Italy was terrified.
The cold of the water hit him like an avalanche, swallowing him up and beginning to bite at his nose, ears, fingers and toes.
For a moment that was all his mind could register, the freezing, bitter cold. He forced his eyes open, seeing Russia standing at the edge of the dock watching, his form broken and changing, like in a strange mirror. He could make out two other forms as the world began to dissapear, most likely England and America; from what grayish colors he could see.
He let out a muffled, absent scream, bubbles of precious air rising up from his throat and escaping into the murky grey and white above him. He stopped sinking, the rope pulling against his waist as his body pulled itself up.
He couldn't.
He couldn't go up.
He pulled at the ropes holding his hands behind his back, trying to pull his wrists from his bonds, but Russia had done a good job tying them.
His lungs instinctively opened, and water rushed in. He began to choke, more bubbles rising up around him. He saw four figures now, one was lower down, almost sitting at the edge and peering down. His eyes stung and the salt began to penetrate his wounds, his head stinging like hell, his side burning with fire.
He saw another large splash above and saw another figure begin to sink down.
Japan.
He glanced over, trying to see clearly in the blurry, dark, murky depths of the cove. Japan was not moving, simply sitting, not struggling, floating in the cold water. He choked more, his vision redirecting itself up to the surface. He saw the rain beating down hard now, causing the water to ripple in strange, abstract ways. More bubbles, containing air he didn't know he had, rose to the surface.
They had to bring him up soon. He didn't care if he couldn't die, Russia had done this before to others, and it never lasted more than a few minutes.
He tried not panic. He was tired of panicking, being the weak one.
He could feel tears rise up in his eyes, but he couldn't feel them fall down his face, as instead they floated off in the cove.
He stared, his eyes stinging more and his wounds burning continuously.
They had to let him up soon. They had to, and maybe Canada could fix him again, and he could see Germany, and they would go to Britain and get the Nordics to disagree with the Allies dark ways of punishment.
A sudden thought drifted through his head as water continued to rush into his lungs and weigh him down. He closed his eyes and let a single memory fill his head, almost drowning out the knowledge that he was drowning.
He was in a field with Holy Roman Empire, and everything was going to be okay.