Disclaimer: Do not own Hetalia! Though I hope you know that by now...
Note: Warning once again! Violence and death in this chapter! But if you could handle the last chapters then forget the warning. But still, read at your own risk! ;) Other than that, enjoy!
The next day seemed to be a cool down from the battles for the nations of the world. In the tranquil yet vibrant streets of Rome, its citizens carried out their normal businesses, and even Dark Italy and Romano were more relaxed than they had been of late, finally taking a break from the hectic war operations, with their counterparts, unaware of the hostile, foreign presence coming nearer. The four Italians had been conversing lightly in good spirits at the conference table after Dark Italy and Romano had finished supervising local government plans.
"That was a great speech!" Feliciano complemented his counterpart, "I would never be able to speak so seriously and encouragingly at the same time." Dark Italy smiled, enjoying a plate of pasta that Feliciano had whipped up while his counterpart had been signing papers with his brother. He had been successful in surprising him when the other Italy and Romano walked into the conference room, expecting a dull discussion, but instead finding Feliciano and Lovino waiting for them with dinner hot and ready.
"Yeah, you put on a very likable personality while you spoke to the soldiers," Lovino halfsmiled at his counterpart. Dark Romano grinned back. The two Romanos liked each other because both were relieved to find someone with the same amount of sense as each other.
"And you didn't even say a single bad word," added Feliciano happily. They all laughed lightheartedly.
"I miss times like these," Dark Italy said wistfully. "Times where everything was so simple and I didn't have to worry about anything."
"Yeah, I'm glad to see you finally laugh again," Dark Romano patted his brother's back. "We can have those kinds of times again; we just have to win their war once and for all."
"Easier said than done…" muttered Lovino, remembering how close he came to losing his brawls.
"I think we can do it," heartened Feliciano, even though he never really participated in the fighting, but cheering everyone else on was his forte. Lovino rolled his eyes at his naïve brother, but Dark Romano just looked at him with what seemed to be sad happiness. When Feliciano met his eyes, he turned away quickly and talked with Lovino.
"Don't mind him," Dark Italy whispered to his counterpart. "I don't know what's up with my brother."
"It's okay," replied Feliciano jovially, but he knew that Dark Romano gave him that strange look because he liked seeing him happy—it's what he wanted for Dark Italy to be. Feliciano understood his brotherly love; even though Lovino tended to be a little too outspoken (and quite rude) about his feelings, he loved his brother all the same.
His thoughts were suddenly shattered when the door at the opposite end of the wide room burst open, swinging so hard it flew off its hinges. Through the doorway strutted Dark Prussia, followed by Dark Germany and lastly Kiku. The Italians sprung out of their seats in alarm, Dark Romano cursing. They were completely unprepared, only Dark Romano was armed with a small army knife he always carried with him.
"Kesesese, we thought we'd just stop by for a short visit," chuckled Dark Prussia, his red eyes appearing to glow menacingly. Dark Germany cracked his knuckles as Kiku unsheathed his katana.
"Yes, it's time for you to pay for being such a covard," Dark Germany growled as his glare bore upon Dark Italy, who gulped. Quaking with fear, Feliciano cringed behind his brother at the vehement animosity in the German's voice. His best friend had always been there for him, and now here was someone who appeared to be the same person, yet he wore a murderous expression with eyes full of hate. The sight made Feliciano's heart twist in emotional pain and instability.
Dark Romano stepped in front of his companions and called, "Veneziano, you know the back exit, and Lovino! Take our brothers out of here!" He drew his knife and shed his blazer.
"No, I won't leave you!" Lovino protested. He started forward, but then realized he had no weapon to fight with. With his bare fists alone, he obviously stood no chance against the invaders. Still, he could not just leave his counterpart to fend off three opponents by himself.
"You have to protect them! Please, just go!" pleaded his counterpart, and Lovino obeyed in acquiescence, then grabbed Feliciano and Dark Italy by their wrists and fled through the door behind them as their invaders advanced from the far side of the room. His duty as a big brother was the only thing that could convince Lovino to run away.
"Playing the hero today, are we Romano?" Dark Prussia smirked. "Well this shouldn't last long. Why don't you just make it easier for everyone and let us pass? We'll spare your life. Our business isn't with you, it's with Italy."
"I'll never let you harm my brother!" snarled Dark Romano. When he engaged the Dark German Brothers in close combat, Kiku did as he was told earlier and darted behind the Italian and through the door that the others had escaped. Fuck, thought Dark Romano, but he could turn his back to stop the Japanese nation or risk being killed by the German ones.
While the Italians were indeed very fast, Kiku was an excellent tracker; the ninjas did originate in Japan, after all. By the time Lovino and the two Italies scrambled out the back door of the building, he was not far behind.
Dark Italy led his companions through the lamp-lit streets of Rome, turning corners and dodging pedestrians in an attempt to shake Kiku off their trail, but their hunter was too good. Every time Feliciano glanced back, he could see him still chasing them inexorably. Why, Kiku? Feliciano thought frightfully. He could not imagine his old friend trying to murder them after all they had been through. Even with him on the Genesis Powers, Feliciano had never thought of him as the enemy, at least until now. His heart raced as they dashed in and out of narrow alleyways and sidewalks, trying to make their path as confusing as possible, knowing that if their pursuer managed to catch them he would have the skills to kill them on the spot. But when the turned one more street corner, Feliciano looked back to see that Kiku was no longer following them. They did not stop running, but the Japanese nation disappeared.
Kiku had skidded to a halt and watched the Italians round the corner, letting them get away. He had chased them far enough to say that he "tried" to catch them, and so he headed back to the conference building. Seeing Feliciano's terrified glances made him swallow a bit of guilt as he took his time returning to his fellow raiders. Nonetheless, he was glad that his old friend was still safe and very much alive. The Dark German Brothers had made their vicious intentions clear on the way to the building, and he was afraid that Feliciano and Lovino would be caught in the middle of their storm of fury.
As Kiku reentered the building, he was aware about the uneasy silence that hung in the halls. No sounds of a struggle could be heard. When he came into the conference building, he wanted to hurl at what he saw before him. Dark Prussia leaned against the wall with his arm folded across his chest nonchalantly while Dark Germany stood wiping his hands, a look of satisfaction on his face. But that's not what sickened Kiku. At Dark Germany's feet lay the lifeless body of Dark Romano with a broken neck.
When Ludwig first opened his eyes, his vision was blurry, but when it grew sharper, he saw Gilbert, who was being strangely dutiful, standing next to his makeshift hospital bed. His brother grinned, flashing shiny white teeth, and his ruby eyes seemed to light up as Ludwig yawned.
"You're finally awake!"
Ludwig stretched out his arms, but then winced as pain shot up from his shoulder, which was carefully wrapped with soft bandages. "How long vas I out?"
"Like two whole days! That's a lot for a nation," Gilbert informed, plopping down on the side of the bed. "You're normally stronger than that…" At first, the blonde racked his brain to recall why exactly he had to be kept in medical care, but then the memories of the battle and being stabbed by Dark Italy flooded back. He remembered desperately running to save his brother, and the angst he felt meeting the Italian's hate-filled eyes as the blade sank into his shoulder. It was something he had never imagined—Italy trying to kill him. Even the thought of it sent shivers down his spine. His head began to ache, and he put his hand to his temple as he sat up.
"West, don't strain yourself," Gilbert said with strange softness, gently pushing him back to lay his brother's head on the pillow. With uncharacteristic care, he placed a warm towel upon Ludwig's forehead.
"Vhy are you being so…helpful?" asked Ludwig, a bit confused at his brother's behavior. Normally, the albino was loud and obnoxious, not placid and concerned. Gilbert paused before answering.
"You saved my life…I would've been dead if you hadn't distracted the other Italy," he whispered with a shaky voice. "When I saw you fall, there was so much blood…I thought you were dead." The image was burned into Gilbert's memory. Never before had he felt so helpless, so scared, all for the sake of his brother.
"Gilbert…" Ludwig said his name quietly, unsure what to say.
"Just don't ever do it again!" Gilbert never wanted to experience such anguish ever again. "Don't ever throw your life away to save mine!"
"Nein, I vasn't throwing my life avay," Ludwig insisted. "You're my bruder. That's vhat ve do, ve protect each other."
Gilbert sighed. Why was West so responsible and brotherly? If he was willing to sacrifice his life, Gilbert had to make sure that he would never have to again. "Well, you don't need to protect me. Next time my awesomeness will protect you instead!"
"Fine vith me," Ludwig humored him, glad to see his brother act like himself again. Then there was knock on the door, and Maria let herself in.
"Maria? You're walking already?" Gilbert ask, surprised. When she moved to the bedside, there was a slight limp on her left leg, but other than that, she was fine and looked quite healthy.
"Yep!" she beamed, "Yao's medicine is amazing! I can barely feel any pain when I walk on it." She gestured to her leg and revealed a metal brace that steadied her footsteps.
"Vhat happened to you?" asked Ludwig, who really need to be caught up on recent events.
"Let's just say some bastard decided to pull a fast one on me by slicing my leg," Maria answered, not wanting to relive the whole memory all over again. She realized Ludwig was not up-to-date on latest Genesis endeavors, and wisely chose not to tell him about the Italian raid. That would just make him worry unnecessarily, which was bad for his rest. "Well," she said, turning back towards the door, "Just wanted to make sure you were doing alright, now I'm off."
"Where are you going?" inquired Gilbert.
"The other Philippines is returning home to secure some domestic affairs, and she invited me to go with her. Right now, all I want is to see something similar to home," explained Maria. With that, she happily left the room, excited to see her homeland, or rather, her counterpart's homeland. She met up with Dark Philippines on the front patio of the palace, where an escort car was waiting for them. Without further postponement, they went directly to the nearest airport and boarded a private jet going straight to the Philippine Islands. Along the way, the two Filipinas made small talk, avoiding any sensitive topics, being mildly convivial with each other. After a few hours on the plane, both of them gradually dozed off in peaceful slumber, completely unaware of the explosions and fires raging through the Canadian cities creating a hellish nightmare across the Pacific.
Dark Germany brushed off his suit. Neither he nor his brother looked the least bit haggard, as if they had not fought Dark Romano at all. The dead body on the floor repulsed Kiku so much, but he did not show it. Nothing he did now could save the poor Italian, and his alliance with the German Brothers was crucial to keep. Dark Prussia, who still leaned on the wall like nothing happened, looked up when Kiku came in.
"You didn't catch them?" he sighed.
"No. Italians are very fast," Kiku lied, knowing that if he had tried a bit harder he probably would have been able to cut them off.
"Oh well, at least this trip wasn't a complete waste. West got to cut loose a bit and snap the weakling's neck. Ha, he didn't stand a chance," sniggered Dark Prussia.
"What now?" asked Kiku, steering his gaze away from the corpse. He was becoming sick to his stomach, but he tried to tell himself that he was successful in keeping Feliciano and Lovino out of harm's way. However, doubts began to fill his thoughts. Could he have delayed the Dark German Brothers long enough for Dark Romano to escape as well?
"Vell, the other Italians probably fled north to France. There's no point in staying here any longer," Dark Germany said. "Ve should go back to Moscow then."
"Hai." Inside Kiku, however, his anger boiled silently. These other nations were pure evil, and he would never forgive any of them for the atrocities they had committed. None of his fellow nations were truly safe here in this dimension. If they did not find a way out of here soon, one of his friends could end up dead.
The next day, Maria lounged around the balcony of the Malacañang Palace while her counterpart saw to domestic affairs of the country with the President of the Philippines. Glad to be finally relaxed, she bit into the succulent, tangy mango, not realizing how much she missed the taste of her favorite fruit until now. The shining sun and the warm breeze of the islands made her smile to herself. She was relieved to be in a familiar place, even if it was not truly her homeland. They had reached Manila earlier that morning, feeling refreshed after sleeping on the plane ride. Immediately the Dark Philippines set about to her governmental work, but Maria got to sit back and enjoy peaceful time to herself. The baby blue sky, the rolling fluffy clouds, and the smell of the ocean made all her tensions disappear. Around lunch time, her counterpart ambled onto the balcony with her.
"Everything working out alright?" asked Maria politely.
"Yes, we were just discussing the economy. We were deciding how to stimulate trade, since everything functions differently during war," explained the Dark Philippines. "The nation has to be perfectly stable so that I can fight to the best of my ability. Once everyone's reached a consensus, we can head back to the other Genesis Powers."
"Great." Maria answered only halfheartedly, the deliciousness of the mango stealing away her concentration. Once she sucked down the last of the fruit, her attention came back to her counterpart. The two had a strange relationship, both affable with each other, to a certain degree. Maria recalled their conversation in the Moscow palace, where they had argued their different views on life as a nation. While they seemed to have butt heads then, the other girl did save her and Kiku on the Japanese beach. Remembering that moment, she asked, "Why did you come to mine and Kiku's aide back on the beach?"
Her counterpart blinked at the abruptness of the question. "Because you two are my allies."
"But the way you fought alongside Kiku…like you were trying really hard to make sure we were okay," Maria persisted. She knew there was something more; the fact that they all had signed an obligatory treaty was not the only reason. That much was subtly visible in the other girl's eyes. "I thought you didn't like me."
Dark Philippines sighed. "It's not that I don't like you personally—your spirit is definitely laudable—it's just your style of…thinking that I don't necessarily agree with," she explained vaguely. "But I sincerely don't want you or your Japan to die." When Maria gave her a puzzled look, she continued, "It's hard to explain, but the relationship you have with him…I guess it touches my heart, so to speak, and it would be sad for something like that to end. So that's why I came to your rescue." The other girl's eyes stared off into the distance, and Maria was not sure what to say. She did not expect such sensitivity from her counterpart. Maybe they were more alike than she thought.
"Wow, I didn't realize you could feel that way," Maria murmured.
"But I could never have that relationship with my Japan," the Dark Philippines said, "I can assure you: he's not like exactly like Kiku. He's not very endearing, to put it plainly. But he has invested my nation in a professional—if not always friendly—way, so I guess I owe him my loyalty."
"But what's stopping you two from becoming friends?"
"I honestly think that he doesn't want to be friends with anyone," her counterpart grumbled. Maria could tell that the other girl was having trouble trying to explain her connection with Dark Japan, but Maria understood, knowing that he had probably done some very detestable deeds.
A low humming noise caught the ears of both girls, who craned their necks in the direction of the Pacific Ocean. "What's that?" asked Maria. The other girl shook her head, just as confused. The humming grew louder quickly, and black dots became visible in the blue sky where the noise was coming from. The dots moved closer with amazing speed, and soon Maria could make out the shape of fighter planes racing towards the islands in a military fleet formation.
"Shit!" cursed the Dark Philippines as one of her official rushed onto the balcony, flailing his arms frantically.
"We have a situation!" he cried, "Hostile American planes are heading towards the main island! They'll be here in a few moments!"
"How are we just noticing them?" she shouted at him.
"Our radar systems aren't able to sense them! Our look-out posts have only just seen them!" the official exclaimed in incredulity.
"It's their damn stealth modes," Maria elucidated furiously. The humming buzzed in her ears now, and the planes were just about to reach the islands.
"Get the President to safety!" commanded the Dark Philippines. The official gave a quick nod before hurrying back into the building. The two girls had just run out of the palace when the first plane flew over the capital city and released the first bomb. The explosion shook the ground violently, throwing them off balance and civilians' screams could be heard from every direction as more and more planes dropped their deadly cargo upon the city. With her mind reeling, Maria got to her feet as her counterpart did, and she followed her as she dashed deeper into Manila.
Between the screams all around her, the rumbling explosions, and the nonstop whirring of the planes above, she could barely think. Several buildings around her collapsed, sending debris crashing into surrounding areas. Chaos gripped the entire city with citizens running for their lives, children shrieking, and cars driving and swerving in hay wire. Even with her injured leg, Maria managed to stay a few strides behind the Dark Philippines as they sprinted past crumbling edifices.
"Where are we going?" Maria shouted above all the noise. The other girl did not answer; perhaps she did not hear, or perhaps she did not know either. The scene around her was deplorable; the nation was falling apart at the seams. Then the two Filipinas found themselves in the heart of Manila, in Rizal Park. Stunned and disoriented, the Dark Philippines stumbled and fell to her knees at the foot of the Rizal Monument, breath hitching. Coughing, she hugged her chest, in which her heart contracted painfully. Maria knelt by her side, but unable to help her up, since they could not touch each other.
"C'mon, you can do it!" urged Maria, "Don't pass out on me yet!" More bombs continued to rain down, and now gunfire rang out throughout the city, telling her that the invasion had begun. The other girl let out a sharp cry of pain and coughed out blood before starting to writhe sickeningly. Her counterpart felt as if her entire body was on fire, the rampage of the enemies on her country too much to bear. Even breathing became harder as she thrashed about uncontrollably. Maria had no idea what to do, hopelessness filling her as she watched.
As the frightening moments of her torment passed, the two girls became surrounded by American troops, who created a circle with a few yards radius around them. Panic seized Maria, but she remained by her counterpart's side. The soldiers just glared at them, pointing their guns, but not firing just yet. Then Dark America stepped inside the circle, his pistol at hand. His expression was one of extreme contempt, not a trace of pity or leniency present in his eyes. Shivers were sent down Maria's spine as she gulped in anxiety. When he aimed his weapon at the Dark Philippines, who was sprawled on the ground with her fits subsiding but her breathes growing fainter, Maria's thoughts cleared and her initial fright left her. At once, she rose to her feet and stood directly between Dark America and her counterpart, blocking the path of his bullet.
"Get out of the way!" growled Dark America, enraged, pistol still pointed at her. "I'll shoot you too if I have to!"
"No!" Maria yelled back, "How could you be so low? Killing her while she's down and can't defend herself!" She held her arms out, becoming a human shield for her counterpart.
"HOW CAN I BE SO LOW?" roared Dark America, "I'M NOT THE MONSTER HERE!" He began to tremble in rage. While his uproar scared Maria to death, she stubbornly refused to move.
"You'd be a monster if you killed her without giving her a chance!"
"GIVE HER A CHANCE? CANADA WASN'T GIVEN A CHANCE SO WHY SHOULD SHE!" he thundered. His finger hovered over the trigger.
"W-what?" Maria had no clue what he was talking about. Was Dark Canada dead?
"As if you don't know!" Now Dark America's voice became dangerously low, still wrought with fury. "He can barely breathe. He'd be dead if I had been a second later!" So he was still alive, but only just. "My brother…he could die any second now, and it's all because of you fucking Genesis Powers!"
"We didn't know," Maria tried to reason with him, to calm him down, "I'm sorry for what happened, but neither I nor my counterpart had anything to do with it. She doesn't deserve to die!"
"Do you expect me to trust you? Canada didn't deserve those attacks either! Now I want Japan to feel the same pain. The pain of losing someone close to him," Dark America seethed lividly. Vengeance was all he had in mind. He did not understand that Dark Japan had no such feelings for the Dark Philippines, but in his state, there was no use trying to reason with him. "So get out of the way before I shoot you too!"
Maria was torn between the two decisions ahead of her. By staying put, she would be shot, and killed, and then her counterpart would suffer the same fate. Her promise with the others would be broken. She had promised she'd do whatever it takes to stay alive, hadn't she? Would Kiku want her to protect her counterpart, however impossible it was, or would he want her to step out of the way? But it would be dishonorable and cowardly of her to just stand by and watch the Dark Philippines die. Now she understood what Yao had meant when they talked in the dungeon, when he talked about honor. If she backed down now, Maria knew she would never forgive herself, and would always be wallowing in shame.
"I'm not going anywhere," Maria said firmly. Dark America grumbled in frustration, wanting to pull the trigger, but conflicted by his conscience.
"I didn't want it to come to this…" he griped, "But you leave me no choice." Maria shut her eyes and waited for the loud bang of the gunshot to signal her death, but before that could happen, someone else broke through the circle of soldiers. When she opened her eyes again, there was Alfred, standing in front of his counterpart.
"Wait! Don't do it!" he shouted, waving his arms in front of Dark America.
"Alfred! What are you doing?" cried the other American nation.
"Stopping you from making a big mistake," Alfred replied, with legitimate seriousness.
"What? Why? You do know that I can just shoot right now, and the bullet would pass through you like a ghost, right?"
Alfred frowned, apparently forgetting that detail. Maria wanted to roll her eyes. Of course he would let something like that slip his mind. But it's the thought that counts, right? "Well, I got your attention, and that's all that matters," Alfred said, regaining his stern tone.
"Aren't you angry too? The Genesis tried to kill Canada! Are you just going to let that slide?" yelled Dark America irately at his counterpart.
"Of course I'm angry! Something like that is definitely not okay! But so this isn't either. If you kill them, you'll be just as bad as the bastards who tried to kill Canada," contended Alfred. Shocked, Maria was impressed by his ability to read the atmosphere and use logic for once.
"What else am I supposed to do?"
"You can settle the score fairly on the battlefield," Alfred stated. "Don't try to get revenge this way. It won't solve anything, not your hatred and not Canada's condition. Think about it, you can have your revenge on the people who're really responsible: Russia and Japan."
Dark America was silent for a moment. Then he slowly lowered his gun and sighed. "I guess you're right." He turned to a soldier and said, "Give the order to withdraw all troops. We're done here." The soldier nodded and began to call out to his fellow troops. Maria exhaled and pulled out her phone to dial an ambulance, assuming the hospitals were still operating. After making the call, she knelt by her counterpart, whose chest rose and fell irregularly. Soon the planes carrying American forces took off one by one. As the American nations boarded the last plane, Alfred glanced back at the Philippine nations. Maria mouthed thank you, and he nodded and smiled back before hopping in the plane.
By the time the Dark Philippines was loaded into the ambulance, all the invaders had left the islands, but a good portion of the city was in shambles. Maria could only imagine what had happened in Canada that put Dark America on such a breaking point. As she stood by her counterpart's side the whole ride to the hospital, she could not help but disdain everything about the war. Now it seemed as if WWIII was just about each nation having its revenge on its hated rivals. The Dark German Brothers wanted their revenge for their defeat in the Second World War, Dark Russia still wanted to crush America after the way things ended in the Cold War, and just now Dark America almost succeeded in avenging Dark Canada. In this moment, in this revelation, Maria hated being a nation. War was not going to solve anyone's problems, but it seemed to be the only thing these nations knew how to do. When the ambulance reached the hospital, she got out to help move the stretcher and grimaced. The air around her smelt of polluted fumes…and something else. Was that the smell of death and destruction? Maria concluded that it was, and gagged involuntarily. Keeping a keen eye on her counterpart's breathing pattern, Maria checked to be sure the other girl was still alive, which, thankfully, she was. However, Maria covered her own nose and mouth to prevent herself from inhaling the horrid scent, but then realized her attempts were futile. It was time she got used to the deathly aroma, because she could be certain that she would smell it again. And perhaps that aroma would fill the air sooner than she thought.
For this chapter, I used a good amount of creativity to mix things up a bit. I didn't want it to be too...explicit in regards to violence, but I hope i still got the idea across. For the parts talking about Canada, I made it a more of a "Fill in the blank" kind of thing because it would just break my heart to actually write the attack. But in case it was too vague, pretty much the same thing that happened in the Islands happened in Canada, only with much more ferocity. In this chapter I tried to convey and even spark many conflicting emotions within the characters, and possibly in the readers too!
But enough typing from me, I hope you liked it! While you're here, you might as well leave a review*hint hint* and know that every word is taken into consideration! Thanks guys!
