I turned to find blue eyes staring into my brown ones, and that's all I knew before fear and adrenaline started to course through my veins and I ran.

I ran through the streets, Water splashing up on my legs, certain that if I turned around I would find that American in hot pursuit but after five minutes I slowed down sure to take lots of back alleys and retracing my steps to make sure no one was following me, but it felt like there was a hole boring into my stomach and it was like if I went back that officer was sure to find me, with the adrenaline still rushing through my mind I couldn't think straight I had to get my mind right.

After half an hour of aimless wandering I had managed to convince myself to go back home it was unlikely I'd ever see him again, different officers passed through all the time and there had only ever once been a replacement in my city's district. So I began the short walk home my only problem was finding an excuse for my disappearance, I just couldn't have told my parents it would only bring stress that they didn't need.

By the time I'd gotten home it was close to noon having been gone for close to an hour I rushed the washing and kept my face hidden from the city streets.

"Sakura, Go to the post office and get the mail I want to see if your cousins wrote back about his moving in with us". My mother asked

"Hai, I shall leave after I sweep up" I replied barely touching the floor with the broom and running out the door "I'll be back in ten minutes.

It rather frightened me to walk in the street, fearful that that officer will recognize me but I forgot after my mind began to wander to my cousin in China, Since his mother had just died a few weeks ago, my mother had asked him to come stay with us the week before and his reply was just coming to now as well as my a letter from my pen pal in Italy some bubbly girl named Felicia, during the war our schools teachers had encouraged us to learn the languages of our allies and I excelled in Italian so my teacher asked me to take up a pen pal and I happened to get a bubbly girl named Felicia who had learned Japanese under the same circumstances as me, she was a girl that could take your mind off unpleasant thoughts of the world you lived in and bring you into the vast city of Rome, where there was no sadness or destruction only pasta, songs and siestas. I've kept every word she ever wrote to me and looked back upon it in the days of the war when my country seemed like it was ripping from the seams, just something to tell me there were still good people in the world, they were just harder to find.

I was interrupted from my thoughts when I realized I'd reached the post office, a rundown hut with two American guards standing beside it. I went inside and mail for my family and I took the two envelopes and hurried back home.

I reached home and delivered Yao's letter to my mother while I saved Feliciana's words for later tonight as something to put me to sleep. I waited for my mother to finish reading and she looked to me with a smile and said that Yao would arrive in a month's time to come live with us, my mother seemed happy enough but I was a bit more skeptical though I'd never say it, we barely knew him all we had was a picture and the fact that my mother had met him once when he was two.

The night sped on and soon dinner was over and the night was upon us and we grew tired and went to bed like every night. Whereas my parents were ready for sleep to take them away I could barely contain my anticipation of Feliciana's letter, I took the envelope into my hand and traced my finger over the neat cursive writing and chuckling at the pasta sauce stain at the side. I opened the wax seal careful to keep the worn envelope from tearing and pulled out the letter and began to read:

Dear Sakura,

I have so much to tell you over so little time! I have a little bad news but more good than bad anyways what was I gonna say? Oh yes! Grandpa's business has been fantastico we've started to pick up from the end of the war I can't believe that in just a year how the people have changed! I see nothing but smiles just like the Italy I once knew. I'm also proud to announce that in just a few short months I'm going to be a Zia! (Aunt) My sorella (sister) Lovina wrote to me that she and Antonio are going to have their first baby in the winter , though her mood is a little worse for wear I'm sure it's nothing Antonio can't handle~ Nonno's (grandpa) so excited he's been bragging to anyone who'll listen of how good a cook the bambino (baby) will be! We're going to travel to Spain to see them when the bambino's born~ I hope it's a girl! I'm going to make her so many pretty dresses her tiny little head will spin! There's just one thing that would make these days perfect but I can't keep dwelling on the bad things in life or else I'll just stay right where I am right?

But I know you can read me like a book and I don't like holding in my feelings, I still haven't heard anything from Ludwig I know it's been a year but I can't help hoping. All I have to go on is that he was taking prisoner by Russians and some days I just feel like getting up and leaving Roma and go to Russia, even if he's gone I just want to know if our last kiss was our last…..

Well that's enough heart break for one letter I mean you're probably snoring reading that I'm sorry sometimes I just don't know what gets into me, Lovina's right I am an open book. So how are the Americans? Are they keeping at bay? or are they bothering your family again? Also is Yao coming to stay with you? What's new in your life? Any boys? Sorry I know you're probably red as a tomato but from the picture I have of you I just know it's only a matter of time that I hear wedding bells!

Write back soon!

Ciao,

Feliciana

As always Feliciana had a way of making me believe that there was still good in the world, but always held back her emotions, something few people but she'd only ever show emotions that portrayed her as someone who you could lean on and look after because she was weak but she was very strong in an unseen way. I'd only heard a bit of Ludwig since he'd been captured a few months before we started writing to each other, I sensed he was her opposite in every way but understood her in every way that she was misunderstood. I pondered Feliciana's problem in my mind until I drifted into sweet oblivion.