A/N: Hey my readers! I am sorry that I was unable to upload this chapter on Canada's birthday...too busy celebrating it...anyway. My beta reader Mew I is dinosaur is out on a trip for a few days till then there will be no updates I will be busy working on the world meeting chapter. So enjoy my late update present for you all. By the way...I have a poll posted on my profile page for you readers to vote for what happens after the world meeting...so far I have no ideas at the moments and I was thinking for more lessons...but I did promise future fluff moments so I can't decide...Vote now ! The poll will close by the end of this week.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia...just this plot bunny!


Chapter 6: Russia teaches Canada: Third Lesson

Russia woke up in his king size bed to the sound of a knock on his door. Lithuania was on the other side. His morning duties were to wake up everyone for breakfast.

"Mr. Russia, sir, is time to wake up," the Lithuanian said as he knocked on the door again, just to be sure that Russia had heard.

Ivan grumbled and said, "Da..I be ready soon."

"Ok, sir," Toris replied and soon left.

Russia raised his head to see the alarm clock: 9:30 am. Ivan preferred to sleep in, but he had to get up, seeing how his stomach growled. Ivan yawned and shuffled out from between his sunflower patterned sheets.

He wasn't much of an early riser, but he knew that he had some work to do. He got up from his comfy bed and slipped on his yellow slippers, heading towards the bathroom.

"Da, I slept very well. That is good," Ivan said to himself.

He removed his t-shirt and went to examine himself. He was uneasy about the latest developments with his little heart problem and was checking his chest to see if it was okay. His reflection showed all of Ivan's scars and tissue damage from the build up of turmoil, since his country underwent many hardships. He felt remorse and his face was solemn.

Russia did not like the imperfections on his broad chest. It made him seem more grotesque and ugly. Nevertheless, he pushed his insecurity away for now; he had much bigger problems to attend to.

Ivan placed a hand on his heart and felt it beat normally. "Da...that's good so far...but what were those emotions I was feeling? Does it have something to do with Canada?" He was lost in his thoughts, until he decided to pull his heart out to inspect it further. Blood gushed forth and stained the porcelain sink and bathroom mirror.

"Da...Lithuania will clean that up..." he said as he continued to peer at his heart, literally.

He noticed that his heart was healthy looking and had a warmer flush to it. He compared his heart to the last time he had checked during the Soviet years. Then, his heart was deep purple and immobile, almost as if were frozen meat.

"It seems that my heart is getting warm?...No...It's developing feelings," he muttered to himself, almost as if this new information was frightening to him.

He was feeling restless about this. When the General was raising him, he always told him to close his emotions, because they would make him weak...Is this what Winter meant?

Ivan was, in fact, worried. He hated being weak and helpless, and he hadn't liked it when he was under the Tatar's rule. It was hard to get by and he spent his childhood sacred for his life. He had to overcome his humility to survive, so General Winter had to freeze his heart, making him a ruthless demon to plague terror on the rest of the world.

Ivan became angry at those painful memories and his hate-filled relationship with the General. His heart was beating erratically and more blood sputtered in reaction to the Russian's anger.

"Da...I see," he said as he gently pushed his heart back into his rib cage.

The bleeding stopped afterwards, and he was now focusing on his busy schedule. He had a few files to read and sign but he also had to make some important calls to his boss for some updates in his country. He brushed his teeth and washed his face before walking into the bedroom to get dressed.

He rummage through his dresser and picked out his usual attire.

As he was getting dressed, he thought, "Da...if I think too much I won't be productive..."

Ivan was concerned about these unfounded feelings, but he put on his blank face and went downstairs to eat. As he went downstairs, he encountered Latvia and he seemed to be carrying some folded linen. Latvia's chores mostly consisted of cleaning and assisting Estonia with menial tasks.

The Latvian boy was heading upstairs before he took notice of his master. He was shaking in fear at Ivan's presence, but he did manage to stutter out, "Russia, good morning." Ivan greeted him back and ruffled the youngest boy's hair with a smile. Latvia trembled more at the sudden contact, and he dropped the sheets by accident. Ivan was irritated by the display and coldly told him, "Da...you will be cleaning those sheets by hand now. I don't like to sleep on dirty sheets." He went downstairs, leaving a more terrified, but now confused Latvian boy.

He picked up the sheets and said, "Usually he would hit me, but somehow he told me to wash them..."

He thought he was getting lucky, but was on high alert; he did not want to be in Russia's bad graces.

Russia arrived at the table to see that Toris had prepared his breakfast, and looking at the dinner room table, he saw his two sisters sitting patiently. "Oh, they must have came back from their trip and wanted to see me," Ivan thought as he glanced at them. Ukraine looked happy to see him. Russia did not mind her company and loved to see her once in a while. He then looked at Natalya. Her face was stoic and she said nothing. He still did not want to be around Belarus; he will always love her as a sister, but Belarus misinterpreted the affection as romantic love. His mood was shot down at the thought.

Russia felt a chill, and it was coming from his little sister Natalya. She had a sweet smile on her face, but she refrained from running towards Ivan. She was a proper lady, raised to act accordingly in the given social context. She curtly greeted her Big Brother, which Ivan replied to as best he could without crying in fear. Ukraine also did the same and had a smile on her face.

Russia sat down and started eating, with Katyusha and Natalya following along. They had a quiet meal with small talk about how they been and about the weather. The rest of the meal was eaten with silence, which was uncomfortable for Ukraine. She wanted to talk to Ivan more, but when she saw her sister's hard glare on her, she refrained from speaking. Ivan saw her look and wanted to speak to her, but was afraid of how Belarus would react; he knew from previous experience that she got possessive of her Big Brother. Natalya ate normally and was indifferent to the awkward ambiance.

Toris broke the silence when he brought in some freshly squeezed orange juice. "I have some juice, if you'd like some."

He carried the pitcher in and noticed Ukraine signal for some, so he gave her some. He also saw Belarus asking for some politely. He smiled and poured her drink, which Natalya replied to with thanks. He beamed and left.

Belarus finished her food and went to mention the next world meeting occurring tomorrow. Ukraine smiled when she received the news. Russia absorbed the information and nodded. Ukraine wanted to mention something, and decided to say it.

"Vanya, I am planning on meeting Canada to discuss some immigration policy with him in a few days." Ukraine saw the look on Ivan's face. He was miffed about the idea, and her eyes began to water.

Belarus let out a petty sigh, and muttered, "Cry-baby."

Russia, during the Soviet days, would always regulate his states' international affairs and disliked Ukraine being independent (for one, because she ran away from him, and two, it was Canada that aided in her independence by providing aid for her citizens to immigrate to his homeland). Russia would get angry when his sister mentioned Canada, and would often dismiss the topic at hand.

He was about to interject and persuade Katyusha not to go until more thoughts of Canada's lessons muddled his mind. He remembered one particular part of the lesson about friendship. He had promised Canada to be nice, so he changed his mind quickly. He was still irritated, but it changed when he felt his heart skipped a beat at the thought of Matthew.

"Da, you can see Matvey..."

The sisters noticed the name change, and Belarus quickly commented. "Big Brother, who is this Matvey you speak of, and do I have to kill him?" she implored as she raised her favourite throwing knife, an imitating glare on her pretty face.

Katyusha noticed the name, and remembered that it belonged to Canada.

"Odd...Vanya only says first names when he gets close to a person...did something happen between Canada and him? Hmm," the Slavic woman thought as she saw Ivan's look of discomfort towards Belarus.

Russia felt weird about agreeing to Ukraine's request, but he remembered his promise. He felt happy when he saw his sister's face. Belarus was getting impatient at the lack of response from her Big Brother. Ukraine quickly answered for him, knowing that Ivan was still scared of her.

"I'm sure its a mistake...Tak?" Belarus lowered her knife and looked at Russia for reassurance.

Russia quickly nodded. "Da...slip of tongue."

Natalya smiled at this and resumed eating. Ivan let out a big sigh of relief that she had managed to placate her sister without her going psycho on him...it wouldn't have been too pleasant if she had. He remembered his slip up, and was now more aware that he should take precaution if he wanted to keep his relationship a secret.

"Da...I have to be careful," Ivan said as he headed towards the kitchen to ask Toris for his vodka.

Toris was cleaning up the dishes when he saw Russia entering the kitchen.

He asked, "Mr. Russia, sir, do you want something?"

Russia replied, "Nyet," and grabbed a vodka bottle from the top drawer. Toris resumed his duties and was drying a dish when he dropped it by mistake. The porcelain plate made contact with the floor and shattered.

Toris thought, "Damn...I'm screwed..."

He screamed when he saw that Ivan was mad about his fine china being ruined and was about to smash the vodka bottle on the Lithuanian's head. He was about to apologize for his clumsiness when Ivan started to laugh it off, as if it was nothing.

"Da, Lithuania has butter fingers..." Toris was surprised at the Russian's reaction.

He smiled, which Toris saw. "Just be careful next time, or a body part of yours will break instead."

"Yes, Mr. Russia, sir," Toris said quickly as he went to grab a broom to sweep up the mess. Ivan chuckled and sipped his vodka.

"Da, I feel weird that I don't get to hurt people, but being nice...is somewhat comforting?"

He shook his head and went up to his study to catch up on his reading. He got to his desk and saw the files on the table. He pouted, but his face was serious.

"Better get started, da." He sat on his comfy desk and began to read and sign the files.

Twenty minutes passed and Ivan decided to take a break. He looked at the clock, which read: 11:10 am. He was done his work already and his mind went back to his heart. He was starting to figure out what made his heart tick. He was in a daze until someone knocked on the door.

Estonia brought some more files in and said, "Sir, here are the files that came from the boss." He gestured to the new stack that almost reached to his eyes. He was walking slowly due to his reduced sight, and did not notice the carpet bump, so he slipped by accident and fell flat on his face. The papers flew towards Ivan as if they were a swarm of hornets attacking an enemy, causing Ivan fall to the ground, taking his chair with him.

"Estonia!" Ivan yelled as he got himself up.

He looked at his Baltic nation's condition, and saw that he had a bruise on his head. He was trying to get himself up, and Ivan felt the urge to help the boy out. He didn't think he needed to, seeing how it was Estonia's fault, but Ivan wanted to keep his promise, so he decided against that thought. He went to pick up the boy. Estonia was confused at the small gesture, but thanked Russia nonetheless.

"Da, you clean up the mess, Da. We wouldn't want something bad to happen to your iPad..." Estonia flinched at the threat, and went to pick up the files. Russia did not need to hurt the other Baltics; he knew Estonia loved his ipad like it was a fourth brother.

"Oh, dear, why is Russia being nice all of the sudden? Must be my imagination, yes," the nation thought as he collected the files and handed them to Russia. Ivan giggled and went to his desk to start reading. Estonia was still waiting to be dismissed.

"Da, you can leave now," Russia dismissed the boy, who nodded.

"Thank you."

He swiftly left the room, hoping that Russia would not change his mind. He closed the door on his way out.

Russia was starting to scare himself; he was getting too soft...but it would make Matvey happy...right? Ivan was beginning to doubt himself. He wanted to show Matthew that his lessons are working for him. He started to work on the pile to forget his doubts.

An hour later, he was finally done. He smiled. "Da. All finished. This deserves some vodka!"

He brought out his vodka and finished it completely. He pouted; he had finished his vodka too early, and he was too lazy to go to the kitchen to retrieve some more. He went back to thinking about his heart, which he was slowly putting back together. Ivan discovered that whenever he thought of Matthew, his heart would have a reaction. The real question was why? Russia growled in frustration. He would not be defeated by his own heart! He decided to do something else to waste some time.

He wanted to draw, so he went looking for his notebook. Russia searched everywhere for it, checking his bed, drawer, closet, study desk, kitchen...but all were unsuccessful. He scratched his head and decided to look for his notebook in the living room, believing it would be there.

"Where is it?" Russia said to himself; he was getting frustrated at his failed mission.

The living room was in complete disarray; the sofa cushions had been tossed around the room, the coffee table was flipped over, the bookshelf was missing half its contents and was spread across the floor.

Ivan noticed the mess and shrugged. "Da, Latvia will clean it up."

He fixed the love seat and sat himself on the sofa. He decided to trace his steps back to where he had left it.

"Da, I had it a few days ago...then I brought it to Matvey's house...and then...I..." he realized that Canada had his notebook! He knew he did not have any homework, so Matvey had decided to keep it.

"Damn! I must get to Matvey's house quickly."

He was worried that Matvey will see the things he tried to hide from the other. He went to pick up his shoes and left in a hurry, hoping that his secret will be safe. He had a reputation at stake and he did not Matvey to think any less of him. These thoughts motivated his legs to run faster.

[page break]

Canada was done with his work and was sitting in his study with a smile on his face; he had only a manila file to read and sign. Since visiting Russia took a lot of his time, he had become better at managing it so he would not let his workload pile up. He was in his study, bored out of his mind.

He sighed. "I don't know what to do. I already fed Kumaloki and cleaned up the house..." He thought about Russia, trying to think of some possible lessons for him.

"I guess I could try to teach him about trust. Trust is very important in friendship..." he muttered to himself. He remembered Russia's notebook and gasped.

"Of course! I'll review the list to get some ideas!"

Canada opened the drawer in his desk to see Russia's notebook. He grabbed it and opened it to the first page. Matthew scanned the information, and then went to look over Ivan's homework.

"Mmmm...It will take a while for Ivan to be successful at this, but I hope he is taking my advice about being nice. It will make things easier."

Matthew always took the benefit of the doubt with others; he still believed that Ivan could do this. He smiled and went through his book, until his purple-blue eyes caught something.

Matthew then went, "Ehhh?"

Matthew saw Ivan's doodles of the Allies and Axis members. He looked at each individual character, and was surprised at Ivan's talent. Canada knew he wasn't much of an artist, but knowing Ivan can draw...well, it made him breathless, and now slightly guilty. He felt bad for looking through Ivan's stuff.

"Ivan will kill me for this, but this was worth it," he said as he looking at the drawings.

He laughed at his brother's image, and giggled at the Axis's members. "It seems he got their personalities right on the dot, eh?"

He looked at his Papa and smiled at the amazing resemblance. He finally glanced at his Father's picture and frowned. It would have made him laugh, but it reminded him of hateful words and without realizing it, he closed the book and set it down.

"How can I ever face England after hearing all of that?" he asked, entering a depressed state.

Matthew assumed that England did not mean it, and he wanted to take back what he had said in front of France. But he knew deep in his heart that Arthur real's feelings towards the Canadian were true. It made him angry.

"Hoser..." he muttered angrily and went downstairs to make a drink. Whenever Matthew was angry, he would play some hockey, eat or drink to calm himself down.

"Where is my maple syrup?" he asked himself as he search through the pantry.

He finally found some. He smiled and took a huge gulp of it, leaving a trail of syrup on his chin. Hey, don't judge him for drinking maple syrup. Alfred would do the same with chocolate syrup. The moment the Canadian thought of his twin, there was a knock on the door.

"Speak of the devil. I wonder what he wants this time..." he said as he ran to open the door. He saw none other than Alfred.

"Hey Mattie!" the American said as he hugged his brother.

Matthew pushed him off before he had the chance to squeeze him to death.

"Hey...Alfred. Is there something you want?"

He had learned from experience that Alfred would remember his existence only if he needed him to do something. Alfred had a pained look on his face.

"Mattie, don't say that. Can't I see my broski and ask how he's doing?"

Matthew tapped his foot and folded his arms. He glared at Alfred, telling him to speak the truth. Alfred broke down in three seconds.

"Okay, okay. I wanted you to help me out."

Matthew sighed, "I don't think so. Go ask someone else."

Alfred whined at Matthew's response, "Aww, don't be like that. I'm the Hero and the sidekick always helps out!"

Matthew was getting tired of Alfred's excuses. He would always get guilt-tripped into doing whatever his brother asked (since he had those puppy eyes that Matthew could never say no to). But after helping him, Alfred would act so obnoxious about it and take the credit. With these emotions, he manage to spit out a very cold, "No, Alfred, not this time and not the next time."

"But Mattie! You have to! Or you have to face my secret weapon! Look into my eyes." Alfred leaned towards Matthew's face and widened his eyes.

Matthew, at first, flinched at the proximity but then closed his eyes and thought about the anger and frustration. He remembered Russia's face and his eyes.

"I never realized how purple his eyes are..." He blushed at the thought, and replaced the thought with the irritation for Alfred.

Matthew did a menacing glare, and said with an icy tone, "No, Alfred, go home. I have someone that I have to meet." Matthew walked around his brother.

Alfred melodramatically fainted, saying "Why? Mattie, why have you forsaken me!"

"Yeah, Al..." Matthew said nonchalantly as he went to pick up his brother, "Come on..." Alfred did not put any effort into getting up.

The Canadian was getting fed up with Alfred's behaviour. He was acting like a misbehaved child. He decided to take his syrup to his study to drink in peace. Alfred was now sitting on the floor with a pout on his face and his arms crossed.

"Alfred, by the time I come back, please be gone...for your sake. Kumajoki is hungry again and would love to bite someone," he darkly joked, which resulted in Alfred having a terrified look on his face.

He still stubbornly stayed. Matthew went upstairs.

After ten minutes, Alfred was placated, and sighed.

"Geez, Mattie, when did you grow some balls? I wanted to tell you to help me with the world meeting that I'm hosting tomorrow."

He cheered himself up and was about to leave, until he heard the door knock.

"Better answer it..." He rushed to the door to find someone he did not like to see.

"Russia," the American said coldly.

"America," Russia said in the same way.

Alfred blocked the entrance, which peeved Russia. "Da, it is rude to keep guest outside."

Alfred growled in response, "Well, if I remember correctly, Mattie did not expect you to come."

Russia smiled, "Da, it was unexpected, but I must see him."

Alfred growled something about 'stupid commie bastards crashing into people's homes uninvited.' He grudging let Ivan inside the house. Russia was waiting patiently for Matvey to arrive.

"Da, where is Matvey?"

Alfred was puzzled at the name, and then corrected him. "Dude, I don't know who Matvey is, but his name is Mattie."

Ivan was puzzled at the American's behaviour, but shrugged it off.

After a few moments, Canada arrived with Ivan's notebook. "Alfred, you should be gone by now. Oh!" Canada stopped talking at the sight of Russia in his home.

"Ivan! I wasn't expecting you until later..." Alfred did not notice the slip-up, and the Canadian cursed himself at his own mistake.

"I mean Russia, is there something you need?"

Russia looked at his prize, and said, "Da, I wanted my notebook back."

Alfred was shocked throughout the display, but he managed to hid it and said, "Mattie, I am sorry for letting the damn commie enter your house. Do you want me to kick him out?" he asked as he prepared himself.

Russia commented back, "Da, it won't be necessary. I got what I wanted..."

Matthew was surprised at Russia's restraint; usually he would get confrontational at his brother's rude behaviour. Matthew smiled, thinking that Russia was acting on his promise and handed his notebook to Russia, who smiled back.

The exchanges of smiles went unnoticed by the American. Russia showed his own way out before Alfred had the chance to do him the courtesy. Alfred was stunned at the sudden closeness the two arctic nations shared.

"That was weird...For a second, it seemed that Russia was being nice...hahah that's too funny." He laughed at his own joke. Matthew did not say anything.

He was in a good mood and did not want to be disturbed. He walked away. "Bye Al." Alfred was miffed at being ignored and left his twin's house.

[page break]

A few hours later, Canada knocked at Russia's door on time for his lesson. He had brought his polar bear and his hockey stick. He would have felt scared for his bear's life, but he managed to trust Russia enough that he would not hurt him. He carried a weapon this time.

Russia opened the door, "Matvey! Come in, da."

Canada allowed himself to enter. Ivan noticed his friend's appearance; his shoulders were slouched and his head was drooping a bit lower. It must be the bear's weight, Ivan assumed. Matvey was almost as tall as his chest or at least as tall as his chin, or so he presumed. He remembered the proximity that they had shared during Canada's last lesson, and he blushed at the thought.

Matthew did not notice Ivan's tinted cheeks; he was focused on being too tired from carrying his pet.

He asked, "Umm Ivan, what are you doing?"

He was feeling embarrassed at being stared at. Ivan did not move, being lost in thought, until he said, "Da, I see. Matvey, drop bear."

"Ehh?" Matthew took a few seconds to process what Ivan meant.

"Ok then," Matthew gently placed his bear down and finally stood up.

Ivan noticed how his shoulders were relaxed and how he was able to raise his neck higher. Matthew's head stood proud and Ivan was right about his height; he was close to his chin. Ivan smiled at the change in Matvey's posture.

He murmured, "Da...I was right." Matthew heard what Russia said, and wondered, "What did he mean he was right? Right about what?"

He was lost in his thoughts, and did not realize that Russia's body was very close to his person.

Matthew blushed at the proximity and stuttered out, "R-Russia?"

After Russia laughed he said, "Da, you almost as tall as me! But I'm still the tallest."

Russia had assumed that the North American twins were the same height, but he was mistaken, seeing how Canada was the second largest landmass. He was an inch taller than America. Both males were very close enough that they could feel each other's heartbeat. Ivan noticed the slight increased rate of his heart, but it wasn't enough to worry him. Matthew was still red, and he shifted when Russia patted his head to double check his hypothesis.

"Da, the bear is problem. Do not bring bear to meeting tomorrow."

Matthew was about to argue that he wanted to bring his bear. What held his tongue back was the shoulder pains he suffered each and every meeting, caused by carrying the polar bear.

"Ok. I see. Will this help me be noticed?"

Ivan laughed his usual laugh, which Matthew felt on his cheek, and he shuddered involuntarily.

"Da. You look taller compared to America. People notice height."

He saw Canada beam at this information. "Thanks Russia." He hugged the Russian.

Ivan's heart was beating so fast, his face turned red. Slowly, he wrapped his arms around his student's petit frame.

"Da..." he said shyly, and continued the embrace, until a voice interrupted them.

"Hungry," Kumataki said, and Matthew let go of Ivan, who pouted cutely.

"Stupid bear," he cursed internally, and gave him a glare.

Kumajirou was immune to it, and shrugged it off. Walking towards his master, he repeated himself. "Hungry...Feed me."

Canada nodded; he had some salmon bits in his pocket. He bent down and fed his bear. "Here ya go."

Ivan looked at the touching scene. "Da, Matvey looks happy feeding bear...cute."

The polar bear was fed and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Canada. I just fed you a few moments ago," Matthew said with a bit of irritation. He also felt embarrassed that Ivan saw how his own pet disrespected him.

"Oh," the bear said and went to the corner of the room to take a nap

He did not acknowledge Russia's presence. Ivan took notice of that, and became miffed. "Bear is disrespectful, da?"

Russia brought out his pipe. "I fix it. Give me five minutes with bear and I'll-" he said as his purple aura shined through his body. He was about to walk towards the bear, spitting out some kolkolkols, until he felt pressure on shoulders.

Matthew quickly held him down, putting a protective grip on Russia's shoulders. "No! You will not hurt him. I'll deal with him."

He lowered his arms and Russia said, "Da. That is lesson for today: make bear remember your name."

"Ehhhh?" Matthew gasped. He thought it would be something extremely difficult.

Russia looked dumfounded. "It is not hard, this is practice for the meeting tomorrow." Matthew was taken aback at the new information.

"What meeting?" he asked, embarrassed. Ivan replied back with a stern face, "Da, America will host meeting tomorrow. Did America not tell you?"

"Nope. I guess that is what he meant when he said he needed help." Canada smiled.

"Good. I always helped him out, but he always acts like such like a hoser at the end." Russia beamed at the news.

"Da. Canada is improving. You said no. That is good."

Canada blushed at the compliment. This somehow reminded Canada about Russia's promise.

"Russia...did you keep your promise?"

"Da. I was nice to the Baltics, Ukraine and somehow Belarus. Which was not easy," Ivan said and saw how Canada's face was full of happiness.

"That's great, Ivan! This is only the first step; soon you'll be make a friend in no time, eh!" Matthew's motivation lightened the room, and Ivan felt proud. His heart responded back with fervour, beating erratically. He grabbed his chest as a reflex, but soon his heart recovered.

Ivan thought, "Da, it is definitely Canada that makes my heart feel funny..." Russia shook his head, now focusing on his student.

Canada went straight to his bear and said, "Kumatoki...my name is Canada, ok."

Kuma was still asleep. Canada sighed at his stupidity.

He woke up his bear and repeated, "Kumataki, my name is Canada," he said as he pointed to himself.

The polar bear yawned and said, "Who?"

Canada repeated himself again, "Kumatoki, my name is Canada. C-A-N-A-D-A."

He moved closer to his bear. The animal replied back, with an undertone of disrespect, "Who?"

This scene replayed itself for a good twenty minutes. Ivan face-palmed to himself and muttered, "So sad."

Canada was getting depressed as the verbal abuse went on, but at the same time, his anger was increasing, soon to reach the boiling point.

Canada was starting to get really hurt about this. He had always thought his bear had a short-term memory problem, but Matthew could see that he was too soft, meaning his own pet wouldn't take him seriously. He was starting to get frustrated.

Ivan was watching the pitiful scene unfold. "Da, no wonder he is forgotten. He lets himself be unnoticed. I'll fix it."

He noticed the hockey stick on the ground, and yelled, "Catch, Matvey."

Matthew turned his head towards the sound, and saw an incoming stick flying towards him. He grabbed it before it made contact with his head.

"Ivan! What was that for?" Canada's voice raised in volume.

He just about got hit by his own stick, and Ivan giggled back.

"Da, use it on bear." Canada was confused; he did not want to abuse his own bear, but his attitude was asking for it.

The bear was about to go to sleep, until he heard a noise coming from the floor. Canada smacked the hockey stick on the ground, which startled Kumajirou. He looked his master in the eyes, grumpy that his sleep was disturbed.

"What?" he said, and Canada was getting angrier by the second.

"I said: My name is Canada. What is my name?" Canada had his angry face on, fiddling with his hockey stick.

It made the Canadian look twice as intimating, so Kumakiki shivered in fear.

"...Canadia?" The bear was unsure of how his master would respond, and at the corner of his eyes, he saw vodka breath with a sinister smile on his face.

"I hate that guy so much," the bear thought, shaking in fear.

Canada felt good that the bear almost remembered his name, but he wasn't satisfied.

"Close but no cigar." He was about to pretend to hit his bear, until he heard, "CANADA!"

Kumjioru cried out, "My master's name is Canada!" Canada proceeded to hug his bear in happiness.

Russia smiled. "Da, teaching is easy. I should be a teacher." He wanted to reward himself for a job well done, only to discover that he had no vodka!

"Matvey, where is my vodka?"

Matthew replied, "I have it, Russia. It's in my bag over there." He pointed to the bag right beside Ivan. The Canadian released his hug, and the bear was happy that the ordeal was over so he could go to back to sleep. Matthew went to Russia and hugged him again.

"Thanks, Russia, so much for everything. I feel confident in myself, and all because of you!"

In the spur of the moment, Canada's face went close to Ivan's and he placed a small peck on Ivan's chubby cheek.

Canada was too happy to notice that Russia was beet red as he said, "Da, if Matvey is happy, I'm happy."

His heart was filled with fluffy feelings that Ivan soon recognized as the cause of his discomfort in the previous lesson.

"I see...these feelings I get are from Canada. Do I feel something for him?"

Ivan still looked dazed, and Canada calmed himself down enough to notice the Russian's blush. He then remembered his actions, and was soon flabbergasted at his behaviour.

"Russia! I ...well...I didn't mean..I'm so sorry," he apologized quickly and frantically, hoping he did not offend Ivan in any way.

Russia returned the courtesy, placing a small peck on Matvey's left cheek.

"Da, you worry too much. We are friends..."

He showed his dazzling smile, making Matthew blush a deep red and stutter, "Oui."

Russia, seeing Matvey all embarrassed and nervous, thought he was cute. His heart was beating regularly, and he felt relieved that he had found the answer: he was attracted to Canada.

He accepted it, but he knew it terrified him. Like a superpower, with power comes great responsibility. He smiled at the thought, and said, "Da, lesson is over. I think Matvey is ready for the world meeting."

Matthew then said with confidence, "We'll see."

He got his stuff ready, until Ivan said, "Matvey, be careful at meeting. I don't want the others to know about this..." Ivan remembered his mistake, and was thinking America would expose them.

Matthew laughed. "Don't worry about Al. He is slow when it comes to secretes, I know."

He smiled. "I'll pretend that I don't know ya, eh?" he joked, and Ivan pouted a little.

"Matvey, I have bad feeling about this..."

"Good night, Ivan," Matthew said while he waved goodbye, with Kumajirou following behind. The bear glared hatefully before he wagged his butt at the Russian.

Russia growled, "Stupid bear. One of these days..."

[page break]

Earlier that day, the Baltics were eating lunch and discussing their favourite topic: Russia.

"Have you guys noticed Russia's change of heart recently?" Lithuania asked his two siblings.

Estonia and Latvia replied back, "Yes."

They all reported their moments with Russia, and they drew different conclusions. Latvia assumed that he was being nice as a joke, while Estonia reasoned that it was an excuse for Russia to be extra mean to them the next day. Lithuania assumed it had to do with his guest. This idea captured Estonia and Latvia's curiosity.

"So, are you telling me someone has been visiting Russia for days now, and this person is influencing him to be good?" Estonia paraphrased Toris, who nodded. Latvia couldn't believe it; he was still shaking at the thought.

"Could it be possible? Can Russia have a heart?" Toris sighed, and went back to eating. Estonia thought they were crazy while Latvia just slurped his soup.

The Baltics would have to see it to believe it, but deep inside, they knew Russia's real intention behind those forced acts of kindness. They had only ten minutes left to eat until they went back to their duties.

Unbeknownst to them, a figure was eavesdropping on their entire conversation...and this person was not pleased at all.

Owari


A/N: Enjoyed this chapter so far...Can anyone guess the mystery person...a virtual cookie will be given to the person who guesses right!. The next chapter will have some drama and will Alfred, Belarus, or Ukraine figure out the duo's dirty little secrete?...Time will tell...

If you don't review...France will molest Canada...you don't want that to happen so review to prevent it! lols