Chapter 1
Dusts glided off the attic door as Germany pushed it open, determined to rid the loft of Italy's junk. The dust from the floor swooped up into his face, forcing the strict nation to release a sneeze and an army of coughs.
"Gack! *cough cough* Ugh! How long has it been since he came up here?!" Germany yelled. He inspected the attic with disgust. "It is insanely messy up here."
He picked up his cleaning supplies: a bucket of warm, soapy water, a rag, a broom, a duster, and a bottle of fancy wood-washing solution. He looked back at the huge box at the bottom of the ladder, wondering if he should bring that up too. Instead, Germany left it alone. There's already enough crap up here anyways, he reasoned. "Well, let's get started!"
It was time that the militarist became the "house maid"…sort of. Germany started in the back. As he walked towards the only window, he passed by an old fashioned broom. The whole thing was made of wood and horsehair. The tip was in the shape of a rectangle, and the bristles appeared worn. It seems that this was used a lot, Germany observed. The broom was so worn out that it appeared useless. Germany made his decision – I'll throw it away later.
He continued through the pigsty, eventually finding an area to start the organizing crusade.
"Hm?"
Germany bumped into a flat object, covered with a cloth. "What is this?" he sighed. He picked it up and removed the cover. The object was a painting of a child. It looked to be a girl in a maid uniform smiling innocently, while holding a broom.
Wait…That broom…Germany inspected the painting further. The broom, it was the same broom that he passed by. And the face of the girl, actually looked quite boyish...and familiar...
"H-h-hold on, this little boy…looks a lot like Italy." Germany realized, feeling a mixture of shock and confusion. How could this kid be Italy? He remembers that child from his youth, but he never knew him personally. But then again, he feels like he did know him. Warm and kind, tender emotions rushed into the normally stoic veteran, and soon sorrow followed suite. Why did he feel this way? Now Germany was really confused.
Old memories, broken chains that he did not even know existed, came back slowly. Pieces arrived immediately, while some had blanks in between. Then one memory came back, an important one. An army was leaving an estate. His army. But who's estate?
There was a maid, sweeping. The dress swayed back and forth with the motion of the broom, dirt and unwanted particles brought up by it. The color of the clothing, the texture of the cloth, the sweet gentle kiss….
"Oh…Mein….Gott," Germany whimpered.
He remembered in that moment his past as the Holy Roman Empire, before the war changed him, and he realized who his first true love was…and possibly still is….
Well, that was the first chapter. How was it~? Since I'm just the editor, I have no idea where this is going, but it's off to a good start, eh? Please tell us what you think!
-Canada
