A senior couple was sitting on a park bench as if they had been there for fifty years, and as if they were fifty years younger. Though stiffly uncomfortable, the small woman of the two had her body curled into her long husbands chest as the snow fluttered down. They were content to remain there, though as freezing as the weather had become that early in December, mostly to watch the on goings of two young lads they had recently met. Two children who seemed naturally oblivious of the cold, not bothered by it at all, as they rolled and played in the park field.
It was as if the two elderly people were watching a flashback of their past, even if it were two boys and not the woman and the man. Earlier in the months, when the sun had still been warm, the couple and the two friends had become familiar with each other, as all four of them were frequent visitors of the park - and every time afterwards, the couple would sit there and watch the two best friends giggle and role play video game characters with their bodies, or tell hushed stories as the evening fell. The seniors were so used to the sight, it had become part of their daily schedule to visit the park and speak with the two, and it was almost to the point that the seniors acted as supervisors to them, or simply older friends. Often times, the two kids plead with the elders to play with them, and while the elders refused, they gladly told stories they had once been told themselves to eager eyes. Meeting the younger pair lightened the older couples lives more noticeably then they cared to note.
"I got you now!" exclaimed the brunette of them loudly, his eyes shining with the fierce light of mock determination. "Now you can harm no more innocent citizens of...This city!"
So perhaps not everything in their games was what one would call 'cleared up', such as the city they were suppose to be risking their lives for. Still, it never bothered them before - why should it then?
The shorter blonde, the obvious antagonist of the game - who quite willingly took the role every time they played - flailed weakly as his friend rather literally tackled him. He lay sprawled on his stomach waving his limbs in a snow angel motion as the brunette triumphed his fake sword and shouted, "You will steal no more candy now!"
Well, there wasn't anything like a game that made fun of other games. The elder woman laughed, while her husband smiled on. Memories did it bring back indeed.
However, the blonde would not give up so easily, "Having swords in the city is illegal! Now you'll be arrested!" It never had been against the rules to bring the middle ages into the modern world - not that they knew nor cared about time periods. The brunette huffed.
"Yes, but I use this sword for the good of all! They can't arrest heroes," he said with a purposefully cheesy smile. The blonde grinned back, even as hard as he tried to look defeated. His friend slapped him lightly on the back of the head as punishment for smiling while he was suppose to be cowering in fear.
Both boys had their attention distracted by the elder woman, bundled up in her over sized stuffed coat, rising from her seat on the park bench. After a moment or two, the man joined her. The blonde who still lay on the ground tilted his head before calling out. "Mrs. and Mr. Johnson? Are you leaving?"
The elder woman pouted as she acknowledged her younger friends face. The other boy, the brunette one, was ever the most polite at all moments of the four being together, but when she and her husband began to leave the blonde boy acted as if they were never coming back. "I'm afraid so, Basch. Dark is already coming and it's so cold that it's started to snow. Aren't you and Roderich going to be heading back as well?"
Basch looked up at the sky, forced to squint against the glare of the setting cold sun and snow, as he took in the fact his elderly friend Mrs. Johnson cared to point out. His brunette companion Roderich scrambled off his back and stood to turn to the couple. "I think we will too if you are," he said with a sad expression. Mrs. Johnson nodded.
On the first day that they had met, the senior woman had attempted to convince the two boys to let her walk them home. Roderich had been the one to refuse though, stubbornly set by the fact that he 'ought to not cause her trouble'. Mr. Johnson had been the one to drag her away from the idea, saying that it was most likely uncomfortable for the brunette to give them the location of his home. Roderich had soothed her worries by claiming his home was not far, and that Vash - the name that Basch was called by those who chose to have the easier pronunciation - was his neighbor. Still, Mrs. Johnson didn't relent until probably a week afterwards, by then knowing the boys would get safely home.
The Johnsons had been about to leave when Vash suddenly came up from behind and hugged the elderly woman. Laughing, she promptly bent to hug the small boy back as he seemed unwilling to let go, and Roderich merely waved from the field he hadn't moved from. The blue-eyed boy looked up, "Will you be back tomorrow?"
Mrs. Johnson had been about to reply when her husband interrupted. "I don't think so, the weathers getting quite cold. I suggest you and your friend don't come by either." Vash only rapidly shook his head.
"No way! It might snow too, so me and Roderich will have lots of fun!" he exclaimed. Mrs. Johnson frowned.
"Will your parents come by with you this time? It's dangerous, especially with night falling so quickly now."
Vash had been about to reply when there came a shout from behind, and the three turned to peer at a certain brunette trying to grab their attention with one arm. The other, consequentially, was being dragged by a tall gruff looking man, appearing to be in his middle-ages. "Vash!"
Mrs. Johnson's eyes widened at the sight, taking the situation wrongly by the position the two were in and the evident tears swelling in Roderich's eyes. Mr. Johnson had been about to take out his cell phone when it became apparent that the man was moving towards them, Roderich tailing behind. They both relaxed, taking it as a possible fatherly figure, though it didn't ease the sense of trouble that they felt at the sight of the boy's tears.
Looking down at the blonde beside her, Mrs. Johnson noted that Vash obviously knew who the man was - and it didn't seem as if Vash appreciated his presence. In fact, the boy's eyes were widened in alarm as the two approached.
When the man had reached the Johnson's, he held out his available hand in greeting. "My apologies, has this boy been causing you any trouble?" he asked.
The elderly woman shook her head. "No, of course not. Are you their father?" It didn't appear to her that the man showed any resemblance to either boys, what with his stark red hair and thick eyebrows that formed a bridge over his eyes. The boys never mentioned them being brothers either. Even with all this, Mrs. Johnson still had no idea what else to take the man as. At her question, he smiled sadly.
"Ah, no. These children don't have parents, though you could call me their guardian. I'm glad to know they haven't given you any problems." The man had only seen Vash hug Mrs. Johnson, so while the elder two had taken him as some sort of kid-nabber, he had taken them as some people being bothered by the child. Mrs and Mr. Johnson, on the other hand, had their eyes visibly widen when told that the boys had no parents. Sure, the boys never said that they even had any sort of relatives, and never came to the park with anyone other than each other, but it hadn't occurred to the woman and man that they could be orphans. Would that mean the man was an orphanage keeper? Mrs and Mr. Johnson never had spotted an orphanage anywhere, though.
Nor did it explain the tears.
Before either one of them could ask who he was or what he was doing, he had started walking away, dragging Roderich with him. The boy fought back by attempting to push out of his grip with his other palm, but it was no use and instead he twisted around to scream for Vash. Vash, on the other hand, was frozen with realization, and the Johnson's were left cluelessly helpless on the scene.
"Switzerland! Switzerland he's taking me away! Switzerland!" screamed Roderich in formal naming.
The elderly couple were puzzled on why Roderich was calling out the name of a country, while speaking to Vash. Their confusion was only increased when Vash ran forward a couple steps before crumbling to the ground in tears, the liquid choking his voice as he called back, "Austria!"
The mans look was stone set and harsh as he tugged a still thrashing and yelling Austria around the corner of a coffee shop down the street, earning stares from others on the sidewalk who didn't know how to take the situation. Switzerland, who had ended up in the middle of the road, was on his knees - tears streaming down his face.
Mr. Johnson acted first, hurrying forward to lift Switzerland up and help him back to Mrs. Johnson. There they questioned him, utterly information less, but to no use. All the boy gave them was a fleeing back as he sped away in the opposite direction of where his friend had gone, leaving them wondering if they would ever see either of them again, and what had happened.
In the rain the next day, walking fearfully, the couple approached the park. However, all they were welcomed with was a matted patch of grass, and simple empty memories.