'I…have seen you before. In a dream.' In a dream.
It was all somehow in the back of his mind, and just couldn't figure it out.
Why?
This just made it seem more cruel to me, than it already was.
Instead of not remembering me at all, he had all this information out in front of him, that he couldn't understand or access it.
I realized that I'd gone silent on him.
"I know zhat I just made myself look crazy," Francis sighed.
"Lets keep walking and forget I said zhat, oui?"
He started forward, but I stopped him.
"No, wait…" I said.
"What sort of dream was it?"
Francis groaned.
"Are you just vanting me to make myself look like even more of a fool?"
"No, I…just bloody tell me about the dream, all right?" I pressured.
I wanted to see if it was just something stupid, or an actual memory. If he had an actual chance of coming back to me anytime soon.
"Vell, in the dream, I… I feel as if I was maybe, dying..? I'm not sure, but, you were there, and…you were on the virge of tears. And I called you "Angleterre" so when I saw you, for real… I only vanted to see if you'd respond to the name…"
Francis finally gave in, and informed me of the "dream" where he'd met me beforehand.
I swear, my entire world froze around me. That memory of his, that he was convinced was a dream… he was remembering his own death scene. The entire reason, why this all started.
He looked at me, waiting for some sort of reassurance.
I said nothing for a moment, I just continued walking, gesturing for him to follow.
"I believe you," I informed.
…
"England, Englaaaaand…!" A whiny voice shook me awake in the middle of the night.
"England, wake up."
I found myself getting smacked in the face of a pillow.
I opened my eyes, groaning, and turning on my side, getting a glimpse of Peter, who was standing next to the bed, pillow in hand.
My eyes wandered to the clock, it was only 4am.
"Peter, what on earth? What could possibly be your reasoning for this?"
The short nation frowned.
"I've been thinking… when will it be okay to try and tell Lili that shes not normal? I just want to fix things…"
He really didn't understand this, did he?
"Shes not going to believe you, Peter." I sighed, closing my eyes.
Silence.
Then there he was, climbing up into bed with me.
I groaned.
Fine, I wasn't going to argue with him.
"England?" He tried to get my attention again.
I turned to my side again, facing him.
"Listen, you can't be calling me that, it'll seem crazy…call me Arthur." I told him.
He curled up, pouting.
"How much longer until things go back to normal?" He asked.
It all dawned on me.
It may not go back to normal.
It may never be the way it was before, and that was on my head.
If Peter ended up having to deal with his friends not understanding the same things he understood, that would be my fault.
His friends, and my friends may end up spending the rest of their lives, being lied to. Living as some person they weren't.
Some person they thought they were.
"I'm not sure," I answered.
"Soon, right?" He asked, after another silence.
I looked at those innocent eyes.
Those innocent eyes that honestly believed with all his heart that things were going to go back to normal.
I reached over, and gently ruffled his hair.
"Yes, soon. Everything will be over soon."
I didn't know who I was lying to more. Peter, or myself.
…
Peter grasped my hand, as the both of us walked down the pavement, towards the house where Yao and his siblings lived.
"So theres a possibility China remembers, right?" Peter asked, half skipping, a big smile on his face.
"Yeah, that's a pretty bloody good possibility." I informed him.
I was trying to be optimistic in front of Peter.
Even though to be honest, I was absolutely terrified.
We stopped in front of the house, knocking on the door.
It was Mei who opened the door, she tilted her head.
"Hi, Arthur." She said, recalling my name by my appearances at the school, even though the two of us had never really spoken to each other.
She noticed Peter, and kneeled down, a smile touching her timid lips.
"Who is this?"
"This is Peter, he's my brother." I shrugged.
She giggled.
"He has your eyebrows."
"I do not have that jerk's eyebrows!" Sealand scoffed.
"My eyebrows are much better than his."
I rolled my eyes.
"Peter, please just behave yourself…"
"Is it all right if I see your brother..?"
"Yao? Yes, you can see Aniki, but…I'll warn you he's extremely confused."
I nodded.
"All right."
She pointed down the hall to where his room, was.
"Come along, Peter."
"No!" Peter pouted, suddenly turning childish. More than likely wanting Mei's attention.
"I wanna stay with Mei~."
Mei giggled at him.
"I'll watch him until you're through with Aniki. Peter, do you want a cookie?"
"Do I?" Peter's eyes widened, sparkling with the idea of a cookie.
"You know, cookies first originated from South Korea. Da ze!" Im Yong Soo piped in.
"Quiet, Aniki." Mei brushed him off.
I headed down the hall, and knocked on Yao's door, hoping for the best.
"Ello?" I said.
I opened the door.
Yao was there, he sat at this desk, furiously writing something down on paper.
"Aiyah… if you've come to witness the "crazy" you wouldn't be the first student from this week, aru." He groaned, not looking up from his work.
"What if I told you all that you were the crazy ones?"
"What are you bloody talking about you twat?" I sighed.
I just wanted one sign One sign that he remembered.
"I do not understand how it happened. But you are all living a lie, aru. I'm just waiting for you all to discover it."
"China, I'm not like the others, I understand whats going on."
The second I called him "China" he stopped what he was doing and turned to me.
"England, aru? You're still yourself?" He demanded.
"Yes, I'm still myself…" I told him.
He looked relieved.
"When are my siblings going to turn back? I can't stand them thinking I've gone crazy, aru!"
"That's just it, they might not turn back." I informed.
He stared at me.
"I turned you back, myself."
"I was one of them, aru?" He demanded.
I nodded.
"Then why don't you just do the same to them as you did to me?" He asked.
If he knew he was asking for me to smashed his sibling's heads against the pavement, and jerk their memories back in, he wouldn't be asking for it.
"I need a favor." I said.
"What?" He asked.
"Come back to school."
"And why should I come back, aru?" He asked.
"Theres someone who I believe is possible to turn back to normal," I told him.
"But you're the only one who is capable of doing it."
A/N: This chapter was sorta rushed. I'll admit.
I've been kinda blocked lately, so I just threw down what I could think of. I tried to post for you all last night, but fanfiction was being glitchy.
I just decided to be quick and post it, because I'm babysitting today for 10 hours. ^^;; And I can't push this back another day.
Anyway, thank you for reading. Follow and/or review if you can. Until next time~!