Symphony of Love

By: Asagi Tsuki

Pairing: USxUK

Warning: AU, somewhat of a character bashing (I'll apologize properly when the time comes), OOCness (don't forget that you're warned _), fem!England (can't resist this one -__-;;;)

Disclaimer: I don't own Axis Powers Hetalia

A/N: I'm a returning writer, yet this is a completely new fandom for me. I've just started liking APH a few months back, and this is my first fic... well, not really, but the first serious fic that I even considered publishing. I hope you enjoy. If you do, don't forget to R&R :D

Oh, and pardon my English. I'm not a native English speaker, and I completely suck at British English -____-;;; so you won't be seeing it around, I guess

Chapter One

Seven people sat in the lounge, two and two across, three at the side. They were all looking at each other, glancing around uneasily as they waited to see who would break the ice first and speak up.

A woman who was in her forties shifted in her seat, the train of her dress rustled slightly as she did so. She batted her long blond hair back from her shoulder, and trained her deep green eyes at the younger woman who sat across her.

The younger woman was almost an exact replica of the older woman, with only shorter hair and more mannish attires. The way they sat and acted were almost exact, and she looked back at the older woman as if challenging her, her gaze unwavering.

"I do not consent," the older woman spoke up finally, and the three young men to the side let out a small sigh of relief. "I will never let my only daughter do any physical labor."

The older man sitting beside her still fidgeted in his seat, his blue eyes glancing between the two women, and he scratched the back of his head occasionally. "Vicky," he started, looking at the younger woman, "what Helen said is right. You should not do any physical labor."

"Father," Victoria started, looking at her father with her piercing green eyes, "it is hardly physical labor. The role is to be an operator of a machine. I'm not doing any construction work. Plus, we are no longer in England, and not in an era when higher-class women are not allowed to work. It's not like I haven't been doing physical labor at home anyway."

The older man seemed to think it over, but Helen hissed at him. "Justin, no. If you give in now, there's no stopping her."

Justin smiled wryly at that, knowing just how hard-headed his daughter could be if she wished to be.

"Stephen, Edward, Andrew, what do you think?" Helen asked, addressing to the three young men sitting at the side.

Edward, the red-haired man sitting in the middle, stuttered at first, before he spoke, "I say, we let her do what she wants. She's doing it for us, after all."

"Still," Stephen, the brown-haired man to the left, interjected, "she is a woman, and our only sister. I do not wish for her to do such work. If only she would let me take care of this."

"Stephen, you have a family of your own," Victoria pointed out. "Your children have just started school, and it's unfair for you to take care of this as well."

"That still doesn't mean you have to do this," Andrew, the blond-haired man to the right, said as he tapped the armrest of the sofa. "I'm sure we can figure something out."

"This is the easiest way out, isn't it?" Victoria asked. "I basically have the job already. All I have to do now is disguise as a male named Victor."

"No!" the youngest brother of the family, Peter, who sat beside Victoria herself, protested. "What would I say to my friends if they accuse you of being a transgender or something!?"

"That's the least of my concern," Victoria stated sternly, looking at Peter pointedly and he sat back in the couch, sulking. She knew he didn't mean it that way. He might be a brat, but he cared for his only sister all the same.

"Why didn't you ask us about it first?" Stephen asked, frowning at the thought of his little sister working a menial part-time job.

"I know you would say no if I had asked," Victoria replied easily. "That's why I applied for the position first. I've got the job now."

Helen let out an angry huff as she glared at Victoria. "How dare you disobey your own parents!"

Victoria's features softened at that, and they all looked at her in surprise. "That's not true," she said softly. "I'm grateful for what all of you had done for me. I wouldn't be here like this if not for you. I'm also thankful you have paid for my college so that I can get accepted in the national orchestra."

"Then why?" Helen asked, her voice croaked as her throat constricted. As much as she hated seeing the stubborn side of Victoria, she hated seeing this vulnerable side even more.

"Out of all of us, I'm the one with the lowest pay," Victoria said. "It's true that I don't have my own family to support yet, but I still have all of you, and I want to do my best to support you. I do not wish to be a burden anymore, Mother. Please understand that."

"You are never a burden, Vicky," Stephen said as he stared straight at his sister's eyes. "You are the one who always do the house chores around the house. How will you make the time? Will you not be exhausted with the schedule?"

"I will not," Victoria said surely. "I promise."

"Vicky is an idiot," Peter said sulkily, hugging the cushion close to his chest.

Victoria's lips quirked into a smile at that. "Thank you, Peter. I know you would see it my way," she said, patting her little brother's head lovingly. "Now then, who disagrees with my decision?"

Justin and Helen looked at each other, then at her three older brothers. They let out a defeated sigh, and it was Helen who finally said that they gave her their consent.

"You better take care of yourself," Helen warned. "If I find you injured or working yourself too hard, I will make you quit the job at that very second."

"I will," Victoria promised. "Thank you, Father, Mother. Thank you, Stephen, Edward, and Andrew."

"You're welcome, Vick," Stephen said gently. He stood up and walked over to her, before pulling her into a tight hug. "Take care of yourself."

"Don't worry, Brother," Victoria said with a small laugh as she hugged him back. "I will not let you down."

"This is what you get for being the only daughter," Peter said cynically as he stood up and threw the cushion back onto the sofa. "You're insufferable."

Victoria smiled down at him and pulled him into a hug while chuckling slightly. "That's alright," she said, patting his back lightly. "You don't have to feel bad."

Andrew lifted an eyebrow and smirked to himself. It was always amusing to listen to Victoria and Peter's conversation, because Peter didn't say what he wanted to, but Victoria understood it anyway.

"Just remember that you still have us no matter what," Edward said softly, smiling as he placed a hand on Victoria's shoulder. "Don't try to shoulder everything yourself."

"Of course," Victoria said, smiling back at him. "Thank you for supporting me from the start."

"You're welcome," Edward said. "When will you start work?"

"Tomorrow afternoon," Victoria said. "Oh, and may I borrow your clothes? I thought that since we're around the same build, I should fit in your clothes."

"Sure," Edward agreed. "I'll come over with the clothes tomorrow."

"Thank you, Edward," Victoria beamed at him. "You have gotten quite a long way too, haven't you?"

"All thanks to you, dear sister," Edward said, smiling slightly at her. "All thanks to you."

"Vicky, the bus will be here soon," Stephen called as he checked his watch and looked back at the kitchen. "If you can't finish making the dinner, I'll take over from now."

"That's alright, I just need to put in some garnish," Victoria replied from the kitchen.

"Don't take too long," Stephen reminded, and sat in the living room, reading a book he had just bought from the bookstore.

As he had promised, Edward came in the morning to give Victoria some of his clothes. Andrew had also come over with Edward to tease Victoria about how manly she looked, and how female colleagues of hers would surely fall head over heels with her.

Stephen had come over too, but he stayed for a week in the main house because his wife and children had gone to visit their grandparents in another state. He also said that he wished to look after Victoria for a while, and Justin and Helen had been too glad to refuse.

"I'm done," Victoria announced as she walked out of the kitchen. She was dressed in one of Edward's baggy clothes to hide her chest and faded jeans. It wasn't formal, and yet not sloppy either. "You're going to look after Peter, aren't you?"

"Of course," Stephen said. "Do you know he's been doing his work diligently?"

Victoria chuckled. "It's so like him," she commented. "Acting tough all the time."

"You can't blame us," Stephen said, bookmarking his book and looking up at her. "You're our only sister. Who else can we dote on?"

"Peter?"

Stephen laughed at that. "It's natural for a male to dote on females," he said. "Don't worry about us, yes? No matter what happens, it is our duty to protect our sister."

Victoria smiled, her features relaxing. "Yeah," she said. "But it's also a sister's duty to worry about her brothers."

Stephen laughed again, this time more unrestrained than the one before. He looked at Victoria, his eyes twinkling with mirth, and grinned at her. "Well then, off you go, little princess! We'll be waiting for you back here for dinner, so don't come back late."

"Will do."

End of Chapter One

Chapter length will vary, so they're not necessarily of this length all the time. Well, that's that for the first chapter. Hope you enjoyed that.