Really late update but it's long so maybe that makes up for it?
And, just a reminder, we're with Prussia now. This chapter is his dream of Gilbert's life. I originally had it all italicized (sp?) but then had to change it because the formatting got weird.
"C'mon, Liza! It's getting late and I really want to show you!"
"Gilbert, it's cold. Can't you show me tomorrow?"
"No! He won't be there tomorrow!"
Prussia opened his eyes when he heard the familiar voices. He was in someone's backyard, it seemed, if the garden and fence were anything to go by. He looked around, curiously, for the owners of the voices, growing confused when he saw none.
"Fine, but just this once, okay?"
Prussia spun around when he heard the voice again, stopping when he finally saw the two he had been looking for. Gilbert and Elizaveta. They were a couple feet away, one on each side of the fence. They were both much younger, perhaps ten or twelve. Gilbert was on one side of the fence, Elizaveta on the other, standing on tiptoe amongst the flower garden behind the house. It was surreal for Prussia to see, bringing back memories from centuries ago, when he had appeared as young as Gilbert did now.
Of course, he had spent those years violently instead of trying to woo young girls. Prussia smirked and watched as Elizaveta quickly climbed up and over the fence, landing beside Gilbert with a satisfied smirk. Gilbert rolled his eyes.
"Show off," he complained, sticking out his tongue. Elizaveta smacked his arm and the boy yelped.
"Watch it! I can easily go right back over," she threatened. Gilbert grumbled to himself but smiled all the same.
"Like you'd want to leave the awesome me. Come on, if you want to get home before your mom gets back you have to hurry!" Gilbert said, suddenly breaking out into a run. Elizaveta laughed and followed after him, leaving Prussia to complain about chasing after the children. They ran through the neighbourhood and past a park until Gilbert stopped suddenly to look across a lake, hidden behind a thick cluster of trees with a few benches lined up beside it. Gilbert paused before pointing excitedly at an older man sitting in one of the benches.
"Look! There he is! Mr. Frederick, hi!" Gilbert shouted, waving and tugging on Elizaveta's arm to get her to follow. Prussia took a few steps and stopped. The children continued, laughing and crowding around the man, oblivious to the ex-nations emotion.
"F-Fritz?" Prussia asked, hoping maybe, just maybe, the old man would hear him. Of course, he didn't and Prussia was forced to chase after the children and try again, uselessly hoping for some recognition. The lake was average sized and took little more than a minute to get to the other side but Prussia felt it took too long. When he finally caught up with Gilbert and Elizaveta, he was out of breath and still overcoming the shock of what - of who- he was seeing.
"This is my new neighbour, his name is Frederick and he's as awesome as me!" Gilbert was explaining. Frederick laughed, amused, as he formally shook Elizaveta's hand.
"And this is the little girl you've been telling me about? Eliza, is it?" Frederick asked, the voice exactly as Prussia remembered. Shaking, he sat on the ground beside the bench. He smiled a bit, though, when Elizaveta pouted at Frederick.
"It's Elizaveta and I'm not just a little girl! I can be just as strong as a boy, if not stronger," she complained, though it only made those around her laugh. Prussia watched as the trio spoke, still trying to overcome the shock of seeing his former ruler again, even if it wasn't really him. He spoke and behaved just like his Frederick - his Fritz- and it made Prussia smile to see the awed way that Gilbert revered him. The nostalgia almost made up for the utter confusion he had felt since arriving.
Prussia lazily let his hand skim across the surface of the water, his confusion increasing when he felt no chill or dampness when he pulled his hand away. Suspiciously, he dipped his fingers into the lake again, the same results appearing. Where he should have felt cold water covering his hand was a slight pressure, barely noticeable. Prussia pulled his hand back and looked around.
"So...is this a dream?" he wondered aloud. It would make sense, he supposed, as the last thing he remembered was England- or was it Arthur, he couldn't quite remember- saying something about staying awake. Not to mention that, for the first time since he'd arrived in Gilbert's world, his headache was finally gone. Believing he had figured everything out, Prussia looked up and grinned at Frederick.
Or, at least, he grinned at the place where Frederick had been.
It seemed that the scene had changed while he hadn't been paying attention. He could tell that he was still by the lake but he could also tell that plenty of time has passed. The wooden benches had been removed and a dirt trail made from children visiting everyday wound around the lake towards the neighbourhood in the distance. Prussia stood when he heard voices once again.
"I hate him," Gilbert said from a distance away. Seeing him, Prussia knew he was right about time passing. Gilbert was still younger than him- physical appearance wise, that was, else he would always be younger than him- in the awkward early teen years. He leaned against one of the benches where Elizaveta sitting, watching another boy walking towards them.
"Well, you didn't have to come, I mean, no one forced you," Elizaveta said, glaring at Gilbert before turning to wave to the other boy. Gilbert scowled and stood up straight, stretching his arms over his head but refusing to let his eyes leave either of the two other teens around him.
"Whatever, I'm too awesome to not tell that unawesome freak just what I think of him," he muttered, walking around to steal the seat next to Elizaveta. He placed his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands, eyes narrowing as the other boy came closer. Prussia stole the spot where Gilbert had been standing, leaning against the bench and noticing the cool metal didn't feel that cold at all. He ignored the strange lack of sensation and focused instead on what was going on.
The "unawesome freak", it appeared, was this world's version of Austria. Though he was younger, he had the same strange piece of hair sticking up and the same violet eyes that judged everyone from behind a pair of glasses. Roderich, Prussia believed he was called, walked hurriedly towards them, sparing an annoyed glance at Gilbert and nodding at Elizaveta.
"Thank you for inviting me here. I am glad to see that my new neighbours are so kind," he said, panting for breath. Gilbert noticed the other boy's red face and grinned.
"Are you really that tired? You don't even live that far from here," he said. Elizaveta elbowed him sharply in the side.
"So, I was wondering, how do you like living here?" she asked. Roderich shrugged, seeming uncomfortable that he couldn't sit down.
"It's a lot different from my old house. A lot bigger, actually. I like it, I guess," he said. Gilbert grinned even wider, crueler.
"Do you know who used to live there?" he asked. Roderich looked at him, confused.
"We were told he wasn't able to talk to us personally. His name was Frederick, right?" he asked. Prussia didn't miss the pained look that passed over Gilbert's features, quickly replaced by cold judgement.
"Yeah, his name was Frederick and he was the most awesome person to ever live in that house and the most awesome person who will ever have lived in that house. It's not fair that someone else gets to live there now, they shouldn't have sold it," Gilbert complained angrily.
"Why? It's just a house, right? Besides, you could always visit him if he didn't move far," Roderich said. Gilbert looked away, his face red.
"Oh, yeah, real funny joke, you jerk. I know they told you guys what happened so don't pretend you don't know," he said in a tight voice. Roderich looked down at the ground.
"I'm sorry about your neighbor," he said awkwardly. Gilbert said nothing and the moments began to pass in silent solemnity. Even Prussia felt the weight of the mood drop, reading between the lines and understanding what had happened.
"I was there when it happened. He had been sick for a while and we all knew it wouldn't be right to leave him alone. I mean, the guy never married and had no relatives, at least none he spoke about. So my Vater would let me go visit him everyday after school. That day we were just talking like usual and he was telling me about how he and his dad never got along and the one time he tried to run away...he never finished that story..." Gilbert stopped and took a deep breath. Elizaveta gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Gilbert, you don't have to-" she started to say, only to cut herself off and look at Gilbert strangely. He had his hands folded into tight fists, his eyes beginning to water. Roughly, he wiped his hand across his eyes. It was clear that talking about this was hurting him and that Elizaveta knew he wasn't going to stop anyway.
Perhaps it was selfish but Prussia was glad he wasn't. Though it hurt him and reminded him of his own precious ruler, he wanted to hear what Gilbert had to say.
"He said he wanted to get some water from downstairs. I offered to get it for him but he said he was fine and I believed him. I heard him starting to come back upstairs after a while but then...then I heard the glass drop and I heard him fall. I don't know what happened. The doctors didn't want to explain crap like that to a kid like me," he said, growing angrier with each word.
"I'm sorry..." Roderich said. Gilbert jumped to his feet, livid, startling everyone, including Prussia.
"Don't you dare say that! Don't you dare say you're sorry, because I know you're not! You just want to live in his house and pretend like he never lived there! You act like it's just a house and that he's just a person and that if you say sorry enough people will forget how important he was! I hate that you live there now! I hate you!" Gilbert screamed, tears brimming in his eyes and refusing to fall. Roderich took a step back, Elizaveta stood up, and Prussia held his breath.
Though they looked the same and both hated their lives, Prussia had never truly felt any real connection with Gilbert until now.
He remembered the other countries that heard of Frederick's death, the ones that said "we're so sorry for your loss" to his face only to turn around and breathe a sigh of relief. He knew none of them could really understand how much he loved his ruler. He has loved him more than any other nation had ever loved a human. More than France loved Joan of Arc and more than America worshipped George Washington. Frederick was more than a ruler to him.
Germania may have raised him but Prussia only ever called Fritz his father.
Prussia let out his breath as he felt the atmosphere change. Once again, the children had disappeared and left in their place a frozen lake and the promise that time had passed. Prussia swallowed around the lump that had begun to form in his throat and sat on the bench, waiting for this memory to begin.
"Yes, but didn't we do paintball last year? And water balloons the year before that?" someone asked. Almost like spirits, three people appeared leaning against a new fence that blocked anyone from going near the lake. Prussia walked forward to join them.
"Ja, but they were both so awesome that putting the two together only makes sense. Antonio, Francis, get this: water balloons filled with paint," Gilbert said excitedly. He looked identical to Prussia now, black hoodie and jeans aside. He stood with people that looked like France and Spain. Prussia grinned. So, would he get to know the prank now? It certainly sounded like it.
"Hmm, I actually believe my favourite was when we put alarms in everyone's bags and hid others around the school. When they all went off, everyone's reactions were priceless. Besides, it took an hour or so for the school to find and turn them all off," Francis said thoughtfully. Gilbert made a small noise of disagreement.
"The only reason we did that one was because we wouldn't be able to do anything that night. Someone ditched us for the new student that year," Gilbert glared accusingly at Antonio, who seemed to be barely paying attention. Francis smirked at this and looked over at the Spaniards with a raised eyebrow.
"How is our little Lovino, by the way?" he asked. Antonio blinked before smiling sheepishly.
"I think he's mad at me," he admitted. Gilbert and Prussia both laughed, at the same time, much to Prussia's amusement.
"Isn't he always?" Gilbert asked. Prussia grinned at him.
"Exactly what I was thinking," he said, though he knew they couldn't hear him. Antonio shook his head.
"No, he's not mad the way he normally is. He's ignoring me and avoiding me and won't let me hug him or call him Lovi!" he complained. Francis smiled.
"Well, what did you do to upset him?" he asked amused. Antonio looked away shamefully.
"I might have...compared him to his brother again..." he said. Francis and Gilbert groaned. complaining that this happened too much. Prussia sighed and turned away, suddenly bored. It was interesting at first, when he thought he was getting to know the prank, but now he saw no reason as it why he had to see this. The conversation faded to a low buzz and Prussia looked back at the lake, wondering why a fence was blocking access to it. He picked a rock and threw it across the ice, laughing when it merely reappeared in the place he had picked it up from.
"Nope! No! Forget that, not doing it," Gilbert shouted and Prussia turned back around.
"What happened?" he asked. He folded his arms over his chest and waited. The three boys continued their conversation, oblivious to the confused ex-nation.
"Well, it does sound tempting, you must admit," Francis said with a wistful look on his face. Gilbert didn't seem to agree, however, and Antonio tried to hide a guilty looking smile.
"It's not even a prank," Gilbert complained. Francis and Antonio laughed.
"Please continue, this sounds promising," Prussia said, glad that they were back to discussing the prank.
"Well, I suppose I could understand, seeing as you're too scared to ask Elizaveta anything," Francis said with a smirk. Gilbert's jaw dropped, offended, and Prussia laughed at the wounded expression on his smirked suddenly.
"I'm sorry, but at least she says more to me than just drop dead, frog," he said. Francis placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt before sighing dramatically.
"You hurt me, Gilbert," he said. Gilbert merely shrugged.
"It only proves that your idea of a prank would fall flat on its face. Besides, the awesome me can't be part of a failed prank," he said. Antonio looked at him with puppy dog eyes and even Prussia had to avert his gaze away. He had fallen victim to Spain's version one too many times.
"But Francis and I won't be here next year, we're leaving next month. Don't you think you should listen to us?" he asked. Gilbert folded his arms, unknowingly copying Prussia's pose perfectly.
"Hell no! You guys are the ones ditching me! I should be in charge," he complained. Prussia snickered at the looks of total exasperation and disbelief Gilbert received.
"Um, you did have a chance to come as well, mi amigo," Antonio said.
"You forget the fact that I have a little brother," Gilbert said.
"And you seem to forget that your brother can take care of himself. And your dad turned down the promotion, si?" Antonio asked.
"No, he's considering it. He'll probably say no but if he says yes, Ludwig would have been left on his own. Now, enough about my awesome, thrilling life. Can we get back to a prank? One that doesn't suck?" Gilbert asked. Prussia nodded vigorously in agreement, eager to know what the prank would end up being.
"Gilbert is so mean..."
"And I was so looking forward to it..."
As Francis and Antonio began to whine about Gilbert's harshness, Prussia could almost see the other boy's irritation increase. Gilbert sighed loudly.
"Fine, fine!" he shouted. Antonio and Francis froze to look at him. Their excited smiles quickly faded when they saw Gilbert's deadly glare.
"But, you guys are going to owe me."
The scene flashed to black, shimmering and flickering like a scratched DVD or a computer simulation shutting down. Like a layer being peeled away, the now blurred image transformed into a school hallway, empty and covered in a surplus of Halloween decorations. When Prussia heard footsteps and saw someone retreating around a corner, he thoughtlessly chased after them
"Hey! Wait up!" he shouted. The person stopped running, looked left and right, then turned around with a confused expression.
"Oh, hey Gilbert," Prussia said, recognizing the boy. Gilbert, of course, didn't respond but started walking down the hall again. Prussia sighed and followed.
Gilbert led him down the halls and into a cafeteria. His eyes scanned the room, ignoring Francis and Antonio as they tried to wave him over to one of the tables. Prussia, too, looked around and raised an eyebrow when he saw Elizaveta giggling with Roderich. They were the only two seated at the table furthest from the door. What Prussia found most interesting, however, was when Elizaveta started pushing Roderich away when she finally saw Gilbert. Roderich was just standing up when Gilbert saw them. He smiled widely and hurried towards their table.
"Hey Liza," he said, sitting next to her. Prussia followed.
"Hello, Gilbert," Elizaveta said, giving Roderich a strange look. The dark haired boy seemed to understand, though, as he straightened his glasses and left. Prussia sat in front of Gilbert and folded his hands under his chin.
"Anyone else think that was weird?" he asked tiredly. He sighed when he got the expected no response. Yeah, he understood that this was probably important but being ignored was not awesome.
"What's his problem?" Gilbert asked, gesturing towards Roderich. Elizaveta shrugged and stared down at the homework she was working on. Gilbert watched her for a few moments before laughing.
"He's a pretty weird guy, don't you think?" he asked. Elizaveta stiffened and tilted his head to the side, curiously. Emotions flashed across the girl's face almost too quickly for him to keep up with. Irritation, exasperation, confliction passed across her features before landing on confusion.
"I don't know what you mean. He seems a perfect gentleman to me," she said coolly, flipping her pencil in her hand to begin writing. Gilbert made a noise of disagreement.
"Eh, I'm not sure about that. He's a bit of a priss," he said.
"Hm, well, I'm sure you haven't been seeking me out all day just to insult my- to insult Roderich," she said, eyes widening ever so slightly at her slip-up. Gilbert didn't seem to notice it but Prussia did, crimson eyes flashing as something in his mind began to connect. Gilbert's eyes lit up as well, albeit for a different reason.
"Well, ja, of course! Why would so much awesome effort be wasted on unawesome him?" he asked. Prussia wasn't surprised when Elizaveta's lips were pulled into an angry, thin line. She stared at the paper, refusing to look up.
"I have no idea," she sighed, filling in another answer on her worksheet. Gilbert ignored her.
"So, did you have any special plans for tomorrow?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the table. He watched Elizaveta closely, hope in his eyes.
'"Tomorrow...tomorrow...wait, that's Halloween, isn't it? You're not setting me up for another one of your stupid pranks again, are you?" she asked, suddenly looked up to glare at Gilbert. The boy cowered back a few inches away before he swallowed and held his hands up as if surrendering.
"No! No prank, I swear!" he said. He didn't calm down, however, until Elizaveta turned her glare away from him. Gilbert placed his hands on the table and laughed, almost regretfully.
"What?" Elizaveta asked. "What's so funny?"
"Francis and Antonio were against a prank this year, those losers. They seem to think that just because they're leaving that it gives them a free pass to override my awesomeness. So, they'll be doing their own thing," he explained. Prussia leaned back and folded his arms. No prank, huh? That's not what it had sounded like in the last memory he had seen. In fact, if anyone was against anything it was Gilbert.
"What are you up to?" Prussia muttered, watching the two in fascination and perplexion. Elizaveta sighed and turned to face Gilbert.
"You won't be joining them?" she asked, clearly not believing what Gilbert was saying.
"Nah, so did you say you were doing anything tomorrow? The awesome me is waiting for an answer," he said. Prussia sighed as well, a small weight settling on his chest. He didn't know what was going to happen the next day, on Halloween, but he felt like it was beginning here. He wanted to be able to actually change things, to understand and stop what was going to happen. Already, he could see the difference between the Gilbert he was seeing and the Gilbert he had met.
"No, I'll be home stealing candy from the bucket we're supposed to give to children," Elizaveta answered. Gilbert gasped dramatically, his genuine smile wrapping around Prussia's heart like barbed wire. Gilbert, this Gilbert, had no idea that in a month or so he would be announcing his own plan to die. It was heartbreaking for Prussia to imagine.
"You heartless woman! Stealing candy from children? Is there anyway to stop you?" he asked. Elizaveta laughed as she collected her things and stood to leave.
"It would seem not. I'll see you later, Gilbert," she said. Prussia blinked as he watched her go, his vision growing blurry as the scene prepared to change once again.
To Be Continued...