I LIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE! Sorry for the delay, here's the next chapter!
Italy woke up to the sound of screaming, screaming he came accustomed to with his parenthood. He shot up out of his slumber, ready to jump out of bed to rush to Karin's aids before her screams awoke the world around her. He realized though, as his dreams descended back to their places and the sound disappeared, that it was not Karin screaming from her bed, spooked by her dreams or nightmares in the midst of night. It was not her toddler-age screams without a spout of words to explain. He had imagined it, dreamt it to life, and in his foolishness awoke his husband from his slumber.
"What wrong Feli?" Germany asked as he sat up alongside Italy, placing a hand on Italy's closest shoulder. Italy shuddered, leaning into Germany.
"I thought I heard Karin crying and screaming" Italy confessed. "I miss her here"
"I know, I do as well," Germany whispered, cradling Italy against his bare chest. "I do as well. If you want, I can call Belarus to get her back. Or send Hungary to get her"
Italy let the thought sink in. He could easily pull the reigns in and get Karin back home but what then? Would Karin be mad at them for taking her away from her new friends? He could not decide. He sighed heavily and leaned his entire weight on his husband, eyes closing quicker than predicted.
"I don't know what to do. I want her to have fun and get to know the others but….I miss her"
Germany sighed softly into Italy's shoulder, understanding Italy's frustrations easily. He felt conflicted on whether to get her back home or now as well, missing the little girl of his climbing onto his piano and calmly pressing the keys in an attempt to make music. He missed, really, everything she did at home.
Before Germany could answer with his own thoughts, he found Italy fast asleep on his chest, his breath soft as ever. Chuckling out a few German phrases, Germany laid the slumbering Italian into bed again, comforter up to his shoulders. Germany shrugged out of bed, tugging on a pair of pants before wandering out into his house shirtless, searching for his phone. He found it lying where he left it on the dining room table, and dialed Belarus's number. He heard the usual dial tone as it went to connect. He tapped impatiently on the table, hoping that someone in the house would pick up and answer him. It connected on the second to last ring, and he was met with a barrage of sounds.
"Daddy? Daddy, is that you?"
Ludwig sighed in relief, "Guten Morgen meine liebling. Wie geht's?"
"Gut, Sehr gut! Weißrussland und Russland sind schreien und Dinge [Belarus and Russia are yelling and things]"
"Ist alles in Ordnung?" Germany asked, worried about the safety of his daughter. Russia and Belarus fighting and yelling spelled trouble for anyone. Karin seemed to have her attention turned from the call for a moment, trying to translate something Estonia was shouting her way. Germany couldn't make since of it, but apparently, Karin would at least get the gist of it.
"Ja, ja Vatti! Moment mal…..nö! Nö! Estland! Stoppen Estland!"(1)
"Karin? Was ist…?"
"Vatti, es ist okay. Weißrussland ist schreien und…..ESTLAND! HALT!"
"KARIN?!"
The line went silent. It did not disconnect but it was dead silent on the other end. Germany stared into the phone, looking at it as if it were possessed. He could not hear a peep from it until it rustled, as if it was picked off the ground, and someone finally responded.
"Good morning….afternoon…..night, um, Германія" (Belarusian for Germany)
"Belarus, what the hell is going on? Karin's telling me you and Russia are yelling and fighting!"
"….it was a misunderstanding between me and him. Forgive me for the scare" Something in Belarus's voice sounded off, more saddened then anything. Germany sighed, placing his unused hand on the table.
"Please do not, ever, do that again Belarus. What was going on? Why's Estonia involved?"
"Russia freaked out after he found me close to him when we both awoke. I don't want to say anything else, please"
Belarus's voice confirmed her push for silence on the matter, as if she were ashamed of it. Germany complied with her request, changing subjects as best he could.
"Is Karin alright?"
"Da, she is. She was helpful with calming Russia down and keeping the Baltics from making it worse. I'm sorry if I-"
"Weißrussland"
Belarus quieted from her apology, knowing what the German had said. She let the man speak, and listened to the words he spoke softly.
"No need to apologize. If Karin is safe, then you have my trust, Weißrussland. If she's happy, then we're good"
"I'm happy Vatti! I helped Belarus get closer to Russland!" Karin cried in the background of the call. Germany's smile broke across his face like the sunrise.
"There we are. Belarus, besides the obvious fact of avoiding your government for obvious reasons, I personally would like to draw some….'temporary alliances' up, in a sense"
"….you mean you and me-"
"I trusted you with now the most precious thing in my world, and she loves you. I can deal with my boss about this, but consider it a private matter. A private alliance to keep you tied to her and to keep her in the loop of our work"
"Thank you….Deutschland" Belarus said softly, a smile evident in her voice. "Danke"
"I wish I knew how to say thanks in Belarusian" Germany chuckled. Belarus chuckled back.
"I'll pass it along with Karin. I have to go, Germany. I'll call with an update later"
Belarus hung up on him, but she did it with some warning. Germany let another sigh free as he set down his phone and in just enough time to see Italy walk down clad in only a button up shirt covering him.
"Belarus?" Italy asked, knowing Germany would understand him.
"Karin's okay. Apparently, she defused an incident that would have possibly caused war, from what I heard. She's happy and Belarus is getting soft"
Italy chuckled, "Well, people are seeing her different from her usual 'stalker, creepy sister shadow of Russia'. She'll cling to her new identity soon"
"Indeed. You sure you want to pull Karin out of her playdate?"
Italy shook his head, "No, let her stay there. She needs the time to know them"
Germany nodded in agreement, "Alright. We'll wait it out till Tuesday then?"
Karin tugged experimentally at the hem of her new dress courtesy of Belarus. It was cute, plain but unique, and rather comfortable to be in. Karin liked this new dress and approved of it. She tugged on her matching socks and shoes, grabbed for her small beret and walked out to find Ukraine in the living room, the sound of her boobs bouncing giving her away.
"Ukraine! Ukraine, you're here!"
Ukraine jumped up from her spot on the couch with her brother and knelt down to capture Karin in her arms as she ran right into her outstretched arms. Karin pressed her face into Ukraine's chest, giggling into her boobs as if they were balloons. They eventually got Karin free of Ukraine's breasts and soon gathered for a meeting in the living room.
Ever since the morning fiasco, Russia and Belarus seemed more lenient on the closeness of each other. It made Karin smile when Belarus edged herself closer to Russia without being pushed away or having Russia run away. It was progress in Karin's mission to get them closer. She congratulated herself on a job well started.
"Alright! Karin, you'll be going with Ukraine and I today to visit a place before we go for Hungary's home, okay? Is everyone okay with the plan?" Belarus announced, holding her voice as it echoed in the room. The Baltics agreed unanimously while Russia agreed only on the condition that Karin hugged him with all she had, and she fulfilled his wish before they split up and Ukraine, Belarus and Karin were driving past Ukrainian borders.
"Where are we going Belarus?" Karin asked form her spot in the back seat, peering at the darkness of the scenery around the car. Ukraine answered, sounding haunted.
"Pripyat" Ukraine said, sounding cold and dead. Karin's uneasy feelings doubled, cold gripping her thoughts.
"What's big about Pripyat?" Karin questioned Ukraine, worried about the older nation's chilling change.
"Chernobyl"
Karin shivered. She didn't like the sound of the name, but the way Ukraine said it made Karin worried. What happened at Chernobyl?
"What happened there?" Karin asked, curious of the story. Belarus spoke for her sister as Karin caught sight of silent tears falling down Ukraine's face.
"Chernobyl is the site of the worst nuclear disaster on Earth. The entire town of Pripyat was abandoned irradiated to the point of dead inhabitance. Reactor four suffered a power surge during a system test, and shortly after it exploded. The entire town and surrounding areas haven't been walked in since that fallout. Long stretches of areas around the plant are affected still, and even today people get effected by the radiation.
"The entire place can't be walked unless you're wearing heavy radiation gear and even then you can't go into certain areas unless you want radiation poisoning or death. The place is going to be heavily radiated for a very, very long time Karin. We thought you would want to see this, even though it's haunting"
"I wasn't the only one affected" Ukraine finally spoke, "Belarus got hit by about sixty percent of the fallout, more then myself. Poland didn't get hit but he was the first response to it because he was coming over to visit, and pulled me away from Chornobyl before I suffered from too much radiation poisoning. He's waiting for us there before we get there"
"We weren't the only ones sister," Belarus added, "Big brother, Sweden, Finland, Austria, Switzerland...even Italy, but barely"
"Even Mom?" Karin whimpered, fearful of the radiation affecting her mother.
"It's okay, Karin. It barely hit your mother, and the effects of it stopped a long time ago"
Karin nodded, understanding, yet still she was shocked. The worst nuclear explosion in the history of the Earth? An entire town turned into a radiated ghost town. The radiation hitting so many countries, including her mother. How bad could it be?
When they get there, Karin's jaw drops to the ground, and all happiness seems to be sapped from her. What lay before her is a grey, dead chunk of area, buildings and places kept at a standstill. They pass a sign welcoming them to Chernobyl, and are waved in.
She had arrived at Pripyat.
The city she saw looked nothing like the places she had lived in. It was desolate and grey, everything frozen in time. The buildings that once held people and supported the city now lay in ruins, crumbling and consuming radiation as it clings to the area like cigarette smoke. She could see in the distance what looked like swings, frozen from swinging and piles of rubble sitting in dead heaps along the buildings. She couldn't believe what she saw. This abandoned city was a gate to Chernobyl, and she could see the nuclear plant in the distance, the remaining reactors standing dead in the air.
"So this...is Pripyat?" Karin whispered. Ukraine stopped he car as she pulled into a clearing alongside another car.
"Da, little one" Belarus said. They all piled out of the car and greeted Poland, who called out Karin as she bounced up to the country with a weak smile and a falling pit in her stomach.
"We can't go far here, due to the Permanent Closed Zone, but we can get close enough for you to see, okay Karin?" Ukraine explained as she led on out of the forested area until they reached a small cliff that gave them a view into a part of the city. Swing sets stay still. Carts and doors sit motionless. The buildings still held a look from the Soviet Union, and the place was devoid of any green.
"This is are far as we can go" Poland softly said as he picked up Karin so she was propped up on his hip. She looked out to the city, her eyes attached to the nuclear plant in the distance.
"How many years has this place been so...dead?" Karin questioned softly.
"About 27 years" Ukraine answered loudly. "Since April 26, 1986, the place has been either evacuated and dead. This isn't the only place we can't touch. A large stretch of Belarus's land can't be entered"
Karin sank into the warmness of Poland's side, entering the silent observation the others had begun. Such devastation and loss of land. Karin silently weeped into Poland's shoulder, feeling suddenly the loss, devastation, and sadness from the previous inhabitants and the dead. She wanted to help, she wanted to comfort them.
She now understood why Ukraine and Belarus took her here. To let her see the darkened side of them both.
Sorry for the lateness and deadness everyone! I had minor writer's block and limited internet and computer usage (due to weird, unexplained problems), but here's the next chapter!
(1)- As I am a German student, I have learned that 'No' has different forms in German. I use the less-used version, Nö, as my teacher is known to use it. It's pronounced 'Nurr' thanks to the umlaut (the dots above the o)