and smaller lungs, the twins fell asleep rather quickly and deeply, with Asher keeping watch over them.

Rome looked at Asher, who huffed. “So… are you their pet?”

“I’m nobody’s fucking pet!” Asher growled, and while Rome was unable to understand his words, his meaning remained clear.

“O-okay… their… erm… protector?” He tried again.

“Huh… so you aren’t entirely stupid.” Asher snorted and rested his head on his paws, ears still perked up to catch any little sound.

The memory became dim and muffled, showing that at least one twin was somewhat awake.

“Ah… they’re so cute. It makes me happy to have such adorable grandsons.” Rome’s voice sounded far away, but they could still hear him. “Romano and Veneziano, huh? ‘Mano seems like the physically stronger of the two. He’s probably older. If he wants to, I’ll teach him war. Vene, on the other hand, seems more gentle. I’d hate to see such a trusting child turn cold… maybe I can train him in politics and art? Yes… And together… they can learn to rule. Perhaps one day…” His voice faded away as Feliciano finally fell asleep.

The next memory came in a blur. It was still dark out, but it seemed that Feliciano and Lovino had been awoken by something, but they couldn’t see anything but darkness and Rome’s red cape.

“Hmm? What’s going on? I thought I heard something…” Feliciano mumbled, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Ah, it was nothing. Go back to sleep. Everything’s fine.” Rome reassured them, and Asher hesitated for a moment before chuffing softly at the boys, letting them know it was safe, and in their sleep-deprived state, they quickly fell back asleep.

“Phew…” They heard Rome say faintly. “Don’t worry, my precious grandsons. Grandpa Rome’s here to protect you.” Asher’s faint growl faded away with the memory.

The next morning, the group came upon scuffed ground and some bloodstains in the dirt, but nothing else, though Asher seemed to have had a nice meal. Lovino turned to glare at Rome, who looked away with a whistle.

“What happened last night?”

“N-nothing! Nothing at all!” Rome smiled.

“You’re a terrible liar.” Lovino deadpanned. “Even Fe… Veneziano isn’t fooled.” He pointed coolly to his brother, who had his arms crossed.

“Why did you correct yourself?” Canada asked. “That’s the second time you’ve used nation names instead of human ones.”

“They were… personal, I suppose. We still didn’t really know Grandpa Rome, yet, and it was more our way of staying on a more… ‘professional’ level with him, I guess. Though it became an endearing term after a while.” I smiled softly.

“Please tell us?” Feliciano looked up at Rome with the most adorable puppy dog eyes the nations had ever seen. Rome’s expression melted instantly.

“Well, there was a small attack from some bandits, but don’t worry~! Your Grandpa protected you both while you slept!” He explained, before blinking in shock. “I wasn’t going to tell you that.”

“I knew it!” Lovino exclaimed. Asher yipped indignantly.

“And your pup, here, helped, too!” Rome amended. “That look is dangerous.” Rome muttered to himself, taking a small step away from Feliciano.

The nations chuckled, finding amusement in the light-hearted atmosphere. It was a nice change from the harsh reality that had greeted them since Emma’s Death.

The scene blurred to show the four walking again, the hot sun burned overhead. “So what does a nation do anyways?” Lovino asked, crossing his arms.

“You don’t know?” Rome tilted his head.

“We were a little premature, so I don’t think we have all the knowledge we should.” Feliciano explained warily.

“Oh! That’s something I’ve never heard of before!” Rome looked at the two with a large grin. “All the more reason to take you two under my wing, then. Listen; no matter what anyone tells you, always remember this. A nation is to protect their people. We are the advocates of the voices of our people. And it’s up to us to protect them! But never forget that you are also one of your own people. So protect yourself, too~!” He grinned.

“We are… humans?” Lovino tilted his head in confusion.

“You don’t necessarily have to be human to be a citizen.” Rome corrected. “And we’re human enough.” He gazed off into the east for a moment, and China looked sadly at his lost love.

“You idiot. Don’t repeat words that you don’t understand.” China sighed. “We are human enough.”

The scene faded away before the next appeared. It seemed that the three had finally found their way to civilization once more, and were now approaching a rather large castle.

“Woah… I’ve never seen such a huge place before!” Lovino exclaimed, wide-eyed. Feliciano was also left equally speechless.

“I’ve seen bigger.” England huffed; apparently he took some kind of offense to the awed reactions of the tiny memory-children.

“Dude, a castle is a fucking castle, man!” America grinned. “Size doesn’t matter, it’s still cool!”

“Al, please don’t. Not here.” Canada quietly begged his brother. I was fairly sure that America had been ready to crack some kind of dirty joke, and Canada had saved us all by stopping his brother. Not that America’s jokes were always bad, but his dirty ones tended to make some of others uncomfortable. What was okay in his country wasn’t always okay in another’s.

“Welcome home.” Rome smiled as they walked up to the castle.

“H-home?!” Lovino choked, sharing a stupefied look with his twin.

“Wait, surely you don’t mean this castle?!” Feliciano gawked as Rome nodded.

“Yes. This is where I live. So this is where you’ll be living, too.”

“Talk about beggars to kings…” Lovino said mentally to his twin.

“No joke! Do you really think this’ll be okay?” Feliciano asked.

“You were the one to insist on trusting this weirdo!”

“I still do! But we’re not royalty! Won’t we…”

“We shouldn’t get in trouble so long as this big dumbass actually does live here.” Lovino answered.

“It’s so weird hearing this conversation when neither of you are moving your mouths.” France commented, shaking his head.

“Ja… I just hope we won’t hear anything too private.” Prussia winced, thinking of all the stuff that could be secretly said through such a link.

“Welcome home, Rome.” A man with long blonde hair and blue-green eyes said. He spoke with a Germanic accent.

Prussia gasped sharply, drawing the attention of the others. “G-grandpa? Grandpa Germania!” He grinned, excited to see him again, even if it was only a memory. “Vati~” He started bouncing on the balls of his feet like an excited kid on Christmas.

“So that’s him?” Germany asked, tilting his head. They looked a lot alike, and he could easily see the resemblance between himself and his grandfather.

“Ja… I didn’t know he used to live with Rome, though.” Prussia looked puzzled. “I thought they hated each other…”

“They used to be very good friends.” I said, watching sadly as Rome and Germania hugged. “In fact, Germania was Grandpa Rome’s personal guard for a long while. They eventually had a falling out that caused a lot of hatred between the two for some reason, though. I never found out what it was.” I sighed, and Romano put his hand on my shoulder.

“No kidding?” Prussia watched the two interact. All he’d ever heard of Rome from his grandfather was negative things. He’d never mentioned that the two were once friends.

“Oh? And who are these two?” He asked, bending down to greet Feli and Lovi.

“I’m Italy~! Italy Veneziano.” Feli smiled, and Germania’s stern gaze softened at the adorable sight.

“I’m Italy Romano.” Lovino followed, introducing himself reluctantly.

“They’re my beautiful new grandsons~!” Rome exclaimed, placing a caring hand atop each of their heads.

“Your grandsons?!” Germania gaped. “Since when do you have grandsons?!”

“Since three days ago, when I found them. I can feel it. They’re young, but they’re like us.” Rome grinned as a light of realization sparked in Germania’s eyes.

“Oh… In that case, allow me to introduce myself. I am Germania. I am also a Nation, like your grandfather. I’m his personal guard.” He smiled proudly.

“Only because you don’t trust anyone else to do it~! He’s also my best friend.” Rome stuck his tongue out at the blonde.

“Of course I don’t trust anyone else to keep you safe!” Germania huffed, placing his hands on his hips. “You find trouble so often, it’s insane! If I left the job to anyone else… if your crazy situations didn’t drive them up the wall, then you and your stupid ‘escape attempts’ surely would.” He crossed his arms and gave Rome a stern glare. “Speaking of which, would you mind telling me why you snuck out your bedroom window in the middle of the night and vanished for twelve days?”

“Oooh… busted…” Prussia whispered to Hungary, who chuckled and nodded.

“O-oh, well, you see… I decided to go for a midnight stroll, and—”

“Through the window?” Germania raised an incredulous eyebrow, but Rome powered on through his explanation without stopping. His words sped by so quickly that it reminded several nations strongly of our infamous Italian Rants.

“—suddenly felt a pull. I had to follow it, you see, as it felt so important~! So I jumped over the wall and headed towards the pull, and before I knew it, I found myself in a town, so I decided to explore, and of course I found some very pretty women and some stunningly handsome men—though still not as handsome as myself, of course—and just had to spend some time with them! And after that, I found these two, who were the source of that pull I mentioned! Don’t they look just like their grandpa?” Rome grinned, finishing his rather fast-paced explanation.

“Now I see where Italy gets it from.” Germany sighed, his expression mirrored Germania’s.

“You know… Now that I think about it, doesn’t Rome and Germania’s relationship seem a lot like Ita’s and Germany’s?” Hungary tilted her head as she spoke.

“You know, you’re right.” China blinked. “How did I not see it sooner?”

“Because you are getting old.” Japan replied without hesitation.

“WHAT, ARU?!”

“I said you are getting old. My, my, are you losing your hearing, too?” He smirked as America busted out laughing. Even Canada quietly chuckled.

“I am not losing my hearing, aru.” China huffed, crossing his arms.

“Hai, hai. Whatever you say.”

“Stop sneaking out, or I’ll chain you to your Gott-damned bed!” Germania glared. “Or worse… I’ll feed you potatoes.”

Rome paled. “N-no, don’t take my food away, please! I’ll do anything, I mean anything within reason!”

“Are you really supposed to be a powerful empire?” Lovino stared at his grandfather in disbelief. “You’re lame.”

“Don’t be so rude, fratello! I’m sure he’s just… erm… He’s probably a good person and a good fighter!” Feliciano defended, much to Rome’s happiness.

“Come, now. You two must be tired. We’ve had such a long journey, after all.” Rome said, dusting off his armor. “Follow me to your room. I hope you don’t mind sharing?”

“We prefer it that way. We are twins, after all.” Lovino answered.

“You are?! Really? How odd.” Germania’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Is it that unusual?” Feliciano asked.

“Well, I’ve never met nation-twins before, but of course my beautiful grandsons would be the first~!” Rome grinned.

“There have been nation twins before.” Germania corrected, “It’s just very rare.”

“Here we are~!” Rome smiled as he opened the door to a lavish bedroom with two beds. There were all kinds of colors of fabrics, making the twins gape.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Lovino breathed.

“Watch your tongue.” Rome mildly chastised.

“It is a bit overwhelming. I mean, is this really for us?!” Feli cautiously walked into the room and felt the bed. “It’s so soft! It… it’s not stuffed with hay!”

“Of course not!” Rome said, looking somewhat appalled. “No grandson of mine will sleep on hay beds! You’ll have only the best!” He puffed out his chest proudly. “I’ll leave you two to sleep, though. If you need anything, I’m the door at the end of the hall on the left, okay?” He smiled, kissed both of their foreheads, and left the room.

Though the door was thick, the twins could still hear the muffled voices of the two nations.

“You realize you can’t buy their love, right?” Germania muttered to his friend.

“I know. I’m not trying to. But… ‘Mania… they were homeless out there. I’m not sure if they’ve ever slept in a proper bed. I… I should’ve found them sooner. I wish I had. They’ve had to rely on themselves for so long, and I feel responsible for their hardships.” Rome admitted, guilt lacing his voice. “All I want is to bring them joy, and make them happy.”

“Rome…” Germania sighed. “You selfless idiot. Try just spending time with them and getting to know them. I’m sure they’ll eventually open up to an honest kitten like you.”

“If I’m a kitten, then you’re my guard-puppy.” Rome suddenly proclaimed, and they could hear Germania splutter.

“E-excuse me?! I’m not a puppy!”

“Sure you aren’t! A little pup with a terrible bite when someone threatens his adorable kitten!” Rome teased, and Prussia was sure his grandfather was red.

Prussia couldn’t help but laugh. To hear such softness in his grandfather’s voice… It reminded him of when he was young… really young. He didn’t remember a lot of his early childhood. But the memories he did have of his grandfather in those days were kind and warm.

“You should probably get some sleep, Ro.” Germania finally said. “And you’d better not be hurt.”

“Who do you think I am? I am the Great Roman Empire, Greatest Nation that will ever be! Of course I’m not hurt.” There was a pause. “Except I skinned my knee earlier, and it really does hurt, so could you please take a look at it?” His tone reminded Germany strongly of all the times I’d asked him to do the same thing.

“Fine, come with me, and I’ll take care of your knee.” Germania sighed.

“They really do act like you two.” Japan said, looking at myself and Germany.

“Well, I do take after Grandpa Rome quite a bit.” I admitted.

“Ja… And Germany does take after his grandfather quite a bit, too. More so than H…” Prussia stopped himself, a pained look coming over his features suddenly.

“Bruder?” Germany asked, concerned and confused.

“Nothing. Never mind. But you do take after him.” He looked back at the fading figures of our grandfathers. I almost didn’t hear what he muttered next. “You both did.”

Words: 2,505/2,871

Pages: 6

Posted: 12/24/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

A/N: Merry Christmas (Eve)~! This is my Christmas present to all of you! A Fluff chapter! (Holy crap, last time we had one of those was… The snowball fight, I think, right?) And Kwanzaa is almost here (for those of you who celebrate that), so I’ll wish you a Happy Kwanzaa as well.

I’ll likely not update tomorrow (as it is Christmas, so I’ll be spending it with my family). Thank you everyone for all your support. Keep those comments coming (including those conversations on Telegram, because I love talking to you all. I promise, I’m not a robot! LOL)

Your comments keep me motivated to write more (gigantic thank you to my Wattpad minion—er… readers… Yes, Wattpad readers for all your comments, you guys really gave me about 70-90% of my motivation, so keep ‘em commin! Even on the stupidest things. I check for new comments multiple times a day, and I can’t tell you how many times you’ve made me laugh. Thank you for a fantastic year, and all your patience!

I should update this story again before New Years, so keep tuned, everybody! Love you all! Sending my love from Sunny (and unfortunately not snowy) Southern California.

~SilvermistAnimeLover

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Death of an Empire

The next scene started off with an annoyed Lovino and a peppy Feliciano standing outside accompanied by Rome and Germania. “Okay~! Time for training!” He smiled.

“It’s too early, why do we have to be out here? It’s freezing and even the fucking sun isn’t up yet.” Lovino huffed. Asher snorted in agreement. He shuffled on his overly large puppy paws in an attempt to keep his feet warm.

“Because this’ll be part of your daily routine. If you sleep in, you’ll miss all the fun!” Rome chirped, far too happy for someone up so early.

“Did you forget? I’m the one who has to wake you up every morning.” Germania scowled. “I swear, sometimes getting you out of bed is harder than winning a war.”

“Don’t I know it.” Germany muttered as he gave me a sidelong glance. Spain seemed to be in agreement as he looked at Romano.

“You got something to say, bastard?” Romano cocked an eyebrow, and Spain wisely kept his mouth shut. “Thought so.”

We watched as Rome sped through some positions and tips before handing Feliciano and Lovino their asses on a silver platter. The look on Lovino’s stunned face when he hit the ground was priceless.

“You can actually fight?! Holy crap!” Lovino choked out.

“Of course I know how to fight.” Rome seemed slightly offended. “And you will, too.” He grinned.

“Ja. And I’ll be your main battle instructor alongside your grandfather.” Germania stated firmly, crossing his arms. The twins were each given wooden swords and shields as the two adult nations led them through several different stances and attack motions. Rome gave the two encouragement, while Germania remained the one with a firm hand, and corrected the boys when necessary.

The training lasted until well past noon. When Germania finally called a stop to training for lunch, the twins fell on their butts in exhaustion. Feliciano caught his brother’s eye.

“Why is this so difficult?! I could fight just fine!” Feliciano complained through the Link.

“I think it’s because we’re tiny, now. Smaller bodies means less stamina.” Lovino panted as he laid splayed out in the grass. “Ah~ The breeze feels nice.”

“See? I think they have some kind of twin connection.” Rome muttered to his friend, who nodded appraisingly.

“It’s very likely. I mean, they are part of the same nation, after all.”

Germania tilted his head, as if listening to something, before he turned to Rome. “I have to go. He needs a hand.”

“Hm? Oh, okay. Be careful. And say hello for me~” Rome said before Germania left.

“Where’s he going?” Lovino glared, but was too tired to stand up.

“Have you two ever heard of a 2P?” Rome suddenly asked.

“A… what? You have to pee?” Feliciano looked terribly confused.

“No.” Rome chuckled. “A 2P is like a second personality. There’s a parallel Earth that’s vastly similar yet different to our Earth. They’re so closely linked, however, that that version of Earth also has nation personifications. In fact, those personifications are like our twins. When you’re close enough, you can even communicate telepathically. They’ll look exactly like you, but completely different.” He explained.

“Exactly like us, but entirely different. That makes sense.” Feli retorted, rolling his eyes.

“Okay, take my 2P for example. I have brown hair and amber eyes, right?” Rome asked, waiting for the acknowledgement that they were listening. “Well, my 2P has black hair and green eyes. But other than that, we look exactly alike.”

“So they’re just another color?” Feli asked.

“They’ll also usually have a personality that’s… erm… that clashes with yours. My 2P is very serious and almost never cracks jokes or has any fun at all.” Rome pouted. “Yours, for example,” He pointed at Lovino. “Might be very happy and carefree. A conflicting personality to you.”

“HEY!” Lovi huffed.

“That’s cool~! So we have parallel versions of us that’re similar yet totally different?! Can I meet mine?” Feli asked eagerly.

“Er… not really. It’s only under special circumstances that you can meet them. But once you do, it should open up that mental link I mentioned earlier. After that, it’s pretty hard to get rid of them. Not that they’re bad or anything, just… different. Most are pretty war-hardened.”

“So why are you explaining this?” Lovi shot Rome a suspicious look.

“Because as your grandfather, it’s my job to prepare you for the world and teach you what I know.” He smiled. “Come, let’s grab some food, then we’ll start a different type of training.” The scene faded out again, before showing Rome leading the two boys and their pup up a tall, grassy hill. All across the hill were flowers of various colors, and Feliciano squealed in glee upon seeing them all.

“Fratello, fratello~! They’re so pretty~!”

“Yeah…” Lovino looked around, before sneezing. “And they make me sneeze. Can we go yet?”

“Humph!” Feli pouted at the lack of enthusiasm from his twin.

“Not yet.” Rome laughed, before he picked up a squirming and loudly protesting Lovino. “Come, now, Mano~” Rome laughed, hoisting him up onto one of his broad shoulders, before doing the same with Feliciano on the other one.

“Hold on~” Rome laughed as he kept a firm hold on the boys balanced carefully on his shoulders. He took off at a run, cresting the tall hill with an ease and maneuverability that he hadn’t seemed to possess earlier. His amber eyes were speckled with green, and he had a large grin on his face.

“Waaaah~ Where are we going?!” Feliciano asked, as Lovino protested.

Both twins fell silent as they finally reached the top. Below them, spread out for all to see, was the Great City of Rome. The Coliseum was still whole, and the banners that flew all across the great ancient—though young at the time—city still made fratello and I swell with pride. It may not have been our nation, per se, but it was still home.

“Wow…” Lovino gasped, admiring the view.

“This… this is Rome. My Capital… My heart.” Rome smiled softly, sitting down in the grass, the twins still on his broad shoulders.

“Your… heart?” Feliciano asked, as Asher tilted his head. He’d grown a little, but was still fairly small, maybe the size of a 4 month old wolf pup.

“Si… for all nations, their capitol is their heart. You see, whenever some tragedy befalls one’s nation or people, be it from human hands, or nature’s, we feel it. It hurts us. It wounds us.” Rome explained.

“But nations can’t die, right?” Lovino narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“Oh, we can die, all right. But not like humans can. You see, if we enter a time of war, we become just mortal enough that we can die permanently by the hand of another nation. And if we’re dissolved, as in no longer a nation, then the personification becomes just an unaging human with benefits.”

“So… it isn’t just us?” Feliciano stared at the clouds, a pensive look on his face.

“Oi… you aren’t going to tell him?” Lovino looked at his brother in worry.

“Tell me what?” Rome tilted his head.

“Come on, fratello… we’ve been here for years, now. You trust Grandpa Rome just as much as me.” Feli pointed out, and Lovino crossed his arms with a huff.

“Fine.”

“Mano? Vene?” Rome looked at the boys with concern. “Is something wrong?”

“Grandpa… There’s something you should know… Fratello and I… when we said we were premature, we meant it… and not by a few years, either…” Feli started.

“Which means we’ve forgone benefits. I can permanently die by poison and shit. And Veneziano can die by sickness.” Lovino finished. Rome flinched back in surprise.

“Sickness? But… nations don’t… Oh.” His expression turned serious. “In that case…” He also turned his expression skyward. He didn’t say anything for a long time. “I’ll need to teach you two some other things that may help you. Romano. I’ll teach you every drop of medical knowledge I have, no matter how small. And Veneziano, I’ll teach you everything my people know about antidotes and poisons.”

“R-really?!” Feli looked up in awe.

“G-grazie… Grandpa Rome.” Lovino flushed red, and Rome looked up with a grin, eyes teary.

“Y-you called me…!”

“Si! D-don’t get fucking used to it, bastard!!” Lovino flushed red.

“That was the first time fratello called him ‘grandpa’.” I explained to the watching nations. “This hill… it became our special place. For myself, Fratello, Grandpa Rome, and Asher…” I smiled softly, looking at the hill of flowers. The hill still stood to this day, though it wasn’t nearly such a spectacular view. But we’d made sure it wasn’t dozed over or anything.

The memory blurred and refocused again on a scene of the three in a grassy field. The trees were laden with leaves of varying shades ranging from yellow and red to brown and green. Asher was over on the other side of the clearing, chasing the falling leaves happily.

“Now, remember! It doesn’t matter what it looks like, so long as you can still convey the emotions you want to convey to whoever sees your art.” Rome instructed, as Germania yawned, leaning against a tree.

“But do try not to waste too much paint. It’s expensive.” Germania chipped in.

“Aw~ don’t be such a spoil-sport.” Rome pouted.

“When you manage your own finances, then you can waste as much paint as you please. But so long as I’m in charge of your money, you’re stuck with what I decide you get.” He crossed his arms.

“You’re no fun~”

“I’m your guard. I’m not supposed to be fun.”

“Nooo, you’re my best friend. You’re supposed to sneak out with me!”

“Are you sure we’re related to him?” Lovino whispered to Feliciano as he jabbed his thumb at Rome. He then caught a glimpse at Feli’s painting, and stopped. “Holy shit…” He stared, tears pricking his eyes.

“Hm? You stopped painting, Mano, what’s…?” Rome also stopped when he caught sight of the painting. Even Germania gasped in awe.

A quiet forest trail, surrounded by trees. The left side of the trail was ablaze with all the colors of autumn, while the right side was budding with the new life of spring. And while it was painted by the hands of a child who’d only recently picked up his first paintbrush, the image held phenomenal detail and emotion. For upon the path of dirt lay two sets of footprints. And while many would chalk it up to an amateur’s mistake, the footprints start off as child-sized, grew to nearly an adult’s, before shrinking again. The soft paw-prints in the mud beside them made Asher give a wolfish smile.

“My grandson… you are very artistically gifted.” Rome grinned, as Feli looked up at the people around him.

“Huh? But it’s not finished, yet!” Feli protested. “Besides, I’m still a beginner.”

“No, fratello…” Lovino looked away, trying to hide his envy. “You’re good. There’s no denying that you’ve got a natural talent for art.”

“Pup. There’s no need to be envious…” Asher spoke up, knowing that only Lovino could understand him.

“W-who the fuck is envious?!” Lovi growled back—quite literally.

“So much to learn. ‘Be not jealous of pack members, but celebrate your diverse talents, for they will help you survive.’ A quote from my father. I used to be jealous of my littermates, too, you know.”

“You mean… from Asher?”

“Yeah… My papa was a great wolf. And many moons wiser than me, even if I’ve long since surpassed his age. I don’t think I’ll ever be wiser.” Asher smiled at the canvas.

The scene faded out once more.

Then, more memories came, faster than before. They phased by too quickly to fully comprehend. More physical training, the three and Germania sitting down to go over tactics and politics, artistic trainings, and even weapon forging techniques. The nations got the distinct impression that quite a lot of time had passed. And While Germania spent quite a bit of time with the twins, he noticeably started to spend less and less time with Rome.

Another flash showed snippets of what appeared to be a massive argument between Rome and Germania, before Germania stormed out of the castle, taking a small white-haired boy with him.

“Was that you?” America asked Prussia, who nodded. “Ja… I don’t remember what they were fighting about, but it was pretty bad.”

“We don’t remember either. Just that Grandpa cried for days. His smile wasn’t the same after that, and Uncle Germania never came back.” I looked sadly at the scene as it, too, faded away.

“That’s probably why it wasn’t clear and there wasn’t really any discernable sound.” Canada reasoned. “I mean… this is your memory. If neither of you remember, then there’s nothing for us to see.”

“Very true.” England agreed.

“Do you really have to go, Grandpa?” Feli asked with tears in his eyes. Rome was decked out in his armor again, red cape gently shifting in a light breeze. His gaze softened as he kneeled down and pulled the two older, yet still chibi-fied nations into a strong hug. Asher whimpered softly beside the pair. He was also older, now, but still a puppy. Maybe about 6 months old in appearance.

“I do. War is a terrible thing… I have to stop him before he does something we’ll both regret.” Rome stated sadly.

“But I thought you and Uncle Germania were friends?” Lovino asked, confused.

“We are. Which is why I have to try to stop him.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.” Lovino’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “You should explain this to him, and he’ll stop.”

“Unfortunately… For a nation, their people and leader can influence their mental state. He would probably run me through with his sword before listening to me as he is. If I can kick his butt, maybe he’ll hear me out.”

“Please… Please don’t go!” Feliciano yelled suddenly. There was an odd edge to his voice, a sort of panic that the nations had never heard before.

“I’ll come home.” Rome reassured his grandson, but Feli shook his head.

“But I’m scared… I’m scared that if you go, you won’t come home! You’ll leave us all alone again!” Tears flowed thickly down his face.

“Shhh, It’ll be okay. I promise, I’ll come home.” He smiled softly, holding him.

“…” Lovino gave him an odd look, like he just smelled something sour, but he said nothing. He shook his head suddenly, and joined in the hug.

“I’m strong. Don’t you two worry. Grandpa Rome will protect you, like I always do.” He reassured the two distraught nations.

“You remember what I’ve taught you, right?” The two nodded their heads to his question. “Good. Then hold down the castle for me while I’m away. And no matter what… Protect each other. Promise me.” He looked at the two, leveling a steady gaze on each twin.

“Si. We promise, Grandpa.” The two spoke in sync, much like they had when they were children the first go-around.

“That’s my grandsons.” Rome beamed, ruffling their hair. “I love you both so very much.”

“I love you too, Grandpa Rome~!” Feli smiled through his tears.

“Don’t die, bastard.” Lovino murmured. “I love you, you idiot Grandpa.”

Rome’s smile brightened considerably. After all, Lovino wasn’t one to express his emotions so openly (well, the positive ones, at least).

Then, with a last farewell kiss, Rome turned his back to the twins and marched off to war. The memory blurred before showing Feliciano getting ready for bed.

“I’m worried about Grandpa Rome…” Feli looked out the window. They could see an anxiety in his gaze. “It’s already been three months…”

“He’ll be fine. Did you forget? He promised he’d come back.” Lovi reassured him. Romano winced at his younger self.

“I… I have this terrible feeling, fratello. I don’t know what it is, but I feel sick.”

“Like you’re not feeling well? Is that why you skipped dinner?”

“No… Well, yes, that’s why I skipped dinner, but I really don’t think I can eat anything right now. I’m too worried. Like some part of me is screaming that something’s wrong, but I don’t know what it is.” Feliciano explained, clenching his fist as a few tears of frustration leaked out of his eyes.

“It’ll be okay.” Lovino tried again. “If you really want, we can send a letter to Grandpa Rome tomorrow morning, okay? We’ll even send it by bird.”

“O… okay. I don’t feel much like sleeping, though.”

“I think I have a remedy for that. You need your sleep. You’ve hardly slept in two months.” Lovino settled a concerned look on his brother. “Lay down. I’ll sing for you.”

“Really?” Feli perked up, before tucking himself in. The nations leaned forward in interest, while Romano tried his best to hide.

‘Oh, dio! Why does it have to show this?! It’s not even my normal singing voice, but my stupid childish singing voice.’ He bemoaned through the link.

Lovino took a deep breath, and sung.

“Little ones, Shut your eyes,

Listen to my lullaby.

Angels sweet, don’t you cry,

As I lay with you this night.

Precious ones, rest your head,

You are safe within my arms.

As you dream, Gentle minds,

Together for all of Time.”

(Emma’s Lullaby, a song written by me, SilvermistAnimeLover. Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO3ZjDLWvCA&t=11s )

His voice sounded so soft and gentle that a couple of nations let out yawns. A moment later, the memory went somewhat hazy. The room darkened until they could see nothing at all.

“What the?!” America looked around himself in surprise. “Dude, what’s going on?”

“It’s a dream.” I stated, pointing to Feliciano who was standing off to the side. Slowly, the memory faded into the green hill of flowers that they saw earlier. It still overlooked the city of Rome, but it was out of focus. Only the hill and the immediate area were clear.

“It was our favorite spot. Nonno loved to take us there when we wanted to hide from our studies.” Romano chuckled a bit, smiling at the fond memories.

Atop the hill, was the flag of the Great Roman Empire. It looked old, and somewhat dirty. It had runs, and burns, and holes in it, like it’d just come off a battlefield, and the edges were frayed.

“Grandpa?” Feli asked, reaching for the flag. Before he could even touch it, it disintegrated, leaving nothing but the stick of wood it had been tied to. “N-no…” A flash of Rome covered in blood with a sword run through him made the nations gasp. Especially when they saw Germania holding the sword that had impaled him.

Rome had an expression of acceptance and sorrow, while Germania had one of pain and apology. “I’m sorry, Rome. No… Romulus.” Germania whispered as a single tear fell from his face.

“Thank you, Nia. I’ll watch over your family from the heavens.” Rome smiled. “I’m sorry, my beloved Grandsons.” Rome fell backwards, off the blade with a sickening squelching noise, and Feliciano screamed.

“No!! GRANDPA ROME!!!” The scene suddenly vanished as Feliciano shot upright in his bed, sobbing violently, waking his brother.

“Fratello?!” Lovino stared for a moment before he tried his best to calm down his twin. “What’s wrong?! Was it a nightmare?”

“G-Grandpa Rome! He-he’s—!”

“He’ll be fine. He’s strong, remember?”

“NO!” Feli shook his head violently, nearly whacking his twin in the face. “No isn’t! He’s… HE’S DEAD!” He sobbed.

“Wh… what? No way. He’s a nation, like us. He… can’t die.” Lovino laughed somewhat awkwardly, unable or unwilling to believe him. “Besides, you can’t just say that because of a stupid nightmare! He’s fine. Look, we’ll send him a letter tomorrow, and we’ll get a reply next week. Everything will turn out okay, okay?”

Romano and I winced in sync. Everything did not turn out okay. And no matter what Lovino or Asher did, Feliciano remained inconsolable.

The scene blurred again, swirling around us like a bad trip, making a few nations stumble. “That’s different.” Prussia shook himself, steadying his stance so he wouldn’t fall.

The two children and puppy stood before a grave, their eyes were red and puffy, and they were the only ones there. The sky was dark and rain threatened to fall to the earth and soak the three mourning children.

“They said it was Germania.” Lovino stated. “Isn’t that what your dream said?”

Feliciano nodded with a sniffle.

“And it was a sword, too… Just like your dream. I asked a soldier who witnessed the whole thing.”

“I spoke to one, too. I remember, now… What he said… Nations can be killed by other Nations, so long as they’re at war. Did you know that, fratello? If we are at war, then any other Nation could kill us… permanently.” Feli whispered, his voice hoarse.

“So that’s why… he…” Lovino choked up a little, but Feliciano nodded.

“Si…”

“Do you think you… I don’t know… saw it happen or something?” Lovino asked suddenly.

“What?”

“You know, because of your dream. Maybe you can see the future or something.” Lovino pressed, wanting to talk about something other than the man who was buried at his feet.

“I… I don’t think so. I mean, if I can, then it’s not very useful right now, now is it? He’s still dead.” Feli started to tear up again. “What’re we going to do, fratello?! Our country… I don’t know how to run it yet! What if… what if someone declares war on us?!” He trembled, terrified of the thought.

“We’ve fought before…” Lovino started, but he didn’t seem overly confident in his own words.

“But we’ve never seen war, fratello. Not like that. I have some idea of what we’re supposed to do, because of what… what we were taught, but… I…”

“I know.” Lovino interrupted his twin. “I’m scared, too.”

“No matter what, we’ve gotta stick together. We’re all we have left in this world.” Feli sighed, holding his brother’s hand.

“Si… I won’t get attached to anyone else ever again… That way I can’t get hurt when they die.” Lovino gave a firm nod of his head to his own statement, making Spain frown.

“Lovi? Is that why you were so cold towards me?” Spain asked, looking at Romano.

“Shut up, you bastard.” Romano replied, blushing slightly. “I’m not attached to you.”

“Suuure, you’re not.” America laughed, rolling his eyes. He was more than happy to take some of this heavy atmosphere away from the group.

“Let’s just hope that we can handle war as well as we do a street fight.” Lovino sighed.

“Achoo!” Feliciano sneezed, and Lovino immediately took off his jacket, wrapping it around his brother.

“You idiot. It’s colder than fuck out here, and it’s about to rain. We should get back before you get sick.” He led his twin back towards the castle. “Don’t need you dying permanently on me or anything.”

The scene faded away, and England called up the Break Room once more.

“It feels like it’s time for bed. I don’t know about you all, but I’m tired.” He explained.

“Si… This should end our time with Grandpa Rome.” I said, sharing a look with Hungary and Prussia. We knew what was coming next. Holy Rome.

A/N: Merry Christmas to everyone (who celebrates it)! Though for some of you, it’s the day after (in which case, Happy Kwanzaa!). I know I said I wasn’t going to update on Christmas, but I couldn’t help but write this chapter. We finally say goodbye to Rome (which is very sad), and WE END THIS ARC! It was short, but still a nice arc to read. Maybe one day I’ll go back and bulk it up a bit, but not today.

For now….

We start…

The ARC You’ve all been waiting for….

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE ARC, BEGIN!!

Words: 2,423/3,899

Pages: 5/8

Posted: 12/25/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Another New Arrival

The next morning, everybody came down in their own time. I couldn’t help but linger, even as the smell of Hungary’s food lured me towards the kitchen. I was stopped by Prussia in the hallway, where he pulled me aside into a bedroom to speak.

“How’re you holding up, Ita?” He asked, giving me a concerned look.

“I’m okay… Just… we both know what’s coming next. How do you think you’ll hold up? I mean… he was your baby brother.” Prussia deflated slightly at my words.

“Don’t you worry about me, Ita… I’ll be fine… It’s you I’m worried about. And so is Hungary… and your brother.”

“I get it.” I snapped. “I’m sorry.” I apologized immediately. I felt guilty for snapping at Prussia. He was only concerned.

“I understand. You’re stressed. I’d be worried if you weren’t.” He chuckled. “After all that you’ve been through… you and your brother both these past few days… Gott, has it only been days? It feels like years.”

“Well, it has been years. Just sped up.” I shrugged. Though I understood what he meant. “How do you think Germany will take everything? I mean, he doesn’t remember, does he?”

“Nein. He still has no memories of his childhood. And I haven’t had the heart to tell him.” Prussia sighed again, sinking down into a nearby chair. He looked tired, and gaunt. “I’m scared, Ita… I don’t know if I can… handle seeing everything again. Especially when he…” He winced, a couple of tears pricking his eyes.

“I know. I’m not sure how I’ll handle everything again either. Especially since we’re watching with… Him.” I growled lightly, thinking of France. Even after all this time… even after That Place… Part of me still had yet to forgive him for what he did.

“Ja… I tried to ask him about it once or twice, but he always played dumb… he never owned up to what he did, and that pisses me off. I mean, he’s still mein friend, but… I’m not sure how much I can trust the man who can’t even apologize for murdering my brother.”

A sudden knock at the door stopped our rather depressing conversation, as Hungary poked her head in. “Sorry to interrupt, but if you don’t come down soon, all the food will be gone. So if you want breakfast—and Canada made some pancakes, too—then you’d better come down soon.” She warned, a small smirk on her face.

Prussia and I shared a look before bolting out the door towards the kitchen. “Birdie!! Save me some Awesome Pancakes!!” Prussia yelled.

“Vino~! Save me some of Hungary’s cooking!!” I cried out at the same time, as we both comically caught on the doorframe to the kitchen, resulting in a rather spectacular fall.

“Wow, that’s quite an entrance.” America laughed. “You guys okay?”

“Si… Or I would be if Mr. Awesome, here would kindly get his foot out of my spleen.”

“Sorry, Ita…”

Luckily, there was still plenty of food left, and not really anything to worry about.

A sudden flash from the living room drew everyone’s attention. “Oh, no… Not again!” South Korea huffed, as he left the room, followed by the rest of us.

Austria stood there, looking more than a little confused. “Italy!” He cried in relief when he saw me. “H-Hungary, too?! Would someone mind telling me what is going on, here?”

“Another?!” Germany sighed. “Sit down, this’ll take a bit.”

Almost an hour later—due to constant interruptions—Austria was properly briefed on what was going on, and what’s been occurring.

“So has any real time passed since the earthquake?” I asked, curious. I’d feel bad, after all, if we were making people worry.

“Well, that’s the thing. It’s been about two days or so… And…” Austria looked away for a moment.

“Is it that bad?” Prussia asked. Austria wasn’t the type to beat around the bush.

“You’re all in comas.” He finally said.

“Wh-what?!” France choked, staring in shock.

“You won’t respond to any outside stimuli, and everyone’s very worried. I remember sitting by Italy’s bedside when I felt extremely tired. Perhaps there was some residue of the spell left, and it sent me here. I’m likely also in a coma, now, and the others are probably scared out of their minds.” He sighed.

“Well, what about these two? They arrived just a little bit after us, but they didn’t know what was going on.” America gestured to Hungary and South Korea.

“Well, we were the ones to get you all out of the wreckage.” South Korea said, rubbing the back of his head. “If there was spell residue, then we would’ve come into contact with it.”

“I’m almost certain that’s what happened.” England sighed. His brothers were going to kill him. “I do hope that nobody else finds their way here.”

“You’re fucking telling me.” Romano hissed. “You think I want all you fuckers watching our goddamned memories?! They’re private!”

“We don’t have a choice, fratello!” I spoke up. He grumbled, but didn’t continue.

I wonder…

Hm? Oh, you’re awake again? I asked Yang mentally, making sure my brother couldn’t hear.

Do you think Luciano will get worried and come in after you? Not like he, or any of their 2Ps would need any help getting here.

I… I hope not. Though Luciano, I wouldn’t mind. He already knows most of this shit, and to be honest, it’d be nice to have someone I can sort of hide behind. Fratello’s great, don’t get me wrong, but Luciano’s a part of me, and I sorta trust him more.

After what that asshole of a ‘brother’ did to you, I’m shocked you don’t trust him less. I’m shocked you trust him at all. Fam—

STOP! Don’t you dare say those words. I threatened him, feeling a strong shiver of fear run down my spine. Luckily, nobody seemed to notice.

Sorry, sorry. I didn’t realize they still held that much power over you.

Shut up, Yang.

That’s always how you end our conversations! ‘Shut up, Yang, I don't wanna talk to you anymore.’ It’s annoying! How’s a simple ‘bye.’ Or ‘talk to you later.’ Or even a simple ‘not now.’? I’m a person too. I felt him crossing his arms in our mindscape, pouting like a petulant child.

Look, I’m stressed and tired. I haven’t been sleeping well because of all the shit we’ve been going through the last couple of days. I’d appreciate it, if you’d stay away from sensitive topics for the time being. You can stay around, but just… please try not to make things harder than they already are.

Fine…

“—ano? Feliciano?!” I jumped back, nearly falling over, as I finally registered my brother’s hand waving inches from my face. I would’ve fallen if Prussia hadn’t caught me.

“Woah, there.” He smiled.

“Grazie. Sorry, fratello, I was thinking.” I apologized.

“I could tell. You were thinking pretty damn deep about something. I’ve been trying to get your attention for the last ten minutes. We’re ready to go again.” Romano sighed, looking at the door with distaste.

“R-right.” I took a deep breath, readying myself for what was surely going to be one of the hardest chunk of memories I’d have to confront here.

I looked around me, seeing Austria and Hungary smile comfortingly at me helped ease some of my anxiety. My brother squeezing my hand helped, too. The others gave us looks of comfort or patience, and Japan gently placed a hand on my shoulder, giving me strength. Prussia smiled encouragingly at me, and I knew I could do this. I’m not alone anymore… right?

A/N: Hello everybody~! Sorry I’ve been absent the last few days, this chapter wasn’t particularly forthcoming. So I know a lot of you are probably disappointed with a ‘setup’ chapter, and not an actual chapter that shows HRE, but it is coming! I just haven’t had the chance to get on it with so much work lately (which, since tomorrow’s my last day at PetSmart because I was a seasonal hire, my time should vastly open up… until I can find a fulltime or second part-time job again.)

I HAVE AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE!!

I am dedicating this chapter to my friend Lilie~! HAPPY BIRTHDAY~! :D

Everybody~! Sing it! ^_~

Words: 1,278/1,280

Pages: 3

Posted: 12/30/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Holy Roman Empire

The memory started with the twins being pulled away from one another. Feliciano was being held back by a man with a shadowed face and Lovino was being held by a similarly unidentifiable man.

“Why’re their faces shadowed?” France asked, confused.

“Because I don’t remember what they looked like. They weren’t anybody I knew, and to be honest, I couldn’t bother myself to recall their features. All I cared about was that my twin brother was being taken away from me.” I answered.

“Nooo! Fratello! Lemme go!” Feliciano cried, desperately reaching for his brother.

“Felice!” Lovino cried out, tears running down his face as he reached out with equal desperation. He kicked and thrashed, trying to break the adult’s hold on him, but to no avail.

“VINO!” The memory faded away with the terrible cry.

“Asher had been hiding in the woods, if you were wondering. Fratello made sure he wasn’t dragged into that mess. We didn’t want to risk the only family we had left.” I stated softly.

As it returned, Feliciano was shown in front of Austria’s house. “This is your new home.” Roderich said, looking over at the downcast Feliciano. He hadn’t said a word, and his eyes were all puffy.

“Do you by chance serve pasta here?” He asked, but was quickly spoken over by Roderich.

“No we don’t.”

“That was rude.” America huffed.

“Why did you ask me that question first?” Austria asked.

“Well… It’s sort of my comfort food. It was the first time I’d been away from my brother… we did everything together, and the longest we’d been apart before this was a couple days when I was too sick to go outside.” I confessed. “I wanted something familiar in such a terrifying new situation.”

“I’m sorry.” Austria said after a moment of silence. I looked up at him in surprise. He didn’t usually apologize. “I hadn’t known the full situation. I thought Rome had spoiled you, and was trying to break you of any spoiled tendencies.”

“I understand. It’s okay. It’s in the past, Viva.” I smiled, accidentally slipping into a verbal tic I hadn’t used in decades. Luckily, nobody commented on it.

The scene blurred briefly to show Feliciano meeting Elizabeta, getting acquainted with the house, and finally going to bed.

He lay there; looking far too small for the bed he was in. His tiny maid outfit was hanging on the other side of the room, ready for the next day. Feliciano curled up on his side into a little ball, and shook. It took the nations a moment to realize he was crying. His muffled sobs broke their hearts. “Fratello… Where are you? I feel so alone, and I’m scared! Even after Momma died… at least you were there… Where are you?” His thoughts brought tears to Hungary’s eyes.

“Oh, Ita!” She wrapped me in a hug, crying softly. The scene faded to darkness once more.

We were treated to a small montage of Feliciano going throughout his cleaning duties, and several times he stopped to listen to Roderich play the piano. It slowed a bit, showing Roderich and Elizabeta leaving the house, leaving Feli alone.

Feliciano sat at the piano, staring at the keys. “I wonder… it was invented in my country, right?” He tilted his head slightly, before placing his fingers on the keys.

A very beautiful, rolling melody started to play, filling the empty silence with soul and sound. Feliciano closed his eyes, a soft smile on his face. In fact, the nations noticed, it was the first smile they’d seen from him since he was separated from his brother.

A sudden twitch from his left wrist caused him to hit the wrong key. His eyes opened as he stopped playing. “What was that?” He stared at his left hand, clenching and unclenching it. “That felt… odd.”

Romano shot me a concerned look. “You, too?”

“It is hereditary. It’s no wonder I have it, too.” I sighed, and only Spain seemed to know what we were talking about. “Mine is just very mild.”

“What are you talking about?” Germany asked, concerned.

Feliciano’s arm suddenly spazzed out, almost like a localized seizure, twisting and thrashing for a moment before it stopped.

“What was that?!” China zeroed in on me in concern.

“Erm… well…” I looked around for a distraction before I hid behind my brother. “Fratello will explain!” I hurriedly said.

“OI! Why’re you dumping this shit on me?!” He demanded, before I stared up at him with my puppy-dog eyes. “Oh, no… Don’t use those! That’s cheating!” I added in some tears, gently pushing my lower lip out to make it even more adorable. “Aw, c-come on, Felice! I…” He paused, staring into my eyes. I knew I had him. “Fine.” He sighed, as I cheered. “Fucking cheating, that’s what that is.”

“Chorea.” Romano said, staring at the other Nations. “We apparently both have it. Mildly, mind you, but that’s why we were so clumsy as kids. We’re on medication for it, now, and the Tomato-Bastard helped me with mine when I was younger, but we’ve still got it.”

“Chorea? What’s that?” Germany looked so confused.

“It’s a neurological disease… It causes uncontrollable twitching and spasms. It actually explains a lot.” China explained. “You said it was mild?”

“Si. Mine is much more mild than fratello’s. Sometimes he can’t even walk, though those episodes are few and far between.” I spoke up. “Apparently Spain taught him some kind of dance to help as a therapy, though, and it worked!” I grinned. “Mine’s usually just finger twitches or wrist flicks or missed steps. It basically just makes me really clumsy. It doesn’t happen often, though. But we’re both on medication for it now, so we’re good.” I smiled, doing my best to reassure the room.

Feliciano, while we’d been talking, had decided to ignore his spasms and try to play again.

“I used music as my therapy. The piano helped me exercise my muscles and hide the spasms better.” I said, as the memory finally faded once more.

The next scene showed Feliciano with a pail of water, struggling to carry it back up the hill to the house. “Why is it so heavy?” He panted, setting it down to readjust his grip. “I miss being a teenager. I could’ve carried this no problem! And I can’t even rant with… fratello…” the pain in his mental voice was palpable “because the link won’t work… we’re too far away… At least, I hope that’s all it is.”

As Feliciano went to pick up the water pail, another small hand grabbed the handle. I froze; it’d been so long since I’d seen that face. A small boy with messy blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes smiled at Feliciano. “Oh, Italy! What’re you doing here?” His voice was soft, and his accent was a mix of German and Italian.

“Oh, Holy Rome. I work here, now.” Feliciano explained.

I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. He was… right there. I subconsciously reached towards him, my hand phasing through his face. My heart ached terribly. He’s right there… I’d forgotten. How his voice at that age was so smooth and gentle, the way his eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the dazzling shine of his smile and how it lit up his entire face. I’d forgotten how his hair, just a few shades lighter than Germany’s, seemed to be made of sunlight. I’d forgotten just how utterly adorable he was when he was flustered, and how he blushed whenever my hand got too close to his. I’d forgotten…

But he’s right there… I could just reach out, and everything would be fine.

“Holy… Rome…” I stared. “Acel…” I was entirely unaware of the people around me, who stopped what they were doing when they realized that I was in my own little world. I couldn’t hear their muffled voices as they tried to ask me what was wrong. I didn’t realize I’d started to cry. The only think I knew was the little boy standing right in front of me. Even Yang remained quiet so I could have my brief moment.

“Ita.” Prussia’s hand on my shoulder jolted me back to reality. “It’s okay.” He gently pulled me into a hug, as the memories overwhelmed me, and I was reminded of the truth. He’s dead. I sobbed. I curled into Prussia’s arms and sobbed terrible, full-throated, gut-wrenching sobs.

I vaguely recall hearing Hungary’s soft crying as Austria held her, but the others just stared, completely at a loss for what was going on. After a few minutes of Prussia’s gentle hand rubbing my back and running through my hair (avoiding my curl, of course), I finally calmed down.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize.” Prussia said, looking wistfully at the memory youth who was helping Feliciano carry the pail up the hill. “It’s okay to hurt.”

“Bruder?” Germany asked. “Who is that?” Prussia flinched lightly, turning to face the blonde.

“Er… There’s not an easy way to explain this…” The albino started. “That’s… your twin brother.”

The nations froze. Nobody had known that Germany had a twin. “W-what?!” Germany looked like he wanted to laugh. “If this is a joke…”

“It isn’t. That’s Acel Beilschmidt, your older twin brother.” Prussia said, face serious. “When he died, you lost all your memories. I assume it was due to the trauma of losing him.”

Germany looked shocked. He wasn’t sure how to process the information presented to him. Not only had he had a twin brother, but he was dead! And that was why he’d lost his memories?! “Is that why you keep an old push broom in the closet?”

“Ja… It was important to him.”

“Mon cher…” France went to comfort Prussia, but he stepped away from his friend, a look of betrayal flashed through his eyes.

“Not right now, France.” Prussia said, though I could tell he was scared. “Not right now.”

France shared a bewildered look with Spain, who was just as lost. Prussia had never told Spain just how Holy Rome had died. I couldn’t blame him. It could tear apart the trio for good.

“Let’s just continue the memories. I’m sure things will come up later. If it isn’t explained by the end of this entire fiasco, then I’ll explain.” I promised the room, as the scene faded out.

I found myself a little overwhelmed by seeing him again, but it was nice. The last memory I had of him wasn’t a good one, and I wanted so badly to see his living face once more. It looked like I’d gotten my wish… Just not in the way I’d expected.

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR’S EVE everybody~! To kick off the new year, and say farewell to the old, I’ve, amazingly enough, written another TWO chapters! This one’s dedicated to the last day of 2018, a year full of tears, hardships, and perseverance for me. I’ve matured a lot over the last year, and to celebrate this year ending on much better terms than it began, I’m finally bringing Holy Rome in on it. ^^

So for those of you who’re curious, the human name I chose for him, Acel, has two meanings depending on if you go by the easier to find French one or the one I choose to go by. It’s an Old German name meaning ‘noble’, which I felt fit him. Thusly, my version of HRE is called Acel.

His 2P’s human name is Veryl, which means ‘loyal; masculine’. It is also Old German, with some French roots. ^^ It took me forever to find these names, so I do hope you don’t hate them.

I wish each and every one of you a happy 2019, and here’s to hoping that my updates stay consistent and happily plentiful (and that I can go back to college at some point this year).

Words: 1,738/1,785

Pages: 4

Uploaded: 12/31/2018

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Luciano Vargas

The next scene faded in, showing Feliciano wondering around a very pretty meadow. The clearing had flowers of all colors swaying gently in the early summer breeze, and the trees towered over the tiny nation, offering shade. Sunlight streamed down through the branches like beams of gold, touching the flowers and making them shimmer.

“Wow! This is beautiful~!” Hungary laughed, twirling around. She’d never seen such a place near Austria’s house before!

“It was so nice of Mr. Austria to give me a day off.” Feliciano muttered, coming out into the clearing. “Uwa~ So pretty! I’d love to paint some pictures here!” He grinned, twirling around much like Hungary had.

I smiled softly. This was our Meadow. Mine, and Acel’s.

Feliciano ended up tiring himself out with his impromptu dancing, and he laid down in the flowers, splayed out to soak up the sunlight. This is such a pretty place. I wish I could show Fratello…

“H-hello?” A new voice, a little deeper than Feli’s, called out. It sounded tentative, and unsure.

Feliciano sat up, surveying his surroundings. A light shimmer filled the air next to him, before forming into a near mirror image of the boy. He had fuchsia eyes and the same curl, though his hair was a shade or two darker than Feli’s. He wore a maid’s dress, as well, though it was a soft blue instead of green.

The transparent figure stared at Feliciano in surprise and suspicion. “Who the fuck are you?” He asked, making Feli chuckle.

“You sound like my brother.” He smiled. “I’m Italy! Veneziano Italy! Nice to meet you!”

“What?! But I’m Veneziano Italy.” The other one said. “Hold on… Are you… perhaps… my 1P?” He tilted his head.

“Oh! Wait, so you’re my 2P?! That’s fantastic! I’ve been wanting to meet you ever since Grandpa Rome told me about you… and…” Feliciano’s expression dropped when he mentioned Rome, and so did his 2P’s.

“My human name is Luciano. Luciano Vargas.”

“Feliciano Vargas. I have a twin brother named Lovino.”

“Really? My twin’s name is Flavio. He’s blonde, for whatever reason, and he’s such an annoying piece of shit.”

“That’s not very nice! You shouldn’t say such things about your brother! You’re all you have, right? So be nicer.” Feli lectured, crossing his arms.

“You’re a weird one.” Luciano’s eyes narrowed like he was trying to figure out a puzzle. “Most people wouldn’t talk to me that way.”

“Well, I’m your brother, too, right? You’re my 2P, and I’m your 1P, so it only makes sense.” Feli explained.

“I’ve never thought of it that way.”

“So tell me about yourself. What’s your world like?” Feli asked. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Well… It sucks. There’s war constantly, and a crap-ton of man-eating monsters. The air is growing more and more acidic by the decade, and there’s even been talk of building Domes around the cities to keep fresh air in.” He ranted, flopping down on the grass beside his 1P. “Plus, they’ve separated my brother and I, and I have no idea what to do. I mean, yeah we’re immortal, but I’m worried... We’ve been through a lot and we’ve never been separated like this before.”

“I know what you mean.” Feli sighed. He explained about the situation with him and Lovino. “You said you’d been through a lot… Have you seen war?” He looked over to his 2P with wide eyes.

“No… Not like that. People here in this world… the humans know about us nations… We’re monsters to them. Unnatural. Lavi and I haven’t had it easy. We’ve been hunted down by our own people… bullied… murdered, even. If Grandfather Rome hadn’t come along, we’d still be homeless, hiding in the back alleyways looking over our shoulders for the next attack.” He closed his eyes as the nations digested what he’d said.

“I didn’t know it was that bad.” Romano breathed. “Flavio never said…”

“Can you blame him, fratello? The only reason Luciano told me was because I was the only brother he had back then. He and Flavio had been separated, and he was scared.” I said, looking at Chibiciano with a fond smile. He was so adorable~!

“Sounds scary.” Feliciano looked close to tears. He sat up and tried to give Luciano a hug, but he phased through him.

“AH! You’re a ghost?!” He cried, startled.

“No, you idiot! I’m still in my world, you know. I think you’re the only one who can see me, and vise versa. Think of it as a mental projection or something.” Luciano crossed his arms. “I’m offended that you think I’d die so young. I’ve got many centuries left.”

“Si, I’m sorry.” Feli smiled softly. “But no matter what, we’re family, right? So we’re here for each other~!” He grinned. “Let’s meet up again here next week!”

“… All right…” Luciano flushed lightly in embarrassment, as he agreed.

“Yay~!” Feli cheered as the memory faded out.

“I’ve always wondered, fratello… Did you meet your 2P back then, too?” I asked my brother.

“Si. It was a few months after we were separated, and Flavio appeared to me, crying like a baby. I had to sit there and comfort the stupid fashion-bastard for hours before he calmed the hell down.” Romano che’d and crossed his arms.

“Aw~ You do care!” I teased.

“Like fucking hell I do!” He bristled, looking somewhat like a pissed off cat. It made me laugh.

“All right, you two. Calm down. Fusososososo~” Spain spoke up, breaking up the friendly argument.

“You met your 2Ps very young.” China said. “I didn’t meet mine until I was an adult.”

“I don’t think any of us met ours until we were adults.” Russia added, making a few of us jump. He’d been so quiet, lately.

“It is rather interesting that you two met them so young, but I believe it’s entirely understandable, all things considered. Trauma does weaken the barrier, and allow us to communicate easier. With you two being separated for the first time, it’s no wonder you met them here.” England crossed his arms as he watched the next memory pop up, showing Feliciano pulling Acel along.

“Come on, Holy Rome! This way!”

“W-wait! Where are you taking me?” Acel asked, flustered. He couldn’t stop looking at the hand that Feli was holding. His bright red face betrayed his emotions.

“To a special place I want to share with you~!” Feliciano smiled. A few minutes later, they arrived in the meadow. “Here we are~! But it’s a secret, just between us! So don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“W-wow… It’s so pretty!” Acel gasped, staring around them. The gentle bubbling of a small creek could be heard, as it hid just out of sight. “It’s so peaceful here.” He smiled, looking around them.

“This’ll be our special place.” Feliciano proclaimed. “Our Meadow.”

“R-really? Just for us?!” His face turned red all over again.

“Si~! Mr. Austria and Miss Hungary will never know!”

“Indeed, you kept this marvelous place from us all this time.” Austria spoke up, looking around appreciatively. “Though I can understand why you did. It is beautiful, though.”

“I can’t believe I never stumbled across it when I went exploring!” Prussia huffed. That place was pretty Awesome.

A small series of scenes played as Feliciano and Acel spent time in the Meadow. Sometimes they just sat and talked, other times, Feli showed Acel how to paint. It briefly showed a small painting adventure where Feliciano helped Acel paint a rabbit. There was even a brief glimpse of Acel and Feliciano swimming in the creek, though the blond empire refused to look at the other nation.

“Oh my God, he thinks you’re a girl!” America realized with a start, before he burst out laughing. “This his hilarious!”

“You know, Al, it’s not nice to laugh. Poor Italy must’ve been so scared when he found out! I mean, it looks like they’re falling for each other pretty hard, and I can only imagine how Italy felt when he realized…” Canada whispered to his brother discreetly.

“It’s fine. It was pretty funny. Ah~ If only I’d realized sooner… I could’ve had a lot more fun with it.” I smiled wistfully.

“So this is why you like wearing dresses?” South Korea asked, gesturing to a mini-scene of Elizabeta playing dress-up with Feli, who was eagerly indicating which dress he liked the best.

“Si~ They’re so light and airy! They’re pretty comfy, too. At least, nowadays, they are.”

“But… doesn’t it get… breezy?” He continued.

“You mean on my dick?” I asked, chuckling as he flushed a light red.

“Y-yeah.”

“Only if I forget my underwear.” I smirked internally as he choked on his spit.

“Oi! Stop traumatizing people.” Romano shoved me playfully.

“Sorry, sorry.” I sighed, looking back as the memory slowed once more.

“So you, too?” Feliciano asked, looking at the transparent Luciano. The two were sitting against a rather large tree in the Meadow.

“Si… My Holy Rome’s name is Veryl. He… He’s such an idiot. He’s cheery, but he’s also brash, though he can hardly hold his own in a fight, but…”

“You’re still falling for him, aren’t you?” Feli smirked as Luciano flushed. “You are!”

“Shut up!! You’ve fallen for Acel!”

“Well, yeah. He’s so shy and bashful… it’s pretty cute. He’s got a good heart, too. But there’s a tiny little problem.” Feliciano looked down.

“Oh?”

“I think he thinks I’m a girl.”

“Oh. Well, that’s a bit of a problem.” Luciano rested his head on one knee as he thought. “I’m not sure I know how to help you, there, Fells. I mean, I’ve made it very clear to Veryl that I’m a guy. Unless streaking through the house wasn’t enough…”

“Y-You streaked?!” Feli stared at him, shocked.

“Not by choice, you bastard!” Luciano bristled. “It was because that bitch, Hungary, stole my clothes. Again. But back to your problems… I’m sorry to say I don’t know how to help.”

“I didn’t think you did. But it’s still nice to talk about it. If I spoke to Miss Hungary about this, she’d play matchmaker. To be honest, I just want to see how things play out. Mr. Austria wouldn’t really do anything here. He’s not a romance kind of guy.”

“I know what you mean. My Austria is… he’s pretty crass and a total asshole. He really wouldn’t care less. My Hungary, on the other hand… She’s… erm… to be honest, she’s batshit crazy. Chasing people around with a goddamn skillet. She also refuses to wear anything remotely feminine. Her hair is always short, and she couldn’t care less about guys. She’s the weirdest girl I’ve ever met. She also hits. Hard.”

“She hit you?!” Feli asked, shocked.

“I found the cookie jar.” He muttered as his face turned red.

“Ah, that explains it. You have a sweet tooth, then?”

“N-no… Well… maybe a little one.” Luciano ducked his head, embarrassed.

You realize he’s what they call a cinnamon roll, right? Yang spoke up suddenly.

A what? I asked, confused.

Because he’s a tsundere, they’d call him a burnt cinnamon roll, because he’s a little bitter on the outside, but a softie within. I paused for a moment, letting his words sink in.

You realize that if Luciano ever heard that, he’d murder you, right?

Yeah, I know. Why the fuck do you think I haven’t said anything!

All this talk of cinnamon rolls does make me hungry, though.

You just ate!

Like three hours ago!

“Luciano? Why can we only see each other in this Meadow?” Feli asked suddenly.

“I’m not sure. I’ve heard that there are some locations in our worlds where the barrier is thinner… maybe this is one of those places?”

“Hmmm… do you think we could learn how to speak mentally outside of this place?” Feli’s golden eyes sparkled with glee.

“Maybe. We can practice and give it a try? Never know when something like that’ll come in handy.”

The sudden rustling of a nearby bush made Feliciano and Luciano look up in surprise. When a rather large adolescent wolf padded out of the underbrush, Luciano stiffened, while Feli seemed overly excited.

“Asher~!” He cried out, wrapping his arms around his friend’s neck, as the growing wolf licked his face.

“O-oi! Be careful! You can’t fight like I can!!” Luciano warned.

“Relax. This is Asher II, Vino’s bonded.” Feli smiled. “Asher, this is Luciano, my 2P. He’s family.” Asher approached the wary child, and took a sniff, tilting his head in confusion. “Oh, that’s right. He probably doesn’t have a scent because he’s a projection.” Feli apologized. “I… is Vino okay…?” Feli looked at the wolf in worry.

Asher nodded his head, and dropped an envelope in front of Feli. It was a little slobbery, and had some punctures where Asher’s teeth had gone through the parchment, but other than that, it was in pristine condition. “Oh, he’s made you his courier wolf, now?” Feliciano raised an amused brow, and Asher growled in distaste. “Sorry, sorry.” He laughed, before opening the letter eagerly.

“What’s it say? I can’t read his shitty handwriting.” Luciano asked, looking over his 1P’s shoulder.

“It says that he’s okay. He’s living with someone named ‘Spain’, who’s a bossy ass, but an overall nice guy. He gets fed, and has a roof over his head, and can even get away with not doing chores most of the time.” Feli smiled. “Lazy~”

“Flavio loves doing housework.” Luciano huffed. “I’ll never understand why.”

“Anyways, he also says that he’s doing okay, and misses me terribly.” He smiled softly, mirrored by Luciano.

“I wish I could get letters from Lavi…”

“Maybe you can?” Feli looked at Asher thoughtfully.

“Flavio doesn’t have a bonded like Lovino.” Luciano looked at his 1P suspiciously. “What’s cooking up in that brain of yours? I feel like I should be afraid…”

“Afraid? No, never.” Feli grinned as the sarcasm dripped from his voice.

“Uh, huh.” Luci didn’t seem convinced. “Come on. What’s up…?”

“Well, short of finding a carrier pigeon, what if err… we find another nation with a bonded?” Feli suggested.

“Like who?” Luciano crossed his arms. “Name someone.”

“Er… the name Prussia comes to mind?”

“Prussia?! I don’t know… He’s so quiet and moody…”

“Really? Mine is so arrogant and outgoing. He’s a good guy, but he can be really loud and obnoxious sometimes. I think he’s just insecure.” Feli grinned. “I like him, though.”

“I… I’ll ask him. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be willing to deliver a letter to my brother for me?”

“I wish you luck.” Feli yawned as he curled up in the grass, Asher acting as his pillow. The wolf rolled his eyes and draped his tail over his tiny charge to keep him warm as the sun started to dip below the horizon.

The memory darkened along with the light of the sun, as dusk fell upon the two chibi-nations. Slowly, the two started to drift off to sleep. Just before the memory ended, a familiar voice sighed.

“Of course you’re here, Italy.” Acel walked over to Feliciano, unable to see the sleeping Luciano. He paused for a moment upon seeing Asher. “You must be Asher… Italy has mentioned you. I’m a friend.” Asher licked Holy Rome’s hand as he allowed him to approach. “It was such a nice day out, and I’ve been stuck inside all day… I figured you’d be here. Let’s get you home before you catch cold.” He smiled and picked him up, carrying him bridal style.

“Maybe one day… I can tell you when you’re awake… but for now… Ich liebe dich… Italia.” He smiled softly, laying a gentle kiss on Feliciano’s forehead as the memory finally faded away.

A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’ve updated this (at least on Wattpad) On the first hour of 2019. ^^ I hope you’ve enjoyed!

Words: 2,054/2,630

Pages: 5/6

Posted: 01/01/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: Price of War

I was grateful that nobody commented on Holy Rome’s words. They were very personal, and it brought up a lot of memories for me, both sad and happy.

The next scene cropped up to show a bright sunny day. Birds were singing, clouds lazily drifted by never fully obscuring the sun, and a gentle breeze blew. The only thing that disturbed what surely was a perfect day was the band of men moving things out of the house.

“Do you really have to go?” Feliciano asked, looking sadly at Acel.

“It’s war, Italy. I have to fight. To protect everyone… Please, if you fight with me, we could become a strong empire!” Acel took Feliciano’s hand, and looked desperately into his eyes.

“I can’t.” Feli said, looking sadly down at the grass.

“W-why? Why do you not want to…?”

“To protect you!” His tiny voice sang with surety. “Grandpa fell because he became too big to manage! He was in so much pain! I can’t… I won’t watch you do the same thing! I care too much about you!” Tears fell down Feliciano’s face as his golden orbs shone brightly with emotion.

For a moment, the scene blurred to show Feli and Lovi sitting in the castle again. The room they were in was lavish, and red was the main color theme.

“Both of you, come here.” Rome spoke softly, gesturing the two tiny nations and their puppy forward. “I want you to understand something important. Do not follow my example. Do not become an Empire like me.” He said sadly.

“Wh-what? But I thought that’s why you were training us?” Lovino looked confused.

“No… I’m training you so you know how to run your countries, and so you have the knowledge necessary to make good decisions.” Rome unclasped his cape and removed his armor. Slowly, he took off his shirt to show his torso covered in hundreds of scars.

China looked sadly upon his once-lover. He’d seen them so many times before, but they hadn’t looked that bad before.

The two children gasped. “Does it hurt?” Feli asked innocently.

“Yes. Very much.” Rome nodded, looking down in shame. “I’m becoming too large. My people… they’re tearing themselves apart. I was a fool to think I could achieve world peace through war. Please. Don’t end up like me. Don’t become the strongest nation… It’ll only end in heartbreak and pain.” He pleaded with them, before inhaling sharply in pain as a new injury appeared on his chest. Though it seemed to be a small gash, it looked to cause him more pain than it should.

“What’s going on?” Lovino asked in alarm.

“Is that… from your country?”

“Yes. It is… Please.” Rome begged. “Protect each other… And those precious to you. Don’t ever let them become like me.”

The scene faded back to Feli and Acel standing in front of Austria’s house.

“What just happened?” Austria shook his head.

“A memory within a memory, I believe.” England winced.

“That was private.” Romano looked down at the ground.

“Like the rest of this hasn’t been, fratello?” I shook my head before turning back to the memory.

“I-Italy…” Acel stared in shock at Feli, before he smiled softly. “I think I finally understand. Thank you. I’ll make you proud, okay? I’ll win this war and become a strong empire, all on my own! And then… maybe… we could…” He flushed red, and for a moment, it looked like he was going to pull away.

But Feliciano leaned forward and hugged the shocked blonde tightly. “I… umm… T-Ti a…” He muttered the words under his breath, and Acel couldn’t catch what he’d said.

“I couldn’t hear you.” Feliciano flushed and pulled away, before speaking again.

“T-turn around. I want to give you something. A gift.” Confused, Acel obeyed and turned around. The nations watched in shock as Feliciano took off his underwear.

“O-okay.”

Acel turned around and turned redder than a tomato.

“I-Italy!! What?!”

“It’s a present. Please… take good care of it? And this, too!” He also passed over his push broom.

“I always wondered what happened to that broom.” Austria muttered under his breath.

“I’m more worried that you gave him your fucking underwear!” Romano glared.

A look of realization and nostalgia passed over Acel’s face as he recalled what the two items meant to him. “Thank you… I have something for you, too. Please close your eyes.”

Feliciano did as instructed, and Acel, in a shocking show of bravery, leaned forward and kissed Feliciano on the lips. “I-Ich liebe dich… Italia.” He looked like he was about to turn and leave, when Feliciano leaned forward and kissed him.

“Ti amo!” Feliciano proclaimed, flushing lightly.

“R-really?!” Acel looked overjoyed. “Then… when I come home… will you… be mine?” He looked nervous, and fidgeted from foot to foot.

“Si! Of course! And I’ll make plenty of sweets for when you come home, too!” Feli smiled, a look of relief on his face.

“Then I’ll see you when I get home, Italia! Ti amo!” Acel cried out as he left.

Feliciano stood there, tears gently cascaded down his face as he stared out at the dirt road until the sun touched the horizon. Elizabeta came out, a jacket in her arms. She was about to speak, when Feliciano spoke.

“Miss Hungary?” His voice was small and sad. “Will I ever see him again?” He turned to stare at the older woman, who froze in her tracks. The look in his eyes was older than it should’ve been, and it broke her heart to see it.

“Of course, Ita.” She smiled softly, not knowing if she was speaking lies or truth. With her words hanging in the air, and a final moaning sigh from the wind, the memory faded away, leaving a bit of a rotten taste in the mouths of the nations.

“So that was the last time you saw him?” France looked at me with sorrow and pity. “I’m so sorry, Italie.”

“I don’t want to hear anything out of your mouth, France.” I glared at him, making him take a step back in shock.

“Don’t you think you’re takin’ things a little far, buddy? I mean he was just trying to be nice.” America stepped in, but I turned my glare on him.

“You don’t know what happened. You don’t know the whole story, yet. This isn’t quite over. There’s more to see.” I stated, before willing the next scene to come into being.

It obeyed.

Feliciano was sitting in the Meadow again, crying softly. “I’m so worried! What if he… you know?!”

Luciano sat next to him, staring at him in sorrow. “He’ll be fine. Veryl left, too… He’s also going off to war. I hope the idiot can protect himself…”

“Nations are mortal when they’re at war… did you know? Any other nation can kill them when they’re in wartime.” Feli spoke up sullenly.

“Chin up, yeah? Our boyfriends are strong, so they’ll come home like they promised.” Luciano grinned jovially, a sparkle lighting up his eyes.

“Yeah, you’re right! I’ve been practicing my sweet-making for so long, too! It’ll be perfect when he gets back!” Feli cheered, clenching his fist in resolve.

“So have I.” Luciano stated proudly.

“And how many times did you blow up the kitchen?” Feli raised an eyebrow.

“Seventeen…”

“And how many times have you baked?”

“… Sixteen…”

“Wait… you blew it up without baking?”

“It blew up twice.”

Feliciano laughed. “You’re terrible in the kitchen! I’ll teach you some stuff, so don’t worry about it too much. By the way, is that why your eyebrows are gone?”

“I still have half an eyebrow, thank you!” Luciano pointed to half an eyebrow over his left eye. “B-besides! They’ll re-grow by the end of the week.”

“If you say so.” Feli laughed, flopping back on the grass. “I’m glad we can talk like this, Luci…”

“Why do you call me that?”

“I can call you Cici instead?”

“God, no! You do that, and I’ll show you firsthand just how proficient I am with my knives!” Luciano threatened. “You’re lucky I let you get away with Luci…”

“I call you that because you’re my brother.” Feliciano shrugged, thinking. “Nolu… The last part of your name and the first part of your name… What’dya think of that?”

“Nolu?! Sounds like some weird food or something. And don’t you dare try calling me Lulu either!” Feliciano flinched, the image of Lulu laying mangled and broken in a pool of blood flashed.

“I knew someone named Lulu, once. Please don’t use that name… So Luci it is, then.”

“Sorry… But again, why must I have a nickname?”

“Because it’s a family tradition! Fratello and I have special nicknames that only we call each other. I’m Felice, and he’s Vino. You’re Luci and Flavio’s Lavi.” Feli smiled.

“You haven’t even met the asshole, yet.”

“But I will. And he’s still my brother, just like you~! You’re both important people to me.” Feliciano smiled as Luciano turned red, and started stuttering out some incoherent excuses.

“He’s such a tsundere~” I chuckled, as the memory faded out.

England, once more, called out the Break Room. “I figured, after what we saw, we should have a lunch break.”

“Probably.” I muttered, thinking of what was coming up… It’ll show it, I’m sure… I… His death…

Despite my thoughts and inner turmoil, I smiled. If only to reassure the room I was okay, even if I wasn’t.

Just a little longer… then it’ll be over…

A/N: What? Two updates in one day?! I know, it’s a miracle, right? XD I’m surprised, too, don’t worry. But I finished this chapter last night, and just couldn’t keep it to myself any longer~! And the chapter after this is finished, too, so expect an update either tonight or tomorrow! ^_~ Is anybody’s birthday today? If so, then Happy Birthday~! I actually have a friend in Australia who was born on Jan. 1, 2000, and I thought that was sooo cool. Plus, whatever year it is, is her age. So she’ll be 19 this year.

My birthday isn’t until September, and I’ll be… 2…4….24…. I feel so old… *Depressed Emo Corner* (Though I’m still a kid at heart, and I honestly feel like I’m only 20 sometimes.)

Hope everybody’s First Day of 2019 was amazing (mine’s still going), and that this year is profitable and enjoyable for everybody~! ^^

Words: 1,224/1,596

Pages: 3/4

Posted: 01/01/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 26: Final Farewell

We’d just finished eating a late lunch, when a familiar flash caught my eye. “Goddamnit, not again!” England shouted, frustrated. “How many more people are going to come through?!”

“Where the fuck am I?! Oi! Felice! Vino!” A familiar voice called out, and I quickly dashed into the room to find Luciano standing there, looking concerned, pissed off, and more than a little confused. “There you are!” His gaze softened in relief when he saw me.

“Luci?! What’re you doing here?” I asked. Of all the people I thought would show up, I honestly expected the 2Ps to stay out of it.

“I’m here to find you, you inconsiderate turd!” He marched over to me and gently flicked my forehead. “How do you think I felt, when I heard you were in a goddamned coma?!” He glared at me, concern etched into his face.

I realized his eyes had heavy bags under them, and the edges were rubbed raw from many sleepless nights. They were bloodshot, possibly from crying, and there were new worry lines embedded in his brow.

“You look like shit.” I observed.

“And whose fault do you think that is, huh?!” He huffed, pulling me into a hug. “Do you know how terrified I was when I heard that you were in a coma after a fucking earthquake?! Not just you, either, but all these other assholes?! And Lovi.”

“Hey! Why am I a tacked-on name?!”

“1P Ireland, Scotland, and Oliver confirmed that you were hit by some kind of spell. They’re still working on what kind it was, but from what we can tell, it’ll wear off in due time. I just couldn’t stand there, though, so I followed our Link and here I am.” He held me at arms length, checking me over for injuries.

“I’m fine. We’re watching my memories, though. This spell shows the past of whoever was hit, in this case, me.” I sighed.

“When are we?”

“Acel just left for war.” I mumbled, though I knew he could hear me.

“Oh…” He paused for a moment. “I’m here, you know that, right?” He whispered, suddenly becoming aware of the other nations who were watching the scene unfold.

“Oh, don’t mind us.” England smirked, enjoying seeing one of the most notoriously cold-hearted 2Ps being so gentle.

Luciano glared at him, before he simply sighed and looked tiredly at me. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“I’m as okay as I’m going to be.” I looked him in the eye, reaching out through our Link. “I’m glad you’re here, Luci… I’ll need your support. Not just here, with Acel, but… with That Place…”

He stiffened a bit. “You mean it’ll even show…?” I nodded.

“Remember guys, you’re not speaking out loud. You’re just looking into each other’s eyes like star-crossed lovers and nodding.” America spoke up, causing Luciano to send a glare at him.

“Come on, then. We may as well get this shit over with.” He sighed, going towards the door.

With nothing more to say, the room vanished in a swirl of light, and the next memory started to play.

The scene started out showing an older Feliciano, now no longer wearing a dress, sweeping in front of Roderich’s place. He was a young pre-teen, on the cusp of becoming a teenager—likely somewhere around the physical age of thirteen—and though he still looked rather feminine, an experienced eye could tell he was a male.

Gilbert came running up the road, a grin on his face. “Ita!” He called, waving.

“Prussia~! I’ve missed you!” Feli ran and hugged him. “How’s Acel doing?” He asked.

“Actually… about that.” Gilbert fidgeted, not looking Feliciano in the eye. His smile was gone.

“What’s wrong?” The nations around me shuffled in discomfort, fearing the worst.

“He’s… well… um…”

Someone tapped Feliciano on the shoulder, and he whirled around to see a figure of similar height, maybe a few centimeters taller, wearing a dark cloak.

The figure grinned. “It’s been a long time, Italia.” Acel removed the hood, smiling down at the golden-eyed youth.

Acel had aged well, and now, especially, the nations could see the resemblance between him and Germany.

Feliciano’s eyes brimmed with tears as he launched himself into Acel’s arms. “Holy Rome! You’re home!” He cried, sobbing lightly into the blonde’s chest. Gilbert gave the two a grin as he laughed.

“I’m glad you two are so happy, but there’s someone you should meet, Ita.” Gilbert said, waving a boy over who looked identical to Acel. “This is my other baby brother, Ludwig. He’s Acel’s twin.”

Germany stared. It was surreal to see himself like that. He didn’t even remember any of this!

“Guten Tag!” Ludwig greeted, his harsh German accent contrasting with his brother’s gentle Italian-esque one. “I’ve heard a lot about you from mein annoying older bruder.” He playfully shoved Acel, who laughed.

“Of course~! How can I not brag about my beautiful girlfriend?” Acel grinned.

“Girlfriend, huh? I dunno… that’s a… pretty… masculine girl…” Ludwig observed, eyeing Feliciano.

“Uh, oh…” Canada gulped.

“No way! Italy’s a girl, right, Italia?” Feli was quiet.

“Uh… actually, about that…”

The memory faded out to Acel’s shocked cry of, “WHAT?!”

Prussia burst out laughing. “Oh, Gott! I remember that!”

“So that’s what you meant.” Luciano nodded, crossing his arms. Though the telltale twitching of his lips told me he was amused.

“I can hardly believe how easygoing you were back then, Germany-san.” Japan said, speaking up for the first time in a while. A lot of shit had been going on, and he preferred to sense the mood and refrain from speaking unless necessary.

The next scene cropped up to show a rather subdued Feliciano sitting on the back steps of the house, while Ludwig sat beside him. “I don’t know what to do! What if he doesn’t like me anymore?” Feli despaired. “I mean, he thought I was a girl, and…”

“Hush, now. I know mein twin fairly well, and he really does love you. He wouldn’t shut up about you, you know. He’d brag to everyone about your personality, and how shy you were when he first met you, and how your art is phenomenal.” Ludwig chuckled. “He just needs some time to process everything.” He reassured Feli, patting him gently on the shoulder.

“Wow. You were being very emotionally communicative.” Russia smiled.

“I… I didn’t even have a manual back then.” Germany stared at his past self in surprise. “Are we sure that’s not Acel?”

“No, his eyes are a couple shades darker than yours, and his hair’s a few tones lighter. Plus, his features are a little softer and more elongated than yours, whereas your facial structure is a bit more squared.” I said, smiling softly at the scene.

“That’s… oddly specific.” Germany blinked.

“I am an artist. We’re usually pretty observant.” I deadpanned.

“But it’s already been three days!” Feli protested, “He’s only home for a few weeks, right? So… what if…”

“What if what?” Acel spoke up, causing Feliciano’s head to whip up. “Let me answer your concerns.” He smirked as he leaned forward, tilting Feli’s chin up to capture his lips in a gentle, but meaningful kiss. “Ich liebe dich, Italia.”

Feliciano smiled, a couple of tears leaking out of his eyes. “I’m so happy! Ti amo, Acel.” He jumped to his feet, and caught the blonde in a return kiss, and Ludwig half-smiled, half-gagged (playfully) at the sight.

“Get a room! I’m going to go find Gilly… I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.” Ludwig muttered, going off on his own. “Try not to suck each other’s faces off!”

The two broke apart, blushing madly. “Try not to be such a prude! Go get laid, Luddy!” Acel called after his laughing twin, who quickly started speed-walking away, mortified.

The scene blurred, showing a montage of the two spending time together, falling in love on a deeper level than a childhood crush.

At one point, Feliciano was shown in their Meadow. Acel had fallen asleep underneath a very large tree, and Feliciano was painting the picture.

“So Acel’s home, too?” Luci asked, looking at his 1P. Feli looked up.

“Si.” He smiled. “He knows I’m a guy, now, and still loves me~! I’ve met his brother, Ludwig, too. He seems nice enough.” Feli grinned.

“Yeah. I’ve met Veryl’s brother, too, but I can’t get his full name out of him. Maybe it’s something embarrassing? The most I can get is Lutz.” Luci shrugged.

“So is Veryl home, too?”

“Si… and… erm…” Luci went red.

“Oooh? Did you make him those cookies?”

“Si… grazie for teaching me how.”

“Something happened.” Feli accused, causing his 2P to go redder. He instead held up his left hand, showing off an impressive stone on his ring finger.

The nations covered their ears when Feli let loose a shockingly high-pitched squeal of excitement. Perhaps the most amazing thing is that Acel only stirred before falling back asleep.

“Oh, Luciano~! That’s magnifico!!! You’re engaged!!!” Feli twirled in excitement, unable to contain his happiness.

“D-don’t make this a big deal!” Luci hissed, but Feli wouldn’t listen.

“What did Flavio say?!”

“…” Luci looked away.

“You haven’t told him, yet?” Feli’s brows shot up.

“Well, it’s not like I can just drop by his place and invite him to the… er… th-the w-wedding…” Luci went incredibly red as he stuttered out the words.

“Oh, you’re so adorable~!” Feli laughed. “Are you wearing a tux or a dress?”

“Tux. Shove me in a dress, and I’ll kill you in your sleep.” Luci glared.

“Fair enough.” Feli laughed. The two continued to bicker as the scene faded out, much to the embarrassment of Luciano and the amusement of the 1Ps.

“Feliciano…” Acel spoke up as the memory faded back in. They were eating sweets that Feli had made for them in their Meadow.

“Si?” Their hands were intertwined as the sunlight fell upon them, warming them against the cool autumn breeze. The trees shed their multi-colored leaves, making the scene picturesque. There was a blanket spread out beneath them, and it looked like Acel had prepared a picnic for them.

“I wanted to ask you something…” He pulled out a small box before going down on one knee. “Will you marry me?”

Feli stared, shock evident on his face. “Y-YES! Of course!” He kissed him passionately, before allowing Acel to slip the simple band over his finger.

Hungary and Austria shared a surprised look. “You never told us…?” Hungary started, heartbroken.

I looked down, pulling a necklace out from underneath my shirt. On a simple chain, hung two matching bands. I didn’t say anything, but I could feel their eyes on me. “I never take it off.” I muttered, slipping the smaller one over my left ring finger. It still fit perfectly, and I smiled nostalgically before slipping it off again and tucking it back into my shirt.

“I always wondered what that was…” Germany breathed. I knew he was surprised. I was technically his brother-in-law, after all. I was glad when Germany didn’t say anything more on the matter.

Prussia just sympathetically patted my shoulder, as Luciano sent me comforting thoughts. “If it’s of any help, you’re still a bruder to me.” Prussia whispered softly. I sent him a smile of gratitude.

“You knew?” Germany looked at his brother in surprise.

“Ja… You did, too, but…” Prussia trailed off. “After he… you forgot everything except your name.”

“So the only people who knew were you three?” America asked, pointing to myself, Prussia, and Germany.

“I knew, too.” Romano spoke up. “I didn’t know everything, but Veneziano did tell me about the rings and their significance.”

“The fuck am I, chopped liver?! I knew this shit, too.” Luciano pouted.

Aww, the Smol One is pouting~!

Smol One? Sounds like a nickname for you, assbreath.

The fuck did you just say?! You wanna go?!

Not really in the mood right now, Yang.

Right… I’m sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood for you a bit.

I know… grazie, fratello, but… I don’t think even you can help right now.

I understand.

The memory faded in to show Feli running up to Gilbert with a large grin.

“Ah~ So he finally did it?” Gilbert laughed.

“Aww, you already knew?” Feli pouted, but his smile still snuck through as he showed off the ring.

“Of course I knew! I helped pick out the ring, silly!” He laughed. “So have you told Hungary yet? I’m sure she’ll flip.”

“Actually…” Feli looked down a bit. “I’m going to wait until after Acel comes home for the wedding.” He smiled softly. “I don’t want to jinx anything, after all.”

“I see… Understandable. But Ita, are you sure you don’t want to push the wedding forward to before he leaves?”

“I’m sure. We’ve talked about it quite a bit, and we’ve agreed that it’d be best if we can use the wedding as a celebration of the war’s ending, too.” Feli beamed.

“Eh, whatever you two want, I suppose.” Gilbert shrugged with a massive grin. “But either way, you’re officially part of this family, now! You’re mein new baby bruder! Kesesese~!”

“Ja! Und my bruder, too! Please keep my twin in line.” Ludwig grinned, looking years younger.

“Don’t you mean keep you in line, you little troublemaker?” Gilbert teased, ruffling Ludwig’s neatly combed hair.

“H-hey! Mein hair!!” He cried out in horror, causing Feli and Gilbert to laugh.

The next scene faded in showing Acel standing by the wagons, ready to march out again to war.

“I… Please don’t go…” Feli said, tears in his eyes. “I’m so scared you won’t come home.”

“I promise, Feli.” Acel smiled, giving him a chaste kiss. “I’ll come home in time for the wedding.” He winked.

Ludwig rolled his eyes. “I’m going on ahead, bruder. Catch up when you’re done saying your farewells.” He waved to the two of them as he walked away. “It was nice to meet you, Feli! I’ll look forward to talking more with you when we meet back up in May!” Ludwig waved.

“I don’t know…” Feli still looked anxious. A cool breeze caused the trees to dance, sending their multi-colored autumn leaves afloat in the wind.

“I know… Here.” Acel took off his hat, handing it to Feliciano. “Keep a hold of this for me, okay? And when I return, you can do the public proposal this time, okay?” He grinned.

“But… what if…”

“I’ll be fine. I promise, I’ll come home.” He reassured Feli, and for a moment, a ghostly image of Rome appeared next to him. “I promise. I’ll come home.”

“NO! Please!” Feliciano’s tears renewed, stronger this time.

“Oh, Feli…” Acel pulled him into a hug, as he let him sob on his shoulder. “I’ll protect you, always. But if ever anything happens to me… I need you to promise me two things, okay?” He looked into teary golden orbs.

“W-what is it?”

“Number one, I want you to try to find something to live for. Don’t you dare throw yourself into war. And don’t ever change, because you’re beautiful.” He smiled, planting a kiss on Feli’s lips.

“A-and the second thing?” Feli asked, hiccupping lightly.

“I want you to look after Luddy.” He said, serious. “Ludwig’s my baby brother, and I’d only trust you and Gil to look after him. If anything ever were to happen to me, I don’t know what he’d do.”

A sudden look of understanding flashed in Germany’s eyes. “You…”

“It’s partially why I stuck to you like glue when we ‘first’ met, Germany. You have no idea how relieved I was to find you, after all those years. I’d searched and searched, but couldn’t find you anywhere, and all Prussia would tell me is that you were safe.”

“I’m sorry, Ita. I didn’t realize he’d made you promise that.” Prussia looked downcast. “And I already knew you’d lost Acel… I didn’t want you to realize you’d lost Luddy, too…”

“Fusosososo~” Spain butted in, making myself and Prussia smile. “Now’s not the time for such depressing thoughts, right? Fusosososososo~!”

“Grazie, Spain.” I smiled softly, turning back to the memory.

“I promise. I swear it, I’ll do everything in my power to look after and protect Ludwig.” Feliciano said, and Acel relaxed greatly.

“Thank you, Feli.” They shared one last drawn out kiss before Acel turned and left Austria’s house for the last time.

A/N: Surprise! Not only is it ANOTHER update, but Acel wasn’t dead yet! I wanted their relationship to be deeper, so it’d be more tragic when he died, so I had him come home from war for a couple weeks, older, realize Feli was a guy, love him anyways, PROPOSE to him, and THEN he’ll die (next chapter, so prepare your tissues and get ready to bottle your tears). Also, Italy’s obsession with Germany is explained~!

We also got to see some Kid!Germany this chapter, and how he used to interact with his twin (I wonder how he’d be now if Acel had lived?). For those of you who’ve asked, yes. Germany will eventually get his memories back.

And Luciano joins the party~! :D He’s one of my favorites, and I love the idea of an overprotective, tsundere, brotherly personality for him. He really is a burnt cinnamon roll.

And Yes. I read all the comments you guys leave (Smol One is a reference to some comments on Wattpad, so here’s a low-key shout out to you guys~!)

And before you all ask… Yes. There will be other 2Ps joining in at a later date. Though Flavio will likely show up before the others do…

Words: 2,043/2,743

Pages: 5/6

Posted: 01/02/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 27: Tragedy of the Heart

The memory whirled around us, making us stumble. Feliciano was shown, standing atop Grandpa Rome’s Hill, though instead of the great city of Rome sprawled out below the drop of the half-hill, half-cliff, it now rolled gently down to Holy Rome’s Meadow.

“Another dream?” China asked.

“Si…”

Atop the hill was an splintered wooden pole, stained with blood. Beside it, fluttering in an unseen breeze, was the flag of the Holy Roman Empire. Feliciano stared at the tattered flag—though not nearly so tattered as Rome’s had been—in shock.

“N-no… Not again!” He reached for the flag, as if to protect it somehow, when it started to disintegrate, slowly.

Feliciano shot up in bed before the flag could completely dissolve. He gasped for breath, eyes dilated in fear.

“Hey, HEY!” Luci said, sitting beside Feli.

“L-Lu…ci?”

“Yeah, it’s me. You saw that dream, too?” He asked, trying to calm down his distressed 1P. Though Luci, himself, also looked slightly panicked.

“We… we have to go!” Feli whispered. “I won’t let him die like I did Grandpa!”

“Listen! I’m not saying don’t go, I’m just saying calm down for a minute.” He glared at Feli, waiting until his breathing was under control. “What does your gut say?”

“My… my instincts are screaming at me… I… I feel twitchy and antsy, like if I don’t go somewhere now, I’ll lose him forever.”

I shared a glace with Luciano.

“Then go.” Luci said. “Don’t ask Austria or Hungary. Just take the fastest horse you can, and go.”

Feliciano didn’t hesitate. He ran out of the room as quietly as he could and went to the stables. He struggled a bit, but a recent growth spurt allowed him to saddle the horse by himself. It was a rather pretty silver dappleback, who seemed as restless as Feli was.

“It’s okay, Thunder.” Feli soothed the animal, whose ears flicked towards the nation with a low nicker. “I need you to run with me. As fast as you can. We have to get there, do you understand me?” Feliciano felt silly, speaking to the horse, but the mustang snorted and pawed the ground, moving his head up and down in a motion reminiscent of a nod. “Grazie.”

“He said that he knows that you need to be somewhere… He feels the same. He’s honored that you chose him.” America interjected.

“How…?” England sent him a baffled look.

“My bonded is a horse, dude. I can understand Thunder no problem.”

In a well-practiced, fluid motion, Feliciano mounted the horse and took the reigns.

A sharp yip followed by a large dark furry form caused Thunder to pause, as Asher ran into the stables.

“A-Asher! Please, let me go! I need to get to him… Tell Fratello I’m fine, but I’ll be gone for a while. I’ll stay with Acel until the war is over.” Feliciano pleaded.

Asher whined with a low growl, showing his distaste for the entire fiasco.

“I know you don’t like it, but… I have to… Please?” Feli shifted restlessly on the saddle, as Thunder nervously pawed the ground. This was a wolf, after all. Even if Asher wasn’t fully grown yet.

Finally, Asher let the two pass. “Grazie.” Feli flashed the wolf a small smile, but it was weighed down with worry and concern.

“Hiya!” They took off at a run, and the nations found that they were being pulled along. China stumbled and fell, but the ground continued to move under him, as it did the rest of us. It was a bit unnerving, watching the world fly at you and phase through you.

The scene sped up even more, showing the two traveling for several days. They had to stop for food and water several times, but amazingly, the horse refused to move any slower than a gallop.

“That’s not right… that horse should’ve exhausted himself to death at the rate he’s been going.” England puzzled over the scene.

“Wait, dude! What’s that glow?” America asked, pointing to a faint glow surrounding the two. It looked similar to the halo that appeared around objects in heavy rainfall.

“I see, aru!” China gasped in surprise. “You’re sharing some of your innate Nation Magic with him!”

“Wait, now you’re talking about magic?!” South Korea huffed, and I shared an amused look with Luciano.

“Mind if I join in?” Yang asked, as he phased into being beside me. He was incorporeal, and I knew from experience that only myself and Luciano were able to see him.

Feel free. I replied mentally. Yang just nodded as he stood beside me. Though the others could neither feel nor see him, Luciano and I could. So his hand resting on my shoulder was rather comforting to me. I gave him a small grateful look. He just flushed and looked away, though he did not remove his hand.

“Magic of some form exists within the lands of every nation.” China explained tiredly. “So each nation has, to an extent, some form of passive, instinctual magic. It’s because we also represent the land as well as the people. How do you think we heal so fast, aru?” He shot South Korea a look. “I believe that Italy is using his magic subconsciously to not only give the horse extra energy, but to reinforce his durability and muscles so he can run without killing himself.”

“It would make sense. We ran like that for nearly two weeks.” I thought aloud.

“T-two weeks?!” Hungary choked.

“Oh, yeah… You two never really pestered me about where I went off to for two and a half months, so… What’s the story?” I asked Hungary and Austria curiously.

“I was told that your brother had taken ill, and you were visiting him. Something about the economy or something.” Austria huffed, crossing his arms.

“Don't.” I stopped Hungary before she could start. “Don’t you dare say that I should’ve just told you. You wouldn’t have let me go. You saw me as a child who had no clue how the world worked, and you wanted to protect me. You didn’t let me go after him the first time… or the second time. Why should I have believed that you’d have let me go the third?” I leveled the two with a stare.

“I… You’re right… We wouldn’t have let you go.” Hungary admitted, head bowed. I didn’t reply. Instead, I turned to my brothers. I’d need their strength.

The scene slowed down, showing the two running as dusk fast approached; dark storm clouds rumbled in the distance as they quickly encroached upon the vicinity of the memory. The sounds of a battlefield grew louder and louder the closer the two got. Finally, Feliciano and Thunder crested a tall hill, stopping to catch their breath.

Feli gasped, looking down at the warzone below him. People fought and murdered each other with little care. The ground was stained red, and cries of anguish and anger filled the air, thick with the smell of blood. Feli covered his nose as tears ran down his face.

The nations didn’t bother to cover their noses. War was something they’d all seen numerous times. None of them liked it, but they were somewhat desensitized to it. Luciano stood a little closer to me, tentatively reaching out to grab my hand in an offer of support. I gratefully squeezed back. Yang, also, squeezed my shoulder to let me know he was there.

You care more than you let on… I teased, but my heart wasn’t in it.

“Is… this war?” Feliciano’s voice shook. He’d never seen such horrible death before. He thought he’d been prepared, at least somewhat, by his time on the streets, but this… This was senseless. This was cold and dark and wrong. This made him sick, and he actually had to lean over the edge of the saddle to empty the contents of his stomach.

“Acel… I have to find him.” He muttered determinedly once he’d finished retching.

“Oh, Ita…” Hungary stared at me sadly.

The nations shifted. Watching another nation react so strongly was uncomfortable, to say the least. Though most of them were admittedly older when they first saw battle personally.

Thunder, scared as he was of the unfamiliar smells and sounds surrounding him, continued to faithfully carry Feliciano in the indicated direction.

Eventually, they moved away from the main battle. At one point, Feliciano had to dismount to walk through the thicker underbrush of the forest they were now in. The trees towered high above them as night fell, drawing the looming storm ever closer. The clouds started to block out the rising moon, stretching the shadows into darkness that blanketed a clearing that Feliciano headed towards.

The sound of unintelligible voices drew Feliciano to the edge of the clearing, where he stopped to assess the situation. I turned, not wanting to see it all over again. I wanted to honor his death by not looking away, but I felt that I couldn’t watch it twice.

Acel stood in the clearing, back to Feli’s position. The golden-eyed nation was about to run over to him. “Ace—” A sword suddenly impaled the blonde youth, causing Feli to freeze in shock. He couldn’t do more than stare in petrified shock.

That’s when they heard a very familiar voice. “I’m sorry, Holy Rome. But I’m only doing what I believe is best, and if I must stain my hands with your blood, then so be it.” The attacker said, removing his rapier from the young nation. A flash of lightning revealed the man to be none other than Francis Bonnefoy.

The nations stared, looking between Memory-France and our France. “F-France? How could you?” America gasped. Canada sent his papa a disappointed glare.

Spain looked half-horrified, half sympathetic. Prussia clenched his fists, and his form became very rigid. The way he tightened his jaw was also a tell that he was well and truly pissed. Germany looked between his brother and France in confusion and horror.

“W-why?” He whispered.

I walked away from Luciano and Yang and approached Prussia. I gently punched his shoulder, and gave him a half-hearted broken smile. He returned it with one of his own, and ruffled my hair. We didn’t need to exchange words. We understood that the other was in pain. And we could read each other well enough.

“W-what?” France breathed. “I… I don’t remember any of this…” He stared at the scene wide-eyed in shock.

I looked at him in disbelief. This man was confronted with his own deeds and still had the audacity to deny them?! But Romano caught my eye and shook his head. France wasn’t lying. Did he really not remember? Perhaps that was even worse. You didn’t even deign the murder of my fiancée important enough to remember?

I glanced worriedly over at Germany, who seemed to be fighting off a headache, though his eyes were suspiciously misty.

Prussia placed a hand on my shoulder and gave me a tight squeeze. That’ll be bruised tomorrow, between Yang and Prussia… I mentally shook my head.

Hungary had tears in her eyes as Austria held her; trying to comfort her for the loss of a child they’d both seen as family.

Russia’s aura grew rather cold. He liked children, and didn’t ever like seeing them hurt. Japan, on the other hand, kept an eye on me, making sure that I wasn’t going to be too badly affected by this entire mess.

Francis looked down at the struggling youth, who clenched his fist. “I-Ital…ia…” He was still alive.

“I’ll make it fast. I’m sorry. Please… believe me. If there was another way… But this is for the best.” Francis stated coldly.

“Ti… amo, Italia.” Before Feliciano could so much as twitch, Francis stabbed Acel in the heart, killing him. His final breath was deafening, and even the sky started to cry upon the scene. The rain fell in thick sheets, causing the blood to pool around the boy.

I couldn’t help my flinch. To hear his last words… again. It was nearly too much. “Felice.” Luciano made me focus on our Link. “Listen to me. I’m here. Yang’s here. You’re not there… it’s okay…”

Ying. Listen. I’ve gotcha, okay? Yang sent me a gentle smirk. I’m here. I’ve gotcha.

Grazie… I smiled softly at Yang’s words. He only said that when I needed it. I supposed ‘I’ve gotcha’ was way of telling me he was there for me. Like how Fratello and I used ‘ve’ and ‘chigi’.

Francis stood there a moment before walking away, leaving the area completely deserted. The sound of rain deafened the nations as Feliciano numbly stumbled over to the fallen nation. He didn’t even notice the rain or the cold, though his breath was visible. “Acel?” He asked, his voice thick and heavy with emotion. “A-Acel?” He kneeled down next to him, Acel’s warm blood seeping into Feliciano’s clothing. He shook his shoulder, trying to wake him up. France flinched badly at the scene.

“No… Please… y-you promised.” He started shaking as he turned him over. Acel’s eyes stared blankly at the heavens, his face streaked with tears and rain. “ACEL!!!” Feliciano screamed, cradling the body. He rocked back and forth, screaming in such a despairing voice that several nations flinched. Those who didn’t flinch (and some who did) glared death at a shaking France.

France, for his part, looked out of it, like he wasn’t all there. He also had a pained look on his face.

The scene could’ve lasted for years or seconds. “Acel! I heard Francis over here, so I’ve—” Gilbert ran out of the forest, and into the clearing. He stopped when he saw the scene before him. “N-no… Nein…” His sword clattered to the ground as he stumbled forward.

“N-nein… What…?” Gilbert whispered, watching the heartbreaking scene unfold. His own tears fell thickly from darkened eyes that looked closer to black than red.

“It was France.” Feliciano choked out with enough venom to make France flinch. Gilbert jolted, like he’d been slapped.

“W-what? But… no… he wouldn’t?!”

“He did! I saw him… the whole thing…” Feli snarled through his tears.

“How… how could this be? I… I thought we were friends… so why would he go out of his way to murder mein brother?” He clenched his eyes shut as he grasped his hair in his hands, falling to his knees. “This doesn’t make any sense!”

Gilbert, a man of great optimism and unparalleled confidence, cried. He sobbed, too lost in his grief to even register that the rain that was slowly becoming hail. Feliciano moved a little closer to Gilbert, offering him some small form of comfort. Neither said a word to the other as they shared their pain. Neither man cared for the battle warring just over yonder, because they’d already paid a very heavy price. Too heavy a price.

Eventually, their sobs quieted and the tears stopped. Prussia looked up at the shivering child before him, coated in the blood of his deceased fiancée, and soaked to the bone. The hail continued to fall, a bit bigger than when it had first started.

“You’re going to catch your death out here, Ita.” Gilbert took off his jacket, draping it over Feliciano’s shoulders before he scooped him up. Feli refused to let go of Acel, so Gilbert was forced to carry both of them.

He found his way back to the horse, who still waited loyally for their return. “You’re a good horse, aren’t you? Being raised around nations has made you very intelligent.” Gilbert smiled hollowly. “Do you feel up to carrying us?”

Thunder pawed the ground as his namesake roared a bit too close for the viewer’s comfort. “Then let’s go.” He mounted the horse, directing them off into the night. He spared a moment to stare in the direction of the battle, a fierce glare on his face. “You’d better have a damned good reason for this, or I’ll never forgive you, France.” Gilbert growled as the memory finally ended.

A/N: Hello everybody! So he’s dead. I’ve finally killed Acel! And I really hope you cried (I tried really hard to describe the scene well enough to evoke your emotions). I know a LOT of you were looking forward to seeing France get yelled at, here, but that’ll come next chapter. I don’t do character bashing unless it’s truly called for. If I can find a logical explanation for something, then I’ll use it. So France does have his reasons, but the reason he hasn’t ever apologized or groveled on his knees for forgiveness is because the trauma of such a thing caused him to forget that night. He had no idea who killed Holy Rome, let alone that it was himself.

So there you have it. :) Chapter 27. ^^

There’s also a Poll up on my profile page on FF.net, so please check it out and vote! I’m really very curious as to what you’ll say.

I’ve also now found a full-time job~! ^_~ Unfortunately, this means that the updates may slow down a bit. So I feel that I may have spoiled you all by updating nearly every day for several weeks. I’ll try my best to keep the pace I’ve got now, (I mean seriously! I think I’ve tripled the word count of the story in a fraction of the time it took to write the beginning/Childhood ARCs!!) but I make no promises.

Words: 1,880/2,684

Pages: 4/6

Posted: 01/03/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: Grief and Confessions

England called up the room once more. Though I took a step away from Prussia, I still stayed by his side.

Germany, who’d been in some kind of pain throughout the entire scene, sat down in one of the chairs. He had a look of shock on his face, though the pain that had been apparent earlier was fading. Before I could ask him what was wrong, Prussia marched right up to France and punched him so hard he fell to the floor. The resounding CRACK told us that his nose was broken.

The room went silent. Nobody dared to move for fear of invoking the albino’s wrath. Germany stared at the scene in a mixture of shock and relief.

“I had no idea—” France said, but Prussia cut him off.

“Do you really expect me to believe that?! Why?! WHY DID YOU KILL MEIN BABY BROTHER?!” He screamed, tears leaking from the corner of his eyes. Spain looked like he was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“I… I don’t—”

“Wait.” Romano suddenly cut in. “Let me ask him.”

“What do you mean?” Prussia’s eyes narrowed as he looked at my twin.

“Veneziano and I have a unique ability. His is that his gut instinct is never wrong. As you’ve seen twice, now.” He paused, gauging the room’s reactions. “Mine is that I can always tell when someone is lying.” He leveled a steady gaze on France. “Say it one more time.”

“I… I didn’t know… I really couldn’t remember anything until we saw the memory.” France stuttered, looking Romano in the eyes.

“…” Romano stared for a moment, and the room shifted in discomfort. “He’s telling the truth. He really had no idea.”

The anger in the room seemed to dissipate, not completely, but enough. Prussia sank down to the floor, anger spent.

I sighed; my shoulders sagged in defeat. “I can’t hold this anger against you anymore, France. I may not forget… I may not ever trust you again… but I… I forgive you.” I walked over to him, using a mild healing spell to fix his broken nose. It was hard to say it. Even harder to mean it. But after all that shit I went through in Hell… How could I not, on some level, forgive this man for what he did?

Yang and Luciano looked on impassively. I could tell by Luciano’s clenched fists that he wasn’t as forgiving as me. After all… 1P France was also the reason Veryl was dead.

“I think… I think he’d subconsciously blocked the memory.” China guessed, looking at France as he quietly cried.

“I’m sorry!” He sobbed. “I’m so sorry! I was only trying to protect you!”

“Wait… What do you mean?” Germany spoke up, kneeling down in front of the nation. France opened his mouth several times, only to close it again, unable to form a coherent sentence.

“Bitte… Why did you kill mein twin brother?” Germany’s eyes shone with hurt and a guarded gentleness I hadn’t seen since before Acel’s death. His voice held no anger. Only pity and sorrow. He just wanted to understand why his brother’s death occurred.

“I… I’d been heading over to Prussia’s house to visit him… I figured that even if we were at war, we were still friends and I could still visit him as Francis…” He started, gratefully taking a cup of tea that England offered everyone in the room.

“I remember overhearing a conversation he’d had with his boss at the time…”

Prussia’s eyes widened as something clicked into place. “Oh, no…”

“Apparently his boss thought that having two personifications was… unnecessary… He ordered Prussia to kill Holy Rome or he would kill Germany. And as you know, a Nation’s Boss has the power to kill that personification permanently, so long as they’re at war…” France took a shuddering breath, allowing the room to digest this new information. “I knew how important those two were to him, so I made a plan. Prussia wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he’d killed his brother, so I would do it for him. Then, he could hate me for the rest of his days, and he’d still be able to look himself in the mirror at night.”

“You…” Prussia stared in horror at his old friend. “I… I can’t believe you heard that…” His bangs overshadowed his eyes. Prussia had a bitter smile on his face. He laughed to himself, humorlessly.

A single tear fell to the floor, followed by another. And another. “I… I need some time…” He quickly stood and left the room. I shared a look with Luciano and I followed Prussia. Germany looked like he wanted to join us, but Luciano stopped him.

“Prussia? What is it?” I stopped him in the hallway. He was shaking.

“Verdamnt!” He punched the wall with such ferocity that I nearly flinched. Instead, I put my hand on his shoulder. “What do you want, Ita?”

“What has you so angry?” I questioned. “This is more than the revelation.”

“If I told you, do you promise to never tell France? I fear it would break him.” Prussia looked up at me with dead eyes. I nodded.

“The order… Two days before that battle, his Boss saw reason. He revoked the order to kill Holy Rome. Originally, he’d ordered it because Acel was borderline insubordinate, and Ludwig was so militaristically inclined… he listened like a good soldier, so he figured that in killing Acel, he’d be ridding himself of a liability. But when he realized that Acel would obey Ludwig and me… He revoked the order. Nobody… nobody had to die.” He clenched his fist.

My own heart tightened, and I knew I could never let Luciano know this. He would become unstoppable in his grief. As it was, he learned that France had killed Acel during WWII, and I’d needed to take some time to calm him down. During that time, he’d been mentally unstable due to a mixture of war and disease ravaging his nation, and with the newly reopened grief of the loss of his loved one, he’d gotten it through his head that if he killed me, and then himself, we could permanently die—which was true—and join our respective loved ones in the afterlife… wherever that may be.

Luckily, I made him see reason, but that doesn’t mean that Vino hadn’t been terrified out of his wits when he came home to the two of us bleeding out on the floor. I still think that he has yet to forgive Luciano for that stunt, but to be fair, he never really understood why he’d done it in the first place.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and reigned in my Magick, which had flared with my anger at the revelation. Prussia looked at me with wide eyes. “Please… No questions?”

“Fair enough.” He sighed, defeated.

“I know it’s hard… Believe me… But… I’m here, bruder.” I smiled softly at him, and ruffled his white hair, which was surprisingly soft. Maybe he uses women’s shampoo and conditioner?

“Danke… er… frata…. Frate… what’s the Italian word again?” He tilted his head. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“Fratello.” I corrected him.

“Ja… Danke, fratello. Even if you never made it ‘official’, you’re still mein bruder in law, ja? Und I’m sorry I’ve been ghosting you for so many years…” He looked down, ashamed.

“It’s all right. You’ve been dealing with your grief in your own way.”

“Still… I had no right to abandon family… You were grieving, too.”

“I forgive you… Besides, you were there for me for a while…”

“Ja…”

“Why did you leave?” I asked him. The question had bugged me for centuries. “After his death…”

“I suddenly just left, and dropped you back off at Austria and Hungary’s… I wanted to hide Ludwig… I was overly protective, and I felt the less people who knew, the better. I had no idea who you were close to, or how you were with keeping secrets. Und after mein best friend seemingly betrayed me for no reason…” He brought his gaze up. “I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you. I’m sorry, too… Maybe… If I’d just been a little bit faster… then…” I looked down, before shaking my head. “At any rate, we should get back before our brothers send in search parties for us.” I chuckled dryly.

“Yeah…” He gave me a small smile. “Thank you. For coming after me.”

“That’s what big brothers are for.” I shoved him playfully.

We went back out into the living room to find most everyone still in the same positions as before. They’d been waiting for us to return.

“I… I’m not angry with you anymore.” Prussia finally spoke up, looking at France. “You did what you thought was right. You were trying to protect me, and how could I be angry with you for that?” He hesitated before approaching France, who looked down, expecting some kind of retaliation. Instead, Prussia pulled his friend into a hug, shocking the blonde. “I forgive you, friend.” France started sobbing into his shoulders, and Spain looked incredibly relieved.

I looked at Germany. “Luddy?” I asked, uncertain if he’d remembered anything at all.

“Ja…” He smiled softly at the old nickname.

“Do you…” I hesitated a moment. “Do you remember anything, now?”

He stared at the wall for a moment, observing a painting that hung upon it. “You’ve gotten better.” He said suddenly.

“What?”

“At cleaning up after you make a mess in the kitchen. Remember how long it took us to clean up Austria’s kitchen after the three of us made sweets together?” He smirked, eyes sparkling with mirth at the memory.

I laughed. “Yeah! He was so angry!”

“Of course I was!” Austria huffed. “You’d gotten batter on the ceiling! I’m still not sure how you managed that!”

“So you do remember?” Prussia looked at Germany in surprise.

“Ja… I don’t remember everything, but I remember parts of it. I remember enough.” He smiled as he looked at his brother. “Gilly.”

“Ugh! Please don’t call me that!” Prussia cried in horror. “I thought I’d finally lost that stupid nickname!”

“Nein!” Germany stuck out his tongue, surprising the nations.

“Whoa! Wait! This is still Germany, right? Mr. ‘go by the rulebook’ Germany?!” America looked around himself as if expecting the walls to turn purple.

“Oh, yes. But he used to take after Prussia’s prankster streak.” I chuckled.

“Germany-san has evolved.” Japan muttered under his breath with a chuckle, causing South Korea to snort in amusement.

“I still think work is important. But I remember, now… that work can make you lose yourself.” He thought back to the long nights he and his brother wished that Prussia had no work. The long weeks that they’d had to spend all alone because he had work to do, and how the two promised each other to never become so absorbed in the ‘boring stuff’ that they’d forget their friends and important people.

I discreetly tapped my 2P on the arm and the two of us headed upstairs for some quiet breathing room. We decided to go into my bedroom.

“I haven’t been in a situation that tense in a long time.” Luciano sighed, letting some of his façade fall as he sank down onto the edge of the bed.

“I know what you mean. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Prussia so angry.” His glare was stuck in my head, and I shivered. “I don’t think he truly believed France killed him until he saw it with his own eyes.”

“Technically he saw it with your eyes.”

“That’s creepy, stop it.” I deadpanned.

Yang stretched as he re-specterallized himself. He looked exactly like me, but his hair was snow-white, and his eyes were icy-blue. He also had a light spray of freckles on his face. Since he wasn’t controlling my body, the golden flecks were absent from his eyes. “Your head is cramped!” He complained.

“Not my fault. I didn’t exactly ask for a tenant.” I rolled my eyes.

“Yang.” Luciano shot him a mild glare, but didn’t say anything beyond that.

“What, that’s all I get? Come on, bro!” Yang complained.

“You’re not my brother.” Luciano shot back, but we all knew that it was a lie.

“You can’t choose family~” Yang sang teasingly.

“No, but I can kill them.” Luciano shot Yang a warning glare, causing him to stick out his tongue in retaliation.

“Bite me.” He taunted.

“Wouldn’t be the first time I’ve gone cannibal.”

“Gingerbread men don’t count.” I interjected.

“Fine. Be that way.” Yang muttered. “Tsundere… cinnamon roll…”

“The fuck is he talking about?” Luciano gave me a bewildered look. I just shrugged.

“He’s been weird lately. I think he’s been watching anime or something.” I sighed and concentrated a bit on Yang. “There. Now you can hang around us, outside my body, without anybody but Luciano and I seeing or hearing you. And you don’t have to spend all your energy to do so.” I said, and Yang let out a whoop.

“Finally!” He grinned; his white locks of hair fell into his eyes. He brushed them away with some mild annoyance as I unlocked the door, and the three of us headed back downstairs.

It seemed that everyone was simply taking it easy, chatting or playing card games (where did they even get those?). The earlier tense atmosphere was entirely gone, and France was quietly talking to Spain and Prussia. He looked much better, and Prussia didn’t look ready to decapitate his friend.

I turned to Luciano. “I challenge you.” I smirked, as he met my gaze with an equally challenging stare.

“Oh? Think you can beat me, this time?” He quirked an eyebrow, amused.

“Oh boy.” Yang chuckled, “This is gonna be good.”

A moment later, the world went dark. “Aw, fuck.” I blinked several times, but it didn’t do anything. I couldn’t even tell if my eyes were open or closed, aside from the feeling of cool air on my eyeballs.

“Blinked out again?” Luciano asked, raising an eyebrow. “I won’t let you use that as an excuse to back out.”

“No way. I can beat you with my eyes closed.” I smirked, closing my eyes to accentuate my point—not that it mattered anyways.

We sat across from one another at the wooden table, grinning madly. Nobody paid us much mind, so we didn’t really think about how terrifying our expressions must’ve been. We each pulled out identical knives, spreading one hand out on the table, palm down. “You start.” I smirked.

“Fine.” Luciano did a couple warm-up stabs at the table, before he started singing, stabbing the knife in the spaces between his fingers.

“There is an old tradition, a game we all can play. You start by getting liquored up and sharpening your blade.”

I smirked and replicated his actions, brandishing my own knife between my fingers as I sang the next verse, though he kept pace with me.

“You take a shot of whiskey, you grab your knife and pray

And spread apart your fingers, and that is what you say:”

We both sang together, drawing the attention of the room as they watched our insane game.

“Oh~ I have all my fingers, the knife goes chop! Chop! Chop! If I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off!”

We shared a look of challenge as we picked up our speed a bit, neither of us actually hitting our fingers, though we came very close.

“And if I hit my fingers, blood will soon come out. But all the same I play this game, cause that's what it's all about!”

We continued, our knives thumping against the table in near-synchronization as we continued to sing together, neither of us looked down at our hands. (Not that I could anyways).

“No, you can't use a pencil! You cannot use a pen! The only way is with a knife, when danger is your friend.”

Yang watched with intense interest, though he made sure to enjoy the looks of abject horror and anxious winces of the room as they watched our dangerous game unfold.

“And some may call it stupid,” Luciano sang.

“Yeah, me.” Romano muttered under his breath. “I hate it when they get like this.” He sighed.

“Some may call it dumb.” I smirked as we went back to singing the next line together.

“I’ll say.” Austria shuddered at the thought of his precious fingers being that close to a knife. He never wanted to lose his ability to play the piano, thank you.

“But all the same we play this game, because it's so damn fun!”

“How is this fun?!” China whispered.

“Oh~ I have all my fingers, the knife goes chop! Chop! Chop! If I miss the spaces in between, my fingers will come off!” We picked up the pace again, each of us trying to get the other to slip up and cut himself.

“And if I hit my fingers, the blood will soon come out. But all the same I play this game, cause that's what it's all about.”

The others dared not disrupt us, for fear of us actually cutting off our fingers.

“Oh~!” We drastically picked up our speed in the last verse, making a few nations pale.

“Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! Chop! We’re picking up the speed. And if I hit my fingers, then my hand will start to bleed!” We both stabbed our knives in the table at nearly the same time, though with our improved senses, we could still tell who won.

“Damnit!” I cursed, as Luciano stuck out his tongue.

“I told you~ You can’t beat me at a knife game.” He gloated, idly twirling his knife between his fingers like one would a quarter, while the others stared.

“The bloody hell was that?!” England looked absolutely horrified.

“You’ll get used to it after a while, so long as these two are in the same vicinity…” Romano sighed.

“It’s called the Knife Game.” America spoke up. “It’s also called pinfinger, nerve, bishop—don’t ask why—stabscotch, stabberscotch, five finger fillet, or simply the ‘stab between the fingers game’.” He noticed the others looking at him. “What? A lot of my people are fearless idiots who don’t care about their fingers, okay?”

“I think I remember you playing that once or twice.” Canada leveled his brother with a stare.

“Well, yeah… I may have tried it a few times, but I’m not nearly as fast as Italy and Luciano.” He defended.

“Why on Earth would you want to play a game like that?!” England looked between the three in disbelief. “I do believe I did not raise an idiot.” He shot America a look, which he proceeded to ignore.

“We were bored.” Luciano and I spoke in sync, and Romano facepalmed.

“Of course you were.” He muttered, heading towards the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” Spain asked.

“To get a drink. If the two of them are like this, I’ll need it.”

“Hmm… didn’t expect him to go off for alcohol.” I muttered through the link to Luciano.

“Eh, don’t worry too much about it. I really don’t blame him, considering…”

“Yeah, true. That was… erm… let’s just not get drunk again any time soon.” I grimaced. “How long did it take his curl to grow back?”

“About a month.” Luciano winced. “And he burned ours off in retaliation.”

“Yeah.” I shuddered. “Let’s not repeat that.”

“You guys realize they’re staring at you, right?” Yang spoke up, invisible and silent to all ears but ours.

“Hm? Oh, what’s up? Did you need something?” I asked pleasantly, as if Luciano and I hadn’t just participated in a very dangerous game with no regard for our own safety.

“You’re hopeless.” South Korea muttered.

“I am liking this game~” Russia grinned.

“Of course you would.” China huffed, crossing his arms.

“Itary-kun… are you blinked out right now?” Japan suddenly asked.

“Oh, did I forget to open my eyes again?” I asked, looking directly at where I knew Japan was standing.

“That’s still rather unnerving.” Japan muttered. “Hai. Though you’re very good at pretending to see.”

Romano looked in Yang’s direction for a moment, as if sensing something there, but I knew he couldn’t see or hear the white-haired split. As it was, Yang sat at the chair I’d vacated. He looked very bored, resting his head in the palm of his right hand, staring off towards the kitchen.

“Isn’t there anything fun to do here?” He complained, and I mentally rolled my eyes at him.

“No, Yang. There isn’t. That’s why we’re stuck here. You know?”

“Ita…” Prussia said, coming over to me. I heard the other nations going about their business once more. “Do you think we should finish this tonight? I mean… we’ve still got the funeral.”

“I… probably. And to be honest, I’d rather be blinked out for that part, anyways.” I admitted. Prussia hummed in agreement.

“Then what’re we waiting for?” Luciano’s voice sounded from behind me, startling me. And by startling me, I mean I whirled around on instinct, falling into a defensive battle stance. My knife was at his neck in about a tenth of a second.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” I growled, and he laughed. I knew he’d done it on purpose. He was the only person who could sneak up on me, these days.

“You’re getting sloppy, who said I even tried to sneak up on you?”

“You hid your aura. If that’s not ‘on purpose’ then what is?”

“He’s got you there, Ling.” Yang said, making Luciano choke.

“The fuck kind of nickname is that?!”

“Well, I’m Yang, he’s Ying,” Yang gestured to me. “So You’re Luciano-Ying, or Ling for short.”

“You realize that’s a character in Fullmetal Alchemist, right?” I chuckled.

“So? You think I care? I’m calling him Ling whether he likes it or not.” Yang crossed his arms, making the two of us sigh.

“There’s really no compromising with him when he’s like this, is there?” Luciano asked.

“Nope. Not a chance.”

“If you two are done talking to yourselves?” Prussia glanced between myself and Luciano, unaware that there was a third party involved.

I listened, still blinked out, as the rest of the nations gathered around to continue the memories.

As the world around us swirled, we came to the scene of Prussia and Feliciano digging a grave.

The storm still raged on, rain pelting the two as Thunder stood solemnly off to the side, guarding what appeared to be a sleeping Holy Rome. The two dug in what appeared to be a forest clearing. The nations belatedly realized that it was the Meadow. The two were digging beneath a very large tree, and the branches managed to help keep some of the hail and rain off the two.

Feliciano sneezed, at some point, and Gilbert looked over at him worriedly. “I’m fine.” He muttered as he continued to dig. Their hands became raw and a bit of blood dripped to the ground.

Finally, they deemed the hole deep enough.

“Bruder? Where am I?” Germany asked, looking around. He couldn’t remember coming to the grave.

“You… you’d fallen into a coma due to the trauma of Acel’s death.” Prussia explained. “It only lasted a few weeks, but it was enough to terrify me.”

“Both of us. I’d heard you’d woken up, but Prussia wouldn’t let anyone see you. He was very protective of you.” I said, listening to the rain as it fell upon the parched surface of the earth. Though we couldn’t feel the cold, we could sense it.

Feliciano and Gilbert went over to Acel. Feli stood back, tears in his eyes as Prussia hugged him, allowing himself to cry as he said his goodbyes.

“I’ll miss you, baby bruder… watch over your idiot twin, ja? Und bitte… say hello to Vati for me… I know he’s proud of you.”

Feliciano then stepped forward. “I’m sorry… I won’t be able to keep part of my promise to you. But… I’ll watch over him… just like you asked me to. Both of them, so please… rest easy. My Love…” Feliciano kissed Acel on the lips, slipping off the ring Acel wore on his left hand. Feli placed the ring in his pocket. “I’ll take good care of your hat.” He smiled sadly, a sob forcing its way out before he could compose himself.

“It’ll be hard. The world feels so dark without you here. I’m cold, and I feel so alone. But… you made me promise… promise to keep moving forward. So that’s what I’ll do. I’ll find another reason to live. And I’ll keep our dreams alive. I’ll do my best to be strong.”

Feliciano gazed over to his left, and Luci stood there, transparent and solemn. “Here… beneath Our Tree… I will never forget you… Acel Beilschmidt-Vargas. My husband.”

Gilbert’s head whipped up a bit at that, before his eyes softened. “I’ll watch over Feli for you, ja?” Gilbert muttered, and while I hadn’t caught his words completely the first go-around, I most certainly did this time.

The nations watched as the two carefully, lovingly, lowered the young boy into the ground. They sobbed as Gilbert threw the first fistful of dirt over him, and Feli followed suit with the second.

Their cries of grief and sorrow were lost to the storm as the scene faded out, leaving Hungary and Austria in tears once more.

“So that’s why they never found his body.” Hungary whispered in sorrow.

The following scene showed Feliciano and Gilbert sitting in a fairly nice living room, a roaring fire was in the fireplace, and Feliciano was bundled in several blankets. His face was flushed, and it was obvious that he was running a fever.

“You didn’t tell me you could get sick.” Gilbert accused.

“You didn’t ask.” Feli replied dully. “I can die, you know…”

“Wh-what?!” Gilbert panicked. “You mean perma-die?! This is the kind of shit you need to tell people!!” He cried out as he rushed around gathering more medical supplies.

“You knew?” Germany raised an eyebrow.

“It was so long ago… I suppose I’d forgotten, as it never came up again.” Prussia shrugged.

“That, and I made you promise not to tell anyone.” I shrugged.

The scene fuzzed a bit, showing Feli’s fever getting worse before finally breaking a few days later, much to Gilbert’s relief.

“Ve… Gil?” Feli looked up from his nest of blankets one morning.

“Hnn?” Gilbert cracked open an eyelid, aroused from his nap. “How’re you feelin’, Ita?”

“I’m all right… I feel much better, now. My fever’s gone.”

“That’s good.” He worked out a kink in his neck.

“How’s Luddy?”

“…” Gilbert looked away, refusing to answer the question.

“Same, then.” Feliciano sighed.

“Get some rest, Ita… I’m going to go feed Thunder…” Gilbert got up and stretched before leaving the cabin. Ignoring his brother-in-law’s instructions completely, Feliciano went, instead, towards the kitchen.

I was only going to grab a snack, but… He eyed the flour. Maybe… I could…?

The scene blurred before showing Gilbert entering the kitchen with a look of surprise on his face. “Ve~ I thought you’d like some sweets to make you feel better!” Feli grinned. He was half-covered in flour and batter stuck to parts of his hair, but he had a small real smile on his face. The sight proved to be too much for the albino, who burst out into laughter.

“Oh, Gott, Ita! You’re a mess! Kesesese!” He doubled over, clutching his gut in mirth.

The watching nations relaxed upon seeing Gilbert laugh and Feliciano smile. The two of them had been so sober, and it was honestly depressing to see two normally cheerful nations so subdued.

The memory faded again to show the two sitting by the fireplace.

“You’ll be missed, you know.” Gilbert stated.

“I know… I’ll head back… Grazie, for letting me stay.” Feli smiled, shoving Gilbert playfully.

“You’re my brother, okay? Even if it was never… official… you’ll always be family, and you’ll always be welcome.” Gilbert smiled, though both had flinched at the topic of Acel.

“You sure you’ll be okay without me?” Feli questioned again.

“I will… Und I’ll send word as soon as Luddy wakes up.” He smiled.

“You’d better.” Feli sent him a mild glare. “And don’t forget to come visit once in a while.” He scolded softly.

“Ja, ja.” Gilbert ruffled Feli’s hair gently.

The next scene faded in to show Feliciano sitting alone at the base of the Tree, a white cross was now placed in the ground, marking Acel’s grave. Flowers of various kinds were placed on the fresh mound, and a wreath of flowers hung around the cross. Feli stared blankly ahead.

“So you’re blinked out, then?” Luci said, transparent in the memory, though not as much as normal.

“Si… Though not completely. I’ve been like this for several weeks, now. Everything’s blurry, and things keep fading in and out. I can’t do my work like this, so I’m using the excuse that I’m worried… Miss Hungary and Mr. Austria still don’t know that…” He glanced over at the grave, his eyes tearing up a bit.

“It’s all right.” Luci comforted him, though his eyes were a bit misty, himself.

“So yours is gone, too?” Feli asked.

“Si… A 2P cannot exist without his 1P… I’m not entirely sure why, though. Once Acel died, Veryl… he…” Luci choked back a sob, letting a few tears fall.

The nations watched in surprise as the feared 2P, Luciano Vargas, cried. Feliciano, without thinking, wrapped his 2P in a hug.

“It’s okay to cry, Luci… It’s only natural to cry when you’ve lost someone dear to you. Nobody’s here. I won’t judge you.” Feliciano soothed, running his hands through Luci’s hair.

“You can… touch me?” Luci blinked, realizing that they weren’t specters to one another anymore, but physical.

“It’s okay.” Feliciano pulled him closer, letting Luci listen to his heartbeat. In that moment, all of the fuchsia-eyed boy’s masks crumbled, and he clung to Feli like a lifeline. His voice filled the air as he sobbed and screamed.

“It’s not fair!” Luci cried; a horrible, guttural scream of grief tore through his throat. “I loved him! We were going to live together! WE HAD A FUTURE!”

Luciano stood awkwardly to my side; his cheeks flushed red as he tried to avoid the pitied gazes of the other nations. “Say. Nothing.” He growled menacingly, and they looked away quickly.

“Tsundere~” I teased, knowing he’d want me to treat him normally.

“Sh-shut up, you dick.” I could hear the relief in his mental voice.

As Luci finally started to calm down, Asher trotted up to the two, sniffing Luci warily. He then sniffed the grave, and froze in realization. He looked quickly to Feliciano for confirmation, who nodded.

Though the watching nations could not understand Asher’s words, I could. And the look of realization and grief was obvious. He threw back his head, and howled.

Luciano, Romano, and I all flinched, recognizing the howl as one reserved for the loss of a pack member. It was answered by several other far off wolf songs. The other wolves, though they did not know this lost pack, used their voices in a sense of unity to send the deceased pack member home to the heavens, guided by the call of their ancestors.

It was wolf’s tradition. Whenever a wolf hears the song of mourning, all other wolves should answer with the song of guidance, which is believed to summon the spirits of the wolves who have passed on before, so they may find the deceased pack member and guide them home, wherever that may be.

And as the other wolves howled, Romano was unable to quell the instincts instilled in him from his bonding with Asher. He, too, threw back his head, shocking the nations with a distinctly wolf howl that sent shivers down a few nations spines.

I shared a look with Luciano. At the time, I hadn’t had a bonded… but now…

Luciano and I raised our howls to meet our brothers’, both furred and nation. The nations around us stared in surprise. They knew Romano was bonded to a wolf. But they’d had no clue that Luciano and I were, too. And while Romano had sent out the howl of guidance, as he hadn’t been overly close with Acel or Veryl, Luciano and I sent out the howl of mourning. This howl struck a deep, lonely, sorrow into the souls of those who heard it, and several nations gasped in surprise upon feeling this grief.

When the song of mourning and the song of guidance had faded into the distance, leaving a distinctly empty space behind, the nations turned towards myself, Luciano, and Romano.

“Wait… Veneziano, since when can you…?” Romano gave me a puzzled look.

“It’ll come up later, fratello.” I looked away, unable to explain. My Contract sort of prevented me from doing so.

The next few scenes flashed like a movie, showing Luci and Feli spending much of their free time together, and even ghosting one another during their daily chores. At one point, they even figured out how to share senses.

“Okay, so I can do it with you, let’s see if you can see through my eyes.” Luci stated. The two had grown quite a bit, and now appeared to be adults, or nearly.

The world shimmered for a moment before they were staring at the Meadow again, but this time, instead of a see-through Luci, he was solid. The Meadow was unchanged, but there was a nearly tangible difference in the air.

“Oh, wow! So this is your world?” Feliciano asked mentally, as Luci glanced around to show off a shimmering barrier overhead.

“Si.” His fuchsia eyes were speckled with gold, telling the nations that Feliciano was actually shadowing Luci in the memory, though Luci seemed to still control the body.

“What’s that?”

“Oh, that’s the Dome. It’s something new that’s been put up. Nations are starting to be called Networks, because of it. See, there’re these tunnels being built below all the nations, now, connecting one town or city to another. The air’s getting too acidic for a non-nation to breathe, so these barriers were erected.” Luci explained, getting up and stretching.

He left the Meadow, walking over to the edge of the Dome, allowing Feli and the watching nations to catch a glimpse of an odd, panther-like creature lurking outside. Its eyes glowed a menacing purple color and it had two spiked tails. The fangs on the beast reminded them of a saber-toothed cat, and it was around the size of a tiger.

“The bloody hell is that?!” England shuddered. He knew the 2P world had a lot of monsters, but he didn’t think they’d look so… unnatural.

“That’s a saber-toothed cat. There’re different breeds, but…” Luci explained.

“Wait, there’s dinosaurs here?!” Feli gawked.

“Not a lot. But we have raptors and stuff. They’ve gone extinct in the 1P world, but not here. Humans aren’t the top of the food-chain in this world. It’s why so many of us envy you 1Ps… the only thing you need to worry about is mother nature and war. You don’t have man-eating monsters like this looking for an easy meal like a human. You’ve got protection. We don’t.”

The scene faded again, but the image of the prowling super-predator wouldn’t leave the nations’ minds for many weeks to come.

“Feli.” Luci’s voice greeted the group as the next memory faded in.

“What is Luci?” Feli asked. The two were leaning against Holy Rome’s tree, staring up at the sky.

“I want to promise you something.” Feli flinched. “I know, I know. You hate promises.”

“Of course I do! Promises mean nothing when you’re dead.” Feliciano hissed, making the nations flinch.

Oh, how ironic. I had no idea just how true those words were. I thought back to all the times I’d cursed the promises the others had made. And with my vision blinked out, there was little to stop me from almost being pulled into a flashback.

“OI!” I felt Yang mentally slap me. I startled a bit, my vision blinking back in suddenly.

“Ow…” I winced, tightly shutting my eyes against the sudden overload of bright.

“You okay?” Luciano and Romano asked me at the same time, sending one another a mild glare of annoyance.

“Yeah… I’ve just blinked back in.” I cautiously opened one eye, squinting against the bright sunlight.

“Oh, here.” Romano said, pulling out a pair of sunglasses.

“Grazie, fratello.” I smiled softly at him as I slipped the shades on over my eyes, sighing in relief.

“Thank you, Yang.” I said mentally, glancing to my left to see the rather annoyed white-haired man tinge red.

“Don’t thank me. I wanted to slap you, that’s all.” He bristled, unable to take a compliment or a thanks. I chuckled before turning back to the memory.

“But you know I won’t die until you die. When we go, it’ll be together.” Luci said, and Feli reluctantly nodded his head.

“So what’s your promise, then?”

“That I will always be there for you. No matter what. You can always count on me. I may be busy, or hurt, or whatever, but I’ll always come when you call. I swear it… Even if I can’t do anything, I’ll at least be there. You are never alone.” He swore, cutting open the palm of his left hand, holding it out to Feliciano.

Feli blinked in shock before a wry smile formed on his face. “I see… I also promise to be there for you. No matter what. Through thick and thin, no matter how much of a dick you’re being. And if you ever lose your head, I’ll be there to set it right again.” Feliciano took the proffered knife and cut the palm of his left hand, wincing at the pain.

“Che. Baby.” Luciano muttered, and I elbowed him lightly.

The two clasped hands, sharing their blood. “Brothers, forever; Never alone.” The two said in sync, as the memory finally faded out.

A/N: Wow, here’s a nice long chapter to end the Holy Rome Arc. I hope some of you cried, that was my goal. (In my mind, being able to make people laugh or cry, or exude other emotions due to my writing is a sign that I’m doing something right).

Next Flavio should be joining us, so look forward to it.

I’ve also discovered the Knife Song, and couldn’t help but add it in there, as I can absolutely see Luciano playing that game. I also wanted to end such a sad Arc with something happy(ish) so I ha some Feli-Luci bonding. Next will be the Reunification Arc, which will have lots of Feli/Lovi fluff to apologize for the feels of this past Arc.

Also big shout out to NeyaVeneziano for drawing some amazing fanart of Yang~! :D YOU ROCK!! So this chapter’s dedicated to you for being so awesome!

Words: 4,630/6,391

Pages: 10/13

Posted: 01/04/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 29: Brothers Reunited

The next memory faded in, showing Feliciano sitting in an unfamiliar house, reclining on a chair.

“Where is this?” France asked, confused.

“This is our home.” Romano informed them.

“I’ve already left Austria’s house by this point. It’s skipped quite a bit. I believe the date is March 17, 1861.” I smiled softly, looking over at my brother.

“Our birthday.” Romano smiled back. “Officially.” He added in.

Feliciano got up and started pacing. He was dressed in nice clothing, and looked like a noble, minus the snobbish attitude. The house was nice. Quaint, nothing too grand, but it was larger than what the average Joe could afford.

There was a sudden knock on the door, and Feliciano practically ran to it. He hesitated in opening the door, as a look of anxiety came over his face. Wh-what if he doesn’t like me anymore? The thoughts were projected for the nations to hear. There was a faint scratching sound at the door, too, and a whimper on the other end from Asher.

“You idiot.” Romano gently clapped me upside the head.

“Dude, I’m confused. What’s going on?” America asked.

“Well, if this is their unification… then…” Canada trailed off.

“This is the first time you two have seen each other since Rome died.” China gasped in realization.

“It’s been over 1,300 years since you two have seen one another.” Japan realized.

“Si… I mean, we’d had some brief visits when Spain had to come to Austria’s place for business, but… the centuries sort of flew by, and… err… Well, we’d never had the opportunity to spend any real time together. We’d both changed, and I’d wondered if maybe my brother wouldn’t like me anymore.” I chuckled. “I was being a bit dumb, really.”

Before Feli could open the door, Lovino opened it from the other side. The two stood, staring at one another in shock. As they drank in each other’s appearances, tears starting to leak from their eyes.

“V-Vino…” Feliciano croaked, reaching out a hand hesitantly.

“Felice…” Lovino reached back. The moment their hands touched, a powerful shockwave made the memory shake violently, causing the nations to stumble. The two collapsed into one another’s arms, sobbing.

“What was that?!” Germany asked, looking around him. Nothing physically seemed to be affected.

“That was our Link reconnecting.” I explained. “Though we’d seen one another, we’d never been close enough to touch… to reconnect.”

“How powerful.” Russia breathed.

“You’re forgetting.” Luciano cut in. “Feliciano and Lovino… and Flavio and I… We’re all just one half of the other’s soul. We’re each only half of a person. Why shouldn’t a soul becoming whole again have such an effect?”

Eventually, Feliciano ushered his twin inside, and the two just sat on the couch, taking comfort in being together again.

After a while, though… things became awkward. “So, uhm… how’ve you been? It’s been so long. I’m glad you’re home.” Feli said.

“It has been awhile.” Lovino agreed. “I’ve been… okay. Spain’s a bit of a dick, but the bastard’s all right, I suppose. You were staying with Austria, right?”

“Si. Austria was kinda stuck up and he thought I was a girl for the longest time~! Until my voice changed, that is. So I was his maid.”

“He thought you were a girl, too, huh? I think the Tomato Bastard thought I was one, but I quickly corrected him on that. I still had to wear a maid dress, though.”

“So that’s something we both had in common.” Feli sighed.

“You seem… calmer, oddly enough.” Lovino pointed out.

“I… I suppose so. There was… a war going on nearby, and I saw some of it.” Feli winced, a brief flicker of pain crossing his expression.

“I’m sorry, Felice. I couldn’t protect you.” Lovino pulled his brother into a hug.

“It’s okay, fratello.” Feli smiled, surprising his twin. “We’re together again, and that’s what counts, si?”

“Si. Now what’re we going to have for dinner? I’m famished!” Lovino grinned, dragging Feli off towards the kitchen. The scene flashed before showing the two curled up in bed together.

“Fratellone?” Feliciano asked.

“What is it Fratellino?”

“I’m glad we’re back together again.” Feli smiled, snuggling closer.

“So am I, Felice.” Lovino smiled softly, wrapping his arms around his brother.

“Happy Birthday, Romano.”

“Happy Birthday, Veneziano.”

The memory faded again.

“I should probably point out,” I started, seeing a few confused looks from the nations. “that we used nation names because it’s our Nation Birthday, not our human one. Though our Human Birthday is more taken as a turn of the season rather than any one specific date.”

Brief flashes of the two re-bonding was shown. They cooked together, played music together (I explained that the piano had been a gift from Austria, despite the terms I’d left on), and even painted and sculpted together.

“I’m the sculptor; I can’t paint worth shit.” Romano explained.

“And I’m the painter. My sculptures always either fall apart or they turn out looking like fucked-up emojis.” I chuckled. “Unless it’s of food, for whatever reason…” I thought back to the pasta sandcastle I made during the World Wars.

We watched as the Attic was made into an art studio for Feliciano, while the basement became an art studio for Lovino.

Feliciano was out and about one day, when he came across a young boy who was trying to sell his paintings. They were very good, and looked almost like a photo of the flowers he’d been painting, but there was something cold about the picture. Something missing. Feli smiled a bit and walked over.

“Hi there. Did you paint these?” Feli asked, and the boy eagerly nodded.

“Si, si! I’m looking to sell them. Would you like to buy one?”

“Do you know why nobody’s buying your artwork, child?” Feli ignored the question. The boy’s face darkened.

“If you’re not buying, then go away! You’re obstructing business!” The kid glared.

“My, big vocabulary.” Feli chuckled. “I’m an artist, too, you know.” Feliciano pulled out a sketchbook, showing off some phenomenal charcoal drawings. They looked so realistic, that one would think they would jump off the page.

“Oh, wow!” The kid’s eyes widened and gained a fierce spark before it fizzled out and they dulled again. “I mean, go on! You’re not going to buy anything, are you?”

Feliciano paused, as if considering his next words carefully. “Child, listen. You feel as if your art lacks something, don’t you?” The boy’s head whipped up, and his eyes narrowed at Feli, silently daring him to continue. So he did. “You try as hard as you can to get every detail absolutely perfect! But still—something’s missing. The colors are flawless, maybe a better canvas? Ah, but that doesn’t work, either. It just looks off. Something missing, but no matter how hard you search, you cannot find it. No matter how many times you think yourself into a slump, you cannot figure out what’s missing. Am I wrong?”

The boy looked down. “I don’t know what it is. I’ve tried… so many different things…”

“What do you feel when you paint?”

“Feel? What do you mean? I just paint.” Feliciano smirked.

“And therein lies your problem. Art is more than replicating something. It’s more than simply copying what you see and putting it on a canvas. It’s about heart, soul, emotion!” Feliciano’s hands gestured wildly as his eyes gained a fierce passion. “Art is taking how you see something, and the emotions it makes you feel, and making other people feel it. When you paint something sad, make people cry. When you paint something happy, make them smile and laugh!” Feli grinned, as the boy watched him in awe. “And no matter what… you paint for you. Nobody else. If it doesn’t have heart, then it’s just color on a page. It may look pretty, but it lacks the most important thing that all life has. Soul.”

“So… how do I… paint with soul?” The boy asked, looking up at Feliciano with respect.

“Find yourself, first. Look at the world around you, and ask yourself what you see. What can you see that other people cannot? You see the world through a unique lens. Nobody else can see these things quite the way you do. Capture that! And ask yourself, how can you transfer that onto a page? You’ve got the gift. You have the talent. Now you just have to use it.” Feliciano smiled, pulling something out of the satchel he’d had with him. It was a small painting, depicting a beautiful sunset. As breathtaking as the reds and blues of the sky were, and the clouds that drifted across the painted background, there was an almost tangible sadness around the painting, and the boy found himself weeping at the sight of it.

“I want you to have this. A reminder that though sad times may come, look for the beauty beyond. And never forget the power of your art. You have the ability to change lives with your work, and your power can stretch far beyond your own lifespan. Make your mark upon this country, nay, this Earth, and let there be proof that you lived.”

With those words said, Feliciano gently pushed the painting into the boy’s hands, and walked away, an awed child staring after him. The scene faded out.

“That was… powerful.” America grinned.

“What can I say? I love art~!” I returned the smile, thinking of how happy painting has always made me feel. It was a wonderful outlet for my emotions.

“Speaking of, I noticed you haven’t been painting much lately. I mean, there was that stint a little while ago where you practically barricaded yourself in your studio for months! I couldn’t even get you out to eat. When you finally emerged, you were thin and pale, and you wouldn’t let me see what you were working on at all. In fact, I think I’m still banned from your Studio. So what’s up with that?” Romano asked, concerned.

“There were… extenuating circumstances, fratello. I was… going through a lot of things at the time.” I shot Luciano a look.

“Oh… it was after That Place, wasn’t it?” Luciano asked me through the link. Yang stood off to the side with a slight wince on his face.

“Yeah. It was, Viva.”

The memory faded away once more, and England called up the Break Room.

“What’s up, man? We just started?” America asked, looking confused. England gestured over towards Hungary, who was nodding off against Austria.

“We’ve all had a rather long day. I thought, perhaps, it was time for some rest.”

“I agree.” I spoke up. “These next sets of memories shouldn’t be anything too traumatic. From what I can remember, it’s just my brother and I getting to know each other again.” I shrugged.

“It’s probably the best time to sleep right now. Especially considering everything we’ve seen today.” Romano tacked on, glancing between myself, Luciano, Prussia, Germany, and France.

“I agree. It’s been a long day, and I’m exhausted.” Prussia agreed, stretching. He couldn’t keep the rather large and highly contagious yawn from escaping, and soon the entire room was yawning.

“Okay, I see your point.” America relented as he rubbed his eye.

“Goodnight, then.” England headed up to bed, followed by several other nations.

“So… where am I sleeping?” Luciano asked as the three (technically four, but Yang was only visible to myself and Luciano) of us headed upstairs.

“Hey, look.” I said as I opened the door to our room.

“There’s a new bed all of a sudden. Guess that answers your question.” Yang chuckled, as he went to lay down on Luciano’s bed.

“Oi! The fuck do you think you’re doing?! That’s my bed. Get off.” Luciano growled through the link.

“Where the fuck am I supposed to sleep, then?” Yang asked.

“Fuck if I know?! The floor?! Don’t know, not my problem. Now get off my bed.”

I sighed as I recalled Yang into my mind, his spectral form faded out. You can stay in my head for the night, and I’ll re-spectralize you in the morning.

Is that even a word?

No. But it doesn’t have to be.

I curled up in my bed next to Romano, and Luciano slipped in beside me, letting me sleep between the two.

A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about that wait, I’ve had some stuff going on at home. I also went and saw that new movie, Aquaman. It was really good, so give it a watch. I’ve also started watching a TV show called Arrow, and it’s pretty good, too. ^^

Beyond that, I apologize. Flavio did not show up this chapter. But he will next chapter, for sure. I tried writing this chapter in several different ways, and he just didn’t come. :/

On the other hand… That splurge that Feli had about Art and the meaning behind it… That’s how I feel about writing and music. Those are my artistic pursuits, and I feel that they apply to those, as well as more traditional arts like painting and sculpting. So, yeah. You got a bit of a glimpse at your Author’s Soul. XD

Words: 1,864/2,062

Pages: 4/5

Posted: 01/08/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 30: Flavio Vargas

The next morning, I awoke snuggled between Luciano and Romano. But something was odd… another breath. Another heartbeat. I sat up, wide-awake. “F-FLAVIO?! What are you doing in our bed?!”

The blond-haired 2P sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes. “Oh, morning Feli…”

“Get the fuck out, or the curl comes off.” Luciano threatened, glaring at his naked brother. Flavio was very quick to jump out of bed and redress himself.

“Idiot.” Romano sighed, already somewhat desensitized to his 2P’s behavior.

“So~ Where are we?” There was a pregnant pause.

“YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THAT MUCH?!” Luciano snapped, strangling his twin.

“So, how’d you sleep, fratello?” I turned towards Romano casually, as if my 2P wasn’t in the process of murdering his 2P.

“Eh,” He shrugged, “well enough. You?”

“I think it’s the best night’s sleep I’ve gotten in a while.” I smiled.

Yeah, I’m actually feeling refreshed for once. Yang piped in, though I could tell he was paying more attention to the scuffle across the room.

It was a rather bruised Flavio, irritated Luciano, and resigned Romano that came down to breakfast with me that morning.

“Hey guys~ Look who’s here!” I grinned, waving towards the blond.

“Oh, great. Another one? Will every damn nation show up? Well, let’s just invite the whole bloody world, while we’re at it!” England poured himself a cup of tea before adding alcohol.

“I don’t get why you’re the one who’s irritated.” America chimed in. “I mean, shouldn’t it be Italy or Romano? It’s their memories we’re watching, not yours.”

“Yes, but the more people that show up, the harder it is to encompass my magic around everyone for breaks. It’ll drain me faster, which means we can’t take as many of them. Unless, of course, you want me to pass out from magical exhaustion.”

“So it drains you to keep this room up?” Canada asked in concern.

“No, not exactly. It drains me to call the room up, or expand it. It doesn’t drain me once I’ve already summoned it and we’re all already here.”

“Well, sorry about showing up unannounced, and all that, but I’m glad I came in time for breakfast!” Flavio chirped happily, settling down with his plate at the table.

“Idiot.” Luciano sighed as he, also settled down at the table.

I shared a knowing look with Romano. We both knew that Luciano was secretly glad his brother was here. He’d never admit it, but he was always worrying about his older twin.

“So where are we at in the timeline?” Flavio asked.

“Well, we’re around the 1860’s or so. Seeing as we’re just after the Unification of Italy.” I stated, taking another bite of my food.

It was a while later, after a few more scuffles from Luciano and Flavio, that we found ourselves back at the door. All right… I looked over at Yang, who I’d respectralized earlier. He sent me a confident smirk. “You’ll be fine, Ying. These are the good memories, not the bad ones.”

When we opened the door, we found ourselves in what appeared to be a warehouse.

“Where are we?” China asked, looking puzzled.

“Oh.” I shared a look with my brother. “I think you should cover your ears.”

“What? Why?” England asked, but Japan, America, Canada, South Korea, Luciano and Flavio all did as I asked. Of course, Romano did as well.

Suddenly, the familiar sound of a gun firing several times made the nations jump, as six men fell from the rafters, dead. Lovino stood casually, pistol smoking, as he leaned against the frame of the warehouse entrance. He wore an expensive suit, and carried a briefcase in his other hand.

“Oi. You going to sit there all day?” He called out, and movement showed Feliciano tied to a chair, looking beat up.

“The fuck took you so damn long?” Feliciano spat, shooting his twin a glare.

“Sorry, I got lost.”

“You got lost? Yeah, right.” Feli stood up, rubbing his wrists. “They tied those tightly, you know.”

“You could’ve escaped at any time.” Lovi rolled his eyes.

“Yes, but that would’ve defeated the purpose of letting me be captured in the first place.”

“Did you figure it out?”

“What do you take me for, a rookie?” Feliciano raised an eyebrow, offended. “Of course I did.” He smirked. “It’s him, all right. He’s the leak.”

“Then let’s take care of him. Teach him not to cross the Vargas Family.” Lovino returned his smirk, and the two left the warehouse.

“What was point of that?” Russia asked, confused.

“Mafia business.” Romano explained. “We had a traitor, and needed to make sure we had the right guy.”

“I think it was shown because it was the first time since we’d been reunited, where I placed my trust in fratello like that. Sure, I could’ve gotten away, but we really had no idea what to expect in that situation.” I added.

“Oh, so it was representing you learning to trust each other again.” Canada muttered.

“Exactly.” Luciano spoke up, as the next memory filtered in.

Feliciano was laying in bed, looking ill. For whatever reason, Luci was also there, as was Lavi (Memory Flavio).

“Dude? What’re you two doing in the 1P world?” America asked.

“They came to help me out because Feliciano got sick.” Romano sent Luciano a smirk. “As soon as he heard, he rushed over in a huff, all worried.”

“I did not!”

“Yes you did, fratello~!” Flavio grinned. “He was such a mother hen, I swear! He even wanted to make Feli some soup, but Vino would have nothing of it.” Flavio laughed, while Luciano was bright red, trying his best to hide his embarrassment.

“Oh, yeah! You can’t cook!” America suddenly remembered, looking at Luciano.

“Say that again, you fucker. I dare you.” He held up a knife threateningly, looking at his ahoge.

“Err…” America looked back over at the memory.

We watched as Feliciano, who had a fever, was catered to by the three nations. Lovino was hurrying around, working himself into a tizzy.

“Calm down, or you’ll get sick, too!” Lavi said, placing his hands on Lovino’s shoulders.

“But… He’s…” Lovino looked towards his sleeping brother.

“We know.” Luci interrupted. “He’s your brother, you’ve only just gotten him back. He’s mortal to sicknesses like this.” He leveled Lovino with a very serious look. “But you’re our brother, too. You both are. Don’t be such a selfish bastard all the damned time!” He crossed his arms.

“Haha. I think what Luci’s trying to say, is let us help you. It hurts us to watch you try to do all this on your own. Let us act like brothers to you two sometimes, too, okay?” Lavi smiled.

“F-fine.” Lovino turned away, face red. “G-grazie for the help, you assholes.”

“Eh, it’s a start.” Lavi shrugged.

The scene faded out again before showing Feliciano and Lavi sitting on the back steps of the porch. Feli was obviously recovered at this point.

“Something’s coming.” Feli said suddenly.

“So you can sense it, too? Usually Luci’s the one who senses this sort of thing, but he doesn’t seem to have noticed…”

“Sometimes, those who are at the center of something are the ones don’t realize what’s going on until it’s too late.” Feli spoke lowly, his eyes tracking the sun’s decent over the horizon.

“You know what’s coming, right?” Lavi asked, turning to his brother.

“War.” Feli turned to meet his gaze. “War is on the horizon, Lavi. I don’t know if it’s coming to your world, but it’s coming to mine. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to become a monster. I want to create art, and sing, and bake. I want to have a family and spend time with my brother. I want to live. I don’t want to have to fight because it’s expected of me. I want…” He sighed, looking back at the darkening sky. “I want to be human.”

The silence that followed was deafening.

“But you’re not.” Lavi finally answered. “You’re not human. You’re a Nation. You were born a nation for a reason, Feliciano. You are Northern Italy, just like Luciano is. You have a purpose in this world, in this immortal existence. Maybe it wasn’t a purpose given to you by a higher power. Maybe it’s something you have to make for yourself. Protecting the innocent, or discovering new things. There’re endless possibilities.” He smiled as he caught his brother’s golden gaze. “If you can’t find your reason, make it. Humans are creatures of unlimited possibilities, and they are bound only by the limits they place upon themselves. We may not be human, but we are human enough. We are part human. And that means we, too, have near infinite potential. We’ve just got to find it. You’ve got to find it.”

He paused for a moment, considering his next words carefully.

“Feliciano Chigi Vargas.” Feli’s attention was suddenly hyper-focused on Lavi, and the memory even tunneled a little to prove that. “Promise me something. Promise me that you will find yourself three reasons. Three separate purposes for living.”

(Trigger warning section for self-harm and suicidal thoughts)

“How did you know?” Feliciano asked; his eyes suddenly lost their spark, as he gave a bitter smile. “How did you know I was planning to kill myself?”

The nations stared in disbelief. They had never seen me as the suicidal type, but I knew they’d never be able to unsee this.

“I saw your arms, earlier, for one. And for two… Luciano’s taken Veryl’s death very hard. I know you couldn’t have taken Acel’s any better. I know because I’ve been there, Feli. It doesn’t make you weaker… the fact that you’re still here means that there’s more for you in this world.”

“Like what?” Feli scoffed. “Every time I’ve found something precious to me, they’ve died or been taken away.” A quick flash of Feliciano and Lovino being dragged away was shown.

Lavi seemed to have had enough, because he slapped Feliciano hard across the face, picking him up by the front of his shirt. “DON’T YOU DARE!” He started yelling, before quieting his voice so as not to disturb Lovino or Luci. “Don’t you dare give me such pitiful excuses! Don’t you dare give up. Yeah, life sucks. And yeah, it’s full of disappointments. If you’d gone out there and done everything you could and still felt this way, then fine. But you haven’t. So don’t you dare give up on life before you’ve even started to live. Up till now, you’ve been surviving. Existing. So of course you don’t want to do that anymore. But you know what? You don’t get to check out. You don’t get to give up, because you’ve got people who are counting on you! Like me, and Luciano, and Romano!! You’ve betrayed yourself, and Emma, your mother! What would she think?! What would Acel think?!” Feliciano flinched back, as if Lavi had physically struck him again.

Lavi continued. “You haven’t even tried to live, have you? You’ve made half-hearted attempts, but you haven’t really tried. And don’t give me that bull about ‘I did try and it wasn’t enough.’ No, you’ve been living for people. Take a moment, and live for yourself. Fuck everyone else! Don’t make them happy! That’s not your job! Make you happy! If smashing pie into the asshole’s face makes you happy, then do it! If traveling the world makes you happy, then go! If fighting is what really makes you feel alive, then fight! But don’t ever give up on yourself before you’ve even given yourself a chance. You hate yourself, but have you ever tried to get to know yourself? Feli… right now, you hate a perfect stranger. And it breaks my heart. You’re my family, and you’re hurting me. But like I said. Make yourself happy, and if you’re so shortsighted that you can’t see that there is hope at the end of these coming dark days, then maybe you should get a flashlight to help you light the way. It’s a temporary fix, but sometimes we need to take things in bite-sized pieces. Know that no matter what, you’ve got me, and Vino, and Luciano. We won’t judge you.”

(End Trigger Warning Section)

Lavi got up and turned to go inside. “Take it one breath at a time, Feli. We’re human enough.”

The memory faded as a fierce spark relit within the depths of Feliciano’s golden eyes.

“Challenge accepted.”

A/N: So the roll has been broken. Sorry about that, guys. This chapter really did not want to be written. I wanted to make it a sweet, fluffy chapter, but that part at the end just sort of wrote itself out.

I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. I’ve struggled with depression and self-harm myself. Right now, I’m the happiest I’ve been in three years, and I haven’t hurt myself in… wow, 6 months, now. Time flies. ^^ But I don’t want to offend anyone with what I have decided to put. This was personal for me, and Flavio was saying the things that I wish someone had said to me years ago. I’m not speaking out of ignorance, and what some people need to hear may push others to a darker place.

That being said, I realize that sometimes people just aren’t in the right headspace to read certain things, so I’ve gone ahead and added a Trigger Warning.

On a different note, we’ll soon be starting the World War Two ARC. That’ll be… interesting, for sure.

Another note… Some of you may have noticed that I have taken down Hetalia Fandom from Fanfiction.net (the fic where they watch the anime and hetagames). This is because I have received several PMs about people reporting the story and even threatening legal action (all through anonymous reviews, of course). I write for fun, because it’s my passion.

I post it so I can bring a smile to someone; make their day a little brighter. I suppose I’m like Feli, that way. I’ve always lived for others, to make them happy. But writing and music make me happy, too. And when my writing hurts people, or people hurt me because of my writing (as is the case here), then perhaps that writing is best left unshared.

If, however, you would like to keep reading it, feel free to PM or e-mail me, and I’ll send you the document. ^^

On a lighter note, it may be a bit before my next update. I’ve finally done something I’ve been meaning to do for the last… Dio, I don’t know how many years. I’ve started writing my first novel. It’s not much, yet, but I’m hoping to eventually publish it when I’ve finished what I have. It’s a fantasy novel, and I’m becoming rather proud of it. Unfortunately for you guys, my muse seems to be rather taken with this new story, so updates will likely slow down.

I won’t likely post it because it’s my first real original story, and I’ve been World Building for the better part of 4 years. I’d be devastated if someone stole my ideas. The first little prologue chapter thing? I might post, but not the rest. You’ll have to wait until I can actually publish it. ^^

Also, on a light note. A reviewer on WattPad off-handedly mentioned something in a comment on Pasts and Secrets… so I’m now working on an America-centered fanfiction based around the idea that he can see and interact with ghosts. ^^ Look forward to it, though it may be awhile due to the abovementioned story.

Again, I’m sorry for the incredibly long Author’s Note, and for the overall depressing tone of it. I’ve added literally a Microsoft Word page’s worth of A/N over here, but I’m not sure when my next update will be (not months, guys. Relax! I’ll try to keep up the pace more than I have in the past), and wanted to get it out there as to why.

Words: 2,010/2,075

Pages: 4

Posted: 01/13/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 31: General Summer

I was sure that the next memory would start with the World Wars, but to my surprise it showed Lovino and Feliciano sitting at a table, dressed very well. The tension in the room was palpable, and the other men across from them were dressed in equally expensive suits.

“Oh, shit.” I cursed, sharing a look with Romano. “I forgot about this.”

“To be honest, I was hoping it wouldn’t be brought up.” He sighed.

“Would you mind explaining?” England raised a large bushy eyebrow.

“This is a very important mafia meeting between the Vargas Family, which is us, and a rival family who was at roughly the same power level at the time. It was supposed to be a meeting to discuss a peace treaty and possible alliance.” I explained.

“But?” America pressed.

“It didn’t go to plan.” Romano glared at the Don sitting at the table across from the twins.

“As entertaining as this meeting has been, I find myself unable to fully agree to the terms of this arrangement.” The man spoke, and the twins tensed, along with the three men behind them.

“Nice knowing you.” The man smirked as he stood. One of the guards that’d been near Feli, shot him in the head, and the Italian pitched sideways off his chair, dead. Romano looked at the other men.

“Oh, you really shouldn’t have done that.” He said, cracking his knuckles. The men held him at gunpoint, as the other Don laughed.

“Ow.” Feli shook himself as he straightened in his chair, making the men pale drastically. A small clink was heard as the bullet fell to the table. Feli casually wiped the blood from his brow with his napkin. “Aw, you made me ruin my nice suit~” Feli spoke in a politely disappointed tone, like someone had accidentally spilled pasta sauce on his pants by accident.

“Wh-what the hell are you?!” One of the men demanded. Even Feli and Lovi’s own men seemed unnerved, but they hid it well.

“We are the Vargas Brothers. Dons of the Vargas Famiglia. The Crimson Wolf and the Golden-eyed Devil. We are your Death.” They spoke in sync.

Suddenly, gunfire filled the room. The three men behind Feli and Lovi started firing at the rival Don, while the twins were taking out his cronies.

As quickly as it began, the fight was done. The man had escaped, and the men he’d left behind to cover his escape were dead. “Fuck!” Lovino cursed, before he gave a small hiss of pain, his hand clapping the back of his neck as his eyes widened in sudden realization and fear.

“Fratello?” Feli turned to see his brother holding a dart in his hand, and he paled. The scene faded out as Lovino crumpled to the ground.

“Were you just poisoned?!” England’s abrupt question reminded the nations about something important.

“Ai! Romano! You’re mortal to poison!” Spain flitted around his charge like a worried mother.

“Oi! I’m fine, now. You can thank Veneziano for that.” He roughly pushed Spain away, embarrassed.

The scene faded back in to show Lovino laying in a bed. His face was flushed, and his breathing was labored. Lavi was a ghost image beside Feli, while Luci was corporeal, currently changing the wet rag that was placed on Lovi’s forehead.

“I was able to counteract the poison enough to buy us some time.” Feliciano said, pulling a pack over his shoulder.

“You sure about this?” Lavi asked, looking worried.

“It’s the only thing I can think of. I’m at a dead end… The concoction is too complex for me to derive an effective antidote… I need his advice.” Feli sighed. “Luci… Please look after him while I’m gone. We’ve only bought ourselves a month, tops.”

“Of course. Take Flavio with you, though. He’s got a right to go.” Luci sat down on the edge of Lovino’s bed, though the dark-haired Italian did not stir.

“Si.” Feli said simply, gesturing for the incorporeal blond to follow.

“We’ll be fast.” Lavi reassured his twin. “I won’t die.”

“You’d better not, idiota.” Luci glared before his gaze softened. “You’d better not.”

The scene faded once more, leaving the nations with more questions than answers. “Who’re you going to look for?” Canada turned his gaze towards me and Flavio.

“We were going to see if we could find a certain grump and pull him out of retirement to give us some advice.” Flavio huffed, thinking about the man we’d found.

The scene faded back in before anyone could ask anything else. The two were in a snowy wasteland. There was nothing aside from ice and snow. No trees or shrubs dared grow in the blank canvas of white. To make things worse, there was a horrid blizzard, though the cold didn’t bother Feliciano at all.

“How can you stand this?!” Lavi asked, unable to feel the cold because of his non-physical state of being.

“I’m General Winter the Second!” Feli laughed. He didn’t even sink into the undoubtedly deep snow. “This is a sunny day to me.” He stopped walking as they came upon a cavern. “In here.” He motioned for the other to follow as they walked into the tunnel.

“I thought you said he was in retirement? Like, dead kind of retirement?” Lavi asked as he admired the formations within the admittedly large cavern.

“Let’s hope he held off on that for a bit.” Feli winced. “I can’t risk asking any other nations right now. If they find out that you and Vino are mortal to poison…”

“Yeah. I’m not sure if the 1Ps would take advantage of that, but I’m sure there are several 2Ps who would. And it wouldn’t be too hard to piece together that you have one, too.” The blond sighed. “But are you sure he’s here? I mean, I know it’s the land of ice and snow, but we’re in the middle of Antarctica!”

“You mean you went to Antarctica!?” America asked, stunned. “So this must be sometime after 1911, right?”

“Actually, it’s a little before that. I already knew how to get there because I’m General Winter. I can… erm… It’s like Nation Traveling. You know, when you can instantly teleport to anywhere in your nation so long as you were in it to begin with? Think that but only with snow.” I explained.

“So you can travel to anywhere with snow on the ground instantly?!” Japan spoke up, amazed.

“Yeah, though the farther away it is, the more draining it becomes. So going from Europe all the way to Antarctica was pretty exhausting. But I could sense him here, which is why I came.”

Feliciano rushed ahead suddenly, and Lavi had to run to catch up. “H-hey! What’s with the sudden marathon?!” He panted as Feli came to a stop. He was going to say something else when movement caught his eye.

“Ah, Feliciano. What a pleasant surprise!” General Winter stood before them, looking the same as he had all those centuries ago.

“You’re still alive.” Feli grinned. “Magnifico.”

“Yes, well I figured you may need a hand for a while. And I met this young boy… I’ve promised to keep him company for a while.” The General smiled, and I noticed Canada’s face heat up a little.

“I need your help. Fratello’s been poisoned, and he’s dying. I cannot save him with an antidote. Please! You’re much older than me… Do you know anything that can save him?” Feli begged, falling to his knees.

“Please. I know you don’t know me, but I’m Lovino’s 2P, Flavio! I can’t leave my twin. He needs me, and so does Feliciano! If there’s anything I can do…” Lavi also fell to his knees to beg.

I pretended not to notice Luciano’s red face as his brother mentioned him. He’s such a softie at heart.

“You know, you probably could’ve found a spell or something.” Yang spoke up as he coolly surveyed the scene.

I didn’t know magic back then, Yang. Not like that, at least. I wouldn’t really learn anything useful until…

“All right, forget I said anything, then.”

You’re being unusually nice today. I gave him a suspicious look.

“Honestly? I don’t want you to shove me back in there! I like being out here, even if nobody but you and Luciano can see me.” He huffed, and I chuckled a bit. I noticed that Luciano caught the whole exchange because there was a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.

“I see.” General Winter’s voice drew everyone’s attention back to the memory. “If this is the case, then I may have a solution.”

“R-Really?!” Feli’s eyes lit up with hope, and I couldn’t help but scoff at my past self. Hope is for fools.

“Yes. As I understand it, my counterpart, General Summer, is also looking to retire. Head to the Eastern Lands of Persia with your brother, to the desert called ‘Dasht-e Lut’. But be careful. It is the hottest place on Earth, and you may not survive the trip. Make sure that this is what you want to do. There is no guarantee that General Summer will even accept the offer.” He warned.

Feliciano had a determined look on his face. “I’ll do it. If there’s any chance of survival for my brother… Thank you, General. I’m in your debt yet again.”

“Go. And be wary, young one. I wish not to take back my post so soon.”

The memory faded again. “I thought Death Valley was the hottest place on Earth?” Hungary tilted her head.

“Actually, it wasn’t known that the Lut Desert was the hottest place on Earth for a while. Death Valley had the record in 1913 for a temp of 134˚F.” America smirked proudly. “Until the Sahara Desert displaced that with a temp of 136˚F in 1922.” He pouted.

“That’s about 58˚C.” Canada supplied. “You’re one of the only nations that still uses Fahrenheit, Al.”

“Anyways, it wasn’t until 2005 that we got an actual reading on the Lut Desert through satellite infrared imaging. Temp rolled in at a toasty 159.3˚F. Or…” America paused for a moment. “70.7˚C for the rest of you guys.” England choked.

“Bloody Hell! Who could stand that kind of temperature?!”

“Nothing must grow there.” France concluded.

“Actually, I’ve looked in on it before. Migratory birds sometimes lose their way and end up falling from the sky, dead, because they’ve roasted to death. They feed the ecosystem there, which is surprisingly thriving.” Japan chipped in.

“As fascinating as this is, maybe we should pay attention to the memory?” Luciano quipped dryly, crossing his arms.

“Perhaps he is right.” France conceded.

“Still… Over 70 degrees… that would kill a normal human without the right protection… Let alone someone who’s attuned to winter like you.” China sent me a worried look.

The next scene showed Luci, Lavi and Feli standing at the edge of the desert. Luci had a backpack on, while Feli had secured his twin to his back. Lavi was still incorporeal, so he wasn’t carrying anything.

“Lucky asshole.” Luci shot Lavi a glare.

“Wh-what’d I do?!”

“You can’t feel this stupid heat.”

“Lay off him, Luci.” Feli sent his 2P a glare. “I’m already hot, and we haven’t even entered the desert yet!”

“Let’s just try to keep you from melting, si?” Lavi tried to play peacekeeper.

“I’d be careful what you say.” Luci warned his twin. “Feli has a really short temper when he’s overheated.”

“Noted…”

“Come on. Night’s closing in, and I’d rather travel in the cold than the heat.” Feli spoke as he started walking. The memory blurred as the three traveled (four if you count the unconscious Lovino) for several days, resting in the shadows of rock formations where they could.

On several occasions, they had to find shelter and waste an entire day because of the wind. The nations were horrified to see the 30 mph (17mps) winds carry quartz sand grains of 1mm in size. The sand pelted the three nations, making Luci glare at his brother for not having to worry about it, which caused Feli to snap at his 2P.

The nations quickly realized that an overheated Feli was highly irritable.

Feliciano ended up squinting for several days due to getting sand in his eyes more than once. Eventually, on the ninth day of travel, Feliciano finally collapsed, unable to find the strength to move forward. He looked to be sweating profusely, but on closer inspection, he appeared to be literally melting.

“Shit, Flavio!” Luci called out, and the blond dashed back to try to help. “Find him, okay? You’re the only one unaffected by the heat, here. Find General Summer and bring him back here… Please?”

“Okay.” Lavi looked like leaving them was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had no real choice. The memory went a little hazy as Lavi ran off and Luci tried his best to offer the two nations some kind of shade, seeing as there was none at this time. He even used a little spritzer fan on Feli, trying to provide some kind of relief to the shriveling, melting nation.

Lovino was looking worse than he had in the previous memory, likely due to the increased heat and all the travelling they’d been doing. Feli looked as bad as his brother, now.

“L-Luciano.” Feli tried to sit up, but Luci sent him a glare.

“Stop. I’ve sent Flavio on ahead. He’s not affected by the heat like us because Lovino’s too weak to materialize him in the 1P world. Conserve your strength.”

“So you are the one who’s sought my help.” A woman with flaming red hair and dark skin walked up casually to the three nations. Her eyes were a fierce green color, like spring.

“A-are you General Summer?” Feli asked, staggering to his feet, despite his 2P’s protests.

“I am. And you are the young nation that my brother has chosen to succeed him.” She spoke.

“Please. He said you were looking to retire, as well. Can you…?” Feli trailed off, looking at his twin.

The woman was silent at first, contemplating her choices. Finally, she sighed. “It is not yet time for him to die. Even if I didn’t want to, the Fates would have my head if I did not grant him this power.”

“The Fates?” Feli furrowed his brows in confusion.

“That is none of your concern. Yes. I’ll save your brother.” She knelt down next to Lovino, and placed her hands on either side of his temple. A strange red glow surrounded the two, and Lovino whimpered in pain. After what felt like hours, but was only around five minutes, she pulled away. The flush from Lovino’s cheeks was gone, and he now looked to be asleep.

“The heat of Summer has burned out the poison from his veins. This will only happen once. He is still vulnerable, though now holds a higher tolerance. I suggest being more careful.” She cupped her hands, holding a small ruby. She then melted it down in her palm and reshaped it to a spherical shape, before attaching an earring backing to it. She then pierced Lovino’s left ear with the stud.

“That will keep his powers in check until he learns to control them. I won’t ask you to accompany him, seeing as you are Winter, but have him meet me here to train in one week.” She stood, carrying Lovino in her arms. “Come. I will guide you back to a cooler place.” She turned her gaze towards Luciano. “Carry Winter. It’s a miracle the idiot hasn’t died yet.” She huffed, as she bent some of the heat away from the area around Feliciano. He sighed in relief, even though it was assuredly too warm for him, still.

“Why do I feel like we’re forgetting something?” Luci muttered. The memory faded out as Feliciano finally lost consciousness.”

“You left me!” Flavio accused, pointing at me and Luciano.

“Oh, I knew we forgot something.” Luciano snapped his fingers in realization.

“You’re a jerk, you know that?” Flavio pouted, as Yang and I laughed.

“Not like you could feel the heat anyways, you know.” I pointed out. “Besides, all you had to do was follow the link to Romano.”

“Not the point.” Flavio crossed his arms like a child who was denied candy before dinner.

“So you are Summer,” Japan looked at Romano. “and you are Winter.” He then looked at me. “How poetic.”

“Yeah, well. It was a bitch until we learned how to contain and control our powers. I’m practically useless in the rain, unless it’s a summer storm.”

“So like Mustang from FMA?” America raised an eyebrow.

“Sh-shut up! I’m fine in a summer storm, but put me in a winter rainfall, and my flames fizzle out.” Romano huffed, annoyed.

“Just like how it’s really hard for me to form snow in the summertime.” I added. “That’s why sometimes we’ll visit the Southern Hemisphere. Well, we used to have to do it anyways to spread our seasons, but we’ve learned how to do that remotely, by now. Sometimes it just does us good to go there just to recharge.” I chuckle.

“So does the cold bother you?” America asked curiously.

“Sometimes. If it’s really cold, then yes. But a light snowfall or something is just a uncomfortable. Usually my Inner Flame can keep me warm, but when it dips below a certain point, even I have to go crawl into a fireplace.” Romano admitted.

“So fire cannot burn you?” Russia tilted his head.

“Nope. I can drink lava.” He smirked.

“I remember that.” I sent him a flat look. “You melted 37 thermoses trying to figure out how to take it with you.”

“Oh, like you were any better?! How many thermoses did you shatter with your liquid nitrogen?!”

“Seventeen, if you must know. Which is twenty less than you.”

“Now, now, come on! Let’s all just be friends!” Flavio gently pushed the two of us apart.

“SHUT UP, FLAVIO!” We yelled in sync, before returning to our friendly bickering.

“I tried.” He shrugged, turning back to Luciano.

“Don’t look at me.” Luciano paused for a moment. “It’ll be the Wars next, won’t it?”

“Likely.” Flavio answered, looking at the group of nations playing around. “I hope everything will turn out okay.”

Luciano gazed off, an oddly forlorn look on his face. Flavio couldn’t even begin to guess what his brother was thinking about, but he caught the barest whisper of his brother’s voice, so faint that he wasn’t even sure he heard it. “I’ll be there for you, Feli. It’s coming. Not much longer, now… Our greatest mistake.”

A/N: Hello everyone. So I nearly forgot to write this chapter in. XD So this will be the last one of the Unification ARC. Now, we’ll move onto the WWI and WWII Arc.

So that full-time job? It ended up falling through. :/ So I’m on the hunt again, wish me luck everyone. (Lately it seems that great things are happening to me, only to fall through at the last minute due to my idiotic past mistakes). I’m staying optimistic! I’ve got a roof over my head, food in my belly, a computer that works to write on, and Internet. I’ve got a part-time job, and even if it isn’t a lot, it’s still something, right? I’m an optimist by nature. ^^

Just clearing something up. The World Wars Arc will not really detail the War itself. It’s going to concentrate on the relationships between the personifications and how they handled things on a personal level. I’m sorry if that disappoints some of you, but ultimately I’m not a fan of historical novels or stories. I fear that if I try to turn this next Arc into one, I’ll lose my motivation and end up dropping it for a few months as a result. So if you were looking forward to that, I’m sorry.

Also~! For those of you who wanted to see Leonardo da Vinci. I’m sorry. He’ll appear in flashbacks later, but I miscalculated and ended up skipping the years that he was alive. Rest assured, Feli was friends with the guy, and he’ll be showing up in the form of flashbacks within the memory. (Like that’s not confusing. XD)

I’ve recently gotten into the Assassin’s Creed fandom. I’ve been watching playthroughs on Youtube, and have found myself enamored with the plot. ^^ I’m on ACIII, now (having already been through one, two, Brotherhood and Revelations within the past three days or so). Any other Assassin’s Creed fans out there? :D

What do you think? Should I try my hand at a crossover of the two? XD

Words: 2,839/3,125

Pages: 6

Posted: 01/20/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 32: The Box of Tomatoes

“I still think this is stupid.” Lovino’s voice was the first thing we heard, and I chuckled as I recognized this memory. Spain was still hovering over Romano like a worried parent.

“What were you doing?” Austria asked as the scene faded in to show Feli and Lovi arguing. Feliciano had on a military outfit, while Lovi was dressed casually.

“This was during the early part of World War One.” I said.

“Wow, talk about a time-jump. Just a few days ago we were still before Jesus!” America shouted.

“Calm down, Al. Of course memories would move faster.” Canada sighed. “Besides, you realize that not everyone uses B.C. and A.D. now, right? They use B.C.E. and C.E.”

“I know.” America huffed, crossing his arms.

“I still think I should come with you. What if you run into trouble?” Lovino’s eyes shined with worry.

“I’ll be fine. Besides, you still haven’t fully learned how to control your new powers.” Feli pointed out.

“I can too!” Lovino protested. He suddenly sneezed, spewing out flames from his mouth like a dragon. Feliciano had to quickly leap to the side to avoid being roasted. He slowly straightened up, ready for a second sneeze if necessary, while shooting his brother an irritated glare.

“You were saying?” Feli raised an eyebrow.

“Fine. Go. I’ll be here! Just, I don’t know, waiting!” Lovino scowled as he stalked back into the living room “And be careful, damnit!” He added, sticking his head back into the entryway before ducking back out again.

“Si, si. I’ll be careful.” Feli chuckled as he headed out.

“Where were you going?” England questioned.

“Well, I honestly don’t even remember anymore.” I admitted. “I think I was supposed to check in on some of our Italian troops and whatnot in preparation for the war, but I ended up getting sidetracked.” I chuckled, glancing at Germany.

“Wait, so you mean that this is…?” His blue eyes went wide as he started to recognize the forest Feliciano was walking in.

“You tell me, Germany~” I smiled playfully as Feliciano randomly came across an abandoned box labeled tomatoes. It was large enough to fit two grown men.

“Ve? Is this some of the missing cargo that was stolen?” Feli asked aloud as he investigated the box. He found a small hole in the corner, large enough for his small frame to fit into. “I wonder if the food’s all gone?” He bent down to take a look when a low gruff voice was heard.

“…forgot about feeding mein sticky friend.” Germany went beet red as he heard himself talking to what he remembered was a stick.

“Oh, Gott… Bitte…” He’d never live this down if his brother found out!

Crap! Someone’s coming! It could be an enemy! I’ve got to hide! But where?! I don’t have enough time to hide in the forest!! Feliciano’s panicked thoughts made a few nations chuckle as he quickly crawled into the box through the opening he’d just been investigating.

Damnit! I left my gun by the tree! Feli mentally cursed himself as he heard someone tap the box.

“How strange…”

Wait… that accent. Is that Prussia?! No… it’s not the right octave.

“Hello! I am the box of tomatoes fairy! Let us be friends and play with each other!” Feliciano shouted out before he could stop himself. Why?! Stupid mouth!

“Huh?” America stared at me dumbfounded.

“When he panics, his mouth runs away from him, usually with hilarious results.” Romano said through his chuckles. “Though I have to say, the ‘box of tomatoes fairy’ is fairly out there, even for you.”

“Sh-shut up!” I went red. “I can’t help it. Blame the ADHD.”

“So it’s a knee-jerk reaction?” England leaned forward in interest. “Fascinating.”

“Embarrassing, more like.” I sighed. “And since that was everyone’s first impression of me, I felt I had no choice but to keep the farce going.”

“Nani? Why?” Japan turned to me in concern.

“Because I thought that if I stopped… that if everyone realized I’d been lying… Nobody would want to be my friend anymore.” I sighed, looking at my shoes.

“Itaria! I’m offended that you believe me to be so shallow.” Japan reprimanded. “Of course I’m still your friend!”

“Ja. Und so am I.” Germany agreed. Suddenly, I was bombarded with people telling me that they didn’t care if it had been an act, that they were still my friends. I smiled softly, yet sadly.

“I know that now. Grazie.” Because you’ve told me so many times... Even if you don’t remember…

“Oi.” Luciano elbowed me roughly in the ribs, causing me to wince. I realized that the nations were looking at me with concern.

“Are you okay? You looked so sad all of a sudden, aru.” China took a step forward.

“I… Yeah. I’m sure it’ll come up later, but… um… If I say something weird, or suddenly ask you not to talk about something, please don’t push it. Okay?” I asked, shuffling my feet. I could feel the heat on my cheeks. I felt so awkward asking them to do this, but they wouldn’t understand… even if I could explain it.

Yang put a gentle hand on my arm and I almost looked up at him.

“Hai. But… are you okay?” Japan asked.

“No.” Luciano answered for me, and I gave him a halfhearted glare. “But he might be. If you all can stand with him through the worst of these memories.” I leaned into my 2P as he pulled me into a sideways hug.

“It’ll be okay, Vene…” He comforted me through the link. “I’ll be here for you.”

“But I’m so scared! What if… it shows…”

A sudden loud cracking sound snapped everyone’s attention back to the memory, thank goodness. It showed Ludwig on the ground, looking up dumbfounded at a now exposed Feliciano who was crying and begging stereotypically for his life.

I watched the scene unfold. “Why did you start crying and whining like that?” Romano asked, confused.

“W-well… to be honest, when I saw Germany’s face at first, I saw Holy Rome.” I admitted. “It took me a second to realize that the eye and hair color was off, and that his facial structure wasn’t Acel’s. The differences are subtle, but there. When I realized I’d run into Germany, Ludwig, I was so happy I started to cry. I realized that I hadn’t failed Acel twice, and I could still keep my promise to protect his brother. But then I realized that Germany didn’t recognize me, and likely didn’t have any memories, so I started spewing nonsense again to excuse the sudden tears.”

“Makes sense.” Prussia went to lean against a tree, only to stumble as he fell through. He crossed his arms and pretended that he meant to do it. “After all, they are twins, and you hadn’t seen him for a very long time.”

“I’m sorry, Italien.” Germany spoke up.

“Sorry?! What for?” I blinked.

“For not recognizing you. For forgetting you.”

“It’s fine, Germany. We’re friends now, and that’s what matters. Besides… I understand what it’s like. Fratello’s died on me several times.”

“So have you!” I ignored Romano’s indignant response.

“It’s only reasonable that you’d have amnesia.” I finished, causing Romano to roll his eyes and stick out his tongue. “Oh, that’s mature.”

“Like you’re any more mature than me!”

“Fair point.”

The memory flashed through several scenes of Feli getting used to Ludwig’s place, and the two becoming rather good friends. There were also snippets of Feliciano purposefully letting himself be captured—for fun! I’d explained—and Ludwig coming to the rescue.

“I have to ask.” England interjected as we watched Feliciano run laps for Ludwig, who made him run faster by threatening that the British were coming. “Why were you so afraid of me?”

“Oh, err… you see…” How was I supposed to tell him that it was because I’d recently tried his food for the first time, and that the thought of being captured and being forced to eat that again honestly terrified me? Was there a nice way to put that?

I was luckily saved from answering when Kiku entered the picture; he and Feli shared a love of reading, though not while Ludwig was there. I sighed happily as I watched the three of us become fast friends. The Axis Powers…

“Ah~ This brings back memories.” Japan smiled, coming to stand over by me.

“Si~! We had so much fun back then!” I grinned, remembering the time Japan and I had compared… ahem… assets.

Then came a scene where the three were sitting at Ludwig’s house. Feli was in the kitchen making pasta, when the door opened. “Weeeeesst~! I’m hoooooooome~” Gilbert called out.

In his surprise at hearing the familiar voice Feliciano nearly knocked over the pot of pasta. He carefully set it aside to tend to later before rushing out into the living room, surprising Kiku and Ludwig.

“Italien?” Ludwig looked up, wondering why his normally cheerful friend had such a look of desperation on his face.

“Gilly…” Feli whispered, and Gilbert’s head whipped up at the old nickname.

“ITA!” Gilbert broke out into a large grin, as he ran to engulf his brother-in-law in a fierce hug.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Ludwig’s eyebrows knit together in confusion.

“Ja! I’ve known Ita since he was a tiny nation!” Gilbert laughed.

“Ve~ It’s good to see you again, Gil~” Feli smiled.

“Hey, d’ya think you could just call me Prussia around West? As I’m sure you’ve realized, he’s lost his memories…” Gilbert whispered discreetly to Feli, who nodded.

“At any rate, it’s sooo good to see you~ It’s been forever~!” Feliciano grinned as he ‘accidentally’ kicked Gilbert’s shin. “I mean, you never even wrote to me like you promised~”

“AIIIIIEEE!” Gilbert started hopping around on one foot.

“Whoops~ Ve! I’m sorry, Prussia! I didn’t mean to kick you!” Feli apologized. Though when he turned away from Kiku and Ludwig, he grinned. That’s for not writing or visiting me, bruder! Feli thought vindictively.

“Mein Gott!! You were wearing steel-toed boots!” Prussia accused me.

“Of course I was~! What better weapon than one you don’t have to draw?” I grinned. “Maybe you’ll remember to stay in touch, next time, hm?” I raised an eyebrow.

“J-Ja…” Prussia rubbed the back of his neck as the memory faded back out.

The next memory started when the three of us were stranded on a beach together, showing Feliciano building an enormous pasta sand castle.

“DUDE! Physics says no!” America gawked.

“Ve? But pasta says yes!” I countered.

“Just… don’t bother. He’s never told us how he managed that one.” Germany sighed, causing me to chuckle. Uh, General Winter? I can flash-freeze stuff, you know…

I wouldn’t admit it, but my stomach churned, several distant flashbacks gnawed at the edge of my mind, and I did my absolute best to ignore them. Yang sent me a look and I felt their influence ebb. “Thank you, Yang.”

“D-don’t get used to it or anything!” He blushed and looked away.

I chuckled, returning my attention to the story just in time to see Roderich playing the piano in the ocean.

“HOW DID I NOT SEE HIM?!” Ludwig cried out in shock, causing the group to burst out laughing.

“You really didn’t see me?” Austria blinked in surprise. “You just assumed piano music naturally occurs?”

“Sh-shut up!” Germany flushed red, and even Japan couldn’t hold back his chuckles.

The three eventually found a nearby Chinatown, and we were again sent into laughter when Ludwig despaired over how close it had been the whole time.

“Perhaps you should invest in a few observational manuals, Germany-san?” Japan chuckled.

“Dude, even I could’ve found that Chinatown.” America gave Germany a flat look.

“Only because you’re a bloodhound with food!” England retorted.

“Now, now. Let’s not start an argument!” South Korea stepped in. “Peacekeeping originated in me, so now you have to stop fighting.”

I tried to enjoy the lighter atmosphere. But I couldn’t shake the sick feeling welling up inside of me that said something terrible was about to be shown. I hadn’t the slightest idea what it could be. I didn’t remember anything bad necessarily happening around this time.

As the memory swirled again, shifting back to Ludwig’s house, the feeling only grew. I hope I’m just overreacting…

A/N: Haha! So we begin the World Wars Arc! I actually had a writing binge the other night, and wrote over 10,000 words for this story!! :D I’m actually working on Chapter 36 right now, and I’ve finished writing the WWI and WWII Arc. ^^ So look forward to updates for a bit!

My updating consistency may pick up again, so expect another update tomorrow~! ^^

Also… Can anyone guess what’s coming up next chapter? Anyone? ^^

And a big thanks to Senpai_is_Amazing for the Yang pic in this chapter (for Wattpad, at least). You Rock!! :D

If anyone else has drawn FanArt for this story, please send me a link or e-mail, and (if you want me to), I’ll put it up at the beginning of a chapter~! ^_~

Words: 1,737/2,066

Pages: 4/5

Posted: 01/21/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 33: The Nightmare

WARNING!! GORE! DO NOT READ WHILE EATING!

The scene showed a normal day in Ludwig’s house. Kiku was over, training alongside Feli, and Feli was off running away from training. The nations didn’t really see what was so important about this memory, but they also didn’t feel the need to question it, either. All things considered, it was a welcome break from the heavier memories we’d been subjected to thus far.

Things slowed down a bit when Feliciano climbed into bed. “Germany’s so cranky today, so I suppose I’ll sleep in my own bed tonight.” He seemed saddened by that thought, and perhaps even a little scared.

“You don’t like sleeping alone, do you?” Canada asked. He was the same way; it was why he loved having Kumajiro around so much. He hugged the bear a little tighter to his person, and Kumajiro licked Canada’s chin, causing him to laugh lightly.

“No. I get nightmares when I…” I trailed off, feeling myself pale rapidly. I glanced at the calendar, hoping I was wrong.

“Oi! Veneziano?! What’s the matter?” Romano asked suddenly, seeing how pale I’d become. I shook a bit.

“I… I don’t want to see this again.” I closed my eyes, backing up into someone in my haste to distance myself from the memory.

“You are looking pale.” Russia said, reaching out to steady me. “What is being the matter?”

“I…” I glanced helplessly around me. Even Luciano had no idea what was going on.

While I had drawn the others’ attention, the scene had melted away to show the beach again.

“What’s this? I thought we’d left that beach?” Germany’s brows furrowed.

“It must be a dream.” Hungary concluded.

“No… please… PLEASE!” The memory suddenly paused, and started glitching out. Like a bid signal on a TV, or an old VHS tape when you paused it, how the static starts rolling down your screen.

“What the?!” Austria looked around, alarmed.

“Italy! Whatever it is, you cannot stop this memory! You must let it continue! If you want a break, tell me!” England yelled, before muttering something under his breath.

Suddenly, the memory picked back up, the waves gently lapped against the beach. “What’s wrong?” Romano looked half terrified half worried.

“I… I don’t want to…”

“It must be bad if you’re reacting like this after That place.” Luciano came over to me.

“After what place?” France questioned, but Luciano waved him off.

“Vene… Listen to me.” Luciano spoke in a gentle tone, as he bent down to my level. When did I curl up on the ground? “I know whatever you saw here was terrible, but you’ve got me, and Lavi and Vino, okay? You aren’t alone. And whatever it is that’s scared you, we’ll protect you from it.” He gave me a soft, comforting smile.

“P-promise?” I hated how weak and vulnerable my voice sounded. It shook as my vision blurred with unshed tears. I didn’t want to see this horrible nightmare again. I’d only ever had it this once, but it haunted me for months thereafter.

“I promise.” He gently helped me to my feet. I chanced a glance at Japan and Germany, who looked equally concerned and disturbed at how I’d reacted.

“G-Germany? Japan?” I spoke up in a tiny voice. I swallowed and took a deep breath to calm myself. I was glad to hear myself speak in a steadier voice. “Do you remember when I… stopped speaking?”

The two’s eyes widened in sudden realization. “That was a nightmare?!” Germany gasped.

“Oh, Kami-sama…” Japan suddenly stood in a defensive stance, looking around us suspiciously as if some great demon or monster was about to come out and attack us at any moment.

“What do you mean, ‘stopped speaking’?” Flavio asked.

“One day, Itary-kun just… stopped speaking. For weeks he didn’t leave his room, and even when he did, he hardly ate. He wouldn’t look at anybody for the longest time, and he didn’t speak for months.” Japan explained. “It wasn’t until Prussia-san came that he finally started to return to normal.”

“That bad?” Luciano’s eyes widened. Romano stepped closer to me.

“I don’t suppose anyone has any headphones?” Romano asked. Nobody spoke up. “Didn’t think so.” He sighed.

“I’ll be okay, fratello.” I tried to smile, but I felt so nauseous that I couldn’t really manage it. I stopped, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath. I allowed myself to fall back into my old headspace. Back into my old mask. “Everything will be okay, viva.” I smiled, as I felt myself detach from my emotions almost entirely.

“Whoa… sick acting skills, dude. If I hadn’t seen you freaking out a minute ago, I’d be completely convinced. And I have Hollywood!” America blinked.

“You don’t have to pretend that you’re okay, you know.” England seemed a bit put out that I’d try to brush it all off.

“Please don’t.” I shot him a look. “I’m doing this so I can cope with seeing this damned nightmare again, not necessarily to reassure you.” A few nations took a step back at my personality change.

“Oh, boy.” Luciano sighed. “Here we go again.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, jerk?” I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms.

“You’re a cynical ass when you’re like this, you know that?”

“This coming from you?”

“Yes. This coming from me.”

“Well, maybe I’m only an ass because you’re too sensitive?” I shot back, before looking at the gob smacked nations. I sighed. “Look. It’s a coping mechanism, all right? I do it to distance myself from whatever emotionally traumatizing situation I may be in. It helps to limit any possible emotional or mental damage.”

“You say that so casually.” Canada shook his head.

“Oh, Ita…” Hungary looked at me with sorrow, which I obviously ignored.

The dream wavered, daylight suddenly fading into night, drawing the group’s attention. The three were seated around a campfire; Feliciano fast asleep while Ludwig and Kiku shared a hard look. Both looked reluctant, but they got up and carefully picked up the sleeping nation without waking him.

The nations watching puzzled over the scene. Where was the nightmare part?

Kiku carried Feli to the sea, and suddenly flipped him facedown. The nations watched in horror as he held the Italian under the surface of the water until the thrashing settled and the bubbles completely stopped.

“D-did my…” Japan watched his dream self in horror.

“I wouldn’t start apologies yet. Besides it isn’t your fault. It’s just a dream.” I said callously.

The nations then watched in disgust as Kiku harvested Feliciano’s organs and speared them on sticks for food. The nations were silent with shock as Kiku and Ludwig started to eat.

“You were cannibalized in your dream?!” Romano looked sick.

Before anyone could say anything else, Feliciano woke up. “Ger…many? Ja…pan?”

Japan looked sick to his stomach at the scene. Kiku and Ludwig whirled around in shock as Feliciano blinked at them, eyes fogged with pain.

“Cover your ears.” I warned the nations, and they did. A moment later, Feliciano let out a cry filled with pain, betrayal, horror, and sorrow. It had a few of the nations flinching and wincing, and Austria and Hungary looked to be in pain as well from watching this entire nightmare. Austria actually retched off to the side in some bushes, and wasn’t able to watch any further. Hungary didn’t hesitate in turning away from the gory and gruesome scene to help him.

“Dude…” America felt a shiver run down his spine. “Nobody should know what that feels like.” Canada shot his brother a sharp look, which the American resolutely ignored, causing his brother’s eyes to go wide in horrified realization. “Later.” He mouthed, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention away from the group.

He’d told me once… He’d been eaten alive while hiking up some mountain with some human buddies of his. They didn’t know he was immortal, so when they’d gotten lost, and then later ran out of food… They’d killed him. But he’d revived just as they started eating him. He wouldn’t go into any more detail than that, but… He didn’t need to. The mere thought that my nightmare had happened to him in reality was sickening to me. Sure, I understood doing what you need to do to survive, but…

I made myself focus on the nightmare before me, even as America turned away, unable to handle it any longer. England shot him an almost reprimanding look, but said nothing. He likely thought that the American was being disrespectful or something, but… I actually was relieved that he turned away. I didn’t want him to relive this.

Or Russia… I abruptly remembered that he’d alluded to having been in a similar situation before, which wasn’t surprising, considering the terrain of his nation. I glanced at the overstuffed teddy bear with strength-management issues.

He seemed calm on the outside, perhaps even content, but I could see his tells. He was having a tough time of this. It was bringing back some pretty nasty memories for him… I discreetly nudged his arm. He looked down at me in surprise.

“I know this must be difficult for you to watch.” His eyebrows shot up, but I kept going. “You’re not the only one.” My gaze drifted to America, and when Russia saw the expression on the blond’s face, he immediately understood.

“Thank you.” He whispered, before using my given excuse to help his rival.

Kiku and Ludwig finally got Feliciano to quiet down. “Oh, Italy…” Ludwig said. “We had no choice. We were starving and there was no food. You’re the weakest, it made the most sense.” He reasoned, and Germany looked absolutely appalled by his dream self’s explanation. “You weren’t supposed to feel anything. It’s why Japan drowned you in your sleep.” Feliciano nodded. He understood that they were hungry, but… He coughed, blood dribbling down his chin.

“But… aren’t I… your friend?” Feli asked, tears running down his face. He fought off a wince as his body reminded him of his physical condition.

“Ja. So as a friend, isn’t it your job to make sure I live another day?”

“It’s not like your good for anything else.” Kiku chipped in. “Sure, you’re fun to be around, and entertaining, but you can be annoying, too. Overall, you’re useless. Really, isn’t this the least you can do? Aren’t you happy, knowing that you’ve served a good purpose?” Kiku continued, and Japan looked ready to slice his dream self to ribbons.

“I hope you know that I would never think that way, Itary-kun. You are a valuable friend that I would gladly give my life to protect.” Japan stated firmly. Germany nodded his head in agreement. I avoided their gaze. Though I knew they wouldn’t do this, it didn’t help my insecurities any.

“I… I know you wouldn’t kill me or anything. But… I still think I’m fairly useless.” I muttered.

“I understand. It does make me happy to be useful, though.” Feli finally stated. Ludwig and Kiku shared another nod as Ludwig held Feli’s hand. Kiku then removed Feli’s spleen, and the small nation bit back a scream.

I flinched. “Whoever said you can’t feel pain in dreams lied.” I muttered bitterly, but the others seemed to catch it.

“You felt all that?” Prussia had to look away. Sure, the man had a strong stomach, but he hated seeing people tortured. Even in dreams.

“Si.” Was my simple reply.

After a time, Feliciano smiled. “Thank you… for letting me finally be of use… Captain.” With that, his eyes dulled and his visible heart stopped beating.

Suddenly, we were back in Ludwig’s house, and Feliciano shot up in bed with a terrified scream. He sobbed, hugging himself as if afraid his insides would fall out. Footsteps quickly approached his bedroom, and Ludwig and Kiku barged in, looking ready for a fight. They puzzled when they saw nobody but Feliciano.

Unfortunately, the sight of the two of them so soon after that dream caused the Italian to flinch so badly that he fell out of bed. “OUT!” He cried, throwing whatever was near him at the two very confused and worried nations.

He threw books and pencils and paints and half-finished artworks. He even threw the lamp, which nearly clocked poor Kiku upside the head. The two quickly retreated from the room, confused and concerned. Feliciano was quick to slam the door closed and lock it, before sliding to the floor in a sobbing heap.

The two tried to ask him what was wrong, but their voices were muffled to Feli’s ears. He cried for three days, and at one point, Kiku’s voice filtered in coherently through the door. “Please, Itary-kun. We’re so worried about you! What happened? At least… please eat something. We made pasta? Or drink some water… I’ll leave the tray in front of your door. Germany-san and I will be downstairs for a bit…” Feli didn’t move until he heard his footsteps leave.

He then crawled to the door, body weak from dehydration, and cracked it. Upon seeing no one, he snagged the bottle of water, leaving the pasta untouched. The smell of the meatballs made him turn green, and he quickly closed the door again, locking it. He guzzled the water in record time, looking a little more alert, now.

The watching nations were horrified by Feliciano’s reaction to the nightmare. Usually, nations could handle trauma much better than a human, but this was a harsh reminder that my brother and I had different ‘wiring’ so to speak. That we were different.

Days turned into weeks, and for those who kept track, they found themselves horrified that Feliciano only had water and bread. He refused to eat anything other than the bread that Kiku had learned to leave next to the pasta. He’d tried soup, he’d tried sandwiches, sushi, broth, wurst, several Italian recipes, and at least thirteen different kinds of various dishes from around the world. But the only thing that Feliciano continually ate was the bread. He’d chanced a couple sips of broth, but the sight or smell of any meat had him running to the bathroom that was connected to his bedroom. The nations lost track of how many times Feli had vomited.

Finally, after nearly three weeks, Feliciano stepped out of his room. He silently padded downstairs, skirting past Kiku and Ludwig who were outside training halfheartedly. He snuck into the kitchen, snagging a box of crackers. He put a pot on the kettle, and started making himself some tea.

He was so into his task that he didn’t see Kiku standing in the doorway. “Ah, Itary-kun.” He smiled as he spoke barely above a whisper. He looked incredibly relieved, even as he took in Feli’s bony frame. His face was gaunt and pale, and he looked exhausted.

At the sound of the voice, Feliciano startled badly, nearly dropping the kettle. He spun around in alarm. Upon seeing Kiku, he nearly fled the room, instead making himself take several deep breaths. He refused to look at the Japanese nation.

Kiku made a cautious move forward, and Feliciano shook his head with a step back. He got the message, and backed away, causing Feli to relax a bit.

“It makes so much sense, now.” Japan whispered sadly. At the time, he’d been so confused. He’d thought, like Germany, that perhaps their friend had been attacked in the night or tortured… Some of the signs even let them to think that maybe he’d been raped or something (flinching at physical contact, not wanting anyone else in the room with him, not blocking exit routes, etc…), but they’d never found any sign of forced entry, and the dogs hadn’t barked once all night. But now everything made sense.

The scene blurred, showing Feliciano gradually learning to tolerate his friends’ presence once more. Ludwig and Kiku were very patient, and never pushed the Italian to speak or move closer, allowing him to do so at his own pace. They encouraged him to eat, and were understandably concerned when Feliciano had tried to stomach meat, but found himself unable to. They stopped making dishes with meat, and Kiku started using tofu instead, which Feliciano was able to stomach.

Months passed, and seasons changed. Eventually, Gilbert came home. “THE AWESOME ME IS HOME!” His loud voice sounded from downstairs, and Ludwig and Kiku quietly explained the situation to him. “Let me talk to him.”

“But brother, you—”

“Have a bit of faith in your older bruder, ja?” Gilbert smirked as he headed upstairs. He knocked on the door. “Ita? It’s Prussia. Can I come in?”

The click of the lock was his answer, and he found he was able to open the door. Feliciano was sitting on his bed, looking better, but still miserable. “Oh, Ita. What happened?” Gilbert locked the door behind him, noticing how Feliciano relaxed at that.

“It’s not people.” It was a statement, and Feliciano looked up in surprise. “It’s Japan and Germany, isn’t it? Did they hurt you?”

Feli shook his head violently, reaching for a pad and a pencil. ‘No. They didn’t hurt me. I just… had a bad dream.’

Gilbert blinked in surprise. “Seems like an awful strong reaction for a dream. West and Japan think you were attacked or something.”

‘No! I wasn’t… it’s just…’

“You don’t have to explain anything to me, Ita. Whatever happened, I don’t want you to dwell on it.” He grinned, and grabbed Feli’s hand. He ignored the flinch, and started pulling the other nation out of the second story window, and out onto the roof.

Eventually, Feli sighed and resigned himself to the Prussian’s antics. “There, now isn’t that better?” He grinned, laying back on the rooftop to enjoy the sunshine. “Look at the world around you, Feli. It’s okay to be scared. And it’s okay to be depressed. But don’t let that rob you of your sight. Don’t forget to see the world around you. Don’t spend your life hidden away in fear, but live today, or you’ll find yourself as old as China and wondering what you did with your life.”

“Hey!” China sent Prussia a glare.

“What? It’s true.” He shrugged.

“Still… you could use other examples. Why always pick on me, aru?”

“Because you’re fun to tease.” Japan chuckled, causing China to gape in shock.

“Ah! Snarkiku is back.” South Korea laughed.

“Is this normal?” Canada asked.

“Probably.” America shrugged.

Germany, on the other hand, blinked at his brother’s words. He rarely heard his brother so insightful. Feliciano, it seemed, had needed to hear those exact words, for he also laid back on the roof, scanning the trees topped with snow, a small smile on his face.

“Grazie.” Feliciano’s voice was raspy from several months of disuse, but Gilbert grinned.

“I’ve gotta go. I only came by for a quick visit. But I’ll be back, okay?” Gilbert waited for Feliciano’s nod before sliding down the roof and hitting the ground in a roll. “Look after little Luddy for me, Ja? I know I can count on you, fratello.” He called back over his shoulder, and Feli nodded, a small smile played on his lips.

The memory finally faded away. “I know it’s a little soon, but perhaps we should take another break?” England proposed.

“Can you handle another break right now?” America asked. England hesitated a moment, and I cut off his response.

“I’m suspecting that you still need a little more time before you can call up that room.”

“I-I can do it.”

“England.” I stopped him, making him look up at me. “Don’t push yourself. You know the dangers of magical exhaustion, I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Like, I don’t know, going blind. Again.

“We’ll take a break after a few more memories, then.” I spoke up. “And Germany, Japan?” I looked over at the two. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I put you through over a silly dream.”

“That was a traumatizing experience. I’d be worried if you didn’t react.” Germany said. “It was no trouble. We were just concerned. You’re our friend, and I didn’t want anything to happen to you.”

“Same here, Itary-kun. If anything, we should be the ones apologizing to you.” Japan bowed deeply in apology, but I cut him off before he could verbally apologize.

“For what, Japan? Your dream selves? That’s ridiculous! You shouldn’t apologize for my own insecurities. They were merely figments of my imagination trying to show me my fears and doubts. I know better, now. Please. Don’t apologize. There’s nothing to forgive.” I smiled, pulling the two into a hug.

“Arigatou, Itary-kun.”

“Danke, Italien.”

“I feel I should be the one to thank you two. You stuck by me through that, and I’m grateful. Grazie.”

A/N: So I actually couldn’t wait to see your reactions, and since I just finished writing another chapter, I decided to post it. ^^ SURPRISE!!

So a LOT of you guessed HetaOni. Sorry, not yet. That comes after the WW arc is done. It’ll go WWI, WWII, then a fluff chapter featuring America, and then HetaOni. So stay posted. ^^ We’re almost there.

On another note, I am about to start writing chapter 37, so I’ll be able to update again tomorrow~! ^^ Look forward to it, and enjoy today’s special Double Update.

Be honest. How many of you expected 23.5?

Words: 2,872/3,474

Pages: 6/7

Posted: 01/21/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 34: Under the Influence

The next scene faded in to show a very bored Feliciano sitting on the couch in Ludwig’s house. “Japan’s gone off to prepare more stuff for the war, and Germany’s been a real ass lately.” He muttered to himself, glaring at the office door.

Germany looked a little offended, but didn’t say anything.

“I’m bored.” Feliciano decided.

“I really hate it when you’re bored.” Romano shot me a glare.

“Oh? And why’s that?” France asked, curious.

“Because he either becomes dangerous, or… dangerous.”

“I’m not sure I follow.”

“He means that Feli either becomes bloodthirsty, or he goes on a pranking spree.” Flavio explained, somewhat nervously as he recalled the pranks I’d pulled on him.

“You prank?!” Prussia’s eyes lit up, and Germany paled.

“Bitte… nein… please don’t join forces, we’ll never survive.” Germany begged.

“Ve~ Don’t worry, Germany!” I reassured him while covertly slipping Prussia my private (read: praking) phone number. Oh, the pranks we’ll pull. I mentally grinned.

“Ah~ I miss Leo.” Feli smiled, and the memory blurred like heat waves for a moment before it showed Feliciano standing in an alleyway.

“What the hell just happened?!” America spun around, trying to identify our location.

“Looks like this is a memory inside of a memory.” England concluded.

“That’s a headache.” China corrected.

“Only because you’re old.” Japan chuckled.

“Would you let that drop?!” China glared.

“Iie. You aren’t getting any younger, Chuugoku-san.”

“Well neither are you!” China bit back.

“Come on, stop fighting, Da Ze!” South Korea pushed the two apart, sending them each a glare. “Why am I suddenly the adult in this situation?!”

I chuckled. It was always funny to watch Japan argue. “We’re in Florence.” I smirked, amused. “Sometime in the mid to late 1400’s, I’d presume.”

“You’re late.” Feli sent a mild glare towards a boy who looked to be in his late teens.

“Sorry~! I got a little caught up in some new artwork.” He grinned, walking over to give Feli a hug. “So, who’re we getting today?” He asked, a sudden spark of mischief in his eyes.

“Him.” Feli pointed out an older man who looked rather snobbish. “He’s been causing a lot of trouble around here, lately, and I think it’s time we pay his due.”

The boy smirked, quickly scaling the building behind them, Feliciano doing the same.

America whistled. “Dude, you climb like Assassin’s Creed.”

“Like what?” England blinked.

“It’s a video game. You’d know if you kept up with the times, Old man!” America joked.

“Why I never!” England sniffed indignantly, causing Canada and America to laugh.

Feli and the kid hopped from roof to roof until they were positioned over the snobbish man who was currently harassing some poor sap. Feliciano picked up a bucket full of tree sap, and poured it all over the man, who cried out in shock, only to have the kid dump a bucket of shredded paper and chicken feathers all over him.

People in the streets stopped to stare and laugh, and the two high-fived before quickly making their getaway. Once they were safely away, the two laughed.

“Man, Feli! That was great!” The kid laughed.

“I know! I didn’t think you’d add the feathers, that was a fantastic touch, Leo!” Feli leaned on Leo for support until the two stopped laughing.

“Hey, so I was thinking…” Leo started.

“You do that a lot.” Feli chuckled.

“What if I could make man fly?” He grinned.

“Oh, I think that’s a very big task. You can do it, though, I’m sure. But how many skills are you going to master? You’re only 17 right now.”

“As many as I can! I’ll become famous, and all of Italia, nay, the world will know my name! Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci!” He grinned.

“That’s Leonardo da Vinci?!” America stared. “Holy crap, you knew him!”

“Well, yeah. Of course I did. We were best friends.” I smirked.

The next memory filtered in, showing Feliciano coming knocking on a door. It looked like they were in Venice, now. “Ve~ Leo! Are you there?”

The door opened to show a much older Leonardo. “Ah, Feli, good to see you. Come in, come in.” He quickly ushered him inside. Feliciano looked at another man standing in the corner awkwardly.

“Feliciano, meet my good friend, Ezio Auditore. Ezio, meet my very old friend, Feliciano Vargas.”

Prussia choked. “W-wait! Like Assassin’s Creed?!” He stared wide-eyed at the man cloaked in white, the pointed hood and the red cape were sure tells of the man’s identity. He looked identical to the game, and when he spoke, the voice was only slightly different.

“Good to meet you. Any friend of Leonardo’s is a friend of mine.” He stepped forward to shake Feli’s hand. When he did, a look of shock came over his face. “Wait a minute… I remember you…”

“Ah~ you remember me all those years ago? I only helped you pick an apple!” Feli smiled.

“But that’s… that’s impossible! You haven’t aged a day!” Ezio stared in shock.

“Should you explain this one? Or should I?” Leo smirked.

“Are you an Assassin, too?” Ezio asked suddenly, looking at Feliciano’s left hand. He brought it up to show a nasty burn scar.

The nations looked at my left hand. I sighed and dropped the glamour, showing the Mark of the Assassins. Fratello did the same.

“Nothing is true.” Feliciano stated.

“Everything is Permitted.” Ezio finished with a sigh of relief. “I apologize, friend. But we cannot be too careful these days.”

“Agreed.” Leo cut in, before smirking in excitement.

“All right, Leo. You can tell him.” Feli conceded, causing the other man to start bouncing in excitement.

I smiled at the memory. Ezio’s face was priceless, and I was looking forward to seeing it again. The daydream-turned-actual-dream abruptly ended when Feliciano was abruptly jolted awake by Ludwig’s voice.

“What are you doing, Italien!? What have I told you about sleeping during the day?!” Ludwig came storming out of his office in a foul mood, startling poor Feliciano out of his good dream.

“I-I’m sorry, Germany, I jus—” Ludwig roughly grabbed Feliciano’s arm and dragged him outside. “Ow! G-Germany, you’re hurting me!”

“Maybe you’ll toughen up, then!” He glared, shoving him with more force than necessary towards the training course. “Train. You’ll run this course until nightfall, and if I hear one complaint out of you, you’ll forfeit dinner.”

Feliciano looked like he wanted to argue, but instead meekly bowed his head. “Yes sir.”

“Good. Now start.” And without complaint, Feliciano ran the course until nightfall. He stumbled and fell many times, but he never cried out or complained.

The nations watched in confusion. “Dude, don’t you think that’s a little too harsh?” America asked, and several glares turned on Germany. Romano’s and Flavio’s especially.

“I… I don’t really remember this…” Germany looked bothered by his past self’s actions. “I’m sorry that I hurt you, Italien.”

“I… It wasn’t your fault, Germany… You were being influenced by your leader and people.” I explained. Some of the more observant nations noticed the large bruise that was forming on Feliciano’s arm.

“Oh… so this is…” Russia trailed off.

“World War Two.” Canada sighed.

All nations knew it well. A Nation’s mental state was always affected in some way by their people. If their people were happy, then they were in a good mood, and if their people were angry, then they tended to be a little snappy.

But in Germany’s case, a lot of his people had been cruel at that time. Between the Camps and the War, his mind was hardly his own, especially with his leader, Hitler, whispering things into his ear. It was so bad that Ludwig hadn’t even known about what the Camps were doing until the end of the war. He wouldn’t come out of his room for days, and nothing could console him. He refused to eat, or even cry, and he broke every mirror in the house.

“To be honest… I don’t remember much of this war.” Germany admitted.

“That’s understandable.” England spoke up. “All things considered. What happened was terrible. But I do not blame you, Germany. I blame your leader. I blame your circumstances. I blame some of your people. But I do not blame you for the mistakes of your nation.”

“Yeah, what he said!” America grinned brightly, slinging an arm around Germany, who stared at the two in shock.

“You don’t… hate me?”

“You’re one man, Ludwig.” America smiled. “I don’t hold a grudge, and I don’t have any hard feelings towards Ludwig Beilschmidt.”

“Danke…” I felt sorry for poor Germany. He looked way out of his comfort zone.

“I’m not mad either, you know.” I spoke up. “What happened… It wasn’t you. I know that, now.”

The memory shifted again, this time showing Feliciano cowering in his bedroom while Ludwig was apparently having a meltdown downstairs. The nations heard the sound of things shattering, and walls being punched.

“I hate it when he’s like this.” Feli curled up on his bed, lights off. He coughed violently, and the nations weren’t surprised to see red on his pillow, along with brownish stains, showing that it’d happened before.

“I wish… he could see what was going on.” He cried quietly, and the scene shook for a moment before the nations found themselves in a crammed cattle car. More than a few paled.

“You lived it through your people, didn’t you?” America asked me sadly.

“I’ve always had trouble controlling it. Especially in times of war.” I admitted.

“Controlling what?” Germany asked, and several of us turned to him in surprise.

“You haven’t used the ability before? To look at the world through the eyes of your people?” France questioned, and Germany shook his head.

“I didn’t know we could.”

“There are two ways to use it.” Canada explained. “You can view the world through the eyes of your people, specifically one citizen at a time, as Feli’s doing here.” He gestured to a young boy, likely around thirteen or fourteen, who had a very slight golden hue to his eyes. “Or you can control them, though that’s very difficult without the person’s permission. Sometimes, during stressful situations, it’s easier.”

“I see…” Germany looked around him in sorrow. A tear rolled down his face. “I caused this.”

“No. Adolf Hitler caused this.” America said. “You’re a good person, Ludwig. You were a victim in this, too.”

“But so many people…”

“The fact that you show remorse makes you different from those monsters who killed.” Hungary spoke up, and Austria nodded his head in agreement.

“Exactly. So stop this nonsense. You were never him.” Austria looked around himself, moving away from the pile of human waste in the corner. The smell was terrible, but nobody commented on it.

Just as suddenly as it had began, we all found ourselves back in the bedroom with Feliciano. He shook his head violently. One of Ludwig’s dogs barked outside, and Feli flinched badly. “No, no. I’m not there… I’m not there…” He huddled in a corner, terrified.

Luciano looked at me with pain and sorrow. “I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”

“It’s okay. You were dealing with things yourself at the time.”

“It’s no excuse to abandon my brother.”

“You didn’t abandon me.”

“How bad was the accidental transferring?” China asked.

“In those days? It’d happen every night, at least. Sometimes it was simple or easy, like working or the ride over there. Other times… It was the chambers or the hospital.” I shuddered. “I really couldn’t control it. My people were crying out for some form of help. For God or the devil. They didn’t care, as long as they were safe somehow. Their will was so strong that it forced the connection from their side. Sometimes to the point where I sustained the same injuries they did.” I scratched absently at my left forearm. I didn’t have a number, but I received the tattoo plenty of times through the eyes of my people. Though to say ‘eyes’ was a tad misleading, as we experienced all five senses, plus their emotional state.

If they noticed my scratching, they didn’t comment, though Germany still looked down in shame, as did Japan. But he’d apologized to me in private, already.

Some days, I still had nightmares. I still hated barking dogs, and I was terrified of hospitals and doctors (not that my country’s doctors were anything to brag about. They were more likely to kill you than heal you). I knew I wasn’t actually there, but in some ways, I was.

“Do you still have trouble with the ability?” China continued, trying to keep my mind from wherever it was headed.

“Sometimes. Not really so much anymore. It was the war, I think. So many people reached out to me through the Nation Connection without realizing it.” I sighed.

“Maybe your connection to your people is stronger in some ways than the rest of us because you connected to them at a later point in life?” Japan suggested, though I could tell that he felt sick with the knowledge that I’d been through the Death Camps, even if it was indirectly. And it seemed Germany was avoiding my gaze.

I walked over and pulled the blond into a hug. “I-Italien?” He stared in disbelief.

“You’re supposed to hug back. Or do you need a manual for that, too?” I teased. He wrapped his arms around me, and just like that the tense atmosphere vanished along with the memory.

Unfortunately, after we separated, the next one came in and it wasn’t happy. Feliciano was huddled behind the island in the kitchen, and a very angry Ludwig was smashing wine bottles.

“Did I give you permission to cook?!” He demanded, face red with rage.

“N-No, sir. I’m sorry!” Feliciano looked up, careful not to meet the eyes of the enraged blond, and the nations gasped in shock to see a purple bruise on his face. His nose looked broken, and a stream of blood flowed from it. He had a black eye and a split lip.

Romano turned to glare death at Germany. “You hurt him.” Luciano joined him in his glaring, and Flavio looked like he had half a mind to do the same.

“It wasn’t his fault, you two. Now stop it.” I sent them a glare of my own. Romano and Luciano backed down, but they made sure to stand between Germany and myself. I rolled my eyes at their overprotective nature. Even Yang sent Germany a glare, despite the nation not being able to even see the guy.

Ludwig sent a kick at Feli, knocking him to the ground. He hit his face on the edge of the counter, nearly biting off the tip of his tongue in the process. As it was, he’d clenched his teeth, breaking several. He spit them out on the floor. “Clean this up. I’ve work to do and a meeting with my boss this afternoon. If this house isn’t spotless by the time I’m home, then you’d best disappear.” He spat at the Italian before leaving the house. Feliciano kneeled there for another few minutes, catching his breath and gathering his wits.

He looked woozy and a little dizzy, too. He shook his head and set his broken nose before he stuffed it with a cloth to stem the bleeding. He sent a mild glare in the direction that Ludwig had gone in, but other than that, he gave no retaliation. He then went about cleaning the mess Ludwig had made in the kitchen, before tidying and deep cleaning the entire house. By the time he was done, the place was sparkling, and his stomach was loudly begging for food.

If I go into the kitchen again without permission, Germany really might kill me. He paused as another thought occurred to him, which caused him to pale. Or deport me to a Camp. He shuddered. He really isn’t himself. I… I wish I could help.

He stole some bread from a store cupboard in the basement and scurried up to his room, He quickly ate half before carefully wrapping it to protect it from insects, and hiding it under a loose floorboard hidden beneath the leg of the bed. He sighed as he looked out the window.

“Oh, Acel… how would you get through to your idiot twin?” He let out another despondent sigh. “I want Ludwig to come home soon.” Tears ran down his face as he crawled into bed. “I’m so tired… maybe… just one nap would be okay.” The memory faded away, and along with it, the quiet sobs of a heartbroken nation.

A/N: Hello everybody! I apologize, apparently a lot of you read that last chapter while eating. (Whoops.) Like I promised, here’s today’s update. Keep an eye out, because guess what?! I’M GOING TO UPDATE AGAIN TODAY~! :D I’m super excited, and I’m working on chapter 39 right now, so I figure I have room to do a special Double Update. ^^

It may not be until later this afternoon, though, just so you know.

Once again, if anyone wants to draw any fan art for my stories, feel free~! Just PM me the link (or if its Wattpad, @ me), and I may feature your art as a chapter cover on Wattpad and Quotev~!

As always, thank you all for reading, and keep an eye out for that next update! ;)

Words: 2,328/2,791

Pages: 5/6

Posted: 01/22/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 35: The Final Bullet

The memory that came next arrived in a swirl of colors. Feliciano stood on a familiar hill that overlooked Holy Rome’s Meadow. The empty bloodstained pole of the Roman Empire’s flag stood wearily beside the shattered remains of the flag of the Holy Roman Empire. Feliciano paled.

There was a third flag. One, which held the bright colors of Germany’s flag; black red and gold. The same colors he’d stopped flying in 1933. The flag was stained with blood, and the edges looked like they were moth-eaten. The pole looked dusty and it was also splattered with blood. As they watched, the flag started to slowly dissolve. A silhouette that the nations recognized as Acel appeared by his broken flag.

“I want you to look after Luddy.” Acel’s voice echoed as it did the day he left. “Ludwig’s my baby brother, and I’d only trust you and Gil to look after him.”

“I’m trying, Acel! But what do I do?! His flag is fading just like Grandpa Rome’s did! A-and yours!”

“You have time, Feliciano. Please… Save my brother. From himself.” With that, the dream faded away and Feliciano bolted upright in bed.

“You…” Germany looked at me.

“I had a Fading Dream about you. It’s part of why I told fratello to pull out of the war. At that point, I didn’t care who won or lost, as long as I didn’t lose you.” I leveled him with a serious look.

“Danke.” Germany finally said.

“I’m the one who should be saying that!” Prussia grinned. “You protected my baby bruder when I couldn’t.”

“Well, someone’s got to look after him!” I joked, and Prussia let loose a booming laugh.

“Ain’t that the truth!”

“I am right here.” Germany shot his brother a glare.

“I promised you then, Acel. And I swear it now. I’ll protect Ludwig. No matter what.” Feli’s eyes gained a very hard sheen to them, as he silently put on his military uniform and crawled out the window. The dogs looked ready to start barking, but Feli pulled out some treats he’d filched from Ludwig a few days ago in preparation for any escapes he may have needed to do. The dogs stayed quiet after that, wagging their tails like puppies.

While he was glad for it in this situation, Germany facepalmed. “Perhaps I should have gotten a better alert dog…” He sighed. “No wonder you always managed to sneak around.”

The scene blurred, showing Feliciano spying on something or someone—it flashed too quickly to see—and making preparations. It looked like it took weeks, at least. Feliciano coughed badly at some points, blood dribbling through his fingers. “I know. I hear you. I know the marching is hard… if you can just hold on… I’ll end this.”

Another scene transition, and we found ourselves in a dark hallway. I smirked, a bit of an, albeit slightly insane and maniacal laugh bubbled up from my chest. In the dimly lit hallway, they saw Feliciano, face set like stone. He stalked through the shadows like a man possessed, and upon reaching the door he was looking for, he wasted no time in picking the lock and inviting himself inside.

And within, he found Adolf Hitler, hiding with his wife. “Who are you?!” He demanded.

“I am Feliciano Vargas, Personification of Northern Italy. And I am your murderer.” He said, raising the gun and shooting the wife. Hitler gulped, eyes hard as Feliciano stalked towards him. “You are worse than the devil. Worse than sin itself. You have murdered and tortured thousands, no millions of people! You’ve hurt Ludwig and Gilbert. And today. Today you will finally die.”

He pulled out a different gun, and held it up to the man’s temple, and Hitler smirked. “I have done my work. I have cleansed much of the filth from this world. My only wish is that I could’ve finished.”

Feli fired the gun, and the man fell, dead. He then carefully placed the gun in the man’s hands, making it look like a suicide. It was only then that the nations realized that Feli was wearing black gloves.

Feliciano Vargas looked at the corpse at his feet. “That one man could cause the death of so many innocent people astounds me.” He walked out of the bunker and the memory finally faded.

“Danke.” Germany looked at me with so much gratitude that I had to blink to make sure I was seeing it right.

“Dude, that was kickass!” America grinned. “You killed Hitler!”

“Alfred.” Canada groaned. “It’s bad enough you made me watch Supernatural with you because you were too scared to watch it alone, but please don’t brag about an achievement that isn’t yours. You’re not Dean Winchester.”

“Good job.” Romano clapped me on the shoulder. He looked so proud of me.

“I’m cooler than Dean, though.” America pouted.

“I’m starting to think that Italy may have prophetic dreams or something.” China muttered under his breath.

“You’re only figuring that out, now?” Japan smirked lightly.

“Oh, shove it. I don’t want to hear anything from you.” China huffed.

“Now, now. No need to go into a tizzy.” England reminded them. “Do you think it’s about time for that break, now?” He turned to me.

“Uh… maybe after. There’s still one more piece of this war left to watch.” I said, sending an apologetic look to Japan, but he merely smiled.

“I figured it would come up, Itary-kun. No need to worry.” He reassured me.

The scene shifted again, this time Feliciano was at the door to Kiku’s house. He knocked again, but there was no answer. “Japan?! Japan! Please let me in! I have a really bad feeling that something’s going to happen… Something really bad. And I think you’re in danger, please! Japan?” Feli stopped calling, and looked to be in a fierce debate over something for a moment. “I’m really, really sorry about this!” He quickly picked the lock, heading inside the modest two-story house, almost forgetting to take off his shoes before stepping on the raised platform in the house.

He did a quick search only to find that Kiku wasn’t there. He then saw something marked on the calendar. Meeting in Hiroshima. The date was August 6.

“Oh, no.” America paled. He looked at Japan. He hated that he’d had to drop the bomb like that, but it had ended the war. His boss had ordered it of him. But a small part of him had wanted to do it, because Japan had attacked Hawaii, his daughter (not that the Asian nation knew that).

Feliciano suddenly went pale. “That’s wrong. He shouldn’t be there!” He ran out the door and hopped in the nearest car. He quickly hotwired it and drove off as quickly as he could in the direction of Hiroshima.

Oh, please… Feliciano thought rather loudly. I know I’m not one of your people, but I’m in your lands! JAPAN! HONDA KIKU!! Please! It’s Feli! Hear me!

A couple of tears of frustration ran down Feli’s face as he sped around people, breaking more than a few traffic laws.

“Itary-kun?” Kiku’s voice sounded in Feli’s mind.

“What is going on?” Germany asked his brother quietly.

“Nations can talk to their people, too, not just look in on them. But you’ve gotta know ‘em really, really well. It’s much easier with another nation, but again, you’ve gotta be close to ‘em.” Prussia explained in a whisper. “You know how we hear the voices of our people all the time? It’s like a reversal of that or something.”

“Yes, Japan! It’s me! Please, listen to me! You’ve got to get away from Hiroshima, now! I don’t know why, but something really bad’s about to happen. My gut’s screaming at me! Please!!” Feli cried back, and there was a long stretch of silence.

“Okay. I’m on my way out of the city. I don’t understand, though. You came all the way to my country during wartime to warn me of some gut feeling?” Kiku sounded perplexed.

“Yes. I know it sounds insane, but my gut is never wrong. I came as Feliciano Vargas, not Italy.”

“I see. Yes, I’m just leaving Hiroshima, now. It may be a while, though. There’s been some kind of accident or something. There are delays.”

“Get out and run if it’s faster.” Feli urged. The scene blurred, and Feli could now see Hiroshima in the far distance. He caught sight of an airplane approaching quickly.

“Japan… That feeling’s screaming at me even louder, now. I don’t care how you do it, get out of there! NOW!” Feli screamed.

“I’m just outside the city borders.” A moment later, the bomb was dropped.

“JAPAN!!!” Feliciano cried out as the shockwave hit him, nearly knocking his car of the road. He took a moment to stare at the absolute devastation. The silence of the aftermath was deafening. He coughed as he approached the city border. The entire area was so quiet that it was almost like someone hit mute, like something out of a horror movie, and ash rained down upon the city like a blanket.

Feli felt a pull towards a car that was just within the blast area, and rushed over to find a bloodied and unconscious Kiku. He wasted no time in busting open the door, and providing emergency First Aid to his friend. Once he was satisfied, he carefully picked up his friend and placed him in the seat next to the driver’s seat in Kiku’s car. Feli fired it up, and it amazingly worked.

The next scene showed Kiku lying in his futon. Feliciano looked worried. A moment later, Kiku started to cry out in pain. He curled in on himself as red started to stain his clothing. Feli moved fast, trying to minimize any excess damage and treat the wound as quickly as he could.

Upon seeing Kiku’s injured state, the nations gasped. His torso was raw and bloody, and the edges were burned terribly, showing signs of severe infection. Of course, whatever happens to the nation is reflected on the personification, but nobody’s really seen the damage of an Atomic bomb on the personification before. Not like this.

China gasped in horror, his eyes brimming with tears. America looked pained, and though he’d apologized and the two had made peace with one another, he still felt guilty.

Feliciano stabilized his friend as best he could, and settled back down to wait. He looked at the Calendar. August 9, 1945. “Please be okay.”

The memory faded out again. When it came back, Kiku was waking up. “Itai…” He winced as he tried to sit up.

“No, no, Japan! You can’t move yet! You’re very badly hurt!” Feli gently pushed him back down. “I’m so glad you’re awake! You’ve been out for two weeks!”

“N-nani?! T-two weeks?! What happened?”

“You… were bombed. Hiroshima and Nagasaki… Atomic Bombs were dropped on the two cities… thousands dead. Maybe more.” Feli said sadly. “Your country has officially announced its surrender. The war is over.”

The room was silent for a moment as Kiku digested the information. “Itary-kun?”

“Yes, Japan?”

“Why is it so dark in here?”

The nations froze. They felt a vague sense of déjà vu, but this was Japan! It seemed like what had happened to Feli and Lovi all those centuries ago was a different lifetime, and seeing it happen here and now in a relatively modern setting was disturbing.

“Japan. It’s the middle of the day.” Feliciano looked at Kiku sadly. “You can’t see, can you?”

“I… No… no I cannot.” Kiku swallowed hard, turning his blank gaze downwards. His eyes were clear and fogless, though he could not see. “Onegai… may I have some time alone?”

“Of course. Call for me when you’re hungry. I’ve made you some miso soup, I hope you don’t mind my using your kitchen.”

“No, it’s fine. Arigatou.”

Feliciano left the room, leaving Kiku to contemplate his thoughts and emotions.

“I have my vision back, now, if you were wondering.” Japan spoke up, and America looked particularly relieved.

“I’d feel awful if I caused you permanent damage or something.”

“It’s all forgiven, Alfred-kun.” Japan smiled.

The next scene faded in, showing flashes of Feliciano showing Kiku how to navigate blind using echolocation, and even showing him how to sense his surroundings. It seemed as if several months had passed, and at some point, even Yong Soo had shown up.

“I was coming to check on him.” South Korea explained. “I had actually come to tell him I was no longer one of his territories, and that with his surrender, I was my own nation. Since I was so mad about everything, I’d decided to close trade off to him. But when I saw the condition those bombs had left him in, I had to stay and help. South Korea was mad at Japan, but Yong Soo wasn’t mad at Kiku. At the end of the day, he’s still my big brother.” He smiled, and Japan blushed lightly.

“What about me, aru?!” China wailed.

“Oh, hush, Nii-san.” Japan stuck out his tongue, but China still grinned.

“It’s such a nice night out.” Kiku said, as he and Feli enjoyed some tea on the back porch. The bamboo fountain provided some nice background noise.

“It is. The cherry blossoms are in bloom again.” Feli smiled as he watched the pink blossoms fall like snow, dancing in a gentle, cooling breeze.

“Ah. I wish I could see them.” He chuckled. “I cannot thank you enough, Feli-kun. You’ve given me the tools to survive in this strange, dark world I now find myself in.”

“I’ve been there, you know. When I was little, I once went blind, like you. I had to learn all this stuff from the ground up; I didn’t have a teacher. Though you’ve picked up very quickly, I must say. It sort of scares me, watching you make sushi knowing you’re blind.” Feli laughed.

“Ah, well. The hands don’t forget things.”

“Indeed they don’t. Just don’t make any puffer fish dishes.” Feli smiled with a chuckle as the two just sat there, listening to the peace of the world around them. Kiku smirked, amused at the joke.

They listened to the water run, the cars and people on the nearby streets. The hum of life, the wind in the trees… They sat in silence and listened to the world turning around them, utterly content to warm their hands on the tea that they drank in one another’s company.

“There’s a meeting in a few months.” Kiku spoke quietly.

“Si. Think you’re ready?”

“I should be, with all that you’ve taught me.”

“We’ll see. I’ll cover you if need be.”

“Oh, come now, Feli-kun. You’re making me feel like I’m heading into a warzone.” He laughed. “These last few months have been so nice. I got tired of war a long time ago.”

“As did I. But such is the way of man. Hopefully we won’t have another for a long while.”

“May I ask you something personal?”

“Of course, Kiku-kun. What is it?”

“Why did you come back to help me? You had nothing to gain. You were under no obligations. Your country had finished your fight. So why?”

“You’re right. Italia was finished fighting. But you’re my friend, Kiku-kun. You’re like family to me, and I don’t leave family behind. Call it a quirk.” Feli smirked, echoing some of Kiku’s old words back at him.

“Huhuhu, you really are a rare one, aren’t you?”

“Hm? What do you mean by that?”

“Most people would’ve left me. But you… you’re loyal. You’re kind. You’re selfless and such a beautiful person. I’m so lucky to have you as a friend. Arigatou, Feliciano-kun.”

“You’re a great friend, too, Kiku-kun. I mean it. You’re smart, loyal, enduring, you’re great at listening, and you’re observant. When someone’s hurt, you notice. And you really do care when someone’s in pain. I’m happy to call you my friend.” Feli grinned.

“Then let us promise that we won’t let what our countries dictate to us ruin our friendship.” Kiku smiled.

“Yeah! Feliciano Vargas and Kiku Honda will always be friends! Brothers!” Feli cheered, happiness sparkled in his eyes as the scene finally faded away.

“Okay, now we can have that break.” I chuckled, and England sighed in relief.

“Finally! Thought you were going to have us stand here and starve.” England replied dryly. A quick chant later, and the Break Room was back.

I cooked dinner for everyone that night, making my specialty pasta. And before I knew it, we were all off to bed.

I curled up with Flavio, Romano, and Luciano. The bed was big enough, and everyone was too tired to complain. And I’ll sleep… between you and Japan… The old memories floated through my mind as I finally fell asleep.

A/N: As promised, here’s the second half of the Double Update~! So we’ve killed Hitler~! :D (I’ll admit, I enjoyed writing that part). If anyone can draw some fanart of that part, or one of the scenes with Kiku and Feli, that’d be awesome! [and I’ll go back and put it in this chapter… unless I get like five of them, then I’ll put them elsewhere. LOL]

So this is a nice, long chapter for you. ^^ This chapter ends the World War Arc. We have one chapter of fluff, and then the Arc we’ve all been waiting for. The one I’ve been hinting at since the start!

HETAONI! IS COMING! :D And boy, am I excited. We’ll have more Yang, more 2Ps, and more hurt/comfort from our favorite nations. (And shock and horror. Lots of shock. XD) HetaOni starts chapter after next, so be ready and have those tissues in stock! Run to the dollar store and stock up on your ice cream and comfort food, because it’s gonna be awesome! (It’s honestly something I’ve been looking forward to writing for years, now).

Let’s just hope that I don’t jump too far ahead of HetaOni: Italy’s Story. XD And yes, it’s part of that universe. So if you don’t know what HetaOni is, go to YouTube and search SotetAG. They’ve got an awesome commentary-free walkthrough of the original game. It starts slow, but stick with it, and you should end up in tears, begging for more.

If you haven’t read my fanfic, HetaOni: Italy’s story, I’d recommend reading it. Since the two are in the same universe, I’m sure you’ll find some references to Memories of Old. And you’ll also get a richer experience with this fic, as you’ll be seeing things from a different angle. ^^

See? I’m creative! I make connections through my stories.

Words: 2,718/2,822

Pages: 6

Posted: 01/22/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 36: The United States of America

The next morning, I woke up before anyone else in the house. I carefully climbed out of bed without waking anyone—even Luciano.

“What’s up, Ying?” Yang asked me, tilting his head. “Another nightmare?”

“Something like that.” I sighed as I got out the necessary cooking supplies for breakfast. I tossed up a sound and smell barrier spell without even thinking about it.

“You’re falling back into old habits.” He observed, reaching out a ghostly hand towards the barrier.

“What did you expect, Yang? In all honesty, after seeing and reliving all these memories… We both know it’s coming up.” I sat at the counter, a sudden wave of exhaustion sweeping over me. I reached into my bag and pulled out a book. It was small and a dark red-brown color with Celtic knots intricately woven in the design of the cover, forming a cross. At first glance, it could be mistaken for a bible, and the natural color of the Journal hid the bloodstains well, until you looked at the pages.

I flipped through some of the entries, my mind wandering back to old memories.

“You never really left, did you?” He sat beside me, a sad look on his face.

“No. My physical self did, but… that place still haunts me. It still holds me captive. Even here, so far away from all of it…” I didn’t stop the tears as they flowed. “I thought… that once we got out, everything would be fine. Everything would be okay again, and that I’d be happy. So why am I so broken, still? Why does part of me want to go back again? Why do I… miss it?” I sobbed.

“Because you spent most of your immortal life there.” Yang finally answered. “You tailored yourself both physically and mentally to cope with what that place had to throw at you, and you made yourself into a specialized weapon, specifically designed to combat the dangers of that place. And now, it’s over. All those things you learned, and the skills you’ve developed are useless, now. And you fear that all those things you spent centuries mastering will now only serve to isolate you from everyone, and make you useless once more. You fear that you have served your purpose and have nothing left.” His words hit home, and I cried harder.

“But that’s not true.” He spoke up, louder. “You are not a broken tool or a weapon with no purpose. You are a person. And while you may be hurt, you are not someone to be left behind and forgotten. You matter. To Luciano, to Romano, to Flavio and Japan and Germany and America… To everybody. To me. You have a rare gift, Feli.”

I looked up in surprise. He almost never called me by my name. “A… Gift?”

“You make friends wherever you go. You don’t let anyone or anything stop you from helping those friends. You should’ve died in that place. You all should have. But you didn’t, because your strength of will was stronger than his.” He smiled as he hesitantly reached forward, wiping a tear from my cheek. “You are strong, Feliciano Vargas. And that gift may be annoying as hell, but… it even worked on me.” He blushed lightly. “I care about you, fratello.” He quickly spun around, and I swore I saw heat waves coming off his cheeks. “D-don’t go thinking that I’m soft or anything! I mean you’re still annoying, and I’m still that same asshole as before, and—”

“Yang.” I stopped him, a smile on my face. “Thank you, fratellino.”

“You two done bonding, yet?” Luciano leaned casually against the doorframe.

“Damnit, fuckhole! How long have you been standing there?!” Yang demanded, bristling like a pissed off cat, causing me to laugh.

“Long enough.” He smirked. “You almost got out of the bedroom without waking me.”

“Ah~ What was it?” I asked, drying my eyes.

“The sound of you unlocking the door.” He came over.

“So you heard all that, huh?”

“Yeah.” Luciano reached into his own shoulder bag and pulled out another Journal. It was exactly identical to mine, but black instead of brown. The Celtic knots had once been white, but were now a reddish-brownish-yellowish color, aged by time and blood.

“It takes one to know one.” I sent him a sidelong look.

“True, but I’m not as bad off as you. I didn’t spend more than twice my lifespan in that fucked up hellhole.”

“Both of you are bringing down the mood! Now shouldn’t we get cooking or something before the others wake up?” Yang suddenly spoke up, and Luciano and I shared a look.

“You’re right, Yang. Luci? Care to help with the prep?” I knew full well he couldn’t cook anything with heat, unless we wanted to blow something up. It was quite a gift, really. If he made anything other than pasta or cookies that involved heat, with the exception of frozen food in the microwave, he’d blow it up. Every Vargas knew to keep him away from the stove.

“Or it becomes an unidentifiable moving grayish black blob… like England’s cooking but liquefied.” Yang shuddered. I was wise enough not to repeat it aloud. Luciano was rather sensitive about his lack of cooking skills.

By the time everyone had woken up and moseyed on downstairs, breakfast was ready and the table had been set. Everyone was grateful for the food, and dishes had already been taken care of.

Now we stood by the door once more, and let the next memory begin.

It started with flashes and images. Alfred and Kiku making up, Kiku’s sight slowly but surely returning. At first he’d needed glasses, but eventually his sight fixed itself well enough.

We started moving closer to modern-day, until we hit the early 2000’s. The scene finally slowed, showing Alfred holding Feli back after a meeting.

“Dude, I need… a favor.” He looked really nervous.

“O…kay?” Feli raised an eyebrow. “What kind of favor?”

“You have to keep it a secret, please!” Alfred glanced around to make sure there was nobody else around. “I don’t know what else to do! Mattie’s busy with his own, and Diego… er, Mexico, that is, is off with his own boss. My boss needs me to come in for a week, and I haven’t had time to make arrangements! I know most of ‘em can take care of themselves, but I still want a nation around in case something happens…”

“Please, calm down, America! I don’t understand.” Feli looked as confused as the nations around me. America had this look of resignation and determination on his face, and Canada stepped closer to his twin.

“Just come with me. I’ll show you.” Alfred finally sighed. The scene blurred until the two drove up to a mansion atop a hill in the middle of a large plot of forest. It was beautiful, and the place was lively. Rose bushes and other visually pleasing flora grew around the house, and there were kids playing everywhere.

“An orphanage?” England guessed. I held back a chuckle as America bristled.

As the two walked up the steps, Alfred grinned. “You’d better not have broken anything!”

“DAD!” A couple of the nearby kids ran at Al, tackling him with hugs.

“D-d-dad?!” England spluttered and gawked, as did France and several other nations. America sighed and nodded, though he couldn’t keep the smirk from sneaking onto his face. Seeing England look around in a mixture of shock and disbelief was rather amusing.

“Feli, meet my family.” Alfred grinned. “This one here’s Utah.” He patted the head of a brown haired, brown-eyed boy who looked like the kind of kid to follow the rules. He was dressed nicely in what appeared to be his Sunday best. “And this is Nevada.” He ruffled the hair of the other boy who had dark brown hair with a red streak, green eyes, and a bad-boy vibe. He was dressed in a hoodie and ripped jeans, a stark contrast to his brother. They both looked to be around fifteen.

“Dad!” Nevada complained.

“Your states… are personified?” England’s jaw dropped.

“Yup. All fifty of them. And Puerto Rico. So I’ve got 51 kids.” America smirked, enjoying the look of shock and bewilderment on his father figure’s face. “And you said I was irresponsible.” He stuck out his tongue.

“So you want me to babysit?” Feli asked.

“Yeah. Some of them can be handfuls. The Dakota twins, in particular. They’re pranksters and inventors.” Alfred rubbed the back of his head.

“Sounds like an old friend of mine.” Feli muttered, thinking of Leonardo.

“They’re twelve, by the way. Nearly thirteen. The only states who’re over the age of 20 are the Original Thirteen.” Al explained as he led Feli into the house.

“Don’t worry, Italy.” Nevada smirked. “If all else fails, I’ve got my gun.”

“Which you will not be using in the house. Right?” Alfred shot his son a glare, and the boy gulped.

“O-of course not!”

“Mmmhmm.” Utah shot his brother a look that plainly said he didn’t believe him. “Oh, by the way, Dad. Can I go on another Mission?” The boy asked eagerly.

“But you just got back!” Alfred complained.

“Yeah, but Ukraine was so cold! Please? I want to see where they’ll send me this time!” Utah bounced eagerly.

“Fine. But! You’ve gotta ace all your finals, or you’re raising the money yourself.” Alfred warned, but the boy was too excited to care.

“C’mon, Vads!” He grabbed his brother’s arm as he dashed off.

“Mission?” Hungary asked, curious.

“Utah is Mormon. Every few years, he likes to go off on a Mission to another country to spread the word of God.” America explained. “He’s tried converting Nevada, but the kid’s practically an Atheist.” He chuckled. “I blame Las Vegas for his criminal record.”

“Criminal record?!” China cried.

“Wasn’t his fault. It was all self-defense. When a kid tried to stab him on the bus to school, he used some self-defense techniques to disarm the guy, but the knife ended up in the other kid’s leg by mistake. Both kids got charges, though Vad’s was dropped.” America paused for a moment. “Though I wasn’t happy about the stolen car, or him driving around underage and shooting up all the road signs. He was grounded for a month and I sent him back to high school a year early for that one.”

“You send your kids to school as punishment?” Japan raised an eyebrow. “Something must be terribly wrong with the American schooling system if it’s comparable to jail…” He muttered softly under his breath.

Oh, Japan. You don’t know the half of it.

“What, like you’d know?” Yang raised an eyebrow.

Actually, Yang. I would. I went to high school in America once as an exchange student for shits and giggles. I swapped with Al… Let’s just say that both our systems need work.

“Sort of. Everybody goes to school every few years.” America explained. “After graduation, they’re given anywhere from three to five years of no school, unless they chose to go to Uni. So with Nevada, he’d only graduated that previous year, and to celebrate, he went on a joyride.”

“I’m surprised that he didn’t get a felony for that. Isn’t that what it is for auto theft in your country?” France asked.

“Well, he would have if the car had belonged to someone else. It was my car he’d stolen. So no trouble with the law, aside from the road signs, but I was able to pay the fine. I made him get a job to pay me back, though, just to make the lesson stick.”

“Huh. Perhaps you do have parenting skills.” England admitted.

“Daddy!” A young blonde of sixteen ran up to her father, hugging him. She had sun kissed skin, tanned from long days on the beach, and long blonde hair with bright blue eyes. She wore designer clothing, and high heels, and had tasteful makeup on.

America sent a glare at a couple nations who stared. “Remember. That’s my daughter.” He warned.

“Cali, hey!” Al grinned. “This is California, she’s quite spirited, and more than a little dramatic.”

“We blame Hollywood for that one.” Another girl came around the corner, bleached blonde hair with blue eyes like her father. She wore designer clothing, too, and was just as beautiful as her sister. “Florida; good to meet you. I’m this ditz’ sister.” She playfully stuck out her tongue at California.

“Lori!” Cali crossed her arms and pouted.

“Cali!” The other girl mocked back.

“Now, now, girls. No fighting.” Alfred stepped in sternly.

“Yes dad.” The two spoke in synch.

“You’ve gotta watch these two, they’ll fight like cats.” Alfred chuckled. “Especially if you bring up oranges or beaches. They’re so competitive.”

“And dad!” California complained. “How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me Cali!”

“Sorry, honey.” Alfred chuckled as he gently kissed her forehead.

“It’s either California or Katie.” She continued.

“Yeah, yeah, you’ve told us a million times, Cali.” Florida smirked.

“You looking to start something, Miss Dollar Tree makeup?”

“What did you just call me, you dollar menu bitch?!”

“You heard me. Or maybe you’re getting too old! My, my, is that a grey hair?! I’m sorry, grandma, would you like me to find you the nearest hearing aid center?” Katie spat back.

“You fucking whore!” Florida lunged, and Alfred was quick to stop them both.

“GIRLS!” He shouted, making the two freeze. He looked mad, and the two gulped. “Hand me your phones.” He held out his hand, and the two reluctantly handed him their cell phones. “That was uncalled for.” He crossed his arms. “I thought you’d at least behave yourselves in front of a guest. Rooms, now. You’re each going to write me a ten-page essay, twelve point font, single-spaced on the positive aspects of each other’s state. Maybe that will help you tolerate one another a little more. You’ve got a week. If I find the essay acceptable, then you’ll get your phones back.”

“Holy shit, remind me not to piss you off.” Spain chuckled nervously. The two girls trudged up the stairs, shooting one another subtle glares, but they wisely remained silent.

“Sorry about that.” Alfred turned back to Feli. “Those two… they really can’t stop competing with one another. I’ve been trying to get them to cool it for years, now. Essays seem to work the best. Last time, I had them write up ways to help the other’s economy or environmental situation. It worked for about a month before they started fighting again.” He sighed before he casually ducked under a rogue firecracker, catching it in his hand and crushing it in his grip.

“Missouri! What have I told you about firecrackers in the house?!” Alfred whipped around and started lecturing the sixteen year old with the ferocity of an angered father.

The sandy-haired boy grinned. “Sorry, Pa! I’ll do ‘em outside next time!” He planted a kiss on his dad’s cheek. “Gotta go! There’s a game tonight, and I can’t miss the tailgate party!” He grinned.

“Remember to take one of your siblings with you.” Al warned.

“I know, I know!” He rolled his eyes before dashing off in shorts and a jacket.

“See why they need supervision? I’m scared that if I leave them all alone for a week without warning, that I won’t have a house when I get back!” Alfred laughed.

“I can tell. Can I call in my brother for some backup?” Feli asked.

“Yeah, sure! But nobody else, okay?” Al grew serious as they stepped into Alfred’s office.

“So, what’s up? You called me here for more than just a babysitting gig, I know that much.” Feli said as he closed the door to Alfred’s office behind him.

“My states… they may be personifications, but they’re mortal, Feli. They age slower, and I don’t think they can die from old age, but they can die from injuries just like a human can. They get sick, too, sometimes. They handle it better, but still… I’m terrified that if the other nations knew, that something might happen to them.” He looked down, and all the worry made Alfred look centuries older. “I called you here partially because I trust you… You’re different. Most people wouldn’t be able to keep a friendship through two wars like that, but you did. Most people wouldn’t care about their former enemies, but you do. I don’t know what it is about you, but… I trust you.”

The two were silent for a moment. “Grazie. I’m not sure why, but I’m grateful and honored that you trust me with your family like this.”

“Just make sure I’ve got a boisterous household of 51 to come home to in two weeks, yeah?” Alfred laughed. “Any questions, though?”

“Are they affected like a nation? By their people, I mean?” Feli asked after a moment.

“Yeah. That’s why I got so mad over Pearl Harbor.” Alfred admitted, and Japan paled.

“Oh… I never—”

“It’s fine, now, Japan.” America smiled. “She’s forgiven you. No permanent damage was done. And I’ve forgiven you.”

“I… I still…” Japan felt guilt well up inside him. He’d attacked a child.

“Japan. You’re my friend, yeah? We play video games together all the time, and we go to anime conventions and cosplay and stuff! No hard feelings, kay?” He grinned, and Japan sighed.

“All right. If you’re sure.”

“If you really feel that bad about it, and you want to make it up to her…” America smirked. “I know she loves anime.”

“Really?!” Japan perked up. “Then I apologize in advance, America-san, but I’m going to spoil your kids.”

“Go for it!” America laughed. “Just keep it age-appropriate, okay? Double check with me before you give them stuff.”

“Of course.”

As soon as the two exited the office, a small girl of around nine rushed into Alfred’s arms. She had platinum blonde hair and purple eyes, and she reminded the nations a lot of a softer-featured Belarus. “Папа!” She smiled, hugging him around the neck.

“Ah! My little Ангел!” Alfred grinned, slipping into Russian, making Russia blink. “This is Alaska.”

“She looks just like a mini-Russia!” Feli blinked. “Only cuter~!”

“Well, she was one of his charges initially, but I don’t think he knew about her.”

Russia stared. That was his daughter, and he’d never even known that she existed. He’d left her all alone in the cold for so long… it’s no wonder she chose America, with his warm weather. He wondered if America would let him meet her.

“So you and Russia…?” Feli sent Alfred a smirk and waggled his eyebrows as Alfred set the girl on the ground and told her to go and play.

“No.” Alfred laughed. “No, none of my states were like that. I found them. Like how nations find other nations. The only thing that differed was that all of them, with the exceptions of the Original 13 colonies, were infants when I found them. So unlike most nations, who are found as toddlers or children, I had to raise 38 kids from diapers!”

“From diapers?!” China shuddered. He’d had a hard enough time raising the family he’d found from children, let alone infancy!

England was also equally horrified. No wonder the bloke drank so much coffee! His respect for his former colony increased.

“I’ve only raised one or two humans from diapers. I couldn’t imagine a personification!” Feli shuddered. “Years of diaper changes and baby formula. You have my respect.” Not to mention the ‘why’ phase.

“Yeah, it wasn’t easy. Not by a long shot. Can’t count the number of times I had to go without just so they could eat. And don’t get me started on the Civil War.” Alfred shuddered. “I’m just relieved that nobody died.”

“So does Canada know?” Feli changed topics as the two walked.

“Of course! His provinces are personified just like my states.” Al smirked. “He’s my go-to to watch ‘em most of the time. They listen to him almost as well as they listen to me, though Diego just eggs them on, I think.” He chuckled. “Hey, Alex!” Alfred waved over another kid, who walked with leg braces and crutches. He looked to be around twenty or twenty one.

“Yo. What’s up, dad?” He walked over, catching sight of Feli. “Oh, so you’re Italy. Nice to meet you. The name’s Alexander, or Alex for short. I’m New York.” He grinned. He had blond hair just like his dad, and sky-blue eyes. He was almost a carbon copy of his father, though his hair was messier, and his eyebrows were a little thicker, showing Arthur’s influence. He caught Feli glancing at the braces. “Towers.” He explained, and Feli flushed with embarrassment at having been caught.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I survived.” He smirked. “So what did you need?” He turned his attention back to Alfred.

“I need you to let the other 13 know. My boss has called me in for a week, maybe two. Italy and his bro are gonna help you look guys after everyone, okay? If you need anything, you know who to call.”

“Really? Maybe I’ll get to try some of your famous pasta, then.” He smirked, looking at Feliciano.

“Absolutely~!” Feli grinned.

“Why couldn’t you just have Alex look after them?” Japan asked.

“Well, normally it’s a job for at least 3 of the Colonies.” America explained. “But the only ones home at the time were New York and Delaware. The 13 are all over the age of eighteen, so they’ve gone off to live on their own. They usually crash here at home, though.” He smiled. “Nobody else could come home on such short notice, as most of them either had jobs or college, which is why I needed Italy to come give them a hand.”

“That makes sense.” Canada agreed. “I wasn’t able to get there for about six days or so, due to matters with my own boss.”

“Yeah, and we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off, trying to make sure nobody died!” Romano huffed. “Puerto Rico was cute, though.” He flushed a bit as he muttered the last bit.

“Only because you’re great with babies~!” I whispered back.

“Shut up! It’s not like I’m soft or anything!” He protested.

“Sure, sure. But you have a talent for making kids behave.”

“I have a talent for making babies happy. They’re simple. Food, diaper change, entertainment, sleep. If it isn’t one of those four things, they’re sick. Kids, on the other hand, need so much more! You’re the one who’s good with children, I’m good with babies.”

There were a few flashes of random chaos and Feli and Lovi trying to reign it all in as best they could. America laughed, watching them learn how to handle his family, especially when the Dakota Twins, who were about 12 or 13, decided to start pulling all kinds of pranks; one of which involved extremely fine glitter.

“My word, they’re so out of control!” England stared at the chaos around him. “Is… is that a glitter cannon?!” He gawked.

“I knew they’d built one.” America’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll have a talk with the Dakota Twins later about that. They know glitter is against the house rules. I’ll be finding specks of it for decades!” America groaned. “As far as the craziness goes, though, there’s nothing to worry about. Normally, they’re a lot calmer.” America reassured, but Canada, Romano and I all set him a flat look. “They’re testing Feli and Lovi, here. They pull together when it counts, but whenever I have someone new watching them, they pull out every trick in the book to get a good feel for what they can and can’t get away with.”

“Yeah, and they learned real quick not to mess with me.” Canada smirked.

At one point, Feli and Lovi had to call in Matthew due to some rather violent fistfights that had broken out over some sports-related argument.

“Oh, yeah. Forgot to warn you about that. They’re pretty competitive when it comes to their teams.” America winced.

“Gee, ya don’t say.” Romano deadpanned.

“Don’t worry, Al.” Canada reassured. “I handled it.”

And sure enough, the next scene showed a rather annoyed Matthew storming into the house, yelling as loudly as his brother for everyone to ‘shut the fuck up’ and ‘sit the hell down’. The entire house was quiet after that until his anger finally melted away, but the image of the Canadian nation so pissed off would haunt the watching nations for a while.

There were other flashes, including everybody seated around the dinner tables. It looked like a small cafeteria.

“That’s Puerto Rico.” America pointed towards a small two-year old that another state was helping into his high chair. “And that’s Hawaii.” He gestured towards a small girl of around eight or nine. “Though, don’t call her little. Her memories may not have returned, yet, but she still gets offended.” America chuckled.

“Memories?” Prussia tilted his head.

“Yeah. Hawaii was her own nation before she became a state. Upon becoming a state, she de-aged to an infant, and all her memories were suppressed. They’ll return as she ages. Several others have had this happen, too. Scared the shit outta me the first time, though! Man! Lemme tell ya! I had no clue what was going on!” He laughed.

“That’s… not normal.” China blinked.

“Is personified anything normal?” Romano countered.

“Over there’s the troublemaking Dakota Twins.” America pointed out a pair of identical twin boys with dark hair and blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. “That’s North Dakota, on the left, and that’s South Dakota, on the right.”

“How can you tell the difference? They look the same to me.” Hungary asked.

“When you raise twins, you get to be able to tell them apart.” Surprisingly, it was Prussia who spoke up.

“How did you… oh, right.” Austria started to speak before he caught sight of Germany.

“Well North Dakota’s got a few more freckles than his brother, you see. Plus South Dakota’s taller by a good quarter inch. They try to pull one over on me all the time, and those Weasley Twins from the Harry Potter books only encouraged them more.” He shot a glare towards England. “Thanks a lot.”

“That’s not my fault!”

“Uh, huh.” America didn’t seem convinced. “I wasn’t planning on showing my family to anyone, but these kids are my life. They’re so very important to me.” He smiled softly before turning to glare death at each and every nation—aside from myself, fratello, and Canada. “If anyone hurts them or harms them in any way. I will retaliate. And if you do so outside of war time…” His eyes turned cold, making the others shiver. “I will hunt down whoever’s responsible and remind them why I’m a Superpower.”

There was an awkward silence before America plastered a friendly grin on his face, and all anger vanished. “But I don’t think any of you are stupid enough to try anything, right? So let’s not worry about that!” He laughed, and a few nations exchanged wary looks.

The scene finally faded out as Alfred returned home, greeted by a cacophony of welcoming arms and a warm, happy home.

A/N: As promised, here’s today’s chapter! ^^ Now, as you may have noticed, my chapters are starting to get longer. If this ends up staying this way, updates will come slower. I may be able to occasionally push 10,000 words in one day, but to do that, I spend about 8 or more hours sitting in a café writing. (And those wooden chairs are hard! XD)

Don’t get me wrong, I love to write, but please understand that longer chapters mean slower updates. I can’t always sit for 8 hours straight, and I won’t always have the motivation to write 10,000 words in a day. So please be patient. ^^

The next chapter, The Rumors, has already been finished, so expect that update tomorrow. ^^ (again, I love to spoil you guys~!) I know it’s Finals week/Exam week for a lot of you, so this is dedicated to all of you guys who are going through that. Good luck~! My thoughts are with you. And don’t cheat. The excuse of ‘Prussia told me I could.’ Doesn’t work… trust me. XD

On a different note, when doing research for HetaOni, I was looking up Ao Oni (the game it’s based off of). Did you know that there’s a live-action horror movie for Ao Oni? Or a comedy (and shittily animated) anime? I haven’t seen either, but I found this information really cool. ^_^

Last chapter I mentioned that I’d love to see some fanart of my fics, and quite a few of you were interested~! I’m so happy!! ^^ I can’t draw very well, so seeing my stories come to life in the form of a drawing really makes me feel… Happy is too plain… On cloud nine? Umm… joyous? It makes my day, and can actually make me fangirl squeal in public. XD

We finally meet the States. ^^ You may have noticed that the most screen time went to Utah, Nevada, and California. That’s because these are states that I’ve lived in, so I feel I can represent them a little more accurately than, say, Missouri or Delaware. As I travel around later in life, I’ll see if I can come back and add some more detail, but I don’t want to misrepresent anybody. ^^

Words: 4,335/4,573

Pages: 9

Posted: 01/23/2019

Edited: July 9, 2019

A/N 2: I’ve had some people express concerns of their home state appearing. Rest assured, I don’t plan on really representing any state that I haven’t spent any real length of time in, or at least visited. This is why California, Nevada, and Utah have been the most prominent, as I’ve lived in those three states, and my godsiblings live in Florida, so I’ve put her in as well.

I’ve had a few people chew me out for Hawaii being a child. I am well aware that Hawaii was her own nation before becoming one of Al’s kids. But, much like the Italy Twins upon connecting to their nation, many states that were territories (Alaska) or countries (Hawaii) of their own beforehand, were de-aged upon becoming states. Most had their memories repressed, and Alfred’s been doing his best to give them a carefree and happy childhood so they’ve something positive to look back on when their memories return as they age (and not necessarily physically, either).

The States will likely not show up again in any real detail in this fic. So please don’t worry.

Fun fact: I nearly called this chapter, “The Chaotic States of America”. That may have fit better, now that I’m thinking about it. Oh well.

The incredible art for this chapter was created by Nesha. You are AMAZING!!! Keep up the Awesomeness.

Chapter Text

Chapter 37: The Rumors

The next memory faded in, and with it, my anxiety grew. Feliciano and Ludwig were out training in an open park area near one of the World Meeting buildings in Japan.

Ve… I’m bored. Feli thought to himself. He was in the middle of running laps, when he suddenly veered off and shot down an alleyway.

“Italien! Where are you going?!” Ludwig yelled after him.

“Ve! I’m going to explore! Bye Germany~!” Feli waved as he dashed around a corner and quickly scaled the side of the building, Assassin style. He watched from the roof with amusement as Germany rounded the corner in hot pursuit. He paused a moment before running off towards the Meeting Building to look for his runaway friend.

“Germany can be such a slave driver when he wants to be.” Feli sighed. “It’s not even hard training, just monotonous.”

From his position on the roof, he spotted a nearby town, opposite the direction of the Meeting Building. “Oh? Maybe I should explore~!” He grinned, before leaping from roof to roof. Upon reaching the town, he dropped back down onto the streets, looking around himself to gather his bearings.

My stomach dropped. I could never forget that town. “No…” I’d known it was going to be shown, but… now that the time had come, I couldn’t… I couldn’t! I didn’t want to see it all again! My mistakes and fuckups rubbed in my face in front of all those I’d failed! I’d worked so hard, and gotten so far! Was it all truly worthless in the end? Was I doomed to never escape this nightmare?!

“Oi. Veneziano? What’s wrong? You’re so pale all of a sudden.” Romano’s question caught the attention of the other nations, who turned to me with concern.

Suddenly, Luciano’s expression changed to one of realization as something clicked for him. “So we’re finally here.” He closed his eyes for a moment, to calm his own nerves.

“Fratello?” Flavio tilted his head, confused, as he looked between myself and Luciano.

“We can’t explain. But the memories will.” He reassured his twin.

“But I don’t want them to know!” I cried out. “I lived it enough times for a thousand lives!”

“I know, Felice. We both have.” Luciano pulled me into a gentle hug, but I pushed him away.

“Why? Why can’t we just stop here?! Why do they have to see this?!” I was panicking. I wasn’t processing my environment or the people around me. My breathing quickened, and I distantly realized that I must’ve been having a panic attack. There was a high-pitched ringing sound at the edge of my hearing.

“What’s going on, Veneziano? Felice?” Romano looked scared. He could sense my mental pain through the link, and had no idea why I was shutting him out.

In my distressed state, Yang came up to me and through sheer will, made himself physical instead of spectral. He slapped me across the face, hard.

“Feliciano!” He yelled, and I stopped. His voice and the physical sensation brought me back to now.

“Who the fuck are you?” Romano stared. This man looked just like me, but with white hair, freckles, and ice blue eyes. I could hear Romano’s inner thoughts through the link that he carelessly left open. Who the fuck is this guy?! And why the hell did he slap Veneziano?! Flavio didn’t look to have a clue, either, but Luciano didn’t seem surprised to see him at all.

“Yang.” I said, focusing on him.

“There you are.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked me in the eye. “Take a deep breath, there you go. And out. Perfect. Look at me. There’s no reason to panic. It’s a memory. You’ve done that before, right? It’s a Memory Clock Flashback, okay? Only more removed. It’s normal. You’ve been through this before. It’s familiar. You’re fine. Everything’s okay.” His words soothed my frayed nerves, allowing me to find my masks once more. My shoulders relaxed and my breathing evened out. My mind centered and I felt calm. I knew this. I’d done this so many times; I was an expert, now.

“Grazie.” I smiled softly at Yang. “You really do care.” I teased.

“S-so what if I do?! You wouldn’t be able to do anything without me!” He crossed his arms.

“Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” I smirked.

“Would someone mind explaining what is going on here?! And who the bloody hell are you?” England gave Yang a pointed look.

“Oh… you can see him?” I looked at Yang’s decidedly corporeal form. “Oops.”

“Not like you would’ve been able to hide me forever. Not with us going through these memories.” Yang shrugged.

“Yeah, but I sort of planned this differently.” I admitted.

“Psh!” Yang laughed. “As if your plans ever go as they’re supposed to.”

“They do sometimes!” I argued.

“72.”

“That was—”

“288.” He raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, well how was I supposed to know that—”

“1094.”

“Fine! You’ve made your point, asshat.” I huffed, crossing my arms. “My plans tend to flop, but I’m fairly good at adapting.”

“OI!” Romano interjected. “Hate to break up… whatever this is, but could someone explain who this guy is?!”

“This is Yang. He’s… er… how should I put this?” I looked at Luciano helplessly.

“Just explain it to them like you explained it to me.” He shrugged.

“He’s a personification of my anger, hatred, and bloodlust?” I smiled sheepishly at the disbelieving nations.

“Uh, what?” America blinked.

“No, it seems I can’t explain it right.” I sighed. “I suppose you’ll have to wait for it to come up, then.”

“And you didn’t tell me you had some split living in your head because?” Romano raised an eyebrow.

“Oi! I’m not a fucking split!” Yang cried out indignantly. “I’m my own person, I’ll have you know!”

“No, I’m pretty sure you’d still be classified as a split, regardless of the fact that you’ve developed your own soul.” Luciano replied dryly.

“Honestly, fratello. I didn’t want to worry you. And Yang doesn’t exactly have the best secret-keeping skills. If he’d accidentally let something slip, then I’d be in real trouble.” I sent him a glare. “And I can’t exactly answer any specific questions about him.”

“Hey! I’m good at keeping secrets. You know, most of the time.”

“Yeah, right! Just like you kept that secret about—”

“If I let you two get into one of your spats again, we’ll be here all day.” Luciano cut in with an amused smile.

“You knew about this Yang guy?” Flavio asked, surprised.

“I’m right here, you know.” Yang waved his arms.

“Si. Due to… circumstances outside of our control, I found out about Yang.” Luciano sighed, looking back towards the memory. The others followed his gaze, watching as Feliciano happily ate some gelato he’d gotten from a nearby stand.

“Ve~ What to do now?” Feli wondered aloud to himself. The sight of several middle school boys gathered together piqued the Italian’s interest, and he casually leaned against a nearby brick wall to eavesdrop.

“…telling you!” One boy was saying. “It’s real! There’s this haunted mansion three hours East of here! That’s why people don’t go into the forest anymore!”

“Come on, Hiroshi, I thought you didn’t believe in ghosts?” One of the other boys laughed.

“You don’t understand! You can’t go there! Nobody should set foot in that hell!” Hiroshi continued to argue as he pushed his silver hair out of his eyes in frustration. Feli walked away, not listening any further.

I stared at the silver haired teen. His scarf was wrapped tightly around himself, and he had this paranoid look about him. Hiroshi... He’d been there. I knew that look in his eyes, now. It was glaringly obvious to me. He was a survivor of that place. I should’ve heeded his warning. I sighed.

“Ve! A haunted mansion, huh? Scary. But… it’s been such a long time since everybody’s done something together… Everybody’s been working so hard, lately, and some people are still mad at each other…” Feli leaned against a brick wall in thought. “Maybe… this is an opportunity? It could be fun if everyone’s together!” He grinned, and I grimaced.

“I truly am sorry.” I spoke, looking up at the nations around me. My gaze was dead, and I knew it. Several nations flinched at the cold, detached expression.

“Sorry? For… ditching training?” Germany hazarded a guess.

“No… for hearing those rumors.”

Feliciano quickly ran off towards the Meeting Place. Nobody will want to go if I’m the one who tells them about it. They’ll think it’s a joke or something, and I’m not too good at convincing people without going mafia on them. America’s perfect, though! He’s loud, and stubborn. They’ll listen to him! Feliciano’s excited thoughts echoed around us, and I watched sadly as he ran down the far too familiar hallways of the building.

Ah, ha! There he is! “America!” Feli flagged down the other nation, who turned towards his friend curiously.

“Hey, Italy! What’s up? The meeting should start soon, but you’re kinda early.” Alfred grinned.

“I was walking around town, and heard about a rumor. There’s this haunted mansion three hours away from the World Meeting Place, towards the east. I think it’d be fun if everyone went together! It’s been years since we’ve all done something that wasn’t work related.” Feli’s excitement was infectious, and Alfred grinned widely.

“Yeah, dude, that sounds awesome! I’m pumped! I’ll announce it right after the meeting, so everyone’s there to hear it!”

“Oh, please don’t mention anything about me.” Feliciano added.

“Why not? I mean, it’s your idea.” I held back a flinch.

“Because I’m the ‘cowardly’ one, and if they realize I’m the one who heard the rumors, nobody will want to go.” Feli pouted.

“All right. No problem!” Alfred laughed. “Leave it all to me! Gotta go, though. Iggy’ll be mad if I’m not early this time. I’ve got a bet to win.” He winked as he dashed around Feli and down the hallway, out of sight.

I listened as he slammed the door shut behind him. I winced and rubbed my ears in a familiar old gesture—perhaps purely on habit alone. Feliciano, on the other hand, didn’t seem bothered by the sound in the slightest, as he wondered off to the kitchens to eat.

“I don’t see what’s so bad about this…” China spoke up.

“Come to think of it, I don’t really remember this.” America puzzled. “It’s vague, like something from a dream.”

“You wouldn’t.” I mused. “Though, I suppose that’s a good thing.”

“A blessing in disguise.” Luciano sighed.

“What do you mean, we wouldn’t remember?” South Korea tilted his head.

“I can’t say.” I sighed.

“That’s gonna get real old, real fast.” Yang chuckled.

“The hell do you mean you can’t say?” Romano che’d.

“Mmmmmaaaaa…” Yang tested out the word, and when I didn’t feel any sort of warning, I nodded. “Magick.” Yang spoke up. “We can’t say more than that.”

I let out a sigh of relief when nothing happened, and I felt no warning from my Journal. Yang gave me a pat on the back. Breathe, Ying.

“Magic or Magick?” England asked suddenly.

“Magick, with a ‘k’ at the end. The Old stuff.” Luciano answered.

“I’m guessing that you’re somehow bound from explaining things to us by this Magick.” England surmised.

“I can’t say.” I stressed, and England nodded, his theory confirmed.

“What does that mean, then?” Hungary asked, a worried mother vibe about her.

“That they actually are unable to talk about it without some sort of magical backlash. It could be anything from simply physically restraining them from speaking about it, to instant death or loss of magic.” England winced as he explained it. “So it’s best not to tempt a Magical Contract, especially one made with the Old Magicks.”

“In that case, we should probably be watching for memories to explain, дa?” Russia chimed in.

“That’s your best bet, and we’ll explain where we can.” Yang agreed, though I sent him a mild glare.

“Who made you the spokesperson?”

“I did.”

I sighed. “You’re an arrogant jerk, you know that?”

“Just remember, I came from you.” He stuck out his tongue. “So you’re really only arguing with yourself, here.”

“So let me get this straight.” America interrupted. “We don’t remember any of this because of some weird magic or whatever, but you three remember for whatever reason, and can’t tell us because of that same magic. Do I have that right?”

“Pretty much.” Luciano nodded.

“Italien! There you are!” Ludwig came into the kitchen. I glanced at the clock. It was ten minutes to the start of the meeting.

“Ve?! Germany! You finally found me~ Ve~ Do you want some pasta? You’ve been running around for hours.” Feli asked, holding out a plate to the irritated blond.

“And whose fault do you think that is?!” He glared.

“I’m sorry, Germany! But it was so boring! I wanted gelato instead.” Feli grinned.

“Nein. No gelato. Come, we must get to the meeting. I’ve wasted enough time looking for you.” He sighed, and the scene blurred.

Alfred was standing up on a table in front of the room; the meeting was over. “Yo! Dudes! Listen up! I heard this rumor about this TOTALLY awesome haunted house! For reals, yo! We should all go!” He waved his arms around exuberantly, trying to get everyone’s attention.

“I vaguely remember this, now.” America muttered to himself. “Yeesh. I know I was trying to be louder than normal to gather more attention, but I didn’t mean to be that obnoxious.” He muttered under his breath.

“Not too hard for you, Al.” Canada smirked.

“Hey! That was mean!” America crossed his arms and pouted. “Where’d you get such a sharp tongue, anyhow?”

“I grew up with you.”

“Fair enough.” America shrugged.

“Yes, I imagine that the more we see, the more we’ll remember. Though I believe we should remember as we go.” England surveyed the scene as his own memories started to trickle through. “Ah. I remember now. You were being so obnoxious.” America rolled his eyes, letting the slight slide.

“Ve~ Germany, Japan! We should go, too!” Feli turned towards his friends with a grin.

“Count me out.” Lovino stood up and left the room, Spain on his tail.

“What was that about?” Prussia asked.

“I had a headache from dealing with idiots all day.” Romano explained. “Last thing I wanted was to deal with you guys outside of meetings. No offence.”

“Offence taken!” Canada shot Romano a glare.

While the group had been arguing, several of the nations had agreed to join Alfred’s group, bringing the total number of nations up to ten.

“So it begins.” I sighed, looking at the group in the memory as they all headed off together, rowdy as ever.

“Italy?” South Korea looked at me with confusion. I just shook my head, my feet following the familiar path to the Mansion with little thought.

I nearly walked into my memory self, and had to remind myself that I wasn’t living this, I was watching it. The birds flitted around the trees, and the hot summer sun shone down.

“August 15.” I stated.

“Huh?”

“The date. It’s August 15, and we arrived around 12:30 in the afternoon.”

“Oh.” America nodded, accepting the random bit of information.

“That will be important later. Keep that in mind.” I stated as the group came upon the towering Front Gates. They were made of black iron, and had beautiful and intricate designs. I would’ve liked them, if I didn’t know of the demons that lied within.

“There is a Mansion, about three hours on foot from the World Meeting Place. No one knows how long it’s been there, or who used to live in it. Rumors said that it was Haunted.” Luciano muttered under his breath.

“You cannot easily set foot into that ‘mysterious Mansion’ in your town. Because if you anger its former occupant, you will not get away lightly… Especially when there are no people there…” I quoted Hiroshi. It was something I’d heard him say many years after I’d started.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Austria looked at me puzzled.

“Ah, ignore it. I heard Hiroshi-kun say it a long time ago.”

“You mean that boy that you heard the rumors from?” Canada asked, and I nodded.

“I am having bad feeling about this place.” Russia spoke up as we all walked towards the Mansion.

“Me too…” England admitted.

“I’d be worried if you didn’t.” I chuckled humorlessly. “You subconsciously remember the dangers of this place.”

“The… dangers?” Japan sent me a questioning look, but I pretended not to notice.

“At any rate, it’ll be a thirty minute walk from here.” I continued. “Best get comfortable.”

With that, I hummed to myself, trying to keep the memories at bay. Luciano walked to my right, as Yang strolled by my left side. I was scared, but deep down, part of me was excited. I’d missed this place as much as I’d hated it. Perhaps it was some kind of Stockholm syndrome, but I’d slowly started to think of the Mansion as home. Or maybe it was the closeness that we’d been able to find while in this hell?

I hoped we’d find that closeness again. That we’d find that bond once more. And that maybe this time, I wouldn’t walk away alone.

A/N: As promised, here’s today’s update. ^^

I have someone who’s 11 hours ahead of my time zone, and I promised to update within a timeframe of 6AM-10AM my time. I then realized I had work today from 6AM-11:30AM, so I’m now up at 4:30 in the morning specifically to update this for you guys~!

And I’m very tired. XD LOL But it’s better for me to be up and about anyways. ^^ (And maybe now I can eat instead of catching that extra ten minutes of sleep or whatever… I have a bad habit of eating once a day).

So. We finally have reached HetaOni. We’re here. The next chapter should make some of you tear up. Also~ Yang is actually introduced to the group! Were you expecting that? ^_~

For those of you who don’t know, Hiroshi is the name of the main character in the original Ao Oni game. That was just my little nod to him.

As always, if you want to draw some fanart, you can PM me or just send it to my e-mail, [email protected].

Betweentwoworlds(at)italymail(dot)com for you fanfiction.net people who can’t see the link. XD

Words: 2,576/2,918

Pages: 6/7

Posted: 01/24/2019

Edited: 03/13/2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 38: The First Loop

As I had promised, a half hour after we’d passed through the Front Gates, the Mansion appeared. I did not bother to hide my sneer and glare as I set my sights upon the accursed building.

“Woah, I don’t think I’ve ever see Italy look so terrifying.” America gulped, and a few nations took an involuntary step back upon seeing my expression.

Luciano glared, too, but his wasn’t quite as hateful as mine. All feelings of wanting to come back vanished the moment I caught sight of the place, and for that, I was grateful.

I ignored the tiny sigh of relief I felt when we stepped inside.

“It’s been a long time.” Yang spoke casually as he looked around.

“Not long enough.” I spat, surprising several of the nations.

“There’s not a speck of dust!” Arthur pointed out, running a hand over the railing. “Are you sure this place is abandoned? I don’t fancy getting in trouble for breaking and entering.”

“The door was unlocked, how’s that breaking and entering?” Alfred countered. “Come on, man! Let’s have a look around!” He grinned, bouncing in place excitedly.

“Trespassing, then! Oh, I don’t know…” Arthur looked around warily. “Something feels off, here. Maybe we should go.” But even as he said it, he quietly closed the door behind him.

“Fate sealed.” I sighed.

“What was that?” Flavio looked up at me. I just shook my head.

“I’m sure it’s nothing. You’re just being paranoid.” Yao dismissed the Englishman.

“No… I feel a disturbance as well.” Kiku spoke up, looking around warily. “Something is wrong. I don’t feel right about this.”

“Kesesese! You’re all wimps!” Gilbert laughed. “Maybe we should split up into groups?”

“Ve~! I wanna be with Japan and Germany!” Feliciano grinned happily.

A sudden crash from the hallway on the right caused the group to jump. “Perhaps someone is here, after all.” Francis spoke warily. “Maybe we should go.”

“Nonsense. It was likely just the wind.” Ludwig dismissed. “But if it bothers you that much, then go have a look yourself.” He shrugged.

“How would it be the wind if it came from inside the house?” South Korea gave Germany an odd look.

“Fine. I will.” Francis stalked off towards the Kitchen.

“I’d better go with him. Damn frog might hurt himself if there’s broken glass.” Arthur sighed. Matthew followed, leaving the seven nations in the Entryway.

I tensed, knowing what was about to happen. “Everyone be ready. And please, try not to panic.” I shot them a sardonic look.

“Ready? Ready for what?” Prussia asked, but a moment later, a giant monster appeared from the stairs, and I instantly fell into a defensive stance, ready to draw its attention and dash for the stairs. A moment later, I remembered that this was a memory, and straightened up with a light flush.

It was twice as tall as a man, with sickly grey leathery skin stretched taut over bones and muscle. The thing’s large eyes were black, like an endless abyss. It stood on two legs, and had a long spiked tail. Two arms extended from its torso, ending in three fingers and a thumb, each equipped with razor sharp black claws. Its head was shaped vaguely like a human, but it had razor sharp teeth that it bared at the nations like some kind of fiend.

In short, it was terrifying, and the nations in the Entryway panicked, as expected. The nations watching the memory froze in fear, staring in shock at the gruesome and horrifying monster.

“Wh-what is that?!” Austria choked out, stumbling backwards and landing on his butt. South Korea looked petrified, and Hungary looked ready to faint.

“I call it a Thing.” I answered, unbothered by the sight of the monster after having fought it for so long.

“H-how are you not panicking?!” Romano asked, looking at Luciano, Yang, and myself.

“We’ve seen all this before.” Yang yawned, stretching and popping his shoulders.

The other nations stared at us in disbelief. They were all scared to some degree, whether they showed it or not. Even Russia eyed it warily, suppressing a shudder.

Ludwig suddenly let loose a sudden comically high-pitched scream that sounded distinctly feminine, and that set off an entire chain of reaction as everybody scrambled to get away. It was a scene that the other nations should’ve laughed at, but their terror killed any humor the scene may have initially held.

Alfred attempted to shoot it, and that caused the Thing to lash out with its tail. It hit Alfred hard, slamming him into the wall, but he luckily missed the spikes. The nations scrambled everywhere, and Matthew picked up a half-conscious Alfred amongst the chaos, which I knew ultimately saved his life.

Feliciano ran up the stairs, and eventually, the Thing was lost, and he was alone in the Third Floor Library. “What was that thing?!” Feli was shaking badly from head to toe. “I’ve never seen anything like it before! I thought I was going to die!” He shuddered.

The nations around me were starting to calm down, too. “You… you knew it was going to come out…” France looked at me.

“Well, duh. Unlike you, I never forgot this place.” I deadpanned. “Didn’t I explain that already?” I looked towards Yang and Luciano who both shrugged.

“You… but… why?” Romano stuttered.

“Why what, fratello?” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to have to be more coherent than that.”

“Vino.” Luciano cut in. “Perhaps you should wait until after this memory sequence is finished. If you have questions after that, we’ll answer what we can.” He looked towards the room. “We’re probably going to have a break after this sequence is over. And believe me, you’ll know when it’s over.”

“You weren’t surprised, either.” Flavio looked at his brother.

“What happened to Feli here, happened to me in our world. There was one of these accursed Mansions there, too.” Luciano spat, and the venom in his voice made his brother flinch. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Feliciano shakily stood up from his hiding spot behind a bookcase. “I need to find Germany and the others.” He decided. “Wait… who came again?” He tilted his head in confusion.

“You forgot?” Prussia blinked.

“So did you.” I replied dryly.

The scene blurred again, before showing all ten nations gathered around the table in the Fireplace Room. Everyone was injured to some extent, and several nations had makeshift bandages made from torn pieces of white fabric. Feliciano was tearing up one of his white flags into strips, which he handed to Kiku. He thanked the Italian and started wrapping some of Matthew’s injuries.

“So everyone’s here, I assume?” Francis asked, and everyone nodded their heads.

“How strange. My magic isn’t working here, and it seems our memories are being affected, as well.” Arthur spoke up. “Unless I’m the only one who keeps forgetting who’s here.”

“Nyet… I was also forgetting who came.” Ivan agreed. “It is like head was getting all fuzzy.”

“Hai. I think our first goal should be to escape. We cannot forget that.” Kiku added.

“How can we forget to escape?!” Gilbert looked at the Japanese man in disbelief. “Not like there’s anything else to do other than run for our lives.”

“My past self has a point.” Prussia nodded.

“My magic… I felt like it was being drained somehow…” England muttered to himself.

As the memory nations were sitting around talking, and Feliciano was clinging to Ludwig, terrified, I tensed. “It’s coming back.” I warned my group, as I recognized where we were in the conversation.

Before anyone could say anything, the Thing burst through the door behind Kiku, snarling. I’d spent so long around these horrid monsters, that I’d picked up on their moods. This one was enjoying the game, the unexpected hunt.

As the nations scrambled again, the memory phased out to show Feliciano wondering around alone, again. I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and took a deep breath.

“Fratello…?” Romano asked, unsure.

I turned my gaze towards Japan. “I’m sorry.”

Feliciano entered the Piano Room to find Kiku investigating the bookcase. “Ah! Itary-kun, I’m glad you’ve found me. I was getting worried. I cannot find anyone.”

“Ve~ I’m glad I remembered that you came. I think Germany and Prussia’s here, too… I can’t really remember…” Feli’s brows furrowed in confusion. “This is so weird…” He sighed.

“I agree. I know I am old, but my memory shouldn’t be this bad.” Kiku chuckled lightly, making Feli give him a smile.

Suddenly, the door that Feliciano had carelessly left cracked was slammed open, and the Thing rushed in. It went after the person closest to its position—Feliciano.

I shuddered as I watched the scene. I’d had countless nightmares where I relieved this very moment, and every single time I woke up crying.

Kiku, realizing that there was no time, gripped the back of Feliciano’s shirt, and roughly threw him to the side.

Blood flew through the air as Kiku cried out in pain.

“NO!” China cried out in horror.

“Itai…” Japan rubbed his chest, likely remembering the pain.

“Ja-Japan!!” Feliciano cried out, horrified.

“Itary-kun…” Kiku clenched his jaw as he held his katana before him. “I will… protect you. I promise.” He smirked, even as blood stained his white uniform and dribbled down his chin. The Thing swung its mighty tail at Kiku, who barely managed to block it with his sword. It made an odd creaking sound, but held.

He let out a cry as he charged the monster before him. Through sheer instinct and luck, he managed to hit its forehead, making it back up with an irritated hiss as it vanished. His katana gave a cracking sound as the blade shattered, the strain of blocking the hit combined with the stress of slicing through the Thing’s thick skin was too much for the trusty blade. Like it’s owner, it, too, was finally at the end of its life.

Japan flinched. To a samurai… or a ninja… one’s katana was precious and personal. Though I supposed it was fitting that it only died when its wielder did.

“It’s like a ghost!” South Korea cried out.

“Perhaps it really is a ghost…” France commented.

Kiku staggered on his feet, falling against the leg of the white piano. His blood started to pool beneath him. It was obvious that the wounds he’d obtained were fatal.

“Itary-kun…” Kiku wheezed out. “Are you okay? You are… unharmed, hai?”

“S-si… I’m fine, but! But Japan!!” Feli had tears running down his face. Dear God, why?! I should’ve reacted faster! If he hadn’t been protecting me, then…

“Huhu… I’m sorry. It looks like this is the end for me.” Kiku smiled sadly, his teeth stained red. His breathing was labored, and he looked to be in great pain.

“D-don’t say that! Wait just a minute! I’ll make bandages out of a flag and stop the bleeding!” Feliciano reached into his bag to pull out his flags, but there was nothing but wooden poles left. No… please! This can’t be happening…

“No… no, it’s hopeless. There is no time.” Kiku argued weakly, his smile became bitter. “Please, just leave me here and go to the others. Fortunately, they’ve forgotten… that I came here. Please, leave me… ” Feliciano shook his head. How could you ask me that, Japan?! After all we’ve been through… to just leave you to die alone?! Feli’s thoughts echoed around the room.

“Of course I can’t do that! Just—I’ll make bandages right now! Please!” Feli begged, tears streaming down his face.

I could tell that the nations watching were saddened, but they did not understand. They had no way of knowing that we were mortal in that place. They did not know that this… that Japan had truly died here.

“Itary-kun.” Kiku said, hissing through clenched teeth as a wave of pain swept through him.

“Wh-what?” Feli hiccupped.

“You don’t have your white flags any more, do you? You have already used them all to make bandages for everyone else.” Kiku laughed bitterly, his fist weakly clenched around his broken katana.

“No—I-I do! L-look! I just made some! I’ll help you right now!” Feliciano sobbed. He looked around desperately for anything that could be used as bandages, but he realized that it was hopeless. However, his denial was strong, and he refused to believe it. “No… No, Japan!! I’ll do anything! I’ll do anything!! Just hold on a little longer!” His cries made the nations cringe, and I could tell that they were trying to understand why Feliciano was reacting so strongly.

They think he’ll come back. I mentally sighed.

“Itary-kun, you are very kind. But even though my eyes are dulled, I know that you are lying.” Kiku let his head fall back against the piano, his eyes staring blankly ahead as his hands clenched weakly into bloody fists.

The thick red substance was pooling beneath him. He took a shaky breath and continued. “It is so… frustrating.” Tears rolled down Kiku’s face, smearing the blood in its path. “Till the end, I wanted us to get out… together.” He slumped against the piano leg as his breath left him.

“J-Japan?” Feliciano called out, tentatively shaking the shoulder of the other. There was no response, and the nations watching felt an odd weight settle in their stomachs. “Japan! Please wake up… tell me my gut is wrong… Tell me you’re not…” He choked back a terrible sob, before hugging Kiku’s body, sobbing into what remained of his friend. “JAPAAAN!” He cried, brokenhearted.

He stayed there, sobbing into Kiku’s cooling form until Gilbert stumbled upon the sad scene. He stood in the doorway, a look of shock and horror painted on his features as he processed what he was seeing.

“Why does this always happen to you, Ita?” He whispered softly, a tear rolled down his face.

The scene faded out, as he quietly pulled the distraught Italian away from the murder, and back out into the hallway, closing the door behind them.

For a moment all was still. “I… that cannot be right.” Japan shook his head, as if to dispel some imaginary fog.

“He… he should’ve revived…” Canada shook his head in confusion. “But… that was at least a few hours!! He… he didn’t…”

“Maybe… you weren’t immortal there?” Flavio tentatively suggested.

“What do you mean?!” China demanded. “There’s no way he could’ve died! Japan’s right here, and we’re immortal!” He was angry, and I knew it was because he was scared. He then whirled around to face me.

“Explain!” I flinched, having his anger directed towards me brought up very bad memories. I looked down, knowing that explaining would break my Contract.

“Calm down, please!” Japan begged his brother. “You know Itary-kun cannot explain anything right now! Let the memories show us.”

“But!”

“Please.” Japan looked at his brother, and for a moment, I thought China was going to ignore him.

“Fine.” He sighed. “But I’d better get answers soon.”

South Korea looked between his two brothers. He didn’t want to say anything, but he had the sinking feeling that Flavio’s guess was right. Somehow, Japan was still here, but he’d died back there. And South Korea quickly wiped away his tears when he thought nobody was looking.

The scene faded into the Fireplace Room again, and Yao, Francis, and Ivan were covered in blood as they leaned against the wall. Feliciano was watching the scene unfold before him in horror as Gilbert stood next to him, a pained expression on his face.

For a moment, the scene flashed to show the three fighting the Thing while Feliciano stood helplessly in the background, leaning against the wall. His arm was made up in a hastily done sling from an injured shoulder. He had a horrified and pained look on his face.

The scene then returned.

“Sorry. This is where I fall.” Yao said, a weak smile on his face.

Ivan gave them a strained grin, his teeth bloody, and his treasured scarf ripped to crimson-stained shreds. “I’m glad we could make… a new breach, at least.”

“Come now, Italie, don’t cry; just go. If you stay here, that monster is going to show up again.” Francis smiled brightly at Feliciano and Gilbert, the expression contrasting greatly with their circumstances.

Prussia and Spain shot France a concerned look, and they shifted closer in an attempt to assure themselves that he was actually alive. The smell of blood made a few of the nations’ noses itch, but I was far too used to the smell to let it bother me anymore.

“But…” Feliciano went to argue weakly, but he couldn’t find any words. Tears flowed down his cheeks, and a few nations wondered if they’d ever stopped. This is all my fault… Why couldn’t I join them and fight? What is wrong with me?!

“Prussia, will you take care of Italie? He’s fast on his feet, but it’s hard to fight that monster.” Francis asked, looking at Gilbert, who nodded grimly.

“I know. I’ll watch over him.” He answered, a sad smile on his face. “I’ll miss you, Old Friend.” Francis smiled as his eyes slid closed, and he slumped against the wall, dead.

Canada and England stared. They cared for France deeply in their own ways, and seeing him dead… They could hardly believe what they were seeing.

“France…?” Feliciano asked, his voice small. This can’t be happening! Feli’s thoughts echoed around the room. First Japan, now France?! NO! If… If I forgive him… will he come back? If I forgive everyone for everything they’ve ever done to me… will they be okay? Please! Don’t leave me!

“Oh, Italie…” France gave me a sad look, and I determinedly ignored it.

“Quickly. Don’t let our efforts be in vain. Really, you’re so slow on the uptake.” Ivan rolled his eyes.

“If you stay here, you’re only going to get in the way. Just get away, quickly.” Yao argued, waving his hand weakly. He suddenly gave several wet, hacking coughs and blood dribbled down his chin. He panted, trying to catch his breath.

“Let’s go, Ita. Let’s get out of here.” Gilbert said, as he gently grabbed Feliciano’s arm. They were both reluctant to go, glancing behind them as they left. The memory faded once more.

When the next scene faded in, Feli and Alfred were facing the Thing again. And Feli looked both terrified and determined. No! This time…! This time I won’t hide! There was a quick flash of him and his brother doing their mafia business, and Feli gained a hard look.

“America!” Arthur cried out as he and Matthew rounded the corner. They were in the Lever Room this time. “What the bloody hell are you thinking, facing it alone?!”

“Yeah, Al!” Matthew admonished. “Don’t go hogging all the fun!” He smirked darkly. “I still need my revenge for Papa.”

“Canada!” France turned towards his son in horror. “Don’t you dare!”

Canada, for his part, avoided France’s gaze.

The Thing charged Alfred, who unloaded a full clip into the Thing only to find that it wasn’t slowed in the slightest. “W-what?! No way!” He cried out, unable to move fast enough to dodge the swipe.

The claw came down, and Feliciano yanked the back of his bomber jacket, ultimately saving his life, though his gun which had been brought up before him as some last-minute form of defense, was nearly sliced in half. It was unusable, now. Alfred had been left without a weapon.

“Shit!” Arthur cursed. “You alive?!”

“Y-Yeah.” Alfred stuttered, clutching the injury. It wasn’t quite deep enough to be fatal, but it was deep enough to ensure that he was finished in this fight.

“Just leave this to us, yeah?” Matthew grinned.

The fight was fierce, but it wasn’t long before Matthew slipped up, and was nailed with the tail in his torso. “No! IMPEDIMENTA!” Arthur cried out desperately.

“You will not take my son!” He cried out, even as he held the spell well past his own limits. “N-now!” He wheezed. Blood spilled from his eyes, and Feliciano, who’d been preventing Alfred from jumping into a fight that would kill him, took one of the wooden poles from the used up flag, and snapped it into two, creating a sharp weapon. He then jammed it into the Thing’s forehead—by pure luck—just as the spell wore off, causing it to disappear.

A moment later, Arthur collapsed. Matthew’s breathing was labored, and his bear, Kumajiro, nuzzled his owner in worry.

Alfred surveyed the scene with a look of heavy grief. He stood quietly, picking up his brother first and gently tucking him into one of the two beds in the room. He knew… Matthew wasn’t going to make it. Neither was Arthur. He took some of the bandages from his own arm injury, flipping it so the clean side was to Arthur’s skin, and wrapped it around his eyes, to help with the pain. He then picked up his father figure and tucked him into the other bed.

His legs then gave out on him, and he collapsed to the floor.

“America!” Feliciano cried out in worry.

“I’m okay.” He lied.

“A…Al…” Matthew croaked out, draping his arm over Kumajiro to hug him, staining the white fur red. But the little bear didn’t care. He nuzzled closer to his owner, tears running down his muzzle.

“Canada…” Kumajiro’s voice was subdued and laden with sorrow.

“You remembered my name…” Matthew smiled.

“Canada… Please be okay…”

“Al… You… you’re okay, right?”

“Yeah. I’m good, bro.” He reached out, taking Matthew’s outstretched hand.

“That’s… a relief… You, too, Italy?” Arthur spoke up with a quiet voice.

“S-si… I’m not hurt at all…”

“That’s good.” Alfred grinned. He reached out and took Arthur’s hand with his free one.

“Hey, Mattie?” Alfred spoke up suddenly. “Say hi to mom for me… okay?”

“Sure thing, Al…” A small smile flitted across Matthew’s face as he finally stilled. Alfred flinched, as if struck, before tears ran down his face.

Their link snapped… Feli thought to himself. That must mean!! He looked at Matthew’s still form with something akin to panic. A moment later, Arthur let out his last breath. Alfred’s tears fell thicker, but he didn’t make a sound.

Kumajiro whispered Matthew’s name over and over, trying to get a response, but the little bear knew it was too late.

Alfred sighed, and it was only now that the nations realized how horrible he looked. The left lens of his glasses was badly cracked, and his hair was matted with blood, showing evidence of a concussion. His left shoulder looked injured, but he’d used the fabric from his sling for Arthur’s bandages.

Feliciano took in the miserable scene with teary eyes.

“Go.” Alfred stated suddenly, making Feliciano flinch back.

“W-what?! Don’t tell me you want me to just leave you here!” Feli protested.

“Yeah, I do. We’ll be fine, so just get out of here and get us reinforcements or something.” Alfred gave him a shallow smirk, unable to bring himself to grin.

“Wait! In the meantime, even you will get hurt beyond help—” Feliciano started, but Alfred cut him off.

“It’s fine. Besides… I want to do these two a favor and stay with them.” He smiled softly as he rubbed his thumb over the backs of their cooling hands.

“America—” Feli tried again, but Alfred let out a tired sigh. He stared at the other nation with deep blue eyes, many shades darker than their usual sky-blue. The Italian couldn’t help but stop mid-sentence.

“No, that isn’t it.” He stared at the two lying on either side of him. “They can’t hear me any more, so I’ll tell you in all honesty…” He looked back at Feliciano, a soft smile on his face, as his eyes burned with grief and determination. “I want to stay with them.” His voice rang out with surety. “Till my last moment. Because they’re both very important to me.”

Canada wasn’t sure if he should be angry with his brother, or touched. Neither was England. They settled for a bit of both.

“You idiot. If you’re well enough to argue, you’re well enough to run.” England said softly to America, gently flicking his head.

“Ow!” America whispered, but he looked at the two with a bit of guilt and sorrow.

“Yeah. What would make you think that I’d want you to die with me? Al, please don’t sacrifice yourself like that! Think of your kids!”

America winced. He’d completely forgotten about his kids! How could he?! What kind of father was he?! He knew it probably had something to do with the strangeness of this place, but he couldn’t help the guilt that welled up inside him.

“It wasn’t your fault.” I said. “That you forgot them. The Mansion has a way of making you forget whatever you left behind outside of these walls. Even I forgot my own twin brother.” I admitted. “Though you don’t forget everything… over time, you’ll forget the important people you left behind.”

“You… forgot me?” Romano asked, both hurt and terrified. What kind of place could make him forget his other half?!

“Please don’t take it personally…” I sent my brother an apologetic look.

“I… I’m not mad. I’m hurt, but not mad.”

“And because you’re going to… protect me—” Feliciano bit back a sob, drawing the Nations’ attention once more. Why?! Why can’t I fight?! This isn’t like me…

“Haha! Yeah. Even though I can’t even move any more. But I’m not making a mistake. And I regret nothing.” Alfred smiled brightly at Feli, even as he paused to cough up blood, the action reopening several wounds on his torso. He winced in pain, but didn’t cry out. “Go for it. I wish you luck.”

The scene faded out, leaving the nations with a sour taste in their mouths.

“So… we really are mortal here.” France sighed, and a heavy weight settled around the room.

“But how is that possible?” China breathed.

“I… don’t know.” England said. “It shouldn’t be.”

“If we died… permanently… then how are we still alive?” Japan asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“You can thank this idiot here for that.” Yang spoke up, gesturing to me. “And the 2Ps can thank that idiot for their being alive.” He then pointed to Luciano, who caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye.

“Oi. You assholes were looking in without telling me?!” Luciano glared, and several 2Ps materialized non-corporeally.

“Well, we didn’t think you’d appreciate us crashing the party, Dearie.” Oliver (2P England) chirped happily.

“And you never thought to mention this place to us?” Kuro (2P Japan) glared, his hand resting on his katana.

“I couldn’t, or were you not paying attention when Arthur was talking about magical contracts?” Luciano spat back.

“I’m sure we fared better than the 1Ps, though.” Jason (2P America) idly noted, leaning on his nail-filled baseball bat. “Look, it’s a bit tiring to materialize like this, so I’m just going to go back to watching from my 1P until break time.” He gave a two-fingered salute before flipping us off and vanishing, the rest of the non-corporeal 2Ps followed suit, though they were still watching the entire scene unfold.

“Great. Now we’ve got them to deal with, too.” England cursed, before twitching in irritation. “Oliver. Shut the hell up.” He muttered aloud, causing me to snort.

“He’s not too good at mental conversations, is he?” I noted amusedly to Luciano.

“Nope.”

“You were that bad at one point, too, Ying.” Yang noted with a chuckle.

“I haven’t been that bad since the reunification!” I defended.

The next scene came in to show Ludwig and Gilbert, badly wounded, sitting against a wall in a small square room. Feliciano stood there, staring at them in disbelief and horror.

“We got the key.” Gilbert grinned, missing teeth formed gaps in his bloodstained smile. Feliciano shook his head violently, biting his lip in an effort to stem his sobs.

“Hey, stop crying. We risked our lives and went through so much trouble to get it back. You should be happier.” Ludwig smirked. In his hand lay a bright silver key. With great effort, he threw it at Feliciano, who caught it on reflex.

“That’s the Key to the Front Door.” I explained, wiping away some stray tears that fell. Though the memory still hurt me, I’d seen them die far too many times to break down again.

“Why did you lie to me…? You said you were only going to take a look around…” Feliciano sobbed, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

“Ah, yes. Well… it’s probably for the same reason you didn’t tell us that everyone else is dead.” Ludwig shot Feliciano a reprimanding glare, like he would when Feli messed up the German’s spotless kitchen. Feliciano flinched, and cried harder.

“You knew—?!” Feli looked between the two in dawning horror. They weren’t supposed to know… I… I didn’t tell them because I didn’t want to lose them, too! Surely, they understand that!

“In truth, I lied to myself.” I spoke up. “I didn’t tell you because I was too scared to admit it aloud. I still held out hope that it was a mistake. And to admit it aloud would make it real.” I sighed, turning to Germany and Prussia. “I’m sorry I lied, Captain.” I gave him a small, sad smile.

“Nein. I’m sorry for leaving you behind, Italien.” Germany shook his head.

“Yeah, Ita. That wasn’t fair of me.” Prussia agreed.

“Like you had a choice.” I scoffed. “Your injuries were far too severe. You two were going to die even if I had the means to treat you.” They flinched at my harsh tone.

“Still. We should’ve been more careful...”

“What’s done is done.” I interrupted Germany. “This is the past.”

Gilbert had a terrible coughing fit. His hand fell away from his mouth, coated in bright red blood. Ludwig looked at his brother with grim acceptance.

“Hahah! Well… now, West, why don’t we take a little rest? I’m really tired.” Gilbert wheezed, a small smile playing on his lips.

“You’re right, Prussia. You can go ahead; I’ll catch up with you.” Ludwig smiled, giving a dry chuckle before coughing a bit himself.

“Why?! No! I can’t do this any more! I’m staying with you!!” Feli cried, shaking his head slowly as the tears streamed thicker.

“Anyone who… disobeys… will run… ten laps…” Ludwig panted. No… Please… I promised him… I swore to Acel that I’d look after his brother! I can’t fail him again! Feliciano’s thoughts made Prussia and Germany wince.

“…Look… if you don’t… hurry up… he’ll keep adding even more.” Gilbert gasped out through his coughs, an apologetic expression on his face. There was also a hidden excitement in his eyes. He’s happy. Feliciano thought to himself in despair. He’s sad that he’s leaving me, but he’s happy that he gets to see his little brother again… Holy Rome…

“Fine! I’ll run!! I’ll run ten laps! I’ll run as many laps as you want! But I’ll run away! And then Germany…” Feliciano choked out through sobs. “…will have to run… to catch me…”

Feliciano looked at the two desperately. Gilbert’s chest rose one last time before he died with a smile on his face, his eyes half-closed. No…

“Prussi—” Feli cut himself off when he saw Ludwig slump against the wall as he, too, finally died.

“Ger…ma…ny…” Feliciano whispered brokenly as he processed what this meant. No! He’d already lost Holy Rome… And now he’d lost his best friend, too?! NO! Holy Rome… I’m sorry! I’M SO SORRY! “GERMANY!!!”

His scream echoed around the room, causing the nations to wince, and Romano to flinch badly. Even some of the 2Ps flinched, though we couldn’t see it.

“You were the… last one.” Flavio stared in shock.

“Yeah. I was.” I chuckled bitterly. “I was the only one who survived. Ironic, no?” I gave them a dark smirk. “The last survivor is the guy who’s only redeeming feature is his fast feet.” I couldn’t help but laugh darkly at my own joke, startling a few nations.

“D-don’t say that! That’s not your only redeeming feature!” Romano admonished, but I shook my head.

“You’ll understand when you see more.” Yang cut in.

“Oh, Ita…” Hungary looked caught between the desire to pull me into a bone-crushing hug, and the desire to simply cry. Austria’s face was pinched, and I knew he was pained by what we were seeing. He may have been a hard-ass, but he did care about me.

The scene didn’t fade, as the nations expected it to. Feliciano slowly backed away from the two, his head shaking in denial. “No… It… can’t be…” He ran out of the Basement that the two had died in, his thoughts racing loudly for the nations to hear.

I have the fucking key! I have it and they all die?! How could they leave me?! How dare they leave me?! Didn’t they promise to protect me?! How can they do that when they’re all DEAD?!

They flinched. “We’re sorry, Italie, but—”

“It’s okay, France.” I cut him off. “I understand. You wanted to protect me, and ensure that your deaths were not in vain. They weren’t. But I was angry. I was angry at everyone and everything. I felt like it was all my fault.”

“But you know it’s not, right?” Canada spoke up.

“I’m the one who heard those rumors.” I pointed out. “If I hadn’t been so naïve and pushy about this, it never would’ve happened.”

“Just let it rest right now.” Luciano advised, seeing that there were several nations who weren’t ready to drop the topic. “We’ve been trying to get it through his thick skull for a long while. Don’t try to convince him until you’ve seen everything.”

Yang scoffed. “Like you’re one to talk!” He sent Luciano a look. “You blame yourself for this mess as much as Ying does!” Luciano had the decency to flush and look away.

“L-Luci…?” Flavio’s eyes widened in realization. “Were… were you the only survivor, too?!” Though he didn’t answer, his expression said it all.

The other 2Ps, though they weren’t visible to us, stared at one another in shock. Luciano wasn’t the kind to display or admit his own emotions so openly, and to know that he blamed himself for their deaths was a shocking admittance for them.

Feliciano ran into the kitchen/living room area. His face was set into a furious glare, as he overturned the couch, cutting it with a sloppy arc using a short sword the nations hadn’t noticed before. But his anger wasn’t quelled, and he smashed his fist into the nearby television. Blood trickled from his knuckles, and he gave a satisfied smirk. That’s better. His eyes shone with grief and pain and rage.

He dashed over to the cabinet, smashing everything he could grab. Bowls, glasses, plates, everything was shattered against the floor.

“It’s all gone...” He spoke softly as he found nothing more to smash. “Just like my friends.” Suddenly overtaken by despair, he sank to his knees, the shards of glass and ceramic cutting into the skin on his knees and the palms of his hands. He looked for a long moment at his own blood in a sort of morbid detached fascination, before he clenched his fists in anger. He started punching the shards into the floor—and his knuckles.

Several nations winced, and Austria in particular rubbed his hands. I knew they didn’t expect me to break down so badly. And in all honesty, I felt myself wince a bit as I watched my past self. So young, so… fragile.

I deserve the pain! I deserve the hurt! I should die! I let my friends die! Just like I let Holy Rome die! I did nothing to help them! I ran away! A coward like me doesn’t deserve to live! I’ll only cause more death! Feliciano’s thoughts cut like a knife, making several of my friends cry.

“Why would you think that about yourself?” Flavio asked me in sorrow. “You’re a wonderful person, Feli.”

“I was in a dark place, Lavi. I… I was overcome with grief and pain. I wasn’t myself.” My voice was calm and steady. “Remember. This was a long time ago for me.”

“It couldn’t have been that long…” America frowned, thinking about the timeframe his own slowly creeping memories placed this event at.

Without warning, the Thing burst into the Kitchen, and Feliciano froze in fear. He barely dodged a swipe of the Thing’s claws, as he spun around it, heading out the door back into the hallway. He quickly swung a right, as he ran into the Library. Without a moment of hesitation, he slammed the door shut, locking it tight.

He stumbled forward numbly. Why?! Why am I too afraid to die?! It was my cowardice that killed my friends, and now that same cowardice keeps me from joining them! I’m pathetic! I sob and cry and I can’t even avenge them! I can’t even die to apologize to them!

His anger abruptly returned, and he started knocking over bookshelves, tearing pages out of books, and destroying anything he could. He picked up a small reddish-brown book that looked like a bible. He was about to start mindlessly ripping out the pages when the Thing broke down the door.

“It can break them down?!” England gulped.

“VE?! But–! I-it couldn’t do that before!?” Feliciano cried out. He instinctively dodged the swipe, and dashed out again. I don’t care where I go, but I just want to get away from here. There are too many memories… Too much pain…

He wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, and before he realized it, he was outside. There was a horrendous thunderstorm raging, and the rain was so cold it was nearly hail. Feliciano didn’t seem to notice, though, as the rain washed over his knuckles and knees, bleeding the puddle beneath him a pinkish color.

“I… got out. I’m the only one who survived, the only one who got out…” He took several numb steps forward as he stared in disbelief. He looked incredibly detached.

“I… shouldn’t have been able to get out…” He turned slowly to look back at the Mansion. “What the hell? This doesn’t make any sense. Out of everyone, I’m the only one left? What the hell?! What the hell?!” He yelled furiously at the building, as if expecting an answer.

Suddenly, the Thing came out of the Front Door. “It came out?!” Feliciano gasped in shock, scrambling back for a moment before he took off running again. The nations egged him on, telling him to run faster. But suddenly, Feliciano stopped, inches from the Front Gate.

“What are you doing?!” Germany yelled in worry. I didn’t answer him. I just gave him a sad smile, and shook my head.

“STOP!!” Feliciano suddenly cried, whipping around to face the Thing. Surprisingly enough, it listened.

“I won, right? You couldn’t catch me; you lost!” Feliciano sneered, reveling in the Thing’s defeat. It stared blankly at the furious nation. “The moment I get out of here, you’ll lose! There’s nothing you can do from that distance!” Feliciano gave a demented grin as the Thing made a frustrated noise. “When I get out of here, this place won’t be the same as before, you know! As a nation, I will destroy this place! Doesn’t that make you frustrated? Huh? I’m your last trophy, after all.” He teased it, eliciting a roar of frustration, as its tail whipped from side to side.

The Nations shifted uncomfortably. Feliciano’s eyes shone with an insane light, and they knew that he’d snapped somehow. “You lost to the guy whose only redeeming feature is his fast feet!” He snarled, his grin gone. In its place was a terrifying glare.

Flavio and Romano shared a look of realization, my earlier words coming back to them.

I caught a faint whisper on the wind, my eyes widened in realization as I recognized the voice.

“… contract…” The nations didn’t catch it, but I did. And so did Luciano.

“So… he was the one who…”

“Si… It would seem so.” I looked up at the window of what I knew to be the Fifth Floor Office. A human’s silhouette could barely be made out, but bright blue eyes shone out malevolently.

Feliciano suddenly looked down at the book he’d taken from the Library by mistake. At first he looked confused, as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle, but an abrupt realization dawned on him. He stared at the ground, his bangs shadowing his expression as thunder roared in the background.

“………back…” He muttered. Lightning illuminated his face, giving him an almost sinister look. “Take us back!” He shouted, whipping his head up to full-on glare at the Thing with all the hatred he could muster. A wild, crazed grin found its way onto his features, as he spread out his arms in a defenseless position.

The sudden change in Feliciano bothered the Nations more than I knew they were willing to admit. Even some of the 2Ps were unnerved by Feli’s expression.

“You can take us back in this warped space, can’t you?” He challenged. “If you do that, why don’t you eat me first? If you can catch me, that is.” Feliciano gave a hysterical, deranged laugh as his demented smile spread even wider.

“Back? What are you talking about?” France gave me a confused look. In fact, nobody seemed to realize what Feliciano was getting at.

The Thing just stood there, shifting from foot to foot as if contemplating the situation. Feliciano seemed to have had enough. “GO BACK!!!” He screamed, and a bright white light surrounded him, drowning out the world.

A/N: So here’s the First Loop. Did it make you cry? Have flashbacks to the game? I tried to stay as true to the original dialogue of the game as I could, seeing as that’s ‘already happened’, but I have also taken creative license and edited parts to suit my story. Also, I did it to prevent any copyright infringement. ^^ And we also get the 2Ps~! :D Who was expecting that??

If you’ve played my Hetalia RPG, Between Two Worlds, you’ll recognize these 2Ps and their names and personalities.

Next chapter is a Break Room chapter, just so you guys know. There will be no memories in the next chapter. (but the one after that is Loop 2, so look forward to it!)

Obviously, I’ll start skipping through loops here soon. I’m not going to detail hundreds of loops (even more, but if you haven’t read my HetaOni fic, I don’t want to spoil the numbers.)

I will not type out the entirety of the Game in here. Not only would it be too tedious, but boring as well. I’ll hit on the important parts, and skip through others.

The Chapters are getting longer, it seems! At least, this one was. There’s a video at the top of the chapter (on Wattpad) and a link down below (For Fanfiction.net readers, replace “(dot)” with “.” And remove the spaces. This video is the song Kagerou Daze (Also known as Heat Haze Days). I’ve recorded myself singing some lyrics I wrote for HetaOni. Wow, that was amazing English/grammar. -_-

Also, the song quality isn’t the best, as I had to record it sitting in my car with the mic on my headphones. XD So please keep that in mind.

https://youtu.be/Qgnqp0-sGSk

https:// youtu(dot)be/ Qgnqp0-sGSk

Words: 5,329/7,014

Pages: 11/14

Posted: 01/25/2019

Edited: 03/14/2019

Chapter Text

Chapter 39: Introductions

England gasped as he recognized the feel of the Ancient Magick. He couldn’t quite place what it was, though.

The white faded to show Feliciano standing in the hallway of the Meeting Place again, as Alfred shot him a grin and dashed around the corner. A moment later, the door slammed shut, and I once again rubbed my ears in the familiar gesture, far too used to the scene and scenario by now.

Feliciano, on the other hand, stood there in shock for a moment, before he pulled out his cell phone.

“Hey, America?” I asked casually, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

“What?”

“Do you remember that date I told you at the beginning of that whole mess?”

“Uhhh… August 15, right? Er… 12:30 in the afternoon?” He recalled.

“And what does the phone say?” I pointed to the phone that Feliciano was holding in his shaking hand.

It showed the date August 15, and the time of 7:24AM.

“Th-that’s impossible!” France cried out. “That’s already happened!”

“Exactly.” I sent him a look.

“You…” England stared at me in shock. I held my Journal in my hands; the same one they’d just seen with Feliciano.

“This is my Journal.” I stated. “Nobody touches it. ” I warned.

“So… You traveled back in time?” Canada spoke up.

“Like I said earlier, England. Break time.”

“R-right.” He quickly called up the Break Room before anything else happened.

A moment later, the other 2Ps appeared in a flash of light, now in physical forms. The group included Jason A. Jones (2P America), Oliver Kirkland (2P England), Kuro Honda (2P Japan), Markus Williams (2P Canada), Louis Bonnefoy (2P France), and finally Klaus Beilschmidt (2P Prussia).

“Where’s Germany, Spain, Russia, and China?” Luciano asked, raising an eyebrow. “Thought they’d come along, too.”

“Che. We made them stay back to keep an eye on everyone. Comas, remember?” Kuro rolled his eyes. “We’ve been watching for a while.”

“How long is a while?” America asked, curious.

“Long enough.” Jason sent his 1P a glare.

“Since the World Wars.” Markus spoke up as he walked casually towards the kitchen. “Hey, Mr. Invisible! Are you going to help me with lunch, or what?”

“I’m coming, you jerk.” Canada glared as he headed into the kitchen to help his 2P.

“Great. I wasn’t serious when I said to invite the whole bloody world.” England sighed.

“Oh, cheer up, poppet~!” Oliver grinned. “Perhaps some cupcakes will help?” He skipped off towards the kitchen, and England shuddered.

“No… I think… I think I’ll just stick with tea.”

“Maybe introductions are in order.” Luciano sighed. “Most of you haven’t met most of us.” He said, speaking to the 1Ps.

“Perhaps you’re right.” France winced, looking at his 2P.

“All right! 2Ps! Line up, we’re going through introductions!” Luciano called out, and though some of them grumbled, they obeyed. I smirked. Luciano was the unofficial leader of the 2Ps, after all. Oliver would be, seeing as he’s the strongest, but he honestly didn’t care about it. So he let Luciano take the reigns.

“I should hope you know me by now; and my brother, so I’m going to skip us.” He sent out a glare.

“I’m Jason A. Jones. 2P America.” The man had dark brown hair and red eyes. He spoke with a bit of a southern twang, and his jacket looked worse for wear.

“Markus Williams. 2P Canada.” He had blond hair like his 1P, and there weren’t really any differing physical characteristics, though he was more muscular. His plaid shirt and the bloodstained hockey stick he carried were the only true tells between himself and his 1P. And his crude language and short temper, of course.

“Louis—yes, Jason, it’s pronounced Loo-Ē.” He shot the 2P a glare when he heard him snicker. “Louis Bonnefoy. 2P France.” The man had dirty blond hair, and a cancer stick in his mouth. He looked sloppy, and was bound to a wheelchair. He was among the laziest and most unmotivated of the 2Ps, as far as I knew, though I’d heard that he was a medical genius, though he didn’t practice anymore.

“Honda Kuro. 2P Japan.” The only physical difference between the 1P and the 2P was Kuro’s crimson eyes. Though I knew he had quite the foul mouth on him, and wasn’t afraid to tell people where to shove it. From what I understood, he and Kiku were actually very good friends, and got together often to play Go and shogi.

“Hello~! I’m Oliver Kirkland~! I’m Arthur’s 2P! Feel free to call me Ollie~!” He had messy strawberry blond hair and eyes that were an oddly swirled mix of cotton candy blue and pink. He wore a pink shirt with a blue bowtie, and freckles decorated his face like Yang’s. He was overly cheerful and a master with toxins and poisons.

“Klaus Beilschmidt, 2P Prussia. I’m still a nation, just so you know.” Like his 1P, he was an albino, but his hair was long, pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He wore a white cape with a hood, and was very soft spoken. He and Gilbert had the same eye color, though Klaus had a scar under his right eye. I remember Luciano describing him as the ‘Canada of our world’ or something like that. Apparently he was forgotten a lot, just like Matthew.

With the introductions out of the way, the 2Ps and 1Ps scattered to do various activities. I knew they’d have questions for me, but not right now.

“How’re you holding up, Ying?” Yang sat down next to me.

“As well as can be expected.” I shrugged. “It’s so odd having the 2Ps around, though. Luciano and Flavio I’m used to, but the others… It’s been so long since I’ve been around them, and they don’t even remember me!”

“That was a while ago, wasn’t it?” Yang agreed.

“Si… do you think it’ll show that, too?” I wondered aloud.

“You mean when you and Ling swapped?”

“Yeah. And stop calling him that, he’s got enough names already.”

“Then one more shouldn’t hurt.” Yang stuck out his tongue.

“Ugh, you’re incorrigible.”

“I’m only as stubborn as you.” He reminded me.

“I used to be that stubborn.” I corrected.