America couldn't take his eyes from Japan's letter, it was terrible. Yet he was most impressed. To write such a letter demanded great courage, he knew that. Not to mention how much courage it took to stand up against what he himself and that other person had done to Japan. America sobbed involuntarily. He had seen the scars Japan had after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and here he came and threatened to give the poor thing more of that, not knowing that someone else had just threatened to do the same if Japan did what America wanted.
Whatever Japan did another Hiroshima Bomb would fall - it was at least what Japan could wait in this position. His only hope of escape would have been to write this letter and hope that the other one didn't find out about it. America read the last lines again.
As I said, I know more than I dared to tell you last time but I would very much like to give you a clue. Come back today and pretend like you want to apologize to me for yesterday - then I know that you have received the letter, and then I can give you the clue.
America felt the tears burn, he would certainly not come to Japan and pretend that he was sorry for his behavior the previous evening, he certainly would apologize to him and it was coming straight from the heart.
-o-o-
"Japan?" Japan was in his garden watching a butterfly that settled on one of the flowers. He seemed to feel good but America noted that his friend was not unmoved by his voice when he called to him. What happened yesterday had not gone unnoticed, not for him either.
America was shocked, both that he himself had actually gone so far as to threaten Japan with a third atomic bomb, but also about the fact that someone else has done exactly the same thing, maybe just a few minutes before him. He had actually believed Japan to be strong enough to talk under threat, he knew that he would have been - the only thing that would have done the situation so bad that he couldn't, had been if he had a similar threat from another direction, who wanted exactly the opposite thing, and against all odds, there was.
"Japan... dude... I'm sorry about yesterday," America whispered "and it's not just because you asked me to say it, it is quite frankly ... you said you knew more ..." America paused when he saw some kind of terror in his friend's eyes. Probably this was the reason that Britain was staying at his place, the poor guy simply didn't dare to live alone because of that guy who had taken Canada. That person must have something more on Japan.
Just as Britain had come trough America's thoughts he came walking towards them.
"Good morning!" America greeted , "I was feeling a little bad about that happened yesterday so I wanted to come back here to apologize," he admitted.
"Yes, he slept pretty uneasily tonight" Britain said, but he didn't seem to be accusing America either. "Do you want to come in and eat breakfast with us?" he asked then. America shrugged as he glanced at Japan. Japan seemed to nod with his eyes, it was as if he wanted to say something. America said yes, hoping that Japan would dare to tell him something.
But they just talked about everyday things, America wasn't able to turn the conversation over to Canada's situation more than to the fact that the other two felt sorry for him. He was close to giving up when Japan suddenly looked at him.
"America, I just came to think of one thing. I borrowed one thing from you a few years ago, I'll fetch it now while you're here" Then he left the room and walked toward the stairs that led up to the attic. A minute later he came down with a puzzle that America had never seen before. He was just about to say it when he remembered what Japan had written in his letter. The puzzle must be the clue.
