Author's Note:
Seeing as this is my first Hetalia fic, I apologize if anything in here seems… wrong. I tried to keep the characters as IC as possible, so I hope I accomplished that. I apologize in advance for any mistakes you might see in my writing. I didn't want to write a long multi-chapter for this fandom, seeing as I already have three other multi-chapters going on in a different one, so I'm planning on making this as few chapters as possible; probably two or three, meaning I will have to write long chapters.
Even if you do not like the pairing Belarus/America, I'd still love it if you would read this. It isn't all romance after all.
I hope you enjoy. :)
"Billions of lighthouses… stuck at the far end of the sky."
The town of Compass was a relatively small place. Located in the eastern part of Maine, it was a town known for its fishing and quaint tourist attractions. Although not very big compared to other fishing towns, Compass had an attraction to it that made you want to curl up and stay there for eternity. Known for its foggy weather, there were many hidden tourist attractions that were hidden by its gray fog. But what most people immediately thought of when the town of Compass was mentioned was its lighthouse.
Tall with red and white stripes, it stood proudly near the town's harbor, overlooking the wide and spacious Atlantic Ocean. Topped by a powerful light, it stood by itself, a beacon of light to aid the navigators of the seas. The lighthouse had been built many years before to represent a signal of land nearby. From close up, it didn't look like much. The once beautiful paint was fading, and the structure just didn't seem to be as impressive as it used to be. But to the unfortunate people lost at sea, it was still as grand as it had used to be, a signal to them that they were one step closer to coming home.
Once having a dozen lighthouse keepers at once, now it had no specific person to take care of it. Every so often someone would go up there to take care of it, but in a way, it had been abandoned, slowly being left there to crumble and fade into dust. Now with the use of electronic navigational systems, no one had any need for the tall lighthouse near the harbor. Although an impressive size, tourists paid it no mind when visiting the town. It was just a lighthouse after all; a symbol of the past. And who would want to remember the past when they were having so much fun in the present? Who had any need for lighthouses these days? And so there the lighthouse stood, once a symbol of protection and pride to the town, now just a burden to care for.
Alfred F. Jones was a person who didn't like to live in the past. He looked to the future and basked in the present. What was the point in living in the past when there were so many wonderful things in the present? Living with regrets, remembering bad memories; it just wasn't Alfred's style.
He had lived in the town of Compass for his whole nineteen years of life, and he couldn't imagine living anywhere else. It was a small town, and living there for only a month would give you the time to explore the whole town, and that was only if you stayed inside for most of the time or got lost. But the residents there were certainly something else. He had made many friends in the years he had lived there, and they most certainly weren't people who you would expect to be living there. At times he felt like he could just die of boredom. After living there for so many years, he felt as if he had explored the whole town a thousand times. He knew the place like the back of his hand, and really, if anyone could show the tourists around the town, it would be Alfred.
But really, it wasn't that bad. The town had a wicked Mickey D's.
When he was younger, he would go down to the harbor and watch the ships dock and sail away. He liked to pretend that he was a captain himself, catching the biggest fishes there were, fighting giant krakens, navigating the stormy seas. Now that he looked back on it, he had to admit, he had been a cute kid. With big dreams, he hadn't been afraid to get them out in the open. Even when everyone laughed and ridiculed him, he had never gotten discouraged. A little naïve, he had used to be easily controlled, and had been a real pushover. He believed every little thing. Heck, he had used to believe that unicorns of all things existed (he blamed Artie on that; the brainwasher) But now older, he had gotten a lot smarter, and even though he had trouble 'reading the atmosphere' he was a lot more perceptive than people took him for.
Of course, he still believed that he could be a hero, but some dreams just didn't die.
He was, and still is, a big dreamer. Climbing Mt. Everest, skydiving, convincing Artie to eat at Mickey D's; he was determined he could do it all.
Well, okay, maybe not the last one; but he was sure he could do the rest.
Arthur Kirkland was Alfred's sort of best friend. He said this because, well, at times Arthur could be a prick. He changed moods so fast you could have gotten whiplash by just looking at him. One minute they were chatting and acting like old friends, the next Arthur was cursing at him and pouring hot tea down his shirt.
No, really, it had happened once.
They had known each other ever since they were little kids. Arthur had always been the responsible one of the two. He had been there to bail Alfred out of situations more than once, and had even bailed him out of jail once (Alfred still insisted it was Francis's fault. Really, he had absolutely no idea how Lili Zwingli had managed to get into the backseat of his car) Even though Arthur's mood changed as fast as Kansas weather, the one thing that didn't change was their friendship. And Alfred knew that sounded cheesy, but hey, he liked cheesy things.
Alfred was the rebel of the two. Constantly mocking him and making Arthur's life difficult, he never failed to get himself into trouble (how Arthur's car had gotten into the ocean was beyond him) But really, there were so many things to tease Arthur about, which included his name. He claimed that he had been named after King Arthur, and so Alfred had given him the affectionate nickname of Artie. He absolutely hated it, but that didn't mean Alfred was going to stop calling him that. There were so many other things to tease him about, such as his embroidering hobby. Who even embroidered these days? Not to mention that Arthur had always claimed he could see magical creatures. When young, Alfred had been more inclined to believe that his friend had this ability, but as he grew older, he outgrew that belief, but Arthur had remained firm.
I'm telling you, you git! They're real! I don't know why I even try with you.
Sometimes, Arthur really acted like he needed to be taken to the nuthouse.
But the two had their distinct differences, one being that Arthur was British, and Alfred was one hundred percent American. Arthur had moved to Compass when they were both about eight years old, and Alfred had immediately taken interest in his different mannerisms and strange accent.
Even then Alfred had been annoying.
And now the differences were still very noticeable. Arthur was a tea lover, and Alfred couldn't live without his coffee. Arthur would rather sit down and read a good book, while Alfred spent hours in his living room playing video games. They had next to nothing in common, and yet they were still best friends.
And so it was on a rather rare sunny Saturday morning that Alfred passed by the town's once famous lighthouse. For as long as he could remember, Alfred had passed by it on his way to Arthur's house. He had never paid it much mind; after all, what was so noticeable about a lighthouse? But today was a different story.
Today there was a girl.
Although Alfred couldn't see very well- for the lighthouse was quite tall and the sun was too bright- he could distinctly make out a human shape at the top of the lighthouse; a girl. It was obvious by the outline of the figure and the hair bellowing backwards that it was a girl. Standing outside near the top with her hands on the railing, it was the perfect picture of someone going to jump.
Not on Alfred's watch.
He ran towards the lighthouse at an almost incomprehensible speed. Although not the fastest on the track team in high school, when he had the motivation, he could easily win first place in a race, and saving someone from jumping into the ocean was the perfect motivation. As the wind whipped his blonde hair in his face, he couldn't help but think of one of those fairytales that Arthur had so loved to tell him; Rapunzel, except the damsel in distress wouldn't be letting down her hair for him to climb, and was perfectly capable of jumping down to get free. An almost foolish grin appeared on his face at the thought of saving someone. He could finally prove to everyone that he could be a hero! And the giddy thought of their praise made him run all the more faster, even more determined to save the girl than he was before.
He pushed open the doors to enter the lighthouse, being welcomed into the space before him. Old and obviously haven't being used in quite a while, it was the perfect picture of one of those old lighthouses he had seen in old mystery movies. He looked up to see a set of winding staircases leading up to the top. He let out a curse; he had never liked climbing stairs. That was what elevators were for.
He made his way quickly up the stairs, determined to make it up there without stopping. Once he had made it, he burst through the door to the top, instantly seeing something that took even more of his breath away.
The huge light that welcomed navigators of the seas stood in the middle of the moderately sized room. Old ship equipment were scattered at the back of the room, and several lanterns hung from the ceiling. A small door led to the outside, and there the girl stood. Alfred immediately advanced toward the door and burst out in the open, the girl immediately turning back to see what had happened.
And Alfred had to admit, she was something.
Pretty in an intimidating way, the look in her eyes made Alfred think she was going to knife him. Her blonde hair blew in the wind, reaching down all the way to her waist. A white bow was tied at the top of her head, looking as if it would blow away in the wind any second. Her eyes were blue, almost violet, and immediately made Alfred suppress a shudder. The look in her eyes ranged from surprise to alarm, and finally, angry suspicion. She reached down to her waist, and Alfred's eyes grew wide with alarm.
"Whoa, whoa, hey! I'm not going to hurt you!" He raised his hands up in a 'don't kill me' gesture. "Can't we talk this out?"
She narrowed her eyes and kept her hand to her waist, where a glinting knife was visible. Alfred had no idea why she had one in the first place, but at the moment, it didn't seem important to know. All he knew was that he did not want to be on the receiving end of that knife.
"Who are you?" she demanded. She had a strange accent; foreign. It wasn't uncommon for Compass to have foreign residents. Most of the residents were foreign. Alfred was really the only American. But he had never seen this girl before. He felt that he would have definitely remembered; she had a distinct look that you could never forget.
He managed to give her one of those easygoing smiles he was known for, even though the next words he was going to say held no need to a smile. "I was passing by the lighthouse on my way towards my friend Artie's house. It's really a pain, having to walk so far away from my house to get to his. He absolutely refuses to walk to mine, seeing as he's still a little ticked off that I drove his car into the ocean. But really, that wasn't my fault. I blame Gilbert. You know Gilbert?" At her blank look, he gave a nervous laugh, realizing that he had been babbling. He tended to do that when he was nervous, and he was especially nervous that the girl's hand was still on her knife. "Well, anyway, I was on my way to Artie's house when I just so happened to pass by this lighthouse and I saw you. You were leaning pretty far on the railing, and so I immediately thought you were going to jump. Me being the hero I am, I immediately dropped everything and decided to save you." He let out a nervous chuckle. "Now that I think about it, it was kind of stupid of me, huh? To just assume you were going to jump off-"
"How do you know I wasn't?"
Those words stopped his nervous monologue. "Huh?"
She narrowed her eyes at him, never taking her gaze off of his face. "You talk as if you're sure I was not meaning to jump. How do you know I wasn't going to? How do you know I wasn't going to jump off until you came here?"
He stilled, thinking over her words. "If you were actually going to jump," he said slowly, "then I guess I just saved you, huh?"
She gave him an almost frustrated look. "But how do you know I wanted to be saved? Is it really saving if I didn't want it?"
He gave her a half-grin. "Trust me, you wanted to be saved. Everyone wants to be saved. " He let out a laugh, as if forgetting that she still had her hand on the knife. "And you're just lucky the hero was here to save you!" He tilted his head, still grinning. "Besides, I have a feeling you don't actually want to jump."
She looked impatient, irritation in her eyes as she asked, "And how do you know this?"
"Because you would have jumped off the minute I appeared here."
She stilled at his words, her hands slowly falling away from the knife attached to her waist. "I can jump off right now."
Alfred took a tentative step closer. "But you won't."
She pursed her lips and gave him an angry stare. "I could still kill you with this." She grasped the handle of her knife as she saw him walk closer and closer to her.
Alfred stopped and tilted his head, as if she had said something he had never heard of before. "I know. But you're not going to, right?" He gave her a casual grin. "Besides, I could stop you before you could."
She huffed at his statement, her irritated eyes clearly visible as she looked at him. "I sincerely doubt it."
Alfred's grin widened, now positive that the girl would not be stabbing him with her knife any time soon. He made his way to the spot next to her, leaning his arms on the railing, letting the wind blow his blonde hair out of his face. Her hair was blonde too; darker than his, he noticed as he took the time to examine the silently fuming girl next to him. "So what's your name?" he asked, trying to seem casual.
She eyed him suspiciously. "Does it matter?"
Alfred stood up straighter, startling her. "'Course it does! I've got to know the name of the girl I've saved."
She scowled at him. "You didn't save me. I was never going to jump off."
He winked at her, making her scowl deepen. "That's just the denial talking."
She let out a huff and turned her gaze to the scenery before her. From the top of the lighthouse, the whole town was visible. It was a beautiful sight, and it made her visibly relax. "Natalya."
Alfred gave her a teasing grin. "What? Not going to tell me your last name?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'd rather not have someone stalk me, thank you very much. I have no idea who you are." She gave him a mistrusting look. "You could be a criminal for all I know."
He let out a nervous laugh, deciding not to mention that he had gone to jail once. "Says the girl who tried to knife me."
"Touché," she grumbled, blowing a strand of hair away from her eye.
Alfred let himself relax despite still being somewhat wary of the knife strapped to her waist. "So," he drawled, taking a look around the town spread out beneath him. "what were you doing up here, anyway?"
She frowned and gave him a dirty look. "That's none of your concern."
Now he was really curious. "Aw, come on. It's the least you could do to repay the guy who saved you."
Natalya gave him an exasperated look. "I told you, you did not save me," she snapped.
He gave her a mildly surprised look at her tone. He raised his palms up in surrender. "Sorry, sorry. Just asking."
She pursed her lips and removed her gaze away from the annoying blonde man next to her. "Why do you want to know anyway?" It was obvious by the look on her face and her posture that she wasn't used to people being interested in her. It reminded Alfred slightly of his brother Matthew, who was always being forgotten by everyone; including Alfred himself.
He managed to give her what he hoped was a bright smile. "It's just not every day you see a girl try to jump off a lighthouse." He looked up at the slowly moving clouds. "I've never seen you around before either. Are you new to town?"
She tightened her lips, as if he had brought up a touchy subject. "I'm not staying here long," she replied slowly, as if trying to figure out how to say it. "I'll be leaving soon."
For some stupid reason, Alfred felt disappointed. He had only known her for about ten minutes, and half the time was spent trying to convince her to put down her knife. "Oh, really?" he tried to sound nonchalant, as if her statement hadn't bothered him at all. "Where're you from?"
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "Belarus."
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had never met someone from Belarus, even though the town had residents from dozens of different countries. That's what made the town special in Alfred's opinion. Everyone was different, and no one person was from the same place. "That's cool. I've never met anyone from there."
"No, I'd suspect you wouldn't have," she replied coolly, as if implying that he didn't know anyone.
He ignored the implication. "You know what's cool about this town?" He didn't wait for an answer. "No one person is from the same place. We're probably the most diverse city in Maine." He tilted his head in her direction, giving her an enthusiastic grin. "So it's always a lot of fun to meet people here. I think that's one of the reasons why I decided to stay here in Compass after I graduated high school. I don't think I'd be able to live without my friends."
She was quiet for a moment, but then she said, "Compass… that's the name of this town?"
"Yeah," he said, giving her a shrug. "I've got no idea why they named it that. It's kind of a stupid name in my opinion. My friend Artie said that it's got something to do with the ships navigating the seas to our harbor or whatever." He gave her a grin that she was starting to become quite used to. "I don't really listen to him when he starts talking about stuff like that. Kind of boring in my opinion." He glanced down at a nonexistent watch on his wrist. "Aw, darn it! I was supposed to be at Artie's house fifteen minutes ago!"
Natalya raised an eyebrow at his distress. "Are you going to go then?"
He glanced at her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Do you not want me to?"
She snorted at that. "Please. I'll be glad when you go."
Alfred let out a booming laugh, making her jump. He ignored her glare (it was strange, but he was already becoming quite used to seeing it aimed in his direction) "I'll come back tomorrow."
Natalya looked mildly surprised at that, and Alfred took pleasure in knowing he could surprise her. "Why would you do that?"
"'Cause we're friends, right?" And with that, he dashed down the stairs, fearing the wrath of a fuming Brit and missing the look on the Belarusian girl's face.
TWO MONTHS
Ever since the day he had found her up in the lighthouse, he had visited her everyday. Arthur was starting to get suspicious when he arrived at his house with either a goofy grin on his face or a slightly bruised ego, but he didn't comment. Arthur was too polite to do that, and Alfred was grateful.
He had found out soon enough that she was living in the lighthouse by herself. A part of him admired her ingenuity. No one would think that someone was living in the lighthouse by themselves; especially a nineteen-year-old girl (it also helped that she wouldn't have to pay for anything) But even after knowing her for almost two months, he still didn't know why she was there in the first place.
He had figured out various quirks of hers during the days of sitting up there in the lighthouse with her. He knew that when her eyes flashed she was irritated or angry. He knew that when her fingers twitched that she was about to reach for her knife, and he had to frantically apologize for whatever stupid comment he had made to calm her down. He knew that she hated it when he ignored her need for personal space. He knew that he needed to be extra careful to not surprise her, because she tended to whirl around ready to stab someone with her knife when he did so. And he knew that, no matter what she said, she really did think of him as a friend.
Well, that was his thinking.
Although she looked annoyed whenever he came up to visit her, she never directly kicked him out. And even though she coldly insulted him on a regular basis, she looked genuinely interested when he told her about the residents in town. And so that was how he would keep her company. He would come up every afternoon with a new story to tell. He would tell her about the various residents in Compass, and he would occasionally tell her about the various exploits he had done back when he was a little kid or when he was in high school. She found those stories particularly amusing, seeing as he had always managed to get himself either in trouble or injured.
That was another thing about Natalya: She was sadistic.
The only time he could ever make her laugh or smile was when he told her about someone else's suffering or whenever he accidentally tripped coming in through the door ("You put that bucket there on purpose!") But for some odd reason, he didn't really mind. He found it cute when she laughed or smiled; even when it was due to his own suffering.
Of course, he couldn't keep his visits a secret forever.
"Alfred!"
He made an abrupt stop, just a few feet away from the lighthouse. Walking towards him were the last three people he wanted to see.
Francis Bonnefoy, Gilbert Beilschmidt, and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Also known as the Bad Touch Trio.
There was no need to explain the name. It was self explanatory.
"Hey, Alfred!" Gilbert gave him a grin as they neared him. With an ego bigger than Antarctica and a knack for trouble, Gilbert was the troublemaker of the group. He had a tendency to cause trouble wherever he went, and he made it his business to know everything about everyone (and that might sound impressive, but it really wasn't) An albino, anyone who would look at him would never have believed that he was Prussian.
It also helped that Prussia wasn't a country anymore, but Gilbert got angry when anyone said that, so it was never mentioned.
"Hey, guys." Alfred gave them a half-hearted grin, trying not to look back at the lighthouse.
Francis raised an eyebrow, clearly noticing his change in mood. "Is something wrong, Alfred?" A Frenchman, Francis was a total flirt. Having dated more girls than Alfred could count, he was constantly getting into people's love lives; which, unfortunately, included Alfred's. He was a lot more perceptive than people gave him credit for, and Alfred was careful with his words when he was around him.
"Nothing's wrong. Why would you think anything's wrong?" Alfred let out a nervous laugh, making the trio exchange curious glances.
"You sure don't look fine." Antonio frowned, giving the American a once over. A Spaniard, all of the girls tended to flock to him more so than the other members of the trio. Like Alfred, Antonio tended to not be able to 'read the atmosphere' and so seemed to be the more innocent and naïve one of the group. But there were times when Alfred found himself questioning just how oblivious he really was.
"I'm fine." Alfred frowned, starting to get put off by the questions being thrown at him. "What are you guys doing here?"
Francis crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't try to change the subject. You're just as bad at it as Arthur is."
Arthur and Francis had an ongoing rivalry between them. They had disliked each other from their first meeting, and had made it their business to mock each other and make each other miserable whenever they had the chance.
"I'm on my way to Artie's house," Alfred said. Not being able to help it, he took a quick glance at the lighthouse behind him.
The glance did not go unnoticed.
"Something interesting about the lighthouse, Alfred?" Gilbert had a mischievous grin on his face, making Alfred want to cringe at the thoughts going on in his head.
Antonio looked up at the lighthouse, shielding his eyes from the sun. "It doesn't look like anything is going on up there. It's been abandoned for years, hasn't it?"
A smile that just screamed trouble appeared on Francis's face. "Perhaps… you are going to meet someone?"
Alfred flinched, silently cursing his self-control. "Of course not," he lied, trying to ignore the look in their eyes. "No one's up there in the lighthouse."
Francis smirked. "I never said anyone was."
Alfred stiffened, mentally cursing himself for not seeing this coming. "It was implied," he said stiffly. "But yes, I'm waiting for someone." He tried to make his lie sound convincing, even adding the embarrassed look in his eyes. "She's… an old friend of mine. She's visiting from Europe. An old pen pal from high school."
Gilbert frowned. "Since when did you have a pen pal?"
"We're meeting up here at the lighthouse," Alfred said, raising his voice, as if that alone would block out the comments of the three people before him. "She's not staying long," he added hastily when he saw the look in Francis's eyes. "Just for today. She's leaving tomorrow."
"Ah, what a shame, I wanted to meet her." Francis let out a dramatic sigh, making Alfred narrow his eyes in suspicion. "Well, I suppose there is nothing we can do. Come on, you two." He yanked on Gilbert's and Antonio's arms, causing a loud protest from the former and a yelp from the latter. Francis gave Alfred a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Adieu, Alfred! Have fun with your friend!"
"Make sure to take a picture of her for me!" Gilbert shouted, struggling to release himself from Francis's grip.
"Good luck!" Antonio shot him a wide grin, waving his arm wildly in the air.
Alfred managed to give them a grin and wave as their forms grew smaller and smaller, until he could no longer see them anymore. He let out a relieved sigh and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Francis is planning something, he thought as he walked up the rocky path to the lighthouse. Oh, well. No need to worry about it now. I'm already late in seeing Natalya.
He just hoped she wouldn't hurt him too much once he arrived.
THREE MONTHS
"I'm waiting for my brother."
Alfred snapped his head towards her in surprise. It was almost eleven o' clock, and Alfred had decided to stay up in the lighthouse with her to watch the stars. They sat out near the railing, a blanket wrapped around each of their shoulders.
"Come again?" Alfred took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, trying not to fall asleep.
"I said," she snarled, looking frustrated at having to repeat herself. "I'm waiting for my brother." At his blank look, she gave an impatient click of her tongue and went on. "My older brother, Ivan, dropped me off here a few months ago. He is originally from Russia, but had decided to take me and my other sister to the United States." She wrinkled her nose at the mention of her sister, and Alfred had a feeling she wasn't very fond of her. "We had been separated when we were younger," she explained. "My sister-" here she frowned, "is from Ukraine, and Big Brother is from Russia." Here, she had an almost happy look in her eyes. "I was raised in Belarus. Eventually, Big Brother became old enough and gained enough money to be able to support the three of us. He decided to take us to America so we could live together." Her eyes shined excitedly as she went on. "Big Brother took on many different jobs as we traveled together. He could do everything! No matter what job he took, he did amazing at it." She smiled at the thought of her brother, and Alfred couldn't help but think that she looked like a little kid when she talked about her brother; a cute kid, he had to admit. It was obvious from the way she talked about him that she admired him very much.
"So where is he now?" Alfred asked curiously.
She gave him a glare. "I'm getting to that," she snapped, obviously irritated at being interrupted. She looked up at the stars, an almost calm expression on her face. "After a while, Big Brother managed to get a steady job. I'm not sure what it is exactly," she admitted, looking almost embarrassed, "but whatever it is, Big Brother is good at it." Her eyes lit up as she talked on. "He has many business trips he has to go on, and so we are always traveling. He said that when he gets enough money, he will be able to get us a good life here in America.
"After a while, my sister met someone; an Australian man if I remember correctly." She didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that she did not remember the man's name. "She fell in love with him, and eventually, they got married." Alfred smiled. Ever since he was a young boy, he had always loved happy endings like that. Romantic stories, fairytales; he was secretly in love with them; another thing that he had gotten from Arthur. But from the look on Natalya's face, it was obvious she could care less about her sister's happy ending. "And so they moved away to Australia and left Big Brother and I to ourselves." She looked quite pleased at this development, and Alfred was starting to wonder if her hatred for her sister had anything to do with her older brother.
"And so, Big Brother took me with him on his business trips." She frowned. "But a few months ago, he stopped here for a short meeting. He told me we would only be staying for a day, but then plans changed." She closed her eyes, as if picturing that day in her mind. "After the meeting, he told me that he would have to leave me here for a while." Her voice turned bitter as she said this, and Alfred frowned, not used to hearing that tone of voice from her. Cold and mocking, yes, but bitter? No. "He said that he couldn't take me with him this time, because I would be a burden and that the country was too far away." She tightened her grip on the blanket around her, making her knuckles turn white. "He said that he would be staying there for a while, and that he would come back to get me once he could leave.
"I tried to get him to take me with him." At this her voice became softer. "But he refused. And so he left me here by myself."
At this Alfred's eyes turned sad. Natalya looked so much different than the girl he was used to seeing. Her hands were trembling ever so slightly, and her eyes held a sadness and longing that made Alfred's heart hurt. He wasn't used to seeing this vulnerable, sad girl before him, and he didn't like it. He wanted to see the Natalya he was used to. The one who would always mock him and be confident in everything she did. But now, seeing her next to him in such a pitiful state, he started to wonder if this was the real Natalya.
Natalya turned to him, a determined glint in her eyes. "And so now I'm waiting for Big Brother to come back. I didn't want to stay in the town, because I'll probably miss Big Brother when he docks in the harbor. So I decided to stay up here in the lighthouse, so I'll have a good view for when Big Brother comes back. I'll easily be able to see the ship he arrives on."
Alfred tried to hide the sadness he felt. He couldn't help but admire her faith in her brother and her determination to wait for him. But he also knew that, from what he had heard from her, it was becoming painfully obvious that her brother would not be coming back for her. He couldn't help but feel a surge of anger at this. Natalya obviously loved her brother very much, so much that she would be happy to wait for him in this lighthouse forever, and her brother had decided to leave his sister in an unfamiliar place, leaving her with the belief that he would eventually come back for her. Alfred tried to keep a scowl from forming on his face. What kind of person would do that? He thought, gritting his teeth. Who would just leave their sibling alone like that?
Even though Alfred himself didn't have the best relationship with his brother, he would never just leave him alone like that. No one should do that. Alfred put his hand in his jacket pocket, slowly pulling out a gold, carefully decorated compass.
"What's this, Artie?"
"It's a compass; to symbolize the town. Whenever you're lost, you can use this to find your way again."
"Ha, ha, very funny. You know I know this town better than anyone."
"That's not the type of lost I was talking about."
Alfred turned it over in his hand and gazed at the markings on the compass. A thin star was carved into the middle, lines swirling around it. The gold shined in the light of the stars and the moon, and Alfred remembered receiving it from Arthur all those years before.
"Whenever you're lost, you can use this to find your way again."
Alfred silently held it out to Natalya, who in turn looked at him in confusion. "My friend Arthur gave this to me a long time ago," he said quietly. "He told me to use it whenever I got lost." He silently pressed the compass into her hands, closing her fingers around it. He met her eyes. "You're planning on traveling again once your brother comes to get you, right? You can use this to help you get around." He gave her a small smile. "And if you ever get around to coming here again… you can use this to find your way here." He leaned back, watching as her eyes examined the golden compass in her hands. "And we'll meet here, right in this lighthouse, and you can give it back to me. It'll be a symbol of our friendship." When she didn't answer, he let out a sheepish chuckle. "I know it's not a bracelet or anything sentimental like that, but I thought maybe-"
"Thank you."
Those two words made Alfred stop talking, his eyes widening in surprise. Natalya looked at him from under her hair, almost shyly. "Thank you." When she saw the smile slowly growing on Alfred's face, her face changed and she snapped, "But don't think it's because I like you or anything. I just need this to help me get around better when Big Brother comes to pick me up. I'm not giving it back to you."
Alfred laughed. "Of course."
She glared at him. "Stop laughing, idiot! It's not funny!"
He grinned at her, tightening the blanket around his shoulders. He looked up at the sky, his eyes roaming around the stars. "Hey, do you know any of the constellations, Natalya?"
She frowned at the change of subject. "No. I never had any time for that."
Meaning you were spending too much time with your brother, Alfred thought, trying to ignore the sadness rushing back in. "Well, my brother-his name is Matthew by the way- and I always looked for constellations at night when we were younger."
"Why would you do that?" Natalya frowned.
Alfred gave her his trademark grin. "Why not?"
Natalya scowled at him. "That's not a good answer."
He shrugged. "It's an answer, right?" He looked up and pointed at a set of stars high above them. "See those stars?" At her nod, he went on. "That's Pyxis, which is Latin for 'mariner's compass'. Back when I still lived with my parents, they would always point that out first when we looked up at the stars. It's actually one of the reasons why this town got its name. The first people who settled here had looked up and saw the constellation, and decided to name the town 'Compass'."
She looked up and tilted her head slightly, frowning. "It doesn't look much like a compass."
Alfred shrugged. "Hey, I didn't name it."
Natalya lain down, her hair spread out around her shoulders. "Well, it's stupid," she muttered.
He grinned down at her. "That's what I said."
Natalya closed her eyes, letting the moonlight shine on her face. Alfred took the time to actually study her. He had found out so many things that day, and he had seen a side to her he had never even imagined he would be able to see.
"Hey, Natalya," he said softly.
"Hm? What?" she asked, her voice a sleepy murmur.
"We're friends, right?" he asked.
She slowly opened her eyes and sat up, her elbows propping her up. "Why are you asking me this?" She frowned.
He gave her an almost sad smile. "No reason. I just wonder is all."
She studied his face for a moment, her eyes narrowed and rarely serious. "Does it matter?"
"Yeah," he responded, giving her a weary smile. "I just… you like me, don't you?"
She pursed her lips, thinking the question over. "If I didn't like you," she started slowly. "then I wouldn't be here with you right now."
Alfred let a relieved smile appear on his face. "That's good," he murmured, watching as Natalya lain back down. "I like you too."
FOUR MONTHS
Alfred sat in the warmth of Arthur's kitchen, a cup of hot coffee in his hands. Every so often he would stay over at his house, and Arthur would drink some of that fancy tea he loved so much, and Alfred would wake up early to buy some coffee from the local coffee shop (Arthur absolutely refused to buy coffee from the store, stating that since Alfred hardly ever stayed over, there was no reason to buy any coffee and waste his money) So Alfred sacrificed his precious sleeping time and went out to buy a cup of coffee every time he stayed over. They both tended to be quite grumpy in the morning, and so each of them had their own way of getting through the few hours.
Arthur sat at the opposite side of the table, setting down his cup of tea (it had flowers on it for goodness sake) He studied his friend in silence, watching as Alfred squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.
"Uh, Artie? Why are you staring at me like that?" he asked, taking a nervous sip of his coffee. They both knew that if there was one thing that Alfred F. Jones was not good at, it was lying.
"What's wrong with you?" he demanded finally.
Alfred swallowed thickly. "I don't know what you mean."
Arthur glared at him. "Don't give me that!" he snapped, slamming his fist down on the table, making Alfred jump. "You've been coming over here late for months now. Not to mention you either come here with your bruised pride or an idiotic grin on your face. You haven't acted like your usual self in months. It's obvious that you're mind is always elsewhere." He softened his look, quieting his voice. "What's going on, Alfred?"
Alfred let a wave of guilt wash over him. Ever since he had met Natalya, it seemed that she was always the one on his mind. He had been completely oblivious to his best friend's feelings. "Aw, Artie, I'm sorry." Alfred sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I've just been busy is all."
"With what?" Arthur asked, taking a small sip of his tea, his eyes still on him.
Alfred pressed his lips together. "Do you think you can keep a secret?"
Arthur snorted. "Please. Don't demean me so. I've been keeping secrets for you since the third grade."
Alfred smiled, suddenly feeling a wave of affection toward his friend. "Yeah, you have, haven't you?" He let out a deep breath. "Okay, here it goes." And Alfred explained everything that had happened over the last few months. His first meeting with Natalya, the days spent spending time with her in the lighthouse, the time when the Bad Touch Trio had almost found out about her, and finally, when Natalya had told him about her brother and giving her his compass.
Arthur was silent for a moment, letting the information sink into his mind. "Well, it seems you've had quite a time these last few months." He gave him a look that clearly said that he should have told him sooner, and that he didn't appreciate being kept out of the loop. Alfred flushed in embarrassment. "I know, but I didn't want anyone finding out about Natalya, you know?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
"You gave her the compass." Arthur had an unreadable look on his face as he stared at the young man before him.
"I know," Alfred said, giving him a nervous glance. "But she needed it more than I did," he added hastily. "You said to use it when I get lost, right? Well, she's lost, and I thought that she needed it more than I did, you know? I wasn't really going to use it; I know this town so well I could draw a map of it. And I know you gave it to me, Artie, and I really love it, but I just didn't want it to go to waste, you know? I'm really, really, sorry-"
"Stop babbling, idiot," Arthur snapped, giving him a glare. Alfred immediately quieted, his face turning red. Arthur let out a sigh. "I'm not mad."
"Listen, I know you're mad, but-" Alfred paused, blinking. "Wait, what?"
Arthur looked up at him from across the table. "I'm not mad," he repeated. "I'm just disappointed you didn't tell me about this sooner." But the way Arthur carried himself made Alfred realize that he wasn't upset at all. He gave him a relieved grin. "Oh, good. I thought you were going to yell at me and give me one of your famous lectures."
"Oh, no." Arthur shook his head, taking a sip of his tea casually. "Of course not. You did a good thing, Alfred." He nodded approvingly at him.
Alfred's grin widened at the praise. "Yeah, I sure was a hero, wasn't I?"
"Indeed." Arthur looked down at his tea and said casually, "So, have you ever thought that you might fancy the girl?"
Alfred chocked and let the coffee spill down his shirt.
Author's Note:
Even though I know that I'll probably get very little reviews, I hope that the people who read this enjoyed it. I think one more chapter will be enough to finish this story.
Special thanks goes to AmberCahill for giving me the title for this story. She certainly came up with better ones than I did.
And thanks goes to THGFAN101 for helping me choose which title to use.
The quote mentioned above this chapter is from the game 'To The Moon' which was the game that gave me the idea for this story, so much thanks to the creators of that game. It's simply amazing, and is both hilarious and sad at the same time. And the graphics and music is wonderful. One of the best games there is in my opinion.