Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters presented in Hetalia.

Authors Note: Hello one and all! I'm glad that you chose to read this fanfic! I hope you stick around until the end! Also, Erich will be HRE's human name while Germany's will be Ludwig. Of course, due to the nature of the story, Ludwig will be calling himself Erich for the majority of it. You'll find out why. I promise. Until then, please enjoy!

Sleep always brought strange visions. Sometimes they were pleasing. Sometimes, they were not. For Antonio, however, sleep brought more than just visions. It brought ghosts, people who no longer belonged to this world. Antonio had been able to see the ghosts since he was a little boy, helping them, as best as he could, to pass on to the next world.

Antonio grew up much like all of the other young boys; keeping his 'talent' a secret from his two best friends, Francis and Gilbert. Francis was a sassy boy who loved dressing in exotic and fashionable clothes. Gilbert was a happy, hardworking kid who loved to get into fights and always seemed to find his way into trouble. Gilbert also had a younger brother named Erich. Erich was a shy boy who kept mostly to himself. He looked up to his older brother and always seemed to hang around him. These were the people Antonio spent most of his childhood with.

As the years went by, the three friends began to grow apart. The time they spent together became less and less. Eventually, Francis stopped spending time with them all together. He and Gilbert had gotten into a large argument, though Antonio had no idea what it was about. He spent most of his time trying to distract the younger blond.

That led to Antonio, Gilbert, and Erich being the ones who played together. They would build a little treehouse, making it their little getaway location. The three of them were close friends and grew up together.

When the two oldest were old enough to enlist to the military, they did. Split up, the two men would keep in contact. They wrote letters, explaining their adventures to one another. Then one day, the letters stopped.

Time would go on and the three friends wouldn't cross paths for a long time.

Antonio would sleep at night, helping all of the spirits that visited him. He would set them free and wake up, feeling optimistic as ever. It was almost six years since Antonio had spoken to Gilbert or Erich but one night, Antonio had the strangest dream.

A spirit had come to visit him. It was Erich. At first, Antonio was confused. Erich was still alive so why was a spirit who looked like him be visiting?

"Who are you?" Antonio asked as his dream-self formed.

The spirit was silent. It looked at the man with his large blue eyes

Antonio frowned. Was the spirit muted? He let out a sigh and then asked another question, "What are you doing here?"

Still no answer.

"Are you a spirit?" Antonio hoped that he would get an answer this time.

The boy would nod his head slowly, keeping his eyes on the Spanish male.

Antonio would decide to ask his first question once more, "Who are you?"

There was no vocal answer this time but rather a flash of pictures shot across the brunette's brain. There were scenes of his childhood; Gilbert, Antonio and Erich building a treehouse together, then scenes of Erich and Antonio playing together.

"You… You can't be him." Antonio was in shock. "You-you're still alive! I know you are!"

The boy would shake his head no. He again, showed the face of his living self as if to say that he was really dead.

Still at a loss for words, Antonio would wake up. He was sweating. How could a spirit of Erich visit him when he was still alive? Erich had graduated high school and joined the military. He was even seeing someone. Wouldn't someone tell him if Erich had passed away?

Finding this all very strange, he decided to write Gilbert a note.

Gilbert,

How are you? I feel like it's been ages. I'm sorry I haven't written to you sooner but I've been so busy. Anyways, I'm writing now because I had the strangest dream.

Antonio paused for a moment, wondering if he should tell Gilbert what he dreamt about. Deciding against it, he would continue writing.

It made me realize that I haven't really spent time with you. So I decided that I will be coming to visit for a few weeks. I can't wait to see you again and hear about all of your adventures. I can't wait to tell you about mine!

-Antonio

Deciding this was good enough; the Spanish man would put it in an envelope and seal it, sending it off. He would wait a few weeks for a reply, astonished that he actually received one.

Antonio,

It's nice to hear from you again. I'm doing well. It's okay that you haven't written. I've been busy myself. I look forward to seeing you and you are welcome to come and stay at me and my brother's home.

-Gilbert

Setting the note aside, Antonio would begin to pack his clothes and essentials. He was excited to see his friend again, but he also had business to do. Something was fishy and he was going to get to the bottom of it.

Authors Note: I know that the first chapter seems a little dull and maybe even confusing. If you enjoyed the story and want to have faster updates, let me know! When I know a story is well liked, I'm more motivated to write the next! R&R F&F and have a nice day!