Chapter 11

"I think it's today." Japan said, as he looked over the calendar on the kitchen table.

"Are you sure?" Italy asked, bent over the table. "I thought she said it was later on in the year."

"I do not think so..." The dark-haired one replied. "I remember her describing it happening this time of year."

Germany walked in the room, and was immediately suspicious. "What are you two talking about?"

Italy grinned happily as he held up his homeade card. "_'s birthday!"

Kiku nodded as he motioned to the rice balls he was making. "We were trying to determine if it is today."

"O-oh...is it today?" Ludwig said, as he made himself a mug of coffee. "I...don't think she ever told me when it was..."

"She did not mention it until I asked her two weeks ago."

"Oh..." He took a sip of his drink. "Then..."

"Ve~ I think we should have a party for her! We could have pasta, and music, and dancing, and games and friends over!"

"I do not know... _ does not seem that way." Kiku interjected softly.

"Ja, she does not seem the selfish party type." Ludwig agreed. "But we have to do something."

Italy sat down, deep in thought. "Maybe we should make it a surprise!"

"Surprise party would be good."

"But..." The German thought of all the messes that could possibly happen. "I...don't think-"

"Please?! It would be fun! I'll call big brother Spain, big brother France, and America, and Prussia, and -"

"I think China would come; he has lots of fireworks that he would probably let us use."

"And Belgium, and Romano, and Netherlands, and Denmark, and Iceland, and Hungary-"

"WAIT!" Germany protested. "We can't invite every country on the planet! Let's pick a few, and work from there." He shook his head, knowing that he'd probably have to intervene on several ideas to prevent chaos.

"Let me get some paper, and we'll do this thing right!"

~~~/\~~~

Meanwhile, you were fast asleep, enjoying your dream, the comfort of the warm bed, the smell of the pillows, and the fun of sleeping in.

Stealthily, Germany tip-toed inside the room, and softly pulled out his sock drawer. Inside he had stashed several hundred dollars, only to be used for emergencies. "Gut." He said, stuffing the wad into his front pants pocket. Ludwig pushed the drawer back, and turned to leave when he heard you stir in his bed. He stopped, and tilted his head.

You looked so cute in his bed...all peaceful and quiet as you slept. Germany smirked, walked over to his bed, and pulled up the covers, tucking you in gently. Nodding at a job well done, he left the room and trooped downstairs to join the party committee.

~~~/\~~~

"So...is that everything?" Germany asked as he looked over the three pages of the party notes.

"I believe so."

"Ve~ Sounds good to me! Let's get started!" Italy exclaimed.

"Now, Italy, you call the guests while Japan and I go to get the party cake ingredients. Then, when we come back, we'll work on decorating and cooking the party food."

Feli nodded and raced towards the phone, bubbling with excitement: He got to throw you a party!

~~~/\~~~
"Do you know what type of cake we are looking for?" Germany asked Japan.

"Hai, it is the one that is half chocolate-half vanilla. I think _ will like it."

"Ja...I'm sure she will." he said, momentarily distracted. What was he going to get _ for her birthday? "What...would she like?" He asked himself quietly. "Not...a pair of combat boots...maybe...a new uniform? Nein, she is not in the war...erm..." he muttered to himself.

Japan looked away, hoping Germany could not see his smile. He had never seen his ally this flustered or confused...and though Kiku wished his ally every happiness, it was rather funny to see him act this way.

"Japan..." He began, looking over at his ally.

"Hai?" he replied as he hid his smile. "Is something wrong?"

"Nein...well...sort of." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I...need some...help deciding...what to get _ for her birthday...I..." a slight pink warmed his cheeks, "don't know what to get her..."

"I see..." Kiku responded as they trailed the mall's floors. "Perhaps asking a woman would help?"

Germany nodded. "But, who do I ask? Poland and France can't be called on this short notice!" He sighed and muttered, "This is one time when that nurse would actually be helpful..."

Out of sheer circumstance, the nurse popped out of the corner a mere seconds later. "See? I knew there would be a day when you'd need me!" She exclaimed excitedly. Ludwig was speechless, though Japan however, asked, "Do you...follow him around?"

"Why yes I do!" She giggled as if that was the most hilarious thing in the world.

The dark-haired man's eyes widened, but he refrained from speaking. His companion however, directed his attention at the nurse. "Well, you see today is _'s birthday, and I need to get her a present...but I'm not sure what it should be..."

The nurse grinned. "Ahhh...symptom twenty: unsure about presents. And naturally," she inhaled dramatically, "You decided to ask a woman for help! Well, say no more I am at your disposal! Now... what have you bought her recently?"

Japan looked up at his ally as Germany fumbled around for an answer.

"We took her shopping a while ago. Remember? It was when she bought that purple shirt..." the Japanese said, trying to help.

Germany nodded at his ally, grateful for the help. "Ja, and I think Italy took her shoe shopping...and Prussia took her beer shopping...though she took Italy to that store...called bath...bath and feet?"

The nurse groaned. "It's called Bath and Body. And that's an excellent place to start! Come on!" She grabbed the taller man's arm, and yanked him towards the store, with Japan quietly following.

The nurse pointed dramatically and shouted,"TADA!"

"This..." Germany commented nervously, "This is the place?" What he saw didn't make sense to his eyes:
there were several large bottles of something in several towering displays. Each bottle display had a different picture on it that apparently the bottle had inside of it. There were bathrobes, and slippers, and a section just for
trying on makeup...if that's what it was.

It all looked so alien to him. Germany turned to the nurse. "Now what?"

"We need to find out _'s likes and dislikes. Tell me what you know!"

"What...I know?"

"YES! Tell me if she's allergic to anything, if she hates a certain smell, if she likes a certain smell, you have to tell me!"

"I...don't know...any of those things." He admitted.

She turned to Japan, who responded with the same answer. Groaning dramatically, she dug in her purse for her phone, and dialed Germany's house phone.

~~~/\~~~

Feli happily sat on the couch, finishing up his homeade birthday card to you when the phone rang. Hurriedly, he picked it up and said, "Ciao, this is Italy!"

"Hello Italy, I have a few questions for you. First, do you know if _ is awake?"

Grinning, he shook his head. "Nope! She's asleep in Germany's room!"

The nurse laughed into the phone. "Oh? Well, I'll have to ask you then. Do you know what type of lotion she likes?"

"Ve~ No, I know she likes the pretty smelling ones though!" He smiled.

"Ahh thanks! That's all I needed to know! Talk to you later!"

"Ciao!"

"Bye!"

~~~/\~~~

"Well, that settled it. Now, Ludwig, go smell all the bottles and decide which one you like the most!"

He sighed. "Are you sure? This is a women's store...and it's awkward..."

"Do it or else we'll have to go for something else like expensive jewelry."

Germany nodded and started to smell all of the bottles...well the ones that sparked his interest with the strange pictures.

"Does he always act like this?" The nurse asked.

"Only when he is not sure about something." Japan replied, shaking his head. "He is not like his brother."

"His brother?" She asked, confused.

"Hai. His brother, Gilbirt, is...um...not like Ludwig."

"What's his brother like?"

"He...knows what to do about women...unlike his brother."

"Ahhh...poor Ludwig, but oh well, someone is going to have to teach him. Can you tell me more about him?"

"A little...he was the one who had to work so they would not fail, Gilbirt did nothing...useful to help his brother.
Then someone called Ivan separated the two with a wall, and Ludwig has been very protective since."

The nurse nodded, as she gazed at the tall muscular man. "I see what the problem is...no one has taught him how to love and let go..." She sighed. "Well, he'd better hurry up and learn it because that Italy character will steal _'s heart if that German is not ready."

"He does not like change." Japan said on his ally's behalf. "He does not change."

"Oh but he's gonna have to, _ will not stay at his house forever; she'll move on to a different house, and he won't get to see her everyday like he does now, and he'll spend a good chunk of his life wondering 'What If'. That's why he needs to snap her up now, with my help of course." She dramatically looked upwards.

Germany returned, carrying a small bottle of a sweet vanilla-smelling lotion. "I...I like this one."

"Do you? Good, now go pick out two more." She instructed, putting the bottle into a nearby basket.

"Are you sure?" He questioned. "I thought only one..."

"No!" The nurse insisted, putting her foot down literally.
"Go get two more different kinds so I can decide."

"Allright..." He sighed and walked back to the selections. Japan looked down at his shoes to hide his smile. He had never seen Germany taken orders from anyone, especially not a nurse.

Germany came back a mere twenty minutes later, carrying two bottles: the first's fragrance was that of a strawberry patch, and the second was a pleasant twist of apples and citrus.

The nurse scrutinized them and nodded satisfactorily. "All right, these will work beautifully."

~~~/\~~~

"I bought the cake mix." Japan said to his ally.

"Oh, danke Japan. Sehr gut, now we can go home." Germany said.

"No, not yet. We have to finish the present job!" The nurse insisted.

"I thought we finished it…." The blonde said.

"NO! we're just getting started!"

"Started?" He protested. "Nein, we have to go back home and set up the party!"

"Let your friend do it! You and I need to finish what we started!"

"I thought we got the present already…"

"Nope! We have to decide what else we could get her!" The nurse grinned evilly.

Germany sighed and looked over at Japan. "Do you mind if I stay with the nurse and you go back to work on the party?"

"No, I do not mind. Italy will help too, so we will be fine."

"Just try not to make a mess of things, ja?"

Kiku agreed and left, leaving Germany alone with the nurse. Ludwig nervously cleared his throat, and nodded. "N-now what?"

"Now we need to get shopping!" She grinned and pulled on his arm.

~~~/\~~~

Feli and Japan hurriedly put up the necessary decorations, trying their hardest to keep absolute quiet for your sake.

"I think they should go there…and those should go there." Kiku motioned to the wall."Ve~ Yep!" He placed them there perfectly and grinned. "Now for the pasta!"

~~~/\~~~

Germany sighed. "Well…is that all?"

"No! How could you say such a thing?!" The nurse smacked his arm.

"I'm…sorry…." He said, wondering what to do. Should he…what to get you… "Where to now?"

"To the jeweler's!" She linked arms with him and walked off, instructing him in the art of love.

~~~/\~~~

"I think it's all ready!" Italy exclaimed as he pulled out the pasta.

"Hai, I agree. The others should be arriving soon." Japan commented as he stirred the soup adding in several herbs and spices, making the aroma billow and flood the house. "I think it is ready."

"Germany should be back soon! And then we'll wake _ and we'll play together!" He grinned and finished his card.

The door creaked open, and Germany walked inside, carrying two smaller bags. "Now, what's left for the party?"

"Ve~ Nothing! Japan and I did it all! Look!" He eagerly pointed to the decorations and various party food they made from scratch.

"Oh wow…sehr gut." He nodded. For once…his house wasn't actually a mess!

"Who's going to wake up _?"

"I will!" Italy volunteered with a grin which Japan noticed brought a slight frown to Germany's countenance.

Germany cleared his throat. "Perhaps the decorations for outside need tweaking…"

"Nope!" Italy shook his head. "Japan and I finished it
while you were out!"

Japan sighed, deciding to give in to his ally. "Both of you should wake her while I finish the punch. Italy, where are the tomatoes?"

Feli happily replied. "They're in the fridge next to the lettuce!"

Ludwig sighed. "Are you ready Italy?" He motioned to down the hall. He nodded and they both started off. Italy was humming while Germany was slightly sulking under his breath.

~~~/\~~~

"HEY _! IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!" The bubbly Italian glomped the nearby bed, with an intensity that would have scared any army, happily bouncing on it. Germany sighed and leaned against the doorframe, though when you screamed, it did jolt him a little. "_?!"

"I…oh….my…" You panted as your widened eyes followed Italy's joyful form bouncing on the bed. "H-hi Italy." You said wincing slightly. Sitting up, you realized you were only in your pajamas, and hurriedly pulled up the nearby blanket to cover your shoulders. "And h-hi Germany."

Ludwig's face was red from embarrassment, but he managed to clear his throat and say, "Guten tag. H-how did…you sleep?"

"Oh fine…" You replied. "Umm….hehe….If you'll excuse me, I'm going to be using the facilities…" Wrapping the blanket all the way around you tightly, you waddled off to the bathroom, clutching your clothes for the day tightly to your chest.

~~~/\~~~

"That was embarrassing!" Germany hissed at Italy. "How could you jump on her while she was still in bed?! She probably thinks we're perverts or something!" He groaned and muttered rapidly in German with dummkoph appearing now and then.

"Don't worry! _ would never think that!" Italy assured his friend. "Hey Japan, is everything set?"

Japan's head peered out from behind a couch. "Hai it is."

"And when is she going to come out so we can surprise her?!" An impatient British voice complained.

"SHHH dude! She'll hear you!"

"Of course my beauty must be hidden, so I do not wow the world yet."

"Shut it Frog! And why are you next to me?!"

"Because you need my love Angletarre."

"SHUT IT!"

"Kesesese~ West's lady friend will love my present!"

"She is not my lady friend!"

"Oh West, we all know you like her."

"DON'T TOUCH ME SPANISH WEIRDO!"

"B-but Roma, I just wanted a hug."

"NO! NO HUGS!"

"Will all of you shut up?! She's going to hear us!" Germany hissed.

"When is she appearing?! I can't stand this foppish twit beside me!"

"HEY! I'm not a foppish twit…whatever that means. How could you say that to me, dude?"

"JUST BE QUIET!"

"Ve~ I think she'll like it."

"Hai, I agree."

"Become one, da? ^J^"

"No aru!"

~~~/\~~~

You yawned and walked into the living room, wearing your favorite outfit that you had been saving for your birthday. Funny…the house was quiet…unusually quiet. "Hello?" You called out, running a hand through your hair. "Anyone here?"

"Three." A voice said quietly.

"Hello?" You said, walking towards the couch.

"Two." The voice said even softer.

"Heeellloo?!"

"One."

"SURPRISE HAPPY BIRTHDAY _!" Japan, Russia, China, Italy, Romano, Spain, Prussia, France, England, America, and Germany all shot up from hiding. Everyone but Germany, Japan, and Romano shouted it, which brought a grin to your face.

"Thanks guys! I appreciate it." You smiled and sat on the couch.

"Kesesese~ Nein you can't sit down! We planned games!"

"G-games?"

"Si, you always play games at parties!" Spain said grinning .

"I don't want to play a game." Romano grumbled, sitting a few feet away from you.

"Ve~ I do! It'll be fun!"

"Dude I think we should totally eat first!"

"Shut it Alfred! It's not your party!"

You sat back, smiling at all of them as they continued bickering over your party. Germany wasn't nearly as amused and quickly retorted, "It's _'s party, let her decide."

They all turned to you and waited patiently for your decision. "Well….why don't we play games first, then eat?"

"You forgot our presents, princess." France interjected with a sensuous wink which made your stomach want to hurl.

"Oh, but you guys didn't have to get me a present! I'm fine!"
you objected waving your hands quickly.

"Dude, I say we play games, then presents, then eat. Sound good?"

"Hai, I agree."

"Fine with me, aru."

"Da ^J^"

"Si!" Italy and Spain concurred.

"Fine." Romano grumbled, pouting.

"Ja, it's good with the awesome me!"

"Ja, fine."

"GREAT! So who was in charge of games?"

"Kesesese~ I was! Let's play Spin the Bottle!" Gilbirt grinned at Germany, who in turn harshly glared back.

"Fusososo~"

"I was thinking more of tag!" Italy offered.

"Nein, not in my house!"

"Fein, grumpy brother…truth or dare it is." Prussia grinned. "I go first. America, I dare you to not say 'bro' for the
rest of the evening, and if you do, you have to…" he cast his eyes around the room. "You have to pay the penalty." Prussia grinned evilly.

"Sure dude!" Alfred nodded. "My turn! I dare England to say that I'm the Hero!"

"What?! I don't even get a bloody 'truth or dare'?! Oh fine…You're the Hero…" This made America laugh, while England sighed and asked, "Japan? Truth or dare?"

"Erm….truth."

"Is it true that you like Taiwan?"

Japan's eyes widened considerably. "O-oh…well…as….as…a friend…"

"Oh." England sighed. "Your turn."

"Allright…China, truth or dare?"

"Dare, aru."

Japan thought for a moment, and said, "Go…go yell out the window."

China nodded, stood, and did so. "STRANGER YOU MAY NOT TAKE MY PANDA!" And sat back down. "England, truth or dare?"

"Truth." He said, crossing his arms.

"Is it true that you like your cooking?"

"Of course I do! My cooking is magnificent!"

"That is where you are wrong mon ami."

"SHUT UP! WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!" He retorted harshly.

Germany sighed and looked over at you. You had a silly grin paintedon your face, a far-away smile that made all the chaos around you just melt away. "_?"

"Yes?" You turned to face him.

"Do...you like this...?"

"Like...like what?"

He looked down and back up. "This...the party."

"Oh, well I love it! Danke so much." You grinned happily at him.

"I'm...it's gut." He said, nodding.

"Well it's very kind of you. Whenever I had a birthday party, I would be the only one there...and now, this...this is wonderful. Wundebar..."

"Oh...danke." Germany's face flushed and he stood to go get a drink of lemonade.

The others were bickering, but eventually, they got around to the other games and food. Finally it was time to open presents!

"I'll go first!" Italy exclaimed. "This is from me and Romano! I hope youlike it!" He handed you a card and a small bag.

"Thank you Italy!" You smiled warmly at him, and first opened the card read, "Happy Birthday, _! You're my best friend! Love, Italy. What was so intriquing about it, was the words were made up of pasta, eventhe large heart in the middle was made up of pasta.

"Did you make this all by yourself?" you said, flabbergasted.

"Ve~ I did!" he proudly nodded. "Now open the bag!"

You laughed and readily did so. Your hand grasped a box, and you pulled outa small box which contained a small Italian lotion and perfume. "Thanks Ita!" you both hugged and you carefully put the container back in the box.

Germany's face drained of color, but you didn't notice with all the excitement. America shoved you his present: His flag and a baseball hat, followed by Britain's present: A tea set and some homemade scones. France went next, and his consisted of lingerie...China's present was a large stuffed panda, Russia's was a long blue scarf, Japan's was a silk kimono with matching slippers, Spain's was a fancy Spanish dancing costume, and Prussia's present was new cleaning supplies.

"Thank you all! I love all of your presents!" You hugged each one, except France, and after an hour, all of you went to bed.

~~~/\~~~

Germany sat in the living room, reading his paper when you came in wearing a cotton nightgown. Yawning, you said, "Oh, sorry I didn't mean to wake you. I was getting a drink of water."

"Hmm? Oh nein, you didn't wake me. I've been awake for quite sometime." He said, folding his newspaper.

"Oh good." You plopped down gently on the nearby couch.

"Ja...it's gut..." he said softly.

"Yeah...it's gut." You repeated, smiling.

"_."

"Ja?" You looked over at him.

"I didn't give you my present."

"O-oh, you didn't have to give me a present, Ludwig! I'm fine, really!"

Germany stopped, momentarily thrown off by the use of his name, but regained steam and continued, blushing. He thrust a small package in your hand and looked down at the floor.

Although you were slightly stunned, you accepted the package and quietly torn into it. Two small boxes lay there, staring back up. Your hands quickly untied the ribbon of the larger box,
and you gasped.

Germany looked over to see your expression, and he wasn't disappointed. Your eyes were lit up, and they sparkled with excitement like a small child would in a candy store.
"Oh...Germany..." Blushing, you held up a box of vanilla-scented perfume, and a small card tumbled out.

"You...like it?"

"No, I don't like it. I love it!" You grinned. "Danke!"

"There still is one more...and the card..."

"Oh right!" Carefully, you set it down and tore into the other box. A necklace gleamed in the pale moonlight, the silver chain gleaming. "Germany..." You said softly as you held it up. It was in the shape of a heart, with a sapphire as the background, held up by the silver metal. You turned it over, only to see your name etched in it,
in beautiful calligraphy. "Oh Germany...Thank you." You beamed at him, and without thinking, gave him a kiss on the cheek. Eagerly you put it on and squealed, "This is so amazing! It's goregous! Thank you so much!" You hugged him, kissed his cheek again, and ran off to bed, so thrilled at your present.

Germany stood there for the longest time, touching the spot where your lips had carressed his skin. It burned...it burned...but...it was a good type of burn...one that he...wanted to happen again.