Carrying the weight of her two brother nations, Espiranza took the two blondes back to America. Alfred's house was stuck in between all three siblings' homes, so it made it easier for everyone to leave once they had awakened.

Nevertheless, the meeting had been in Germany, so it was quite a fair distance from Alfred's home. The now exhausted Mexican girl opened the door and practically dropped both brothers onto the same couch. They crumpled together, breathing slow and heavy.

Espiranza gasped, falling into a soft lazyboy of her own, pulling her large satchel onto her lap. As she began to grope the inside, she smiled internally, thinking about how the larger nation had looked at her. Must've been hilarious seeing a girl carrying two large countries on her shoulders. She grabbed a tiny vial of clear liquid and closed her bag. Walking over to Alfred, she waved the now open vial under his nose, allowing for an even harsher smell than the tranquilizer to waft into his nostrils and thus awakening him. He sat up as if alarmed and watched as his sister did the same to Matthew.

Like his brother, Matthew looked around, eyes wide and furious as he searched and soon found his brother. Matthew grabbed his brother by the shoulders and continued to yell at the now confused man. "You're such a dick, Alfred!" Matthew shook him firmly as Alfred flopped in his brother's grasp. "You're playing the fucking hero and ruining my life to pursue you're pathetic obsessions!"

Espiranza pulled Matthew off of Alfred who, clearly hadn't fully gotten over the poison. The still pissed Canadian attempted to shrug the girl and he hissed at her. "Ne me touche pas, la crasse!" {Don't touch me, filth!}

She flinched but held on to him, tightening her grip on her brother. "Brother, calm down." Espiranza firmly ordered Matthew as she held him back.

Matthew struggled against the strength of the nation holding him. "You are not my sister!" The piercing statement startled the Mexican and he managed to get free, standing up hastily in front of her.

Espiranza's heart ached as she stood in front of the glowering blonde. In a huff, He turned and left. Matthew was red in the face as he stormed out of the house, slamming the door as he left for his country.

Taking a quick breath, the now gloomy girl went over to her still delirious brother. Alfred was barely sitting up on the couch, bracing himself on the arm with his head cocked to his side, looking questioningly at Espiranza.

"Matthew's still upset, Al." She walked over to her brother and helped him sit up completely. She patted his hands as she looked at him soothingly.

Although he couldn't move so well, Alfred could still speak coherently. "I know, but it's his fault." He looked to his sister who faced the ground solemnly. Alfred sighed. "He didn't mean it, Espi. You know that." He managed to flop an arm over her shoulder in an attempt to console her. "He's just sexually frustrated and needs to take it out on someone." Alfred began to flex his hands as he slowly began to regain full control of his extremities. Satisfied of his control, he squeezed the shoulder of his hurt sister, again trying to relax her.

With her hair falling over her face to cover her glazed over eyes, she stood up and began to head out. "You will be fine in a matter of minutes, mi hermano {my brother}. I'm going back to my home." She picked up her satchel as she headed for the door. "Nos vemos más tarde." { See you later. }

"Espiranza!" Alfred called out to his sister. "He really didn't mean it, ya' know."

She turned and smiled at her brother as she let herself out.


A week had gone by before Matthew returned to America to see his brother where he was greeted by an expected hug from above. Alfred had apologized to his Matthew for reacting negatively to his brother's choice in companions. Alfred never wanted to upset Matthew, but only hoped to protect him from someone known to be vainly irregular. He told himself this but really, he just didn't like the fact that the Prussian had five meters. Matthew accepted his brother's apology not only for the new-found freedom he had received for sticking up for himself, but Matthew needed someone to wipe the ice with in the coming hockey season.

Despite the seemingly happy reunion of the brothers, Alfred's questions did not relent when it came to Espiranza. He demanded that Matthew apologized to her as soon as possible. The Canadian reluctantly agreed, fearing how his sister would react to his request of forgiveness. She had stopped the fight, spared all three of the guys from becoming severely injured, and ensured that both himself and Alfred had returned home (Prussia was in his own country and the poison only last for a day max, thus, she had no need for his concern). Espiranza deserved a big 'thank you' from the both of them and especially from her younger brother for keeping the Prussian safe from Alfred. Instead, she was met with insults that ripped open her heart.

They had been searching for her for the entirety of the week that followed their reunion. She had not been in her own country and was nowhere in either of theirs.

A haze of guilt followed Matthew as he searched for his sister. Why had I said that? She didn't deserve it.

Un rat jungle sales mérite d'être chassées . {A filthy jungle rat deserves to be hunted. }

She's my sister, internally yelling at the country inside him. Canada did not care for Espiranza the same way that Matthew did. It was the snippity French influence on him that made Canada hate the so-called 'uncivilized collection of failures'. That, and Matthew still could not control his inner country as well as either of his siblings. This was probably a result of him being forgotten so often. Regardless of what his inner country told him, Matthew relentlessly searched for his only sister, only prepared to stop for the next upcoming World Meeting…


Espiranza hopped onto the train, flashing a man her ticket and a smile before finding a seat to sit in. She had traveled back to Germany to make sure that Gilbert had recovered safely from her little concoction. Although all traces and symptoms should've been long gone, she still went back in fear that he had a unique reaction to it. She had shown up to Ludwig's house, dressed in warm jeans and a thick peat coat jacket. She had knocked on the door to the two brothers' home where Feliciano, a small Italian that had an affinity for the brutish German, opened the door and let her in. He happily showed her to where Gilbert was lying, slightly salivating on his own shirt as he flipped through channel to watch on tv.

"So when did he wake up?" Espiranza asked Feliciano as she took off her coat and threw it on the opposite side of the sofa that was occupied by Gilbert.

"Ve~ about four hours ago I think." He shrugged and began to play with a nearby gray cat that had a ribbon of black, red, and yellow tied around its neck.

It's a good thing I came here right after going to Alfred's. She had a flashback of what had happened and what Canada and Matthew had both said. She felt nauseous for a brief second and then focused back to Gilbert who still had half of his mouth sagging at the corner.

His whole face could've been paralyzed if I had shown up later. She walked over to the Prussian that didn't notice her until she sat down next to him. "Hola, Gilbert." She said suavely.

He glanced over to her and then back to the tv. "Hello, American pet." He didn't look at her as a glob of saliva ran down his cheek. He didn't even notice.

The Hispanic girl shuddered. That's so gross. She felt through her satchel again and grabbed a small tube of some reddish goo. After a quick inspection, she put her bag aside and turned back to Gilbert.

Feliciano watched curiously as she squeezed some of the substance out of the tube and put it on her finger. It smelled of spice and fruit, but it was unknown to the Italian what exactly.

"Gilbert, I need you to let me put this on your mouth." Her request seemed to go unheard before the albino grunted in approval. She put the red gel at the corner of the man's mouth and spread over his cheek as gently as she could. She flinched at her touch but relaxed again when she was finished applying her treatment. He wiped off whatever remained of the red gel onto her jeans as she sat back slightly. "There! Now the poison won't spread and paralyze the rest of your face!" She smiled at her and he looked at her with a baffled expression that made his now half red and half sagging face look even more ridiculous.

"Weren't you the one who did this?" He asked as if he truly didn't remember the girl swiftly stabbing him and knocking him out.

"No." She stated. There was no need for her abilities to be known, let alone someone who was already close to her

"But you were there with Mattie and his unawesome brother." He scratched his head, attempting to remember the previous night.

Ludwig walked in at that moment and after a glance at his silly looking brother, and the normally stoic German busted out laughing. "Mein Gott, brüder, You look even worse!" Ludwig continued to laugh, clutching his side and bending over when breathing became a struggle.

Gilbert waved him away," You're just jealous that you can't look and smell this awesome after getting some from a totally cute blonde!" He stretched out on the couch and recovered the remote, resuming his channel surfing.

"Technically, brüder, you got your face pummeled instead." Ludwig straightened up as he correct Gilbert.

Gilbert scoffed as Espiranza smiled at both of them. Though she had just seen them, she missed both Matthew and Alfred. Everything will work out. She told herself.

Getting up, she grabbed her satchel and her coat. "I'll just be going now. Gilbert'll be better in a few minutes." She began to let herself out when she was hugged by Feliciano. "arrivederci! Ve~!"

Ludwig walked over as the Italian released the Mexican. "I really do appreciate what you've done for mein brüder." He gripped her hand firmly and released it.

"It really was no trouble." She smiled sweetly as she let herself out, back into the cold European weather.

Where to go now. Without really a plan, Espiranza had returned to Europe and now that she knew that Gilbert would recover, she thought that she might as well look around.


"General Winter is coming." Ivan looked out his window seeing a sky, chalky and gray. He sighed; no doubt the General would be harsher this year than the previous. Ivan continued to stare off into the fields of his country, bored and lonely.

Toris found Russia staring out the window and timidly redirected the Russians attention. "S-sir. Dinner is prepared." He rubbed his hands together as he waited for his master to respond.

"Da. I'll be down in a moment, Litva." Toris scurried away as Ivan slowly got up.

He began down the stairs to the dining room, but instead, Ivan grabbed his old black coat from his Soviet days and left his house inconspicuously.