France was having a good day.

After inviting some women to his abode moments ago, he was tending to his lovely rose garden to pass the time.

"Soon I'll visit mon cher Canada like he asked me to~," he remarked to himself, straightening his back after watering a section. He looked up into the clear blue afternoon sky, smiling. "I wonder what the topic of our discussion will be this time."

France proceeded to plan the rest of his day. 'And after that, I'm sure that Angleterre will be happy to see me~!'

As the infamous 'rape face' made its appearance, France ended up being so into his perverted thoughts and fantasies that he failed to notice people infiltrating his property.

"Wha-hm?" France came back to reality late enough to see that the intruders had him surrounded. "Who are you?! What are you doing in my garden?" he asked angrily. But, as he got a closer look, any more threats that may have come forth died on his lips. 'It couldn't be…no…'

"Non! Restez à l'écart!" he shouted desperately, trying to defend himself with his hands and watering can. The last thing he could remember seeing the aliens jump at him and feeling like there were many weights on his body before a black numbness enveloped him.

-5 hours later-

England was fuming as he swiftly walked down the street towards France's house. 'Where is that bloody frog anyway? Not that I care, but usually he comes by to irritate me, as usual, so…what happened? But, of course his absence is not a bad thing, he must have found something better to do…but I was going to give that wanker a piece of my mind, and his absence isn't going to stop me!'

England was so deeply involved in his internal argument that he failed to notice the other (poor) soul standing in his path. They tumbled to the ground in a heap, and as they were untangling themselves, the other man was apologizing endlessly.

England got to his feet and dusted himself off. Feeling guilty, he reassured the man "Oh, well, it's not your fault entirely-" He got a good look at the other person. "America?"

'America' huffed in annoyance. "I'm not America, I'm Canada!"

"Oh, my apologies. Where are you headed this evening anyway?"

Canada's angry expression was quickly replaced with worry. "I was actually looking for France; he didn't stop by like he said he would."

"What's the big deal; considering how idiotic he is, he probably forgot. Probably out violating women no less…" England tried to sound uncaring, but a worried tone crept into his voice nonetheless.

Canada frowned. "He-he would have told me if he wasn't going to be able to make it. Even if he's a pervert, he's not heartless. He guaranteed me that he would stop by and chat. It's not like him to break that kind of promise."

England couldn't help agreeing. He knew France, and he knew that France adored Canada, so it was uncharacteristic of him to lie to the boy about something like that. Of course, he wasn't going to tell Ameri-no, Canada these revelations. "Well it seems that we're searching for the same nation. Why don't we stop by his house? It would probably be the most likely place he would be at this time in the evening."

Canada brightened up considerably, but worry was still etched in his features. "That's a great idea, England! If we hurry, we can be back home by dark."

England nodded his approval, and started to jog in the direction of the 'bloody frog's' house. Canada had to full-out sprint to catch up to him, as England had gained some distance by the time Canada had processed what England was doing, and England was moving quite fast for a jogger.

Canada arrived at the front door of France's house to find England already there, knocking. Canada approached England, ready to say something, when England suddenly put his ear to the door; he appeared to be listening intently for something.

"Wh-what are you-"

"Shh!" England, emerald eyes closed in concentration, motioned for Canada to be quiet. After a few moments, his eyes reopened. "It's clear," he announced, opening the (surprisingly unlocked) door. Canada nimbly followed him inside and closed the door. England, startled, wheeled around. "Oh, hey America, when did you get here?"

Canada took a deep breath. "I'm Canada, Can-a-da, and I'm looking for France, remember?"

"Oh, right." England scanned the room, looking to see if he could spot said Frenchie. No luck. "So, where do we look first?"

"I'll check upstairs; he may just be getting his 'beauty rest,'" Canada rolled his eyes, "And you can check the ground floor." With that said, Canada ascended the stairs, and England, grumbling about being ordered around, started to thoroughly search his assigned rooms. Hey, might as well, maybe he'll find some blackmail!

England sighed. Nothing. No France, no blackmail, nothing. He was just about to inform…Canada when he noticed curtains on the other side of the room swaying. Sure enough, there was a breeze present. The source? An open sliding door. Muttering, England began to close the door when he gained a glimpse of that was beyond it. His eyes widened.

Canada trudged out of France's bedroom with a sigh. He hadn't been able to find any sign that France was in or had left the house and was ready to go tell England when he heard a shout.

"C-Canada! Come quickly!"

'England?' It sure sounded like England, but there was something about his voice. Urgency, surprise...worry…panic…fear? Canada's stomach dropped as he practically jumped down the stairs. His eyes spotted England the open door, and ran up to him. "What is it?"

England merely pointed outside.

"Hm? But that's France's…" Canada fell silent, staring at the destruction in front of him. Dozens of roses were trampled, and countless more were separated from their roots. Matted grass and overturned dirt was everywhere, and few roses were in salvageable conditions. There had obviously been many people here, and they got into a scuffle of some sort. Canada's worry multiplied. Frozen, he posed a question. "Do you think…?" He couldn't continue.

"It's likely," England answered, eyes still glued to the ruined garden. Soon he gathered enough courage to step inside and assess the damage in detail. Canada followed, but then noticed a slip of paper perched on one of the overturned flowerbeds. Curious, he walked over to it and picked it up. Wiping away the dirt, he read the contents. He wished he hadn't.

England, who noticed Canada had dropped something, walked toward him to pick it up as Canada sank to his knees, his complexion a deathly pale. Alarmed, England held the note with one hand and steadied Canada with the other arm (so he wouldn't fall over). England's eyes widened as he scanned the letter that he now knew was the cause of Canada's negative reaction. The two of them remained in the obliterated garden until dark, attempting to fully absorb, and find a way to deal with, this unsettling revelation.

WE haVe tHe OnE yoU cALl FRANCE

-Pictonians

-2 days later-

Germany got out of his car and dutifully strode toward the entrance of the World Conference Center Building. He wearily glanced at the sky, half-expecting it to open up and release rain any second. 'Why did England decide to hold a conference this suddenly without any prior notice? The next scheduled meeting is still weeks away, and even then it wouldn't be his turn to host it. So what could possibly be this urgent to-?'

"Doitsu~!"

Germany barely had time to look up as a 172 centimeter tall Italian man nearly knocked him to the ground with a "Hug~!"

"…Italy…"

Italy latched onto Germany's arm. "Buongiorno, Germany~! We're here~! Do you think there's pasta at this randomly called meeting? I hope so, ve~!"

Germany sighed. So Italy didn't know what was going on either. Wait…of course he didn't, this is Italy we're talking about here!

"Japan~!" Italy ran off to greet said nation, Germany following to try to prevent as much damage from occurring as possible.

Meanwhile, as he walked up the sidewalk, Japan was suddenly hugged by that same Italian man. His face morphed into the picture of confusion and a dash of fear mixed in. "Wh-what? Please don't, I don't under-"

At that moment, Germany grabbed Italy by the collar and pulled him away from the poor third Axis Powers member. "Italy, you do know that Japan dislikes physical contact, richtig?"

"Oh, yeah~! Spiacenti, Japan~!

"Oh…it's alright," Japan responded. 'I think…'

As Italy then took it upon himself to pet the newly-appeared cat that he saw meters away, Japan turned to Germany. "Kon'nichiwa, Germany-san. Arigato for the assistance."

"Guten Tag, Japan. There is no need to thank me; it was necessary. I apologize for Italy's sake for any inconveniences he may have caused."

Japan nodded. "I understand. He is forgiven." The two of them watched Italy play with his newfound friend. After a while, Japan spoke up. "Dakara, Germany-san, did you receive a general idea about what this meeting will be about? I wanted to verify since I myself did not receive one."

"I see." Germany sighed. "I also don't have the slightest idea why this meeting was called. I'll have to talk with them about that inconvenience."

Japan opened his mouth to respond.

"Fratello~!"

Germany and Japan watched as Italy tightly hugged his brother, who was about to open the door. Romano struggled out of Italy's grip and roughly shoved him to the ground. Italy watched in confusion as Romano paused, then stomped into the building, muttering something about a 'bastard.'

Germany sighed as he picked up the now crying and wailing Italy Veneziano and set him on his feet. As soon as he let go, Italy quieted, then leaned on Germany for support. This action caused a surprised (and blushing) Germany's brain to shut down.

"…Germany-san."

Germany snapped out of his daze and turned to Japan. Japan's hand held the door open and he cocked his head in a way that asked "Should we enter?"

Germany nodded, and then led Italy inside the World Conference Center Building.

A pair of amber eyes watched the Axis Trio. Sometimes, they glared at Germany, and fewer times at Italy, but mostly they stared at the three in sadness. The way they interacted with each other, a friends and equals, was a sight that made his eyes ache and her eyes dangerously close to welling up with tears. The owner of those eyes made his with like he already has done it millions of times, which he has, and disappeared around the corner at a fast pace.

I wish I could have friends like them.

Japan and Germany strolled down the hallway, giving up all hope that they would catch up to their bouncy, hyper ally. They were making small talk (or attempting to, anyway) when they were interrupted yet again.

"Ve~! Doitsu, look who I found~!"

The other two Axis members rounded the corner, and upon seeing who Italy encountered, Germany was caught off guard.

"B-Bruder?! Why are you here; there isn't any reason for you to be here!"

Prussia laughed. "Well, you know the awesome me, West: always a meddler. I was just going to come see what the fuss was about, no big deal!"

Germany was going to argue, but for some reason he didn't feel up to it today (maybe it was the sudden downpour that literally just started seconds ago). He sighed. "Very well. But if you cause any trouble-"

"All right, all right, I get it. I'll be good. But I'm still awesome."

"Hmpf." Germany shook his head. Prussia started an upbeat conversation with Italy, however he couldn't deny that he was a bit miffed about…something. Germany noticed as he followed the two with Japan, but he chose not to mention it. Prussia also noted, in the back of his mind, that recently being alone isn't as fun as it once was. Not wanting these mysterious feelings to get in the way of his fun, the 'awesome' Prussia put all of his heart and soul into his and Italy's chat.

Why doesn't anyone appreciate me?

The quartet approached the doors that led into the Conference Room. Japan was about to turn the doorknob when he stopped.

"Was ist es, Japan?" Germany pressed.

"Do you hear…footsteps?"

Everyone shut up and listened. Sure enough, Japan's suspicions were correct. Rapid footsteps were coming their way. Italy screamed and, trembling, ran for the comfort and safety that could only be found by hugging Germany's back. The footsteps rounded the corner and revealed themselves to belong to a young man in a suit. Germany felt Italy relax slightly as the man stopped in front of them and put his hands on his knees, bending over. He lifted his head to look at the group.

"Am…I…late?" he asked, panting for breath 'I hope I'm not, though it they're here…'

Germany and Japan didn't know who this man was, and therefore didn't know what he was talking about. Prussia, who had a hunch about what the man was talking about (and what his identity might be), was about to say something; however Italy beat him to the punch.

"Who are you?"

The man sighed. "I'm Canada. You know, America's brother?"

The Axis (and Prussia) vaguely remember America talking about having a brother, but other than that, nothing. Germany speaks up.

"Nun, Canada, in that case, the meeting will begin shortly."

Canada, straightened up, nodding. "Oh, um…thanks."

Germany nodded back. All of a sudden, Prussia slung his arm over Canada's shoulders in a friendly gesture. Nevertheless, Canada nearly jumped out of his skin on contact.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Kesesesesesese~!" Prussia flung open the door of the empty Conference Room (no, wait…Romano's there; he's sitting in the corner) and pulled Canada inside. Italy skipped in after them, with Germany not far behind and Japan following up, closing the doors behind them. As the giant doors sealed up the room, a thought crossed Canada's mind. He sighed as he shoved the now near-daily thought to the back of his mind as he had learned to do as the years went by and it became part of his daily routine.

I want someone to actually notice me.

Translations [Warning: Google Translate used]:

Mon cher – My dear

Angleterre – England (But I'm sure you already knew that) {French}

Non! Restez à l'écart! – No! Stay away! {French}

Buongiorno – Good morning {Italian}

Richtig? – Right? {German}

Spiacenti – Sorry {Italian}

Kon'nichiwa – Good afternoon {Japanese}

Arigato – Thank you {Japanese}

Guten Tag – Good day {German}

Dakara – So {Japanese}

Fratello – Brother {Italian}

Was ist es – What is it {German}