I do not own Hetalia or Kagerou Days. If I did, there would be canon ships. A lot of them.
Matthew Williams had been ignored as long as he could remember. It was just a problem with his presence.
No, that was a just lie he told himself. It only started after the accident. But the accident didn't have anything to do with it.
That was another lie he tricked himself into believing. How could it be anything else? He thought he was going to die. And, his father had indeed died.
It was a hot summer day, like any other August day. He didn't remember much else. The doctors said it was caused by trauma and his young age. Only two. He wished he could have remembered.
August 15th was the day his normal life ended.
He lied to himself that his father's death was a result of the man trying to save him, and gave his own life to do so.
There really were so many lies, eh?
When he woke up, he noticed the change immediately. It took at least ten different tries to get the nurse's attention. All he wanted was a glass of water. Is she just annoyed at me? He wondered as she got up to get it for him. But the same sort of thing kept on happening and happening.
It had nothing to do with his red eyes, he lied. No one else ever saw them. Maybe he was crazy. He wouldn't doubt it.
He had gone to live with his uncle Arthur and his cousin Alfred after that. It was a disaster. When he first arrived, he had to get right in their faces before they noticed him, and even then, it was hard. It was obvious that they forgot him soon afterwards.
The neglect bothered his immensely at first, but he grew used to it, and he stopped minding.
That, of course, was a lie.
He could be in the same room, thinking that he was having a conversation with Alfred when he realized that the latter wasn't listening. Was he annoying? Was there something wrong with him?
Of course he cared. But he tried to convince himself otherwise.
It was lonely, when the only thing that would listen to him was his teddy bear, and, even when he tried to imagine a response for his ranting, all he got was a confused "who are you?"
He told himself that there was nothing he could do.
That is the one truth he told himself.
How he wished that it could be a lie.
Maybe, then, someone would pay attention to him.
As always, Alfred got everyone's eyes.
Then it got worse.
When he was sixteen, Alfred and Arthur were caught up in a mass shooting and killed. Or, they should have both been killed. Like a miracle, Alfred survived.
Matthew was only spared because he stayed behind, not wanting to leave the house that day.
The real reason was something different.
It was another hot August 15th.
Maybe if he could have gone, he could have saved his uncle. But there wasn't a chance that he would have left that day.
He wanted to mourn his father, after all.
Since then, Alfred seemed to draw everyone's attention wherever he went. At first, he had reveled in their gaze, but eventually, it grew too great even for him. Alfred finally started to notice Matthew, and even though he was a little ashamed of himself, he felt happier. He finally had someone to confide in.
The two quickly discovered that if they stayed close together, their presences would cancel each other out. Since then, they tended to stick together wherever they went. Matthew slowly grew used to a life of being bounced off of different relatives with his cousin, rarely ever staying for more than a for months. No one wanted to keep both of them. He had, in fact, had several offers to come and move in with several relatives without Alfred. He declined.
He liked the spotlight as much as Alfred did, he supposed.
And then it happened. One year later, on August 15th, they were leading their everyday lives, mourning in quiet as they did so when they met.
She was just one girl, but she gave them so much hope.
Why she noticed them, Matthew would never guess.
That was a lie.
It was obviously the red eyes.
But, instead of the normal laughs or cries of "Demon," she smiled sadly.
"I see you've also lost someone today."
It was just that. And only that.
She met their red eyes with her own.
Red.
"I'm sorry there was nothing I could do. I've been trying to prevent this for quite some time; I can barely even remember when this began."
The cousins were quiet for a moment.
"There wasn't anything you could do." Whisper. "Their deaths… even if you went back in time, I don't think you'd be able to change them." Matthew's voice wasn't loud. But she acted like it was. "I think you should think about changing what you can now."
Her smile never faltered.
"Thank you. I'll make sure to remember you two."
She walked away. They only realized later that they never knew her name. It didn't matter. They would see her again.
August 15th. Another year passed.
On that day, they saw her again. Alfred waved over to her, and they talked.
Then she asked them.
Of course they said yes.
This was the first time anyone had ever asked them.
"Do you want to be friends?"
Alfred gave her his phone number, and they parted.
Only later did they realize they had to way to contact her.
Or her name.
The day before a year passed, they met again. Even though Alfred tried to get her attention, she just smiled sadly and walked away. Later they found themselves watching the news in horror.
Ah, so that was her name.
Suicide.
Matthew would have never thought that a girl like her would ever do something.
He almost wished that he was like Alfred, saying that there must have been a mistake, or something, she must have been killed, he would have to get revenge for her, he had to catch whoever killed her.
Almost.
Time passed.
They became part of a gang. Not a serious, or, it didn't seem serious. But they were finally accepted.
Their red eyes were no longer abnormal.
August 15th.
Tragedy.
Again.
And again.
And again.
How many times had Matthew screamed as the bullet was put through Alfred's head, before he too was silenced by death?
Of course he didn't know.
It wasn't his to remember.
And he died. Again.
But to him, it was only the first time.
PLAY AGAIN?
PLAY AGAIN?
PLAY AGAIN?
Maybe if he just died, everything would become better. It hurts.
Matthew lost everyone.
Everyone who was close to him now was because of his losses, and their losses.
Was he just taking advantage of everyone? If he was, that must have meant that everyone else was doing the same.
Yet he stayed with them. It would be unfair to everyone to die.
Another tragedy.
Did they have to continue dying?
Those were not his thoughts, of course. The one thinking those thoughts was screaming, crying, begging for it to end.
And then it ended.
This time it was different.
The tragedy was stopped.
The curse was lifted.
Matthew was free.
He became noticeable. Alfred became less noticeable. And they lived. And they moved on.
Years later, though, they still remembered her name.
Ayano.
What the heck did I just write? It got so... surreal.
But I hope you liked this! I'll try to write less surreal stuff in the future, so please continue to support me!
Thank you for looking at this!
~Vio