Hey all! Yes, I know that we're supposed to be working on another fanfiction (yes, we, this account is shared between me and another friend of mine and we co-write fanfics together. So she'll be writing the next update for this). Anyways, about the other fanfiction... We're experiencing writers block at the moment, but don't worry! We'll try and update when we can. In the meantime... Well, we'll give this a try.
Summary: Loosely based on the Disney movie Mulan. When Feliciano's handsome Grandpa Rome is forced to join the army, Feliciano decides to take his place to save Rome's life. Will he survive the war or will his heart be broken by the general's handsome son?
Pairings: GerIta, Spamano, and Giripan. May be more later on...
Warning: T for Romano's language and France and Prussia... those last two deserve their own warning.
Neither of us own Hetalia... or Mulan... or anything, really haha. Please review and tell us what you all think!
Chapter 1- Honor?
"Feliciano! Feliciano, you need to wake up!"
Feliciano Vargas groaned and rolled over in bed, his sheets pulled up over his head in an attempt to block out the voice. He didn't want to wake up. He had been having such a nice dream about pasta...
"Feli~!" a new, slightly more welcome voice broke in. "Come on, my little Feli! If you're late, the matchmaker will yell at you!"
"Ve~ I'm awake!" Feliciano called out sleepily. The slender Italian flinched when the sheets were yanked off of his head, his eyes squinting shut in an attempt to block out the sunlight. "Ve... Why is it so bright?"
"That's because it's morning, my little Feli!" Feliciano's unusually handsome grandfather said cheerfully, his hazel eyes glinting mischievously as he tossed his grandson out of bed. "Come along now! Poor Kiku is worried enough as it is!"
Feliciano grinned at the mention of his friend and allowed himself to be pulled off of the floor. Kiku and his boyfriend Heracles had been letting Feliciano and his grandfather, Roma Vargas, live in their house eversince the death of Feliciano's parents years earlier. While Kiku could be stiff and a little too proper at times and Heracles was hardly ever awake, Feliciano loved living in the house. They were a family here, and he was happy... Even if he was forced to wear a dress everyday for some odd reason...
Kiku poked his head around the edge of the bedroom door, his brown eyes narrowing when he saw the two Italians doing nothing.
"Why are you two just standing there?" he demanded furiously. "Roma, you are the one who decided to send Feliciano to the matchmaker in the first place. You should be helping him to get there on time."
Roma winced and pouted at the Japanese man, making Feliciano giggle. The older Italian winked at his grandson and shut the door in Kiku's face before shoving Feliciano towards the frilly green and white dress that had been laid out for him. "Get changed, little Feli. Kiku and I will be waiting to take you when you're done."
Feliciano nodded cheerfully, not really understanding why he had to go to the matchmaker in the first place. Only girls went to that crazy person... Then again, thanks to Grandpa Rome, nearly everyone in the village thought that he was a girl except for Kiku and Heracles so maybe that was why...
Kiku and Roma were waiting for him in the kitchen, a sleeping Heracles slumped onto the table between them. Roma beamed when Feliciano entered the room, ignoring the uneasy glances that Kiku was sending his way.
"Feli~! You look so adorable!" Roma cooed.
"Are you sure this is legal?" Kiku muttered. "Girls go to the matchmaker to find husbands... We can't send Feliciano there pretending that he's a girl. What if someone wants to marry him? You know what the emperor's views are on men being with... other men."
"You and Heracles seem to be working out just fine," Roma pointed out, his eyes narrowed dangerously.
Kiku blushed and glanced over at his sleeping lover. "That is because Emperor Yao used to be close to me when we were young. He turns a blind eye to my love for Heracles so long as we aren't too public about it. He won't be so lenient with Feliciano-."
"Feli isn't like that," Roma interrupted angirly.
"Then why do you make him dress as a girl?" Kiku asked calmly, his hands clenching around his chopsticks when he saw the fury in Roma's expression.
"You know why," Roma muttered, his words barely audible to Feliciano.
Feliciano frowned in confusion and took a step forward, immediately drawing the attention of the two men. "Ve... I don't have to go to that matchmaker," he assured them happily. "And I don't mind men... some of them are cute! Ve~!"
Roma forced himself to smile, his eyes tightening at his grandson's last comment. "You have to go, Feli," he muttered. "If you don't, the others in the village will assume that you are already engaged to someone. At least if you go to that matchmaker, they will think that you are still looking for someone like everyone else."
"And what do we do if the matchmaker finds him someone?" Kiku muttered dryly.
Roma glared at the Japanese man and dragged Feliciano out of the house, ignoring the younger Italian's complaints. "We shall see," he called mysteriously. "Have fun with Heracles, Kiku!"
Kiku blushed, his angry retort dying on his lips when the door slammed after the two Italians. He glanced down at the sleeping Heracles, his eyes narrowing when he saw the small smile on the Greek's lips.
"You are not actually asleep... are you?" he muttered.
Heracles opened one green eyes to stare blearily up at Kiku, his smile fading slightly. "No..." he murmured. After a pause, he added "It will work out, Kiku..."
"Roma doesn't get it," Kiku muttered. "He's gotten himself in far too deep..."
"He's scared... He doesn't want Feliciano to get hurt... like his brother did..."
"There is no war going on," Kiku muttered.
Heracles sighed and pulled himself to his feet, his legs shuffling in the direction of the temple.
"I'm going to go and pray..." he murmured. "...I might fall asleep in there too so... wake me up when it's time for dinner..."
Kiku smiled and nodded, his eyes going to the door that Roma and Feliciano had disappeared through just minutes earlier. He shuddered and went to wash the dishes, unable to shake the feeling that everything was falling apart.
*PASTAAAAAA*
Vash Swingli paced across the top of the wall, his crossbow held close to his side, his blue-green eyes sweeping across the path in front of him warily. He could see the flag of the kingdom flying proudly several yards ahead of him, the emerald green dragon flashing against the bright yellow background in the light of the torches set into sconces around it. Vash frowned at the flag, wondering why he felt like something was wrong...
Metal clanged against stone a few feet behind him. The Swiss whirled around, his crossbow aimed at the grappling hook that had attached itself to the top of the wall. A fierce-looking woman with long silvery blonde hair was pulling herself over the edge of the wall, her dark purple eyes flashing cruelly. Vash frowned and pulled the trigger, watching in satisfaction as the woman ducked behind the wall to avoid the arrow that he had sent her way.
"That isn't very nice, da~?" a new voice whispered from behind him.
Vash's eyes widened and he whirled around again, his crossbow raised protectively in front of him.
"Ivan..." he whispered, his eyes tightening with unwilling fear as he faced the emperor's greatest enemy.
Ivan Braginski smiled sweetly at the Swiss, his large hands wrapped around the handle of a lead pipe.
"Hello, little guard," the Russian greeted cheerfully, his violet eyes cruel beneath his white-blonde hair. "You know, that wasn't very nice of you to shoot at my sister..."
"I am sorry, big brother," a woman's voice called sullenly from behind them. "He surprised me."
"Quiet now, Natalya," Ivan called. "We will talk when I am done, da? It would be rude to ignore our new friend now..."
Vash snarled and swung the butt of the crossbow at Ivan's face, the breath flying out of him when the Russian dodged the blow and smashed his pipe into the Swiss's stomach.
"You aren't a nice friend," Ivan stated sadly, his lips set into a pout. "Natalya? Toris?"
Vash struggled as two sets of hands fastened around his upper arms and dragged him after the Russian towards the flag, his crossbow falling uselessly from his hands.
"The.. emperor... will stop you," he gasped.
Ivan glanced over his shoulder, his lips curving into a smirk.
"Stop me?" he chuckled. "Little Yao invited me! With his wall, he challenged me... And Yao knows how much I love challenges."
Vash grimaced, his eyes locked on the flag that Ivan now removed from its perch. The Russian smirked at the Swiss before lifting a nearby torch to the fabric of the flag, his eyes brightening when the flame engulfed the dragon.
"I think Yao should know that I have come to visit, da~?" the Russian murmured. "He should know... that I have come for him."
Vash was silent, his eyes following the burning flag as its remains fell to the ground, the flames illuminating the black stones of the wall like a funeral pyre.
*PASTAAAAA*
"Good news!" Roma called cheerfully as he entered the house, his eyes glistening in triumph.
"What?" Kiku called warily, his brown eyes narrowed when he saw that Feliciano wasn't with his grandfather.
"Feliciano was told by the matchmaker that there was no one he could be matched with!" Roma replied happily.
"Oh?" Kiku murmured, his expression suddenly concerned. "Why is that?"
"I'm not entirely sure... I heard lots of crashing from inside the building, and I think that there was a fire at some point... little Feli told me that he had only been trying to make pasta but that impatient man interrupted him."
"The matchmaker is a man?" Kiku muttered, wondering if that should bother him.
"Mhm, some bad-tempered Cuban man who likes to yell at blonde people and call them America," Roma answered. "Anyways, after the matchmaker ran out of the building screaming with his hair on fire, I knew that he would say that there was no one for my little Feli!"
Kiku frowned. "How has Feliciano taken this?"
Roma didn't seem to hear him, his feet taking him out to the temple where Heracles was probably sleeping. Kiku sighed and walked out of the kitchen towards Feliciano's bedroom, his eyes softening when he heard the muffled sniffles from behind the door.
"Feliciano?" he called softly. "Can I come in?"
There was a pause and another sniffle before the door opened to reveal a red-faced Feliciano, his hazel eyes streaming with tears. "H-hello, Kiku."
"What's wrong, Feliciano?" Kiku asked gently. The Japanese man gently lead the Italian back into the bedroom and settled onto the bed, his eyes watching Feliciano expectantly.
Feliciano sniffed and looked away, more tears running down his thin cheeks. "T-the scary Cuban man told me that I won't end up with anyone," he mumbled. "Am I... unloveable, Kiku? I thought that Grandpa Rome wanted me to be a girl because I was too... well, me, to be a good boy but apparently I'm not even a good girl! I'm a failure at everything and I won't ever find anyone to love me and I'll be alone for the rest of my life! Well, except for my cats, but I don't want to be a cat-lady!"
"Feliciano," Kiku interrupted wearily. "First of all, you will never be a cat-lady because you are a man. Second, you are not unloveable because Roma loves you, and so do me and Heracles."
"Ve... but you three don't count," Feliciano mumbled.
"Also," Kiku continued, ignoring that last comment. "Why do you need a matchmaker to tell you if someone will love you or not? I had no matchmaker when I met Heracles, and I know that I would be miserable with anyone else. You will find someone who loves you, be it a woman or a man, on your own. Without a scary Cuban man yelling at you."
"Ve~ he was really scary, Kiku. He told me that I couldn't make pasta!"
Kiku rolled his eyes, glad that Feliciano had cheered up. He opened his mouth to add something, only to have the words die in his throat as drums began to sound throughout the village. Feliciano's eyes widened at the sound of the drums, his hazel eyes meeting Kiku's for a split second before the two men ran out of the bedroom out of the house.
"Ve... what's going on?" Feliciano asked nervously as they made their way towards the crowd that was gathering at the center of the village.
Kiku shook his head, a low sigh of relief breaking through his lips when he saw Heracles and Roma waiting for them at the edge of the crowd.
"Kiku..." Heracles greeted quietly, his green eyes somber beneath his tousled brown hair.
"Heracles-kun... what is happening?" Kiku asked softly, trying to hide his nervousness.
"Ivan Braginski has crossed the wall," Roma answered flatly. "There is going to be a war."