KNOCK! KNOCK!

The sound at the door roused Ludwig from his deep sleep on the sofa. He intended to take a nap and wake up at 5:00 PM, but his slumber ran four hours later. Wiping the sleep out of his eyes, he looked around before getting up, and as he walked toward the doorway, he smoothed out his white dress shirt in case someone important was trying to talk to or visit him. He opened the large, dark wooden door and saw nobody there—taking a step out of the entrance, he poked his head out and looked both ways until a sound caught his attention. He looked down and gasped at the sight of an infant lying in a basket, cooing and whining with its arms flailing about as if it were stretching.

Ludwig's light blue eyes widened—how did this baby get here? Where did it come from? Most of all, whose was it? Intrigued and curious, he bent down and tried to pick up the petite infant, but a piece of paper fell out of the medium-sized blanket it was covered in. He picked up the basket in which it fell back into and brought both that and the baby into his house. Ludwig put the basket on the coffee table and placed the baby back into it, reaching for the phone to dial Feliciano's number. When he answered, Ludwig flinched because Feliciano, his Italian friend and former enemy, screeched happily into the phone—he always enjoyed talking or being with Ludwig, much to his annoyance.

"Hello, Germany! How are you this evening? Guess what? I made a—"

"Italy!" Ludwig boomed in his thick German intonation—he meant business. "Will you please get Japan and come to my house immediately."

"Why? Is something wrong?" he asked in concern, his cute Italian accent prevalent in his speech.

"You'll see when you get here, but it is very important. Please be here in ten minutes sharp!" he ordered, hanging up the phone.

The baby began to whine, catching Ludwig's attention once more. He carefully turned the basket around so that the baby was facing him. Staring into its eyes, he felt a strange affinity with the child, but the reality was that he was too busy with his personal life to even nurture and rear an infant. He knew for a fact that raising a child was a lifelong responsibility, and because he was so intimidating and strict, he didn't feel he was cut out to play the role of a father. The baby's face looked feminine and delicate, and its hair was covered in thin blond wisps. The infant's eyes were bright blue and expressive, but showed hints of longing and abandon. Ludwig tried to smile at the baby to cheer it up, but it started crying.

"Schreien sie nicht. Ich kenne sie verlust ihre eltern, aber die letzte sache, die ich muss damit sie jetzt tun ist schrei," Ludwig told the infant. Intimidating by his deep, manly voice and hard-sounding mother tongue, the baby cried even louder. He held it close and tried shushing it until Japan and Feliciano came, and when they did, Feliciano's eyes lit up at the sight of Ludwig holding a baby.

"Oh, since when did you become a father, Germany?" he asked, smiling at the baby.

"I heard a knock and I opened the door. Then all of a sudden, a baby appears out of nowhere," Ludwig answered, still confused by the incident of the evening. Japan looked on the table and saw the piece of paper that had fallen back into the basket. Picking it up, his eyes met with Ludwig's and turned again toward the folded piece of lined notebook paper.

"There is a note here," he told him. Ludwig, shocked that he had forgotten to read it, snatched it from his hand and let Feliciano hold the baby. As usual he was thrilled—he spoke Italian to it, told it words of endearment and kissed its cheeks and forehead repeatedly in adoration as Ludwig sat down on the sofa and unfolded the paper, reading it silently in his head:

"Ludwig,

If you still live in this house and you see my baby on your doorstep, it is because I feel very unfit to raise her due to life's circumstances. It's a baby girl but she has no name—since you are her father, I am leaving it up to you to name her whatever you want and I'm also trusting you to raise her responsibly, for I am unable to do so. She was born just four days ago on April 27th, and because she is a newborn, I suggest you be very careful with her. Parting with my baby girl has been the hardest thing I ever had to do, but I felt I needed to give her up because I felt she would have a much better life with another family. My father and mother have refused to help me, but my mother was there when I gave birth her. I've searched in vain for an orphanage or children's home to send her to—there aren't that many who will accept a child if the parents are not deceased. When I first found out I was pregnant after the night I seduced you and we made love, I intended on aborting it, but I couldn't take my own baby's life—it just didn't feel right. Please, Ludwig; I trust you to raise our child correctly and I know you will. Even though I never talked to you or met you before and after that night, you struck me as responsible and devoted to anything you set yourself to. Best of luck to you and my baby girl for the rest of your lives.

Sincerely,

Krista

P.S: Enclosed are her birth certificate and German citizenship papers—she was born in Munich, and she can lawfully live with you."

In shock, Ludwig looked away from the paper to Japan and Feliciano, who was holding his supposed daughter. His face was stern, but unreadable as far as emotions were concerned. Ludwig was in deep thought—he couldn't believe that Krista got pregnant after their passionate, hot night together in the candle-lit, scarlet-adorned basement of his house. His eyes were fixed on Feliciano, whose eyes looked curious yet pitiful at his German friend.

"What's wrong, Germany?" he asked. Ludwig took a deep breath and closed his eyes to recollect himself before answering.

"I know I shouldn't blame you," he told him, "but that woman you surprised me with that night last year is…the mother of this baby."

Feliciano's eyes widened and he was just as shocked as Ludwig was. Japan walked over to the sofa and sat down with his ally, who had his elbow resting on his lap with his forehead resting on his fist. He looked depressed, but also ashamed—Japan and Feliciano didn't know why he was so ashamed.

"Are you…the father, Germany?" Japan questioned gingerly, as to not rouse Ludwig's anger and frustration.

"Ja," he answered with a grunt. "That…girl seduced me, and he ended up…you know, doing…that…and we never spoke after that night."

"Yes, she was molto bella, Germany!" Feliciano said, holding the baby girl close to him. "Why would you blame me for that?"

"Because you were the one who set it up so I could…do that with her and then…oh, mein gott," Ludwig explained, his tone shifting to distress and hopelessness. "I am not father material."

"We could help you raise it, Germany, or if Japan won't, I will!" Feliciano squealed with excitement. The baby girl giggled at his statement. "See! The bambina likes me!"

The baby girl showed off a cheeky smile to Feliciano, who held it in front of him and nuzzled his nose against hers as if she were a baby kitten or puppy. The baby continued to laugh and giggle at the Italian's tomfoolery, but Ludwig stood up and looked at the baby girl.

"Can I…hold my…daughter?" he asked, holding his hands out to gather the infant into his arms. Feliciano looked reluctant to give her back to her father, but he did it anyway out of fear that Ludwig would get angry and therefore frighten the baby to tears. As he held her, he looked into her eyes and saw himself in those bright blue, expressive pools of water on her face. He remembered that Krista's eyes were dark and demonic that seemed to glow red under certain light settings—but their daughter's eyes were that of an infallible angel who was destined to do absolutely no harm on earth.

"If I am…to raise her," Ludwig said, looking at the exquisite face. "I need to name her."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Feliciano said, grabbing his friend's attention. "Something Italian! Something Italian! How about Luciana!? Or even Maria? Salvatora? Annunciata?"

"Stop it!" Japan hissed in his usually shy-sounding voice. "How about Emiko? It means that she is blessed with grace and beauty, Germany. Or something like Mitsuki? Or Motoko? Satomi? Kaori?"

"That's ENOUGH!" Ludwig boomed angrily, ending their bickering. Strangely, the baby girl didn't cry—she just stopped cooing and whining, staring up at him expressionlessly.

"We were only trying to help, Germany! Does Annamaria sound good to you?" Feliciano asked, walking closer to Ludwig to see the baby.

"No, Italy, it is terrible," he answered. "I am Germany, therefore a German, and a German should give their daughter a German name."

The baby fell asleep contently in Ludwig's arms. Her lips went into a little pout and her cheeks looked a bit fuller than when she was awake. He sighed, and made his selection.

"I will name you…Hilda," he finally said, whispering in the baby's ear. "Hilda Beilschmidt."