Well, hurray I updated! I have been writing a basic summary of each chapter so far and I know all the pairings up until chapter 20 and I realized… there are a lot of them! O_O
Pairings: Russia/America, America/Taiwan, France/Seychelles, Japan/Taiwan, Sweden/Finland, and others to be decided
Mentioned or Hinted Pairings: One sided Russia/Belarus, One sided Lithuania/Belarus, England/Belgium, Germany/N. Italy, One sided France/Austria, Austria/Hungary, One sided Prussia/Austria, One sided Prussia/Hungary, Denmark/Norway, Iceland/Seychelles, Ancient Rome/Ancient Egypt, Ancient Rome/Ancient Greece, Germania/Ancient Greece, Switzerland/Liechtenstein, Turkey/OC, Spain/S. Italy, Sealand/Principality of Wy, and others to be decided.
... Wow… and that's just the first 20 chapters… and there might be even more after that...
NAME CHANGES
1. England's name is just Art
2. America's name is just Alf
3. Canada's name is just Hew
4. To my knowledge, Taiwan doesn't have an official name so her name is Mei
5. Germany's name is just Luwd
6. To my knowledge, Australia doesn't have an official name so his name is Tralo
7. Sealand's name is just Petra
8. Sweden's name is just Su
9. To my knowledge, Belgium doesn't have an official name so her name is Bell
Finland and Japan's name is still the same, except they don't have their last name.
Well, I hope that solved any confusion… probably not but here's the second chapter.
Chapter 2
Ivan awoke from his long nap that he took in the cave.
It was growing dark. The sun hadn't completely fallen, but Ivan knew it had to be very late. It was at least dinner time for the sky was a grayish color, which allowed some stars to wink and shine. He sighed to himself. The Russian knew that he ventured too far for people to find him so quickly. Any search party that formed when a person was missing didn't form until the person was missing for two days. Once they started the search, they only searched within half a mile outside of town and then moved further from there. Ivan knew he couldn't run very fast, but he knew that he was past half a mile from the border of town. Still, it was too early to give up any hope of being found. Perhaps one of his friends or maybe his family would find him early because they remembered he traveled in this direction in order to use the restroom, so he decided that it would be good to gather some wood for a small fire. Someone who was looking might be attracted to the smoke.
The motion of walking felt better on his ankle now that he wrapped Katyusha's white scarf around his ankle, tightening it in order to keep it in place. His right wrist though would just have to wait until the ankle was healed to get the same treatment, which was why he gathered the skinny twigs in an awkward one arm motion. Ivan would grab them with his left hand, and bring them to his chest so his arm pit could lock them securely in a hold so he could gather more. It was hard motion and he had even accidentally slipped a couple of the wooden sticks out of his grip, but he didn't want to irritate the injury on his other wrist even more, otherwise it could get worse.
"Well, I should at least be thankful that it's not as bad as when the guards first taught me discipline." Ivan said to himself.
This night was actually quite peaceful for Ivan's mind and body. He didn't feel the thumping of his heart that his sister gave him when she stalked him. The teenager also didn't have to worry about what excuse to think of in order to push his sister's attention away. In away, these misfortunes turned out to be an odd retreat from his problems and let him just enjoy the fresh air. Of course, for Ivan, he had to believe it was just a retreat. If it was a retreat, he had a better chance. A retreat meant that there would be an end and that life would continue as normal.
He shivered. What if it wasn't just some little vacation? What if this could be another thing that would become ordinary to him? A lonely life outdoors with no companionship whatsoever? Even prison was better; at least there were other people.
A heavy sigh came out of his lips. The Russian decided not to think about it and just enjoy the time outdoors. Ivan walked back to the cave with his left armpit holding in place a large bundle of thin sticks. He got on his knees slowly and gently placed the sticks on the ground of the cave, making sure not to let them scatter. Ivan kicked them lightly to push them even closer together but not too close to the point the fire could be smothered, and he pulled out the lighter that he kept in his coat that he used to scare Raivis. Once he was able to get a small flame started, he bent down on his knees again and pressed it against one of the sticks.
Soon one stick was engulfed in flames, the rest were quickly consumed.
Night finally came, and Ivan decided it would be best to just rest and look at the stars from the cave. The town that Ivan lived in was very small, only with a population of perhaps two thousand people in all, but even its artificial light made it hard to watch the stars. Here in the wilderness that was only a mile outside of the city though, the sky was flooded with celestial bodies. He could point out the star configurations that he learned from his school but there were still more stars that he couldn't account for with his knowledge. If Edward were with him, he would be able to account for every star in the sky that was named and studied.
Ivan frowned at remembering his friends. He would like to think that they were concerned about him, but considering the amount of abuse that they had suffered from the past, it would be very unlikely that they would miss his company. The teenager shook his head. How could he act so ungrateful? He may not have the concerns of three boys he went to school with, but he will always have the love of his family. The family took him in when no one wanted him. When everyone feared the wandering six year old for a misunderstanding, they didn't care. They saw him as a boy who desperately needed love after losing the only thing that meant anything to him, his sister Katyusha, and saw him as really a part of their family.
"Perhaps this retreat is not for me, but for me to reflect on my life and how selfish I am being... Perhaps I should just accept Natalya's feelings and try to develop some kind of romantic feelings for her as well."
A lone deer strutted by. The animal's front right hoof had a small cut and he couldn't put any pressure on it.
"Just like me," Ivan said and he then remembered his gloves. They weren't long enough to wrap around his thick wrist, but he could at least help the wounded animal. He quickly came to its side before it could escape from him, and started to wrap his gloves tightly over the wound. The deer was looked at Ivan with curiosity, not expecting any help from the tall boy. Once Ivan was done, the animal slowly pressed the wrapped appendage down on the ground. Ivan for a second thought the creature almost smiled at him because it could walk naturally.
"You are welcome to join me in the cave, the fire is very warm little creature."
Ivan walked back to the cave, the small animal following behind him. Once Ivan returned to his original spot, the deer took the place across from Ivan. Both of them enjoyed the fire and relaxed together. There were only the sounds of their breathing, but in a way, it was a silent thank you to the other for their company.
Ivan could see the eyes of the young animal slowly closing and he could feel his own eyelids growing heavy.
"Perhaps you have the right idea little creature, it would probably be best to sleep in this situation." With that being said, Ivan closed his eyes and lulled to sleep again...
The night was warm and peaceful for Ivan, but it wasn't for Natalya. That afternoon was one of the worst moments of Natalya's life.
"Where is he?" she asked herself, waiting outside the school for her older brother. The older teen was usually out of the building within ten minutes. Natalya sighed and sifted with almost eagle like vision through the students that passed to see if her brother had gone by. The stream of teenagers slowed, and then she saw a familiar brunette walking out. She didn't like the thought of talking to him, but Toris was her brother's closest friend.
"Toris! Do you know where Ivan is?"
"Uh, no... I thought that was odd too. I thought that maybe he felt sick and left home early."
"Maybe. I'm going to go check on him." As she was about to leave, the taller boy grabbed her by the wrist.
"Wait! I-uh... I will come with you. In case we need help, I can run and get it while you comfort him." He said, unsure if his excuse would work or not. Natalya nodded though, but retracted her wrist and started walking. The dark haired boy followed a few steps behind so as to not bother the younger girl.
He watched her hair, that usually gently swayed with the wind, swing back and forth in a hurried pace. Toris didn't know why, but the hurried motion just made him all the more want to reach out and stroke the soft strands. Her shoulders that stood proud and straight didn't seem different, but Toris could tell that she was stressed. Natalya's shoulder blades were never visible underneath her clothing, but the muscles in that area were tense and prominent. The shoulder blades jutted out in what he would describe as an unnatural way, but he knew he couldn't do anything to comfort her. As much as he wanted to massage them away, he knew that Natalya's heart would always be loyal to Ivan.
It was hard to see her so worried. This wasn't the young woman he was used to seeing. Natalya was a beautiful girl who when no one was looking had a small smile on her face. She moved like a swan, and was just as elegant.
"Come; let's see if he is home." She said; bring Toris out of his thoughts.
They went inside the log house. Natalya immediately went down the only hallway in the house, looking into the bedroom that she and Ivan still shared. The bed was still made, and none of Ivan's books were on the nightstand. She sighed, not liking the situation and checked the other bedroom, the two bathrooms, and the attic. She huffed in every room she checked. Ivan wasn't in any room of the house. Toris stayed in the kitchen, not wanting to crowd and make the young lady uncomfortable. When she returned with a deep frown on her face, the brunette immediately got up.
"Why don't we check the woods? It isn't unusual for him to go on walks." The older boy suggested.
Natalya then turned to the door and ran outside. She was running down the road that leads to their school. She remembered that she never saw Ivan in school, and that he might be in trouble where he stopped to relieve himself. She found the area and kept running.
"Big brother! Ivan!" She shouted. The young girl kept running, snaking around thick brushes of trees and fallen logs. Running mad that she didn't even know that she wasn't moving in a straight line anymore.
"Ivan!" The only sounds she heard were the echoes of her cries. Natalya slumped into the cold ground and gave a heavy sigh. Tears rolled down her cheek.
"Natalya... oh, man... you run very fast..." Toris said, finally catching up to her. He noticed her sadness and knelt down and held her. Natalya didn't care; she needed the affection to comfort her.
"Toris... it's not like him to be gone..." she said in between her tears.
"I know the situation doesn't look good, but remember why you love him. He is a very strong person and it would take a lot for him to be in danger," Toris reassured.
She nodded against his chest and they both decided to return home.
The morning came early for Ivan. It wasn't through his biological clock, but it was because of the little deer that he allowed to sleep by the fire. He felt the rough tongue licking his fingers in his right hand and he smiled lazily. There wasn't anything to do, since he still couldn't escape with his injuries, so Ivan lifted his left arm slowly as to not startle his guest and slowly stroked the top of the animal's head. It was peaceful sitting in the cave. The bitter cold of the morning that was a bother to deal with even in his parents' house was not even noticeable to him in this setting. His company was certainly enjoyable, a nice docile animal that didn't expect anything from him, and the air had the aroma of the trees surrounding them.
"It is amazing; I can see why you can live here peacefully without the need for a town."
There was a rustle from a tree near by that didn't seem important to the Russian young man. He tried to continue petting the little creature next to him, but the deer had tensed up and seemed scared. The next rustle brought out a twitch from the deer, and it began to run.
"Wait, why are you leaving?" Ivan asked, calling out for the deer. The deer immediately stopped, perhaps assured by Ivan's voice that whatever danger it sensed was gone, but soon a wolf struck the deer in the neck. The large gray wolf was probably a little over six feet long, and its golden eyes were hungry. Ivan held his breathe in fright when he saw the powerful animal's eyes on him while he bit into the deer.
The deer gave a soft cry, unable to do anymore than that as the life drained out of it. Soon, three more wolves had their teeth into the deer, trying to rip the herbivore's legs off with their strong jaws. The first leg ripped off was the one with the injured hoof that Ivan had wrapped his gloves around. The blood dirtied the snow, and it reminded him of his sister's death. Her voice was always sweet and he always pictured that their biological mother's voice was similar to Katyusha's. He wasn't remembering her voice but he could actually hear her voice telling him to stay with her in her last moments of life, and he knew that he was going to see death again.
The assault was over and the deer was bleeding to death from the gash in its neck and the wound from its severed leg. Its chest no longer followed the steady beat of its heart that moved up and down. The creature's tanned colored fur and the snow surrounding it was caked with the fresh blood and the only color around the deer was a bright red.
The wolves that killed the deer sat still. They didn't even sniff at the freshly killed deer; in fact, they turned their heads in different directions, as if waiting for something from the sky.
"Thank you my friends, you will be greatly rewarded later with the meat and bones," a strange voice said. Ivan averted his attention from the deer to the source of the voice to see it was an average sized man in deer skin clothing. His hair was the same color as his friend Edward's, a bright sun yellow, but it was wild. Wild not as in filthy, but it seemed to behave in a way as if it had no order to follow. The only thing that was odd was that his eyebrows were dark and thick, but it seemed to fit the unruly and untamed theme of his look. This man although medium in stature wasn't just any normal nomad. His skin was even whiter than snow and milk; it was transparent, similar to how Ivan thought an angel's skin would look like, but an angel didn't have the faded scars on its chest and arms. The Russian teenager noticed upon further inspection that many of the chest that was exposed around the deer skin clothing was covered in teeth and claw marks of different animals. There were the slashes that came from a large bear, the teeth scrapings of wolves, and even the hooves of what appeared to be a large buck, all scattered along his skin, and they were the only things that was dark enough to be compared to the color white that Ivan was used to seeing. The thighs of the powerful man were not seen, for the deer skin covered them, but if they were a similar to the strong calf muscles he possessed, Ivan knew that it would not be wise to challenge him in a fight. It was odd to see a real nomad. They were not anything like the pictures they would give in textbooks, or perhaps this man who an excellent exception.
Ivan's eyes were so transfixed on the man that he didn't notice the pack of wolves getting closer. The man heard their growls and he finally noticed the teenager staring at him. He called them off, his voice now commanding and booming, scaring the animals to the point of them whining like pups. The nomad's only reaction to their fear was a hiss and he walked over to the pale blonde. Ivan stopped any movement.
"The animals may not know the things that humans do, but they have good instincts. They know the smell of something unwanted. But it is not in my nature to judge so quickly. Come with us, we will not kill you for now." His green eyes flashed a serious look, showing Ivan that he wasn't opposed to the idea. His thick eyebrows helped express his dislike for him that he didn't say with words.
"... Okay..." Ivan said. He sounded awkward due to his body shaking. The other man nodded, grabbed the deer, and whistled for the pack of wolves. They obediently followed, not even giving the Russian a second glance. It was hard for Ivan to believe this was happening. Just hours ago he was following his routine and going to school, and now he was joining up on some sort of odd adventure with this stranger who made wolves cower in fear.
A sharp pain stabbed his wrist and he hissed slightly. The stranger stopped.
"If you are hurt, I will ask my oldest son treat your wounds. We have plenty of bandages waiting for us at our cave. If you need assistance, I can carry you."
Ivan blushed. "No! It really isn't necessary. I can walk and I will wait until we meet your son."
"Very well, but you must keep up with my pace. There are others who are not so friendly in this land."
The teenager's hear began to pound from the adrenaline rushing through him.
He couldn't believe this man was a father. When he thought of father, he thought of Mr. Braginski. His father was a strong man, yes, but he didn't have the strength to take on a bear or wolves as this stranger's body seemed to suggest. The schema he had of a father was an older man, who was silent, had weathered skin from long summers of work, and had hair graying at the temples. If this stranger was a father, he never would have suspected that he was a father of a child old enough to treat wounds.
Ivan started to examine the other man more. To his eyes, the man couldn't be older than thirties, unless the man had found something in the wilderness to retain his youth.
"We are here," and Ivan saw that just a couple of feet from them was a large cave that housed several people.
"Hew! This one is injured; please do the best you can with him."
"Yes father." Ivan's eyes bulged a little from shock. He never thought someone with such a timid voice would belong to the son of this man.
A young man, probably Ivan's age came rushing towards him, holding tan colored strips of what appeared to be gauze. He gestured for Ivan to sit at the edge of the cave so that he may wrap his wound. Ivan complied, still in shock. The boy certainly did look similar to the man. He had strawberry blonde hair slightly darker than his father's, though instead of it being wild and unruly, the son's was actually what Ivan would describe as pretty. The soft curly hair that the young man appeared just as soft and well kept as Natalya's, other than for a lone stray hair. His height (which was only maybe an inch shorter than his father) and larger upper arms suggested that he was indeed male, but his legs moved with the grace of a female ballerina. Even when he squatted down to treat Ivan's right wrist, he did it with a fluid motion that almost looked like a dance. His hands that were bandaging the wrist were long and slim, but they put the same amount of pressure that he thought someone with thicker and larger hands would put. The odd human being beside him looked at him with a shy smile and Ivan finally noticed his unique eyes. They went gradually from a dark blue to violet, and he had never seen eyes that had such a variety of colors in them.
"Don't worry, you can trust me."
"No, I trust you. This is just so new to me."
"Well, if you decide to stay with the tribe long enough, things will feel ordinary to you here."
Ivan nodded. The other teen got done bandaging and went toward the inside of the cave, trying to help skin and remove the deer's bones. The Russian decided to observe the group of people, not really knowing what else to do.
The father that he met before was lying on his side, stroking the largest wolf and pressing his face into the thick fur. It was odd to see the intimidating figure show such affection and it was also strange to see it toward an animal that still had some blood around its mouth. Ivan shivered, not wanting to observe anymore and averted his attention to the others. There was the son that he was briefly introduced to who was kneeling with a man and woman who both appeared to be of Asian descent. The Asian man was only slightly shorter than the teenager he met, but his eyes told Ivan that he was probably the a few years older. It wasn't that the Asian appeared old, it was that his eyes looked tired like a person who appeared to have experienced many hard times. Ivan went back to focusing more than the eyes, hoping that he could get rid of the bad feeling he had toward him. The new man's body was leaner and it looked almost hairless. If it weren't for the short hair and the extremely broad shoulders, Ivan might have assumed he was a woman. The Asian man's muscles tensed, and Ivan blushed, even though he didn't know for sure, he believed the man knew he was being watched.
He turned his attention to the girl next to the man. She had a small smile on her face as she was skinning, which made her face much rounder and more friendly. Unlike the Asian companion's, her eyes had enthusiasm and optimism. She looked up from her work to see Ivan watching her and she gave a cute wink before tending to the portion. Her dark brown hair looked similar to Natalya's, except that it was only a little past her shoulders and it had a delicate, foreign pink flower that was tucked on top. Ivan was about to ask where she had obtained such an object, but stopped himself in time.
There were others in what Ivan can clearly call the tribe. There was a large man with pale blonde hair just a shade darker than Ivan's and he had bluish green eyes. He sat, with no expression on his face and he was twirling some of another man's hair. The Russian found it odd but perhaps homosexuality wasn't a new concept that only happened in modern cities. The other man, whose blonde hair was being twirled, was sleeping against the other man, but his sleep didn't seem peaceful. His blonde hair which was almost exactly like Edward's except for the bangs was wet with sweat on his forehead. His pupils seemed to shift around in his sleep, changing his sleep from sometimes looking peaceful to looking miserable, and he was making some soft noises, as if out of annoyance.
"Hey, what are you doing stranger, just spying on us?" a high pitched voice asked. It was a young boy, who looked almost exactly like the father he met. He even had similar eye brows, except they were a dark blonde, almost a light brown.
"Petra, do no bother our guest. He is probably still bothered by his injuries." Another large man said, coming up from behind the boy and throwing the child over his shoulders. All of his features were light, his hair, skin, eyebrows, and even his teeth were whiter than anyone's Ivan had seen. The large muscles barely flexed, even when the little boy, Petra, started squirming and kicking.
"My name is Luwd; I hope this isn't too awkward for you."
Ivan shook his head. "Not at all."
"Mind if I talk to you then?"
It was a boy who looked almost like a perfect twin to the teenage son that bandaged his wrist, but instead, his hair (even the one out of place) was straight. The other difference was that his voice was loud, booming just like his father when the father asserted his authority over the wolves. Though, his sky blue eyes were so inviting that all Ivan did was slowly nod, not wanting to be rude.
"My name is Alf, what is your name?"
"Ivan... Ivan Braginski..."
"You have two names? Well, which one would you prefer I call you?"
Ivan was confused, but then softly smiled at the energetic teenager and answered "I would prefer the name Ivan." It was funny; it was only ten years ago that Ivan didn't have a last name and here in this world. Now that he obtained one, it became useless to him.
"Ivan... that sounds nicer than the other one. I don't think I would even be able to pronounce it well. So, what do you think of us so far?"
"What do I think? Well, I am certainly surprised that I was lucky enough to encounter you people."
"Well, if you're going to stay with us for a while, I might as well tell you everyone else's names. The weirdo who is hugging the wolf is my dad, Art, but he's always been weird, even when mom, Bell, was alive. The guy who bandaged your hand and is skinning is my twin brother Hew. He's really nice, but sometimes he's so quiet that I forget about him. Hahaha!"
Ivan smiled and chuckled a little as well. "Yes, he is rather quiet."
"The dark haired guy next to him is Kiku, and the girl is Mei. They aren't related, but they almost look it, huh? The lovey dovey couple over in the corner is Su and Tino. They are always together, but we don't care as long as it doesn't stop their efficiency as hunters. Then that little kid you met, you can probably guess is my little brother. He doesn't really look like us, but he looks a lot like dad. Dad always says that he can't at least deny that Petra's his. Everyone, well actually I, make fun of Petra for it sometimes but I can't help it. Petra is really fun to pick on. Let's see, who else, well you've already been introduced to Luwd, so the only one you haven't met is Tralo, but he's bathing in the river near by. Usually we're supposed to go in pairs, but Tralo is older than us and he's strong enough to defend himself."
"I see, well, what does he look like?"
"Well, he's tan because he likes to bask in the sun a lot, even when there is a lot of snow during the winter months! He's a really nice guy, and he's easy going. He loves to play games and just be cool. But want to know another thing about him? He wears a bandage on his nose all the time! I asked when I was younger why he wears it, and he just shrugged and said 'In case I break my nose', what a weird guy, huh? Hahahaha, but where are you from? Are you from the town near by?"
"Uh... yes, you know about the town?"
"Oh yeah, it's hard not to notice the smoke and noise that comes out of there. But it never appealed to me. It's great here, living in the cave and roughing it. I'm a real survivor, not like those other people in their little houses and whatnot."
Ivan felt a little hot from the anger slowly coming to the surface. "Oh, you are a real survivor huh?"
"Well yeah, no offense man, but that sprained wrist is probably the worst thing that's happened to you."
"You want to know what the worst thing that happened to me is?" Ivan paused to try to suppress his anger, but it wouldn't stop. "Before I tell that tale, I will tell you the first six years of my life. I lived in a prison; it is similar to a cave with multiple chambers and rooms. The difference is, is that there aren't many openings, and any openings were barred with steal and guarded by men who kept us there. Nobody went to prison because they wanted to, but because we weren't seen as human anymore. Why are we no longer human? We were not a part of the society's vision of normal, so instead of giving us the mercy of a quick death we were locked in there for the rest of our lives. Those openings I told you about, they weren't very large at all. So small, that people killed themselves by banging their head on the wall until they died from heavy bleeding because they were so depressed from being deprived of the sun or any light. Yes, I was a very lucky boy, I was young, and so I was only given ten lashes three times a day. My sister got fifteen, and she got that at least five times a day..."
Ivan wiped the loose tears, and then continued "I never understood why they took her into another room until I grew older. From the time she turned the fourteen, the other guards raped her and any woman who still retained some youthfulness. I remember as a boy trying to sleep, but the high pitched screaming, the sobbing, and the sounds of the slapping of skin was so frightening that I wouldn't be able to sleep until I stayed up for almost four days straight. My fear festered in me in those long four days; those screams frightened me more than the worst howls of any savage animal. Then there was the beatings that other prisoners would give to each other, in order to steal food. It was hard, but Katyusha and I were able to preserve at least half of our food to ourselves. Sometime we gave some to the still children that were still hungry. We both knew it hurt our survival, but it was hard to deny them when they knotted our clothes and begged with such weakness. Do you know what is odd my comrade? Even though I had been born there, I knew the food was bad. Funny how people will eat anything when put in that situation. There was watery soup that was flavored with rotting cabbage and old meat that the society couldn't use anymore. It was a hard life, your right; I am not much of a survivor. I only suffered broken bones, scars that would rip again and bleed, and depression from just the lack of feeling human. My sister was the one who truly suffered and had to worry about much worse ideas. Since she was raped during a time when she was already menstruating, she had to worry about the idea of holding her rapist's baby. Not only that, but worry whether or not that same rapist that raped and impregnated her also raped our mother and got her pregnant both times to produce us. Then if she got pregnant, she must decide whether she must choose me or the child. If she chose me, than she must let the child die alone and rot in the corner. If she chose the child, then they would die together, leaving me alone. Still, even after she endured all that torture... my sister, Katyusha, still had enough strength to put on a brave face for me."
Alf was silent. He didn't know what to say to this stranger's story.
"Now we get to the worst part of my life. When she was sixteen and I was four, the guards had all of a sudden left. We didn't know we were free and we even stayed in our rightful place and acted as normal because that was all we knew. They had broken us down so badly that we were like little animals waiting for our abusive owner to come back. It was only after a full year or so that people actually left. My sister and I decided that now that it has been two years since the guards left, we should be leaving too, and we were lucky to find a closet with the clothes of old prisoners when we were searching for some blankets. When we sorted through the large pile, finding things that would fit us and Katyusha spotted our mother's coat. It was too large for both of us and she decided to use some scissors left behind to cut out a scarf for ourselves. I had the little pink portion while she had the large white scarf that I am wearing right now around my ankle. We were happy. Once we had adorned ourselves in warm clothing, we ventured outside and walked. We were children who never learned of anything other than pain, so we didn't know that the nearest town was over fifteen miles. It was so cold that day, so numbing, but it was so bright. It one my first day truly seeing sunshine in its purest form. For the first couple of hours, I thought it was going to be the best day of my life, but after that, that's when the story gets dark. A blizzard came, and we could barely move. My sister was growing tired and she slumped into the snow. I begged for her to keep going, but she couldn't. She coughed and blood splattered onto the snow. I..." Ivan paused; he couldn't hold back the tears that threatened to fall.
"I knew she was dying... but I... I couldn't do anything. We shouldn't have left that day. We lived in a prison all our lives, we didn't know much about the weather and seasons other than what the older prisoners have taught us. She held me, gave me love even as she was slowing ascending to heaven. I lost the only thing that I loved that day... and I never loved another thing in the world more than her. To do so is a betrayal to everything she has given me. Please, tell me again comrade that I had not suffered, had not survived, and had no hardships. Please, I wish for a good joke."
"Man, why do you have to take things so seriously? I didn't mean it like that!"
"Than tell me! Tell me how you mean it?"
"I... look, just forget it! Go back to your town!"
"I will! I will do anything if it means I could forget your existence!" Ivan's eyes were filled with fire. He never hated someone so much that his body ached...
End of Chapter 2
Wow, Ivan's story is sad! O_O I mean, not as scary as Bloody Sunday, but from a human viewpoint pretty dang bad.
Well, how fun. The two people who make up the main fanfic pairing don't get along. But that's Russia and America for you.