If Matthew Williams didn't know this was a dream, he'd probably be much more confused, disturbed and overall distraught than he already was. And the reasons why could be summed up in a minimum of three.
First, he found himself caught in a blizzard in the snowy tundra's of ...Vancouver. How he knew it was Vancouver wasn't discussed nor mentioned, but somewhere in the back of his mind, the name Vancouver could only do it justice.
Not so odd for a dream buuuut...
Second, he was wearing a miniskirt.
In the snowy tundra's of Vancouver.
And it wasn't just the skirt part. Oh no, his dreams were not so kind. The outfit was decked out in full, red and white, and was that a red maple leaf in the center of his ribbons? (And since when did he NOT wear glasses?)
He would have dwelled on this little irritation more if he hadn't been surrounded by blood, gore and death.
That would be reason number three.
He didn't know these people. He'd never seen their uniforms before either. But he still felt a stabbing loss, a pain in his heart at the sight of his four...
Four...what?
And there were only three. One. Two. Three...
The blonde boy moved forward to look-
...
His foot (why was he in heeled boots?) bumped something as he made to move. Or rather...someone.
Four.
The young Canadian swallowed a hard lump in his throat. A lump that was presumably his heart which, at the physical signal, decided to take a plunge into his stomach. He didn't want to look, he couldn't look, he didn't want to look at this poor unfortunate soul that was dead beneath him...
But...
His eyes tilted down, soft blue locking on the bleeding man beneath him (Yes, also in a miniskirt). His breath caught in his throat. Matthew near choked at the sight, his frail, skinny legs giving out from the...the...
Knees and legs, bare to the cold, fell into the blanket of white snow, his fearful breaths locked inside. Shakily, his hand reached out, tentatively brushing a patch of bruised skin.
Nothing.
He gripped the shoulder, shaking now.
"Alfred." His soft voice was shaking. He could barely hear himself. "Alfred." A little louder, sounding a little worse.
No.
No, no, no, NO.
In haste, he reached forward and shook his brother roughly.
Nothing.
"ALFRED!"
~*~*~End Dream*~*~
Matthew Williams, age 16, woke up in his bed, withholding a stale breath. Fingers fisted into his sheets, he left out a shuddery sign, his nerves were shot. Yet as he did so the vividness of the dream faded, a weakened clip of what he'd just seen. What was that? Okay, relax; think back, Vancouver, miniskirt, death...
He couldn't remember much already, that didn't take long. So, what DID he remember? Matthew shut his eyes and willed back the images, Vancouver. (How did he know it was Vancouver?) Miniskirt. (Dear GOD...)
Alfred...Alfred DEAD.
Alfred...
He looked at the clock, rubbing an eye as he-SHOOT.
"Late, late, late we're sooo late." The light blonde sprang out of the bed, practically throwing off his pajamas for a quick nab at jeans and a sweatshirt. He yanked the red hoodie over his head, yanked on the denim and darted down the stairs.
"Morning Dad."He rushed the words as he darted into the open doorway to the kitchen.
"Morning." The blonde man waved, intent on the easel and paper before him. He chewed his lip, dipping his paintbrush into a can of paint that was right next to a plate of toast. "Mathieu, I need you to wake up your brother." The quiet blonde groaned as he popped a Tupperware into the microwave and pressed reheat.
"He's still not up?"
"I tried to wake him and he said he's be right up. That was an hour ago." Matthew rolled his eyes, walking out of the kitchen and going back up the stairs.
"He needs an alarm clock."
"He has one, he just doesn't use it." With a groan, the blonde boy dragged himself up the stairs.
Matthew had the benefit - and misfortune - of having a room across from his brother. It made for easy access when they were late or needed something... but it also made to be a nuisance when Matthew had to study and Alfred was blasting music and the conjoined bathroom didn't help.
But that was all irrelevant. Matthew went into his brothers' room, the familiar colors of red, white, and blue assaulting his eyes which had yet to adjust to the morning.
"Hey, Alfred." Matthew moved to the bed. Alfred was a true-blue American inside and out. No wonder he changed his last name.
He shook his brother's shoulder, his head moving just slightly from the movement.
"Come on, you gotta wake up."
Still nothing.
"It's ten o-clock."
Lying did nothing.
"Okay, not it isn't, but we ARE late, so get up."
...
"Alfred?" His brother didn't budge. Did he look paler? The light brunet felt a little stiff...
"Alfred." Oh God no, oh God no, no NO...
"Alfred, this isn't funny."
He didn't budge.
Matthew reached two fingers over by his neck.
"Alfred?" He asked, hoping to God he was fine, as his fingers touched his -
"BOO!" he
The teenager popped up right, earning a scream - a rather quite one, as it was Matthew - from his brother, a reward Matt knew he always cherished. The lighter of the blondes fell back, landing on the floor with a thud. Alfred laughed.
"That's not funny!" Matthew whined.
"You should have seen your face!"
"Jerk!"
And after that, only the trampling of feet, a few more thuds, and the click of a lock followed.
~A few minutes later~
"What happened up there?" Francis Bonnefoy asked his youngest son as he came down the stairs. "I heard a 'thud'. And you look like a wreck."
"nothing dad." he said, rushing into the kitchen to grab his Tupperware.
*BANGBANGBANGBANG*
"Daaaad! Matt locked me in the bathroom again!" Alfred yelled from upstairs. Francis blinked, sighing.
"Oh, Mathieu…" He groaned, setting his paintbrush down.
"He started it." The young Canadian said, swinging his backpack over his shoulder.
*BANGBABABANG*
"COME ON, MATT! I'M SORRY!" The father got up at the persistent call of fists against wood, moving towards the stairs.
"I love you Dad, bye."
"You're not leaving without your brother." Francis made his way upstairs, ignoring Matthew's groan("But I'm late.") as the boy, probably rightfully, inched towards the front door. The single father entered Alfred's room and unlocked the bathroom door.
The hardwood door burst open, a messily half-dressed Alfred standing in the doorway.
"Are you okay?"
"He hit me too." Alfred said, rolling up his sleeve and showing his father a developing bruise on his arm.
"He can fight when he needs to. Did you hit him first?"
"I didn't do anything!" Francis rolled his eyes.
"You always make him do this,"
"I was just having some fun." Alfred protested, going to his bed and grabbing the shirt tossed over the head board. "But then," With a grunt, he yanked it over his head. "He goes and pulls a bit-"
"Alfred,"
"I'm going, I'm going." He sighed, putting on his glasses and grabbing his jacket. The American boy pulled his arms through the jacket arms and grabbed his backpack. Francis followed Alfred as they left his room, the brunet heading for his painting corner and snatching a piece of toast.
"Matt, you're dead!" The older yelled, gripping the toast between his teeth as the two rushed out the door, down the road.
"Stay out of trouble!" he yelled after them before returning to his seat in front of the easel. Picking up his paintbrush with one hand, he took a piece of toast with the other.
"I know you don't mean any harm, Alfred, not really, but it feels like you're always on your brother's nerves." Francis took a bite of the purple piece of bread and chewed.
A pensive look crossed his face.
"…The toast tastes funny."
~Meanwhile~
"Ugh." Alfred grimaced, tossing whatever quality breakfast he might have eaten into a trashcan.
"Dad painted the toast on accident again?" Matthew guessed.
"It was brown, I thought it was safe." The older confirmed. His brother shook his head. "….I didn't mean to scare you that bad this morning."
"You didn't know, it's okay." The shy blonde waves it off.
Even if I feel sick to my stomach…
"…Dead, huh?" His voice was low. Alfred shoved his hands in his pockets, gaze to the ground, but not really seeing anything. He laughed quietly. "Me? Impossible. You can't kill a Hero, Matt."
Matthew smiled. How did he see that coming?
"Even if you could, I wouldn't let myself die."
"Well, few people do, Al."
"Not when I still have you and Dad to live for." Alfred continued, ignoring his brothers comment.
"You're so valiant." Matthew giggled with a roll of his blue eyes. Alfred's own closed as his lips curled into a smile.
"I have to be. It's me or...speaking of 'valiant', take a look." Matthew looked in the direction Alfred gestured to, to find three little boys gathered around over something.
"Yeah?"
"Look closer." The quieter of the two squinted through his glasses, looking through the gaps the crouching left behind. His eyes caught sight of a fidget and white fur.
"Poor thing!"
"Wanna watch me play hero?"
Apparently Matthew did, as Alfred seemed to jump right into the situation, standing tall over the boys, and proudly too.
"Hey!" The three kids jumped, the American 'hero' grabbing one by the shoulder.
"It's not nice to pick on things smaller than you." The child who suffered from the brunets strong grip struggled.
"L-Lemmie go!"
"How about I start picking on you then?" A sharp pull back forced the boy a step back. "I'm sure I'm big enough."
"N-No!" The little none helped. "Let go! C'mon, Mister!"
"I don't wanna see this again." Alfred said with a tone of 'authority' to his voice. The much louder older brother let go at long last, the children taking this time to rush off and not look back.
Matthew looked at the pitiful animal with bags tied to its feet. He frowned at the poor thing, walking over and kneeling beside it, setting his backpack aside. "Poor thing..." he cooed softly, untying the bags.
"Hey, Matt, I know I'm still new here and all, but do we normally get polar bears around here?"
"Not that I know of." he answered, trying to be gentle with the knots. For kids, they tied them pretty tight. The bear just stared up at them for a bit, then proceeded to sniff Matthews bag a bit.
"Well, he seems docile to me." The Americanized teen shrugged.
"Small too. I think he's a baby." Two bags off, two to go. "Poor thing." The younger repeated, feeling genuinely bad for the animal.
"That explains the 'docile' part." Alfred knelt down beside Matthew, petting the bear's head as it continued to sniff. "Wonder if it belongs somewhere..."
"Alfred."
"You don't want to leave it for some more little brats to torment," The brunet prodded Matthew with guilt as the final two bags came off the things feet. The polar bear, now free, moved its nose to under the flap of Matthews bag, halfway inside of it in a heartbeat. "Do you?"
"I don't but we have TONY at home, remember? I'd rather not take the chance of another hidden pet." He sighed.
"But-"
"No buts, we're late as it is." Alfred scoffed.
"We can't be THAT late."
"School starts at 7. We left at 6:50."
"We've got-"
Matthew whipped his cell phone out of his pocket, shoving the time in his brothers face.
"NO TIME. Shit!" The light brunet stood up, grabbing his brother by the wrist and taking off like a shot. The blonde boy trailed behind him, just barely keeping his toes on the ground.
~Hetalia High School, 7:15~
"Ve~, Matthew!" Feliciano Vargas leaned on his desk as Matthew entered the classroom. "What are you doing after school today?"
"House-sitting probably. Dad swallowed more paint." Mathew set his bag down gently by his own seat. "Why?"
"I wanted to buy a present for Ludwig. He's trying to the wrestling team today so I want to find something nice for him."
"There's no guarantee he'll get in." Other than the fact that Ludwig Beilschmidt was pure German muscle. Fit enough to put every damn fiddle, viola and cello (And maybe Alfred if he'd admit it) to shame.
The Italian boy frowned.
"I still want to. He's trying out and that counts for something." He leaned back in his seat as Matthew sat down. The blonde rolled his eyes, turning to his bag and opening the flap-
….
In retrospect, really he was very lucky that no one ever noticed him. He must have looked very shocked and that would surely have garnered attention.
A little white polar bear head stuck out of the bag, looking up at Matthew with curious eyes.
"What are you doing here? How did you-"
"…" The bear said nothing, chewing on something in it's mouth. Blue eyes widened.
"Wait…"
~Flashback~
The polar bear, half-way into the bag, squirmed at the sudden force pulling him. AS Alfred yanked his brother away with his massive strength, the poor bears body was pulled into the bag entirely, the two boys oblivious to the passenger.
~End Flashback~
…The bear got thrown into his bag…..
It was then that the Canadian boy noticed the chewing. And the sticky stain around the bears tiny maw.
"…You ate my lunch?" He whined.
The creature did nothing but tilt its head, as if questioning the boys very existence.
"Matthew?" The named blonde blinked, turning back to his friend.
"Er, sorry, I was…distracted?" Feliciano frowned.
"You weren't listening."
"Sorry. What were you saying?"
"About Ludwig's present."
"Oh, right. Wh-what were you planning on get-AHHH!"
Apparently, the darn thing was still hungry. However, his shirt was not a healthy substitute!
"Are you okay?" Matthew laughed nervously.
"F-Fine..." He stood up and a feeling of fashion-centric dread decided to introduce itself to hi, as was made obvious when the bears jaw locked up and he hung from the back of the boy's shirt, stretching it from his sheer weight.
"I j-just need to use the bathroom NOW."
As quick as you're average, frail-looking, 16-year-old Canadian boy could manage, the polar bear was stuffed back into the bag and Matthew was off and out the door, down the hall and into the boy's lavatory of Hetalia High.
Locking himself into a stall, he knelt down and flipped open his bag to look at the small furry cloth-eater.
"Don't do that!" He yelled (Quietly, as was his natural way). The bear simply tilted its head again.
The near-silent blonde bit his lip. The polar bear seemed a bit calmer now, having chewed off a small portion of the bottom of Matthew shirt. He'd have to tuck it back in before he left.
The bear chewed a bit more, looking up at Matthew in a way that can only be described as 'imploringly'.
"...You want me to feed you?" He asked in exasperation. Matthew tucked his hands under the bears front arms and lifted him out of the bag. Matthew stood up, keeping the bear at his eye level. "Sorry to tell you this, but a pancake-and-cloth diet isn't the best idea." He told the mammal, watching the bear wiggle in his grasp.
...?
Blue eyes landed on the red maple leaf mark on the pad of the bears front paw. His mouth was slightly open at the sight, eyes widening.
"Maple..."
A maple leaf in the center of a red bow, a miniskirt...
Augh! Matthew shook his head clean of the image. he was imagining things. Where did that even come from?
Wait...Maple leaf, miniskirt, polar bear, snow, Vancouver, dream...
Things seemed to be a little too well connected. Over-thinking?" More than likely. Probably from sleeping in. He was sleep drunk, that's all. Yeah.
More than likely.
"Ah, w-well, I* can't exactly let you wander around the school, Can I?" he asked the tiny bear. "And Alfred'll just lose you or get us in even worse trouble..." Matthew hung his head. "Just...don't make yourself obvious, please?"
*Wiggle, Wiggle* went the bear.
"Fine, I'll feed you too."
~Meanwhile, elsewhere, something sinister was brewing...~
"The Oracle says it's time." The Queen said in a low voice. Hands hovered and drifted around her crystal ball. "Yes...now is the time for us to gather the necessary energy...the energy needed to conquer Earth."
A moan of a cheer bellowed from the minions around her. The woman silenced the crowd with a wave of her hand.
"Come forward now." A young woman demanded from her twisted throne. Her white ribbon tied into a bow from her light brown hair as her eyes scanned the room. "Let the kingdom of Soviet Force see the men who will usher us into power on planet Earth."
The drones of the crowd echoed throughout the dark chamber as four young men, one of them VERY young, stepped forward.
"My lady," a bespectacled blonde bowed. "Allow me to introduce your most loyal subordinates." he gestured with a finger and a feminine looking blonde with a pink shirt stepped forward again.
"Poland."
A brunet stepped up, green eyed and determined.
"Lithuania."
The smallest one, a blue eyed curly-blonde child followed suit of his partners.
"Latvia." The blonde adjusted his glasses.
"And I, my lady, am Estonia." he bowed gracefully.
"We're, like, totally ready to take all of the energy you'll be, like, needing. Seriously to the max." Poland promised, hands on hips.
"We'll do anything, my lady, that you wish for us to do." Lithuania assured.
"W-We won't rest until Soviet Force has taken t-total control." Latvia quivered slightly. Estonia rose to stand straight.
"My lady, I shall be the first to do your bidding. I've already set up and initiated an attack that is already under way on Earth."
"Excellent." She nodded. "I expect to hear nothing but progress. Is that clear?"
"But of course, Queen Belarus."
~Later, after school, 2:30 p.m.~
Alfred laughed, holding the bear in his arms as the brothers walked home from school. He toyed with one of the paws he held in his hand.
"So, we do get to keep him?"
"You're older than me?" Matthew could only dread the thought. Alfred could be rather childish at times.
"C'mon Matt, he's cute." The brunet lifted the bear out in front of him. "Like a big stuffed animal almost. He lets us do practically anything and he just stays limp like a rag doll."
That's only you.
Matthew thought.
He wiggled and fought a bit whenever I held him today.
"Hey, didja notice the maple leaf on his paw?"
"Yeah." The blonde nodded. "I wonder how Dad'll take this."
"Dad won't notice." Alfred said, holding the bear again. "He doesn't notice Tony."
"Tony's different. And don't baby him."
"He is a baby." Matthew pinched the bridge of his nose.
"It's not that I don't want him, Alfred. It's that it just makes all the risks bigger. Tony's an alien and an odd one at that. He's fine just staying inside and doing nothing but that makes him easier for Dad to spot when he's home." Matthew swung his backpack around, uncomfortable with the flap being so open and loose after...the mornings incident. "Like I said, he's still a baby. He won't stay this size forever. He'll get bigger. A lot bigger."
"Hey!" Alfred yelped as the bear began to struggle furiously.
"And he's not exactly trained which will just make things harder and get us in more trouble." The bear continued to squirm and even increased its struggle. Alfred seemed to be having trouble holding on. "And I'm not going to let you, Alfred, turn my life into some estranged comedy movie tha-"
He was interrupted then by a white puffball running ahead and darting down the sidewalk, being chased by Alfred.
"He jumped! C'mon Matt!"The Americanized boy called, leaving his brother as he ran after the animal. The quieter of the two sighed, following his brother.
"Alfred! Come on! We need to get home!" He called but it went unheard, as it commonly did. Alfred turned the corner then and Matthew proceeded to do the same.
"Alfred, hol-"
Sentences have a way of not finishing at times. Especially when you've run into someone and you both plummet to the ground.
"OW!" A groan that wasn't his own. "Hey, watch it!" Matthew rubbed his now wounded head which had butted into the other, taller man.
"S-Sorry."
"Man, you're quiet." The white haired male scoffed, red eyes on the blonde as he said this. The stranger then proceeded to check himself over. "Don't you ever speak up?"
"I am speaking up."
"I'd hate to hear you whisper." The albino man fingered a part of his pants. "Shit, these were new, too." Matthew noticed then that his long, pale finger hovered over a small rip in the strangers jeans.
"I said I'm sorry."The Canadian got up, frowning down at the lanky male.
"Whatever." An apathetic shrug followed the dismissal as the second stood. "Just be more careful next time."
Matthew didn't have a chance to retort as the male already continued on his way, bumping the blondes shoulder roughly as he did so.
"Ahh, you shouldn't eat other peoples food, you know." The quiet one blinked at the sound of Alfred's voice. The brunet returned, laughing a bit, polar bear in his arms. "I found him bothering some couple down the street at an outdoor cafe. He was tugging at the tablecloth trying to get to the food." Another brisk laugh as he rubbed the animal on the head. "Can you believe this guy?"
"..." He chewed his lip, turning back a bit to watch the back of the male that he's knocked
What was his problem?
"Matty?" Alfred blinked. The Canadian turned. "Come on, we gotta get home." He chuckled, looking at the bear. "And get you fed."
The bear wiggled more as Alfred rushed towards home. Matthew sighed.
"Alfred, wait up!" He called, running after him.
The silveret was quickly forgotten.
~At the Jewlery Store, 4:45 p.m.~
Brown eyes searched the glass case fervently. However, Feliciano could find nothing. Northing Ludwig would like anyway.
Amazing how he so far had spotted things Matthew, Alfred, Lovino and everyone else would like but not Ludwig. Amazing how, while shopping, he could find things for everyone else but the person he was shipping for (Even if that person was himself).
"Can I help you, honey?"
Ooh...Feliciano felt a chill.
He turned to face the assistance woman and it just got worse.
"Oh, no, I'm fine, just looking."
"Alright then. But do feel free to buy anything today. We're having a special sale." Her bejeweled fingers rested on his shoulder. Her eyes were closed in her smile.
"Ve? Special?"
"Yes. Everything is 90% off! From diamonds to pearls, from copper to gold!"
"Well," The Italian looked around. The sale seemed to cause the store to fill enough to burst. "I'm not looking for something too fancy." he explained. "Just something nice, for a friend of mine."
"A 'special' friend?" The boy blinked.
"Special? of course!" he chirped. "Ludwig is very special!"
"Oh, I see." The woman pursed her lips. "Well, we do have a men's section for rings or charms. Down the left."
"Thank you." The Italian moved to find this section, oblivious to the suspicious smile on her face.
~However~
Anya looked into the crowd of people, past the stupid boy that she'd just spoken to, one of her long slender fingers on her ring.
Yes...keep going fools.
Her red gemstone glowed slightly.
Little do you know that the more you shop, the faster you'll drop, having given all of your energy to Soviet Force!
Arms now folded, she walked among the crowd, more sales pouring from her pampered, make-up'ed mouth, prompting more buyers and more energy drains.
Master Estonia will be pleased with all the energy I've gathered.
More jewels, more charms, more energy.
A brilliant beginning for the glorious reign of Queen Belarus!
~Later that evening, 7:00 p.m.~
"Alfred~! Mathieu~" The answering machine relayed the familiar voice. "Hey, it's Dad! Sorry, I'm not home. I'm in the hospital again. Did you know they switched the components of the paint again? The company ought to tell us these things. Anyway, I'm not used to the new ingredient yet so I might end up in here a few more times for a while."
"You shouldn't be swallowing paint in the first place!"
"Oh, you heard him, right? Alfred, you haven't met my boss yet, have you? That was Roderich Edelstein, he owns my job, the art museum, remember? Sir, Sir, come say hello to my son Alfred."
"Oh, no, I don't believe we have had the pleasure. Yes, I'm your fathers boss-eh-uh-What does this have to do with you swallowing paint?"
"So, boys, I'm going to be here overnight. But you know your Papa, he'll be back when you're home from school tomorrow."
"Don't talk about this so casually!"
"Oh, and dinners obviously up to you boys tonight. No burgers, Alfred and no pancakes Mathieu. You boys need to agree on something and it might as well be food."
The front door shut, Alfred walking into the kitchen with a grin and a McDonalds bag.
"Which is why I ordered burgers," He grinned, unwrapping his meal. "And you made yourself pancakes." Matthew nodded.
"I'll scrub down the pan tonight so we can have them in the morning."
"Cool!"
"Um...Am I forgetting anything?"
"Perhaps that this sick day is coming out of your paycheck?"
"What? Wait! Eh, so, see you boys tomorrow. I love you both! Mr. Edelstein, wait!"
*click*
End of messages.
There was a long beep from the machine as Alfred, with half a burger shoved in his mouth, ripped it off and chewed a bit.
"Eh, so, I think I'll take this to my room. I have my Sailor Awesome!: Desolate City game just waiting for me upstairs."
"Don't talk with your mouth full." Matthew sighed. "And how long is that game anyway? You've been playing it forever."
"I want to finish it completely." The brunet took his bag and headed upstairs with it, anything else besides the game now irrelevant.
Matthew finished the last bite of his pancakes, looking down at the polar bear that had just finished a plate of his own.
"Well, at least if we can feed you human foods, you have good taste." he said, taking his empty plate and putting it in the sink The bear held up the syrup-stained dish that he'd eaten from in his teeth, looking at Matthew patiently.
"Careful, don't break it." he chided softly, taking it from the animals mouth. The blonde made his way up the stairs, the white animal following him up.
"You know," The quiet one started, smiling a bit as they reached the last step. "If you didn't torment me so much, I'd think you actually liked me." Matthew chuckled a bit at his little joke as he went into his room. He stretched a bit, grabbing a book out of his backpack and removing his glasses, setting them on the bureau."
"Okay, study time. Where are my reading glasses-"
"That'll have to wait." A new voice said. "So you are the one I've been looking for."
"Huh?" The blonde turned, looking around the room. He could've sworn...
"Thought I heard something." He muttered to himself.
"You did."
Well, apparently, he did.
"Look down." Oh God, no...
Tentatively, he turned his blue eyes down to the small bear.
"I'm glad I finally found you."The bear said. "I've been looking for a long time."
...
...
...
Oh, poor Matthew's throat hurt from screaming so hard, but even if it was 'loud' for him, he was still overshadowed by the sounds of Alfred's video game.
"Are you done?" The bear asked after a moment's pause. Matthew stumbled back a few steps.
"T-T...Too much maple syrup?" he whimpered. "Has to be. That has to be it...unless I'm spending too much time with Alfred...or Dad...or Feliciano..."
"Your family and friends have nothing to do with this." Said the talking creature that was sure to haunt the blondes' dreams for the remainder of his life. The bear shifted his seating, showing the cowering teen the front paw with the red maple leaf on it. "My name is Kumajirou and I've been looking for you for quite a while. You're hard to find...then again, from what I hear from your family and friends, you always have been."
"I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming..." Matthew chanted. Kumajirou hummed to himself.
"You still don't believe me...Alright. If that's what it takes," The bear said decidedly. "That's what I'll do." Blue eyes opened to watch the creature carefully.
With a flip in the air (were polar bears even capable of such?) a rather large maple leaf charm appeared, landing on Matthews's bed.
The quiet boy stared, moving slowly to his mattress to get a better look.
"It's a charm." Kumajirou said. "Made just for you. It's special."
"Um...thanks?" He reached a hand out and took hold of it. He brought it close to his face, inspecting it carefully. "But it's not really something I'd wear."
"You'll have to." Kumajirou said. "It's important. You'll need it to transform."
"...Heh?" The bear sighed.
"I really have to explain everything?" he looked the blonde in the eye. "i want you to say this: Maple Prism Power."
Matthew stared.
"...Why?"
"Just do it."
"O-Okay." A deep breath.
"With confidence, not loudness."
The breath was expelled.
"Not that you could manage loudness anyway." A small glare was sent Kumajirou's way.
Matthew straightened his back, feeling a small surge of confidence in himself. His lips parted and he let out the phrase
"Maple Prism Power!"
~Same time, local jewlery store~
Feliciano yelped as another young woman almost fell on him. one by one, the shoppers fell until he was the last one standing.
"Ve~, wh-what's happening?" He whimpered, seeing the unconscious bodies around him.
Except for...
"So, nothing from you huh?" The service woman asked.
Feliciano paled as the woman turned her head to him.
Completely around.
With her back still to him.
"I can fix that, dear."
~Back at the Bonnefoy household~
Light.
Warmth.
Power.
All of these things enveloped Matthew's torso, binding to his skin and sinking into his core, empowering him, energizing him. Muscles moved, limbs posed of their own accord. His hands over his head and the feeling wrapped around them like gloves, around his fingers, and around his legs and toes, up to his knees, down to his elbows.
He felt a burst of this feeling around his temples, across his forehead. The crowning adornment and he felt this all throughout him, every cell completely charged and feeling completely powerful as the warmth swept away from his brow, leaving heavy metal in it's place.
His eyes opened for what felt like the first time and he could see everything clearly, corrective lenses be damned. Limbs posed, positioned, an air of self-assurance within his heart and body.
As the light faded, as his room returned to normal, he realized three things.
One: He now had a talking polar bear for a pet.
Two: He was wearing a miniskirt. Again. For real this time.
And three: If Matthew Williams didn't KNOW this wasn't a dream, he'd be much less confused, disturbed and overall distraught than he already was.
11/10/10: Chapter edited because fucking fanfiction dot net decided to get rid of my breakers. UGH.
Now I need new ones. And if these don't work, I'm kicking a puppy.