Allied with the World

by KazeHavensTsubakis

So...this world chose my geeky, spectacularly average, impulsive self to help it through its own weird, nonsensical version of WWII why again? Ugh. This is all your fault, Britain(s). -Tragically discontinued due to author's stupid life being stupid-

21. Sort of Kidnapped

*dodges tomatos* AUGH! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I swear I didn't mean to take this long! Things keep coming up and demanding my attention, so I don't always have time to write- *gets hit in the face by fruit*

*sigh* Yes, I know, I know, I know all too well that it's been over two months since my last update. Things have not been happening in my favor lately, and it's been taking a toll on me mentally all summer. I'll go into more detail at the end of the chapter.

But on a better note... This story has reached over 100 followers! *throws confetti* Guys, you have no idea how much joy this brings me! I cannot thank you all enough! And I hope my sudden slow in pace hasn't put any of you off too much. But I do have a bit of news regarding that, which I'll wait to explain at the bottom.

Special mentions for UltimateFan-girl15 for being the 100th follower, and LittleBabyEskimo for being the 100th favorite! *gives virtual bouquets*

Disclaimer: I own Jinjer, and all the OCs related to Jinjer. Plus Chris. I do not own Hetalia.

Random word of the day: Integrity

January 3rd, 1944

DING-DONG

I groaned softly and rolled over on the couch. "America...someone's at the door." I muttered as loudly as I could, still groggy from my nap.

DING-DONG

The door repeated itself. When I didn't hear the expected "I GOT IT! I GOT IT!" from upstairs, I slowly sat up on the couch. "Oh right...he's not here." I reminded myself.

Slapping my cheeks lightly to try and wake up, I forced myself up and headed for the front door just as the doorbell rang again. "Coming." I said to the person on the other side. 'Impatient person this one, whoever it is.' I thought as I unlocked the door and opened it slightly so I could see who was on the other side. My eyes widened when I recognized the visitor, and I quickly opened the door wider. "Russia!" I said in surprise.

"привет. Good to see you again, Jinjer." Russia said with a smile, raising his hand in greeting. I smiled back with a bit of hesitance. "You too. It's been a while. What brings you to the States? America's not here right now, but if you want to come in and wait for him, you-"

"I am not here to see America." Russia cut me off. "O-Oh. Is, that right?" I asked with an uncertain tone. He nodded, giving me a curious glance. "Did the silly America not tell you? I phoned him just yesterday. You see, I want to invite you to come stay at my house for a while, Jinjer."

I blinked owlishly. 'What? What? WHAT!?'

"N-No, he failed to mention that to me." I said in a small voice. Russia sighed and shook his head. "I suppose I should have expected that from him. He did not sound too pleased with my offer over the telephone yesterday."

'Ah...so that's why I heard him yelling from his office yesterday morning.' I thought. Random outbursts and strange conversations weren't terribly unusual occurrences in our household, so I hadn't questioned America on that particular phone call.

Genius Jinjer strikes again, for the first time in a while might I add.

"I... see. So, when exactly did you want me to come to your place?" I asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer. Russia grinned. "Oh yes, the time. Hmm, right now would be good, da?"

For a moment, I seriously wasn't sure if I'd heard correctly.

"N-Now? Now as in... traveling all the way to your country right away, now? Like, today!?" I babbled nervously. Russia nodded, raising a brow as if the answer was plain as day. "Da, that is what I mean. I figured the sooner the better." He grinned down at me, giving off a slightly intimidating atmosphere. "So, would you like to come and see my home, Jinjer?"

I pushed down the urge to take a step back. Even the densest person would be able to tell that Russia was clearly expecting a positive answer, and I doubted he would listen to any form of "no." Any chance of refusal dashed away at the commanding aura surrounding the Russian nation. I didn't have the slightest clue why he suddenly wanted me to go to his house, or what he thought he might gain from my presence there, but one thing was for sure: he wasn't giving me a choice.

'Wait a minute...am I being kidnapped!?'

"Hellooo? Is there anyone in the home?" Russia said, waving his large hand in front of my face. I blinked quickly, and stepped back on reflex despite my earlier attempts to stand my ground. "O-Oh, right, sorry. Um, yes of course, I'll come visit you. How could I refuse such an... enthusiastic invitation?" I said with a strained smile. 'Probably not the best adjective I could have used...'

Russia's grin doubled in size, though whether it was genuine or not I couldn't quite tell. "Excellent! I am very pleased you accept. I have a private airplane prepared for us, so we can go at any time." I probably shouldn't have been as surprised as I was to hear that. "R-Really? Wow, you're quite good at arranging these things, aren't you?" I said, trying not to sound too freaked out. "Indeed. I do not enjoy the waiting." Russia answered.

I laughed awkwardly. "I see. Well then, I'll go get dressed and pack. Feel free to wait for me inside the house. Don't worry, I won't take long!" I said hurriedly before walking towards the stairs as quickly as possible while trying not to make myself seem too eager to get away.

I glared at the door of America's office as I passed by it. 'I swear, when I get my hands on him...'

When I entered my room, I went straight to my window. Even though I wasn't too happy with him at the moment, I silently hoped that I would see that familiar car pull up to the house and bring America back to get me out of this. "Fat chance of that happening. Those stupid meetings take forever." I mumbled.

America was sometimes called out to the base here by his superiors for various battle strategy discussions that I wasn't permitted to observe. Those were usually the only times that I was left in the house by myself.

'Hold on...did Russia somehow know that America would be gone today? Knowing him, the answer is probably-'

An unpleasant shiver ran down my spine and I hurried to get ready.

I pulled my suitcase out from beneath my bed-the same one that had just been used only a week ago-and swung open my wardrobe. As I pondered what clothes to bring, it suddenly hit me exactly where I was going.

"Oh $%&*, I'm going to Russia in the middle of the winter!" I exclaimed. I groaned loudly and sank to my knees. "You've GOT to be #$%^&*! me! *$%&#! Russia in the middle of &^$%*! winter! It's going to be so COLD! Do I even have any clothes warm enough for that!? Uggghhhh...damn you...damn you America."

I could hear my aunt chiding me for my filthy language somewhere in the back of my head.

Taking a deep breath, I tried to force myself to calm down. "Okay Jinjer, cool off...sitting here and moaning out your woes for all to hear won't do anything for you." I mumbled while I rubbed my face. "Let's stop and try to see some kind of silver lining in this. There's really no guarantee that Russia's kidnapping you. I mean...he did call after all. That was mostly America's fault for not telling you. Um...and he at least rang the bell when he got here. I mean hey, he could have just walked right into the house and you could have woken up to him staring down at you! Ahaha...ha...ugh." I leaned my forehead against my wardrobe.

"Why do these things always happen to me?"

...

"I do hope you find my home to your liking, Jinjer. It is a little on the cold side, but it can be pleasant once you get used to it."

"Does that include getting used to the unique hospitality as well?" I replied dryly. Russia laughed. "That was good joke. You are the funny, Jinjer." I sighed. "Yea, okay."

We'd been on this plane for a little over a couple of hours now, and Russia still hadn't told me the reason for kidn- I mean, inviting me to his country. I even asked him once or twice, but he just smiled creepily at me and laughed.

'I wonder if America will come looking for me the moment he realizes I'm gone. He probably will, but...man this is going to bring a lot of chaos.'

I'd ducked into America's office right before we left the house and wrote him a hurried note about my sudden situation. I seriously doubted that Russia would have been willing to stick around and wait for the U.S. to return home until he took me. Looking at this whole thing logically though, I suppose it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. Now that my existence was widely known, it should make sense that there would be those who'd want to kidnap me for information. And in that light, I should be considering myself lucky that I was at least being kidnapped by someone that I knew, and who was technically my ally.

...At least I seriously hoped so.

"Oh, did I tell you that Epiphany is coming up soon? That is our big winter holiday in Russia." I diverted my attention away from my book. "Really? No, I had no idea. I don't know much about that holiday." I faintly remembered some episode from the second season where Russia briefly explained what it was, but other than that I knew zilch about the European holiday. "Yes, it is a wonderful time of the year, if a little on the superstitious side."

"Superstitious?" I repeated. 'Isn't Epiphany based on Biblical history?' I thought.

Russia grinned. "Da, that is because we add a twist of Pagan beliefs to our celebration."

"Ohhh..."

Just then the speakers came on, and the pilot announced something in Russian. "We will talk about that later. It looks like we are about to land." I looked out the window, and sure enough there was a thick blanket of snow coating the ground, making whiteness the only thing visible for as far as the eye could see. 'Well, I'd expect nothing less from Russia.'

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. Here, Jinjer. I brought these along for you. I figured you might be in of need them." Russia reached behind his seat and brought out a neatly folded fur coat, and matching Russian fur hat.

I stared at the items, my mouth slightly agape. "These are for me?" Russia nodded, handing me the clothes. "Da. I saw these in a store window, and it made me remember how weak and pitiful American winters are. I thought you might need something like this to keep you warm in Siberia."

I was torn between feeling extremely flattered, and extremely uncomfortable with the fact that he'd gone and spent his money on me. "You didn't have to do that." I mumbled, feeling the tips of my ears warm up. The clothing was wickedly soft, made completely out of white fur and clearly built for harsh winters. I wouldn't say it aloud, but I'd been worried about whether my clothes would be able to put up a front against a Russian winter. I had on my military uniform with gloves, along with the thickest coat I owned over that. But with these, not only would I be better off, but I would blend in with the locals pretty well too.

...Discounting my shockingly red hair of course. The only places I would fit into with that whole issue would be Ireland or Scotland. But that was beside the point.

I slid the coat on, and placed the hat-I think it was called a ushanka? - snugly on my head. I felt significantly warmer almost immediately. "Oh good. They seem to suit you." Russia noted. I smiled at him. "Thank you, Russia."

'Even if I am being kidnapped, at least my captor is considerate.'

...

I decided the moment we stepped outside the plane that I was never going to complain about the cold in Washington ever again.

"H-H-How is it p-possible for it t-to be so c-c-cold!?" I said shakily, holding my arms around myself as tightly as possible while I tried to stop my teeth from chattering.

It didn't get much better even when we got into the car. Why didn't cars have built-in heaters yet!?

I could feel Russia grinning from his seat next to me. "It may seem unbearable at first, but it is not so bad once you get used to it." I hugged my knees to my chest. "I'm a C-Californian, I'm not m-meant for the c-c-cold!" Russia laughed at me.

'And just when I was starting to think this might not be so bad...'

"How far is your house from here?" I asked, eager to get to some place warm. "Well, technically it is not too terribly far away, but-"

Ugh, there it is. There's always a 'but.'

"-because of the snow, it might take a little while longer than usual." I sighed heavily. "Of course it will."

...

"A little while longer than usual" turned out to be almost three hours on the snow-coated roads of Russia.

I managed to doze off a time or two to make the trip a tad less painful, but for the most part it was a cold, silent ride. I was snapped out of my half-awake state when Russia decided to poke my shoulder a few times, and told me we had arrived at his home.

Russia's house was every bit I had pictured it. Huge, mansion-like, rather intimidating on its surface appearance…yet there was something rather beautiful about it. Quite a fitting house for the personification of Russia.

Said nation placed a hand on my shoulder as he walked passed me. "We should go inside, da?" I nodded wordlessly. The driver handed me my luggage from the trunk of the car before we trudged up to the enormous front door. "There are a few others living here besides myself, by the way. I hope you do not mind." Russia said as he opened the door. "It's fine, I kind of knew that beforehand." I answered, stepping into the house.

It was far grander on the inside than it was on the outside, the entrance itself reminding me of what an actual castle might look like. The floor was made from stone, and there was a huge staircase on the far right of the large room. Doors and sparse decorations lined the walls, mostly vintage-looking weapons, and unfamiliar statues.

The front door slammed closed, echoing all throughout the room. "Hm, now where could those little nations have gone to?" Russia said curiously. I was pretty sure I knew who he was referring to. "I'm home!" Russia called. Barely a few seconds later, hurried footsteps were heard from down one of the hallways. Next thing I knew, three individuals stood in front of us.

I was only slightly surprised by this. I guess that Hetalia logic was finally starting to grow on me a bit.

"W-Welcome home, Mr. Russia!" The man in the middle, most likely Lithuania, stuttered nervously. I smiled a little. I'd always liked the Baltic trio in the show, and now here they were. It didn't seem to matter how many times I met another one of the Hetalia characters, that feeling of amazement was there every time.

The Baltics were all looking up at Russia with the same forced smiles. They were shaking like leaves, the poor guys.

"D-Did your business in the States go well?" The taller one, Estonia, asked. "Yes, very well indeed. Isn't that right, Jinjer?" Russia replied, smiling at me. 'Is he mocking me?' I thought with annoyance.

The Baltics' eyes all fell on me, as if just noticing I was standing there. I gave them a little wave, putting on a friendly smile. Yes, I wasn't here of my own will, but I wanted to at least give off the impression that I wasn't a threat to the ones that weren't involved. These guys dealt with Russia on a daily basis, and I didn't want to make their lives worse by making them put up with my rudeness.

The Baltics' eyes widened, and they fell into a huddle. "W-What is this!?"

"Mr. Russia has brought a girl home! A human girl!"

"D-Do you think this is some kind of sign that something terrible is about to happen!?" They whispered harshly.

"Um...they know we can hear them, right?" I said partially to myself. Russia's creepy purple aura started to leak out from his person, causing the Baltics to freeze in their gossip. "What are you all talking about over there?" He said. A shudder ran down my spine. I wasn't exactly sure why, but whenever Russia did that, it made the atmosphere get really unsettling.

The Baltics stood at attention. "N-N-Nothing sir!" Lithuania stuttered.

"W-We were just discussing how g-glad we are to have you back with us!" The smallest one, Latvia, explained. The creepy aura receded, and the room was back to normal. That didn't seem to ease the poor Baltics nerves, though.

"Oh, that's very nice of you." Russia said with his little smile. He then placed his hands on my shoulders. "This is Jinjer O'Dale. She is the advisor serving us Allies. She will also be visiting here as a guest for the next few days, so I expect you three to treat her as such. Understood?"

I was tempted to ask him if I really was a "guest."

The Baltics all looked surprised as this information. "Wait, so this is the woman that everyone has been talking about? I thought she would be more ape-like and robust, from what the other nations have been-" Estonia and Lithuania quickly covered Latvia's mouth to keep him from saying anymore. "Shut up, you clueless moron! You can't say that in front of a lady!"

"Yes! And besides, what if she really is like that!? You might have just invoked her rage upon us!"

I wasn't sure whether to be amused, or offended. Amused, because it seemed that Latvia really was as spacey as he was depicted in the show. Offended…well, it was pretty obvious why I might be offended. Though I truly felt more exasperated than anything. Once again, I'd been reminded of all the strange rumors floating around about me, and was left wondering where on earth they came from. They made me sound like a stereotypical ginger (pun on my name not intended).

...Then again, now that I thought about it, that's probably exactly what was going on. Hetalia was a world based from stereotypes, so I really should have been able to foresee that this would happen to me because of my hair.

Well then.

"Whatever, just hurry up and apologize to her before she becomes angry! Do you want another Russia in this house!?" Lithuania's harsh whispers halted my train of thought. Latvia, who seemed to be downright terrified at Lithuania's words, quickly walked up to me. "I-I'm very sorry for what I said about you, miss. It's just that your hair is so red, and well...I don't know, it just makes me think of some kind of monster or mythological beast of some sort." Lithuania and Estonia looked on in horror at Latvia's words. "Augh, shut up!"

"You dumbass...!"

'Oh boy...' I thought. "It's okay, really. I'm not mad. I've been called worse, believe me." I really hoped that I could convince the Baltics I wasn't some stereotypical, hot-tempered redhead. It would be awkward and uncomfortable for all of us if they were scared out of their wits whenever I was around.

Latvia's eyes widened further in horror. "AUGH! I-I am so sorry Miss!" He stuttered before backing away, bowing repeatedly as he did so. "Huh!? W-Wait, why are you apologizing again? It's not your fault!" I said in confusion. Russia laughed. "Mr. Latvia is quite a funny guy, da?" The poor Baltics, especially Latvia, shuddered.

"Well, shouldn't you three properly introduce yourselves to our guest?" Russia said, looking expectantly at the Baltics. "O-Oh, yes of course, how rude of us. Um, hello, I am called Toris Laurinaitis. O-Oh, but you know our secret, don't you? In that case, I am Lithuania. P-Pleased to meet you." He nudged Estonia in a not-so-subtle way. "A-And I am Estonia. Less commonly known as Eduard von Bock. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Estonia nodded towards me. Both then looked at Latvia, who looked back at them cluelessly for a minute. "Oh right! M-My name is Raivis Galante. But as a country, I'm Latvia. Um, hello."

I nodded in greeting. "It's good to meet all of you." Russia smiled in satisfaction. "Very good. Now, I have some work I need to get to. Lithuania?" Said country flinched when Russia called him. "Y-Yes, Mr. Russia?"

"I want you to show Jinjer around the house. Take her to her room while you're at it." Russia answered before turning around to leave. "Ah, yes sir." Lithuania turned to me. "Well then, please follow me, Miss O'Dale." I cringed at the way he addressed me. I'd always despised such formalities being tacked onto my name. I could tolerate a 'Miss' with my first name, but the use of one with my last name never failed to bring me discomfort. I understood that they were used (for the most part) out of respect, but to me, they built distance between people. There was a reason I didn't use them when addressing my fellow allies, with the exception of China due to the sheer amount of respect I held for him. If I couldn't even address them by their real names, then I felt as if I'd never be able to grow close to them.

I hoped I could convince Lithuania not to address me so formally…I really didn't deserve it. If anything, I should be the one addressing him as such. He was the personified nation here: he was centuries older, wiser, and basically my superior in every way; and yet he was addressing me as if it was the opposite.

Maybe I was overthinking it a bit, but I really didn't like it.

Lithuania led me all around the large house, carrying my suitcase for me like a gentleman. He told me what each room we passed was, warned me about things I probably shouldn't do while staying here, ect. I noticed there were a lot of sunflower themed decorations throughout the house, yet there weren't any actual sunflowers anywhere. I supposed that made sense, I doubted a flower like that could survive in such a harsh, cold environment, but I thought that maybe in the Hetaliaverse something like that wouldn't matter. I guess not everything was possible even in this crazy world.

We came to a stop at the end of the main hallway in the west wing of the house. Lithuania turned to me, a small smile on his face. "And this will be your room. It's the best one we have available right now. I hope you find it suitable." He opened the door of the room so I could see inside. The room was fairly large, with a queen-sized bed adorned with a canopy up against the far-left wall, a big wardrobe and vanity, a rug laid across the stone flooring, and a fireplace which was already lit.

I smiled. "This room is lovely. Thank you for your time, Lith- er, um, what would you prefer I call you?" Lithuania blinked. "P-Pardon?"

"I mean, would you prefer that I call you by your human name, or your country name?" I elaborated. Lithuania stared at me strangely, eyes wide as if he was looking at something fascinating. I tilted my head. "What?"

He blinked, then quickly dropped his head. "O-Oh, nothing! I'm sorry about that. Um, y-you may call me whatever you like. I don't mind." I smiled. "Okay then, Lithuania."

'I'm glad that most of the nations tend to not be very picky about what I call them. Makes my whole personal ideology about names much easier to cope with.'

Lithuania shyly smiled back at me. "Alright then. Please make yourself at home, and when you're ready, you can come down for dinner." I blinked in surprise. "Dinner? Is it that late already?" Lithuania nodded. "Yes it is, Miss O'Dale. Is... something strange about that?" I shook my head slowly. "...I suppose not. I guess my sense of time is just screwed up."

"That tends to happen when you travel to the opposite side of the earth." Lithuania said with a smile. He was joking with me, that's good. He also wasn't stuttering as much. I hoped these were small signs that he was growing a bit more comfortable with me.

I chuckled. "Yea, I guess you're right. I'll come down shortly, then." He nodded. "Oh, do you remember where the kitchen is? Shall I wait here for you?" He asked. I thought for a moment, recalling the beginning of the tour when we'd peeked into the kitchen. "I think I remember where it is. Thank you for your consideration, though."

Lithuania nodded. "Very well. Please take your time." He handed me my suitcase and started back down the hallway. I entered my room and started to close the door, but stopped when I remembered something I'd meant to say. I stuck my head through the door and said, "Oh, and please call me Jinjer. I don't really care for formalities."

I didn't wait to hear his response. The door to my room clicked loudly as it shut, leaving me alone for the first time since I was sort-of-kidnapped. I sighed heavily, removing the ushanka from my head. "Well, this has been some day. Just another one to add to the list of crazy things that I've been put through since being dragged here."

I dropped my suitcase down at the foot of the bed to deal with later, and started to remove my heavy, Russian coat. There was a large clock on the wall above the fireplace that read 7:30. 'So it really is late. I guess that's why I'm so hungry. When was the last time I ate today, anyway?' I thought. Casting a glance towards the one window in the room, I saw that a blizzard seemed to have started up.

'Wonder how often they get those around here.'

After changing into something more comfortable and French-braiding my hair, I exited my room and made my way to the kitchen. I got turned around only once, which I was quite proud of.

Yea, my sense of direction isn't the best, so sue me. At least I'm not nearly as bad as Zoro from One Piece.

There were voices coming from the kitchen by the time I got there. "What!? Have you gone crazy!? Do you think Auschwitz is better than Siberia!?" I raised a brow and stopped before I reached the doorway. "I think I'm gonna have to go it alone for a while and see if that's any better." A different voice said that, most likely Estonia. "NO! I'm scared of him and I don't want to be alone, it feels so safe in his hairy arms!" It was Latvia's voice that time.

"Ah... so it's this episode." I said quietly. 'So, there are a few more WWII segments from the show left after all.'

I walked into view just as Estonia said "You should really keep your mouth more closed" to Latvia. "Is this a bad time to interrupt?" I asked. The Baltics jumped in surprise when I spoke. "Oh, M-Miss Jinjer! So sorry, we didn't see you there!" Lithuania said shakily. "It's fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." I replied. "N-Not at all! Please, have a seat. I was just about to start dinner."

I nodded in thanks and sat down at the table. Estonia and Latvia sat down across from me, sending me awkward smiles. 'Oh great. I don't see how anyone's going to eat with this kind of atmosphere.' I thought. "So, um, what is everyone hungry for? I was thinking of making cepelinai." Lithuania said. "But I want some putra." Latvia replied with a frown. "I think I'll just have a snack, maybe some piirakka." Estonia said thoughtfully.

The Baltics all stared at each other awkwardly for a moment. I didn't really understand this part in the show, so of course I didn't get it now.

Lithuania broke the silence. "Um, okay then. And what would you like, Miss Jinjer?" I blinked. "Me? Oh, um..."

'Geez, I wasn't even thinking about this. Dang, I don't know anything about the common food here...'

"Why don't you decide something for me? This is my first time here, so I don't know much about what kind of food there is." I suggested. Lithuania blinked at my request. "O-Oh, alright. If that is what you want."

As Lithuania began to cook, another awkward silence fell over the kitchen. It reminded me of that one Hetalia episode with Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria. I used to think that scene was funny, with the way that the "unsociable atmosphere" was literally visible. Now, I could see how uncomfortable it really was.

"S-So, Miss Jinjer. There is something I, eh, would like to ask you, if I may." Estonia said suddenly. "Um, sure. Go ahead." I replied. Estonia adjusted his glasses nervously, seeming hesitant to look me in the eye. "Well, I hope this doesn't come off as too intrusive. But, I was curious about your position in the Allied forces. You are the advisor, correct?" I nodded.

I had a feeling I knew where he was going with this, after all, I'd only been asked the same thing about a dozen times now.

"That's what I'd been told. And well, I'm quite interested as to how this came to be. I simply can't fathom how a human woman as young as yourself, whom no one had known of prior to this past year, could receive such a high position, AND learn of our true identities. It's quite fascinating..." Estonia trailed off into thought for a moment. Then, as if realizing what he'd just said, he gasped, startling Latvia next to him.

"N-Not that there's anything w-wrong with that! It was not my intention to belittle you! I-I am just curious is all!" Estonia stuttered. I opened my mouth to speak, but Latvia beat me to it. "Y-Yes! We were all wondering about that! S-Since it is so rare for humans besides our bosses to find out about us, and usually women aren't considered to be worthy of that position, and therefore the knowledge either."

"GAH! Shut up!"

"Latvia!" Estonia and Lithuania shouted in unison. Latvia flinched and covered his mouth. "I-I'm sorry! B-But it is the truth-" Estonia and Lithuania both slapped a hand over Latvia's already covered mouth, practically yelling at him to stop talking. "Um, you guys-" I started, trying to get the Baltics' attention.

"What is the matter vizh you!? Are you trying to be disrespectful!?"

"Excuse me-"

"Do you know what Mr. Russia will do to us if we don't treat his guest well!?"

"Hey-!"

"Mmmmmrrrrrfffffmmmppphhhhh!"

"GUYS!"

The Baltic states jumped several feet in the air as I shouted at them. "Y-YES!?" They squeaked in fear. I sighed heavily, pressing a hand to my forehead as I sat back down. When had I even stood up?

I guess I really couldn't blame them for being this way, I knew what all they'd been forced to go through, and were still going through, but-

Man, were they a chore to talk to! I feel like I'd have better luck conversing with a squirrel than these three!

"Look, you guys don't have to be so worried. This is far from the first time I've been questioned about my position, and definitely not the first time I've been doubted and mistrusted." The Baltics started to fly into another stuttering panic, but I held up my hands in a stopping motion. "Please don't apologize! And please, don't try to deny it either. It's alright, really. I mean, I probably wouldn't trust me either in your position!" I said quickly.

I lowered my hands slowly, as if trying to physically calm the room's atmosphere. "The point is I'm not upset. Okay?" I looked at Estonia. "Let's get back to your question, shall we?" He blinked in surprise, and I gave him a small smile. "I can't tell you much about what happened and how I became the advisor, confidentiality and everything, but I guess I can give you a bit of a summary."

'They may technically be on our side, but I still don't think it's a good idea to reveal my secret to anyone outside of the five- uh, I mean, six...or seven...of us? Does Kumajiro count? Ugh, sorry Canada...' I thought.

Estonia smiled a little as well, nodding in understanding. He and Latvia sat back down at the table, and Lithuania returned to cooking while I gathered my thoughts on what to say. "We understand, Miss Jinjer. I was not expecting much of an answer anyway." Estonia said. "We weren't?" Latvia asked.

Estonia shook his head at Lativa while I bit back the urge to chuckle. Latvia was pretty cute. He reminded me of a brutally honest (and clueless) young child with the way he just blurted out whatever he thought of with such an innocent tone. His attractive baby-face just increased that demeanor.

Estonia sighed. "You'll have to forgive Latvia Miss Jinjer, he is naturally spacey. You may speak whenever you wish."

"Ah, right. Hmm, where should I start?"

So many things to cover, but so little I could say. Despite the multiple times I had gone through this before, it was still a real pain having to keep so much under wraps, even when you're in the presence of people who are supposed to be your allies.

"I only met the Allied powers a year ago. It was a crazy, bizarre accident that really wasn't supposed to happen. And, I guess you could say that that said accident...cost me a few things."

If my family, my home, my world, my dimension, and quite possibly my future sanity, count as a few slight things.

"They owed me for those things, and I just happened to have a few...attributes that were useful to them, so I joined. And thus, here I am." The Baltics stared at me with confused expressions. "Sorry, I know it doesn't really answer much." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

"Well, a mystery or two is always to be expected with us nations. Especially during war." Estonia replied. I nodded in agreement. Lithuania then returned to the table for a moment to serve some hot drinks. As he set down three mugs of coffee, he said "These attributes that you have must be very amazing if they offered you such a high position, Miss Jinjer."

I let out a short laugh. "I suppose."

'If only you knew.'

"So, how long will you be staying here with us, Miss Jinjer?" Lithuania asked as he returned to cooking. I froze as I was sipping my coffee. 'Crap...'

I swallowed the bitter liquid carefully before answering. "Um...until Russia says it's alright for me to leave, I guess." Estonia and Latvia froze in the same position that I had just a second ago, a moment I might have snickered at if the situation was different.

"...If I may ask. What do you mean by...when M-Mr. Russia says that you can leave?" Estonia asked, the nervousness from before returning to his tone. I sighed lightly, rubbing the back of my head again. 'Well, I guess it's too late to make up a lie now...'

"Perhaps you should have considered such before you answered."

'Yea, yea...'

"Well, you see...I'm not exactly...totally...really 100% here of my own will." I muttered just loud enough for them to hear. The Baltics eyes widened. "What?" I smiled awkwardly. "Yea, well..." I recounted a short version of what had happened that morning.

When I had finished my telling, it was the Baltics' turns to smile at me in pity. "Well that certainly...answers a lot. That must have been quite the sca- er, shock." Estonia said. "I don't like this! What if Mr. Russia starts kidnapping random people from all over the planet!?" Latvia said nervously, wringing his hands together. "N-Now Latvia, no need to talk like that in front of our guest." Lithuania said, looking at us from over his shoulder.

Estonia sighed, pushing his glasses up further on his nose. "Still, to think that Mr. Russia would forcefully bring one of his fellow Allies to his home. And a human woman for that matter..." He said with a lowered tone.

I wasn't sure if he was insulting, or defending me with that statement.

Either way, I shrugged off Estonia's comment. "Well, that's how he is. I've been through worse." I took a sip of my coffee, missing the surprised looks the Baltics sent me. "You seem to be surprisingly okay with this, Miss Jinjer." Estonia said. "Oh no, I'm not. I'm still kind of pissed at him to be honest..." I said grumpily.

'Well...both him and a certain other oversized country with an oversized ego, who doesn't know how to think ahead of things...'

"Hey so, since you are here against your will, I guess that makes you a little bit like us, right?" Latvia said suddenly. Estonia and Lithuania both shot their fellow Baltic serious look.

"Latvia, sh."

"B-But I was just-" Estonia pulled on Latvia's cheek. "That is enough."

"Hey, stop that! I'm not a child!"

I took another sip of coffee, deciding not to comment on this subject. I knew what they were talking about, and I knew it was a touchy subject for them.

"A-Anyway, I believe most of the food is ready for eating. Estonia, would you help me serve this please?" Lithuania said, switching the topic. I would have questioned how he'd been able to prepare four different dishes in such a short amount of time, but my attention was diverted the moment I was served my dinner.

"...What is this called?" I asked hesitantly. "Oh, that is borscht. It's a popular soup in many parts of Eastern and Central Europe, such as here." Lithuania answered. "Oh, I see. Um, may I ask what's in it?"

Frankly, the soup reminded me of something out of a horror film. The broth was dark red, with unidentifiable chunks of...something packed into the bowl. The only thing I recognized was the dollop of sour cream on top. I repressed the urge to shudder as my traitorous imagination wandered to some gruesome places.

"O-Of course. Well, there are different ways to prepare it, but since we are in Russia I thought it would make the most sense to make it the Russian way. L-Let's see, the primary ingredient is beetroot, and the rest is mostly vegetables and basic seasonings." Lithuania answered.

I nodded. 'Well that would explain why the broth looks like blood...'

"C-Could it be that you don't like something in the soup? Or do you have a food allergy!? H-How inconsiderate of me, I-I didn't even think to ask if you-" I held up my hand in a halting motion. "No, no, nothing like that, it's fine! I was just curious is all."

'Bad Jinjer! Don't judge something just because it's foreign! You're better than that!' I thought as I picked up my spoon.

I could blame my harsh impression of the soup on my slight phobia of things like blood and gore, and maybe a year ago I would have. But now...I just couldn't help but think that such an immature accusation was below me. Perhaps I was overthinking it a little, but for some reason I couldn't stop my thoughts from nagging at me like I'd done something terrible.

I felt worse when I actually tasted the food. "...It's good." I said with a small smile. The relief was visible in Lithuania's expression. "Oh...thank goodness. Are you certain? It is not too bland for your tastes?" I shook my head immediately. "Not at all. Thank you, Lithuania. You're quite a good cook." A tint of red appeared on said nations' cheeks. "N-No, n-not really. But thank you, Miss Jinjer. It is appreciated."

I nodded in response, forcing that irritating feeling to the back of my mind. I was in no mood to dwell on it any longer.

Dinner past quickly and pleasantly after that. Nothing else of significance or importance was discussed, and the atmosphere managed to remain on a stable, and might I add, quite nice level. The Baltics did comment on how different they all were from each other at one point, just as they'd done in this episode of the anime. Although I didn't really understand what they meant-I was no expert on Baltic culture-it still amused me. It didn't matter how many times I experienced a moment from the show firsthand: like with meeting the characters, the fascination of living out those segments never ceased.

While Lithuania was cleaning up from dinner, I was met with the next oh-so-glorious encounter I would have while visiting here. Suddenly, the atmosphere in the kitchen turned from normal to dark, dank, and creepy. No, creepy was an understatement. It was downright terrifying.

I swear the room itself had turned an evil shade of purple, and the air was so thick that you could choke on the malice and anger permeating from it. Shock and fear struck me at the sudden shift in atmosphere. Goosebumps rose on my arms and every single hair on the back of my neck stood up. It probably would have been a comical sight to someone looking on, especially if those pesky anime effects had come into play.

Now the Baltics-bless those poor guys, I keep feeling more and more sorry for them-had completely frozen in their seats. It was like they'd been turned to stone by their own fear.

...Except for Lithuania, who looked unusually happy.

But before I could begin to fathom a reason for that, a small, horrified voice sliced through the agonizing silence. "O-Oh n-n-noooooo...!" Estonia moaned in despair. "S-S-She is heeeere...!" Latvia squeaked in a barely audible tone. They turned their gazes toward the door, their heads moving mechanically. Although every shred of common sense in me screamed not to, my curiosity won over and I slowly looked over to the entrance as well, wanting to know the source of this horrific turn in events.

And there it was, standing partially hidden by the doorway, the purple aura rolling off it in sickening waves.

'OH %#$!' I couldn't stop from swearing in my head when I realized what-or rather, who-this was.

It was BELARUS.

Of all the countries and characters I could have met in this messed up world...out of every single one of them she was last on my list of nations I could hope to run into.

Belarus looked exactly how I had pictured her, wearing the same goth-Lolita style dress she'd worn in the show, and had the same white bow tied into her long, light blonde hair. And of course, she was also wearing that same bone-chilling glare on her otherwise pretty face. Except this time, that glare was directed at me.

I now understood why Russia was so deathly afraid of her. His weird, creepy aura didn't hold a candle to his little sister's!

"Who are you?" She asked sternly. Her voice was much lower than you'd expect it to be, and it sent a chill down my spine. I bit down on my lip to keep myself from saying anything dumb. Before I could speak, I was miraculously interrupted by an unlikely savior. "B-Belarus, what a pleasure! I was thinking you might not come down for supper again!" Lithuania said cheerfully, walking up to Belarus.

She in turn, scowled at him. "You again! How many time must I tell you to stay away from me!?" Lithuania's smile widened, completely oblivious to the Belorussian nation's hatred towards him. "So, what would you like? Anything you want, just say it! I'll make it right up for y-"

"SHUT UP!" Lithuania was harshly interrupted when Belarus punched him to the floor. I winced involuntarily, and I heard Estonia and Latvia gasp in fear. Lithuania was left lying on the floor, his lip bloodied, cheeks flushed, and that same cloud nine smile on his face.

'...Wow. That is some pretty impressive denial he's in.' I thought, staring down at Lithuania.

My moment of amusement was squashed when Belarus approached me. She glowered down at me as if I was a piece of gum stuck to her shoe. "Who are you? Answer me!" I caught something glint from the corner of my eye down by Belarus's hand. A knife, most likely.

I gulped. 'Okay Jinjer, think quickly! There are few different ways you can respond to this. Option 1: Act friendly and rely on the bleak hope that she won't attack you. Option 2: Fight her. Option 3: Run. Run the hell away.'

I knocked the last option off almost immediately, ignoring my mental flight response telling me it was the easiest option. I literally had nowhere to run to. She likely knew this house far better than I did. As for the other two options...I had a feeling I was going to end up with both. It didn't matter what I said to Belarus. She was going to attack me no matter what.

With that, I pasted a pretty smile on my face as I stood from my chair, and tilted my head in the way anime characters tended to do when wanting to appear friendly, or harmless. Ugh, I could only imagine how cheesy my expression was.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe I've met you before. My name is Jinjer O'Dale. I'm visiting here as the Allies advisor." I said in the lightest tone I could muster.

Belarus seemed confused by my "friendliness", but her glare didn't soften one bit. If anything, this just seemed to infuriate her more. Her eyes flashed with an angry realization. "You! You're that human woman that my big brother's foolish, so-called allies hired as their advisor!"

"Not sure if 'hired' is the right word, but yep, that's the gist of it." I replied. Belarus glared daggers at me. 'Dang it Jinjer, this is NOT the time to be a smartass! I really need to practice controlling my mouth more...!'

"What is the Allies advisor doing here? This is no place for someone like you! I command you to leave immediately!" I raised my hands. "N-No need to get mad. I'll just be here for a little while, then I'll go and be out of your wa-"

"SILENCE!" Belarus shut me up by revealing her knife and pointing it inches from my neck. "I know why you're here! You're planning to pull some kind of horrible trick! A disgusting scheme to fool my big brother into caring about you, and taking him away from me!" She said with a sneer. "Wha- no! That's not it at all! Russia and I do NOT have that kind of relationshi-"

"YOU LIE!" Belarus took a fierce swipe at me with her knife. Thankfully my improved reflexes kicked in, and I jumped back to dodge the blade in time. But doing that also cause me to trip over the chair I'd forgotten was behind me, and fall to the floor on my back. Seeing this as a chance at victory, Belarus kicked the chair out of her way and dove at me with the knife. My mind wasn't quick enough to process a response, so my body reacted of its own accord. I planted both of my hands palms-down on the floor behind my head, and forced my lower body upwards in one swift movement. Thus, I was able to flip myself over and escape from being skewered.

I felt my foot hit against something as I flipped, then heard a loud CLANG from the other side of the kitchen. I scrambled to my feet, and saw Belarus cradling her empty hand to her chest.

...Wait, empty?

I looked over to where I'd heard the noise, and spotted the knife that had previously been in that hand laying on the floor next to the stove. I then realized that by flipping over to escape harm's way, I'd accidentally kicked the Belarus's knife out of her hand. For a moment, I felt relieved and a tad impressed with myself. That quickly changed when I turned back around.

The thick, scary aura had doubled, maybe even tripled, in presence. I visibly shook at the sudden drop in temperature. Belarus was slowly rubbing her offended hand, her expression hidden by a shadow cast by her bangs.

But I didn't need to see her expression to know that she was angry.

...No, she was far, far, far past that now. She was livid.

"U-Um..." I squeaked fearfully, taking a step back in caution. "How dare you..." Belarus slowly revealed her face, letting me see the stone-cold fury in her eyes. "D-Did I h-hurt you? I-I'm sorry, I swear I didn't mea-"

"DIIIEEE!" Belarus screeched, lunging at me with another attack. She didn't even try to retrieve her fallen knife. She just came at me with her bare hands. My reflexes once again proved to come in handy, and I was able to dodge her grab.

It was a good thing my body seemed to know what it was doing, because the rest of me was too terrified to even think straight.

Belarus attacked me with a flurry of attempted punches and kicks, and I dodged every one of them in whatever way I physically could. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I should be making some attempt to fight back instead of just dodging her, but...for some reason, I just couldn't make myself do that. I didn't want to hurt her.

...Any more than I already had, anyway. Nice going, Jinjer.

It was strange. I usually had no problem hitting America or France if I felt like they deserved it- and Belarus, by all means, certainly deserved it- but the thought of purposely striking her made my stomach turn.

"How saint-like of you. To be killed by an insane, obsess-driven girl in ruffles and bows. Quite a heroic way to go." The voice in my head droned in a sarcastic tone. I had no time to reply to it though.

I was starting to run out of breath from darting around the kitchen trying to avoid being punched in the throat. Belarus however, seemed to be just beginning. She wouldn't be giving up anytime soon.

My brain was scrambling for a way to get me out of this damnable predicament. Belarus was fast, and she certainly seemed to have a bunch of stamina. But there was something about her fight style that struck me during our little tussle. Unlike China, the main person I was used to fighting hand-to-hand with, there was no technique or precision in her movements. She was just coming at me in blind rage, determined to hit me in whatever way she could.

An idea came to me at last, something I felt dumb for not thinking to do immediately. It might not last long, but at the very least it would give me a moment to catch my breath. The next punch Belarus tried to deliver, rather than being dodged, was caught in my own hand. She seemed to be aiming at my facial area the most, so it wasn't hard to predict where it was coming.

Belarus scowled, and then did exactly what I'd hoped she'd do. She tried to hit me with her other fist, which I was able to catch and hold as well. But I wasn't given a moment of victory, as I started to slide back from the force of the hold.

I really had to give this girl credit, for her small, petite and dainty figure, she was strong!

It quickly became a strain to hold my footing, not to mention being forced to stare into Belarus's viscous eyes. Sweat dripped down my brow. I wanted nothing more than to avert my eyes from her loathing gaze, but I knew the moment I did that, she would gain the upper hand.

"L-Look, we...don't have...to do this!" I said, my voice strained. "Shut up and release me, wench!" Belarus bit out, her voice low and scornful. Just when I thought my arms could take it no longer, my unlikely saving grace arrived.

"Hm? What is going on in here?"

Belarus and I froze in unison and quickly looked towards the door. I hadn't thought I'd be happy to see that particular face anytime soon, but for the time being...I had a feeling I'd have to suck it up and be grateful for it.

Almost immediately, the scary atmosphere reverted to its original state, and Belarus's eyes lightened into the first positive expression I'd seen on her. "Big brother Russia!" She exclaimed, finally giving me a break so she could run over to her beloved brother. Russia however, seemed less than enthusiastic to see his younger sister.

"B-Belarus, you finally came out of your room." He said nervously, taking a step back. Belarus was unperturbed, and simply re-closed the gap between them. "Brother, you must tell me! Explain what this strange woman is doing here in our home!" She demanded, jabbing her finger at me. Russia held up a hand as he started to explain. "Oh, well you see she is-"

"A human! A human woman of all things! When I sensed something was not right and I came to investigate, I never thought I would be met with...with something like this!" Belarus glared at me over her shoulder as she spoke. I barely got a chance to wonder what she'd meant by "I sensed something" before she started ranting again.

"I can't believe the fools in this house allowed her inside!" She directed that towards the Baltics, who had all hidden beneath the table some time ago. "Not only that, but then she has the gall to come in and believe she can do as she pleases! Just like all other humans who come here!" She spat the word 'humans' like it was poison on her tongue. Russia meanwhile, was rubbing the back of his head like he didn't have a clue what was happening. "I'm afraid I do not have understanding what you are talking abou-"

"And look!" Belarus interrupted her brother once again, and held up her wrist. "Look at what that vile wench has done to your sister! She injured me!" I felt the color drain from my face. 'No... I didn't-I didn't kick her that hard, did I!? And Russia…is he going to get all Russia-like on me because I accidentally hurt his sister!?'

But contrary to that scenario, Russia instead gave me a look of confusion and... oh fudge, was that intrigue!? What did I just involuntarily do for myself!? I wanted to speak up, explain how this whole thing was one big accident/misunderstanding, but my voice refused to work. I couldn't even think of anything plausible to say.

"It seems I missed something quite interesting, da?" Russia said with his usual grin. Belarus clenched her fists. "That is not the issue here! What needs to be done now is a discussion about what to do with the trespasser!" Russia tilted his head. "Trespasser? I am afraid you do not understand this, sister. I invited young Jinjer her myself."

Belarus froze, slowly turning back around. The movement reminded me of some creepy special effect you might see in a horror movie. And judging by the terrified look on Russia's face, he would probably agree with me.

"What?" Belarus questioned lowly. Russia made a small, terrified noise, and side-stepped away from his younger sister. "N-Now Belarus, no need to be like that. I thought it would be beneficial for our advisor to come visit us and learn a little about our Slavic ways. She should only stay for a few days, no longer." I blinked at this news. 'A few days? That's how long he wants me to stay?'

I didn't know if I should be relieved because that wasn't long, or disappointed because it meant I wouldn't get to leave immediately.

"Rubbish!" Belarus shouted suddenly, making Russia flinch. "She cannot stay here! Not a moment longer! Brother please, you must see reason!" Russia sighed, both his tone and person shifting from frightened to...almost tired. "Sister-"

"I do not care what kind of things she may have said to you! I do not trust this woman!" Belarus interrupted, pointing her finger accusingly at me. Russia tried again to speak. "Bela-"

"You cannot know what kind of nasty schemes she may have planned! Why, for all you know she could be a witch who's cast a disgusting spell over you to break us apart, and-"

"Natalia." Belarus finally halted when Russia sternly addressed her by her human name. The look on Russia's face was more serious than any expression I'd ever seen him wear, and it made my skin crawl.

Something about it was not right.

Russia turned to exit the kitchen, stopping when he reached the doorway. "Sister. I wish to speak with you alone." Belarus, who had been frozen this whole time, nodded at her brother's request. She shot me one last glare before following Russia into the hallway, taking her spooky, chilling aura with her.

A few moments passed after they left before relief slammed into me, and I sunk to the floor.

That.

Was.

Horrifying.

I held my arms to keep them from shaking, and took one deep breath after another. "U-Um, are you alright, Miss?" A quiet voice asked me. I looked up to find Lithuania staring down at me, his hands folded and a worried expression on his face. I wanted to say that I was alright, but all I could make come out of my mouth was: "I thought I was gonna die..."

Lithuania blinked. "P-Pardon?" I lowered my arms. "I could have died. She was gonna kill me." It still felt like those sharp, viscous eyes were glaring at me, and it made me afraid to turn around. "N-Now now Miss Jinjer, it's okay. Belarus wouldn't do that to you." Lithuania said. I gave him a deadpan stare. "She was swinging a knife at me." I said, gesturing to said knife still laying on the floor. He smiled. "Oh, not to worry! She does that to all our visitors! I believe it's her way of saying welcome."

I stared strangely at that nation. "...You are a real saint, Lithuania." He blinked rapidly, his face turning red. "H-Huh!?" Someone laughed a little from the other side of the room. "I suppose that is one thing you could call him." Estonia came up beside Lithuania, extending a hand down towards me. "But I personally like to call it insanity."

I smiled a little bit, taking Estonia's offered hand. "That was amazing! I've never seen anyone stand up to Lady Belarus like that!" A third voice piped up as Estonia lifted me to my feet. Latvia peeked out from behind Estonia, staring at me in wonder. "Now I see why the Allies chose you as their advisor, you are so strong! Strong like a beast! A good beast!"

While Estonia and Lithuania started to scold Latvia again, I quickly shook my head in denial. The last thing I needed was another ridiculous rumor floating around about me. "No, I'm really not as strong as I might seem, honestly. I just got lucky. REALLY lucky..."

If Russia hadn't shown up at that time, I had no doubt in my mind that I'd be lying on the floor with a cracked skull right now. I still wasn't sure if I could classify myself as being evenly matched with her, heck, the only reason I'd lasted against Belarus for that long was because of my combat training. I mentally thanked China repeatedly for taking the time to teach me those moves, and train with me when he had the time. I'd only fought with the old nation a handful of times throughout the past year, as well as America for the few times I'd been able to convince him to help me practice.

No doubt it was thanks to those sessions that I was able to hold my own against Belarus for as long as I did. She was fast, but not as fast as China. And she was certainly strong, but not as strong as America.

"Still, there is some truth in what Latvia said, for once." Estonia said, halting my train of thought. He cast me a curious glance. "Perhaps you may not understand, but someone holding their ground against Miss Belarus as you did is quite a rare occurrence. Many of the biggest nations don't even dare to mess with her, Mr. Russia included." I rubbed the back of my head, trying to think of something to say to that. 'Aw geez, their making me sound like some kind of ridiculous Mary-Sue character from a fanfiction...'

That thought made me pause. 'Wait a minute...CAN I be classified as a Mary-Sue!? I mean, this isn't a fanfiction, but...but-'

Just then, quiet footsteps alerted us to someone in the doorway. We all tensed at the sight of Belarus, who was standing at the entrance with her head down so we couldn't see her expression. She slowly looked at me, not really glaring per say, but more so some kind of irritated glance. Then she scoffed, stuck her nose in the air, and walked off.

I blinked several times. That was...it? I was safe?

Russia came back into the kitchen then, back to his normal self. "Well, that was resolved better than I thought it would be. But anyway, I'm sorry I was unable to join you for dinner, Jinjer. I have much of the work to do, you see." I nodded slowly. "...It's fine."

'What did he say to Belarus? How did he get her off my back?'

"You must be tired after long journey. Why don't you go up to bed, and I will speak with you tomorrow, da?" Russia suggested. I agreed immediately. 'That's the best idea I've heard since I got to this country.'

I bid Russia and the Baltics goodnight, nodding to Russia and saying a quiet "thank you" as I passed him. I may not be all that pleased with him for dragging me out of my house and country all of a sudden, and without an explanation, but that didn't change the fact that he involuntarily saved me from his crazy younger sister.

Although, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried about what he'd said to Belarus to get her to leave me alone. I guess I would just have to deal with that another time. I walked through the large house back to my room, hoping and praying that I wouldn't run into her again. But there was also another nation on my mind.

Ukraine, Russia's other sister, the only one here I had yet to meet. If Belarus was here, it only made sense that Ukraine would be here too. But I hadn't seen her, and no one had even mentioned her. From what I remembered of her character, she didn't seem the type that would hide from me. And even if she was, it would be a bit difficult for her considering the, um...BOING noises that tended to follow her everywhere.

I entered my bedroom and leaned against the door for a moment. 'What a day...' I thought, rubbing my face. "Although..." I said aloud, walking towards my suitcase. "...I can't really say that I'm not used to these things by now." I opened my luggage and pulled out my nightwear. "Doesn't mean I like it, though."

I changed my clothes and sat on my large bed, staring into the glowing fire across the room. I figured it was lit to keep the room warm throughout the night. I doubted this house had a built-in heating system.

Pulling back the thick floral-printed comforter, I crawled into the bed. I stared up at the purple canopy for a while, finding it difficult to fall asleep. 'Wonder if America's found out what's happened yet. Probably has, not even his meetings last this long.' I turned onto my side. On one hand, I hoped America would come and get me tomorrow and save me from any trouble. But on the other hand, my curiosity was well peaked, and I wanted to know why Russia had suddenly brought me to his country. I knew it couldn't be the simple reason he'd given the Baltics and Belarus. What could Russia want from me so badly that he'd practically kidnap me in the middle of the day and take me away from the other Allied nations just so he could get it?

I sighed and forced all those thoughts out of my mind. Right now, I had to focus on getting some much needed sleep.

...And surviving the night from Belarus. Maybe I should get some sort of emergency weapon and put it under my pillow?

...

I woke up unnaturally early due to a strange...vibration against my stomach. I laid stark still for a few moments, my mind immediately jumping to a dozen ridiculous conclusions and scenarios. I could tell there was something in my bed that definitely hadn't been there when I'd fallen asleep. I shifted slightly, and the thing moved too, making me freeze again. I slowly lifted my head and looked down the bed to see a large lump beneath the blankets. I sat up quickly and the lump moved again, brushing against my legs.

I flinched on reflex. I swallowed my hesitation, grabbed hold of the blanket, and yanked it up to find-

A...cat.

I blinked owlishly at the cat curled up in my bed, feeling slightly creeped out that the thing seemed to be...staring at me, even though it's fur was so thick and fluffy-looking that I could barely see its eyes. But what was even creepier was that the cat actually seemed to be smiling at me.

I tilted my head. The cat copied the movement. I slowly moved the blanket aside. I had a feeling I had seen this cat before. Thick, super puffy brown fur and squinted, mostly covered eyes were the main characteristics of this cat, and if I wasn't so creeped out by it at the moment, I would probably think it was cute.

The cat mewed strangely, and that triggered my memory of exactly who this cat was. It was...well, technically speaking it was supposed to be Russia in a cat form. I think its name was literally 'Russia-cat.'

I glanced at the clock on the wall, and groaned when I saw the time was 5:11 A.M. There was no way I was getting up this early unless I had to. I didn't know if anyone would even be up at such an hour anyway. I looked back at Russia-cat, who had begun to lick his paw. I decided I didn't have the care, nor the energy to try and put him out of the room. Besides, if the cat was anything like actual Russia, he'd likely just come back in again.

And most probably with a plot for revenge too.

"Well, I'm going back to sleep, so unless you're planning on getting out the same mysterious way you came in, you'd better let me know now if you want out of the room." I said to the cat, knowing all too well that it could quite possibly understand me. A fact that I should be creeped out by, but if this world can have talking polar bears and fairies and unicorns, then why not cats with human-level understanding?

...Actually, that was a massively terrifying thought.

As if answering my warning, Russia-cat stood and stretched out, turned around three times, then laid back down, curling up into a brown ball of fluff. I stared at him for a moment, weighing my options of what I could do in this situation. I chose the easiest (and the laziest) option, and flopped back down on the bed. If that cat planned to claw my face off, he surely would have done it already, so there was no point in worrying about it.

...I hoped.

...

About three hours later I woke up again, face still thankfully intact. It was a bit weird sleeping with a cat, as I'd never shared my bed with an animal before. I wondered how Greece did it all the time, he literally had cats practically hanging off him 24/7 and didn't mind one bit. I had to mind how I rolled around and be careful when I stretched to make sure I didn't accidentally kick him. So strange it was, though not entirely unpleasant. I guess it was just something one must get used to.

I got dressed, borrowing some cozy stockings to wear that were sitting in the wardrobe, and exited my room. Russia-cat followed behind me, trotting along with a bounce in his step and his furry tail swishing back and forth behind him. It was so weird how a cat seemed to be in a good mood.

I walked through the long, empty hallways while staring at the paintings and pictures that lined the walls, and running my fingers through my hair in attempt to give it some kind of orderly appearance. I'd gone to sleep without undoing my braid the night before, so my hair had gone from mild waves to messy curls overnight. It suddenly seemed longer than I remembered it being.

'Maybe I should see about getting my hair cut soon. It's getting a bit too lengthy.'

After taking a single wrong turn off the East Wing, I made it to the kitchen, the first place I thought someone else might be. I was right, and that someone turned out to be Lithuania, who was standing at the stove with his back turned to me. "Good morning." I greeted as I walked in. Lithuania turned around and offered me a polite smile. "To you as well, Miss Jinjer. I trust you had a comfortable night?"

I took a seat at the table before I answered. "Yes, it was very nice, especially in weather like this. I really don't understand how you all can live in such a cold environment all the time. I think I'd go insane."

"It's not so terrible once you get used to it. But I can see why it would be a shock to someone who wasn't raised in it." Lithuania answered while setting down a plate with some kind of chopped meat on the floor. Russia-cat approached the dish and started nibbling on the food.

"Anything I can help you with over there?" I asked, feeling awkward just sitting around. "That's very kind of you, but no. I usually do the cooking and basic housework myself, so I've quite gotten used to it now." He cast me a small smile. "Besides, you are the guest here. I don't think Mr. Russia would be pleased if his personal guest was made to do chores."

"If you say so, but it's really not a big deal." I mumbled in response. Lithuania served me a bowl of porridge along with a cup of hot tea, and sausage on the side. "So, is it just us two this morning?" I asked as Lithuania sat down across from me. "Most likely. Estonia is busy working on something at the moment, and Latvia is still asleep."

"And the siblings?" I questioned again. Lithuania laughed nervously at the thought of Russia. "Mr. Russia usually takes his meals alone in his office, and Belarus rarely ever comes out of her room."

'...He didn't say anything about Ukraine. Maybe she really isn't here after all.' I thought as I mumbled a reply. "Ah...I see." That was quite a relief to know. I was dreading the thought of having to avoid Belarus in any way possible enough as it is.

We ate in silence for a few minutes, nothing but the clinking of spoons against our bowls echoing in the kitchen. Russia-cat had finished eating long ago, and seemed to have disappeared from the kitchen without notice.

A part of me wondered why Russia even owned a cat. It definitely didn't seem like something he'd be interested in doing. If the whole Nekotalia-verse existed here too, did that mean that all the cat-versions of the nations stayed with their human selves? In the show, only Russia and Japan were shown to have owned their cats. All the others seemed to just appear in random, unidentifiable places. Obviously, America's cat wasn't around him, or else I certainly would have seen it by now. As for all the others, there really was no way to even guess where they could be, and I wasn't going to travel to every singular nation's house just to find out. Heck, maybe some of the countries didn't even know about their cat selves. I suppose this was just another thing to add to the list of things to figure out about this world.

A phone suddenly started ringing from somewhere, cutting through the silence. Lithuania stood up and excused himself to answer it. It wasn't long after he left that I heard him talking to someone from down the hall. "Oh, it's you. What is it? Do you need me to send you some more supplies?"

I sipped my tea and half-listened to the conversation. "W-What? You're out of paluszki again!? I just sent you a new crate quite recently, didn't I?"

'...Paluszki? Why does that sound familiar?'

Lithuania let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't say that I don't understand where you're coming from, but that really isn't a good reason to eat an entire crate of paluszki in one week! Think of your health!"

For the next five minutes or so, Lithuania argued back and forth with the person on the phone. He groaned in irritation several times throughout the call, and his tone of voice constantly shifted from annoyance, to concern, to nervousness, and indignant shock. I couldn't help but grow curious as to who he was talking to. Another nation, perhaps? I couldn't imagine Lithuania talking like this to just any random person, especially if said person was a human. Even if this was a normal person, what human would Lithuania talk to besides his boss? Most of the nations tended to act more formal and respectful around their bosses, and considering Lithuania's character, I highly doubted he was an exception.

"L-Listen, I promise I'll see what I can do about all that, but you must consider what kind of position you're putting me in! Ribbons, hairpins, and brushes for horses' manes don't just grow on trees! Barely anything even grows at all in Russia during this time of the year! Do you have any idea how long it took me to find all those assorted vegetables and sweets you asked for!? Give me a break here!"

I knew I should probably feel some sort of pity for Lithuania, but I couldn't help but be amused instead. Hey, I'm still human, and we all take a little bit of terrible enjoyment in someone else's suffering at least once in our boring little lives. Why do you think pranks were invented?

"Alright, alright, I hear you, I understand. I'll try to get you everything you want as soon as possible, okay?"

"Ya, alright, I have to go now. Bye." I heard the slight DING of the telephone as it was hung up, then Lithuania trudged back into the kitchen looking thrice as worn out than before. He slowly sunk back into his chair, and took a long sip of his drink. Then he promptly set it down, threw his head back, and let out a tired groan.

"Damn that guy! Ugh, damn it! I really hate him sometimes..." I cracked a sympathetic smile. "Friend of yours?" I asked with a touch of sarcasm. A cloud of misery descended over Lithuania's head. "That's, erm...a very complicated question." He mumbled. I nodded in response. "If I may ask something. Um, by any chance, was the person you were talking to someone called Poland?"

Lithuania blinked at me in shock. "H-How did you know!?" I averted my eyes. "Ah, well...I guess you could say I've heard a lot about him. From the other nations?" Lithuania chuckled dryly. "Ah, I see. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised. He is after all truly a...one of a kind type of person." I raised a brow. "In a good way, or a bad way?" Lithuania groaned again and pressed a hand to his forehead, as if just thinking about it gave him a headache. "That would also be a very complicated question." I let out a short laugh and nodded.

I'd guessed the person to be Poland by process of elimination among the other known characters. Obviously, he knew the person quite well with the way he'd bantered back and forth so easily on the phone with said person, and it was someone that probably wasn't above him in terms of power or status with the way he'd spoken with the person. The only countries I could think of that Lithuania would have that sort of relationship with were the other two Baltic States, and Poland. Obviously, it wasn't Latvia or Estonia, so Poland was the most logical answer. But really it was when I remembered that 'paluszki' was a Polish snack that Poland himself was shown eating in the anime, and when Lithuania referred to horses that confirmed my theory. Another well-known fact about Poland was after all, that he loved horses.

"How is he doing, if you don't mind me asking?" Lithuania gave me a questioning glance. "He was the first one to be invaded, right? So, I guess I'm a bit concerned." I elaborated, treading carefully with my words and tone. Or at least trying to.

The depressing cloud over Lithuania's head grew. "Ah...yes, that is indeed correct. Of course, it's no surprise that Germany would attack Poland first, he's so slow and oblivious to these things that he might as well have had a sign tacked to the face of his country reading "I am defenseless and unprepared, feel free to attack." He droned in miserable monotone. This is another one of those situations that, if going according to the rules of anime, I would sweat drop.

'Who even came up with the term "sweat drop" anyway?' I thought offhandedly.

"Is it really that bad over there?" I questioned quietly. Lithuania blinked as if he'd just realized that I was there. "O-Oh! Do not worry yourself over him, Miss Jinjer. Yes, his current situation isn't the best, but he certainly hasn't let that get in the way of his daily lifestyle." He paused. "...In fact, I don't think he's let that get in the way of anything of his. He still acts just like he always does." Lithuania grimaced. "Well...with the exception that he calls me all the time because he wants me to send him various food and supplies that he doesn't currently have access to. Sometimes I wonder if Poland is truly as old as he says he is. I swear he acts just like toddler..."

I sent him a small smile. "Well, at the least of things, it is admirable that you do that for him." Lithuania shook his head. "No, the only reason I do it is because I know he'll never let me hear the end of it by the time this war ends if I don't help him. I won't be able to step foot in the same room as Poland without him whining about it!" He sighed again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be putting all of this onto you. Let's put this all aside for the time being, yeah?" I nodded. "Sure."

Somehow, I got the feeling that Lithuania cared a lot more about Poland than he was letting on. But at the same time, I couldn't really blame him for saying the things he did about the guy. Poland wasn't the...easiest to like out of all the characters Hetalia offered.

The friendship between Poland and Lithuania secretly fascinated me. From the segments about those two in the anime, despite how many there were, I was never able to make heads or tails of their relationship. It was almost like...like they were so different and incompatible with each other that it actually worked really well.

...In a very strange way.

I was officially convinced that Lithuania was the most patient man in the entire world. ...Nah, probably the entire universe. To fancy Belarus of all possible girls in the world, no matter how many times she harshly shot him down, and to put up with Poland for who-knows-how-many years despite how terribly he irritated him and all that the Polish nation put him through...

How many people can you think of that could do that? Hm? Anyone? I didn't think so.

As for Poland himself, I really hoped that what Lithuania told me was true. I knew Poland tended to be a little slow when it came to...well, anything really, but if the situation in his country right now was anything like it was at this time during...the real WWII, then I didn't think even he could stay completely normal in the midst of it.

We finished breakfast talking of more unimportant, casual things. When we were through, I once again offered to help Lithuania clean up a bit, which made him freeze suddenly. "O-Oh...oh dear..." He said quietly. I raised a brow. "What's wrong?"

Lithuania had reverted to his nervous 'persona', as I started calling it. "Y-You know, it completely slipped my mind to tell you." He said with a nervous laugh. "Tell me what?" I asked warily. "M-Mr. Russia requested that you go to his office right after breakfast."

Aaaaaannnnnnndddd, there went my mood. Down to the depths it sinks, uncertain of whether it will ever return again.

I buried my face in my hands. "You've gotta be kidding me..."

...

I walked steadily down the halls to my doo-I mean, Russia's office. A thousand different horrible scenarios were running through my brain of what could occur, and they definitely weren't doing anything to ease the growing fear inside my chest. What exactly did Russia want with me? Why would he go through all this trouble to get me away from America and the other Allies?

So far, none of this was looking good for me.

As I neared the office, I heard a faint voice that most definitely wasn't Russia's. And judging by how angry it sounded, it probably wasn't one of the Baltics either. I slowed my steps as I neared the door to Russia's office, which was opened partially to allow me to conveniently peak inside.

The voice, as it turns out, was no one currently present in this house, but rather someone on the phone. It took me all but two seconds to recognize the voice as America's, which automatically explained why it was so loud. I couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but the fact that he was yelling in a less-than friendly way from the other line communicated everything perfectly.

How was Russia taking this, you wonder?

He couldn't possibly be more disinterested in whatever America was screaming at him. He was holding the phone several inches away from his head, letting it rest loosely in his hand, and was looking down at something he was writing. Russia wasn't even pretending to spare America any of his attention.

Somehow this sight didn't surprise me in the least.

I swallowed before raising my fist and knocking against the door. When I did, Russia looked up and smiled when he saw me. "Ah, Jinjer. I have been expecting you." He hung up the phone, cutting off America's screaming. It rang again just a moment after.

Russia's brow twitched. Then he promptly pulled his signature pipe out of nowhere, and with one WHACK the innocent little telephone was history. I cringed internally at the sight of its remains. Russia scraped the destroyed telephone into a trash bin, then pulled a different sheet of paper out from the many that were strewn about his desk. He scribbled something down on it, then grabbed an envelope from his desk and folded the document before sliding it inside.

I stood awkwardly in the doorway as he did all this, suddenly feeling quite fearful for my wellbeing. Well, more than I already had anyway.

Russia tilted his head as he looked back at me. "What are you doing? Come, have a seat. And shut the door too, da?" I nodded quickly and did as he asked.

I sat in one of the blue, cushion seats in front of Russia's large desk. "I apologize for being unable to join you and the others for dinner last night. I trust my Baltics treated you well?" I nodded. "Yes, they were all good to me." I said in a level tone. Russia leaned forward a bit, folding his hands atop his desk. "And your rest last night was a comfortable one?" Once again, I nodded.

"Was that America on the phone?" I asked suddenly. I wasn't one to be rude, but I was in no mood for pleasantries.

Russia made no reaction to my sudden change of topic. "Da, it was. It's quite strange, he did not seem very pleased with me." He said, still grinning his normal grin. I decided not to comment on that little remark.

"...You know he is going to come for me, right?" I said, mentally bracing myself for any kind of backlash. But once again, Russia remained unperturbed. "Haha, indeed. But not to worry, silly America does not even know where my house is."

Resting my chin in my palm and leaning against the chair, I sighed heavily. "Why...why does that not surprise me?" I mumbled quietly. Russia laughed shortly at my reaction. Very shortly.

"Well then, shall we get to business?" I perked slightly at that. "...Business?" Russia nodded. "Da. You have asked me several times now, and I believe it is time for you to receive answers." I straightened myself back up again. No doubt he was talking about-

"You wish to know why you are here at my house, da?" I nodded firmly. "Very much so." Russia's smile grew a bit, in a strange way that almost made it seem crooked. "Well Jinjer, that answer is simple."

His violet eyes felt like they were peering through my very being as he looked at me. "I am in need of your knowledge." I drew in a sharp breath. So, my suspicions had been right. He wanted some of my valued information. But I still didn't understand-

"Why? Couldn't...this have waited for another Allied conference?" I asked warily. I didn't miss the way Russia's hands tightened. "нет. This was not something I wanted to share with the others."

"...And why is that?" I tried to keep any suspicion from lining my tone. Russia waved his hand in dismissal. "Details are not important. It would be less troublesome without the others present." I averted my eyes from Russia's stare. "While I can't disagree with that, do you know what kind of light this is putting you in, Russia? I can't tell you how everyone else is going to take this."

This could create so many disasters within the Allies. The relationships between the nations were strained enough as it is, what kind of horrible calamity could occur if something like betrayal was added to the mix? What would happen to the war? To this world, if the Allies decided to...not be allies anymore?

Russia tilted his head like he didn't understand what I meant.

'Or on the other hand, the Hetalia logic could once again decide to smack me in the face and throw all my little worries over its shoulder without a care. Urgh...'

"Fine then." I said with a sigh. "What do you want to know so badly?" Russia's large grin shrunk into a small smile that didn't reach his eyes, which averted themselves downwards so I couldn't see them. A few moments of thick silence passed before he answered.

"Tell me Jinjer. Who wins this this war?" I stiffened. "...You should know I can't tell you that." Russia returned his gaze to me. "Then...when does this war end?" I clutched the arms of the chair. 'Why is he...asking me these things? Doesn't Russia enjoy times like these?'

"I can't tell you that either." I replied. The smile finally disappeared from Russia's face, and he tilted his head again. "Why is that?" He asked me. "I explained those reasons once before, didn't I?" That came out sounding a bit more irritated than I'd intended. Russia smiled again in a slyer fashion. "Explain again." I shrunk back in my chair at his commanding undertone. "It's...difficult to explain." I weakly protested.

He stopped smiling and put his gloved hand to his forehead, letting out something akin to a sigh. "Tell me this, Jinjer..." Russia's tone dropped. Though, I wouldn't really say that he sounded angry, or even frustrated. His whole being was like a complete mystery at that moment.

"...Are you not the Allies advisor?" I blinked. "...Yes." It was then that Russia narrowed his eyes, ever so slightly. "Then is it not your job to advise us when we ask for the advice?" I bristled at that comment. "I am the Allies advisor, Russia. I do what I think is best for the Allies. Not just you."

I regretted them the moment those words left my mouth. I cast my eyes down to my lap and bit the inside of my cheek. I hadn't been able to repress the spark of anger that came with Russia's accusation, and my mouth shot itself off again. It angered me because I knew it already. I knew I wasn't doing a spectacular job as the advisor, and for the first time someone called me out on it. But what was I supposed to do? I was in no way, shape, or form prepared to do something like this when I agreed to it, and I'm still not.

I waited to feel that frightening dark aura surround me and strike me with fear, and possibly also a "KOLKOLKOLKOLKOLKOLKOLKOL..."

...But it didn't come. After several suffocating moments, I ventured a look at Russia. He was...honestly, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. His face was twisted into an expression that wasn't quite angry, but wasn't quite sad either. And he was staring not at me, but at the corner of his desk where there was a glass bottle filled with pens, and a miniature Russian flag.

It scared me a little that I couldn't begin to guess what was going through his head. Russia was a mysterious nation, with secrets and a strange personality to boot. But normally, it was not difficult to discern his immediate thoughts towards situations and people. So, to see him with such a downright unreadable expression was unsettling beyond words. What was wrong with him? Why was he suddenly acting so abnormally?

"Russia...what's the matter?" I asked quietly. Russia looked back at me and blinked in confusion. "Matter? What matter?"

"Well...you. You're not...acting right." I answered slowly. "Oh? Am I not?" Russia questioned. He sounded genuinely clueless. "...No. No, you're not." I shifted awkwardly in my chair. "Did something happen, Russia? I-I just don't understand why you're asking me all this, and at such a random time too." Russia tightened his hands together so much that they trembled. "L-Look, I may be able to help you if you just tell me what's going on, because...I'm lost." I said, trying not to stumble over my words.

Russia was silent for a long while. His eyes were cast downwards, reflecting that complicated expression that I didn't understand. For what felt like minutes of silence so thick you could cut through it with a knife, we sat there, me nervously clutching the fabric of my trousers while waiting for him to speak up, and he sitting there in his quietness, thinking to himself as if I wasn't there.

"Have you heard of my elder sister?" I nearly jumped out of my seat when Russia finally spoke, and thus my mind barely registered the question. "U-Um, your sister?" Russia looked up at me. "You have met my younger sister Belarus, correct?" I repressed a shudder at the thought of her, and nodded. "You see, I have another sister. She is the eldest of us."

I perked up slightly when I realized who he was talking about. "Oh, you mean Ukraine. Yes, I know of her." I gestured around the room with my eyes. "I was actually wondering about her, in fact. I thought she would be living here as well." Russia bit his lower lip and narrowed his eyes.

"...Is she not?" I asked with a delicate tone. Russia lowered his head, casting a shadow over the top of his face with his bangs. He shook his head slowly. "...No. At least...not now." I drew my brows together in confusion. His tone suggested that, though Ukraine didn't live here now, she most likely did in the recent past. "...And why is that?" I asked cautiously.

Russia's eyes narrowed even more, further complicating his already complex expression. It almost seemed like he was in some sort of pain, but confused at the same time. "...Russia? Did something happen to your sister?" I tried again, a bit firmer this time.

The Russian looked at me this time. He opened his mouth slowly as if to say something, but then shut it again. He repeated this a couple more times, his eyes darting back and forth between me and the flag on his desk. It seemed Russia had a case of 'cat got your tongue.'

I meanwhile, tried to piece together what this might mean. I thought through all the segments from the show that had to do with Ukraine, and as fate would have it, came up empty-handed. There...there were never any serious situations or scenarios in which Ukraine played a role. Not one! The closest would be when Russia thought back to their childhoods and how he and his siblings got along as children, but this obviously had nothing to do with any of that! Was this possibly an event not depicted in the anime? If that was the case, then how could I help him if he couldn't open up and tell me what was going on!? I may be an embodiment of future knowledge, but it wasn't like I could just go inside my own head and access any of it with the touch of a-

"December 24th through the 26th, 1943...the Soviets launch offensives on the Ukrainian front."

I took a sharp intake of breath. 'Wha-what is...How are-'

"December 24th through the 26th, 1943. The Soviets launch offensives on the Ukrainian front." The voice repeated.

"What!?" I unconsciously exclaimed aloud, clutching my head. I completely missed the startled look on Russia's face. A humorous thing it certainly would have been to see, as Russia hardly ever shows such an expression, but my attention was somewhere else entirely.

'The Soviets? But wait, that's the Russian army...s-so that means-' Before I could finish my thought, another one completely interrupted me. A memory, to be exact. It was from my eighth-grade World History class, where we had been assigned a project that was to be done in teams of three: a project to create a detailed timeline of WWII.

Our team was given the year 1943. It took the whole class period to complete, while tolerating a rather annoying boy who couldn't keep his mouth shut for more than five seconds. It was the final event written on our part of the timeline...and I was the one who wrote it down. On December 24th, the Soviet Union launched an offensive on Ukraine. Attacked them.

I bent over in my seat while holding my head, feeling like someone was squeezing my brain from the inside. I didn't hear Russia call my name in confusion. I was far too conflicted to focus on anything other than the sickening news I'd just heard.

"Russia..." I said, barely above a whisper. "...You've been turned against your own sister." I didn't say it as an accusation. I said it as the horrible fact it was.

I didn't lift my head to see Russia's reaction. I didn't think I wanted to know what he looked like at that moment. "...Ah. So you do know." His tone was not something I can bring myself to explain. Not that words can even begin to clarify such an emotion.

Everything now made sense. Why Ukraine wasn't here. And why no one spoke of her. Who knows, maybe this event had had its own effect on everyone in the house.

Russia spoke again, I believe asking something about the fate of his sister. Understandable. But I-

"I... don't know." I whispered. "I just...don't know anything about that. Nothing..."

Nothing. One of my allies was genuinely asking me for help, and what did I have to show for them? Nothing. Nothing.

Russia had practically kidnapped me...because he was in trouble. Because of his older sister...his own sister, whom he'd been forced to attack. What...where had this even COME FROM!? Are all the events from the actual war suddenly coming into play in this one!?

Was it because I was here? Were the changes that Ancient Britain warned me about finally coming about?

But why? Why now? This was the last full year of the war, why were all the real events only coming up now? What did this world have against me!?

I was confused. I was overwhelmed. I was guilt-ridden. I was angry. I... I didn't know what I was supposed to do.

"I'm sorry..." I vaguely heard myself whisper. "I'm so sorry..." I really was a horrible advisor. At this point, I would be willing to tell Russia about anything that had to do with Ukraine. How would her country turn out after this incident? What would become of their relationship? Is she going to be okay? I didn't know.

I didn't know.

My chest tightened, and it became difficult to breath.

I felt terribly guilty. Both for my pitiful lack of decent knowledge, and for the way I'd treated Russia these past days. Didn't I once call him my friend? Isn't that what I told him?

Some friend I was.

But even more than feeling guilty about this whole damn thing, I felt angry. Angry at the bastards that made Russia attack his sister. Angry at myself for not being able to do my job. Angry at this world for being so #$%^&! COMPLICATED!

What was its problem!? Why was it all cutesy, ridiculous, light, stupid humor and fun times one moment, then treacherously dark, merciless, horrible, and torturous the next!? Why couldn't it just make up its damn mind about what it wanted to pass off as something funny, and what it wanted to make a serious, big deal!? Couldn't it at the very least give me a hint!? I don't know, a sign, a puzzle piece, a connection, anyth-

Pain suddenly erupted in my head, even worse than before. I gasped and clutched my head and my necklace at the same time.

Images started flashing in my head.

Switzerland finding Liechtenstein in the rain.

A familiar-looking man and woman who's names I couldn't place, standing at a table and talking.

Chibitalia/Italy crying as she/he watched Holy Roman Empire sail away forever.

...America and Britain on the night of the Revolutionary War.

They were all segments from the anime, and in the actual animation too. It was strange to see them all back in their animation after being with them IRL for so long.

The images came to a stop, leaving behind a dull ache in my head. For a moment, I was thoroughly confused, and a little afraid. I knew those images had been trying to tell me something. And though I guess I should have been contemplating how in the hell I even saw them in the first place, I frankly didn't give a flip about any of that.

Just like before, it almost seemed like my own thoughts...my own memory had answered my cries somehow. Was that the hint I'd been asking for? What did it...mean? Since it had shown me multiple...scenes, I guessed that there must be a connection between them that was the answer. The first obvious similarity was that the scenes were all parts of the few serious moments of Hetalia.

...Was it telling me that there was a connection in all the serious moments of Hetalia?

I thought about the situations. They were all significantly different, so it couldn't be related to that.

I thought about the characters. The random couple certainly didn't fit in with all the countries, and the countries themselves in the different scenes didn't have any great relationships with one another. The only similarities I saw among the individual characters in the individual scenes was that: A, there were two major characters in each scene. B, they all clearly had a history with each other. And C, those characters all cared about each other in some...way...

...

...Oh.

...Ah.

I see.

Family.

The answer was family.

...I guess even Hetalia gets into all that cheese, huh?

I realized that in every single serious Hetalia moment, it always had something to do with characters that were, or at least considered each other to be family, with something going among them. In America and Britain's case for example, it was separation.

...I guess love would probably be a better word for it.

Ha. Love. Just like the answer for pretty much 99% of the world's problems, huh? I mean, apparently it can melt a frozen heart, so y'know, why not? Since when did Hetalia turn into Disney, anyway? Or the Hallmark channel...

A lump formed in my throat. It was hard to swallow it.

I'd misjudged Russia terribly. Yes, he did somewhat kidnap me. Yes, he did want information given to him that I hadn't told the others yet. But it was all for a perfectly understandable reason. I was an only child, so I couldn't really relate to how he felt, but if that was, say, Jamey and I in this situation... Damn, I would have done the same thing in a heartbeat.

"...You seem very distressed about something." Russia said suddenly. He hadn't spoken that whole time, gratefully. "...Because my friend is hurting, and I can't do anything to help him." I answered quietly, still not lifting my head.

I meant it. I didn't care what he thought of our relationship. I didn't care if my opinion would be changed later. At that moment, Russia was my friend. I didn't say it because I was trying to save my own skin, or try and make it easier for us to work together. Not this time.

This time-even if the moment didn't last long-Russia was a friend that I cared about. That must be what the ache in my chest was about. When was the last time I felt physically pained for a friend?

"Pain comes naturally with such relations. 'Tis the price of caring for someone."

'Please, no more, I've had enough sappiness to last me a month.' I answered the voice wearily. Before it could reply, I felt a sudden weight on my head.

"You still say the strangest of things, Jinjer." I stiffened and lifted my head. Russia was standing in front of me with his large hand atop my head. I blinked owlishly at him, and he sent a small, genuine smile back. He patted my head a few times, and I just continued to stare dumbly.

"Y-You, um...I mean, you're not...mad?" I stuttered. Russia removed his hand and crossed his arms, as if thinking about it. "Hmm...I suppose not. I do not have the urging to smash your head into a thousand tiny little pieces. Strange, da?" He smiled his usual creepy little smile again. I gulped. "Y-Yea..."

Russia's smile fell, and he furrowed his brows. "Why are you such a puzzling thing, Jinjer?" I blinked. "...Um, elaborate please?" Russia walked over to the large office window, looking through the gap in the curtains. "I cannot. Because I do not know what it is about you that puzzles me so." He looked back at me. "One moment you are chiding me, the next you call me your friend. Do you not see that as strange?" I shrank back in my seat a little. "Oh. I'm sorry about that. I was completely out of line. And...it was completely wrong."

It seemed my apology just made him more confused. "Like that." Russia said, pointing at me. "Why do you act so differently?" I shrugged helplessly. "...I really don't know what you mean. It could be...um, you know how every country has its own culture, and so everyone born into that culture acts at least a little differently from a person from another country?" This might be a comparison he'd understand.

Russia nodded. "Well, think of me like that, except my culture is from an entirely different world rather than just a different country." I shrugged again. "That's the best explanation I have for you. I don't entirely understand how you think I'm different, and that's probably because I come from so far away. It's a huuuge cultural difference."

That was mostly the truth. I knew I was different from them in a few very big significant ways, but trying to explain dimensional 'rules' or whatever to them when I didn't even understand them myself would be a trip that I didn't want to endure.

But I hadn't thought that...they'd be able to notice it themselves. Of course, since this was the world of Hetalia, everyone viewed and reacted to things and situations much differently than I tended to. I thought they would just brush it off as a weird quirk of mine, hell, everyone else seemed to have one of those. I guess I was wrong.

Russia put his hand to his chin, and nodded thoughtfully. "Hm... I never thought of that. That is quite interesting. I am becoming increasingly glad you came to my house."

'And we're back on this again...' I thought. Russia sat back down at his desk. "I think...I will choose to believe your words, Jinjer. Even though they are not in my favor." I averted my eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't know anything that can help Ukraine." Russia nodded again. "You have already made that clear." He looked down and narrowed his eyes again. I still couldn't place what kind of emotion this strange expression of his was supposed to give off.

"She turns out better though." I blurted. Russia looked up in surprise. "You...do know then?" I shook my head, mentally kicking myself for not controlling my tongue again. "I mean, in the far future. I don't know what kind of...affects the rest of the war will have on her, or how long they'll last."

I doubted it would be a good idea to tell him about Ukraine's recent struggles with Russia, and the ongoing crisis happening there right now. That was the last thing he needed to hear.

Russia hummed thoughtfully. "I see." He smiled. "Thank you for your time, Jinjer. I have meeting with my boss scheduled soon, so you may go now. We shall speak more later on." I blinked dumbly for a moment, in disbelief of the fact that we were finally through with this. "O-Oh, okay. I'll be going then." I stood from my seat and headed for the door.

I opened it, but just before I stepped through the door I was stopped. "Jinjer." I turned back around. "Yes?" Russia averted his eyes, looking almost nervous. "May I ask one more thing of you?"

"Um, sure." Russia looked down at his desk, tapping his fingers against the back of his folded hands. "The next time I see my sister, Ukraine...what do you recommend I say to her?"

My eyes widened. Though the question was unexpected, it didn't take long for an answer to come to me.

"Just tell her you love her."

...

A few days passed at Russia's house, and I was starting to feel a bit stir-crazy. After living with America and being forced to adjust to his crazy, on-the-fly way of living, staying inside a single home for four days straight was different for me. Not that I had much of a choice though, it was so blisteringly cold outside with all the snow that continued to fall each day, that getting away from the house and into the city would be an adventure in itself.

...Plus, there was the whole war thing still going on, and add that to the fact that I was in Russia-which was still a communist country at the moment-going out into the public might not be the greatest idea.

But thankfully I did have plenty of company there with me, who were the Baltic states most the time. They were the only ones I saw regularly. Russia spent a lot of time in his office, and came out at various times throughout the day. His schedule seemed to be an "I do things when I feel like it" type schedule.

Belarus-ugh, Belarus-I thanked whatever kind of being that might be watching over this world that I only ran into her again one time. It was the day before this one, and she and I just happened to run into each other in the one of the halls. We'd stared at each other for a whole minute before all hell broke loose.

...That's what you thought would happen, right? Ha! Psych!

Well, we did stare at each other dumbly for a minute, but all she did after that was scowl and walk past me like I wasn't even worth her time. I guess I should be offended by that, but really I'm just grateful to still be living.

I also asked Russia what he'd said to Belarus that first night after dinner to get her to stop trying to rip my head off. He'd smiled and said that he told his sister that I would be able to help with Ukraine's situation, which quelled her temper just enough for her to tolerate my presence there. Then he'd laughed and advised me not to let her know that I didn't actually do anything, because then she'd come after me again.

I hid in my room and sulked after that.

After Russia and I's little talk and another day or so staying in his house, I was able to put aside the remaining suspicions I'd been holding onto about him for a long time. I saw that in many ways, such as the way that he treated the Baltics and the way he responded to situations when they didn't go how he wanted, Russia was kind of like a big child. He had the power, strength, and understanding of an adult nation, but in his personality and basic mentality, Russia was like a little kid who'd just learned the concept of "If I say I'll punch these kids, they'll give me their lunch money."

Although Russia did bully the Baltic States quite often, I realized that he didn't do it to be mean: he did it because he truly didn't know any better. He was never taught how to treat people that were close to him from years of growing up in war and poverty. And when you think about it, isn't the way that Russia treats the Baltics the same way an eight-year-old boy would treat his annoying little sister, or kids that he considered his friends?

Even on Hetalia Wiki, if I recalled correctly, Russia was described as having 'the cruelty of a child.' He was completely unaware of how his treatment affected those around him. Why? Because to him, that was his strange, twisted little way of showing fondness. It's just...the way that Russia was.

Now granted, I knew from past conversations with the Russian nation that he wasn't oblivious to what people thought of him. My guess is he's just really, really, really good at ignoring it, or maybe he just doesn't care. We'll never know for sure.

That also explains why Russia looked so pitifully conflicted when he was trying to confess what he'd done to Ukraine. Most likely, he wasn't sure how to handle the pain and guilt he felt, or maybe he didn't even understand what he'd been feeling at all. A child certainly wouldn't know what to think if they were carrying something like that.

But enough of all that now. I think it's time I wrapped up how this little visit came to an end.

...Sort of.

I was in the library playing chess with Estonia around noon. Yea, don't ask me to explain, but Estonia had taken a liking to playing chess with me. I think it was because I was the only one willing to play with him. According to Estonia, Latvia wasn't very interested in the game, and Lithuania had bad memories with it.

Something about Poland, and poor Lithuania being forced to do embarrassing things when he "lost" the game.

Anyway, I was losing to the brilliant Estonian as usual, Latvia was watching us with a bored expression, and RC was curled up on my lap.

I'd started calling Russia-cat "RC" for short, since it was weird to call two...beings...by the name of "Russia."

Suddenly, a huge BANG echoed through the house, making us all jump in shock. "W-W-What is that!?" Estonia exclaimed. "On no! What if some monster has broken into the house!?" Latvia said fearfully.

Then Lithuania ran in. "M-Miss Jinjer! You may want to come downstairs for a moment!" My eyes widened. "Oh no..." I rushed to the stairwell and made it halfway through the big entrance hall before-

BANG! The entire house shook from the impact, and the huge front doors busted open. "VIIICTORRRRYYYY!"

I didn't even have the energy to groan.

Standing there, covered from head to foot in snow, was-

Do I even need to say it?

"America!" I exclaimed, watching as snow from outside poured into the house. I hadn't realized how high it was.

America let out a surprised yelp. "JINJER!" Barely a second later, I was unceremoniously swept off my feet, and not in a very romantic way. "JINJER! DUDETTE! THANK GOD! DO NOT FEAR A MOMENT LONGER, YOUR HERO HAS ARRIVED TO RESCUE YOU!" I was spun around in the arms of my country and nearly had my eardrums blown out of my head.

"AMERICA, PUT ME DOOOWN!" I yelled back. Just then, I was practically yanked away from the U.S, and before I could even process what had happened, the one who'd taken hold of me spoke. "Shame on you, Amerique! Zhat is no way to treat a damsel who is in distress!" I looked up and blinked rapidly. "Y-You're here too, France!?"

France looked down at me and flashed a charming smile. "Oui. You 'ave nozhing to fret about for moi is 'ere to ensure your safety!" America let out an annoyed growl before I could say anything. "HEY! What are you doing taking other people's citizens!? I'm the hero saving Jinjer here, so put her down!"

France glared at America. "Per'aps you should 'ave zhought of zhat before you left her alone to be kidnapped!" Tick marks dotted America's forehead. "THAT WASN'T MY FAULT!"

They began to argue, and before I could intervene, a sudden rush went through me, and the scenery before me changed. I was in yet another pair of arms, and made the mistake of looking down and... saw the bottom of the first floor. I screamed and clutched to whoever was holding me now.

"You guys do the rescuing all wrong, aru! Can't you western country do anything?" I looked up to my new 'savior' in shock. "You too, China!?"

China was crouching upon the railing of the second floor, and carrying me at the same time. Thus, to me, it seemed like I was being suspended directly over a twelve-foot drop to a stone flooring.

"HEY! THE HELL, CHINA!? YOU LOOK LIKE A VILLAIN HOLDING HER UP THERE!" America shouted. "It not like you two were doing any better job, aru!" China shot back, looking down at France and America. The Baltics were hiding around the corner, all nervously peeking out from behind the wall at what was going on.

I shakily tapped on China's shoulder to get his attention. "U-Um, c-could we go back down to the floor, please? I am not a fan of heights."

China sighed and stood up straight on the railing. "Very well, aru."

"Huh!? N-No, wait, don't juUUUUMMMPPP!" I screamed as China leaped back down to the bottom floor. The moment I felt us hit the ground safely, I struggled in China's hold. "OKAY! I've had enough of being carried for one day, thank you all!" I scrambled out of his arms, and stumbled back when my feet finally hit the ground again.

I ran into something, and flinched when I felt two hands on my shoulders. "Don't worry. I won't pick you up." I relaxed when I heard the person's voice. "Britain..." I said breathlessly as I turned around. Britain eyed me up and down as I breathed heavily, trying to recover from...whatever the heck you call what I just went through.

"Are you alright?" The Englishman asked. I snorted. "Aside from the fact that I was just practically harassed? I'm good." I eyed the other three Allies, who were arguing amongst themselves. "Did he do anything to you?" Britain asked sternly. I paused. "Um...well, you see-"

"Oh my, would you look at this. All the Allied forces, gathered at my home. This is rare occasion indeed, da?" Britain glared up at the new arrival to the room, as did everyone else.

"AUUGGHH! YOU!" America shouted, pointing up at Russia. Said nation waved cheerfully from the top floor. "Welcome to my home."

America dashed forward, fully prepared to lung at Russia, but China and France held him back. "LEMME AT HIM! LEMME AT HIM! I'LL SHOW THAT COMMIE BASTARD WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO MESS WITH AMERICA! LET GO, DAMMIT!" America yelled loudly, thrashing against France and China's hold. Russia laughed and walked down the stairs at a slow pace, taunting the U.S like the subtle sadist that he was.

America growled and struggled harder. I was surprised that France and China were able to hold him back at all, but they were starting to struggle too. "Should we do something about this?" I asked half-heartedly. "No, I propose we stay out of it for as long as possible." Britain answered. I looked at him. "Why are all of you here anyway?" The Englishman raised a brow. "Why would we not be?"

I blinked, not expecting such an answer. "W-Well, I... I don't know. I just wasn't expecting it, I guess." I said sheepishly, scratching my neck. Britain hmphed. "We practically had no choice, what with the way America called every one of us a hundred times until we answered, then proceeded to scream about how you had been kidnapped by Russia and we all had to go and rescue you at once." He glanced at me from the corner of his eye. "And that was the non-explicit explanation."

I chuckled. "Why doesn't that surprise me?"

"RUSSSIIIIAAAA!" America's yell turned our attention back to the struggle. America broke loose from China and France and lunged at Russia, who just side-stepped out of the way, causing America to tumble and smack into one of the support pillars. I winced involuntarily. "He'll be fine." Britain said with assurance. Sure enough, America got right back up as if nothing had happened and attacked the Russian nation.

...Or at least he tried to. All that was going on as far as I could see was a cartoon-like fight. You know, smoke enveloping them, a body part sticking out every so often, all that.

"Urgh-! TAKE THAT, COMMIE!"

"Ahahaha! Silly America never learns, da?"

"Hey! What you doing standing there like imbecile? Why don't you go do something, aru?" China said to France, who scoffed in response. "Zhere is no way in hell I'm jumping in zhere. Why don't you, oh old and wise one?" The Frenchman mocked. China sent France an irritated glance. He turned towards the ongoing tussle, and pushed his sleeves up. "Fine then! I will show you stupid western countries the power of true master, aru!"

But before any of that could even begin to happen...she showed up. I'm sure everyone knows by now.

Yep, that dark aura plucked straight out of hell itself filled the room. A shudder of fear ran down my spine, as well as everyone else's judging by the way they all froze up. "Big brother..."

Russia trembled. Belarus stepped out from behind one of the pillars, her glare as dark and frightening as ever. "Big brothers' foolish allies are here...how dare they all come here and try to take my brother away!"

Just as I thought it couldn't get any worse-

"HAHAHAHAHA!" America stepped forward, the only one in the house unperturbed by Belarus. Probably because of his terrible skill in reading the atmosphere. "What!? You think I actually WANT this guy!? After what he did, he can go die in a wood chipper for all I care!" Belarus growled at America. "HOW DARE YOU!" She whipped out a knife and ran towards the U.S. For a moment, I was genuinely worried I might have to go intervene, but-

"AUUGGGHHH! WHAT'S WITH THIS CHICK!?" -thankfully America was smart enough to start running away. I buried my face in my hands and groaned. "This is one of those moments when I wish I didn't know him..." I mumbled pitifully. "I know exactly what you mean." Britain replied in monotone.

Seeing his chance, Russia tried to slip away and escape his sister, but China and France blocked him. But it didn't last long.

"GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!" Not liking how close the other two nations were in proximity to Russia, she shifted her focus onto them. They both jumped out of her way, leaving Russia exposed to the wrath of his sibling. "You see, brother!?" Belarus shouted, making Russia flinch. "Do you see what that wench has done by coming here!? Now our house is filled with incompetents!"

I noticed Britain bristle in offense to that comment.

Belarus suddenly turned towards me. I darted behind Britain as a last resort to hide myself somehow. I tell you, if looks had the ability to kill, I swear half of Europe would be dead and gone by now because of Belarus.

"YOU! I knew you would bring nothing but trouble!" I could almost feel her pointing at me accusingly. Britain eyed me from over his shoulder. "You may want to consider running away."

"Y-You too." I mumbled back.

The next moment, I found myself jumping to the right, and Britain to the left as Belarus popped up seemingly out of nowhere and swiped at us with her knife. Don't wonder how we did it, you could literally sense her coming from a mile away.

And so, I ran...again.

And she chased me...again.

And of course, much yelling and screaming ensued.

"DIE YOU TRESPASSING WENCH!"

"I'M JUST THE ADVISOOOR!"

...

You would not believe how long it took to calm everyone down enough to actually start having civil conversations. Russia and America were both a little banged up from their weird, cartoon fight, so then we had to get them taken care of before we could all sit down and talk about the past few days. We all gathered in the parlor, all us Allies minus Russia sitting on one side, as America wouldn't let me within ten feet of him, Belarus peeking in occasionally from around the corner, and the Baltics dropped in a few times to serve refreshments on Russia's orders. I'm pretty sure they eavesdropped from outside for the rest of the time.

Then we-or, I guess I should say "they" since I didn't do much talking-spent over an hour scolding and chiding Russia like a strict mother would do to her misbehaving child. They ranted on about how what Russia did was wrong, disrespectful to the Allies, uncalled for, and any other backlashing-comment you could think of. I was a bit nervous that this may result in something serious and possibly cause a huge, awful change to the storyline-

-but in the end, it turned out to be rather uneventful. All they did was make Russia swear to never do something like this ever again, otherwise there would be more dire consequences for his actions. Russia promised (or at least made it seem like he did) and the whole thing finally ended.

Of course, not everyone was satisfied with how it was resolved. "Yeah, well I still don't like you! And I sure as hell don't trust you after what you pulled!" America proclaimed angrily. "Jinjer?" I turned my attention away from RC, who I'd been stroking on my lap, to the one who'd said my name. "Yes, Britain?"

"Have you told Russia anything?" He asked, casting a suspicious glance towards Russia. I averted my eyes. "No. Not a thing." I looked at Russia from the corner of my eye. He was smiling a little.

"Never mind about that! I still say that he deserves some sort of punishment for taking Jinjer!" America said. "Oh yea, about that. There's something I've been meaning to say to you, my friend." I said, drawing attention to me. I stood up, walked up to the U.S, and delivered a solid punch to his stomach.

America reeled back. "W-WHA-What was that for Jinjer!?"

"Don't give me that! Why didn't you tell me Russia had called you the night before he came to get me!? He told you he was coming and everything!" America blinked owlishly. "He what!?" Britain exclaimed. The others all shot America surprised looks. "Is zhat true!?" France questioned.

America pouted and rubbed the back of his head. "M-Maybe..." The others let out groans filled with exasperation. "You stupid American nation know absolutely nothing, aru!" China exclaimed, his accent slipping through more than usual. France put a hand to his face and mumbled something in French under his breath. And Britain completely face palmed.

"Why did you not tell us this before!?" The UK shouted. "Hey, back off! If you'da seen the way I spit in that commie's face over the phone and sent 'im running for the hills, you'd see why I didn't think it was a big deal!" Another groan echoed throughout the room. "So as usual, it was your shite arrogance that resulted in disaster." Britain mumbled in despair.

"B-But hey, c'mon give me some credit here! The minute I found out Jinjer'd been taken, I rounded up all of us and came to the rescue! Right, Jinjer?" America said. "Then why did it take you four days to get here?" I asked. America immediately deflated. "We were all stationed in separate locations across the East, so we it took us a while to meet up." Britain explained. "And I had problems in my production line to fix before I went anywhere else, aru." China added.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Alright, alright. So, what now? Are we going to stay here and argue for the rest of the day?"

"No!" America and Britain yelled in unison. "I'd razher die..." France said. "I also want to leave now, aru." Said China. Britain stood from his seat. "I do believe we should be going now. I've had quite enough of this for one day."

"I don't think that will be happening."

All heads turned to Russia, who was looking outside the window. "Eh!?"

"You don't actually believe you can hold all of us prisoner here, do you?" Britain said nervously. Russia shook his head. "Not at all. Look." He pointed out the window. A few of us went over to look. "W-What's zhis!?" France exclaimed. "Dude, it's white, like, everywhere!" America observed.

Britain's eyes widened. "Wait a tick... where have the cars gone? And why does the ground seem so close? Are we not on the second floor?" Russia grinned. "It seems the latest blizzard has buried half the house in snow, da?"

"WHAT!?"

"You have got to be kidding me..." I mumbled in shock. "HAHA! Who cares about some lousy snow? We'll just wade through it!" America proclaimed. Meanwhile, a dark cloud of misery had descended on everyone else. Except Russia of course.

"I'm afraid that will do you no good, Mr. America. Even if you do manage to step out onto the snow without falling through it to your death, how do you propose you will get your cars going?"

America slowly paled in realization. "Uh, well I-"

"It looks like everyone is stuck here with me, then. Shame, da?" Russia said, grinning more than ever. The Allies started to sweat nervously. "So, unless you all wish to put on snowshoes and walk across my country, it looks like we will all be sleeping over at my house."

That's when the nations snapped out of it. Everyone started yelling strongly in protest at once, while Russia pleasantly dodged the items they threw at him. I just stood there shell-shocked.

As if things couldn't get worse, Belarus popped out from behind the couch. "BIG BROOOOTHEEEER..." Everyone including Russia screamed and darted to the opposite side of the room.

As for me, I took advantage of the chaos to leave the parlor, carrying RC in my arms. I met the Baltics in the hallway. "I-It doesn't sound like everyone is very happy in there." Lithuania said. "They're not." I answered in monotone. "W-What if they all continue the war in this very house!?" Latvia said nervously. "Wouldn't be surprised." I replied, making poor Latvia freeze up in fear. "It looks like you'll be setting a few extra places at the table tonight." I said to Lithuania, who blinked in surprise.

Estonia gave me a sympathetic smile, somehow understanding my partial-sarcasm. "You seem quite distressed. Anything we can do for you?" I nodded wearily. "...How about we go back to the library, and you can beat me at chess some more." Estonia nodded. "Of course."

I sighed as we walked down the halls, the echoes of yelling and fighting still audible. "It's gonna be a loooong night."

*shuffles feet* Uuuummm...extra long chapter in compensation for my absence? *gets hit with tomato* ...thought so.

Okay, I'm not going to sit here and throw a bunch of half-assed excuses at you for suddenly going MIW (missing in writing) but I do think you guys deserve a bit of an explanation. The sad truth is, I simply don't have the time to write like I used to. The summer has been hard on me. I took two summer classes, a summer job, had tons of personal issues, a death in the family...yeah. Plus, this past week I started back at an actual school for the first time since elementary school. You see, I've been homeschooled for many years, but now that my father went and got a job as a teacher, I was more or less forced to attend the school he teaches at. But there is a upside to that. Since I'm going to be so busy this year, and the only way I'll be able to get ANYTHING done is if I stick to a decent schedule, that means that I'll also have a schedule for writing. I'm going to have at least a bit of time in each week to just sit down and write, so though I cannot guarantee that my updates will get back to the same pace as before, I think they'll at least start being a bit more constant. Please hear me and believe me that I do not, DO NOT want to become that author that only ever updates their stories when they feel like it. That is the last thing I ever wanted to do to you guys. All I can ask is that you all have faith in me that I will continue this story, and I will finish it.

Also, I wanted to add a personal apology to Nightwatching, and UltimateFan-girl15, who both PMed me during my absence to ask when I was updating. I told them both certain dates, and both times I failed to deliver on those dates, and for that, I apologize.

One last thing before I go, one of my dear readers by the name of Agent Moonlight just published the first chapter of her very first OC hetalia story! She acknowledged my story in hers, so I will return the favor and acknowledge her here. Go check out her story and show her support, she deserves it!

Until next the next time. Thank you all so much for your continued support. It means so much for a second-hand author. :)

Kaze, over & out.