To those of you who read When the river runs red, Yes, it's me, I live. No, the story is not discontinued or anything, it's just I can't write since I've been stationed out in a training camp( I'm in the military) for the past few months which makes it hard to write.
I haven't forgot about it at all, quite the opposite actually.
Pairings at the bottom
I don't own Hetalia
H
"You bloody git! Are you even listening to me?" A furious voice littered with a heavy british accent broke through the thoughts of his apprentice, or Amelia F. Jones.
The younger blonde was currently sitting and staring out of the cottage's window, gazing at the full moon and being quiet for once. "Hmm?" She blinked and looked towards her red-faced mentor, sky blue eyes blinking innocently. "Oh, sorry Artie. I was just thinking 'bout somethin'."
"Ha, imagine that-Hey! Don't call me Artie you bloody fool! That's Arthur to you!" The English sorcerer snapped back, anger, exasperation, and agitation evident in his tone. "Aside from growing a brain, you need to learn respect for your mentors and higher ups!" He huffed, crossing his arms. "Not to mention you need to focus. Your magician's exam is coming up, and we haven't even covered transferring!"
"Ah geez old man, the exam isn't for another month and a half, plenty of time for that transferring crap!" Amelia flashed him her thousand-watts smile, blue eyes lighting up.
Arthur face palmed. "Uggh...There's no way I'm re-teaching you if you fail..." The sandy blonde groaned, not at all pleased. " Look, just read the instructions in the book, and turn this apple into a dove. Simple." Arthur lifted his own wand and pointed it at the ripe red fruit, muttering the correct words under his breath and flicking his hand.
Within seconds and a small poof, the apple became a small, pretty white dove. Amelia watched in slight wonder as the small bird fluttered up to land on her mentor's outstretched pointer finger. "Woah...Do ya think that I could turn it into an eagle?" Her sky blue orbs widened at the thought.
"Well, you'd need a bigger obj-"
"I can! Watch me Artie, I'll transform the apple into an eagle! That'd be so awesome!" The blonde laughed, grabbing for her own wand.
"Look you git, you can't even turn a banana into a knife, and you want to turn an apple into an eagle?" The sorcerer asked incredulously.
"Yep!"
"...You're even more of an idiot than I thought..."
"Ye-Hey!"
Arthur sighed and rubbed his temple, large eyebrows twitching madly. Why couldn't he have gotten a normal, quiet and obedient apprentice, like that bloody frog? The Englishman glanced over at Amelia, who let out a noise of distress as she turned the apple into a caterpillar.
"Damn it!" She cursed running a hand through her short blonde locks in frustration. "I thought I had it too..." She slumped down in a dejected.
"Look, prat, you just need to work on your magic control." The green-eyed man explained, his temper leaving him momentarily. "There are a few ways, but most of them take too long."
Amelia looked up, hopeful. "What's the other way?" She asked, regaining some of her excitement.
Arthur drew in a breath, knowing full well that he'd somehow regret the next words that left his mouth. "...You could get a familiar..."
Amelia tilted her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Familiar? You mean like that little kiddy bunny that flies around your head? Pssh, no thanks." She laughed at her taunts.
"You bloody wanker! For your information, it's Flying Mint Bunny! And besides, he's not a little kiddy bunny!" The furious magician snapped, wanting nothing more then to strangle his apprentice. "That's it, I give up! Looks you're going to have to fail magic control!"
"Wha-? Artie! Come on, I was kidding! Please tell me!" Amelia cried, jumping up from her seat, her voice rising a few octaves.
Arthur shook his head, turning away from the wailing blonde "No, you made it apparent that you have no interest in listening by insulting me. And don't call me Artie!"
"...But if I fail, you'll be stuck with me even longer." Amelia pointed out, a mischievous grin making its way onto her facial features.
That got him, for the Englishman froze and stiffened, eyes going wide and a bead of sweat trickling down from his large brow.
"And that means you'll have to train me and see me even more than you already do." The American continued, smirk stretching even wider.
Arthur's hands began to tremble.
"Of course, I don't mind at all, but maybe Francis could-"
"ALRIGHT!" The Brit finally snapped. "DO NOT bring that bloody frog into this! It's bad enough that I have to deal with him at the monthly meetings AND showing up out of nowhere!"
Amelia snickered, but nodded, a feeling of smug satisfaction washing over her.
"Alright," Arthur began, turning back to face the female. "as I was saying, a familiar. They help with magic control, and allow you to use their magic reserves and whatnot. Now normally I'd wait to let you have one, but you need it now."
"Ooh! Ooh! What kind of animals could you get?" Amelia interrupted, spilling over with excitement.
"...Well," Arthur glared at her for the intrusion, before continuing on. "it can't be just any animal, you have to bond with it. It really could be anything from a mouse to a dragon."
"A dragon?"
"Yes, but they disappeared from the earth years ago, so that's pretty much impossible" Arthur shot down her hopes before they skyrocketed.
"Oh..."
"But, there are plenty of other useful creatures, like mine."
" Pffft! You mean that flying rodent's actually useful?" Amelia giggled, ignoring the glare and curses sent her way.
"I'll have you know-"
"Yeah, yeah, old man!"
Arthur closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, counting to ten mentally. "...Just transform the bloody apple into a dove so we can be done..."
"Mm'k!" Amelia grinned, raising her wand and chanting the spell.
Safe to say that Arthur was going home with actual caterpillars for eyebrows.
E
Lovino was not happy. No, not in the least. To say that he was pissed would be an understatement, and a big one at that. It was more like fury. Blistering fury, to be exact. Mixed with hints of jealousy and hurt, of course.
"That stupid bastard! How dare he? My own flesh, fur and blood!" The brown cat snarled, furiously pacing the alleyway with a glare that frightened away any scavenging mice. He was too angry to care that he had scared away part of his dinner at the moment. In any other situation, that small fact would've only added to his current anger. Only, his temper was pretty much already maxed out.
He couldn't believe that his own brother had just upped and left him. Just like that. No warning whatsoever. And it was all because of that god damned potato bastard, too. If only his stupid fratello hadn't of bonded with the stupid German, then maybe Lovino wouldn't have been so pissed. Scratch that, he would've been regardless, but still.
A smaller part of him told him that it wasn't his brother's fault for bonding with the man, which led to the younger cat to become his familiar. ' Shut up already! You're just a stupid voice in my head!' Lovino shook his head fiercely, anger blazing in his golden orbs. How he hated those "voices of truth"...
But back to the topic of an angry cat.
Another angry growl escaped Lovino's throat, followed by a small pang of betrayal. So that was it then? His brother just ignored the brotherly bond they shared and ran off to join a macho man who reeked of potatoes? Shameful. And besides, what was to become of him?
'Just like nono*...' Lovino flinched at the memory of their late grandfather. 'No damnit! Don't think about it!' He shook his head once more, as if to clear it of all bad thoughts.
Now what would he do? Just carry on like nothing ever happened? Well, he could do that...right? 'I don't need stupid Feli! He was only in the way, scaring off all the food and just being lazy!...I don't do that damnit!' Lovino argued with himself. But really, his younger brother could've at least told him...
Lovino finally stopped his pacing and sighed, regaining his common sense. If that stupid brother of his wanted to leave him on his own to die, then fine. He'd learn his lesson when his body turned up mauled by dogs, or a sack of fur and bones from starving to death. But now, he was going to see if that bastard Spaniard's shop was open. Antonio was always kind enough to slip him a few scraps.
At the thought of ripe tomatoes and freshly baked churros, Lovino's stomach began to rumble. Well, an upside to this whole fiasco was that he wouldn't have to share with Feliciano anymore...
With that particular destination set in mind, Lovino turned in the direction of the restaurant, keeping a low profile. Civilians didn't take well to stray cats, even going as far as to call them the devil's spawn. Then excuse him for existing, it wasn't like he chose to be born as a cat.
Well according to Lovino, they could all go fuck themselves.
'Tcht, stupid humans. Not like they'll ever understand the hardships of being a cat. One that can understand human speech, no less.' If there was one thing that Lovino prided himself on, it was that he and his brother had the ability to understand different species. It was something that was passed down through his grandpa, and even farther than that.
His gloomy spirits lifted a bit when the flashing lights of Antonio's warm restaurant came into view. If there was anything that could even slightly improve his mood, then it was the delicious( not that he'd admit it, of course) food that never seemed to grow old.
Instead of heading towards the front entrance, Lovino turned sharply and headed for the side door that led to the kitchen. It was used by workers to take out the trash, and occasionally by Antonio to leave out scraps for him.
As he approached the door, he let out a rather loud yowl, as to alert the Spaniard of his arrival.
But before he could think, a flash of silver caught his gaze, followed by the low sound of...a growl? 'Shit...' Lovino cursed inwardly. He could recognize that noise anywhere, and it was not pleasant. Hellhounds, and by the sound of it, it was a large pack. Luckily it was still rather light out, so the hanging threat of them disappeared for the moment.
If there was one thing that Lovino actually feared( he feared a lot of things, but this took the cake), it was those damn hellhounds. Not only were they fast and strong, but they were extremely territorial and aggressive too, a deadly combination. The only upside was that they were rather dumb and lacked intelligence, which meant that they relied on brute force and strength alone.
"Roma?" A cheery voice pierced the alarmed thoughts of the alley cat, bringing immanent relief to the situation.
'About time, bastardo.' Lovino said with his eyes, not that the dense man would realize. Instead, he let out a low meow, padding closer to the well-known cook. 'Well?'
"Ah yes, we've had a busy night! And you know what that means..." The green-eyed man teased, and Lovino now noticed the fuller-than-usual basket that he was holding. Anger and resentment aside, Lovino let out a whining( not that he'd ever admit that either) meow and sat back on his haunches eagerly.
"Eat up mi gattos*." Antonio laughed, setting a plate filled with sugar-filled churros and ripe red tomatoes along with various spices down.
Lovino swallowed down his pride and flashed the Spaniard a fleeting but grateful look, reminding himself to chase away extra mice for the bastard tonight. With that thought, the chocolate brown cat bent his head down and dug in, looking pleased.
But he failed to notice the several pairs of hungry eyes focusing in on his vulnerable frame.
R
Amelia had to slap a hand over her mouth to keep herself from bursting out laughing in the middle of the street as she made her way home. How couldn't she? The look on Arthur's face when she had accidentally transformed his eyebrows into caterpillars was absolutely priceless. 'Wait until Maddis hears about this one!' She grinned wider.
Amelia was rather relieved that she wouldn't have to go to classes for the next few days, seeing as Arthur would be way too pissed to want to see her for at least a week.
Oh well, more free time for her! Maybe she could even get the time to attempt those spells that Arthur claimed were "way too mature for her to perform". Ha! She'd show that old man alright.
'Maybe Maddie's already made dinner...' Amelia's stomach growled at the thought of food. And her sister's awesome cooking, no less. If she was lucky, Madeline would make hotdogs, although that depended on what mood she was in. But luckily for Amelia, her sister had seemed rather upbeat as of late. 'Must be for the exams. Maddie's always been a sucker for test and such.
Well, it was that or the suspicious red-eyed bastard hanging around her...'I'll deal with that sucker later.' A twinge of protectiveness circulated throughout her gut, causing the American to frown. She really didn't trust him.
A low growl, followed by an angry hiss startled the blonde out of her thoughts, making her pause and her blood run cold. There was only one species in the magical world that could a grow so low and menacing.
Hellhounds. An by the sound of it, an entire pack of them. 'But how did they get in passed the barriers?' Amelia thought, staring with worried blue eyes in the direction of the sound.
A higher-pitched snarl followed the growls, and Amelia could just see a flash of brown as it darted into an alleyway. Instantly she felt her heroine instincts kick in, an overwhelming desire to save the defenseless cat. 'Ha! They're just a bunch of stupid mutts! I can take 'em!' Amelia grinned at the thought, already starting in a dead sprint towards the darkening alley.
'And besides, who knows what kinds of trouble they could cause if they aren't dealt with? It'll also show Arthur a thing or two!' She grinned at what she thought was a win-win situation, slowing her pace to a short skid as she neared the entrance.
"Hear, doggy doggies! I know y'all 're in here, no use hidin'!" Amelia called out, grasping her wand in her hand. Maybe she could turn them into doves...or worms, for that matter.
Her smile at the thought died down as several pairs of bloodthirsty red eyes trained themselves on her, leading the American to briefly wonder whether she should have left this to older and more experienced magicians.
'No! I'll show them all that I'm not just some idiotic apprentice!" She pushed down all traces of fear, replacing it with determination as pride over logic took over.
"Hey you ugly-mutts!" She called, placing her hands on her rather wide hips with a confident smirk.
'Here goes nothing!'
O
"Hey you ugly-mutts!"
Lovino didn't think he'd ever feel so grateful to see the hellhounds glance away from him. He didn't even know who was the speaker of the words, but at the moment he didn't care. All's he wanted to do was get the hell out of there, and fast.
'Damn that food!' If only he hadn't eaten so much, then maybe he would've been able to get away faster and not be cornered by the slobbering hounds.
'Outta the way, bastards!' Lovino thought, taking their momentary distraction as a chance to run through their legs. The stupid dogs didn't suspect a thing.
"Ha! Dumbasses, you al-" He was cut off mid-rant when he felt himself hit somehow sturdy but fuzzy. 'Oh hell...' Was all that came to mind as he found himself staring up at what had to be the biggest hellhound he had ever seem.
Saliva dripped down his ugly muzzle, heavy breathing accompanying it. Crazed yellow eyes glared down at the defenseless cat, and if Lovino could, he would've screamed( not that he'd ever admit it). "I'm screwed..."
"Not if I can help it!" Came the obnoxious voice, igniting a spark of desperate hope in his mind.
His golden eyes met the sky blue gaze of a rather pretty( again, another thing he'd never admit) blonde girl with fiercely determined eyes. 'Oh great, a bimbo to the rescue. Just what I needed.' Lovino thought sarcastically, slowing his pace as to not run headfirst into her.
"Haha! I got this one kitty!" She laughed, holding up a wand that made the italian cat's eyes go wide.
'A magician!' Lovino felt as if he would collapse from relief, and he did so right behind the American, ears twitching at the sound of a spell being murmured.
A flash of light lit up the dark passage, hurting the hellhounds eyes as they were accustomed to the darkness. Enraged howls tore from their throats, pain driving them on to blindly charge at the teen before them.
"Hey cat!" Amelia turned the surprised animal. "I know ya can talk, so do me a favor and distract these mutts while I charge up a spell.
In any other ordinary situation, Lovino would've gotten pissed at being ordered around. But this was no ordinary situation, and these were no ordinary hellhounds. "Fine! But you owe me big time!" Lovino surprised himself at how steady his voice was despite the hungry snarls of the mad dogs. Maybe it was the adrenaline. It most certainly was not the look in the blonde's eyes that gave him a spark of hope, no, not at all. Because Lovino was not a pussy...well not mentally, anyways.
"Hey assholes!" The brown cat snarled, launching himself at the nearest one, who( thankfully) wasn't the large one. The dog growled and leaped at him, only to run full speed into the wall. Had Lovino not been busy avoiding two other hounds, he would've stopped just to laugh at the mutt's misfortune.
Amelia took their distraction as a chance to fire a transferring spell, quickly changing the nearest dog( who happened to be the one that ran into the wall) into a frog. "Uh...not what I was aiming for, but whatever." She shrugged, changing another dog into a butterfly and freezing another into place.
Lovino yelped as a spell grazed his shoulder, but dodged at the last second so it hit the other larger hellhound. "Watch it!" He snapped. "There's no way in hell that I wanna be turned into a goddamn worm!" The cat growled, eyes narrowing into slits.
"Sorry!" Amelia waved a hand, bending over to pick up the lead hellhound, now a caterpillar, and laugh. "Well, Arthur's going to be either really pissed or really surprised when he hears about what I did..." She flicked her hand, her abnormal strength sending the bug flying.
Lovino didn't know who this Arthur was, nor did he really care, but he did care that this blonde bimbo owed him something. "Oi! Where the hell do you think you're going?" He called to the American as she began her walk home.
"Hmm?" She hummed, turning slightly.
"You still owe me, remember? There's no way in hell I did that shit for free!" He yowled, bounding after her.
Amelia blinked, oblivious for the second, before grinning. "Oh that's right! I guess I do, don't I?" Seeing Lovino's unamused glare, she added "Well what do you want? Nine more lives? To be turned into something else? Food?"
"No! I already have nine full lives, thank you very much!" The Italian cat snapped. Well, it wasn't a complete lie. He had lost two lives already, one against hellhounds by saving his brother( the ungrateful bastard), and one from an event as a kitten by falling off of a high fence. That last one always embarrassed him, so he never spoke of it.
The growling of his stomach alerted both Amelia himself. While he flushed angrily, the girl only laughed. "You're hungry! Well no problem, you can come home with me to eat, I'm sure Maddie won't mind." She offered.
Lovino opened his mouth for a sharp retort, but paused. Well, it was a free meal, and the fight with the hellhounds had made him hungry..."Fine. But the food better be good." He said, surprising himself with his answer. 'Whatever. Not like I have anyone to go home to.' Just thinking of his traitorous little brother fueled a small spark within his chest, pushing him onward to keep pace with the American. 'Just one quick meal, nothing more nothing less.' He reminded himself, only half-listening as Amelia, ever the chatterbox, began going on about her thick-eyebrowed mentor.
But Lovino should know full well that nothing ever plays out the way he expects.
~~~~~~~~~
Here are the translations. I used Google, so expect them to be wrong. If anyone knows Italian, French, or Spanish, and could give me hand, then it'd be very much appreciated, and I would give them full credit for translations.
Nono( I think it's wrong...)=Grandpa ( Italian)
Mi gattos( also probably wrong)=My cat( Spanish)
So? Was it good? Bad? Too unoriginal? Too slow? Too fast? I hope no one's OCC...maybe Lovino is? I think so. Anyways, here are the pairings so far:
Fem!AmericaxRomano( Obviously)
PrussiaxFem!Can
Spainx?( who should I pair him up with?)
Englandx?
GermanyxItaly
Any other pairs you guys wanna see?
Some suggestions for Spain and England's pairings would be nice. Or I could put them together. Or not.