Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Hetalia. But I do own this fanfic. Surprise, surprise.
Warning: May contain strong language, graphic scenes, teenage antics, etc.
Pairing: I'm probably gonna end up asking you guys what you want the pairing to be, so be prepared.
Chapter 3: Worrisome Realisations
Just what the bloody hell was that?
Arthur knew he had a wild imagination (all geniuses did), but what had got him so unnerved was that the details looked much too real. With his hands on his knees, it looked as though the poor man had ran five blocks straight he was gasping so much. Many passer bys contemplated asking if he was alright and if he needed help, but soon thought against it once he lifted his head, thus making it clearer to see.
The Brit had no idea what came over him; he had just made a fool of himself over another silly scenario his mind had conjured up! In front of a normal civilian, no less! What if that had happened in front of another nation? They probably would have taken his sleeping state for granted and try to overpower him... or something creative like that. He honestly wouldn't put it past some of them.
His stomach was still curling and twisting from the grotesque memory, just the thought of it made him want to collapse into a heap on the ground, but his pride kept him from doing that. He at least had some amount of dignity; he was probably going to find his way to the meeting hall and collapse there, where nobody would find him.
Mentally, he slapped himself silly. As if he was going to collapse; something as measly that wasn't going to overpower him, let alone keep him from doing his country's job. He had a role to fulfil, and fulfil it he would.
But he still couldn't summon the strength to start walking.
Now knowing that he looked oddly out of place in the bustling crowds of moving people, he forced himself to stand upright. His back cracked and much to his displeasure, he could feel that he was becoming ever so slightly light headed. If he could survive walking home from a pub late at night whilst intoxicated, he'd be able to manage walking to the meeting place whilst very, very dizzy.
With that last thought in his mind - it gave him a slight boost of confidence - he began his slightly longer-than-usual walk towards the National Meeting.
When he had claimed that he would collapse as soon as he found his destination, he was slightly shocked with himself to find out he wasn't joking.
The building itself looked like any other, if only just slightly more glamorous and noticeable than the other nearby buildings. It had two pillars on either side with small patterns engraved into the stone. The windows were large and almost too dark to see in, but the door was wide open. It even had its own little front garden decorated with small flowers, giving it a much more traditional vibe.
There was a small pathway lined with small stones that lead up to the door, which thankfully was only a few steps above normal ground. Usually the British gentleman wouldn't complain about something as average as steps, but he knew he was slowly losing the will to keep moving.
With great reluctance, he forced himself up the steps and straight through the entrance, silently thankful for whoever left them open. The inside of the reception was much nicer. The floor was surprisingly giving off a spectacular type of shine and Arthur could only guess that it had been polished earlier that day. The walls were a light cream colour, making it contrast well with the few paintings that were already hanging up. There were miniature tables (or stools, he couldn't tell and neither was he inclined to be bothered) in few corners topped with planted pots, various types of flowers sprouting from the soil.
The front desk was a nice shade of cherry wood, shining in certain places that proved that it had also been polished earlier that day. On the desk was a single computer, multiple files, a telephone and a cup filled with all the necessities a receptionist would need. Sat behind the computer was a woman dressed in a finely ironed grey suit, her hair pulled into a tight bun and lips that looked to be a little bit too bright. Arthur felt his mood deflate even further. She seemed to drain the colour out of the room, even with her moderately good makeup skills.
Seemingly being able to sense that she had a pair of eyes on her, she finally drew her own pair away from the screen in order to study the newcomer. From the flash of recognition on her face, Arthur knew that she had been expecting him. At least he didn't have to go through the whole process of explaining that he was a living country to some amateur receptionist like he usually did.
"Mr. England, is it?" Her voice snapped him out of his slightly irrelevant thinking. She had a voice that sounded just like a teacher; slightly chilling with a happy tone. Clearly she wasn't Danish, but the accent made him think of another certain Nordic he knew. Arthur nodded his head briefly, knowing he wouldn't be able to trust his voice. The dizziness had subsided after a while, so now all he was left with was a nauseating feeling in his stomach and shaking hands. He made sure to hide them in his pockets, just in case it would cause him any unwanted attention.
Suddenly, everything got disturbingly cold.
The receptionist eyed him for a few seconds, showing no signs of feeling the same chill he was. She was seemingly coming to grips with something in her head before she reached for one of the filed documents to her left. Her whole demeanour seemed to slip suddenly, and she began to slouch down, as though she was lounging around at her own home. With a small smile she motioned for him to come closer to the desk, and without thinking, he did just that.
Now with only a few feet of cherry wood separating them, he could see the woman a lot more clearer. She looked unbearably bored and even with the smile she was giving him, he could see the bitterness behind it. With a few simple movements, she had took hold of one of the documents and held it out in front of her, waiting for the blonde haired man to take it. "Your paperwork, sir."
Immediately caught off guard by the snarky tone she had suddenly gained, he found he couldn't bring himself to speak. With dull, delayed movements he reached for the files without taking his eyes off of the woman, starting to feel a familiar sensation at the pit of his stomach once again. Now he knew something was wrong.
Clearly the room had just been encased in a very extreme drop of temperature, but the woman was showing no signs of being affected by it at all. Were the doors still open? Holding the documents in both of his hands, the shaking somehow having subsided, he cocked his head to the side slightly. As soon as his eyes met with the outside world, he found himself wanting to look away.
He was right. Something was wrong. Whether it was with him or the actual planet, he didn't know, but he knew something was wrong. Barely a few seconds ago, it had been a sunny, almost unnaturally calm day, but all that he could see outside of the door was a darkening street. The sounds of people chattering had died down, leaving only an eerie silence in its wake. The people that had been walking about before were no longer there, having been completely swept off of the earth and showing no signs that they had even existed. The actual street lined with all of the buildings looked practically the same, except for how rundown they seemed to be now, clearly having been abandoned for a long time.
Arthur's hands tightened on the plastic holding all of the papers together. What would happen if he were to turn his head back towards the desk...? Would that woman still be there, or would she have disappeared just like everyone else had seemed to?
Inwardly biting his cheek, he sucked in a breath through his nostrils and slowly turned his head. He wouldn't be able to take another jump scare, not after everything he had already gone through that day. He just couldn't.
Eyes still locked on the outside world, he reluctantly drew his gaze away and faced the direction of where the receptionist was. After a few seconds of staring into empty space, he allowed to release a pent up breath he had no idea he had been holding. The woman wasn't there, but neither was a wacky type monster, either.
"Wait..." he whispered to himself, realization creeping up onto his face, his pupils dilating in sudden panic. She wasn't there. She had just been here a second ago, why wasn't she here? Did she somehow get teleported away from him like everyone else? He honestly didn't want to find out. His vision was beginning to get hazy, so he closed his eyes.
Just what on bloody earth was happening to Arthur Kirkland?
Almost dropping the files onto the ground, he began to take calming breaths. This was bloody stupid. What was he doing? Was he under some sort of spell? But who would have been able to cast that sort of magic, especially to such a high-class degree? And how did the caster manage to make all of this seem so real?
Without thinking, he turned his fully towards the only exit and entrance on the ground floor, but still not finding the courage to open his eyes. Mentally he was scoffing at himself, yelling things along the lines of 'coward' and 'you call yourself a country', but he just couldn't find the will to open his eyes. Everything was alright as long as he didn't open his eyes.
But eventually, he did.
And he felt his heart stop for the second time that day.
A/N: Nearly 250 views in two days? I don't know if that's not a lot in your standards, but that's amazing in mine. Thank you to all of those who have taken the time to read 'InSight'!
I've actually been to Denmark; I spent most of my time in Nykobing, though. I was visiting a friend, and as soon as our plane landed from Gatwick, she took me into the main town of Copenhagen. At first I was tired because the flight had been at 6:00am and I had gotten up about 2:00am that morning, so I had only around an hour and a half's sleep. It was worth it, though. There are a lot of interesting places in Denmark. The food's bloody expensive though.
Anybody wanna guess what happened? :3
Reviews:
Starfirecat58: Things will be explained eventually, but for now I'm going to have to keep you in the dark. ;) I'd love to hear any guesses you might have. And don't worry, you finally got a new chapter! Hope you liked it.
