Canada was awake and decided to make a phone call. He took a deep breath to control his worrisome brain and began to dial the phone. He kept the receiver close to his ear and was anxiously waiting for Cuba to answer. Canada tapped his right foot continuously in agitation, feeling restless as the dial tone kept ringing. His face filled with worry as his mind worked over-time to think of the infinite negative situations Cuba might be in. Canada sighed and put the receiver down upon hearing Cuba's voicemail. "Please Cuba...I hope you're okay," was Canada's lingering thought that made him frown.

Kumajirou was beside him and nudged him with his left paw while looking curiously at his owner. Canada looked down to see the bear's coal-black eyes stare at him.

"Who?" was the bear's response. Canada sighed, thinking back to his earlier predicament.

"Cuba, my friend. He's sick and I tried to reach him...but he didn't answer any of my phone calls." Canada bent down to pat his bear in an attempt to quell the sense of dread in his heart. Kumajirou nuzzled closer to his owner.

"Ohh...maybe he's busy," the pet suggested, and Canada showed a tiny smile, trying to convince himself that he worried too much.

"Maybe you're right Kumabara..." Canada went to his desk to check his day planner to confirm that he had another world meeting to attend. "I will probably see him at the meeting, or afterwards, if he is feeling better, I'll stop by and see him."

Kumajirou ignored him and said, "Hungry." Canada scoffed his bear's attitude but gave in anyway. He was also famished; he had been so distracted with trying to contact Cuba early in the morning that he had disregard his own bear's needs.

"Ok." Canada went to the kitchen to grab some fish for his bear and brought it to him. The bear ate happily without complaint. Canada decided to get ready for the meeting. It was a long drive to get to the Venetian Hotel (it was the same building where the meeting had taken place last time). Germany was hosting this meeting and he did not want to arrive late; a pissed-off Germany was not something he wanted to encounter.

Canada went to get himself ready with the usual morning routine: having a shower, eating some pancakes, getting his meeting notes ready. He later picked up Kumajirou, who asked who he was again. Canada replied, "I'm Canada." Kumajirou shrugged and stayed silent for the rest of the journey. Canada tried to focus on his driving, but something in the back of his mind was nagging him that something wasn't right. He convinced himself that Cuba was recuperating and all would be well. Canada continued to drive, shaking his doubts away.

After forty-five minutes of travelling, Canada arrived and he and Kumajirou entered the building. He headed upstairs to the second floor, where he saw some of the nations enter. He followed suit and managed to find a seat. He later scanned the room to see most of the European countries. Canada looked around to find Cuba, but to no avail: he was not here. Canada's heart dropped and he did his best to distract his thoughts.

The seconds passed by and Canada's worry increased as more countries filled the room. America, France and England arrived together (which was never a good thing). The trio indulged in another heated chat and it made some of the other countries disturbed and the rest slightly annoyed, especially the Asian countries. Canada scanned the room to see Russia feeling extremely uncomfortable with Belarus clinging on his right arm. His face pleaded for aid, but he stayed still. Ukraine sat beside his left side and she teared up whenever her sister had those 'attachment issues': she tried to help out Russia, but she was too scared of what Belarus was capable of doing if angered. The Baltics were very anxious due to the Russian's state of discomfort, which brought tension into the meeting room. Most nations would observe the situation but wouldn't interfere, seeing as it was not their problem, and carried on with their own personal matters.

Canada had an empathic look for Russia and felt sympathetic for the Siberian nation's plight. He had his fair share of overly attached siblings' issues and their involvement in every aspect of his life. Canada's head turned in the direction of the doorway. His hopes were crushed when his eyes caught sight of Germany, looking primp and proper as always with a serious look on his face.

Germany waltzed into the meeting room and stood in front of the nations. All eyes were on the German and he cleared his throat.

"We will now commence the meeting: dealing with the issue of world hunger," Germany announced loudly in a strict tone, and this made the countries' attention shift towards the German. He was about start his opening speech when he heard a loud blood-curling scream that startled the nations. Kumajirou, startled, hid under the table, and Canada felt his shoulders tense up. The rest of the countries had perplexed and shocked looks on their faces, wondering what had happened.

"What the bloody hell was that?" England said as he rose from his seat.

"It sounded like a woman screaming," France answered with a concerned look on his face.

"Veee Germany, I'm scared!" Italy cried out and grabbed the German's arm in fright. The man had an irritated look on his face, but it masked his unease.

"It sounded like it came from across the hall," Canada said, but most nations did not notice. Canada sighed and tried to get his bear to come out from his hiding place, but couldn't.

"As the hero, I think I should investigate the cause," America stated with a smirk as he tried to exit the room. England noticed this and followed suit. Germany decided it was a good idea to discover what when wrong and followed also. Most countries exited the room to find out the source of the sound. Canada felt his stomach twist in painful knots as he thought back to his sense of dread from earlier. He decided it was a good idea to leave his bear there; in case it was something dangerous, he knew that his bear was safe from harm.

Canada trailed behind the countries, with Germany in the lead followed by America, England, and France. The feelings of dread intensified as he walked farther; he was so lost in thought that he was unaware of an albino's presence.

"Birdie!" Gilbert greeted and slung his arm around the Canadian. It took a few moments for Canada to register his friend.

"Hi Gilbert...did you hear the scream?" Canada asked, seeing how he had not seen the albino present in the room. Gilbert just laughed, stating how he was too awesome for the meeting! Canada decoded that he was running late, but agreed anyway.

Gilbert noticed the tension of the countries as they approached Cuba's room. Germany was leading the group and saw a strawberry-blonde haired maid crying on the floor. Germany noticed the distress the maid was in and asked what had happened.

The maid was too stressed out, but she managed to say few words through her sobbing:

"Dead body..."

All the nations paled at the information, and with a sense of urgency, Germany dashed into Cuba's room, followed by America, Prussia, England, France, Canada, and Russia. The rest of the nations stayed at the hallway; they were already feeling on edge and some were scared at the development. Germany looked around the living room and confirmed that he was not there. Germany motioned America, who was looking serious, to check the rooms. The team members went to different areas to look for Cuba. England and France checked the master bedroom while America explored the kitchen. Soon, Germany went to the balcony to find nothing, and Russia checked the second room and the hallway: he was unsuccessful. Canada's stomach twisted harder as he approached the washroom door. He opened it slowly to a horrific sight which made him scream.

This cued the rest of the nations to head to the bathroom, and their faces showed shock at the sight:

Cuba's dead body tied up, cranium smashed, and slashes everywhere on his skin.

Germany was appalled at the sight and tried his best to look away. America, England and France had shocked looks of disgust and fear blended together. Prussia cursed and scowled at the sight and sneaked a look on Canada to see his pale face. Germany took a few seconds to collect his thoughts and decided to send someone to command the rest of the nations to head back to the meeting room. He knew that if the others saw this, chaos would be unleashed, and it wouldn't be a good idea to spread paranoia.

America saw the German's stress and decided to take action. He exited the room to complete the German's indirect request.

France decided to comfort the maid and tell her to recount what she had seen, thinking it might give him a clue to what had happened. He hurriedly left the room to get away from the horrible scene.

Canada stayed motionless, and his eyes stung with tears that wanted to pour down his face. He was in denial: Cuba was sick...how did he end up dead in his own bathroom? Canada just ran, and went to the nearest washroom to vomit. His heart couldn't bear the sight of seeing his friend mutilated and tortured to a limp body. Gilbert saw this and tried to run after him, leaving Russia and Germany alone in the bathroom.

Russia, with his serious look, was beside Germany, and both males looked at each other, cuing Russia to hide the body for now. He nodded and exited the room to look for a body bag to cover the body–but first he decided to look for Canada, just to see if he was okay. He whistled a tune to keep himself preoccupied while he searched for him.

Germany took a few more seconds to stare at the deceased nation and cursed to himself, "Mein Gott."

Germany swiftly left and was now faced with more questions and few answers for the countries awaiting him. He stood and waited for France to finished his talk with the maid. He walked towards the stoic man and had a disappointed look on his face. Both European countries decided to walk and talk to get the details of what had happened.

"I have spoken to the fair maiden and she saw...Cuba like this," France said with a frown that showed how deeply troubled he was with this.

"I see...I think it is best not to let the rest of the countries know about this."

France gasped at this and replied back, "Mon Dieu...are you sure this is a good idea?"

Germany explained with a scowl, "I know it is not the best option..but we must get the bottom of the situation before it gets out of hand."

France understood this, seeing how it could unnecessarily panic the rest of the nations. "So we must come up with a different story for now, no?" France did not sound too happy about deceiving the nations, but it was best not to let them know.

"Ja," Germany said as both males faced the door. He took a deep breath and strode confidently into the room.

Meanwhile at the washroom in a nearby room

Canada had just finished puking and tried his best to clean up the mess. He was unable to do so because Cuba's dead body kept popping up in his mind as it replayed the scene over in a never-ending loop. Canada wanted to cry just to let his anguish end. His heart was filled with fear; he was scared that this wouldn't stop and that perhaps there was a killer on the loose. At that thought, Canada collapsed on the floor and sobbed uncontrollably, already feeling regrets wash over him. He wanted to see Cuba and hang out for ice cream. He was unaware of a certain Russian's entrance to the bathroom, and his childish voice echoed in the room.

"Canada? Are you here?"

Russia sounded so concerned that Canada weakly answered while trying to wipe away his tears, "I'm here."

Russia noticed the Canadian sprawled on the floor. He helped him into a sitting position and sat beside him. Canada hid his face in an attempt to hide his pathetic self. Russia saw this and spoke again, making Canada face him.

"Are you okay, Comrade? You ran out of the room," Russia asked, flashing a concerned look so that Canada could see his sincerity. Canada tried to wipe away his tears and tried to calm himself. He stuttered out as best as he could, "No...I'm not. Cuba was my friend and he's dead," Canada sniffed out.

Russia saw his friend's fragile state and attempted to sling his arm around him to bring him close. Canada 'eeped' at the close contact, but he was still distraught by everything that had happened. He said to himself, "Why? Why Cuba?"

Russia petted him, trying to calm him with his soothing words, "I do not know, little one...I will do everything in my power to make sure this does not happen again."

Canada felt a bit better at hearing the Russian's promise. He hated death and always tried to promote peace. His kind, gentle soul could not withstand the blow of Cuba's death, and Russia took this as sign to embrace the younger male. Canada, vulnerable and emotional, felt a bit embarrassed about being comforted by a scary nation like Russia. He felt his cheeks heat up at how secure he felt in his arms. He tried his best to stay strong and not to show tears in the presence of the Siberian. Russia's amethyst eyes met Canada's lilacs and he felt exposed. He tried to look away, but Russia's gaze held him in a trance that made him immobile.

Canada lowered his head to his chest, feeling his heartbeat. His mind thought back to his family members. His eyes began to water, thinking about how England, America and France forgot about his existence and wouldn't care much for his friendship. America didn't like Cuba, and his former caretakers would forget about his death in a few days. They did not realize that Canada was Cuba's only good friend.

"Now that he's gone...I'm finally alone," the Canadian thought bitterly; he really needed a shoulder to lean on in this tragic moment of his life. Russia was petting his hair and cooed to him,"There Canada, just cry."

Canada did so while holding onto Russia, unaware of Russia's twisted smile on his face. They continued to stay there until Canada was ready to leave, or at least composed himself to be able to face everyone else. Russia could come back later to dispose of the body; he had much bigger plans for Canada.

Back in the meeting room

"It has come to our attention that there has been an issue, but we as the G8 will get the situation under control," Germany stated, and some of the nations didn't look too convinced but were afraid to voice their opinion.

"Ahaha! The Hero will save the day!" America said with his finger pointed in the air as an attempt to lower the tension in the room. Most of the nations stayed silent, already sighing that America would do more harm than good.

"What did happen, aru?" China said aloud; he was curious to know. "We heard one of the staff members scream, and you didn't explain the reason for it." This brought some curious nods and puzzled looks from the Asian nations. The rest of the European countries were still on edge or stayed quiet, still listening on for more details. This made Germany uneasy, but his face stayed composed.

"Ja, it was a misunderstanding. The maid screamed due to an incident relating to some matter involving a person. But it has been cleared." Germany looked at France and cleared his throat to coax the other to speak.

"Oui...she just saw one of my kinky sexy parties in that room...Most of the people in there were drunk from last night," the Frenchman lied, and most of the nations bought it. They knew from France's parties...Well, it was traumatizing to say the least. France was telling a half-lie; the location was true, but the nations did not need to know that.

Germany then took notice of China's silence and assumed that he was satisfied with the answer.

Germany proceed to continue the meeting, knowing well that he had to schedule a G8 meeting tomorrow to discuss this issue.

America stood up from his seat and said with an amused tone, "Well then, I have a great plan to end world hunger: we should open a McDonald's in every city in the world!"

England, who was sitting in his seat with a scowl on his face, was irritated at the idiotic plan and barked back, "That is just bollocks! How the bloody hell with that solve anything?" England stood up, glaring at the happy-go lucky nations who laughed at the remark. France then commented on their stupidity. This made the noise level in the room increase, as well as Germany's blood pressure.

The rest of the nations either supplied their input or resumed their regular activities. Germany sighed in relief that they had managed to avoid spreading the fear into the rest of the countries. He could focus on the meeting at hand. None of the other nations noticed Canada, Russia or Prussia disappear from the room, as they were much too busy in their own petty squabbles.

Meanwhile in the hallway

The albino looked high and low for Canada. He was unsuccessful and growled at his failure. He decided to head back to the meeting room to speak with West about the Cuba Incident. His legs carried him unknowingly to Cuba's room. The feeling in his stomach and his sense of adventure drew him into the washroom where the carcass lay, looking grotesque and pitiful. Prussia stared at the body, feeling terrible at his tragic end; Cuba was only an acquaintance and he didn't know him well enough. He regretted not being his friend and sharing his awesomeness.

He knew Cuba through Canada, and the thought of the Canadian made him curse out, "Shiza! Birdie must be affected by his death."

The albino was about to depart until something caught his eye. He approached the bathtub and leaned closer so that he smelt the rotten odour emitted from the cadaver. He held his breath for a few seconds to notice the multiple knife scars scattered on his skin. Prussia leaned back after feeling a wave of nausea, but also a terrible flashback played in his mind.

He started to panic at the thought. "Why did this seem strangely familiar?" Prussia pondered, thinking back to the times when he suffered this sick torture.

Prussia took a second to push the sleeves of his right arm up to reveal the same the same wounds. His crimson eyes widen in disbelief, but his gut screamed out that something was wrong. This was done by someone and it was intentional. The albino pulled the sleeve down to hide the scars and his eyebrows scrunched together in frustration; Prussia had a clue to who it could it be...but for now he needed to look for more clues to confirm his suspicions. Prussia left quickly and now focused on his search for Canada.

Prussia dashed out of the room and entered the hallway. He jogged straight ahead with a worried look on his face.

It took a few minutes of running down the hallway to bump into the person he was looking for. He was glad that he was able to find Canada. He was about to call out to him and waved his arm out to draw his attention.

He smiled at seeing Canada...and who was with him. "Fuck," the albino cursed and approached the Canadian, who had a curious look on his face. Russia was with him, with his creepy smile as usual.

"Gilbert?" Canada said, a bit surprised to see his friend.

Prussia replied with a smirk, "Miss the awesome me, didn't you?" Canada sighed again; he was so used to his friend's ego that it became humorous and meaningless. Prussia continued to smirk and asked, "Are you okay though...about Cuba...?" Prussia couldn't complete his sentence; seeing Canada's hurt face provided the answer. Canada explained with a small smile, "I wasn't, but thanks to Russia I'm okay...I'll deal with it somehow." Canada looked at Russia, who showed him an expression that made Prussia feel jealous.

Russia said to Canada with a closed-eye grin, "Da...anytime, Comrade." Prussia was pissed at how close the two arctic nations had become and decided to do something about it.

"Let's go back to the meeting...West is expecting us!" Prussia said as he grabbed Canada's arm and began to drag the Canadian far away from the creep.

Before Canada left, Russia leaned towards Canada's left ear, away from Prussia so he couldn't overhear what he said. He slipped a piece of paper in Canada's parka pocket that was hidden from the albino's view.

"If you need to talk, come to me in my room." Canada eyes widened at the idea and he muttered out a 'thank you'. Russia nodded and left the two nations.

Prussia's crimson eyes narrowed in furry at the bold attempt by the Russian. He even saw that shit-eating grin plastered on his ugly face, evident contempt for the ex-nation. This only made his grip on the Canadian tighter, which made the younger boy to speak out, "Gil...you're hurting me."

Prussia realized how tight his hold was and muttered out an apology, still feeling the burn of defeat.

The duo arrived at the meeting, but luckily for the Canadian, he was invisible so he was able to sneak back into his seat. Prussia got yelled at by his brother for being tardy. The Prussian ignored it and said he was too awesome for this meeting, but nevertheless, he sat down on his seat. Germany was halfway done with the meeting and now was discussing oil prices.

Canada saw his bear sitting in his seat and thought to himself, "Of course nobody recognized me." Canada sighed and picked up his bear to hold on to him. Kumajirou said, looking at him, "Who?" Canada replied, "I'm Canada."

America made an announcement of another stupid, outrageous plan, and soon chaos erupted as always.

Canada went into his pocket to find a piece of paper. Puzzled at the find, he scanned the contents of the paper to see a room number on it. His mind went back to Russia's words and he felt his face warm up at the offer.

Canada looked across the room to see Prussia annoying Austria and laughing without a care. He thought to himself, "Why was Prussia acting so mean towards Russia?...Russia was very kind to me...he doesn't need protect me." Canada slipped the piece of paper back and he decided that after the meeting he would meet Russia.

In Cuba's room

Russia was in front of the dead body. He was supposed to dispose of the body and he didn't want to get his hands dirty. "Why do I make such a mess of things...?" Russia chastised himself as he picked up some garbage bags and a knife. "It brings me pleasure smile to see their fear on their stupid faces."

Russia knew that the garbage bags couldn't hold all of the Cuban's body, so he decided to cut up the body into whole parts. It took forty-five minutes to cleanly remove Cuba's limbs from his body. Russia tried his best to keep his coat and scarf stain-free. He managed to make four medium sized bags. Satisfaction showed on his face at a job well-done; he carried the bags and threw them down the garbage chute. He could have gone back to the meeting, but he knew that it would be unproductive as always. He had an excuse, seeing how Germany had ordered him to remove the body.

He headed back to his room to think of a plan to kill Kumajirou and to prepare for his visit with Canada.

"I will be expecting..." Russia said to himself with a small grin.

A/N: Originally I wanted to kill Kumajirou in this chapter but I found out that I couldn't ..yet (I love Kuma so much). I decided not to do another gory death until whenever or until I think up some better plan for Ivan to succeed in. At least you get to enjoy some angst and some jealous feels from Prussia. I was surprised by the reviews that stated they were sad about America being on the list/or how was Russia going to kill him...it made me think..so nobody cares about the rest of the people eh? *thinks evil thoughts*

Reviews are greatly appreciated.