Chapter Nine: Mum's the Word

That afternoon, after the extremely long and painful meeting with the Italians, Gilbert dragged himself back to the hotel room, tired and just wanting to take a nap. The meeting went well enough, but there was just something about the Italians' lax manners that really bothered him. His old stricter upbringing was starting to kick into full mode again, and he was a little worried he was acting the way West usually did; boring and uptight.

He was East Germany now, and the East was awesome and was not the one that usually worried about anything. He was the partier, the one that drank until he couldn't feel his lips anymore. It was a little surprising that he was starting to slip back into the old Prussian mentality, even after nearly seventy years. Just proves how awesome Prussia was if I can still feel its connection, he thought with a bitter smile.

There were days when Gilbert really missed being his own country, or rather, having his own land named after his once awesome country. He had been with West since 1871, but in those years since, he did not regret a moment of his time with his younger sibling. It was just after the Second World War, when they had been separated and his name dissolved, that his lack of land and proper name bothered him the most.

But he knew he should be happy. It was that his name was dissolved that bothered him the most. Maybe people didn't even remember what "Prussia" was. He'd asked a young girl once, and she had told him that "it was pronounced Russia." After that, he hadn't felt much like talking to anyone and had locked himself in his room for half the day. What bothered him was that no one seemed to remember how great he had once been…

But he knew he should be happy. He was still alive—because of his awesomeness no doubt—and he still had Ludwig after all this time. Even when they had been separated and controlled so severely, even when the blonde knew that it went against the rules, Ludwig had always made sure he found a way to send letters over to him from the west. Gilbert still wasn't sure how his sneaky younger sibling had managed the feat, but he was nevertheless pleased. Despite all of his embarrassment over the issue, how much he might try and quiet the fact, Ludwig loved him, and it really didn't matter to the albino if everyone else in the world hated him or even if Gilbird flew away and never came back, just as long as he had West and Ludwig loved him, that was enough.

…though Gilbert still really loved being praised and thought Gilbird was the greatest thing since the invention and introduction of beer.

As he walked up the stairs, foregoing the elevator, to get to his room, Gilbert paused, his mind swimming with images of Ludwig. The albino could still remember the day Germania had brought him home and introduced him to his heir, a little boy that would soon be known as the Holy Roman Empire. Ludwig had been so cute then, just a little bitty thing that was so shy. Germania had told his son to be nice and treat Prussia just like a brother, and surprisingly, that's just what the Holy Roman Empire did…

The bickering and fighting and attacking one another had been quite legendary throughout the German-speaking world at one point. Gilbert and Ludwig had been quite the hellions when they were younger, just like any brothers would be. It didn't matter to them if they were blood related or not, they fought like true siblings in any case. It was when Gilbert had thought he would never like younger nation when Germania had made him promise to look after the boy when he was gone. And remembering all that Germania had done for him, Gilbert had agreed.

It had not been long after that Germania had faded away and Holy Roman Empire took hold of the Germans with Charlemagne, and despite his distrust of Christianity, Prussia had tried to watch out for the younger personification regardless of their differences. But that had led to more fighting until one day Holy Rome had attacked Prussia with his Teutonic Knights and basically gave the albino over to them. Tensions between the two had lasted a little long before Gilbert got into the routine of being a Christian and how being under Holy Rome went. Surprisingly their bond grew after that and they got along for the most part after Holy Rome's initially cruel and power-hungry quest seemed quenched. They took to calling one another brother, even when Prussia separated and became his own proper country

And then after Holy Rome went away, Gilbert had been left with the same boy without any memories. Truth be told, he liked Ludwig better after 1806 for the sake that the boy had a major attitude adjustment. Gone was the blonde that believed he was greater than he was, and entered a boy that looked up to and adored Prussia. It was wonderful, and Gilbert doted on the boy, made him his brother, and cared for him as Germania would have wanted.

Prussia's love for the child went as far as forming an empire with him again in 1871 and then following in him into World Wars I and II. But these final chapters in Gilbert's life so far took a new turn. As he thought of the strong, confident young man Ludwig had been, how grownup and powerful the blonde had become, made the older nation feel very proud of the younger nation. German land had always been attractive to him, the culture of the people, the language, everything that his own people had shared with Germany's had charmed the albino. Gilbert loved his brother, there was no doubt about it. He loved everything about the younger German.

…but that was just the problem. The love and devotion the older nation held for his brother was now changing directions, and rapidly. He had always known that Ludwig was attractive, he had seen the women react to him, but now that Ludwig was a woman, she seemed to hold the same power, only over men, and for whatever reason, whatever cruel joke, Gilbert was not immune to her. Everything that he had loved about Germany as a man was slowly shifting into something else completely; his love was changing somehow. For some reason or another, Gilbert found himself inexplicitly drawn and aroused by her.

Sighing, Gilbert walked to his room and took out the key. When he opened the door, all he wanted was to see the pretty face of his little sister and drink a beer. But when he walked into the room, the albino heard a strange voice. It was talking to his sister.

Stepping in farther, Gilbert walking into the living room area to find his sister sitting on the couch with a very familiar British man leaning over her, with his hands resting quite firmly on her thighs. The two blondes looked over at him, a pair of green eyes looked surprise, a pair of blue looked calm and collected. Britain was not wearing a shirt and was in his swim trunks, Ludwig was in a rather low cut sun dress. Again, red eyes flashed down to stare at the hands resting on Ludwig's thighs. On his sister's thighs.

Something snapped inside of Gilbert, and blood pounded in his ears. Before he knew what had happened, he was across the room and grabbed the Brit by the throat, squeezing as tight as he could, until he heard the other sputter and gurgle sickly.

"Bruder!" Ludwig's panicked voice barely reached the enraged albino's brain, but it managed. Hearing the fear in that lovely soprano, and feeling small hands on his arms as she tried to get him to let go caused him to relax his grip on the other nation, and when he realized he wouldn't be able to kill the island nation, he shoved the other blonde away, sending Britain staggering backwards.

"Stay the hellaway from her!" Gilbert snarled, before taking his sister's hands before she could go run and help the other nation, pulling her close to him. "Stay the hell away!"

"Gilbert!" Ludwig exclaimed, trying to get out of his hold. "What the hell are you doing you moron?"

The older nation looked down at the girl, his eyes softening considerably as he looked her over. "Are you okay?" he asked, not noticing how his voice trembled slightly. "He didn't touch you anywhere sexually?"

"What?" Ludwig blinked several times. In the background, Arthur coughed harder in response to the accusation.

"He didn't put a spell on you, did he?" the albino pressed, ignoring the girl's outburst. "I know his type," he turned and sent a frightening glare over at the other man.

"I—ahk—beg your pardon?" the Englishman gasp, rubbing his neck tenderly, but the outrage clearly got through.

"Don't try to deny it, arseloch!" Gilbert snarled. "I saw what you were doing, you pervert!"

"Bruder, he was just looking into my eyes!" Ludwig finally managed to pull out of Gilbert's death grip, and she stood glaring at her brother a moment before walking over to help the other man.

"Yeah, I bet he was!" the albino ran after her, stopping her before she got to the island nation. "He was probably casting one of his freaky spells over you!"

"I was not!" Arthur exclaimed, insulted.

"Yeah, I saw you feeling her up, you bastard!"

"He was just leaning over to look into my eyes to see if he could find some sort of enchantment cast over me," Ludwig pulled away from her brother again and helped England back over to the couch. "I read in several articles from my own research that sometimes a certain spell can be detected in a person's eyes."

"I was just leaning over her so I could tilt her head back and still have enough light to inspect them," the smaller man explained desperately. "That's all I was trying to do! That fact that it looked like I was being inappropriate quite escaped my notice! I was trying to keep my balance. I am terribly sorry if I did make you uncomfortable, Germany."

"You weren't bothering me," the girl said firmly before turning to her older brother. "See? You completely over reacted. We were just trying to get some tests done and figure out how to turn me back. Apologize."

Gilbert took a step back, affronted. "Apologize? For what?"

Ludwig snorted. "How about nearly chocking Britain to death?" she rolled her eyes.

"I was just trying to protect you!" the Prussian stepped forward. "Things are different for you now, West. You're small and cute and weak and defenseless! Men will want to take advantage of you! I was only doing my job as your brother by defending you!"

The air suddenly became stifled and the temperature dropped at least twenty degrees. Gilbert found himself trapped in the depths of icy blue eyes that were slowly freezing him to death. The scowl on Ludwig's face was truly horrifying, and it left the older nation feeling sick and chilled. A shiver ran up his spine, and for the first time in several days, it wasn't a good shiver.

"I didn't ask for your help," the girl ground out, her jaw clenched painfully tight. "I am not weak," she spat in a harsh whisper. "I am not defenseless." She grabbed his pale hand before bending his little finger backwards nearly all the way.

"Gah!" the albino exclaimed, unable to get out of his sister's vice-like grip, and before he knew it, he was on his knees in front of her, looking up into the terrible eyes of hers.

"Now," she hissed. "Apologize."

Fighting back the tears that wanted to spring up in his eyes, Gilbert found himself nodding. He was thankful when his sister released her death grip on his pinky finger, before he stood up. Without looking at either blonde, the albino muttered an insincere, "Sorry," before looking the other way.

Ludwig sighed, but did not press. "I am sorry for that, Arthur, I do hope you're not too seriously hurt?" The older German scowled darkly when his little sister used the other nation's name.

"Oh no, I'm fine, really," the Englishmen responded quickly, just like any man would to calm a woman's fear and guilt. It pissed Gilbert off. A lot. "Please don't concern yourself."

"I'll go make you some tea," Germany went on, looking truly apologetic. "You like sugar in it?"

"Only a touch, thank you, Ludwig."

As the lady exited the little sitting area to go to the small kitchenette that the suite provided, Gilbert wasted no time, and was in Arthur's face almost immediately. He grabbed the Englishman's shirt, bringing their faces close together. There was real fear that sparked through the emerald eyes before it stilled as the island nation tried to recover himself. "You stay away from my sister, got it?" the albino hissed. "I don't know what sort of twisted game you're playing here, but you don't touch West again unless I say it's okay. Got that?"

"I was merely looking to see if I could identify—!"

"Shut it!" Red eyes burned furiously, like the fires of hell coming up to devour any and all transgressors. "West might be different now, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stand back and let you or anyone else take advantage of her. Got it? West is mine."

With an unnecessary shove, the albino released his prey. Still glaring down the other man, Gilbert went into the kitchenette after his sister. He stopped in the doorway and watched as she was pouring the hot water into a mug for their guest. She really looked good in that sundress. He had done an awesome job picking out her clothes for her. It was really no wonder why England had been drawn to her, any sane man would have. But it still ticked him off.

Icy eyes glanced back for a moment, and the albino could detect anger in them. They were so beautiful when they looked like that, but so cold. "Why did you have to harass Britain?" the girl hissed. "He might not help me now!"

"Well then, we don't need his help! We'll figure this all out."

"Don't be stupid, Bruder." For some unknown reason, the name burned Gilbert's heart, making it ache fiercely. "I've already tried to come up with a solution on my own, remember?" Ludwig went on, unaware of the pain she had inflicted. "We need him so that I can be normal again!"

"Being a girl is not un-normal, West," the Prussian said gently. "It's okay if you stay a girl, you know. I'll still watch out for you."

The blonde looked surprised for a moment before she masked it with fury. "I don't need you to protect me from everyone, Bruder." He winced. "I don't need anyone. I can take care of myself. I can defend myself no matter what gender I am. But the point is that being a woman is unnatural to me. I spent my whole life as a man, Gilbert."

"I know," the albino said, almost shamefully. "But I'm just saying, if we can't fix you, I…I mean, it'll be okay… I'm your big brother," the words were like sawdust on his tongue. "It's my duty to look after you, West. I made a promise to look after you."

At last, the blue eyes softened and Ludwig sighed. Her hair was getting longer, and one strand slipped from its position to hang in her face slightly. The older German had to fight the urge to go over and brush it back. "I know that you think it's your job to watch out for me," the girl began slowly. "And I know that you've always been here for me, and…and I do appreciate it, East, but I'm not a child anymore. I'm not weak. And I'd rather not give up hope right now on returning to normal." Ludwig turned to look away, a red blush overcoming her cheeks. "But I…I do appreciate your…reassurances and support if I don't turn back."

And the urge to sweep her up in his arms nearly undid the Prussian once more. She looked so fragile, so adorable. His male instincts flared to life again, and he knew that he was lusting after her, still, even with England just around the corner. Why couldn't he control himself when it came to her? Why was he so attracted to her like he was? He became irrationally frustrated and he had a very strong desire to go beat the snot out of England.

"Come on now," Ludwig said, stirring a teaspoon of sugar into the tea. "Let's go see if England can't help me out."

Obediently, Gilbert followed his sister out, but not before vowing that should anyone try to take advantage of his sister again, he would kill them.

oOoOoOo

After his near death encounter with East Germany, England decided that it would be best to keep his distance from the irrational nation. Gilbert had always been insanely protective of his younger sibling through the years, had risked multiple conflicts and wars just to gain custody and control over his brother's land in the past, but there some something decidedly different with the albino now as opposed to years ago. There was a different spark, a different drive to him when it came to the younger German, but Britain just couldn't rightly understand it at the moment.

The rest of the afternoon the island nation spent with the two Germans in an awkward sort of dance between temperaments. Ludwig, to her credit, kept her brother on his leash and made sure that he didn't get too snappish. Gilbert, on the other hand, kept those sharp eyes of his on every movement Arthur made the whole day. Like an overprotective parent, the albino would demand to know the full details of any of the tests Arthur was going to administer to Ludwig and made sure that only what had been described before was applied. It was frustrating work, but neither Germany nor England could get the stubborn Prussian to change his mind once it was set.

It was at times like these that England truly wished he had just stayed at home and not come at all. His afternoon had been going so well too, only to be turned upside down when he thought he had a chance with a pretty young blonde. Truly, even after finding out the girl was just Germany, his time spent with the other European hadn't really been that bad. Actually, Arthur had been having a surprising amount of fun. This whole predicament was more like a strange puzzle that needed solving than a bloody nuisance to him, and he had taken notes as Ludwig went through everything she could think of that might have caused her sudden change.

No, the British gentleman had been having quite a good time until a certain albino had come and forcibly pushed him away from the girl he had been trying to help. The sudden aggression in the albino had honestly took Arthur by surprise. He had not seen this side of Gilbert for many years now. The last time anyone had truly seen it was just before the Second World War had ended, when the Germans were still fighting tooth and nail at the end of 1944 and into early 1945.

After Prussia's disbanding, however, the once great and powerful nation had become more subdued, more laidback and unwilling to do much on the political scene. Granted, the Eastern German had had to deal with being under the control and power of the Soviet Union and delicately work on the balance of power between himself and his sibling to stay alive than to find time to fight others. The nasty little spark that had always been within the Prussian had disappeared for many years and had only started to slowly return, so very little, after the Reunification of Germany by Ludwig's own coaxing.

Now, however, Arthur saw no need for Western Germany to coax that side of her brother to come out. It was back. The fire was very much alive and burning in the albino now, it seemed, and it was quite terrifying. Prussia had helped stomp out Napoleon with that same fire, had nearly conquered the German states after the 1848 Revolutions, had defeated Denmark, Austria, and France in his quick, little wars to create the Second Reich in 1871, and had fought viciously with that same spark in both World Wars with surprisingly damaging results.

Arthur realized that in some manner, Prussia was not really gone; it was still very much alive among the Germans. That was why Gilbert was still thriving, it wasn't just because of Ludwig's generosity to carve out a piece of land to give to her brother, it was because the Prussian fire had never truly gone out. The Prussian ideal had still been kept alive, and now, it seemed, that Prussia himself was back, no longer simply the lesser East Germany, but a real force that wanted to be recognized for his history and power.

While it was potentially a frightening thought, England had to wonder why that spark had come back all of a sudden. Had it really been growing back by itself this quickly, or had Ludwig's transformation had something to do with it? Prussia had always seemed the most dangerous when he was defending or trying to win his sibling from others. Was it possible that that instinctive protectiveness that the albino seemed to harbor had reflexively come out again now that Ludwig was dealing with a stressful, odd situation that could potentially get her into trouble?

It was possible. There were times when England still found himself watching out for America, Australia, New Zealand, or… that other one…the one in the north, near America…Canada! Yes, how could he have forgotten about sweet Canada? Britain should always remember Matthew. He had won the boy from France, after all, drove the bloody Frog right out. That had been a good time…

Sitting back, flipping through one of the spell books that he had brought with him as light reading—Gilbert had not wasted a moment to harass the Brit on his strange reading selections for flights—trying to think of anything that he could do to help Ludwig out. But as he read, his eyes keep glancing up to stare at the two siblings he was with, watching them.

They were all three sitting on the soft, Arthur with his book, Gilbert and Ludwig looking up information online, trying to see if they could come up with anything. It wasn't the first time that the Englishman had watched the two German siblings interact with each other, but it was the first time that the two seemed to be interacting in this manner. Mentally, the island nation began taking notes.

Ludwig wasn't all that interesting, she was staring at the computer screen reading, every once and a while typing in the search bar. No, it was the albino who was worth watching. He was sitting next to his sister with a pad of paper and pen in hand, ready to take notes should the younger German ask. This might not have been so strange save for the fact that the Prussian wore pained expression on his face, his eyes never leaving his sister's face as she went on in her search, completely ignoring him.

Why would Gilbert feel pained? He had been furious not too long ago, but now that things had quieted down, the albino seemed to mentally lapse into a sort of depression as they worked. Red eyes seemed made only for his sister in a way that confused Britain. What was Gilbert thinking about? What was bothering him? Was it really the fact that he believed Ludwig was easier to take advantage of now? Was he really that concerned over the girl's well being?

Annoyed with the silence, frustrated with his inability to find any answers thus far, Arthur stood up, catching the two German's attention. "I think it's time for a break," he said while stretching. "We've been at this for hours. What do you two think of going out to dinner tonight? Get out of this stuffy little suite and have a nice sit down dinner?"

"We haven't come any closer to why I'm like this," Ludwig frown, her bottom lip pouting slightly. She really was a gorgeous creature now; Arthur could understand why Gilbert felt so protective of her. He, too, had sisters he wanted to watch out for.

"I know, but I'm not sure I have the proper spell books with me to produce a truly successful researched answer. Why don't we just go out tonight and I promise you, after my stay here in Italy, I will devout my time to trying to find a cure to your situation?"

"West doesn't have a dieses, she's just a girl now," Gilbert snapped, Surprising the other two. It made Britain wonder…

"And you're damn right you'll being helping her out!" the albino went on, breaking the blonde's train of thought. "She's taken a huge risk at letting you in on this secret of ours."

This was not ordinary protectiveness the Prussian was exhibiting. No, there was definitely something different about him now and his attitude towards the younger blonde. His temper was much shorter and there was a certain flash in those ruby eyes that Arthur knew he should recognize, but he could not put his finger on.

"Yes of course," Arthur nodded quickly, as his mind worked furiously on figuring out what was so different, to recapture his earlier musing and piece this new puzzle together.

Ludwig looked between the two men and seemed to sense the tension again. She sighed heavily before she stood; an elegant movement. "Very well. Let's go then."

After grabbing coats and wallets, and Britain going to his own room to finally change from his swimsuit, about half an hour later, the trio found themselves walking through the streets of Italy, looking for a suitable place to dine. As they went, Arthur took to watching the two Germans again. Ludwig looked very much the part of a beautiful tourist while Prussia looked like her demon escort, ready to murder anyone that came too close to the blonde. A few times some Italian men perked up as Ludwig walked by, but one glare from Gilbert sent any possible suitors away quickly.

At one point, a man shouted a catcall at the poor gender confused German as she walked by, causing the girl to blush with embarrassment and anger, before her brother stormed over to the offender and promptly punched him in the face. After that, the people gave the group a wide path. "You should have hurt that man," Ludwig had admonished not too convincingly. "It could get us into trouble."

"What trouble?" the albino snapped. "I've got fucking diplomatic immunity."

Germany had raised an eyebrow and hummed, but said nothing more. Personally, Arthur would have scolded any of his siblings more, would have tried to make them see the error of their ways, but Germany and Prussia were different people. For whatever reason, Ludwig seemed to still hold a considerable amount of respect for her brother, and was just the type to feel it not her place to scold the older nation. That combine with the fact that everyone knew that whatever she would have told the stubborn Prussian probably wouldn't have filtered through to his brain that would have made it a total waste of time, effort, and breath in the long run. Ludwig, surprisingly also didn't seem to care all that much in this situation, Arthur noticed. The girl actually seemed a little pleased.

At last, the three nations found a nice little restaurant that was out of the way, and sat down. It was fairly busy, being about the prime time for dinner, but none seemed to mind too much after spending the afternoon cooped up. Arthur rather enjoyed listening to the music being played in the background with humans chattered around him. It was not as soothing as listening to his own native English, but it was still nice after the kind of day he had.

An awkward sort of silence fell over the unlikely dinner party, but Ludwig seemed determined to deter any discomfort and Arthur followed her lead. Gilbert seemed resolute to stay in his brooding silence and his sister made no move to remove him from his condition. Apparently it was better to leave the Prussian be as long as he wasn't directly hurting anyone. Britain made note to remember that little tidbit for later use. Just in case.

"So," the girl said after they had ordered their drinks. She spoke in German in hopes that no one would be able to understand them. "Once you get back to your own home, you will contact me if you find anything, ja?"

"Of course," Arthur nodded. "I will do anything within my powers to help, though I must admit that your case is unusual. I may need to consult with Norway on this matter to see what he thinks."

"No way," Gilbert spoke up, shaking his head adamantly. "We don't need any more people in on this. West doesn't want this to get all over the news. She could lose her reputation. We haven't even told our own government what exactly has been going on."

"You might want to," England said seriously, looking at the girl instead of her brother. "I know it will be difficult, but this could take awhile. It's best to clear the air quickly so as not to cause panic within your government."

The blonde German sighed. "I know I should. It will just be…uncomfortable. No, you're right. I should admit this to them when I get back. I'll still be able to work, so they won't have to worry too much." She paused a long moment in thought. "And I suppose you may ask Norway for his help if you must, though Gilbert is right, I'd like to keep this situation as closed as possible. I don't want this news spread around the world."

"You have my word I will do everything within my power to keep your secret," Arthur smiled lightly at the woman before him.

There was suddenly a cheer from the whole room, everyone called some sort of greeting. The three nations turned to see what sort of spectacle was happening around them, when they froze in horror.

"Ve, is the pasta ready yet?" a familiar voice whined over the voices of the humans.

There was some mumbling and laughing before another loud cry rang over the people.

"Chigi! My beautiful angel!" came the cry from across the room as everyone turned to look into the direction of the three obviously foreign people.

Germany slouched down low in her chair, her face red as a beat. Gilbert looked around desperately for something to fend the Italians off with. Arthur sat stiff in his chair, not sure what he should be doing. Well, so much for keeping this all mum, he thought sympathetically.

oOoOoOo

Up in Heaven, Rome was laughing merrily at the turn of events, routing his grandsons on, pleased that Germany had nowhere else to hide. She would have to meet Veneziano now. Next to him, despite being dead, Germania had stroke.

Author's Note: Yay! What a nice way to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving with having our three conspirators go out for a nice dinner?...which totally backfired.

There were some mentions of historical facts in this, but I'm too lazy at the moment to explain them. If you have any questions about that, feel free to ask, I'll be forced to explain them then. XD

The bending back of the pinky finger is actually something that police and others types tell women to do when fighting off men or other unwanted people that are harassing you. Bending back the littlest finger is, I'm told, quite painful to most people and will have them drop to their knees. Honestly, I'm not sure if it'll work first hand as I'm able to bend back all my fingers, but I've been told it's quite painful. So keep this little tip! Bending back the fingers hurts most people, but not the double-jointed ones. :P

But I hope you liked this installment. Now we have the Germans, England, and now the Italians all in on what was supposed to be a secret. The future is looking to be fun to write~ Reviews are always welcome! Thanks everyone!