Hello again! Sorry about missing the last update, I blame Christmas (Merry Christmas, by the way). But I got a new laptop, so I've been setting that up! This also means that I should have more time to write, as I won't have to use the family computer. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia or HetaOni. Hetalia belongs to Hidekazu Himaruya and HetaOni was made by Tomoyoshi and translated by PianoDream and others.
"Oh, good idea Emma!" Italy said. At some point he had hung up with Austria. We made our way to the safe room again. I grabbed a snack and got out my notebook to record what Italy told us.
We all sat down at the table and Italy began his story.
"Well… Where should I start?" Italy asked. I had my journal out and was ready to take notes.
"This isn't the first time we have come here, is it?" Japan asked. Italy nodded.
"Da, Amerika said that we have been through this many times." Russia agreed. Italy was silent for a few moments, before nodding silently.
"Si. We've gone through this several times since the world meeting." He replied.
"Several? How many is that?" I asked. Italy shuddered slightly.
"I-I don't know. At least a hundred. Some only lasted for a short time." He answered quietly. My eyes widened as I tried to comprehend living through this- this hell- that many times.
"What happened the first time?" America asked Italy, changing the subject.
"How this started. Okay!" Italy replied, looking more cheerful. I got ready for a long portion of exposition. Is it exposition if it's in real life? Then again, this had all started as a game…
"Before the world meeting Germany and I were training, but I ran away to a city I don't know. When I was there I heard some rumors about this place and it sounded interesting, so I told America." He began.
"Yeah, I remember that." America interrupted. I was sitting beside him so I hit his arm lightly.
"Let him tell his story, Al." I scolded him.
"Al? He asked, confused.
"What? Oh, never mind. Italy, continue." So no human names, then?
"Umm… So the first time I came with nine of you." Italy started again, only to be interrupted by his brother.
"Which is everyone besides Emma, Spain and I. This is our first time through." He said.
"We were just going to have fun." Italy continued, ignoring Romano's interruption. "We were going to go home soon. We opened the door and came in, but as you know…"
"Steve." I finished. Italy nodded.
"We all ran in different directions, and I got lost from everyone, and I was so scared and had no idea what happened." Italy had begun to speak faster but Germany placed a hand on his arm, calming him. "I wanted to find someone as soon as possible, and after walking around a lot I found Japan. But… He had just been beaten by Steve." My mind flashed to a fanart I had seen of Japan bleeding out on the piano. I involuntarily clutched my pen a little tighter. "Until then I had completely forgotten that he had come. Like there was this gap in my mind… And while I was thinking there was something wrong with my memory, China, Russia, France, America, Canada, and England were killed one by one." His voice shook slightly, but he carried on just the same. "By the time I was finally able to escape, Prussia and Germany were killed too. I was the only one alive."
"You were… alone…" France breathed. I shuddered slightly. Being alone in a place like this… It's a wonder that Italy's still sane.
"I was supposed to get out, but I felt too hopeless. I just wandered around with nothing to do until I ended up in the library. That's when I found this book." The red book he had been using as a weapon was on the table in front of him. I hadn't given it much thought before, but it reminded me of my journal slightly. The covers were both in the same style, except mine was blue. His was slightly more embellished, but other than that they were identical.
"That's the Bible you've been carrying around, isn't it?" China asked.
"It kinda looks like a bible, but it's actually a journal." Italy corrected him. "When I opened it, it had the name of it's previous owner on it."
"So it's like Emma's?" Prussia asked, glancing between the two books.
"Mine's perfectly normal. Just a blank book I started writing in." I replied, holding it up slightly. "It didn't have any names in it." Now that I thought about it, fan art always had Italy holding his journal. Japan pulled the book over to him.
"Ryuuzu no Ko?" He asked, looking at the name.
"Everyone had died, permanently, right in front of my eyes." Italy said, picking up where he had left off. "By then I wasn't thinking straight any more. That's when my memories get a little fuzzy. I was going to throw the book away, but Steve started chasing me and I brought it with me. After that… I got out. I was alone… But I got out…" Italy had started shaking, his eyes wide and glassy, like he was looking somewhere else. "I'm the only one who survived, the only one who got out. I shouldn't have been able to get out. I was confused. Steve chased me to the gate, but I stopped right in front of it and I told him to stop too. He did, and I told him that I won. I threatened him… and I made a deal. I challenged him to take us back, and to try and catch me. He did." Italy stopped with a shuddering breath. Germany had wrapped an arm around him, while Romano was holding his hand. Italy took a few moments to compose himself, then continued.
"I woke up in the meeting hall and I knew that I'd gone back. I became the new owner of this journal. It says that he was the only one who could go back in time." Japan began flicking through the pages, but they were mostly blank.
"There's nothing too important in there. Just instructions on how to turn back time. Writing in it doesn't work either, the words just vanish." Italy told him.
"So you made a pact with Steve. He made time go back and he could- can try to eat you." China said. I shuddered. This 'game' thing had gone too far. It was one thing playing a fictional game about fictional characters, but it was another to be in it. I could hear the emotions in their words and see the tears running down their faces. I didn't want to play anymore.
"The second time I tried to stop everyone. But no one would listen to me. You were already headed here." Italy continued. "No matter how many times I come here, I can never stop you from coming. Even if the groups change, we always come to the mansion."
"That's why we keep on getting memories of coming with different people." Canada realised.
"Si." Italy agreed. "In the second loop I couldn't save England, China, or America. So I came back."
"Wait a sec!" America protested. "Didn't I survive in the second time loop?"
"What?" Italy asked, surprised.
"Hai, I remember it as well. It pains me to say this, but… Italy-kun, you were the one who…"
"Italy died?" I asked. Japan nodded.
"I'm the only one who died?" Italy exclaimed. "But that's impossible!"
"Perhaps you're just confused after going through it so many times?" England asked.
"No, I remember the second time perfectly. My memories only start to mix at around the tenth time…" Italy told him.
"Besides, who could make time go back if Italy was dead? And wouldn't the game end if Italy dies?" I added.
"Ah, da. Italy is the only one who can go back. That wouldn't fit… would it?" Russia said.
"But we saw it in the clock! During the memory, Italy-kun said that it was the second time." Japan protested.
"I did?" Italy asked. "There were definitely several times when I opened up to you like now, but… the second time… Where was the clock?"
"Clock?" I murmured. Almost every fan art had some sort of clock in it. I thought that it was just the messed up time thing, but maybe there was more.
"Remember the box in the cell?" America asked. Oh yeah. The super strong one that no one could open. "The clock was inside that box, with your letter to you."
"There was something inside that box?" Italy asked.
"It looked like I was the one who sealed it. My past self, to be exact." England told him. Sealed it? What did he mean?
"Ita, maybe you haven't gotten all of your memories back yet?" Spain asked nicely. "That could be why you remember things differently."
"Yeah, we can't expect you to remember things perfectly. But we've got the gist of it!" Canada agreed. I glanced over my notes.
"Basically, everyone besides Spain, Romano, Italy and I died the first time around. Spain, Romano and I were because we weren't here. Now Italy is the only one who can go back in time." I summarized. "Did I miss anything?" Japan looked like he disagreed.
"Something wrong, Japan?" I asked.
"How do you go back in time, Italy-kun?" He asked.
"There's a clock somewhere in this house. A really huge one! I just have to rewind it." Italy explained.
"And it's in a different place each time?" Japan clarified.
"Si, that's right. The first time it moved around so that I could escape, but it would be in a different place each time someone died and I went after it." Italy said, before his face fell. "Sadly, it's the only way to escape."
"You mean… for everyone, right? You're including yourself in that?" Japan said. Italy suddenly looked uncomfortable.
"Oh, um…" Italy procrastinated. I frowned at him.
"No way in hell, Italy. The world needs you." A little voice in the back of my head agreed. Yes, the world needs Italy. But the world doesn't need you. I mentally pushed it back. I'd cross that bridge when I got to it.
"Do you remember the question I asked you earlier, Italy-kun?" Japan asked.
"Question…?" Italy asked, confused.
"I asked you if you were… hurt somewhere." Japan said quietly. I suddenly felt like I was intruding.
"Oh. Si, I remember." Italy replied.
"I'll rephrase my question." Japan said. Italy nodded. "Is there somewhere you want to be?"
"Japan…" Italy said quietly.
"Just… please answer, Italy." Japan replied. He didn't use the honorific this time, so I knew that this was important.
"I…" Italy trailed off. "All of this time, I wanted to be with you guys." I could relate. In the short time I had been with the Nations, I had grown attached to them. As long as they were happy, I was happy. And I resisted it, knowing that getting close would only mean more pain when I finally broke away.
Italy had started to cry. "All of me hurt, but I couldn't stop trying, and yet I couldn't stop trying either." He hesitated. "But maybe I can tell you now? I actually wanted to be with you too. I wanted to escape with all of you."
"Hai. And so do I." Japan confirmed.
"Ack! Japan, you made Italy cry!" Prussia complained. "Emma too!" I was crying? My hand moved up to my face to find that it was indeed wet with tears. Germany sighed.
"Bruder, this is a serious conversation!" He complained. America slung an arm around my shoulders.
"Don't worry about it! This time we'll all escape! The last time you needed the clock was literally the last time, okay?"
"No objections here." England chuckled. I moved slightly in my seat.
"Um… What about me?" I asked.
"What about you?" America replied.
"Well… I'm not from this universe. And I haven't been here before, in any of the other time loops. If I die now, will I go back in time?" I asked. I hated to kill the mood, but this was a serious question. Did I get a replay?
"I… I don't know." England replied. Looks of realization came onto everyone's faces.
"Does that mean… that this is our only chance?" Canada asked. America tightened his arm around me.
"That just means that we have to be extra careful this time. We need to make this the one where everyone gets out." America said firmly.
"If Emma, Spain and Romano are here this time, it must be a deviation from the normal loops. Maybe we could take advantage of that?" China asked.
"Si, we must be here for a reason." Romano agreed.
"But why me?" I wondered. That always seemed to be the question, didn't it? "What can I do?"
"Well," England began, looking at me. "You can start with what you know about the game you were going to play."