Chapter 2 -

"... America?"

"hmm?"

"Aren't you gonna answer me?"

"What? Oh, the party thing. Sure, I'll stop by."

"DID YOU JUST SPACE OUT ON ME!"

"What? OH! No, of course not. I was just thinking about this actress that I really like. She's gonna be on Deal or No Deal for some charity tonight and I think I forgot to set the TV to record..."

"UGHHHH! FORGET IT! You can't even pay attention to me for ten minutes while I try to tell you about something important!"

"Huh? Why are you so angry? Where are you going!"

The angry Canadian stomped away after giving Alfred an angry shove that felt more like the feathers on France's new hat tickling him than a punch from his brother. How Canada could play so much hockey and still punch like a five year old Alfred had yet to figure out. It did hurt though when the fuzz ball, Kumajiro?, stomped all over his feet while trying to follow after his master. Stupid bear, thought Alfred while bending down to hold his crushed feet.

"What's gotten into him today! Seriously, I said I would go to his party and he runs out on me! He didn't even tell me when I'm supposed to be there! I'll go ask England and France. They talk to him sometimes, maybe they'll know what's really bothering him."

He waited a few seconds until the throbbing went down and went out to look for their former guardians. He ran down a couple of hallways taking a moment to stop and look at Japan who was eating a lunch that was so tiny it should be illegal and later at a dark, ice cold room where Russia who was stabbing a doll of China in the legs while muttering something like "become one" under his breath. When he reached the entrance to the building he slammed into the scruffy Englishman who spilled tea on his jacket and cursed Alfred under his breath.

"Why are you running you stupid git? You spilled my tea!"

"I was running 'cause I was trying to find you, and that stuffs disgusting, and I wanted to ask you why Canada's in such a bad mood."

When he listened to this jumbled mess England just glared at him with jade green eyes and dabbed at the slowly spreading stain. His blond spiky hair and super brow distinguished him from the different nations that were gathered outside to enjoy the fresh air. Alfred crossed his arms and rolled his eyes impatiently while England straightened himself out and grumbled about how America was always making a mess of things. Just when he was about to walk away and see if France wasn't out here too, the disgruntled Brit gave up the task as futile and looked at him with annoyance.

"What's this that you had to ask me about Canada so badly?"

"Well, before you had your little fit, I was gonna ask you if you knew what has my brother all riled up. This morning he was all depressed and just now he was asking me to come over to his house for something and he just suddenly stormed out on me!"

"Just great. You made him mad again."

"DID NOT! I told you, he was like that this morning!"

"No, you said he was upset this morning and you obviously went and screwed it up. You should leave him alone. Today's special for him and you're going to ruin it though you probably already have just by being here."

"What do you know about today?"

"Well it's not like I make it a priority to know Canadian holidays but your brother has always been a little sensitive about today. I remember particularly well the time when you had broken your arm when you tried to climb those massive trees outside our old house. You were deep into the forest and your brother had gone with you. When I finally made it to where you were and was making to carry you home he looked at me strangely and asked me if he could stay out there for a while longer. Of course I told him no, being that you should never go off on your own in a nasty wood full of all the witches and demons hiding in there, but that night I found him sitting near the garden looking out at those woods and it was almost like he wanted to run away. I tried to ask him about it later and he just said that it was something important that he was trying to keep close. He called it Nashota Abedabun, or something like that, and said that he had always celebrated it from the time that he could walk. I would've thought you would have known about it being his brother and all but then again you never pay attention to anyone but yourself anymore do you?"

"I pay attention to him! I go over to his house all the time for breakfast!"

Nashota Abedabun... What was that again? It must mean birthday or something in Canadian, but what was with the creepy tree-trance thing? Alfred rolled the word around his head and asked England where he could find France. He told him that the "frog" was in a back room talking to Switzerland's sister.

When Alfred got to the room he stuck his head in and asked for France. What he found was an angry Swiss guard holding him by the neck and threatening play target practice with his head if he didn't stay ten feet away from her at all times. This was a rule that Switzerland had made France promise to when he learned that he was hosting the conference and apparently, as France was trying to explain, he had just "forgotten." When the guard saw Alfred he took the opportunity to throw him out and locked the door behind him. France looked up at him from the ground rubbing his throat with a disgruntled look on his face.

"Ah yes, hello America. What can I do for you?"

"Uhhh... I wanted to ask you about Canada but first I think you ought to tell me what happened to your face."

And I call it Chapter 2. I'm glad I got to have a part with my favorite character even if it's small and I'm even more happy about the next part. - Nami