8

As the night started to draw to its end, Canada was becoming increasingly concerned that England hadn't really done anything, the ghost of his past self… possibly two past selves were still wandering around the house and seemed to be taking their toll on Arthur, who was having something that would resemble a mental breakdown.

Arthur's eyes clouded again, but this time he looked up to Canada, his expression turned into one of joy. Canada was troubled by this. He had expected the crazy pirate to be coming back for some more masochistic banter. However, this was definitely not him. Arthur being happy without a reason was far more worrying.

"You came back!... you won't leave me will you?" He said hazily. Clutching the back of Canada's head and holding him in a close embrace. "I've missed you so much!... After your brother left I thought I'd never see you again!"

Canada couldn't help but notice how feverish the current England seemed, he was in a cold sweat, despite his temperature being high, he was also shaking heavily. Canada had no idea that ghosts could be so detrimental to a person's health. Then again, he was hoping to never meet one... never mind two. It seemed that France's previous attempt to help England come back to his senses… had in fact pushed him over the edge. Canada looked despairingly at France, who merely shrugged and gave an air of 'just do your best'.

"What on earth are you talking about? America told me to come here in the first place!" he said, desperately trying to struggle out of England's tight grasp, failing to understanding the frame of mind that England was in.

"Your brother… he told you that?" England said perplexed, his eyes were unfocused, but still seemed wide with shock. "H-h…he's just ranted at me… it's nice to know he's so caring-"

"Well sure he just told me…" Canada said, wearing a puzzled expression, not understanding England's dumbstruck expression. "… he told me to check if you were okay… and obviously… you're not at all…"

"He left me… not so long ago now… and… I don't want you to leave me too!" The Briton started vaguely, Canada couldn't tell if he meant 'not so long ago' or whether he meant '350 years ago'. When Canada thought about it, for England, 350 years wasn't that long ago. England then exclaimed urgently. "I can't let you slip through my fingers too." He held Canada closer. "I'll give you more independence if you want! Just… don't leave me…"

"Get off!" Canada shouted. He pulled away, but then realized, he recognised this affectionate/ clingy behaviour from another time... but not the pirate… nor England as a small child, but from another period all together. It was when America had left England, and Canada was vying for independence himself. England was so possessive straight after that time… Canada had to endure a good 100 years of that clinginess, so he could recognise that kind of behaviour in an instant.

France shouted at England. "Hey… England… what year is it?" expecting an answer he didn't want.

"I beg your pardon?" England looked blankly at him, his eyes were so glassy that Canada couldn't quite tell what he was looking at.

"Just tell me…" Francis repeated impatiently.

"The year of our Lord…1766…What are you doing here?" he then realized who was speaking to him. "France! You stupid moron! You better keep your hands off Canada and America… They were mine! I'll get them back! I swear it!" The Briton answered testily.

"Oh God." Canada felt a knot in his stomach. "I have to go and-"

"Don't go." He felt a hand on his arm, clutching him strongly.

"England…" France looked horribly distressed, at his mental breakdown. "What's wrong with you?"

" Don't lea-"

"STOP IT!" Canada pushed England away furiously, his fear coming out in a flood of anger. "I'm not your property anymore! Get your hands off me! I've seen what you're really like, you crazy tyrannical…" he covered his mouth, his violent reaction to England's comment even took himself by surprise.

England's expression broke and he pulled away from Canada rapidly.

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to say it like that… I don't think that you're like that all the time… it's just that sometimes you seem li-" Canada apologised irrationally.

France hushed him. "I don't think he's really listening to you." France said properly as he saw Arthur clutching at his head in an impromptu fashion.

"… I get it now." The pirate said, wiping his face that seemed smeared with his own blood after coughing so much. "… He can't cope with so many versions of himself wandering around…the ghosts in these rooms… are all screwed up in that head of his…" the pirate smiled in delight as he approached Canada. "What can some kid like you do to help him hmm?... Leave it to me child… I'll sort him out…"

"I sincerely doubt that." France criticised, looking angrily at the pirate. "Or maybe you haven't realized…if this version of yourself has a breakdown… what will become of your beloved country? He'll never act like you…"

"Oh France, don't you see? That's exactly what I want! For you see… if he breaks down… he will become me… For I have the strongest will of all the spirits here…" The pirate sneered. "And this time… I'll make sure I get what I want."

Canada was scared, he didn't know what to do. For once, he wished his brother was here… his brother would have been able to help, or at least try to help. "I'll get America… he'll know what to do…"

"CANADA FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! HAVE SOME BACKBONE AND SORT THIS OUT PLEASE! THE LAST THING I NEED TO SEE IS YOUR SELF-RIGHTEOUS BROTHER RIGHT NOW!" England snarled furiously, sounding like his usual self, albeit extremely angry."SERIOUSLY, WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS? HE'S NOT A SAINT! DON'T GET ME STARTED ON HOW HE ISN'T A SAINT! WE COULD BE HERE ALL BLOODY DAY IF WE TALLIED UP ALL OF AMERICA'S PAST BLUNDERS COULDN'T WE? LETS NOT MENT-" England seemed to be talking about some comment that America had made neither Canada or France were aware of. They assumed this may have been delirium.

"IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SUCH A DOTING IDIOT WHEN HE WAS YOUNGER, THEN HE WOULDN'T HAVE DEVELOPED SUCH AN OVERSIZED EGO AND I WOULDN'T FEEL THE NEED TO BRING HIM HERE RIGHT NOW!" Canada's accent seemed to get much stronger when he shouted. "IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SUCH A USELESS CARER-"

The pirate whooped in hysterics, which broke Canada's stride somewhat, even if coughs were intermittent. "Even the kid agrees with me! You must have really shitty as a carer… even your little brother's hate you!" The pirate coughed again. "I take it back child… you're not so bad after all."

"SHUT UP YOU! I'M NOT HAVING SOME HALF DEAD GHOST INSULTING ME!" England started, his voice was straining though, breaking from severe stress, as if he was trying to stop another personality speaking through him.

The pirate's wicked laugh reared its ugly head again, even if it did cause him to cough blood everywhere. "Go on little Canada… off you trot… back to your brother… or your room, wherever…" he said, shooing him away cheekily. The pirates cough began to get worse. Canada noticed a change in the pirate's behaviour, whereas before it had been quite blasé and carefree, he seemed to becoming much more cautious, his prancing had reduced significantly and he seemed to be permanently gazing at the floor, clutching either his face or his chest.

Canada stayed put, England was right to an extent. Canada should be able to do something, though what that was he hadn't figured out yet. "No… I think that's exactly what you want… you…weird…freaky…" Canada's yelling trailed into a whisper.

"You're doing a great job here." France added wryly.

"Pirate…thing…" Canada finished uncertainly. "Ghosty…type…"

France on the other hand, wasn't sure if the pirate's point is entirely unfounded. Leaving England alone with his personal demons might be exactly what he needed to overcome them. When America had met one of the ghosts, England's behaviour seemed to become extremely unstable, and the pirate had played on the weakness' of himself and Canada. This in turn had made England's situation far worse. France had a good idea of what to do to make England feel better, but was slightly worried that the consequences of his actions might make England even more angry and tetchy than usual… for an entire year. England had always had a problem with loneliness, but he also had a good coping mechanism… getting on with it and prospering through solitude. France knew this was exactly what England needed right now, more than he needed France or Canada, he needed his own basic instinct of self preservation, as this had always been what had kept him going in the past.

France shrugged, if this is what needed to be done, then it would be done, simple as that. If England did end up acting angrily for an entire year, it was hardly that different than usual anyway… c'est la vie. He whispered into England's ear with a feigned cruel smile on his face. "Hey… are you alright?"

England seemed to bury his face in his hands. "DO I LOOK OKAY YOU TWAT? OF COURSE NOT! I'm losing focus again…come on France… I need you to talk about the present-"

"But England you're always stuck in the pas-" France began smirking.

"I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR SNIDEY REMARKS FRA-" England shouted frustratedly, clutching his head again. "I need your support on this." He let out a cry of desperation.

France frowned. "England, you should know better than to ask for help from me." France chuckled softly. He didn't want to be so unnecessarily cruel, but he knew that this would help England… in the long run.

"THIS ISN'T A JOKE!" England sounded breathless. "Come on France, stop kidding around."

"Come on Canada, let's leave England to his own problems… besides he always loves to prove how he can solve his own problems, let him solve this one himself." France smiled, waving his hand in an unconcerned fashion.

"France what are you-?" Canada started, before France covered his mouth quickly and began to whisper hurriedly.

"Don't ask me why, but I have a feeling that he needs to be on his own to sort this out… It might seem harsh right now, but it will help in the long run." France muttered frantically. "Okay?"

Canada nodding, not sensing any malice from France, but also unable to speak couldn't really aruge. They both left the room slowly.

"W-w-wait… where are you going?" England outstretched his hand. "Come back! I nee-" His hand grasped his head again. He cried out, his head was aching so badly that England could hardly think of anything else other than the pain in his temples.

"Listen England, I'm not doing this because I hate you… I'm doing this because I don't think you need my help… it's not that I'm unwilling to give it… you can sort this out your own… like you've done every other year." France's smiled turned into something this resembled a grimace. "I can appreciate you have more strength… than you give yourself credit for…"

England looked incredulous at France's compliment, as did Canada, who looked dumbstruck. Eventually, England nodded, despite the scowl on his face, he could acknowledge that it was pretty big of France to say something like that. He watched both Canada and France leave.

The pirate seemed to be troubled by England's calmness. "Aren't you worried that they are leaving?" he said, exasperated by his own cough.

"No." England added finally, feeling a little more confident, knowing that France at least had some faith in him. He was still in a considerable amount of pain though. Whatever his voice may have suggested about his confidence, his body was still wracked with pain.

"Fuck me! This is much more unpleasant than last year!..." The pirate looked at his other self, paranoid that his current day stuff was gaining ground and was no longer frightened of him. "It seems they've got your number," he said smirking, despite the fact he could feel weakness setting in. "They leave you to solve your own problems… as you're always so keen to point out… you don't need any help, you can do everything on your own."

"You'll leave in the end." England said simply, still cringing. "So don't get so God damn cocky."

"Stop being so fucking melodramatic! I'm here to -!" the pirate rasped desperately, he fell onto his knees, the amount of blood he was losing now was quite appalling, this was the last coughing fit he'd have... he wouldn't recover. The pirate looked panic-stricken, and for the first time, he seemed fearful.

"FUCKING PLAGUE! AND FOREIGN DISEASES…" He started incoherently " IT'S CRIPPLING ME!" The pirate was now lying on the floor, he'd lost his balance from when he was sat down. "Shit… I'm…I'm… fucking scared… Come and help me-" the pirate begged, paranoia fear creeping into his voice. "Come on… I'll give you anything… just come and help me."

The modern day England felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders, as this strong spirit seemed to lose it's power and hold over him. He felt the dull ache from his head ebb, he sighed in relief. The end of his trails seemed to come so suddenly this year, it was usually a horribly long, but not painful process, he hated to admit it, but it seemed that France did know a thing or two about England. Even if they were enemies. Leaving him on his own, to face the pirate after a well placed hint, was just what he needed.

England stood up and dusted himself. "We've always had the same problem…" England said regretfully looking at his past self struggling.

"And what's that?" the pirate summoned some courage to ask, despite fearing his imminent end.

"We don't have anyone to help us in a pinch…" England answered, he smiled cruelly at his struggling self. "I win…"

"Damn!" the pirate cursed, realizing that it was too late, he had lost his chance to live, and would fade into the black again for another year. By this point in the proceedings, the pirate was too weak to argue. "I was so close this year…" he muttered

"You should give up trying to take over me you know…you'll never be around long enough to take a hold of me…" The current England answered, he felt relieved that he had survived another year's trial… even if it was a close call.

"If that's the case you should stop being so scared of me… you fucking coward." The pirate said, with a pained smile on his face. "So my times nearly up again…"

England couldn't help but feel sorry for the pirate version of himself. He had never given up on his bid for freedom "… I admire your perseverance…"

"Mate, you've got bigger fucking problems than me… at least I didn't mind being lonely… it's looks like you've taken a step backwards… you're always going to be a loner… why do get so upset about it?"

"I was doing fine… it's the child version of me… he always gets me." The current England lied, he shook his head. "No… that's not it… it's because… I know how miserable you were… most of the time." England replied, now almost fully recovered from battling with his other selves.

"I spent my time doing what I thought was best for my country…" the pirate seemed to be getting more and more lethargic. "I'm wasn't miserable… I loved my life."

"Your words betray you… my precious self." England repeated ironically. "Besides… in the new world… we all help each other enough I suppose." England added, a little forcefully as if he only half believed the words himself.

"You're not going to help me?" The pirate said, with a little charisma. "Even though you like some parts of me?"

The current England smiled sadly. "You know it doesn't work like that… don't you?"

"I never was one for sticking to the rules though." The pirate said, his cough sounded deep and severe. "Probably explains why I was so great."

"And so lonely." England continued.

"When are you going to learn that being lonely is a good thing?" the pirate turned onto his side and saw the blood trickling as he coughed. He wore a sad smile on his face. "Shit." He said, his voice sounded regretful.

"Does it feel good now?" England said, looking at his past self sadly.

"…" The pirate didn't answer.

"I know… it's great being alone when you're so strong and you have so much power… you don't have to share with anyone…" England went to his pirate self's side. "But when the walls close in around you… and your world begins to shrink… the top of the world gets very lonely indeed… "

"Ha." The pirate's congested chest sounded painful. "I was doing it for my country, for my people… so I could be strong… it's that damn childhood of ours… I thought if I got strong… then friends would follow… the power… was just a nice added bonus… it's something you can take comfort in… when you realize that people don't like you…"

"That's right." England answered. "But…That sounds a bit soft for you…"

"I…" the young pirate spluttered a little and carried on. "I'm not the tyrant I might appear to be."

England smiled sadly. "I really haven't changed have I?"

"What about those supposed friends of yours? They've left you high and dry." The pirate said, shutting his eyes as true weakness set in. "Just like they left me-" the pirate stopped speaking. England came closer to the ailing pirate.

"Just because they aren't here… doesn't mean they don't care," England added finally. "Go on you're really struggling… Just go back to where you're meant to be…" England started gently, putting his hands on the pirate's chest.

"But…" the pirate sat up, his head drooped. England looked terribly surprised by this and caught him at he fell forwards. "I-I don't want… you to be alone… since you're always fucking going on about it-"

"It's just… something I have to deal with." England smiled again… he really hadn't changed.

"Ha… I'm sure you'll say that next time too… I'm so bloody predictable." The pirate had a smirk in his voice, but England could tell... the pirate was scared. At the end of the day, he was still quite a young man.

"I… I pity you." England said. "Because you really think you're undefeatable… but look at you now."

"I thought I was meant to creep you out… not the other way around." The pirate muttered weakly.

"Everyone waited for the day our empire toppled you know." England whispered to his other self. "Even after everything I did for them…"

"…" The pirate didn't speak, he appeared to be unconscious… and almost ready to fade into the darkness of the night. England wasn't sure, but he could have sworn that it was his words that cause the pirate to lose his consciousness. England lay him down gently and watched as he slowly faded away… it was a soul destroying experience for him.

"And you were so powerful." England muttered to himself. "…but in the end power and strength aren't the same… are they?" he remembered how badly he was affected by that at the time, and how America had somehow been an antidote to his bad times…

England took a deep breath, he had to know… whether the redcoat was still there. He went to the room and sure enough, the young man was there leaning on his gun, not expecting a visitor.