Germany sighed as he drove home in the Kubelwagon. Another meeting gone sour.
Times had changed for the European country. his brother hadn't contacted him in weeks, he was still paying off the world war II debt, and if that wasn't the icing on the cake, a new person had joined the world meetings;more like an audience than an actual participant. Not enough to be concerned about.he reasoned. Still,Prussia wasn't one to stay away for long, especially on the weekends, when Prussia was usually craving a drink. Germany half expected at any moment, for his older brother to burst through the door and say,

" Hey, West! Let's start the week with a beer!" But no one came. It was lonely. But then, being alone was what the nation wanted, one of the few things he found peace of mind.

The telephone rang, but just as he was going to answer it, the power went out. It's just that kind of week isn't it? He felt around the room, until he was sure he was in the kitchen. Germany could barely see as he opened the drawers, searching for a light or a box of matches. his hand found an old battery flashlight. with a click, it shone in the room, illuminating the kitchen.

"Germany, Germany!"

"Vhat? who's there!" Germany yelled. He moved closer to the voice, pointing the light out in the dark.

Italy was just outside his window, waving at him.

"Germany,The power went out in my house! Can I stay at yours?"

"Nien, There's no power here either. "Germany closed the window." Why don't you sleep it out, like you do most things?"

"But, It's cold! No amount of blankets is gonna fix this, and I can't even cook pasta!" Italy pressed his face against the glass. Germany closed the blinds.

"Not my problem." Germany could hear muffled complaints as he walked away. He felt bad for his former ally. But he had to learn to be on his own once in a while. He also wasn't in the mood to be bothered by such a needy, high matinence friend. It probably isn't even that bad. he thought. Italy had a tendency to exaggerate when it came to his own problems; Like sending out SOS signals when his shoes were untied. Still, he just might stay there all night if he's desperate enough.

"Italy!" he called." You can come in. Just be careful where you walk."

"Yay! I knew you come through for me!" Italy ran in, shivering.

"Just stay in the living room, I need to check if I can get my generator to work." Germany headed down to the basement with a candle.

"I can help! Tell me what to do, and consider it done!" He saluted.

Germany ignored it. When it came to mechanics, it was a miracle when anything of Italy's was in working condition, or worked when you wanted it too. This had been proven multiple times. Surely,He thought, an electric generator is no different.

( But for once, Germany was wrong. You see, it was an Italian that came up with the first electric generator.)

It took an hour to get it started, but it was well worth the effort, as the heat was the first to turn on. Italy scurried upstairs, ready to start cooking. Instead of telling him to wait until tomorrow to eat, Something caught his eye. Three out of four electric wires still worked when he tested them. As he inspected the cord, he saw that one had been severed. Not blown or disconnected, which meant that someone had been tampering with it. It also meant, that someone had planned this very recently.

"Germany? what's wrong?"

" Somebody's been planning this outage. See the wires?"

Italy didn't understand all the technical statements that Germany made, or the references between regular blowouts and sabotage.
When he finished explaining, they went upstairs to the dining room. He couldn't think of who would want to cut off his power. If they wanted to really make me useless, they would of destroyed the spare generator too. So they must have only needed my power to be out for a short time, a specific time. Italy was the only other one he knew had lost their power. But was my house the only that was targeted? Germany was lost. he hadn't begun to consider who had done it. Well France is still griping about money. but sabotage? No, that would only take money away from him.

By the time the food was done, Germany was having a headache, and the clatter of the dishes didn't help. The telephone rang. and rang. At this point, He didn't care. it would have to wait. He needed to think, and not stress himself out with late night calls.

France, after a short nap, was helping himself to a few drinks. It wasn't like the refined red wine at his house though. Bored, and a bit restless, he thought,There is other people that need my attention in the house. Hohohoho!"France tried the first bedroom door. Locked. he jiggled the handle of the next door. It gave a little. He restrained himself from laughing again. Just as he was about to sneak in,

-Smack!-

his head collided with a blunt object. It wasn't enough to knock the Frenchman out, but it did phase him. Kira smiled at her accomplishment. Right on target. It was warning enough for France as she locked the door.