Chapter One
"Germany! Germany!" Italy skipped around the desk where Germany was immersed in papers. Trotting after him was a fluffy, curly-haired puppy, barking loudly. Germany buried his entire face in the closest mound of documents. "Tell me, then, so I can finish working! Truthfully, Italy, you are really a bother!" Something in Germany's voice made Italy stop skipping. "Tr-truthfully?" The dog stopped barking, sensing a change in Italy's manner. Italy hung his head. "I-I won't bother you th-then, ve~" Dog and country slunk out of Germany's office.
"Am...am I really that bothersome?" Italy shrank further back into the corner of Germany's closet. "G-Germany's mad..." He pulled one of Germany's jackets into his lap and promptly began to wail.
"Haahh..." Maybe I was a bit harsh on him... Germany felt bad. He walked over and opened the closet door. "Italy!" A tear-stricken face looked up at him from the folds of his military jacket. "Er...first of all, what exactly are you doing?!" Italy looked like he was about to leak a gallon of tears. "Germany..." Germany pursed his lips. "I, uh, didn't-didn't mean for my, um, comment, to be, uh, so hurtful...sorry..." Italy's eyes lit up. "Realllly, Germany? You're-you're not mad?" Germany nodded, bashful. Italy ditched the military clothing for the real thing. "I love you, Germany!" Germany sighed and hugged him back. Well, Italy, it isn't that kind of love, is it? He himself, wasn't sure which kind of love it was. And yet...it felt familiar...like something he had experienced before...perhaps when he was a child.
Of course, due to some kind of injury or something like that, Germany no longer remembered his childhood, only the vaguest ideas of what it had been like...