The suns rays came in through the window bathing the room in a soft morning light. The little white polar bear yawned and opened his eyes. He immediately knew something was wrong. His best friend was not in the bed with him. He jumped up panicking that something had happened to him. He then ran out the open bedroom door and down the stairs.
"Hey! Hey! Where are you?" His panicked calls went unanswered as he ran though the house. Tears forming in his eyes he approached the final room he had not searched afraid of what he would discover. The door to Arthur's office was slightly ajar, and the white bear entered slowly.
"Arthur?" He said through sobs as he approached the English man who was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.
"Yes Kuma? What's wrong?" The blond man asked without looking up.
"Where is he? Is he okay?" The bear asked, his heart racing and hurting at the same time.
Arthur shook his head. "I don't know the answer to either question Kuma. We had a fight last night, as I'm sure you know. I awoke to this angry letter." The man waved a piece of paper absently. "I'm sure he's fine so don't worry. He'll be back."
The little bear stood frozen for a minute as he processed what the older nation had told him.
"He's gone? He left me?" The panic back in his voice as his heart broke.
"Yes, he left, but he left me not you. I'm the one he's angry with."
"But I'm still here too! He left me! I have to find him!" Having said that the bear ran for the nearest door to the outside. "Arthur, come open the door!" He demanded. "I have to go find him!" He paced in front of the door waiting for the man to come and open it for him.
Arthur came out of the office and shook his head at the bear. "No, you need to stay here where I know you're safe. Matthew will forgive me eventually. I promise."
"Non! Non! J'ai besoin de lui! Sil vous plait! Ouvrez la porte!" (No! No! I need him! Please! Open the door!) The panicked bear slipped back into his first language with no thought of the rule against speaking it.
"Kumajirou!" Arthur yelled at him. "Calm down he'll be back. I'm sure of it. And please speak English in my house."
The bear startled at the man's harsh tone, but continued to panic. He soon became distraught as he realized he would not be allowed to leave to find his friend. He began scratching at the door leaving deep gashes in the wood, growling and swearing in French under his breath. He was sure he could get through the door with enough time. His only thought was to find Mathieu. He did not want to be without him.
Suddenly and with a yell from the Englishman, the bear was picked up. "Stop that this instant! He'll be back you just have to wait for him!" However the panicked bear did not hear the words and flailed wildly to get out of the man's arms. Arthur did not release him, and the bear instinctively bit into one of the arms confining him. With a swear the nation dropped the bear and grabbed his arm as it bled. "Kumajirou, I'm sorry. Come back here." Arthur called as the bear ran away.
Kumajirou, more distraught than before, went to another exit door and tried to dig his way through it.
Arthur in the meantime wrapped his arm and this time approached the little polar bear with caution. Speaking softly he said "Please Kumajirou. You have to stay with me. Matthew would never forgive me if something happened to you."
The bear did not listen; his only thought was to get out of the house and find his best friend.
Arthur sighed and walked away, but the bear paid not attention, his mind set on getting through the door. He did not hear the man come up behind him. The next thing he knew there was a 2 inch wide collar around his neck and he was being pulled away from the door by a leash. He was so startled he did not know how to react. This had never happened before. He flailed his legs and tried to dig his claws into the floor, but Arthur was ready for that and used the collar to pull the bear's front legs off the floor choking the bear at the same time.
"I'm so sorry Kumajirou. I really am, but I have to do this." Arthur proceeded to put a muzzle on the bear.
He was so stunned by all of this the bear could do nothing but give up as Arthur carried him back to his bedroom and tied the leash to the bed.
The blond nation sat on the bed looking at the bear sadly. "Matthew would not approve of this, but I can't have you hurting yourself or others." He patted the bears head. "It'll be okay. He'll come back."
Kumajirou just stared at the man with tears in his eyes. His heart felt as though it was being tugged on from far away. He knew his friend was out there somewhere, and there was no way for him to leave to find him.
The days that followed were filled with nothing but the constant tug on his heart, which told him his friend was safe. Arthur removed the muzzle when the bear agreed to not bite him or anyone else again. He tried to remove the collar himself. It was very uncomfortable and he hated it. He ended up only rubbing the fur off under the offending thing. He also hated the leash. He had never been confined before. He did eventually chew through the leather and had at least freedom in the bedroom. He then began to claw at the bedroom door when he knew Arthur wasn't around. For a while it seemed the Englishman didn't notice.
Arthur brought him food several times a day, which he refused to eat. Arthur held him and gave him all the love he could but the bear did not respond. He eventually asked the little bear to stop damaging the door and promised him a surprise if he did. Curious the bear did, but he still refused to eat.
After a few days of not damaging the bedroom door there was a soft knock and then the door opened wide to reveal a tall long haired blond man gazing at the bear with a broad smile. "Kumajiour mon petite ami!" The man beamed at the little polar bear, and the bear ran to the man with whom he had lived with for many years and called papa. Francis picked up the bear with ease.
"You've lost weight. You have to eat. Mathieu will be very unhappy to see you in such a state."
"Is he coming back? I'll eat! I promise I'll eat if he comes back!" The bear declared.
"Oui he will come back. I promise. You have to be healthy when he returns." The French man examined the bear and seeing the bear's black skin under the collar frowned and removed it.
"Merci papa! I hated that."
"Oui I can see why." He then buried his face into the bear's fur. "Je t'aime Kumajirou."
"Je t'aime aussi papa! Are you going to stay?"
"Non, I cannot. I only came to see you for today. You will take care of yourself now?"
The bear sighed. "Oui. I will. For him. Will you make him come back soon?"
"I'll try. I promise if you promise to be good. Arthur has agreed to allow you out as long as you don't try to leave."
"Okay, I promise."
It was a long time before Matthew returned. Kumajirou was of course thrilled to see him if still hurt from being abandoned. The polar bear was in full health by the time his friend came back and he never told him of his confinement. He found the memories too painful, and attempted to bury them.