Chapter Two: Can You Give Me the Koi if You Really Mean it?

America lay on his bed, tightly clutching his pillow. It had only been an hour since Canada eventually took him home, but after he sauntered through the door and took off his soaked clothes he crawled into bed and remained there.

"What is wrong with me today?" America spoke to himself. "I can't even think straight. My mind is flooded with thoughts of…"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his mind provided a picture for him.

England.

"It doesn't make sense. I began having those dreams, and now…I can't stop thinking about…him. I think I'm just going crazy…"

"Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring!" America's cell phone rang on the side table next to his bed.

"Dammit…Who is it?" America reached for the phone and checked the caller ID. "It's…Lithuania?" He flipped his phone up and began talking. "Hello?"

"America? It's Lithuania. Is everything okay? You were acting really strange earlier…"

"Um, yeah…" America lied. Kinda. He didn't know what he was thinking. Except about England. "D-dammit!"

"H-huh? What is it?"

"Oops…" America expressed his anger a little too loudly. "D-damn…Lithuania…?"

"Yes, America?"

"…Y-you and Poland are close, right?"

"Yeah. We're good friends."

"Well, you don't find yourself, um, being mad when Poland hangs out with another country, say, Estonia or something, do you?"

"No. Why would I be upset? Poland can hang out with anyone he wants to. Well, Poland's so carefree, he meets lots of interesting characters even if he doesn't mean to, haha. Why do you ask?"

"Um, what about, uh…" America could feel his face getting warm. "Do you ever feel yourself thinking about Poland and you don't know why? Like, he's just suddenly there in your mind?"

"…America?"

"What?"

"Are you in love?"

America sat bolt upright. "W-WHAT?"

"A-America, I think that's what has been going on with you! Someone has been on your mind and it's been driving you crazy!"

"T-t-that's impossible…!" America suddenly felt hot and dizzy. "L-Lithuania, I'll have to talk to you later!"

"Okay, I'll give you some space. Goodbye, America." Click. Lithuania hung up.

"Tch!" America closed his phone and tossed it aside. "L-love? There's no way! Argh!"

He collapsed on his bed and threw the blanket over his head. His chest felt like it was on fire; his heart was pounding at a ridiculous rate. As much as he tried to avoid thinking about it, the word love kept echoing in his mind.

"England and I are just friends, and hardly even that! He is always teasing me and making me feel like I'm stupid. But…we also have good times, too. If I need help, he is there for me. And he has always been my ally even after I gained my independence and left his side…left his side…"

"I ended up entering a war against I thought would always stay by my side..."

Why did England say that? It couldn't have been because he lost the war; that would have been too childish. Besides, America and England were friends anyways; they couldn't have been if England still had hard feelings about it. Then what was his reason for saying that? America couldn't figure it out.

"England…" he whispered. "How do I…really feel about you…? And how do you feel…about…me…?"

America drifted off to sleep, his last image of England following him into his dreams.

"Okay, America! You can do this!" America spoke words of encouragement while staring at the cell phone in his hands. The curser was on England's phone number and America's finger was lingering over the button to dial it.

"You know what it is you want to ask…so go ahead and-!"

"Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring!"

"Blargh!" America threw his phone by accident when it rang unexpectedly. "O-oh, someone's calling me!" He picked up his phone and froze.

It was England.

"H-he's calling me!" America blushed. "Why am I getting so flustered? Just answer the phone!" Click. "Hello?"

"Hey, America! What's up? I haven't talked to you in a few days."

"Since the World Conference…"

"Yeah. Hey, I called to ask if you wanted to go to a festival with me this weekend."

"W-what…?" America's eyes widened. He was about to call England to ask him if he wanted to do something with him. He couldn't believe England beat him to it! "Of course!"

"Great!"

America flashed a grin. He was just invited by England to go do something fun together, just the two of them. Just the two of them…

"I'll tell Japan you're coming!"

America grimaced like he just took a deadly poison. "What?"

"The festival is near Kyoto. Japan invited me and told me I should ask you. Oh, Germany and Italy are going, too."

"O-oh…"

"Huh? What's wrong? Do you not want to go?"

"N-no! I'll go! It's just…"

"Just what?"

"…Nothing. It's fine."

"Okay. I'll come get you this Saturday. See ya."

Click. And England was off the line.

America closed the phone and frowned. "Of course Japan would be going…Of course he would invite us and of course it would be in Kyoto!" America flung his cell phone in pure rage, smashing it against the wall and causing the battery to pop out.

"Oops…" he picked up the individual parts and pieced it back together. "Why am I getting so frustrated over this? It's not that big a deal…Really…"

America sighed. "England…"

It was Saturday. The day of the festival.

America had actually met up with Japan earlier that week, along with Italy, to select a kimono to wear to the festival. Japan's closet was loaded with them, so there was a wide assortment to choose from. America ended up picking the dark blue kimono with white stars on it, perfectly suited.

He was now getting ready for the festival. After putting on the kimono and fixing his hair, he wandered outside to sit on the porch and waited for England to arrive, who promised to pick him up.

"Sigh…It's upsetting that we couldn't do something together by ourselves, but I should try to have fun…" America said. "England will still be there anyway."

"America? Why are you sitting on the porch?"

America glanced up and spotted England walking toward him. He was wearing a kimono that had the design of the British flag on it.

"I was waiting for you," America answered simply.

"Oh. Well I noticed that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"No reason. Come on, let's go. Japan's waiting for us."

"What? You came here with Japan?"

"Yeah, he picked me up. Then we dropped by here to come get you. Now let's hurry." England turned around and began walking back.

America made a sad face. "Sigh…Let's just hope things start to look up as the night goes on…"

America, England, and Japan met up with Italy and Germany at the front gate of the festival.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you guys for coming with me to the festival here, I appreciate it." Japan bowed.

"No problem, thanks for inviting us," Germany said.

"Ditto," England smiled.

"Yeah," America nodded.

"Um, I'm hungry…" Italy bit his finger.

"Dammit, Italy! When the hell aren't you hungry?" Germany yelled.

"It is okay, Germany-san. There should be plenty of food stalls around," Japan said.

"Yay!" Italy cheered. "What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Italy grabbed Germany's arm and yanked him through the gates.

"Whoa! Italy!" Germany staggered.

"Germany and Italy are close, aren't they?" England chuckled.

"Yes, they are," Japan agreed. "They are together all of the time."

I wish England and I were like that... America sighed.

"Let us follow them," Japan said.

"Okay!" England declared. "America, are you coming?"

America raised a plastic smile. "Y-yeah."

The five countries paraded through the festival, checking out all the different stalls. Italy bought as much food as his stomach—and his wallet—could handle at the food stalls, while America, England, and Germany fought it out at the shooting gallery. America and England lost miserably while Germany won the biggest stuffed animal prize there was and gave it to Italy. Japan bought himself a Pikachu mask at the mask wall, and then they all wound up buying rainbow cotton candy.

"Yum! This cotton candy is so good!" Italy ate it in big chunks.

"If cotton candy wasn't as soft and dissolvable as it is, you'd be choking by now," Germany mentioned.

"Hey!" America spoke. "It's that goldfish-catching game!" he pointed to the small pond-like arena with several koi goldfish swimming in it.

"Do you like this game, America-san?" Japan asked.

"I've never played it before, but those are really beautiful goldfish…I want one!" America eyed the goldfish curiously and exclaimed.

"How about we all give it a shot?" Germany said.

The countries each bought a paper net to try to catch a goldfish. Italy stuck his net in the water a failed instantly. Germany picked one up for a split second before his paper broke. Japan was successful at scooping one up.

"Argh…" America tried to concentrate before making his attempt. "Here I go!" He dipped the paper net into the water and aimed for a shiny, dark-red goldfish. As he went to scoop it up the paper tore through, making it useless.

"N-no! My net broke!" America whined. "Aww, I really wanted the fish…"

"Haha, yes! America, I got the goldfish!" England held out the net with the shiny goldfish America had been aiming for.

"D-dammit, England!" America huffed. "I wanted that goldfish!"

England placed the goldfish into a small bag filled with water.

"Why did you have to take the one I wanted?" America continued. "You did that just to be-!"

"Here," England held out the bag to America.

"Huh?"

"I got it for you. Take it."

America blankly stared for a moment before taking the bag from England. "Oh…T-thank you…"

"No problem!" England smiled.

America's heart skipped a beat.

England got me the goldfish I wanted… America blushed. My chest feels tight! What is this feeling? All he did was give me a gift! W-why-?

"Are you in love?" Lithuania had asked him over the phone a few days before.

"H-hell no! Of course not! Why did he even ask-?" America was flailing his arms, but stopped when he realized everyone around him was staring at him. He had spoken his thoughts aloud again!

"A-America?" England stared at him.

"O-oh!" America paused. "Ahahaha! Just ignore that!"

"How could I? You have the biggest mouth…"

"Dammit, England!"

"Come on! Japan says there's a fireworks show down by the river. We should hurry or all the good seats will be taken." England grabbed America's wrist. America blushed and lowered his head.

"F-fine…"

The countries made their way to the riverside, reserving a good spot on a hill. To America's misfortune, they ended up sitting next to a teenage couple that refused to stop making out.

Dammit, this is ridiculous! Can't they get a room? America rolled his eyes. But then he found himself staring at them and thinking, What if England and I were like that…?

America's heart jumped at the thought.

Wait, that's impossible! Why am I even thinking about him this way? He placed his hand on his chest. My heart is beating so fast! Every time I think about-!

America glanced at England. He was staring at the stars.

No…I can't do it. America sighed. I can't keep lying to myself. It explains the dreams, the blushing, the constant thinking about him, and the jealousy towards Japan. Lithuania was right…

I think I'm in love with England.

Just in case you didn't know, the title of the chapter is inferring two things: one, koi is a type a fish, yes, but two, koi is also one of the Japanese words meaning love.

~Midori