Chapter 1

Netherlands arrived at a huge house after a long walk. He was carried part of the way by his big brother, but half way to his new home, his brother said he couldn't go with him.

"It's straight south from here," he remembered his brother said, pulling Netherlands' small body towards him. "You stay strong for your new brother. Don't bring him too much trouble."

"But I only want you as my big brother," Netherlands whined.

"Then stay strong for Belgium," the elder told him. The boy sniffed back his tears and nodded. He'll make sure his sister is safe for as long as he's alive.

"Here," his brother said, handing his brother his own scarf, "take this, and remember me." He wrapped it around Netherlands' neck. It was big on the little boy, but his brother insisted he kept it. "It kept me protected from the winter's coldness, and I want you to have it."

Netherlands took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He waited a second and then knocked again. He didn't know his new brother, but surely he wouldn't forget about him already. He reached for the doorknob above his head and slowly opened the large door.

"Hello?" The big house was dark and silent. He started to walk in, "Hello?" He stood completely still. He wondered if he was in the wrong house and end up in an old abandoned haunted house.

Netherlands ran to the nearest room that had a big window. He wanted light to scare away his monstrous thoughts. He wanted the light to be his protector from the ghosts and ghouls. He wanted… his big brother. "BROTHER!" he screamed, "Save me!"

"Hola?" the door slammed behind the voice, "Who goes there?"

Netherlands reached for the curtains, but he was too far away. "GO AWAY!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. The last thing he wanted to do was to be eaten by some monster. He climbed onto the cabinets to help him reach the window.

"¿Bueno?" the voice called again. Netherlands opened the curtains wide, "Go away!" Foot steps kept getting closer. "¿Quién es?"

Netherlands turned around to face the scary creature and sat down where he was. He hugged his knees and buried his head into them shouting, "Go Away! Go Away!"

Spain followed the sound of a young boy's voice throughout the house. "Hello?" he called, "¿Hola?" He walked into the kitchen to see a small boy huddling in the sink with the window curtains wide open. He walked over to the boy and sat on the counter next to him.

"I think I might know who you are," the young man stated to the little one.

"Go away…" Netherlands mumbled into his knees. The boy was frightened out of his mind, and Spain could tell.

"Netherlands," Spain whispered. "I'm Spain. You'll be living at mí casa for a little while."

Netherlands lifted his head a little bit to look at the man. The man had dark brown hair and green eyes. He was slightly tan and had a warm smile, but most important of all, he was NOT Netherlands' older brother.

Spain slid off the counter and extended his arms out to Netherlands, "Why don't you get out of the sink, and we can eat." Netherlands looked at Spain, then his arms, and then back to his face. He nodded and took the Spaniard's help. Spain helped him down and onto the ground.

Spain laughed, "You're much shorter on the ground!" Netherlands didn't smile at his joke. He simply walked to the table and tried to pull the big, heavy chair out. "Here," Spain scurried over to the chair and helped Netherlands pull it out.

Netherlands looked up at him then sat on the chair. He had to crawl up first since it was so high up. Spain looked at the boy confused. He hasn't smiled since he arrived, nor said anything except "Go Away." 'Maybe, if I ask him questions, he will talk.'

Spain walked over to the counter and began to make them supper. "So Netherlands," Spain started awkwardly, "What's it like at your place?"

No response.

"Do you like tomates?"

No response.

"How about churros?"

No response.

Spain sighed, "How was your trip here?"

"It sucked," Netherlands snapped. Spain stopped chopping vegetables and looked at the boy. "Care to explain, mijo?"

The boy looked up at Spain angrily. "I was forced to leave my brother when he needs help, and I have no clue where my sister is, and NOW I'm stuck with YOU!"

BAM!

Spain slammed his hands on the table and scared Netherlands badly.

"I don't want that kind of attitude here, niño," Spain snapped at Netherlands. "Clean up your act, or you'll end up alone."

Netherlands blinked. He held back his ears as best as he could, but it didn't stop them from coming. He couldn't understand how someone can switch his whole personality for a new one in a matter of seconds.

Spain looked down at his hands on the table and exhaled deeply. He quickly turned away from Netherlands and put his hands on his head.

"lo siento, lo siento, lo siento, lo siento," He whispered repeatedly, "Lo siento, lo siento, lo siento." Spain stepped outside of the kitchen, leaving Netherlands alone.

Netherlands hugged the large blue and white scarf around his neck. "Brother," he whispered into it, "Save me. Save me please." He could hear his brother's voice again. "Stay strong," He heard him, "Stay strong for Belgium."

Netherlands took a deep breath and exhaled. "For Belgium," He stated to himself strongly.

A few minutes later, Spain returned. He handed Netherlands a small stuffed animal. Netherlands accepted the gift, and examined it carefully. It was very soft, slightly worn out, and super fuzzy. Its ears were long, nearly as long as the whole body. They flopped back and forth as Netherlands moved it. It was a bunny, a very adorable bunny.

"It's mine," Spain broke the silence, "Bueno, Was. From when I was a boy your age. I want you to have it."

Netherlands looked down at the stuffed toy and smiled, "Thank you." Spain smiled back and went back to cooking Supper.

Netherlands played with his new toy while Spain was cooking. He thought about Spain's strange behavior. First, he was kind, then he was mean, now he's generous? He wondered if Spain was only trying to buy his love or apologize for his actions. He hugged the bunny and looked at the Spaniard.

"I know what you're doing," he told him bluntly.

"…Cooking…?"

"Your act," Netherlands spit out. He continued to play with the stuffed animal. "It's not going to work."

Spain reached into the cabinet, grabbing two plates down, "What act?" He made two plates of the supper he just made and brought it over to the table. He placed one plate in front of Netherlands and the other in front of an empty chair. He went back to the counter and filled two glasses of water and brought them back and sat down.

Netherlands took a drink of his water. It tasted different here than back home. "Trying to buy me over," He replied. He took another drink of his water, "It won't work."

"But I'm not," Spain replied to the young boy. He started to eat his supper, starting with his vegetables.

Netherlands didn't touch his food. It was very different here than back at home. The vegetables were foreign to him. There were red ones, small brown curved ones, very small yellow ones, and green ones. The main dish looked familiar, like fish he had at home, but it didn't look like how it's prepared at home. Plus, there was a little yellow slice on top of the fish. Netherlands made a face at his food and pushed it away from him. He wasn't fond on trying new things at home, and he wasn't going to start trying new things here.

"Are you not hungry?" Spain questioned, then taking a bit of a red vegetable.

"I am," Netherlands snapped.

Spain reached over and pushed Netherlands plate back towards him, "Then why don't you eat?" Netherlands just pushed it back away.

"I would if your food wasn't so disgusting." As he looked at the food on the plate, his stomach growled. Even if it was strange food, he was certainly hungry. He almost pulled the plate back towards him to take a bit, but fought against it. Spain sighed and pushed the plate back towards Netherlands, "Just one bite."

"No," Netherlands closed his eyes to show the elder he was serious and pushed the plate out of his way, and accidentally off the table.

CRASH!

Netherlands quickly opened his eyes and looked at his food on the floor. He then looked at Spain with fear of what he was going to do.

Bam!

Spain slammed his hands on the table, not quite as loud as last time, and scooted his chair back. He walked out of the kitchen, leaving Netherlands alone in silence. He came back not to long after with a broom and a dustpan. He swept up the mess off the floor quietly while Netherlands watched. After the remains of Netherlands' food was swept up, Spain stood up and threw it away in the trash. Spain set the broom and pan on the ground, leaning next to the counter, then washed his hands. He took out the cutting board from the cabinet and placed it on the counter. He reached across the counter and grabbed something and started to chop it up. Spain then grabbed another plate and put the chopped item on the plate and brought it back to the table.

He placed it in front of Netherlands, where his last food was and asked quietly, "Do you like bread?" Netherlands nodded, and took a bit of his new supper. It was homemade, and probably made this morning. It tasted similar to what he used to eat at home, and to be honest, it tasted almost exactly what he was used to. For the rest of supper, both Netherlands and Spain stayed quiet while eating supper.

I will apologize for any laziness throughout the whole fiction. I don't like looking a lot of stuff up. xD the time period is before the 80 years' war, which also means a lot of the food is wrong. xD

Netherlands doesn't recognize any of the new vegetables that Spain put on the table because they are from the new world of the americas.

which was around mid 1600s, half way through the 80 years' war.

SPANISH TIME-

hola- seriously? "hello"

bueno?- usually bueno is "good" but here it's used as "hello" (common way to answer phone calls.)

Quién es?-"Who are you?"

mí casa- "my house"

tomates- "tomatoes"

churros- delicious spanish pastries

mijo- "my son" or "sweetie"

Niño-"boy"

lo siento- "I'm sorry" or "I feel for you"

Bueno (second time through)- "well"