He spotted his friend just as he left the room in which the meeting had been held. Frankly, it was quite easy when his friend was a bit taller than most and had white hair.
«Gilbert! » Matthew called, trying to get the albino's attention.
«Birdie? » he said, a bit surprised. He waited for his friend to get to him.
«I didn't see you at the meeting. I thought you'd try to sneak in. » The Canadian explained, earning a frown from the ex-nation, Prussia.
«I TRIED, but West is a total joykiller. After my awesome ninja self snuck in the surveillance room, he tightened the security in the building and I couldn't get in. Well, without attacking the guards that is, but I didn't felt like doing that. »
«So noble of you, Gilbert. » Matthew rolled his eyes in contempt. Why did he have a best friend that sounded just like his brother?
«You bet! So, how boring was the meeting? » Gilbert asked, noticing the strange expression on his friend's face.
«I thought it was a bit… interesting. » His eyes went to the ground. «China explained what was the most likely to happen because of Afghanistan's death. »
«Which is? »
«Well, mostly it was about the big instability that was bound to happen. We voted on a motion to assure the stability of the country until things returned to normal. » There was no need for Gilbert to see his face to know that Matthew was deeply affected by what had happened.
«Matthew… » he whispered, concerned.
«Oh, there was also some other things that were pretty important. » The Canadian's head shot up a bit too fast to seem natural. «For example, he said that a nation cannot die at the hands of a normal human. The wounds, no matter how severe, would heal up with time. Also, if nothing too drastic in Afghanistan, then he might get reincarnated one day. »
Gilbert put his arm on Matthew's shoulder, causing the poor guy to freeze. The albino's eyes felt like they were piercing right through his mask.
«You always sucked when it came to lying or being sneaky, Birdie. Why don't you just tell my awesome self the truth? »
Maple, even the way they grinned was somewhat similar. To think that he used to have a crush on that guy… thinking about it under this angle suddenly sounded so messed up…
«Birdie? Why are you turning green? » Prussia asked, completely confused. One second he looked whiter than a mime, the other he looked greener than a bush. Had he taken a lesson in camouflage with a chameleon or something?
«Oh! Hum… » Matthew returned to the conversation. Now, to think of a convincing reason… «It's just that I ate too many pancakes before the meeting. »
«Pancakes… you say that YOU, Matthew Williams, the guy that turned pancakes into the greatest dish ever, ate too many pancakes? » the albino repeated, an eyebrow raised at the improbable explanation.
«…with maple syrup… lots of it… » the Canadian added lamely, blushing more and more by the second. Perhaps if he attained a red of unprecedented intensity he could escape Gilbert for some reason…
Not very likely.
Maple! Why did his friend liked to see him blushing like that so much? It was like that every time Matthew had struggled to come up with a believable lie. He'd say something extremely unlikely, Gilbert would instantly notice the weird things in the lie, he would blush until there was no blood in his body other than in his face and he'd wait for Gilbert to press the issue until he gave in.
«Birdie… »
Here it comes…
«You've gotta make me that many pancakes! » Prussia loudly exclaimed, completely taking Matthew by surprise.
«Eh? » the Canadian muttered, eying his now enthusiastic friend with caution.
«Canada got sick on pancakes. I've got to eat that much and be just fine… no, I've got to eat more and be top shape! It'll be another display of my awesomeness! »
Rolling his eyes, he started walking again, followed by an overly excited Prussia. Without looking carefully, it was impossible to notice Matthew's secretly pleased expression, nor the glitter of worry in Gilbert's eyes.
«Iggy? What do you want? »
For a moment, England stayed silent, carefully eying two of the nations he raised like a father. His eyes stone hard, he merely observed Alfred's behaviour, trying to catch something out of the ordinary.
«Alfred, we need to talk now. »
«Yeah, I got that the first time, old man. No need to repeat yourself. » America puffed, rolling his eyes.
The fact that Arthur didn't even flinch tipped them off that it was a situation of the utmost serious.
«This is not the time, Alfred. I'm worried about how this whole mess might unfold. »
«Aw, come on, Iggy! I'm the Hero, it's not like anything bad could really happen. » the American shrugged it off. «I mean, sure, they all think that I did it, everyone always blame the good guy first, but, hey, I'll pull through. »
«And how do you plan that? » Arthur snapped.
Alfred honestly seemed taken aback by the question, as if he hadn't even considered it. Under both Australia's and England's stunned gaze, he stroke his chin in a pensive gesture.
«I don't know. I'll think of something later. » And just with that, he gave them a demonstration of his characteristic «Hero laugh».
The images of the killer superposed themselves with Alfred's silhouette in their minds, matching to the last detail.
A shiver run down their spine. It… there was no way it could be true… right?
For a moment, Jack shot a worried look at the chain that was linking him to Alfred. Suddenly, it didn't appear to him like it was made to prevent America from escaping anymore…
«You guys are way too worried. I'm telling you it'll be alright. » the North American said, flashing them his famous grin. After all, what better way to comfort others than showing them your shiny teeth?
«B-Bloody yank! » Arthur stuttered, to his great embarrassment. Him? Afraid of the stupid American? That was just a bad joke, no matter what France or Whales would say. «It won't be alright! What part of being suspected of murdering someone do you not understand? » At this point, the older nation really look just about ready to lunge at America and forcefully make the idea enter the empty void that was his brain.
Alright, just like all the heroes out there, he was a patient man. However, there were some limits that Iggy was about to cross. Annoyed like rarely before, he glared at the man who raised him.
«I'm Alfred F. Jones, the United States of America. You're all just guests in my territory; don't even suggest that someone can stand up to me here. » he said, his voice low enough to make them shiver.
«Alfred… » Jack whispered, feeling a storm coming.
Boy was he right.
«ENOUGH! This is not a game, you fool! No one can stand up to you? You got a broken nose the last time you faced Russia! And we're not talking about facing one person, if you're found guilty, everyone will work together to put you into custody! » Arthur shouted, unable to contain his anger anymore. How hard-headed could the foolish boy be? At this point, it was pure denial. How to make someone who closes his eyes see the light?
Both nations stared at each other, an oppressive silence taking place between them.
Until England decided to break it.
«Alfred, I want you to tell me why you did it. » he said, his voice perfectly neutral.
Jack gasped. What did he just say? Did… did he seriously asked how Alfred had killed Afghanistan?
He felt a strong tension on his wrists, where the handcuff was linking him to Alfred. Now, he was no coward, but he'd much rather close his eyes than see the guy he considered kind of like a brother jump at the man who brought them up. Unfortunately, thanks to a certain someone who's mere name was making him shake up in indignation for the moment, he was supposed to deal with it.
Too bad Alfred was way too angry to give Jack enough time to prepare.
Arthur knew what was coming, but still couldn't do anything in time to protect himself. He was slammed to the ground with strength out of this world. Stars danced in his field of vision as the nation he brought up was screaming at him.
«I DID NOT KILL AFGHANISTAN! I'M NOT A MURDERER! » The North American yelled at the top of his lungs. However, that much was not impressive enough to make England worry, his eyes however…
It was something dark. The gentleman had banished those memories from his mind for as long as he could remember. He had mostly succeeded if one excluded the times he indulged into his drinking habits.
How long had it been since England had seen America's «darkness» ?
For a person as cheerful as him, there certainly was something equally terrifying beneath all this joyful demeanour. No nations was truly white or black, there was a middle ground that they were sharing.
Wartime was usually when the «black» in them was revealed. Surely enough, it was when they faced each other in war that England had to deal with his former colony's darkness.
And here it was, coming back at a simple suggestion. One could only wonder…
«I want you to tell me the truth, Alfred. » England said.
Something snapped. For as evident as it was, they might as well have heard a loud cracking noise.
Alfred raised his fist, preparing to beat the crap out of the Englishman.
His arms was twisted behind his back in a manner that he would not have expected. Since when was Australia that skilled with a handcuffed hand?
«Stop. Now. » Jack whispered, gritting his teeth under the effort he was giving to maintain America in place.
There was only anger inside him. How he managed to push it all aside to calm down, he did not know.
At the reaction, Australia let out an audible sigh of relief and let go, freeing his friend.
Without a single word, Alfred stood up and left the room, almost dragging the Aussie with him and giving the Englishman the time to think about it all.
This was not over yet, he swore. Oh no, he was done being a polite, nice guy.
With a voice shaking of anger, he declared:
«I'm going to prove to everyone my innocence! I'm going to catch the moron that chose to frame Alfred F. Jones for murder! »
Well, perhaps it was pride that allowed him to shake off his anger. He was going to do it. He'd find the murderer himself and make him pay properly for what he had done.
She was alone in her room. Yonsoo was being as clingy as ever, wanting everyone to stay together all the time. However, he probably wouldn't dare going against her order to leave him alone tonight. After all, there was a saying in her family: «What Vietnam says, goes. » Not that accurate outside of family reunion, but it gave a good idea to outsiders as to her status as the mature and not-to-be-upset one.
It was for an entirely different reason that she had requested to be left alone tonight.
If she closed her eyes, all Vietnam saw was his face, over and over again. She could feel her face reddening slightly as America's image kept flashing before her eyes.
It was as much love as it was hatred. Or at least, it used to be a perfect equilibrium between the two. Now… there was no doubt that one emotion had completely eclipsed the other.
Deep within her thoughts, she almost missed the ringtone she had recently chosen for her cellphone.
Vietnam shot a worried look at the object and opened it.
The caller's number was not displayed.
«Hello? »