So, I'm posting early so I don't end out worrying about this tomorrow morning. I don't know if this will become habit, but just in case, you know?

I-Heart-Sesshoumaru13 and larissita, thank you for the reviews! I can't help but wonder how much you're going to end out hating me here, though... Mwahahaha!

These two images end out being returned to many times in the next 12 chapters or so. (I'm just starting on 25, and the latest... victim didn't handle them so well.) Remember them!

Anywho, on with the show!

Disclaimer- Das is nicht meine!

Chapter 11

Ivan made his way through the hallways, using his cell phone for light. While Mattie may have it memorized and know the doors by heart, he wasn't quite as skilled. He made his way through, turning down hallways he hadn't noticed the day before. He found a hallway that he imagined went around to the other side of the office and opened the door, looking around. A light switch was just to his right and he flipped it on, finding it was indeed the second floor of the office. He hit the switch, looking around and looked up, seeing the image on the ceiling.

His heart froze in his chest. Ivan's blood felt cold and he wondered for a second if his arms and legs had fallen asleep as he stared up at the ceiling, seeing bodies, broken and battered, discarded guns, pools of blood, and in the center, Alfred on his knees screaming. Tears ran down his cheeks as his hands gripped dangerously tight in his hair, his eyes stuck open as he stared at the sky, probably asking his god why, or just too filled with the horrors around him to be able to force them closed. It took a second til he could close his eyes and move his head away. He didn't like the fact that Mattie had worked so hard on some of these images only to remember horrible scenes like this, but he knew, if this scene was real, if he ever found out this scene had happened, he'd have to be nicer to the American. His eyes unconsciously drifted back up and he looked again noticing the bodies.

It was world war two. He looked around, seeing walls and windows, small boxes crafted of rusting metals and bodies that were entirely too thin, covered in hastily crafted clothes. Auschwitz. He'd seen this image before. Ivan's eyes widened as his heart started to ache. His hands drifted over his mouth as he stared in horror at the true realization of what he was seeing. America's real response to the ending days of the war. Not the celebration everyone thought it was, it was the discovery of horror after horror. Ivan finally tore his eyes away and turned, wiping tears from his eyes and feeling a shaking in his chest that told him he might not be able to handle the next image he might find.

His head turned and he stilled, noticing another one, but it was like the bookshelf on the other side. He aligned himself with the wall, looking to find China staring back at him. A wide grin was on his face, his hands holding out some sort of pink flowers as he looked ahead with one of the brightest smiles Ivan had ever seen. His courage regained, he hit the light switch before going back into the hallway.

He turned, taking another fork he'd passed earlier that should take him to Kumajirou's little room above the closet. He noticed a door over the kitchen and opened it, noticing this one didn't have a step. It was just an open door into thin air and wondered what the purpose was when he noticed familiar markings on the wall to his left. You couldn't see them from the floor. These were carved in from an upper angle so from the kitchen floor you couldn't see them at all, and Ivan wondered if he'd ever actually find them all at this rate. He leaned in, realizing you had to look from behind the wall. The whole kitchen wall to make an image that was only about three inches wide. It was probably originally seen while looking through a cracked door. Kumajirou sat on the floor, he assumed, with a cowboy hat perched on his head and a huge smile. Ivan let out a chuckle as he stepped back and closed the door. He took another couple of steps down the hallway and noticed another door and tried to think of where in the house it would be. This should be right above the kitchen, but right below the back half of the exercise room.

This was the spot he had been wondering about earlier. The spot right in the middle of the house. He opened the door and walked in, a very familiar smell hitting his nose. Ivan's eyes widened in alarm as he stepped into the room and searched the wall for a light switch, finally finding it a few steps over, as his foot ran into something hard. He flipped on the light and looked around, his heart pounding up into his neck again.

There didn't need to be a hidden image in this room. It was terrifying enough as it was. Blood stained the walls, scratch marks from nails and knives littered the walls, and Ivan noticed a chair off to the side, covered in scratches and dents. A small table with blades of multiple sizes stuck out of the wood on the table, looking like they were pounded in in fury.

Ivan switched off the light and stepped back into the hallway.

There were no locks on that door. There were no restraints on the chair. That room was for Mattie alone. It had all been his own blood. Ivan's stomach twisted when he realized how much the smiling, always happy, always polite Canadian was actually suffering. He took a couple more steadying breaths before walking down to the next room and slid the door open. He closed his eyes, tears making their way down his eyes as he stepped in, afraid for a moment to open them. There was no smell of blood here, though and he felt something soft under his feet so he opened his eyes and felt, quickly finding the light switch.

The ceiling and all four walls lit up. Ivan looked around, seeing the hidden image marks everywhere. There had to be images all over. He looked and at first didn't see anything, but as he walked around the outside of the room he realized the image changed depending on where you were standing. When he reached the left corner, he had France smiling at him. He walked around, finding the five Nordic countries laughing, but by the second corner America was laughing and smiling. The next wall he stepped forward to close the door before he stepped back and found himself, China, Japan, Germany and Italy all talking with brilliant grins. He looked at his own face, the pride of knowing Mattie could see him like that lighting his chest as he walked around to the next corner, finding Kumajirou grinning, a fish in his hand. He walked to the last wall and looked, finding France, England and America with smiles, holding out their hands. He made it to the last corner, figuring who he'd find, and was correct. England sat there with a raised eyebrow and a half smile. His smile didn't look as wide in any of the images as the others, Ivan realized as he stood and just looked at this image for a while. He walked back around to the door, to where he hadn't seen any image before, but the time spent walking and looking forced his eyes to better focus when he'd made it back around and he stilled, seeing the woman from the living room, the one Mattie had said was his mother standing in the center with outstretched arms, as if welcoming him in for a hug. Ivan felt the tear roll down his cheek before he could respond.

Mattie suffered just as much as he did. It wasn't just the death or the horrors of war that got to him, but the loneliness. At least everyone remembered Ivan, but Mattie, he had nothing. He didn't have the long lasting memories for others to trace back to him. He was left with nothing. Ivan stared at the woman across from him who just stared at him with a wide smile and open arms and cried.

It was a while til he was able to get himself back under control and turned off the light, walking further down the hallway. He opened a door, finding himself on the far side of the living room, but no matter where he looked, he didn't see anything. He was about to close the door when his eyes shifted up to the image on the ceiling and he stumbled back, tripping over his own feet in the panic to get away before he covered his mouth with his hands to keep from laughing at himself. He stood, seeing the narrowed eyes that stared back. He couldn't say who's eyes they were, but they looked curious, as if they were wondering who was looking.

He closed the door and walked a little farther down, finding a staircase down and the walkway ahead.

The room ahead should be Mattie's room, but he decided to check and make sure, after all, he'd been wrong a couple of times already. He crept forward and opened the door, looking in on Mattie's room but quickly discovered something wrong.

Where was Mattie?

He went to the next door, his own and walked out before opening the door and walking out into the hallway to listen. Nothing. He hadn't seen him in the living room, or heard him in the kitchen, so maybe he was upstairs? He wandered back in, heading to the exercise room and found nothing. Where in the hell was he? "Matvey?" He called out, but didn't hear any response.

"Matvey?" He called once he found the office, again to hear nothing. He knocked at the next two rooms, unable to open the doors, but didn't hear a response. He looked into the bedroom again, just to make sure and walked towards the bed, finding Kumajirou laying on the bed, but no Mattie. He went out and knocked at the bathroom door, but no response. He walked to the back door and looked out at the obstacle course, but saw no movement except the sway of the trees. He was going to have to go out to make sure he wasn't out there.

He looked down, realizing he still didn't have a shirt on and ran up to the room to find something to toss on. He ran into the room and tossed open a drawer to hear a mumble from behind him and turned slowly, finding Mattie laying in his bed. Ivan sat down and slowly brushed his hand over Mattie's hair again. "Matvey, what are you doing here?"

"Je ai froid. Puis-je rester ici avec vous ce soir?" Mattie mumbled, surprising Ivan who frowned. Was Mattie a French speaker? He thought and realized not only did he spend a lot of time growing up with Francis, but he'd heard quite a few people around speaking French as well. He couldn't help the slight smile that worked it's way onto his lip and sighed. He went to stand to discover Mattie's fingers had locked on his clothing again, but this time it was his pants. Ivan thought about his options, both leading to blushes before he decided on the one that he deemed more comfortable. It took him a moment to figure out how to slide off his boots with Mattie death clenched to his hip, but he managed and figured out how to lay down without crushing his arms. He softly laid his head on the pillow and looked down, brushing Mattie's hair away from his face before leaning down and giving him another gentle kiss before closing his eyes, but it seemed to take forever before he could finally drift off with the Canadian under his arm.

When Mattie woke the next morning he was surprised to feel as warm as he did. His fingers retracted and he felt them crack, from being locked overnight. He opened his eyes, finding Ivan wrapped around him, though he was still asleep. Mattie didn't move at first. It took him a moment to decide this wasn't a dream, and he was actually there. He looked down, finding Ivan without a shirt, his own chest pressed against his, with an arm draped casually over his waist. Ivan's other arm was tucked under Mattie's head like a pillow and Mattie suddenly realized how truly intimate this pose was. Every part of him from the middle of his chest down was pressed against Ivan. Mattie realized his legs tangled around Ivan's and slowly lifted his top leg to try and pull it back, but the slight movement was enough and Ivan's eye slowly opened, seeing Mattie laying with a dark blush across his cheeks. Ivan lifted his arm without thought and sat up, removing his leg from over Mattie's other. "доброе утро."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand Russian."

"That's fine, I don't understand French. I have no idea what you said last night. It's 'Good Morning'." Ivan stated flatly and Mattie wondered if he was mad. "Are your fingers alright?"

"Uh, yeah." Mattie looked up, curious as Ivan glanced over, seeing the red swelling at the joints.

"Нет, they're swollen. They look very sore. Go soak them in warm water, Da? It'll help the pain go away." He said as he stood and stumbled, grasping to the desk.

"Are you alright? You look dizzy."

"Da, I didn't sleep well. Sorry." Ivan grumbled, opening the drawers to find clothes. He stumbled into the bathroom, worrying Mattie.

When Ivan came from the shower, Mattie had already started breakfast before he'd gotten his shower in and was in the kitchen, continuing breakfast. He decided to try and be a little gentler for the day, and had actually started making rice porridge, the risgrøt recipe Norway had taught him when he was still young. Mattie felt his forehead, causing Ivan to open an eye and watch as Mattie frowned. He didn't have a fever. Mattie could see the darkness under his eyes, making him look completely exhausted. "After breakfast maybe you should go back to sleep."

"Нет, I just need to wake up some, Da? I'll be fine."

"Alright." Mattie spoke softly, and Ivan let the corner of his mouth turn up in the joy that Mattie would worry about him like this. "Tea or coffee? I only have Earl Grey tea, though."

"Coffee, please." Ivan watched as Mattie slid a mug into the Kourig. He closed his eyes as Mattie did a few other things and slid the mug, as well as the creamer and sugar onto the table. It took him a moment before he reached out and took the mug and for a moment just held it in his hands. He remembered the previous night, and Mattie noticed how he went from barely alive to honestly worried in a few seconds and frowned, watching. "Matvey, we're friends, honestly, right?"

"Yeah." Mattie said, sliding his own mug out from the machine and put a couple of spoonfuls of sugar in.

"If you're hurting, you can tell me, alright?" Ivan looked up and Mattie looked down, confused. "Not just outside, but in here, too." Ivan reached out, softly pressing his hand against Mattie's chest, over his heart and Mattie glanced up, a little more worry showing.

"Why? Did I say something in my sleep?"

"I don't know, it was in French. I started exploring more after you went to sleep." Ivan stated, staring at the coffee, too afraid to look up to see the look on Mattie's face. "I'm... worried."

"What did you see?" Ivan swallowed hard before looking up, seeing the man before him pale, his hands shaking enough the scalding coffee was running down his hands, but he didn't even seem to notice.

"Auschwitz, and I found two rooms that scared me badly." He glanced down and Mattie frowned.

"You... went into the basement?"

"No, you already said that was your room. I won't go there without permission. The images in the room, everyone looking so happy, and your mother, I felt like you just... maybe it's there because you needed someone. You wanted someone to be there, and with others forgetting you..." He trailed off, his eyes shifting back down to his mug.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to see how many images I could get into a room that small." Mattie said, turning away slightly and Ivan glanced back up.

"Then with all of those happy images, why is it hidden in the heart of your home?" Ivan watched as Mattie's hands completely gave out and the mug slid down to the floor, splashing coffee down the whole front of him, but Mattie didn't respond. His eyes turned away as soon as Ivan started talking. He could only wonder what kind of expression he had on his face as his shoulders started to shake.

"It hurt." Mattie whispered and Ivan frowned. This was more like what he was expecting. "I hate it that no one remembers me. It pisses me off. I originally had it in my office, but France kept hearing me screaming and I moved it. I didn't want anyone to know. How did you know?"

"I also know what it's like to lose everything." Ivan said softly and no more explanation was needed. Mattie turned slowly and looked at Ivan's face, seeing the worry increase when he saw how devastated he actually was. "No, not today. Turn off food. I'll be back." Ivan stood up and walked out, grabbing his car keys, surprising the Canadian, who just stared surprised at the door.

"What... just happened?"

That's all for now!

Hope to see you back tomorrow/ish! (Lol!)

Later!

Jasmin