Sorry about my long absence, but I had finals the last two days, and…finals. *sigh* At least its Thanksgiving Break now, so I can write as much as I want. And to make up for my lack of updates, I'll probably do more than one chapter. And I'm glad that TheKatanaMistress is reviewing, but it'd be nice if I had someone else to talk to, you know. Pretty please. I need more than one person's input here!

November 26, 2014

Arya's POV:

It was stupid and I knew it was stupid, even as I lunged forward and elbowed my way through the crowd, even as I picked up my own abandoned sake cup and smashed it to get a sharp edge, I knew that this was a bad, bad idea.

Prussia held the bleeding wound on his stomach with his left hand, gripping a shard of broken pottery with his other, still "Kesese"ing steadily. It was a pitiful weapon against the razor-sharp katana in the Second Player's hand, and probably the only reason Prussia wasn't gutted like a fish was the cut on 2p!Japan's temple, steadily impeding his vision as it poured blood into his eyes.

The dark nation shook his head slightly, trying to clear his eyesight, and I took my chance and pounced on him, wrapping my arm around his throat in a stranglehold as 2p!Japan hissed in surprise and his elbow slammed into my sternum, making me drop the shard of pottery as pain flared through my system. I wheezed but hung on, my side aching as all the breath in my lungs left me, and I grabbed his sword arm as he struggled against my hold on his neck, keeping the blade away from me as I gasped for air. Apparently 2p!s were just as strong as their regular counterparts: probably the only reason he hadn't pulped my entire side was the bad angle 2p!Japan had to hit me at.

Prussia dropped his shard of pottery and picked up a serving tray; the 2p struggled wildly as he realized what it was for, and I hung on with equal desperation as his hard elbow crunched into my side and ribs again and again. I could almost feel each of the blue-black bruises I knew I'd get later on develop with each searing impact. That wasn't all 2p!Japan was doing either: he jerked his sword arm frantically, trying to free it, while I held on with equal desperation. I repeatedly thanked Germany's unholy workout training again and again as I hung on: I would never have been able to go through this without it.

Just as I felt my grip on his wrist beginning to slip, Prussia slammed the tray down on his head and the Second Player was out like a light. I groaned in relief and let go as he slumped to the floor, my right side feeling like one big bruise. Prussia grinned at me wearily, but before either of us could say anything the front wall crashed inward and Romano spun the car around, honking the horn.

"Come on losers, move it or lose it!" he snapped, and we both managed to sprint towards the car, idling in the wreckage of the front wall, jerk open the car doors, and lunge in before Romano slammed his foot down and we were gone. He drove like a true Italian madman, zooming past the cop cars on their way, speeding down the rustic "highway", and finally turning on to the true highway that connected the small villages to the big cities and vice versa.

I whimpered in pain and slumped sideways as we got underway and it was safe to…well not relax, but ease up. My right side felt sore and tender, and anything involving contact or breathing hurt like the very devil. Movement hurt even more.

"Ow…" I moaned as I attempted to curl up, then winced and lay flat again. "Fucking son of a bitch, that hurts…" I whimpered. I cursed the name of 2p!Japan, and all other alternate nations. I had bruises where no bruises should be, and bruises on top of them.

Prussia's platinum-blond head popped up over the edge of the front seat at my growling (He had mysteriously commandeered shotgun: I wasn't about to argue, what with me being beaten to a pulp and all) and he stared at me.

"Vat's wrong with you?"

I gave the ex-nation the snake eyes from my fetal position. "That damn bastard beat my side to a fucking pulp when I stepped in to save your ass." I hissed, feeling in too much pain to be politic.

He laughed. "Kesese! I'm the awesome Prussia, I didn't need your help!" He climbed over the seat and perched on the floor, proudly drawing his shirt up to show me the sluggishly bleeding wound on his stomach. "See! This little scratch can't faze the awesome me!"

I stared at the cut. I knew that 2p!Japan had nearly sliced his guts out, and yet the cut was shallow, and the bleeding was slowing down every second.

Arya, remember, he's a former country. He's more durable than a normal human, or so says certain parts of the fandom. My tired brain reminded me, memories stirring in the fog that the pain caused. And apparently those particular headcanons were true: Prussia's wound was closing up right before my eyes, albeit very, very slowly.

"Romano?" I asked wearily. The Italian's curl bobbed slightly as he shrugged.

"For real countries like me and my brother, wounds like that close up instantly. This bastardo just does it slower because-"

"I AM ZE AWESOME PRUSSIA!" Prussia crowed, dropping his bloody shirt and leaning his head back over the seat to grin almost warningly, ferally, at Romano. The other nation snorted, but thankfully remained silent. Prussia looked back over to me and crouched, smirking slightly. "So fraulien, I never did get your name during all zat mess." he said expectantly, and I painfully sat up a little and offered my hand.

"Aryana, Aryana Thompson. Arya for short." I said calmly as he grinned and extended his own, shaking mine firmly.

"I am ze awesome Prussia." he said with equal solemnity, and I fell back with a sigh of painful relief as he leaned against the car door, hunkered over in the place where most sitting passengers would put their feet. "So now what? They know Prussia's either aware of the fact something's wrong, or the fact that Japan, who is supposedly sick, is alive, well, and murderous." I asked the air above me, and Romano cursed and hit the driving wheel.

"Damnit, bastardo! Why couldn't you have stayed in Europe, where you belonged!" he snapped at Prussia, and I turned my head as the Germanic nation calmly settled in a bit more comfortably in the corner between the seat and the door.

"Actually, he raises a good point. What were you doing in Japan?" I asked him, and he cackled.

"Kesese~! Pranking Japan, of course! Zat loser needs to lighten up, especially when he's sick!"

So he was here on accident. I thought as both me and Romano sweatdropped.

Prussia suddenly got a determined glint in his eyes, reminding me that he was, no matter how egotistical and jerk-ish that he acted, a once-powerful empire, and sat up straighter. "So, what's the plan of action? We're going to tuck our tails and run!?"

Romano said "Hell yes!" at the same time I said "Hell no!" and Prussia glared at the Italian.

"Feigling." he muttered, and Romano snapped around and jabbed a finger at him.

"I just want to live, bastardo!"

The car jerked dangerously as I yelped and nearly slid off the seat, and Romano rapidly turned around again and grabbed the wheel, barely getting control of the car once more. I scooted backwards until my shoulders were resting against the seat back again.

"I, um, have a theory." I said hesitantly, and Prussia looked at me as Romano glanced in the mirror.

"Yeah?"

I bit my lower lip. "Well, hypothetically, since they seem to need mirrors to cross over and possess their original selves, can't we wait until they he does the thing where he leaves Japan, then drag Japan away from the mirror and break it to make sure he can't get him again?"

Prussia stared at me musingly for a few seconds, then grinned slowly, a wicked glint coming into his crimson eyes.

"I think it'll be worth a try." Romano said after a moment, tapping his finger against the wheel. "But I'm not going anywhere near the mirror or Japan until we know it's safe. You two can do the breaking and the grabbing." he added defensively, looking over his shoulder at the both of us. Before Prussia could say anything, I sat up with a wince.

"I should be the one to break the mirror, if anything. They already know Prussia's on to them, if I keep out of sight they won't know if he just has an accomplice or if someone else actually knows what's going on. Prussia can grab Japan, since he's stronger than me." I volunteered, clutching my side, and Prussia nodded with a maniac grin.

"I like zis plan! The awesome Prussia will save the loser nations, and be hailed as awesome foreverm-"

I kicked him in the knee, which was about as much retaliation I could go for right now. "And we will be careful and quiet about it from start to finish." I added, glaring at him as he glared back.

***Time Skip***

I winced again as Romano tightened a bandage. "Stop flinching!" he snapped as he passed the roll around my middle again and jerked it as I bit back a yelp.

"Well it bloody hurts!" I shot back as Prussia snickered behind me, amused.

When we had got back to our motel, I had discreetly pulled my shirt up to check the damage, and sure enough, my entire right side was black and blue. Romano had squinted at me, then whispered something to Prussia as the other grinned, and before I knew it, my arms were caught and drawn up by his hands, and Romano was advancing upon me with a medical kit.

"HEY! LEGGO!" I shrieked as I began to belatedly struggle, but Prussia lifted me up and my legs were suddenly kicking at thin air as my entire weight hung from my arms, and I whimpered as it pulled at the muscles connecting my shoulder to my side and stopped. Prussia set me back down, and Romano pulled out a bottle of something that smelled like antiseptic and cardboard, frowning at the label and then uncapping it. "I hate you both." I muttered sullenly as he began smearing the gel on my side, flinching as he pressed too hard on some places that were more tender than the others.

"C'mon fraulien, we need you in fighting condition, not whining und wailing like a little baby!" Prussia exhorted, and I looked over my shoulder.

"My arms are held behind my back by some guy I don't know, my shirt is nearly pulled over my breasts, my torso is exposed, and another guy I barely know is smearing stuff all over my side. Do you expect me to be comfortable?" I asked him dryly, and he deadpanned.

"When you say it like zat, anything would sound bad."

We both chuckled, but I yelped as Romano took out a roll of bandages and ruthlessly wrapped it around my side, tears coming to my eyes. "OW! YOU FUCKING LITTLE ITALIAN PIECE OF SH-"

He wrapped another length around me and I broke off in a screech of agony. This continued until my torso was nearly completely wrapped in (painfully tight) bandages…I looked like a mummy.

Prussia let go of my arms and I lowered them, wincing at the flare of pain from my side. "I swear, I'll get you both for this." I muttered under my breath, and Prussia grinned as Romano made a shooing motion with his hand.

"Yeah, whatever krautlet. Don't you two have planning to do?"

12.03, USA Central Time