Disclaimer: We didn't own it during RVA, or 2P, or MST, we don't own it now, and we won't own Hetalia in our next stories. Yes, there's more. (Pst, we don't own Marvel either.)
A/N: Hey, everyone. Sorry for the bad story. I shouldn't watch Celebrity Ghost Stories. And we were both fighting for control of plotting the story. I shall never attempt it again. I swear on my soul . . . to take! POLLUX!
Enjoy! Please review!
The Poltergeist
America, Canada, Greenland, China, Turkey, Australia, France, Norway, Estonia, Switzerland, Romania, Netherlands, and Ireland stood on the beaten path before the mansion. Turkey crossed his arms and exhaled heavily as he looked over the house. The building was falling apart. Dying vines climbed up the front of the house to the windows. Windowpanes were cracked and the front door drifted open and slammed shut, as though it couldn't stay closed.
"It's certainly gone ta crap since ya bought it, China," Turkey snickered.
China was at a loss for words, staring at the house in shock. "I-I . . . what happened?" he finally asked.
Estonia jumped in surprise as America suddenly staggered off the path and vomited into one of the dying flower beds. The young nation clutched his stomach, heaving for several minutes before Greenland approached him.
"Are you alright, America?" his older sister asked worriedly, rubbing America's back.
"N-Nej." America straightened up and wiped his mouth. "I feel like I'm back on the battlefield with Rebel."
"What do you mean?" Greenland asked.
"The house is full of death." America looked ready to vomit once more. "I can feel it. This is definitely it, sis."
Canada glanced between his brother and the mansion. "The earth definitely feels different around here," he commented.
"I don't care what you feel," Switzerland snapped. "I just want to find my little sister." The German nation stormed down the beaten path to the house. Netherlands grunted incomprehensibly and followed his cousin. The rest of the nations followed suit. Australia was the first to reach the door, having longer legs than Switzerland. He caught the swinging door as it opened.
Taking the door from Australia, Canada ripped the door off its hinges. "I have a feeling this is just going to get in the way," he said. America nodded in agreement and entered the house, swallowing thickly.
Turkey looked to the door on the ground before following the other nations into the house. "I didn't know ya had it in ya, Canada."
"Well . . . I suppose I should get started," America said. And with that he trotted down the hall.
"Where is he going?" France asked Greenland and Canada.
"When the three of us visit a haunted house," Canada explained. "America walks through the entire house to try and get a reaction from the ghost. He usually takes the brunt of the attack while Greenland and I fight the ghost."
"That certainly seems like a dumb idea," Romania commented. He peeked into the nearby umbrella stands and froze. No, it wasn't possible. It couldn't be.
"Is everything alright, Romania?" Greenland asked, looking at the Romanian curiously.
"It's nothing." Romania straightened up quickly and looked away from the umbrella stand, his face sheet white.
"Uh-huh." Ireland fanned his wings lightly, eyeing his brother's friend cautiously.
A faint mewling noise filled the hall, making several of the nations jump. Turkey glanced around the room before eventually locating the mewling sound in the nearby coat closet. He opened the door and stared at the sight before him.
"Not a Bastard, what are the hell are ya doin' in there?" Turkey asked. The ginger cat stared up from his position on the floor. His back legs had been cut deeply and he looked as though someone had beaten him. Not a Bastard mewled pitifully up at Turkey.
"What happened to you?" Australia asked. He squatted down and gently lifted Not a Bastard into his arms. He examined the feline's injuries with an expert eye. "This looks bad."
Turkey crossed his arms and snorted. "Who cares? It's Notty's own fault he's hurt." Australia scowled at Turkey before examining Not a Bastard again. The cat yowled as his leg was jostled. He sent a glare Romania's way.
"It looks pretty bad," Australia said once more, finished with his inspection. Straightening up, he cradled the cat gingerly in his arms. Netherlands stepped forward, stopping when his foot caught on something.
"Wat is dit? (What is this?)" Netherlands picked up the trinket, a small sailboat hanging form a chain.
France turned at the sound of the question then gasped. "That is mon petite Seychelles' necklace," he said. "She never takes it off."
"What is her necklace doing here?" Norway looked from the necklace to France curiously.
"Seychelles came here with ses amis. (her friends.)" France took the necklace, turning it over in his hands.
Ireland fanned his wings again. "Where are the kiddies?" he asked. "Shouldn't they have been here already?"
A loud thud from the family room in the back of the house made heads turn. No one moved for several moments. Canada finally spoke when he heard no more noise.
"That's our cue," Canada said to Greenland before racing down the hall. "Bror?" Greenland followed her brother quickly.
The rest of the nations opted to remain in the entry hall of the mansion. China looked around the hall, confused. The house had looked fairly new when he'd first bought it. How could it have fallen apart in only a week? Ireland's eyes flitted around nervously. His younger twin brother should have come running to greet him by now. Estonia was ready to search the house for Latvia.
"Turkey, Australia," Canada called from the family room. "Could you come help us?"
Turkey and Australia shared a confused look before the Oceanic nation dumped Not a Bastard in Switzerland's arms then headed down the hall. The two nations paused in the family room's doorway, staring in shock. America was trapped under a large bookcase. Several shattered vases lay around the nation and a particularly spikey cannonball lay dangerously close to his head.
"Would you mind helping us get this bookcase off bror?" Canada asked from his position at a corner of the bookcase.
America groaned. "I found the freaking ghost."
Turkey gaped as Australia strode forward and grasped the side of the bookcase. With Greenland's and Canada's help, he hoisted the furniture up. Turkey seized America's arms and dragged him out from under the furniture before it crashed to the ground. Romania poked his head into the room at the sound.
"What happened here?" The Balkan nation looked around the room with wide eyes.
"I came walking through here and the poltergeist knocked the bookshelf on me," America explained with a wince. "And . . . I got it!" The young nation suddenly brightened up.
"Got what? A concussion?" Norway wandered into the room, glancing around dully. He carried a heavy staff with an ornate stone as a head.
"Nej, far." America got to his feet, wincing more. "Every ghost and poltergeist inhabits an inanimate object, occasionally a human. When that object is broken then so is their bond to this earth," he explained. "When that bookcase fell on me, a clock shattered to the ground. Gray smoke came out of it and it hissed. Kind of like when we destroyed half of Stonehenge to expel that one ghost."
"Hold it! That was you?" Ireland scowled and his wings spread in annoyance.
"Rend!" Canada hissed. "We weren't supposed to tell them that."
"Um . . . oops?" America smiled weakly.
"So what if the clock broke?" China asked as he and the other nations wandered into the family room.
"It means we know a way to expel this ghost," America said. "If the ghost didn't leave this clock, then that means they've inhabited more than one object. There might even be a larger replica of the object and the poltergeist has extended its reach to the smaller objects. It ensures the spirit's survival."
"Has anyone noticed anything yet?" Norway asked. His hand was raised above his head and he was examining it in the sunlight. America, Canada, Greenland, and Ireland all cocked their heads in wonder before Ireland paled.
"My magic is . . . gone?" Ireland examined his own hands in fear. "What could have stopped it?"
Romania blinked before looking at his own hands. "That's impossible."
"Nothing impossible," America said. "Believe me. 'Captain America' was based off my son New York during World War Two. And I thought it creating an actual superhero would be impossible."
Romania was off in his own world as he muttered. "It can't be."
"Isn't New York blind?" Canada asked with another cock of his head. He hadn't actually had the pleasure of meeting the state. New York was rumored to remain his house, avoiding anyone else.
"He's blind?" Estonia asked. "How is that possible?"
"It was from the attack on the World Trade Center," America said, and left it at that.
Switzerland shouted in pain as Not a Bastard scratched his arm. "Damn cat!" He dropped the creature to the ground.
"Switzerland!" Australia swooped down to scoop Not a Bastard into his arms. Glaring at the German nation, he cradled the wounded cat. "Crikey, mate, don't you and Belgium have a cat at home?"
"Bel cares for the cat. Bloem is a sweet pet." Switzerland crossed his arms and glared at Not a Bastard who hissed back at him.
"Can we forget the cat for a moment?" Ireland snapped. "Where are our siblings?" Everyone quieted down and looked between each other.
"Ireland's right." Turkey turned and left the room. "I don't know about ya, but I'm goin' ta find Cyprus."
The room was silent before Norway spoke up. "He's an idiot."
"Turkey, wait!" Canada followed the Mediterranean nation. "We can't wander alone. The poltergeist will attack us."
"Well, all yer doin' is talkin'." Turkey took a right and stepped into the kitchen. "Let's just tear this place apart and find our siblings."
"It's not that simple," Canada sighed. "We have to find the poltergeist's residence and destroy it first. America said the small clocks are its precautions, so we must be looking for a larger clock."
"So yer tellin' me that we need ta look fer clocks all day?" Turkey growled and crossed his arms.
"Yes." Canada nodded regretfully. "Like that." He pointed to the clock above the stove. "There's a clock right there." Suddenly, the whole house was filled with the chiming of several loud clocks.
Turkey looked to the chiming clock. "Fine, I'll destroy the damn clock."
Canada moved further into the kitchen to lean against the island. His eyes traveled across the room, eventually falling on a puddle of dried blood on the floor. His face paled in realization. His eyes flicked to the multiple holes in the walls and the knives dangling on the far wall.
Turkey glanced over his shoulder at the North American nation. Suddenly, he leapt at Canada, shoving him to the floor. Canada shouted in surprise when he hit the floor. Turkey overbalance and felt sideways, bracing himself against the wall with a hand. A howl of pain ripped from his throat.
"Turkey!" Canada sat up, his eyes wide. A large butcher knife had embedded itself in Turkey's hand, pinning it to eh wall. Turkey gritted his teeth as his hand twitched involuntarily. "Rend!" Canada scrambled to his feet, ducking as another knife flew at him. "Rend! Rend! Rend!" Turkey fell to his knees. Grabbing a frying pan, he held it before his face as another knife flew at him.
"We've got trouble, ya jackasses!" Turkey shouted. Canada howled as a knife lodged itself in his thigh.
"Bror!" America raced into the doorway and gaped at the sight before him. "Hang on, guys!" Leaping forward, he ripped the island out of the floor and shoved it aside to protect Turkey and Canada. He searched around until he found the clock. Seizing it, he threw it against the floor where it shattered and smoked. Everything flying through the air halted and fell to the ground. Turkey panted, his eyes wild in pain. America moved forward and gently pulled the knife from Turkey's hand. He examined the wound.
"Mayo can look at that when we get back to the house," America said. Removing his shirt, he tore it into strips and bound Turkey's hand. He pulled the knife from his brother's thigh and bound that too.
"That's great," Turkey growled. "Where's everyone else?"
"They've gone to break all the other clocks. Norway, Switzerland, Estonia, Ireland, and France are on the second floor," America said. "China, Greenland, France, Netherlands, and Romania remained here on the first. They should be done soon."
Turkey stood on shaky feet. "Damn my old age."
"That's why I can frolic in the fields of youth and juvenility." America grinned and spun around to leave the room.
"ROT IN HELL!" Turkey lunged at America but collapsed to the ground I a heap. "I'm not fuckin'," he panted. "That old."
America turned around to blink down at Turkey, surprised to find him on the floor. "I don't know . . ." he trailed off.
Turkey glared up from the ground. "When I get my strength back I'm goin' ta kill ya," he growled.
"I'd like to see you try." America grinned then left the room. Canada clutched his leg, panting in pain.
"Let's do it," Canada said through gritted teeth. "Let's kill him before he can spread his idiocy to his children."
Turkey scowled and stood, stumbling to Canada's side. "Yer bastard of a brother can't do anythin' ta help people, can he?"
Canada shrugged. "He can be when he wants to. He tries to help anyone who's hurt in a national disaster, even if they don't ask for his help. He's just nice like that."
"So he helps people when they're hurt." Turkey frowned. "But he doesn't help his fellow nations?" He dragged a flinching Canada to his feet.
"He's like that," Canada sighed as he steadied himself. "Never try asking him for help when six states are vying for his attention."
"I sweat," Turkey growled. "I'll show him just how young I can be."
"IF EVERYONE'S DONE, CAN WE ALL MEET IN THE FRONT HALL?" America called throughout the house. The nations gathered in the front hall. Turkey grumbled cuss words at America, glaring at the nation.
"We destroyed all the clocks on the second floor," Norway said smoothly.
"And we destroyed the ones on the first floor, aru," China added.
"Good." America nodded. "Did anyone find a large clock? Like a grandfather clock."
Australia froze. "A grandfather clock?" he repeated.
"Ja, did you find one?" America asked.
"It's on the second floor," Australia whispered.
"What is wrong?" France asked nervously.
"We should have destroyed it when we had the chance," Australia groaned.
"Why didn't you?" Estonia crossed his arms. He just wanted to find Latvia and get out of the house.
"Because I didn't think of it?" Australia scowled and crossed his arms as well. "I can think of everything, you know."
"Hey, we need to focus. I've some bad news for all of you," America said solemnly.
"What?" Australia stopped his glaring contested with Estonia and turned to the younger nation.
"I searched around this floor a bit and found blood stains and other clues hinting that your siblings are . . . dead."
"You mean they're actually dead, aru?" China asked softly. The gathered nations were silent before Netherlands spoke.
"That's it." The Dutch nation headed for the stairs.
"I'm sorry," America whispered. He followed Netherlands up the stairs. "Australia, where was the grandfather clock?" Australia opened his mouth to answer and suddenly someone shoved through the group. They tore down the hallway, heading for a dead end. He glanced back briefly with blood-red eyes. His long blond hair had been tied back with a black ribbon. Romania gaped at the stranger before shrieking.
"Wallachia!"
"Hvad?" America stared after Wallachia.
"Spune la revedere! (Say goodbye!)" Wallachia cackled.
"They're not dead," Romania breathed. "They're not dead!" He tore down the hallway after Wallachia. The nations heard a loud thump and Romanian curses. America, Canada, and Greenland shared a glance before disappearing to the second floor. The nine other nations chased after Romania.
"Romania, what happened?" Ireland called. The group rushed around a corner to find Romania and Wallachia wrestling. The ex-nation held a dagger in his hand. The blade was shaped like a lightning bolt. It looked lethal, like it would hurt to be cut by it.
"I've got him," Romania bellowed. "He opened the door." Turkey glance down the hall to see an open door, a tapestry having been torn aside. China was the first to move past the fighting nations, descending the stairs. The hall was silent but for scuffles until they heard a shout.
"Aiyah! Hong Kong, aru!" Netherlands, Ireland, Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Estonia, Turkey, and France hurried down the stairs, freezing at the sight before them.
Nine young nations hung from the ceiling, suspended by ropes bound around their ankles. Their arms, and wings in Northern Ireland's position, dangle down. Blood had gathered in puddle under a few of the nations and blood was still running down Iceland's arms.
"Liechtenstein!" Switzerland rushed to his sister's side. Liechtenstein was covered in bruises and blood ran from several small cuts and one large gash.
Netherlands strode to his younger brother's side. He stared up at Luxemburg in disbelief. His brother looked unusually calm in 'death'. His skin was covered in a hardened gold sap that looked like spider webs in the dim light. Australia marched forward and cut New Zealand's rope, catching smaller nation has he fell. He handed China the knife as he attempted to assess the damage to his brother. China cut Hong Kong free, lowering the nation to the ground and handing the knife off to France. The blade made its way around the room and all the young nations were lowered to the ground by their older siblings.
"He's not breathing," China said, a hand near Hong Kong's nostrils. "Nations don't stop breathing when they fall into trances, aru." Tears welled in his eyes. When a nation, but the land, was injured they would fall into a trance meant to protect them until they could be rescued by another nation. A nation rarely died when they're land was still intact.
Australia stood, holding New Zealand close to his chest. "How's Romania handling it?" he asked. Norway looked up from Iceland, glancing to the doorway.
"Rahatul! Obțineți vă fundurile aici sus! (Get up here!)" Romania shouted. The nations made their way up the stairs, careful of their unconscious siblings. Seychelles groaned weakly, a large bruise encircled her throat and she couldn't support her head. The female nation opened her eyes slowly.
"Grand frère France?" Seychelles croaked, wincing when she spoke.
"Oui, ma petite soeur." France kissed Seychelles lightly on the forehead. "You are safe." Suddenly, Northern Ireland's milky eyes flew open and he screamed bloody murder.
"Shh." Ireland lowered his writhing and screaming brother to the floor. "It's alright." Northern Ireland didn't respond as he continued to scream and squirm. One by one, the unconscious nations awoke to the sound of Northern Ireland's blind screams. All but Hong Kong.
"E-Estonia?" Latvia's eyes filled with tears and Estonia smiled comfortingly. Liechtenstein sobbed into her older brother's shoulder. Iceland shivered in Norway's grip. The Scandinavian nation hummed lightly, tickling his little brother's fox ear.
"It's alright, lillebror," Norway said softly. "I'm here." Iceland muttered something unintelligible and hid his faces Norway's chest. He felt a soft hand stroking his tail soothingly.
Australia handed his little brother to Netherlands who shifted his grip to hold both nations. "Is he still not breathing?" he asked seriously. China shook his head, tears in his eyes. Australia leaned forward and felt Hong Kong's pulse, frowning at the heartbeat. "His heart is freaking out, but he's still not away." He glanced up to China. "Do you know CPR?" he asked. China flushed scarlet and shook his head. "Right." Australia leaned forward and places his lips against Hong Kong's, breathing out deeply after tilting the head back and plugging the smaller nation's nose.
"Australia!" China shoved the Oceanic nation away. "What are you doing, aru?"
"CPR." Australia leaned down again and repeated the process. "I'm surprised you don't know it." He forced air into Hong Kong's lungs once more.
China bristled and was quiet for a few minutes. "I am surprised that you are being stupid for an island nation who likes to surf, aru," he finally said, after observing Australia.
"I'm being stupid?" Australia quirked an eyebrow before breathing Hong Kong then gently pushing on his chest.
"His chest is barely rising when you breathe air into him," China said. "That suggest something is already in his lungs." Shoving Australia aside, China rolled Hong Kong onto his stomach. "Make sure he does not drown, aru." The Asian nation slowly but steadily pressed down on Hong Kong's chest, above his lungs.
Australia supported Hong Kong's head, turning his face to the floor. "Do you really want to get into an argument about proper CPR, mate," he asked. China scowled but didn't answer. Water leaked from Hong Kong's nose and mouth and suddenly the nation gasped, coughing violently.
Australia quickly helped Hong Kong to sit up. "Easy there, Hong Kong."
"T-Teacher?" Hong Kong looked to China with wide eyes as he continued to cough. China nodded, tears of relief in his eyes. "Teacher!" Hong Kong threw himself into China's arm. The older nation just barely caught his younger brother when Hong Kong started sobbing.
Australia looked up from the scene. "Well, it looks like that's finished."
"Not yet," Romania growled. His eyes held a furious glow, something that hinted to a bad past. "Am de gând să-l omor! (I'm going to kill him!)" he roared as he charged down the hallway. The nations heard his footsteps thunder up the stairs. Greenland and her brothers appeared just in time to watch the nation disappear.
"Romania!" America tore after the Balkan nation.
XXXXX
Romania stared at the smashed grandfather clock. It smoked heavily, carrying the smell of a thousand corpses with it. Drawing his sword, he tried not to gag.
"I know you're here," Romania hissed. There was a small thump as a taller, more muscular male nation leaned against the doorway.
"And what are you going to do, little Romania?" Wallachia asked, grinning. His canines were sharper and longer than normal, stained in a dark brown that caused Romania to shudder.
"So this is it? I thought I killed you a few centuries ago." Romania fell into a defensive position, holding his sword before him.
"You killed me," Wallachia admitted. "But I was strong enough to stay here." He shoved off the doorway. "And now, I'm here, in solid form." The ex-nation smiled maliciously. "Are you not happy, little brother?"
"Why should I be?" Romania hissed. "After Vladimir, you went mad. You killed everyone you met, even your own brothers."
"Oh." Wallachia tsked at Romania. "Don't talk like that. I loved you, didn't I?"
"If loved means you picked up a sword and dueled me to the death, "Romania snapped. "Then I guess you did love me."
"Hm." Wallachia drew his own sword. It was curved, ending in a notched blade. Even the inside of the blade of the blade had been sharped to the point of lethal injury. "I guess we'll just have to see who wins this round." And with that, Wallachia leapt forward, bringing his wicked blade down on Romania.
XXXXX
America raced into the doorway of the study. "Romania?" he asked, then froze at the sight before him. Romania was dueling the strange male whom he'd called Wallachia. The brothers were evenly matched, though Wallachia was larger. He was also proving to be stronger, forcing Romania to back into a corner. A gash bled heavily on Romania's right shoulder.
"Romania!" America leapt forward and threw his arms around Wallachia's throat, dragging him back. Wallachia gagged against the restraining arm. Reaching back, he flipped America over his shoulder. He swung his sword at the young nation's face but Romania grabbed it at the last moment, hissing when the blade pierced his skin. America stared at the sword tip a centimeter away from his nose before looking back to Wallachia.
Wallachia grinned maliciously. Kicking America out of the way, he shoved the sword down and into the floor. Romania screeched as his hand was pinned down. Wallachia leapt forward and initiated his famous gruesome attack, sinking his long canines into the base of Romania's neck. The Balkan nation howled and struggled against both the weapon and the ex-nation.
Wallachia's spell broken, America leapt to his feet and transformed into a white buffalo. He charged the ex-nation who growled and released Romania. Sizing America, he threw the young nation into the wall with ease. America groaned and collapsed to the ground. Wallachia turned back to Romania, kneeling beside his younger brother.
"My, my, this looks bad, little Romania." Wallachia pressed on the bit mark roughly. Romania howled and thrashed against the hand.
"Bastardul," Romania gasped. "You're worse than Russia."
"Russia?" Wallachia barked a laugh. "That nation is pathetic, he wouldn't be able to fight against me." Behind the ex-nation, America staggered to his feet wincing. He shook his head to clear the spots away then charged Wallachia once more. Annoyed, Wallachia seized the white buffalo by the horns and drew a knife, driving it deep into America spine. The white buffalo roared in pain and Wallachia threw him back into the wall. The North American nation crumpled to the floor, returning to his human form. Romania heard him whimpering pain before Wallachia was suddenly pinning him down.
"Let's have some fun." Wallachia grinned ferally, pressing the tip of the bloody knife into Romania's chest. He twisted the blade as Romania screamed and writhed violently. The pain became too much and black dots swarmed over Romania's vision. Almost through a tunnel, the Balkan nation heard shouts, an explosion, and Wallachia's furious scream. The pain of the knife vanished from his chest, and two faces teenage faces appeared in his vision.
"Shit, this is bad," Minnesota commented. The red-headed state beside her nodded weakly. "How's dad doing, Georgia?" The Southern state disappeared before she was heard.
"He has a spinal injury," Georgia called. "I don't know how bad it is."
Minnesota nodded seriously. "It's alright, Romania. We killed the poltergeist, he's gone."
Romania's eyes drifted shut as he fell unconscious.
A/N: And there we go. This story is nearly finished, thank goodness. But don't worry, because we know what our next three stories are going to be about. We're really sorry about not posting every day. We've been having technical issues with Castor's computer and Spring Break was a bad time to try to play. Demanding family.
Oh, right! New York is blind due to the 9/11 attack. He volunteered for an experiment during World War Two that was later used as a story for Marvel. (Captain America) (THAT'S NOT A TRUE FACT, I JUST MADE IT UP) Since he's only been blind for a few years, New York has a bad habit of still answering the door and the telephone. He'll write messages for his family who will try to decipher the scribbled words.
Many thanks to all our commenters and everyone who stuck with us the entire story, even after it was deleted. A special thanks to Dala, Medusa, Naru, Bhudda, Little Yellow Sunflower, and anyone else who's stuck with us through all three stories. We'll see you in our next story.
Castor and Pollux are proud to present the final installment of My Soul to Take.
