Welcome to Doll House

by MingiPie05

Imagine being able to purchase a doll made to fit your every nation's need. At doll house we have created such beings, chose from strong Alphas, gentle Omegas, and rare Betas. These dolls will fill your every need, help further our research by breeding them or using them for military purposes. But treat them with care or things can get dangerous. (Many Pairings! Give it a shot.)

11. A pinky promise between Dolls

Welcome to the Doll House

Ch. 11

A/N: I have worked on this chapter for so long I was dreaming it, I swear. Well I guess I got a bit carried away, I had not anticipated to have such a long chapter, but I do hope it makes up for the long wait for this chapter. As always, I hope you continue to read this little drabble of mine as I do fully intend to keep the story going. I just have such a vision for this story, but I am so fascinated with my research that I get too distracted. Full time job, life sends me curve balls yatta yatta yatta right? To those of you who read and review thank you so much, to those of you that decide to review hurtful things I will simply erase your threats. I have not indicated a single thing as to how I will play out any relationship and I will write these characters as I see fit for my story. I have no interest to know how you would envision them because after all this is my story, so please be chill and keep your threatening comments to yourself. Admins do not review as guests and will send an email not a review. Well enjoy!

The days at Doll House seemed almost endless, each as routine and mundane as the next. Rise, training, meal, classes, training, meal, sleep. The practiced routine was fundamental in the lives of the elder dolls, who day after day had gone through the grueling task of basic training, only to be meet with intense training for their respected faction. The newest members of Doll House had by now begun to become aware of the schedule that was being imbedded into their characters; at times it was too much but the lack of options pressed them forward.

The young dolls are now nearing the end of their first year of basic training, and soon they would all be face to face with their first observation and step toward their categorization ceremony. They had grown accustomed to awakening in the same room with each other, support each other, quarrel with each other only to have the comfort of each other a moment later. They would soon have that taken away as well.

With the sun outside nearing its highest point, all doll inhabitants gathered in the common cafeteria to share a meal with each other allowing them all an hour to relax and strengthen bonds and ties to fellow dolls that started their journey along side each other.

"The big day is almost here boys, how are you all doing?" Hungary asked as she took a bite of her toast. "Is everything going….alright?" Her eyes darted over to Italy who sat quietly at the end of the table, engrossed in the meal as if it would be the last he would ever have.

Romano played with the bits of fruit on his tray and lazily watched his brother, for a few days now he had been disappearing for his dinner meals and coming back exhausted, only to stay up late to complete the rest of his reading and work. Each day it was becoming harder and harder to awaken the young doll and they had all become quite creative on ways to wake the doll.

Romano had inquired about his whereabouts the first two days but after Italy refused to talk he had decided to simply observe. While in this facility there would be no real danger that he would be getting into, and he knew his younger brother would not make the mistake of leaving the safety of Doll House unauthorized again for fear of the repercussions. Romano had thought of following his brother around but with such a great event coming up so soon, he had bigger things to worry about. For the moment he sat in the cafeteria and only randomly cared to join the drivel of conversation.

"Training is a pain in the ass." Romano simply stated. "If it wasn't for all the reading and memorization Japan has us doing then it wouldn't be so bad, but on top of all that we have to meet with that ass hole and run around."

Romano gained the attention of the loudest member of the young doll, Alfred.

"Training isn't so bad, I mean look at it this way….if it wasn't for the work out we get then we would all be snoozing through most of the day, am I right?" Alfred took an oversized bite of his sandwich and chewed loudly. Matthew, who sat across from him shivered with disgust and couldn't help but think of what their mother would say.

"What good is all the training if we're going to be specialized according to our DNA, I mean if they would just tell us what we are then we could just specialize right away and I wouldn't have to deal with the unnecessary things."

Hungary gave the grumpy doll look that looked to be between a smile and a scowl. She would have loved to chastise him for such narrow mindedness but decided against it, as she has learned by now that it would be like talking to a brick wall. Instead she turned her attentions to the other more vocal members of the table.

"And Matthew, I'm sure your mother would be very pleased that you are adjusting very well to life in the actual Doll House." Hungary continued with her meal, taking small proportional bites slowly.

"Yes, but I'm sure mom still worries about us….I mean …. Well…." Matthew gave a side glance at his brother who was currently hitting his chest trying to get the food dislodged from his throat.

Hungary laughed lightly and reached over to pat the doll on the back as lightly as she could with her strength.

"I know what you mean Matthew, but just remember that England is your mother, and a mother will always worry for their offspring. That's is something we share in common with humans after all." Hungary was pleased when Alfred managed to take a deep breath and drink some water to alleviate the situation.

Alfred wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked down at his empty tray with a slight frown. "Mom is a super worry wort, but I am so relieved I don't have to be all cooped up in the nursery anymore. That place was so boring!"

"Yes and you let all of Doll House know how bored you were." Austria came to sit down beside Hungary. "Good afternoon everyone." He spoke cordially.

"Hello Austria, how was your week?" Asked Hungary wiping her mouth with her napkin and resting her hands on her lap.

"It went well, and now I'm back." Austria spoke as he began his own meal of soup and a salad.

"Well we surely missed you around here, I just can't sleep anymore unless I hear one of your beautiful melodies." Hungary commented.

"First of all, Bach is not simply a melody and secondly you can easily get a record of the music I play." Austria spits back.

"A record? You really should update yourself Austria." Hungary replied dryly trying to hide the hurt in her voice.

"Record is best, they are after all making a comeback in all the human stores."

Romano, Alfred, and Matthew all looked at each other in a silent question of what this record was, but each either shook their head or shrugged at their lack of human knowledge.

The group continued the meal until all were finished and sated with their meal, looking at the time there was just enough to sit and digest before the young dolls had to return to their afternoon lessons with Japan. Hungary decided to revert the conversation back to the young dolls and inquired how their lessons with Japan were progressing, retelling anecdotes of her own time in the training classrooms. Her for forte had always been combat and didn't have much of a liking for the actual history of their home base, but she was fascinated with the human's military and public defense.

Romano rolled his eyes at the mention of humans, from what he was learning in class it didn't seem as though he would get along with the selfish humans. Ever since he had learned that Dolls were created for the sole purpose of serving humans he was left with a sense of inferiority. He viewed it all as being an object that was used and disposed of as they pleased, and the real reason that humans do not roam freely around the actual facility was because they thought themselves too important to mingle with the lowly dolls. No matter how much Japan had explained that dolls were superior in strength, it was humans that still controlled their very lives, no matter how much weaker they were.

He thought of snarky comment to make to his brother but when he turned to look in his direction he noticed that he was gone.

"Veneziano?" Romano questioned almost as if in a whisper. He hadn't spoken low enough, as he managed to get the attention of the rest of the table.

"Oh did he take off already?" Matthew asked. They looked at the clock and noticed that there wasn't much time left before they had to depart to the next lesson.

"He probably just headed out to the classroom and nap a bit before class." Alfred spoke, stretching his arms up in the air groaning with satisfaction.

"Tch…he does that so much it's annoying." Romano stood up from the table, collecting his belongings and tray and headed out the door to look for his brother.

Austria watched with half interest as the rest of the young ones followed in tow. "Has something happened to your pet? I did feel it was a bit quiet at the table."

Hungary fiddled with her fingers in her lap. "The first trial is almost here."

"Oh, has a year come and gone already?" Austria took a spoonful of his soup and enjoyed the liquid as it warmed him internally. "They'll soon be categorized then. Splendid, it's about time they learn their place."

"How rude, but yes it would be nice if they finally knew their own way around here."

"And whom is taking care of their studies?"

"Japan actually, he's doing a marvelous job with them." Hungary replied.

"He's a tough one but that's exactly what this lot needs." Austria moved on to his coffee, he noticed that Hungary was still uneasy about something. Hungary has always been very keen on noticing when the alpha beside him was troubled. On many occasions he simply ignored it and preferred to stay out of her business, but on very rare occasions such as this he was more than willing to provide a bit of support for her troubles.

"I take it that Italy is not doing so well in his studies?" Austria guessed, placing his now empty cup down on the tray silently.

"No actually, Japan tells me that he has top marks in all the subjects and is even surpassing expectation in his class…He's such a gentle one." Hungary bit her lip, a sure sign that she was truly bothered by something within this conversation.

"So it's the combat then?" Austria waited to see Hungary close her eyes and nod. "Who is the trainer this time around? Sweden, Greece, oh don't tell me it's Switzerland?"

Hungary laughed knowing full well what Austria's true thoughts on the trigger-happy Switzerland is. "No actually, it's an Alpha but you'll never guess who Doll House decided to bring in or rather rent for the occasion." Hungary waited for Austria to take a good guess, the perplexed look on his face giving away his lack of a good guess.

"Germany?" He watched Hungary nod again. "You can't possibly be serious? Such a young alpha overseeing the training of those unruly dolls, what is Doll House thinking?"

"Well, he has a lot more free time with all that's been happening around here." Hungary took a deep breath as she spoke. "He was such a sweetheart when he was just a dollie, but now he's so different."

"Well he's a full-grown alpha, and he always took training so seriously. Not to mention that he shared the bloodline of that one…" Austria trailed off.

"Yes, his training is just the same as the one his brother gave him. So intense, so difficult. That's probably why Doll House decided to bring him in."

"I see then, that's why you are worried about Italy." Austria watched Hungary's worried expression. It wasn't often that she became attached to a fellow doll; She was more of a let them be sort of personality and he would rather stay out of her way when she did become attached, but this time around there was a much deeper connection he was detecting from the great alpha. "All dolls must go through this you know, there have been many that were even more capable than him and have not been able to complete the first years training."

He was aware that his words were colder than what he had intended, but in their world inside of Doll House they were all subject to being perfected humans, a standard set by the humans. Anything below that was not permittable, and it was much less tolerated. Austria smiled a bit and put his hand over both of Hungary's, her hands so small and delicate for a doll capable of so much damage.

Hungary almost jumped at the intimate contact, seldom did he ever allow any sort of physical contact between them. In all the years that they had been friends, he had not allowed them to become so close. She relished in the comfort that flowed through their connected hands, the soft touch of his warmth.

"I'm sure he will be just fine, he doesn't look like one that would be easily defeated."

The two smiled at each other, Hungary's eyes shinned with acceptance of his attempt to calm her nerves.

"I hope so Austria." And just like that, Hungary's heart was at peace.

With no more words needed, Austria took back his hand and stood to leave. Hungary would have preferred to stay in the silent comfort a bit longer, but was grateful for having been gifted with any at all from the solemn Omega.

Matthew and Alfred walked ahead talking over what may be covered in today's lesson. They had already gone through the preliminary history of Doll House and were now very acquainted with the primary members of Doll House. It was their understanding that before they are to be promoted to full Dolls, they would be personally meeting with the now director of their own Doll House. It had come as a complete shock to them that there were actually three other facilities located all over the world, their House being the more recently built, yet held the most advanced equipment in comparison to the other facilities. Alfred had become so interested in all the possibilities that Doll House had for them that he began to press the older dolls for information on what sort of jobs were available; but no matter how much he tried to get information out of them he received to answer in return. Matthew had to remind him to mind his manners with the elder dolls, fearing that they would call to complain.

All elder dolls however understood the phase in which they were in, they all having gone through the same path. Some were more than curious, and some just wanted to get through the program, while others became lost and distant unable to cope with the responsibilities that had been breed to do. Those dolls were not seen after the first phase of training.

"Yo Romano, you think we're gonna get a quiz or something?" Alfred turned back to ask Romano.

Romano had been deep in thought while they walked to their bungalow and was snapped out by the booming voice of Alfred. "Don't think so, he pretty much already quizzed us on anything we've already covered, I think we get to talk about something else really important today."

"Oh so a new subject?" Matthew asked. He thought about it for a bit and looked at the stairs leading up to the door to their classroom.

"What do you guys wanna bet the little guy's in there napping?" Alfred laughed.

Romano glared at the door and readjusted his bag on his shoulder and quickened his pace. In no time at all he reached the door and opened it to step inside. Just as Alfred had predicted, Italy was already sitting in his seat and using his bag as a pillow. His arms were crossed over the bag, cradling his head probably to block out as much light as possible. Romano had been observing his brother do the same thing every day. Every day, Italy would fall asleep before afternoon class and disappear for dinner; and every day Italy looked even more worn down. The reason behind it all was driving Romano insane.

"Wake up Vene! Class is going to start soon." Romano kicked the leg of the desk, rattling the desk enough to spook the resting doll. Italy sat up and looked around not fully awake yet, his honey colored eyes still glossy with sleep and fatigue.

"Ve~" Was all the doll could say, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and gave a last yawn before pulling out his notebook and writing utensils. "I wonder if Mr. Japan will be here soon."

"If you're lookin' to get another nap in, I'm with you on that buddy." Alfred yawned and took out his own materials. "That sandwich and soup really hit the spot ya know?"

"Alfred, you should really pace yourself, just because mother isn't here to tell you to slow down doesn't mean you should just pork out every time." Matthew chided.

"Thank you, other mom! I can't help it, I'm just hungry a whole lot more from all that training. I mean check out my arms! Aren't they huge?" Alfred slipped his jacket down enough to show his biceps and flexed them carefully. "I just can't get enough of all this training, I feel super great!"

Romano looked down to his own notebook and began to idly doodle in the corner. Nearly all his pages had at least one doodle. He didn't dare look at Alfred, having already seen the difference of his body. Ever since training began to intensify, Romano had noticed that Alfred's body had begun to change radically. Where he was once soft and squishy, there was now hardened toned muscles. His strength was even more impressive than that, this had become a problem when they would all rough house.

To say that Romano was jealous, would have been a complete understatement. His own body had not matured nearly as much as Alfred's had. When he inspected himself closer he only saw his body become toned with a slight mass of muscles. His strength was not as impressive but had improved overall. Instead of raw power, Romano noticed that he had become much faster and flexible in comparison to Alfred. The difference between them raised several red flags in Romano's mind, it was his understanding that Alphas were powerful brutes as Austria had once put it; so the differences between them had Romano both frustrated and worried.

"Good afternoon class." Japan had walked into the room and greeting everyone as he always did. He set down his notebook and opened it to the desired page. He left it arranged for him to be able to view it if necessary and then took a quick glance around to make sure that all the young dolls were present. He took note that one of his usually bouncy students was a little more subdued as of late, and this time he looked positively run down.

He was about to address the class but noticed Alfred's hand shoot straight in the air. Japan had become very adept in reading his students and knew exactly what was on Alfred's mind before the words had left his lips.

"There will be no more examinations for the time being." Almost immediately, Alfred lowered his hand and relaxed into his seat. "Today we will be talking about the upcoming events and what that will mean for you."

"Great, so we'll be finished with all this training stuff?" Romano asked.

"Not exactly. In the upcoming month you will be undergoing a test to see if you are fit to continue at Doll House." The young dolls had by now learned not to be shocked by anything Japan may tell them. They had already learned that they were products made to be used by humans, by now it came as no surprise that they would be inspected to ensure quality before further investing in them. "After you complete the physical aspect of your training, you will be classified and the moved to your respectable factions areas to train along-side your fellow dolls. They can provide you with guidance and help you until you are debuted as a new Doll of Doll House."

"So this test is all physical then?" Inquired Italy.

"Yes Italy, you will be tested to make sure your body can withstand what is expected of a doll." Japan replied as he turned to start writing the material on the board. "Please take special notes of the following."

Italy wrote down the material just as fast as Japan could write, when he would catch up to Japan Italy would glance over to his brother to see if he had been writing notes as well and was delighted to see that Romano had indeed been writing in his notebook; but when he leaned over closer to see the notes, he frowned when he saw a single word written on the doodled page. 'Insignificant.'

"Today's lesson will be focused on what will be expected of you all after you enter your faction. We have already spoken about the classifications of alpha, Omega, and Beta and you will be trained in accordance to your classifications. Each class has a variation of similar training, you will learn close combat, ranged combat, and weaponry." Japan continued to write the information on the board giving the dolls sufficient breaks to write down their notes. "A new course will be introduced to you for half of the year of socialization with humans. During this lesson you will learn etiquette needed to live in the human's world and where you will become accustomed to working along side them."

"Mr. Japan, when you say along-side them, do you really mean working for them?" Matthew asked.

"That is also one way to see the situation yes. We as dolls must always remember that we are needed by them and they are the reason that we are created." Japan replied.

"So we will learn to work then?" Matthew continued.

"Yes, you will be learning trades that are suited to your classification and respected talents. This can range from personal human care to manual labor. For the second half of the year you will be paired off with a senior Doll of your own class to take you out of doll house and introduce you to the outside….though it is no secret that you four have already been introduced to life outside of doll house." Japan gave a small smile, a rare occurrence that happens only when Japan finds something particularly funny. "You will be taking small jobs and be introduced to a host family that will be taking you in and assimilating you to society. You are expected to hold down a job, manage your own currency and even shop for yourselves using a currency system that was established especially for dolls."

"We get to work for money?" Alfred was suddenly very interested in this topic. "So if we have money then does that mean that we can buy things on our own?" Alfred looked over to his brother with a look of pure joy.

"Yes, that is correct. The town that you visited is designated to also be our training grounds for dolls that are ready to start living among the humans, doll house has a currency system that is separate from that of the humans. Your pay will be in equivalent of human labor, and you will be paid to work when you are outside living with your host family."

"Why is there a separate system for us?" Italy asked.

"Doll House has created this system in order to gather more intelligence on your personality, for example if you are interested in reading and you purchase a book from the bookstore, Doll House will be made aware of what you are reading. This will allow Doll House to pair you well to a permanent household or occupation when you become a fully debuted doll."

Romano clicked his tongue and have a heavy sigh. "You mean that Doll House will spy on us even outside of this place. So, they'll be watching us even when we aren't here."

Japan chose to keep his silence, knowing full well that all dolls have the same reaction at one point or another about this system.

"This will only be during your training period, once you are a fully debuted member then you will be allowed to earn human currency and will then have an understanding of how to use it wisely." As Japan reviewed all the aspects of what the young dolls would be encountering, what is expected of them and more importantly what they should expect from furthering their training at Doll House. The dolls silently listened and took in the information, with so much information being delivered in such a short amount of time the dolls were too busy to make any snarky comments or snide remarks amongst each other. All they could do now is write and listen, there was no more time left for the light hearted banter that had filled the classroom with laughter in the beginning. Even Alfred had become a tad bit more studious, if only for the sake of not being beat out by his diligent brother.

The hours passed quickly and soon the end of the first half of the class came, soon they could take a rest before the rest of the grueling class commenced. Romano constantly looked the position of the sun gleaming through the window, trying his best to make an accurate estimate of the time. By this time during the day, whether he wanted to be distracted or not his thoughts seemed to wonder over to his empty stomach that would remind him he need to take a break again. Sometimes he would wonder if his brother felt the same at this time of day, somehow he never thought it important enough to ask.

Had Romano ever thought to ask his brother, Italy would have happily answered that he too would feel the pains of hunger at the same time. Italy thought would always be blissfully unaware that his elder brother had such thoughts in the middle of the days lesson; and despite his concentrated outer look, Italy constantly had his mind wonder from one random thought to the next. For the most part Italy had thoughts that connected to the day's lesson, but more often than naught the thoughts centered around a certain person.

Italy listened very carefully to the steps that he would be taking after his induction to a category faction, yet he couldn't help but wonder what it was like for that person when he had been assigned to live with a host family, did he struggle to adjust? Was he nervous at the thought of leaving the safety of Doll House? Did that person meet new people and make friends?

Italy paused for a moment to really look at his notebook noticing that in the corners where doodles used to cover the margins, now there were little questions that would pop into his mind.

"Does anyone have any last questions before we come to a stop?" Japan turned to face the class, looking over to each one and making a mental note of who had kept up writing along side him and who was still struggling to keep up. It came as no surprise to him that Alfred was the last to catch up in his notes; as Japan stepped closer to the row of dolls he also took note that the blond doll had made a mess of his notes. Japan silently prayed that Alfred would remember all the information he needed, because it was very apparent that he was not going to be able to make sense of his own notes from the looks of it.

"Mr. Japan I have a question?" Italy raised his hand and waited politely for the instructor to acknowledge him.

Japan noted the doll had become slimmer in the face, his skin was also looking a bit paler than his original fair shade. As of late he wondered about this, he was positively curious about the changes he had seen in Italy as of late. Though the young doll never waivered in his studies, his physical aspect was beginning to lack and this could become a problem come inspection.

"Yes, Italy what is your question?"

"When we are sent out to live outside of Doll House, will we get to choose who our host family will be?"

"I'm afraid that you will not, after all if you had never been outside of Doll House before…..well in normal circumstances, dolls of your age would not have been outside of Doll House at all and so would have not meet anyone to choose from." Japan replied with a small smile. "You will be given a briefing on the family that will be accepting you in their home, once Doll House is satisfied that you are cleared for the outside, you will be delivered to your Host house and you will meet them then."

"Pfft….no matter what we really don't get a say in anything do we?" Romano chided.

Japan looked at his watch and decided it was time to stop. "If there are no other questions …"

"What was your host family like?" Matthew asked without bothering to raise his hand. "Where they good to you? Married?"

Japan thought this was a rather odd question for the usually tamed doll. "My host family was very nice, they were from the area known as Tokyo and treated me very kindly. They ran a restaurant that I would help in, it was very interesting to learn how to make human dishes."

Italy's eyes brighten at the anecdote. "Is that why you sometimes help out in the kitchen Mr. Japan?"

"Yes, as a hobby I continue to cook and have developed a very refined taste pallet that seems to please my handlers."

"Handlers?" Alfred repeated, scrunching up his face in displeasure, as if the word itself was something rather horrible.

"That will be all for now, please make your way outside and have a bit of fresh air. I will see you all for our next class period," Japan collected his notebook and then turned to Alfred as he walked out of the bungalow. "Then we'll get into detail with handlers."

The group waited until they heard the door firmly close behind their instructor for them to finally leave their seat and walk about.

Alfred left his chair first and stretched out his cramped hand, shaking the feeling back into it. "Man, all this writing….I'm telling you I am going to be of no use when it comes to weapons if I have to keep writing like this…" After stretching his hand he reached up over his head to stretch the rest of his back muscles as well.

"For once I have to agree with you, thought I don't think I could remember so much information without writing things down." Matthew commented, leafing through his notes to catch any mistakes before he starts to forget anything.

The dolls had begun to be allotted with a simple hour to relax between their lessons. They had been told that it would be normal for them to be hungry in the middle of the day now that they had been training harder with Germany, it was interesting for the dolls to know that even humans are allowed a scheduled time to rest between tasks called jobs. For the sake of keeping up their stamina, they were encouraged to venture to the cafeteria and have a reasonable snack.

"Hey, does anyone want to make a run to the cafeteria with me?" Italy's cheerful voice questioned. "I bet there will be lots of deli meats left over from breakfast to make a yummy snack."

"Count me in dude! I could use a nice cold drink of water too." Alfred agreed, the promise of deli meats was too tempting to pass up.

Italy turned to his brother and waited for him to respond. "Romano, would you like me to bring you anything?"

Romano regarded his brother carefully before giving an answer. Romano never made the trip to the cafeteria himself, knowing full well his brother would bring him anything he would ask; though today he felt compelled to go himself.

"Nah, I'll just go myself." Romano stood up and waited for Italy to walk ahead of him.

Italy beamed at the response. "Wow, Romano you never want to go with me….this will be fun I get to make a snack with my big brother."

Romano turned to look at Alfred who was still cracking his back and neck from having sat for so long. "If you like Alfred, I'll bring you a big snack and water and you can just take it easy…" Romano knew that he was going to get looks, after all, even he was aware that he is not one to bring back anything for anyone. Not when he could get his happy go lucky brother to do it for him.

"Umm…yeah Ok, sure dude thanks…" Alfred was shocked to hear that Romano of all dolls would offer to bring him back something. He looked to his brother who shrugged back at him, equally shocked by the sudden act of kindness that fell upon their grumpiest group mate. They watched the two siblings exit the room and the door shut behind them as well.

Matthew continued to sit in his seat and hugged his bag close to him, he ignored the cold metal zipper that was cutting into his cheek. The contrast of the cold and the pinching of the jagged edges gave him a sort of comfort that he needed; had he still been in his nest then he would have been holding an old bear to his chest. It was Matthews way of coping with a situation that may bother him, and Romano being nice for once was a disturbing matter.

"I get you Mattie, I'd be hugging that bear too right now…" Alfred commented, remembering full well where the habit came from.

"Maybe all the training and learning finally crack him?" Matthew responded with an almost positive tone.

The two brothers continued to sit in the classroom, deciding it best to get their minds off things and compare notes for the time being. Both had many pieces of information that their mother had told them and now with what Japan had been teaching them, they could finally put all the pieces together. One brother was ecstatic, while the one couldn't stop feeling dread at the prospects of leaving Doll House. And so they talked, just the like the other two brothers did on their way to the cafeteria.

Italy was walking with a little more energy, he was about a half step faster than his darker haired brother; even his curl had more life in it and bounced along with its host.

"Romano, isn't it really exciting that we may be getting our human identities soon? I cannot wait to go outside again and meet more people. That time we left was very scary, but…." Italy had been prattling on, letting every thought in his head pop out of his mouth as always. His brother had been quite used to it, but it didn't mean that he was any more tolerant of it than before.

"Oye….Veneziano." Romano used the entire name he had given his little brother. Italy knew that he only did so on serious occasions, reserving Vene as a sort of happier version of the intimate name.

Italy turned to look at his brother and studied him. No scowl on his face, and his hands were in his pockets, Romano gave no indication of his mood. He certainly had changed, where before he would easily be read, now he kept his emotions a little more checked and concealed. Italy had no doubt that this was all part of his determination to become a full Doll to achieve his goal.

"Yes Romano? I'm sorry…. Am I annoying you?" Italy fell into step with his brother waiting to see what the answer would be.

Romano had to control himself with all his might to bite down the snarky remark that would surely spill from his mouth. "No, not really…"

"Oh…ok well good…" Italy felt a little relieved but couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Romano was not usually very nice or quiet, so this was a sure giveaway that something wasn't right. Italy just had to wait for it.

"I was thinking that well, we might get separated soon…" Romano commented, not bothering to look at Italy.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Italy tilted his head to the side, unable to fully understand.

"Yeah, you know, once we're classified we will be going to live with our own factions and well you are I aren't exactly the same here." Romano couldn't help but puff out his chest in pride as he motioned from Italy's general direction to himself. It was not a secret that Romano felt he was the superior doll when compared to his younger brother, even when they showered he noticed that Italy had not built up any form of muscle structure and remained soft and lithe. In his eyes, Romano saw this as a sure indication that Italy has far weaker than him. And he took every chance he could to remind his younger brother of that fact.

"It will just be for a little while right? And we could still meet for meals and then we get to go outside and we can visit that little café place that we went to last time…remember?" Italy replied with a lighthearted voice. In truth Italy had already thought of the separation of his little group, it would be a fact of life in their world so it wasn't something he bothered to dwell on. He knew that at one point or another they would all come back together to sit and chat as they did now, so it didn't bother him. Though he wouldn't go as far as to say that he wouldn't miss them.

"I guess.." Romano looked around discretely waiting to see any sign of another doll being nearby listening in on their conversation. "I mean, after we become full dolls then we'll start to work."

The two arrived in the kitchen to find very few dolls there, all were also looking for a snack or two to get them through their day. Italy knew that the kitchen was well stocked so there was no fear of food shortages, but he had learned through his time raiding the kitchen that the best cuts of deli meats were on a first come first serve basis.

"Look Romano, all the delicious bologna and capicola meets are still here, if you head up a pan we can make a nice hot sandwich." Italy began to take out the meats before any other dolls came in to claim the meats for their own.

"Yeah ok…but I want the good cheese too not that weird yellow one." Romano obliged the request to warm up a pan on the stove and the two worked in silence, he silently observed his brother going about his share of the preparation. He also took note of all the other dolls in the kitchen, each making their own meals, and some held out pocket notebooks and read intently as they made their food. He wondered what they could possibly be reading so closely, he had learned very early on not to ask the elder dolls unnecessary questions as being nosey was not appreciated by all dolls in general.

The two worked in unison and shared an affinity for cooking, but while Italy could be seen to pour happiness into his creations, Romano would only do what a recipe would call for and nothing more. In either case the food was still delicious.

"Phew… I think that's all of it." Italy wiped his forehead with his sleeve and stacked the snack together to carry back to the classroom. Romano was finishing up as well when he noticed that Italy had packed another set of snacks, but before Romano could really comment Italy had swept everything into his pack. "Oh and I can't forget Alfred wanted a cold water right? Do you think Matthew would like one too?" Italy turned to Romano who only shrugged in response. Deciding to be safe rather than sorry he took another bottled water out of the cooler and also packed it in his pack.

"Ok, so we're all set….ready to go brother?" Italy looked at the clock and noticed that they still had plenty of time before their next class period but that didn't mean that he had the luxury of taking his time either.

The two walked out and made their way back to the classroom. Romano only carried his own food and had already started pecking at it, carrying his water under his arm close to his body. He wanted so much to question Italy on his latest behavior but just didn't know how to broach the subject without scaring him off. He had reluctantly admitted to himself that he was far too harsh when he talked, and in certain situations it got him nowhere, especially with his brother.

"So you've been really tired lately …" He decided to start off easy. "Have you been studying really hard or something?"

Italy flinched slightly, but Romano hadn't noticed this. "Yeah…just you know…I wanna get good marks."

"Well you have been skipping meals, it can't be good for you."

Italy remained silent, he was unable to comment on that. Normally there would not be a good reason why he wouldn't show up for meals, and he had been warned not to speak of what he had been doing.

"I get plenty of food before I go to study…"

"Well you can always just study with us." Romano eyed his brother now, trying with all his might not to press too hard. "Or do you prefer to be alone?"

"I concentrate more doing things this way…" Italy kept his gaze on the classroom up ahead, he didn't want to give anymore information and started to quicken his pace.

"Hmmm….I guess we're too loud for you?" Romano raised an eyebrow. He knew that this was true but just couldn't help feel that there was more to his little brother's studying.

"I guess…it's funny but I know I can be loud too so I guess I don't want to get in the way of your studying either big brother. I know I bother sometimes and all…"

Romano chided himself silently knowing that his past behavior would be used against him in some way.

"Romano, let's hurry up and eat so we can be ready for training!" Italy had a bright smile on his face as he spoke.

Romano knew he was changing the subject and thought fast to find something he could continue on with before they reached the classroom. Once inside he knew there was no alone time with his brother anymore. It hadn't really crossed his mind before but as of late Italy wasn't completely horrible with his training as he once was. That could be a clue.

"So you're eager to fall and embarrass yourself again?" Romano jabbed.

"I don't fall that much anymore!" Italy retorted.

"Now that you mention it….yeah you don't fall that much do you?" Italy missed a step at the comment, this time Romano had noticed. It was a little tell and he knew it. "So is that what you're studying?"

"What? No! I mean we're not even allowed on the training grounds without the instructor right so …" Italy didn't dare look at his brother, he felt his heart beat faster with nerves. "I'm just more careful now…I don't want to make Mr. Germany angry."

Romano ruffled at the mention of the big blond alpha, he didn't know why but it just irritated him when his brother mentioned his name.

"Why would you even care if that bastard gets mad! It would be his fault for being such bad instructor! He just pisses me off with that fucken arrogant attitude of his!" And with that, Romano knew that he had lost his control over the conversation.

"He's isn't so bad big brother, he is just hard on me because he has to be…I'm not exactly the best whit all this physical stuff …and well that's why I study so much to make up for it!" Italy was still going on and on about compensating for his lack of physical talent as the main reason that he was studying alone. "I want to make sure that I can pass the trials, so I can continue on in doll house with you … that's all…we should hurry." And with that Italy sprinted to the classroom the rest of the way, leaving Romano to kick himself mentally.

Romano stopped walking and waited until Italy had run inside before he stopped his foot in the ground, as if the ground itself had been what caused his lack of self-control. He had given Italy the perfect opening to change the course of the conversation in his favor and of course without missing the chance Italy took it and ran away to the safety of the classroom.

Romano was left alone to reflect on his actions. He just didn't understand why this one particular doll bothered him so much, and why was it that his brother defended that doll so much.

Regaining his composure Romano took a breath and walked back inside. He decided to remain quiet for the remainder of the free period and decided to observe his brother carefully during his training. Something was definitely up and he was going to find out one way or another.

The end of the day came sooner than expected and the group was relieved that their training hadn't drained the life out of them as usual but their reading and homework load would certainly do the job.

"You know Mr. Germany wasn't as bad as he usually is …" Commented Matthew.

"Maybe he saw how amazing my progress has been, I mean look at this?" Alfred began to flex again and marveled at himself.

"You don't have to show off all the time you know…" Matthew huffed. It wasn't that he was jealous, quite the opposite really, his own body had begun to bulk a bit just not to the extent of his brother; and he was fine with it. He just didn't understand why Alfred had to take every chance to show off his new physique. "You are so embarrassing."

"Ah you're just jealous right Romano?" Alfred elbowed Romano rather harshly earning a high-pitched noise of irritation from the feisty doll.

"Whatever, I guess class didn't go that bad this time." Romano rubbed the sore spot on his rib.

"Oh and Mr. Germany didn't yell at Italy at all, even after he slid face first during the sprint or when he fell off the wall climb." Continued Matthew.

"Yeah, I guess that alpha bastard finally gave up on you, eh Vene?" Romano turned around to look at his brother eager to see the annoyance in his eyes, but Italy was nowhere to be found. Romano turned back to run out of the cafeteria doors to see if he could still catch him in the hall but there was no sign of him. He could have sworn that he was just behind them all the way up to the hallway. "Fuck! When did he…"

Romano ran down the hall way back toward their dormitory and when he found no traces of him there either, sprinted in the direction of the common room. There the only doll he saw was the Beta Poland.

"Romano, you know you're like, not supposed to be running around like a maniac. I would have thought your training would be tiring you out more." Poland looked as bored as ever and inspected his nails carefully.

"Shut up….by any chance…" Romano started.

"By any chance what?" Poland lifted a well-groomed eyebrow in question.

Romano thought carefully about asking around for his brother, he did want to desperately find out where he's been running off to but at the same time if Italy was doing something he wasn't supposed to be doing then alerting someone would be the worse mistake Romano could do.

Romano decided against asking. "No…nothing…nevermind." Romano started off back in the direction of the cafeteria leaving Poland just as bored as before, but now he wore a small smirk.

Lithuania walked over to him. "What was that about?"

Poland's smile grew, irking Lithuania. "It's totally nothing, he's just looking for something."

"Oh, well he shouldn't be running." Lithuania commented. "I'll go remind him."

"Nah, let the kid be, he's got stuff on his mind."

"You're up to something…I can feel it…" Lithuania decided to just let the matter be and continued on his rounds.

Romano went back to the cafeteria and sat down to eat his meal with the other two brothers all the while still wondering where his own brother had run off to.

The doll in question waited just opposite the cafeteria doors in the shadows watching as his brother had indeed gone looking for him, just as he had expected him too before making his way back to the training grounds. By now the night had blanketed the night sky and the lights for the most part were off, allowing for Italy to slip by toward his meeting point with Germany in peace.

He ran up to the gated area where they had been meeting during dinner every night for the past week, there the only light was a simple lantern Germany had brought from home to allow them some visibility in the odd hour.

"Mr. Germany…sorry to keep you waiting…I brought snacks if you're hungry!" Italy skidded to a halt just before reaching his instructor as promised.

The tall alpha stood tall and had waited patiently for his student to arrive, his stern face showing no signs of either happiness or displeasure at having been kept waiting.

"Italy, I thought you wouldn't come tonight." Germany replied. "You can snack later, you know what to do now."

"Yes sir!" Italy put away his pack as always and readied himself for a quick warm up. He quickly stretched his body this way and that allowing his body to warm up to the cold air. They're regular training had been hours ago and he had been in sitting in his seat so long he relished the feel of some movement in his stiffened muscles.

We'll be working with the rope climb so drop and do one set of push-ups. Italy promptly dropped to the ground and counted out loud with each successful push he gave the ground. When he completed his set he let himself fall to the ground and allowed himself to rest, if only for a moment.

"Alright, now please move on to the rope and try to climb up. Remember to grip the rope firmly in your grasp."

Italy did as he was told, he rubbed his palms together and eyed the thick braided rope wearily knowing it was usually where his first mistakes happened. He made a quick jump and grabbed the rope, entwining his legs to allow him the strength to pull himself up.

"You're off balance when you jump like that." Germany corrected. Just as he had said, Italy lost his coordination and lost his grip, sending him sliding back down landing on his butt.

"Heh, I guess my hands are just really cramped from all the writing in class from taking notes." Italy rubbed his hands a bit, they burned from having gripped so suddenly.

Germany sighed, but did well to remember that long ago his own hand would ache with his note taking as well.

"Come here…" Italy did as he was told and allowed Germany to look at his hands. Germany took one of Italy's delicate hands into his own large ones and proceeded to massage them rather roughly starting with the palm.

Italy blushed a bit at the contact but allowed the alpha to do as he thought necessary. "Mr. Germany's hands are very rough."

Germany stopped for a moment to look at Italy's face, checking for any signs of pain but saw none. "Am I hurting you?"

"No! Not at all…it's just I guess because you're already used to all this training and well I suppose alphas have it rougher." Italy replied.

Germany cleared his throat and released the first hand and went on to massage the other. "When we're put to work our skin can become rough, the same as humans I suppose… but it all depends on the jobs we are given."

"What kind of jobs do you do Mr. Germany?" Italy questioned.

"If you're hands are feeling better you can get back to the rope." Germany replied dryly.

"Yes sir!" Italy jumped back on the rope, noticing a vast difference in his grip this time. He took his time and slowly released one hand and reached up to grip higher pulling himself up along the rope.

"Good, now keep up the pace." Germany praised, watching his charge intently for any signs of improvement. Italy had seemed very focused and had whole heartedly asked for help to further train but with the lack of significant improvement Germany feared that even the extra lessons wouldn't be of any help.

"I'm almost there! Are you seeing this Mr. Germany?" Italy proudly kept his pace and was just within reach of the top, his forehead beaded with sweat now, his arms had begun to shake and tense with pain. He had calculated that he was still far too slow for a passing standard, but he kept his pace and slowly reached the very top. "I did it!"

"Now launch yourself to the next rope and use the momentum to propel you to the other ropes. Do no hesitate!" Germany called out.

Italy licked his lips and positioned his feet against the tick rope to use as leverage to push himself to the free-swinging rope, he knew if he did not grab on tightly on the first try he would plummet down about sixty meters. He had fallen before and was lucky enough not to have gotten too badly hurt, but his constant failure was surely irritating his instructor.

Taking a deep breath Italy jumped and reached out to the next rope and held on tightly. He could feel Germany watching him closely and felt compelled to move on to the next, and so he used his momentum to swing forward and grab hold of the next rope, then again, until he made it to the fifth rope. Italy could feel his hands tiring but kept focused.

"That's it, just one more and you reach the platform!" Germany called out.

Italy took in a sharp breath and pushed forward expecting to reach out to the last rope but in that moment his foot moved forward all too quickly and kicked the rope ever so slightly, causing him to miss the rope and grab air instead. His eyes widened in shock and felt himself begin to fall, tears threatening to fall in anticipation to the hit that would surely come as he hit the ground from such a high altitude.

"ITALY!" Germany screamed and ran to the falling body catching him just before hitting the ground and bringing him in close to his body. The poor doll had instinctively clutched at his shirt tightly, his whole-body tense from the frightful fall and began to shake slightly. "Italy?"

Italy heard the deep gruff voice of Germany calling to him. Slowly he loosened his grip, and with a deep breath his body began to relax. "Mmm…Mr. Germany, I'm sorry! I can do it! I promise I can!" Italy scrambled to his feet and tried to apologize as best he could.

The blond alpha stood at his full height and looked the doll up and down wearily, noticing the tired look in his eyes and his hands were now reddened from gripping the rope so tightly, surely, they hurt badly. "I think you should have that snack now."

At the mention of food Italy perked up a bit and smiled, though the smile did not reach his eyes. Italy walked over to his pack as he rubbed his hands a bit, blowing on them a bit in hopes of easing the burning sensation a bit. He reached into his pack and took out two small containers and a couple of juice boxes.

"Here Mr. Germany, I brought one for you too…" Italy offered a container and juice box to his trainer who hesitantly took it with both hands.

"Thank you." Germany sat down with the dolls and set aside the juice to open the container, inside he saw an assortment of fruits mixed with cream. A rather light snack in his opinion but it was much appreciated considering he had made the poor doll skip dinners lately.

"Oh, I almost forgot, here is a fork!" Italy handed him the utensil and began to eat his snack contently.

Germany looked the boy over again, the curl was just as bouncy as always but he himself looked very tired. In truth Germany thought that by choosing to train during dinner Italy would soon give up and accept his fate when the first trial came.

"Mr. Germany…how did you do on your first trial?" Italy asked with a mouth full of fruit, some cream smudging the corner of his lip.

"I was trained rather harshly and succeeded with top marks." Germany stated flatly.

"Ve~ that's amazing! Who was your trainer?" Italy continued asking. "I bet your trainer was really strong right? I mean you are pretty strong too so they must have been just as great right?"

"That doll is no longer here." He stated flatly.

"OH….was he transferred away? I hear sometimes that happens."

Germany decided not to reply and took a bite of the fruit to keep from having to continue this conversation.

"In class today we learned that we will be classified when the first trial is over, was it a surprise to you when you were classified alpha Mr. Germany?" Italy continued.

Germany knitted his brows together, growing frustrated with the questioning. It happened every time the young doll would be allowed to rest. If Germany didn't keep him busy with training and tasks, then he would turn into a complete chatterbox only serving to test his patience.

"No, it was not a surprise, I hadn't really thought about it actually." Germany ate the fruit furiously, his anger irritation rising within him.

"I really wonder what I'll be classified as, I'm pretty sure it would be ridiculous of me to become and alpha like you….but wouldn't that be funny?" Italy tried to joke but it seemed to backfire on him and Germany slammed down his now empty container of fruit and stand quickly.

"If you are done resting you can get back to training, isn't that why we're here?"

Italy looked up to stare into the intense blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light of the lantern, and the shadow that covered half of the alpha's face gave him a frightening look in the night. Deciding it was best to simply comply Italy put down his container and get back to training.

"Yes sir." He replied softly.

Italy ran back to the rope and tried again, and again, and again. Each time Italy made it a bit further, having succeeded the last rope and arriving to the platform on the eighth try only to lose balance and fall backward and unable to catch himself on the rope. Germany had once again caught him just before hitting the ground.

"Hehehe, did you see that Mr. Germany I made it to the platform!" Italy giggled.

"I fail to see what's so funny here." Germany roughly put the doll down and just put his hands on his hips. "We should stop here for tonight."

"But Mr. Germany I'm getting better!" Italy danced around the alpha, in full glee that he had made it to the platform. "It's all thanks to you Mr. Germany! Oh and tomorrow I'll make you a sandwich with salami and capicola and…"

"That's enough!" Germany barked. Italy jumped at the sudden outburst, his smile now replaced with fear.

"If you'd rather I make something else…"

"I'd rather not do this anymore…" Germany pinched the bridge of his nose.

"But…Mr. Germany…I'm trying the best I can…" Italy replied.

"I can't deny that you aren't trying, but it's time to just face it…you're not improving sufficiently enough, even with extra practice." Germany walked off to collect his lantern. "You will just have to make due with regular training, and if that isn't enough then…well… that will be that."

Italy ran toward the alpha and grabbed a hold of his arm. "No Mr. Germany, please keep meeting with me and I Know I can get better!"

"LET GO!" Germany growled menacingly and yanked his arm away from Italy's grasp, not having pulled back his strength he sent the doll reeling forward and kneeling to the ground.

Italy was stunned by the growl and cowered on the floor, not daring to meet those piercing blue eyes again. "…I'm sorry…"

Germany bared his teeth in a deep scowl, willing himself to calm down. He could now sense the fear from the dejected doll and felt his chest tighten with guilt. He wanted to express to say something to sooth the doll, but his pride prevented him from doing so. After all, coddling him will not help the situation.

"You will report for training in the morning as scheduled and resume your regular routine with your fellow dolls. We're done here." Germany collected his lantern and walked off, leaving Italy to sit in darkness.

As he walked away he could still here the quiet apology coming from the doll once again. He headed to the main building and walked in to leave only to bump into another irritating doll.

"So that's where he's been running off to." Poland had been watching from the distance, smirking with a knowing look. "This is definitely against the rules you know."

"I assume you'll want something in return for your silence then?" Germany growled low.

"I'll just keep that in the bank for like later." Poland waved his hand and moved out of the way, allowing Germany to leave peacefully. There as no use poking at an already angry bear after all. "You think it's ok to just leave him there?"

Germany froze for a moment but kept walked. "That's of no concern to me. Good Night."

Poland made a face at the alpha as he disappeared and walked out the door to look at the poor young doll. He could still see the silhouette of the doll in the training grounds.

"I have a feeling he's going to be out there for a while longer…hmm….I guess I could go do him a solid for now…that'll bring me up to two favors in my pocket." Poland walked back inside and went on with his own rounds, making a mental note to keep Kowloon busy for a few hours before he had to go check in on the dolls for lights out.

The morning soon came, and the bunks were still harboring their sleeping inmates. The familiar steps toward the bunks were enough to awaken the dolls from deep sleep but not yet enough to rise them from their beds.

"Good morning, It's time to get up every one!" Called out a voice that had been missed last night. The dolls reluctantly rose from their beds, some faster than others but all rubbed the sleep out of their eyes.

"I expect you all to assemble outside in twenty minutes." Kowloon called out, he himself still yawning a bit. He walked back out and left the dolls to do their morning routine.

The dolls looked over to each other and were surprised to find one doll still sleeping.

"Italy!" Matthew went to call out to him but he didn't react at all. "Italy when did you get back?"

"Yeah dude I could have sworn you weren't there when I fell asleep." Alfred yawned and stretched out his body, rushing out to pee.

"Vene! Get your lazy ass up right now!" Romano reached over to pull the covers off his brother who cringed at the sudden cold air.

"Ve~ good mooooorning everyone. . . " Italy still hadn't opened his eyes but lifted himself up none the less. His face was rather pale looking and he had darkened circles under his eyes.

"You look like crap…where did you go? I know you didn't get back like the rest of us and we all fell asleep really late… so spill!" Romano saw his chance to get information out of his brother and decided to go ahead and take it. This time there was no way he could lie himself out of this one.

"I was studying…" Italy got up and walked with unsteady steps toward the bathroom.

"Oh no! You are not getting off that easily this time." Romano put a hand on his shoulder to spin him around but was taken aback when he noticed Italy's face.

"Did you lose a fight with gravity or something?" Romano questioned, concern lacing his voice. "Why are you all scratched up?"

"It was dark when I got back, and I fell a couple of times." Italy replied dryly. "I really have to pee now Romano." Before his brother could question him further Italy ran off to the bathroom and went on to get ready as fast as possible dodging any other questions they asked him.

Matthew and Alfred decided to whisper amongst themselves, comparing theories as to what Italy has really been up too.

Romano on the other hand, had woken up in a mood to pester and wanted to irritate his little brother in revenge for having disappeared last night and appearing so disheveled late at night.

"Veneziano, I waited up as much as I could, and I know I went to sleep not too long after midnight, so just tell me already…where were you?"

"Can you please leave me alone Romano, I'm really tired today…" Italy's voice was almost hoarse, he had already packed everything and rushed out of the bunks and meet with Kowloon.

"Good Morning Kowloon!" Italy chirped.

"Good aahhhh morning Italy, you're bright and early as always." Kowloon yawned out, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. Italy giggled and continued to make small talk with Kowloon, hoping that this would keep his brother from questioning him further.

Romano walked out and noticed the two talking yet both looked rather tired and still yawning. It was too convenient for both of them to be tired, and on the same day. The thought perhaps this had to do something with where his little brother had run off to, after all, Kowloon never did come in to check on them. It was just too strange of a coincidence.

When the rest of the troop had joined them, Kowloon began to walk them toward their designated training area. And like clockwork, there was Germany standing tall waiting patiently for them to arrive. Italy continued to smile brightly until he locked eyes with Germany, he gave the alpha a weak smile before looking away.

"Good Morning Germany, I hope you are well today." Kowloon greeted the alpha.

"Yes thank you." He replied

"Well I leave them in your care then." Kowloon waved his hand dismissively and walked off yawning yet again.

Germany turned to his pupils and with his clipboard ready in hand he quickly ran roll call. "You all know your morning formations."

"Sir, Yes sir!" The young dolls all replied and quickly lined up on their designated area.

"Alright, start your stretches and then start your morning laps, after that we will do agility." Germany put his clipboard away and stood in front of the dolls.

Romano leaned over to his younger brother and whispered in his ear, "You hear that Vene, I hope he stocked up the booboo kit for you."

Italy puffed his cheeks and tried his best to ignore his brother, at that very moment all Italy could think about was concentrating on his morning routine. Germany blew his whistle and the dolls immediately broke into their stretching routine. By now the group had learned that their formation changed on the tone of that whistle.

"Ok, now pair up and stretch." Germany announced. "Make sure that you warm your muscled correctly or you will get cramps."

The dolls scrambled to pair up, finding it fairly easy as there were only four of them and only so many possibilities for pairings.

Romano turned to his younger counterpart but was shocked to find that Italy had already bounced over to Matthew to pair up for their stretching.

"Matthew would you like to be my stretching partner today?" Italy asked with a touch of sweetness to his voice.

Matthew looked over to his own brother who shrugged at him in indifference and looked back to Italy.

"Sure thing Italy, it would be a good change of pace." The two settled back to back locking arms and pulling each other's muscles.

"Matthew, do you think I'm too clumsy?" Italy took the opportunity to ask.

"Well, I wouldn't say you're the most coordinated but you do reach the finish line...most of the time..." Matthew replied.

"...Ve...is that annoying?" Italy stopped pulling on Matthew and sat up waiting for the answer.

"ITALY! Stop slacking off!" Germany yelled out.

"Well, it certainly annoys Mr. Germany..." Matthew replied and patted Italy's shoulder before continuing with the morning warm up. "Not exactly the best way to get his attention."

"Ve..." Italy sighed in agreement, perhaps it was true that his constant falling and lack of physical stamina was the source of Germany's short tempered nature with him. "...but then what am I supposed to do? I don't want Mr. Germany to be mad at me."

Matthew looked back to his little friend with a puzzled look. "I guess you could always try and get better at training, I mean it's so strange that you're very good at your academics but when it comes to training you seem almost ...distracted..."

"Distracted?" Italy replied questioningly.

"ITALY, MATTHEW! Ten laps now!" Germany's stern voice cut through their little conversation and the two swiftly sprang into a run around the training area. The stern doll watched as the small group was now divided into two groups, the two that were running laps and the two that were beginning the obstacle course.

"Germany, how are your little wards today?" Hungary had made some time to come by and check in on the newest employee of Doll House.

"Hello, Hungary." Germany continued to watch his students run and made notes of any progress he may have seen.

"Oh, Germany you have to learn to be a little friendlier." Hungary nudged the blond doll in the ribs.

"Oof, yes you have mentioned that quite a bit recently." Germany casually stepped a few steps away from his fellow alpha to avoid any further contact.

"Well it wouldn't kill you to make a friend or two, I was just talking to your handler and we both agree on this matter." Hungary stated with pride.

Germany was absolutely flabbergasted at the news and could only open his mouth in horror; his mind just could not process how to respond to Hungary. He wanted to both yell in frustration and anger, but also just tell the fellow alpha off for such a crude invasion of his personal life.

"Just ...when did you..." Germany was barely able to let out words through gritted teeth when he was interrupted by the last possible person he wanted to see.

"What's a handler?" Italy's lighthearted voice startled the two alphas, causing them to spin around and stare into the wide glistening eyes of Italy.

"Hello Italy!" Hungary sang out.

"Hello Ms. Hungary," Italy replied with a slight lyrical tone to his voice before returning to lock eyes with the chaotic blue eyes of his training alpha and leaned in closely. "Mr. Germany, what's a handler? You have one? What do they do? Are they dolls like us?"

"Italy you are supposed to be doing your agility practice if you're done with your laps." Germany leaned back away from the curious doll trying to put some distance between them. "Now get started with the agility course." Germany tried to push the young doll in the direction of the last event of the morning but froze when he felt the warm little hand envelope his larger one in a slightly tight grip.

"But Mr. Germany, I really want to know what a handler is..." Italy replied shyly, looking up through his sweat dampened fringe.

"THAT'S ENOUGH, I am only required to train you." Germany replied coldly before yanking his hand back and clearing his throat. "Now go do your agility course, you will not be permitted to leave until you have completed the course."

"Ve... but that will make me miss breakfast..." Italy shrank away with surprise.

"Germany, you can't keep him here all day." Hungary argued sternly.

"I will not keep him all day, just until he completes the agility course." Germany looked at his watch then back to Italy and towered over to him, his stern face leaving no mistake that he was in fact serious with his threat.

"You have less than five minutes to complete a course that usually takes you twenty minutes to complete." Germany poked the young doll harshly in the chest making Italy wince and grab the area that now ached.

Italy was frozen in place and could feel his eyes begin to burn with the threat of tears, but rather than allow Germany to see him at his weakest he turned and ran in the direction of the course.

"Germany that was far too harsh, what is the matter with you?" Hungary fumed.

"Doll 1246 has to learn that he must obey his training, he must do what is expected of him."

"It was just an innocent question, you could have handled the situation with a bit more..."

"I WILL DECIDE HOW TO BEST HANDLE MY CLASS. When they are under your charge, then you can be as sweet and caring as you feel." Germany raised his clipboard and tore out a piece of clean sheet paper and began to scribble away in a hurry.

Hungary course feel her blood boil with anger, she was not accustomed to be yelled at, especially by a doll she clearly outranked. Before she could even press the matter forward or act out on her anger, the other young dolls carefully approached them.

"Umm..we're ready to go..." Alfred wasn't one to really lose his nerve, but even he could feel the tension between the two seasoned alphas, and it made his body twitch with uncertainty.

Hungary was forced to take a deep breath and put on a smile for her wards. "Alright everyone, we'll proceed to the cafeteria and from there you will ..."

Romano Interupted. "What about my brother?"

"Italy will be staying here to finish his training, he will be allowed to leave when he is finished." Germany replied for Hungary.

Romano almost growled at the tall doll. "I wasn't talking to..."

"Come along now Romano, one doll in the naughty corner is enough for today." Hungary quickly intercepted, and none too gently diverted the angered brunette away from the area. "Matthew, follow quickly now."

Germany ignored the doll's as they left. He could faintly still hear his hostage's brother call him a bastard but that didn't bother him in the least. His sole focus was now on the struggling doll that had fallen off the swinging ropes yet again, only two thirds of the way through the course.

The frustrated blonde walked closer to the area, all the while watching the young doll slowly rise up and move back to the beginning again and launch himself from one rope to another, to another, only falling to the ground bellow once again.

The doll, had at some point hit his face and scrapped the side of his lip. The blood that had trickled out stained his lips a blushing shade of red.

"I'm sorry Mr. Germany...I'll try again..." Italy pushed himself up and jogged back to the beginning to grab hold of the rope again.

Germnay himself stood with his arm crossed, his stern blue eyes watching every muscle Italy moved.

When Italy fell again he heard the low growl of the alpha, "Try again." Without question, Italy would rise and repeat the process.

It was almost painful to see the insanity of Italy's labors, Germany knew that he had been harsh, he knew that Italy had only been acting out in his usual attention seeking manner, he knew all this. The usually bright and cheerful boy had shown to have such a less than stellar aptitude for the physical aspect of his training. It was a complete surprise to Germany as his other instructors had such outstanding reviews on him, but when it came to anything having to do with actual activities he fell short; and that was enough to label him a defective doll.

There was no classification that tolerated a doll that was solely skilled in academics, this fact made Germany feel something that he could not fully comprehend. He had by now watched

"Italy, stop...c." Germany sighed as he mentioned for Italy to step down from the ropes and approach him.

"Yes sir, Mr. Germany?" Italy looked shyly down to his hands that nervously tugged at the edge of his sleeves.

Germany looked him over and noticed the traces of tears that had made tracks down his dusty face. The bright face was truly crestfallen, and the melancholy was seeping into the normally distant and stoic alpha.

Germany was about to speak to Italy, but it was the smaller doll that spoke first.

"Why do you hate me Mr. Germany?" Italy didn't look up but continued to look at his fingers as if they were to whom he spoke.

Germany fringed his brows, unable to completely process what he should say or even think; but of course, he had to response in some way.

"Italy, I don't hate you..." Germany shifted from a stern stance to a much more relaxed one. His eyes no longer held that same sense of anger, but one of concern. "I need to apologize to you... for over reacting to your question..."

Italy looked up slightly, only barely locking eyes with those of the larger doll before him. "I am sorry too Mr. Germany, I was just too curious...Romano gets mad at me for that too." The voice of the usually boisterous doll was low and defeated.

"Yes, well as an experienced doll I should have been able to control myself in any situation, and for that I am ashamed and ask your forgiveness." Germany replied as gently as he could.

"No! No! Mr. Germany I am sorry...I should have kept my distance like you keep telling me...I was just really curious and well I couldn't help it..."

"Yes, you wanted to know about handlers..." Germany casually took a step back to shift his weight a bit and reached up to adjust the cap that covered his slicked back hair.

"Actually … Germany, I was curious to know more about you..." Italy stepped closer and leaned in slightly, flashing his superior doll a curiously sly smile.

Germany was in disbelief, what could possibly be interesting about him. "Curious about me?"

Italy looked away as his lips twitched into a subtle smile. "Yes, in fact I wanted to know more about you the very first day we met. I know the way we really meet were on less than good terms but ..."

Germany could feel his heart racing, his mouth opened and closed unable to mutter a response. He looked around wildly, carefully scanning to make sure that no one was listening in on them.

"I haven't told anyone that we meet before...it's not like anyone has asked but..." Italy continued with a softer tone.

Germany could only vaguely here the doll but observed that no other doll was in close range.

"Why me?" Germany rubbed the back of his neck and decided that at the moment he could not bare to look into the glittering eyes of the young doll.

"Ve?"

"Why are you so curious about me? It makes no sense to just decide you want to know about me...there are plenty of other Alphas here in doll house for you to question, what about Hungary or Sweden?"

Italy looked almost hurt by his response. "Does it bother you?"

"No...yes...well no, it's just ...Why me?" Germany just couldn't articulate his own thoughts. This was a situation that he had not been trained for.

Germany waited for the smaller doll to respond and was further perplexed when he noticed a light flush on Italy's face.

"You're eyes." Italy replied.

"My eyes?" Germany still could not make sense of this situation.

"Yes, you're eyes are beautiful, the color of the sky." Italy took a cautious step forward, disappearing yet another piece of distance between them. "When you found me hiding under that table, your eyes surprised me."

"When I found you under that table you started crying and didn't stop even after doll house came for you." Germany retorted.

"I was scared, I admit that; but I just kept thinking about you and then the next thing I know you're here!" Italy extended his arms to motion to Germany. "I was super happy to know I would get the chance to get to know you better..."

"I am just your instructor and nothing more." Germany tried to put some distance between them only to have Italy rush to him and all but cling to him.

"Don't you want to be friends?" Italy asked.

"Dolls don't have..."

"Yes they do, one day we'll get to go outside and dolls sometimes meet and become friends...Ms. Hungary and Mr. Japan told me so! Even Poland agreed." Italy was certainly determined.

Germany clicked his tongue in frustration at the mention of Hungary, it seemed she once again intervened before he could even see the situation approaching. "Italy, the only dolls that get to go outside are the accomplished dolls and you, cannot even complete a simple obstacle course in your first phase of training."

"..." Italy silently watched as Germany harshly pointed to him and then gesture to the course beside them, his deep voice rising in what Italy could only guess was anger again.

"If you cannot get through this you cannot become a full doll." Germany now crossed his arms over his chest and observed as the enthusiasm in the dolls face began to dissipate. The alpha mentally berated himself for allowing this situation to get away from him as it did, he should have never allowed this to have happen.

Germany glanced at his watch and with the little patience he had waited for Italy to finally give up on his nonsense. He looked on as the peculiar curl on the side of the dolls head had become limp and listless.

"So, if I become a full doll would you be my friend?" Italy did not lift his gaze but continued to talk.

Germany contemplated this for a moment before his mental capacity halted in near emotional exhaustion.

With a deep sigh of frustration Germany simply shrugged.

"If we're going to be friends then we should get to know each other more..." Italy spoke carefully.

"Well that is true but as I said before, you have to at least pass this." Germany lazily gestured toward the course. "And so far you're less than ..."

"If I pass this with no mistakes will you agree to get to know each other more?" Italy looked up through his fringe again, his usually innocent eyes now narrowed into something much more mature.

Germany locked eyes with this doll. He had never seen such an expression, it was almost as if Italy was challenging him, appealing to Germany's Alpha nature. His mind knew that the doll must have been up to something, his mind knew that this was a weak doll that couldn't possibly improve enough to pass the physical requirements expected of him.

"Do you agree?" Italy tilted his head to the side and smiled sweetly, his gaze remained fixed on the opposing doll.

Germany now leaned in and came only inches away from the young dolls face. "Agreed. If you can finish this course without a single mistake, then I will oblige to your request."

Italy help up his hand and exposed his pinky finger, "Alfred said that if you promise you have to pinky swear."

Germany gave a deep huffed laugh and intertwined his pinky finger with Italy's. "I promise."

"Good." Italy replied and softly tapped the tip of Germany's sharp nose before running off toward the Obstacle course. "Watch me!"

Germany jerked back at the assault on his nose, rage build up within him in a mere second but Italy was out of his range faster than could react.

"ITALY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Germany bellowed as he watched Italy get up on the swing ropes again.

"Don't take your eyes off me." Italy giggled as he winked in Germany's direction.

Before Germany could run over to pull him off the first rope, Italy took a deep breath and took the first leap and successfully climbed up a thick climbing rope, upon reaching the top Italy jumped across to free swinging rope and proceeded to swing from rope, to rope, to rope. Italy cleared the first six ropes by swinging gracefully from one to the next.

From the last rope he landed on a platform where he had to scale a rock wall to then tumble over the top and take a zip line across to the next platform, and carefully jumped from ledge to ledge across a deep mud pit that had on numerous occasions claimed his brother Romano and Alfred. Italy gracefully leaped from one to the next and used the momentum to jump onto the final platform before leaping down and landing on all fours on the end point platform.

Germany stood in disbelief at such a marvelous display of grace and balance. Italy had successfully cleared the obstacle course for beginners.

The young doll now stood and used his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his face, his chest heaved heavily as he tried to catch his breath. The well pronounced curl bouncing with every breath he took. Once he felt a little more in control Italy walked over to Germany. His smile revealing his self-satisfaction.

Germany dropped his clipboard still in disbelief of what had just occurred.

"I believe I have won the agreement." Italy cheered and threw his arms around Germany's torso and hugged tightly pressing himself flush against the hard body. He could hear the wild beating of the larger doll's heart and nuzzled him a bit. "Yay! now we get to be friends."

Germany was still frozen in horror, he had only barely registered that Italy was now pressed against him, and still could not believe that he had agreed to such a ridiculous thing. His arms mechanically reached up to settle on the smaller doll's shoulders in an attempt to push him away, yet before he could Italy pulled away.

"Oh look at the time, well you said that I could leave when I was done and well...I'm done!" Italy's signature cheerful tone was not only back but had an extra bounce to it if his curl was any indication of it. "If I hurry in the shower I can probably ask Mr. Japan to at least give me a snack."

Italy bounced off in the direction of the showers and only stopped momentarily to wave good-bye to his new friend.

"Bye Germany, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow!"

Germany was left alone to his thoughts. His mind was still working at full capacity to catch up to the events of the day thus far, and when his mind and body had finally settled back into a normal rhythm there was only one thing he could say.

"SCHEIβE!"

A/N: And there you have it, Germany walked right into that one really. No one is that useless without a reason right? Well after this I can only imagine one last chapter and our young dolls are off into the real world. Please read and review, I do love to hear from you. Lots of Love!