A/N: I orignally planned to uplaod this thing last night, but since FF was bitching at me and wouldn't let me upload anything, this is late. 8^

I don't blame you if you don't remember the stuff that happened, so... Yeah. Anyway, I originally planned this to be a single chapter, but since I noticed that it already hit my 10,000-word mark, I thought I'd make two separate chapters. And since I felt like being such a pansy, I made it to a two-part chapter twenty five. Instead of just making a twenty-sixth chapter. I'm such a pansy, noh? LOL Anyway, I hope you like (IDK, really, IDKKKKKKK) this.

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Chapter 25.1

She remained rooted to the spot, standing before the great oak doors that met in the middle. It was evident that they were of superb quality, taking into consideration the fascinating carvings, the depth and even the varnish that coated them. Yes, they were the great oak doors that kept her from the person most dear to her.

She lifted a tremulous hand to reach the knob, but immediately drew back the moment she realized what she was about to do. Although, she was yet to be aware of the length of time she had unconsciously spent on agitated hesitation.

"I... I should probably knock first," she told herself as a temporary solution to calm herself. To think that she barely slept the previous night thinking about her feat. "Yes. I-I should."

With restrained efforts, and her breathing more so restrained, she struggled to make another attempt. As she raised a hand, her mind took action.

This is it. Things have finally come to this... I can do this. I know I can. I'm sure of it. I'll... I'll tell him. Finally. Finally. After so long...

The moment she had finally fashioned herself a strong enough resolve to tap her delicate fist to the wall that separated her from her brother, the doors had been parted. Men in suits, around four or five of them, were on their way out, conversing with each other and looking quite satisfied. On their faces sat smug, broad smiles. They passed her and she, too, had been given a nod and a grin. When they had all disappeared out to the hall, someone all too familiar stood in the doorway, staring at her with a puzzled face. She was too distracted to notice that the blond had been there from the moment the doors had been opened.

"Liech? Shouldn't you be at home by now?"

"Choir practice... Ended a little late today. The pieces were a little difficult and some were in Latin. The other members of the choir had a hard time memorizing the lyrics," she answered in all simplicity.

"Really... Well, why don't you come inside, then?"

Somehow, she managed to hold a calm composure long enough until they both settled with fresh cups of tea and a plate of Swiss chocolate biscuits. Vash asked his assistant to leave for a while. She gladly obliged, and waved at Liechtenstein before she made her exit.

"So, what brings you here? You usually head straight home."

"You see, I... I wanted to tell you something," she said, discreetly concealing the shaking of her hands by putting down her cup and reaching for a biscuit, they were her favorite. She distracted herself for a second as she stared at the printing on the chocolate biscuit.

"Then, it must be important, since you didn't even wait for me to come home." He cocked his head to the side as he thought for a second. "Tell me, did someone bully you or something? Just say so. I have my favorite just over there," he pointed to one of the walls, where his vintage musket hung waiting.

"No, no, it isn't anything like that," she said, holding up her hands. "It's different..." She finished half of the pastry before taking her cup again and hiding her face behind her tea. She could feel warmth spreading across her cheeks. Seconds ticked away and she knew she had to tell him soon. She found it hard to get the biscuit down her throat.

"Okay. So, what did you want to tell me?"

This is it.

She sipped some tea to help clear her parched throat. "You see, I..."

I will tell him.

"It has been a long while," she began, the heat on her cheeks grow by the second. She refused to think how pink, or red, her face had probably already become. "I have wanted to tell you this for quite a long time now, but unfortunately," she paused and felt her eyes gradually dampening, "I never really had the courage to." Her brother looked at her with growing curiosity. "O-Of course, I have always taken into consideration the morality of things, and all of that, but... Now, I simply can not see the point of keeping it any longer."

Her shoulders stiffened as if gravity had doubled on her. She ignored it, took a breath and lifted her gaze at him with a determined spark in her eyes.

"Vash, I love you."

As the words slipped from her lips, she expected a lot of things to happen. She expected her brother to stare at her with disbelief, indignation, disgust or any other hurtful or degrading expression, and then yell at her for thinking of something horridly distasteful, inappropriate, or immoral or anything. Then, dismiss her from his sight, refuse to talk to her for a considerably length of time, and live an awkward life with her from then on. That was what she feared. That was precisely what she wanted last.

She caught herself dumbfounded with what she saw: the older blond's lips curved themselves into an amused smile.

"That's sweet of you, Leich. I love you, too," he replied, not different from how he usually does.

Her brows furrowed, her breath was caught somewhere in her lungs, her mouth hung a quarter open, and not a single sound came forth. Words refused her. Her eyes glimmered in dampness and emotion. She felt something sharp and pointed stab her chest deeply, piercing through her flesh and reaching her heart. It was failure's blade.

"Th-That... That isn't..." She stuttered. "Vash..." Her voice broke on a subtle, delicate note.

He frowned. The sound of the chair scraping the floor ripped through the room, and the next image was that of the elder blond crouching in front of his precious little sister with his warm hands propped on each of her shoulders. "Liech? Is there something wrong?"

Liechtenstein averted her face; she was ashamed of the fact that she wasn't able to hold back the big, fat tears in each of her turquoise eyes.

I knew it... I just knew it... I failed. I failed pathetically. She told herself. Every last shred of hope was torn. What was I even thinking?

"Liech?" Seeing her in such a state, he sighed helplessly. He had seen her like that a few times already. He knew what he must do. "Come here," he cooed soothingly as he pulled his sister in a warm embrace. She obliged, and dug her face into her brother's chest, like she had always done. "Now, why don't you tell big brother what's bothering you?"

He heard and felt her sob.

"Vash... You don't understand. I already told you what was bothering me," she said with her voice terribly muffled that he had difficulty decoding the words. "I did... I didn't mean it that way."

He stroked her hair back and tucked some behind her ear so he could see her face. "What do you mean, then?"

"I love you," she said, frustrated with herself. "I love you not like a sister loves her brother. This is different. I do not know what it is, but, I love you, Vash... So much..." She trailed, still muffled. She didn't care about anything anymore. She paid no heed to the sound of the air conditioning; she disregarded the half-eaten chocolate biscuit on her plate; she was numb to the embarrassment that had been gnawing on her. At that moment, her world revolved around only one person: Vash. Everything about him.

She felt him chuckle, amused but gentle. She held back from making unnecessary sounds. Her face was still buried in his chest, so she strained to hear better.

"You love me?"

He felt her nod.

"You love me that way?"

Another nod. Another gentle chuckle.

"What? Why are you laughing?"

"It's probably bizarre, and probably wrong in some way, but I love you, too, Liech."

Her face remained in Vash's chest, and her arms slid around his waist to return his embrace. The Swiss's lips curved into a subtle smile as he tightened his arms around her.

She cried harder.

With the two confessions, something between them was forever shattered, scattered into a million shards, never to be whole again. But the thing that broke was in turn replaced by something sturdier, perhaps, than the previous. A bond that transcends dimensions.

And the room was further drenched in the soft, orange glow of the sun resigning to the other side of the horizon.

_Ho~hum_

Three knocks.

"Come in," the young woman behind the desk said, momentarily withdrawing herself from the tedious papers she had been skimming through. Tucking her hair behind her ear, she looked up and at once recognized the iconic blond cowlick paired with glasses. She grinned reminiscently at the sight. "I think you already know you can't come here without an appointment. And aren't you supposed to be in your own office minding people's teeth?"

"First of all, your secretary said you weren't doing anything, so I went right in. And second, I don't have anything to do for more than an hour."

She took a glimpse of her watch and shrugged. "Fine. I'm free for about thirty minutes."

He beamed. "Can I sit down?"

She held out a hand, offering the seat in front of her desk. "So, what's up?"

"Well..." He began. "You see, I wanted to, hmm... How should I put this? Let's see... I want to-"

"Consult something?"

Tilting his head to the side, he stared at her a bit awkwardly for a second. "Uhh, okay, let's go with that. Anyway, I was thinking for a couple of things, you see... And then I've thought about some stuff... And so I was thinking..."

"You're just repeating what you're saying, Alfred. Just spit it out already," the pediatrician said, deadpanning.

"Alright, alright! I'm getting to it! Just give me a second."

"Is it that blond dude you had a date with?"

"How did you know-"

"Last Saturday. When we set up free consultations. I was there, remember? And Francis, too." She reminded with eyes that further deadpanned at him.

He thought for a second. "Oh. Right."

She sighed. "So, it is about him, isn't it?" She raised a brow as the corner of her lips sprang up to a leer.

"Well..." His cheeks flushed light pink.

She smiled, sweet and mischievous. "I knew it. So tell me about it."

Alfred spoke of everything that had happened since Saturday. When he mentioned about the small kiss he gave the Briton, he received a small, delighted squeak from Clara. He told her how awkward he felt, and how clueless he was. The kind pediatrician grinned as she recalled the nostalgic times she had spoken with him like this and gave him authentic sympathy.

"So, what do you think I should do?"

She looked at him incredulously. "Considering the fact that you kissed him on the cheek and sped off in the night, you might've given him a vague idea of things. But then again... It is your first time with a guy, isn't it?" The dentist nodded fervently. "Well, either way, it's always best to tell someone straight what you feel."

"But-"

"If you tell him, and he returns your feelings, then be happy about it. But if in case he rejects, then... At least you did your best. You have nothing to regret," she shrugged, "it's better to lose knowing you fought the battle than to lose without even trying."

"It's very cliché, but it fits."

"Of course it does." She sat back and put her feet up on her desk. "Like a boss."

Alfred chuckled. "You can be an ass anytime you want, huh? I love your randomness."

"Just my randomness. Not me," she smirked with a raised brow.

Her statement struck something, which caused him to turn red across his nose and around his ears. "That... I shall shut up now."

"Good thinking."

He simpered, a little embarrassed. It was not feigned, rather, it was a one that had a goal of reconciliation. He pulled away his sleeve to take a look at his watch. Clara saw that he still wore the military watch that she had given him for his birthday. A pleasant feeling of subtle contentment nestled in her chest.

"Anyway, I have to go. My thirty minutes with you is up. Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime. By the way, you should pay my consultation fee. Ask my secretary about it."

"Sure, whatever." He propped himself to go, but stopped just before his hand reached the knob. He pulled himself back to Clara's desk and bent low to whisper in her ear. "Clara, thanks for everything. I'm sorry for acting like a total jackass. And I'm sorry for everything that happened before." He paused. "I hope you find happiness."

"Like you just did with the blond dude with the thick eyebrows?"

"I... Yeah." With one swift motion of his hand, he cupped the pediatrician's chin and kissed her on the lips for the final time. The sensation burned; the kiss was unlike any other they had shared before. Perhaps this was because of the fact that they were both aware that this was the last time their lips were ever to lock on each other's. Moments later, they broke away, each with their cheeks drenched in youthful ardor.

"So..." She took a breath before looking up at him. "I guess that was the conclusion of our little affiliation?"

Straightening himself, he nodded. "I thought a good bye kiss would be appropriate. And I know you'd have thought it a more dramatic end to things."

She beamed.

"So I guess I'll see you around."

"Yeah. See you around," she answered, waving a hand.

With a breath, he started for the door. But before completely disappearing, he looked back at her. "By the way, the blond dude with the thick eyebrows? His name is Arthur. And he's British."

"Sure. I'll remember that."

And they parted. No regrets, no unpleasant feelings. Just smiles and fervent wishes for each other's happiness.

_Ho~hum_

He pressed a button on the remote control for the 103rd time. "Ah, man... Nothing good's on," Yong Soo complained, making a duck face.

"Why don't you just watch something worth watching, like the news, aru?"

The Korean looked at him with his duck face and shrugged. "Well, I guess watching a little CNN wouldn't hurt anybody."

"Good for you."

Ivan had a vacant look on his face ever since he settled down in the living room with the two siblings.

His mind was afloat: hazy thoughts were a concentrated blur of colors swirling aimlessly in his head. One idea led to another, and all the different ideas that were intertwined became tangled with each other, forming a thick rope of a mixture of both rationality and irrationality. He was confused. He simply wanted to close his eyes and permanently stop thinking forever. Then, he remembered what happened earlier.

"Ivan, aru? What is it?" Yao asked again, keen on listening.

The smile he propped tore his heart apart. "Nothing important. I simply wanted to ask if you like the flowers I had given you."

As what had happened that morning, blood rushed to his face, which he averted.

He nodded. "They're beautiful. I like them a lot... Thanks, aru."

He bit his lip. That had been his chance to escape the fate of being separated from Yao and disappearing into oblivion, and he let it slip from his grasp. He was torn between relief of not telling Yao, and regret of not telling Yao.

That the atmosphere in the house suggested everything was fine; that he was the only one who was aware of the impending fate which he silently anticipated; that he had to bear everything by himself; that he can never turn things the way they were before; that he had to bid his second life a final farewell; that he judged that he had reached the point of no return; and most of all, that he was never to see Yao again.

Everything seemed to be more painful. Awareness was painful. He wished either he were numb, or he had no knowledge of anything. He deemed everything would have been easier if he were just to leave without any prior notice.

It would have been easier to accept. Or so he thought.

There was a persistent tapping on the window nearest him. The sound momentarily grounded him back to the present. He glanced and saw the ominous green eyes that were tasked to deliver judgment. That the two siblings were occupied had given him relief. He slipped out discreetly and went to the front porch to meet him.

"It's time."

"At this moment?"

"Like, I'm sorry, but..." He slowly nodded.

"May I ask for an extension? Just a little before ten. Please."

"A little before ten?"

"Please. I," he took a breath, his purple eyes pouring with emotion, "I beg you."

The Polish took a look at his watch. "Okay."

"Thank you."

The blond left and he slipped back inside. The brown eyes that had watched him were left to linger on unnoticed.

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"Right... He should be here any minute now, so..." He stammered nervously, incessantly glancing at his watch. He sat waiting on the couch, and fixed his tie for the sixth time. "And to think, I have to get all that work done when I get back..." He sighed, and grinned. "It's fine. It'll be worth everything. I'll be having dinner with Berwald, after all."

A fluffy, snow-white dog trotted to him playfully.

"No, Hanatamago, you'll mess my suit. Later. I promise I'll play with you later," he told the dog as he carefully shoved him away.

Ding Dong

He jumped and his heart leapt in shock and excitement. He looked up; it took him a few seconds before getting himself to answer the door. As his hand reached for the knob, he felt his heart race and his palms grow a little wet. Without thinking anything thoroughly, he opened the door and froze at the sight. There stood a tall, handsome blond dressed in a smart suit together with his usual glasses to match, giving him both an intelligent and intimidating air.

The Swede held out a couple of carnation tulips.

"These 're f'r you," he said. "I g't th'm fr'm the Dutch flow'r sh'p."

His gentle hands trembled slightly as he took the pair of flowers. Entranced at how beautiful the blossoms were, he grinned. "They're beautiful..." He lifted them up to his nose and trailed, "they smell nice, too."

The intern was secretly pleased.

"Woof! Woof!"

Berwald caught sight of the dog and eyed it with indifference. Hanatamago's bark pulled the Finn back to earth.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Umm, let me just... Put these in a vase." He turned away and told the fluffy dog, "hush, Hanatamago, you're noisy." He was relieved that he had to place the flowers somewhere. At least he had an excuse not to show his face. He thought it extremely embarrassing.

Flowers... It's starting to feel like a real date, he thought happily.

"Okay. I'm all set. Shall we?"

"Mm."

And they boarded a sleek, black Porsche and drove off to an extravagant night.

_Ho~hum_

19:43

His finger continued to tap uneasily on the wheel, as if he were waiting for a traffic light to turn green. After work, he immediately drove himself to where he was now, still wearing his clean, white, scrub suit. He had not eaten anything since lunch. But he was not hungry.

He took a glimpse of his watch again.

19:44

"Crap..." He rested his head on the steering wheel and resumed waiting in his car.

_Ho~hum_

Roderich had been composing for a new Pixar movie all day. He never left his piano, except to relieve himself in the bathroom. Paper littered all around. Some had been crumpled and thrown to the floor, some had been neatly written on, and some had been left untouched in a pile next to him.

His mind was stagnant. Ideas were successfully evading him. The compositions he had made so far all meant rubbish to him. He knew he could do better. But at the moment, he wondered, why can't he? He was stressed. He was frustrated. He wanted to throw everything into complete disarray and simply leave.

Only, he can't. They gave the project to him on such short notice and the deadline's in two days. If only that were extended to two weeks...

"Roderich?" A voice he knew so well called to him.

"Elizaveta," he answered affectionately as he turned to look at his wife. Amethysts met emeralds. The woman beamed at the mention of her name. Her satin robe fluttered as she sat next to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and took his hand.

"You seem stuck," she said.

"I unfortunately am."

"Composer's block?"

"A composer's block?"

"Yeah. If writers had writers' blocks, then I suppose composers did, too."

He smiled, amused. "It probably is, then."

A few moments' silence.

"Roderich, I couldn't help but notice, but... You seem so distant to me lately," she began. "And I... I miss you."

"You do?"

She heaved a sigh and pulled her lips to a thin line. "I wouldn't've said it if I didn't mean it," she stated. "How dense can you be?"

He chuckled softly. He loved that about her. "It's nice to hear that from you."

The Austrian composer took away his hand and wrapped his arm around his wife. "I'm sorry if you've felt any distance," he uttered. "I've missed you, too."

He received a warm, longing beam from the Hungarian.

"Ich liebe dich, Elizaveta."

"Ich liebe dich, Roderich." Her husband's embrace tightened. "Hey, you know something?"

"What is it?"

"I have an idea. I know something that could probably help get you out of your composer's block."

"Oh, really?" His tone feigning innocence. "What is it, then?"

The corner of her lips tilted up, and she lifted the hem of her robe a little, exposing her perfectly sculpted legs and a most seductive undergarment she had on. "What do you say we give it a try?"

A slightly troubled smile propped itself on his charming face. "You take the lead."

_Ho~hum_

Somewhere, a blond man with a bottle of beer in his hand stood in the balcony with his eyes up to the cloudless, navy sky stained with fine spots of silver. The moon was but a slim crescent. It reminded him of the Cheshire cat's smile.

"I wish Feliciano would..." He began as his eyes followed a ray of light that made a short, silver streak in the sky before vanishing completely. He sighed and took a draft from the fresh bottle he had.

"Ve? Ludwig, you're still awake?"

"I should say the same to you," the German replied, unmoved from leaning on the railing. "Why are you still awake?"

"Ve... I couldn't sleep. And I noticed you weren't in bed beside me." He copied the surgeon and leaned on the railing as well. "Are you thinking about something?"

Ludwig shook his head. "Not really..."

The Italian reached for his bottle, drank, and placed it back in the German's hand. "Hey Ludwig, you know something?"

"Hmm?"

"My brother always complains a lot about Antonio," he said in his usual, childish tone.

"Mm."

"But even though he does that, everyone knows he still loves him."

"Mm." He took a swig.

"You complain a lot about me, too, right?"

"Mm."

"But you still love me, right?"

"Mm."

"I don't complain about you, Ludwig, but you know I love you, right?"

"Mm," he answered.

The Italian beamed as he stepped closer and snaked his arms around the surgeon's waist. The taller blond placed his free arm around Feliciano's shoulder. The weight of Ludwig's arm gave him a warm sense of security.

"Ludwig?"

"Hmm?"

"Sorry for staying over on such short notice."

"It's fine. You usually just drop by without telling me first, anyway," he muttered, matter-of-factly. "And I never complain when you sleep over, do I?"

Feliciano simpered, happy and relieved. "Lovino and Antonio haven't been seeing each other lately since Antonio's been pretty busy with research... And you know, although Lovino doesn't say anything about it, I know he misses him. So I wanted them to spend some alone time together," he explained. "But then again, at least we get to spend alone time, too."

He was absolutely positive, that of all the people in the world, he was one of the two who knew perfectly well that Feliciano was not as stupid as many think he is. He felt truly privileged of that and smiled. "Of course."

_Ho~hum_

"Thanks, Berwald. I had a great time," Tino said as the Swede walked with him to the door.

"We sh'ld do th's ag'n."

"Yeah. We should. But next time, it'll be my treat," he said, chuckling. "Well," his lips curved into a grin, "good night, then."

"Mm. G'd n'ght. See you t'morr'w."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow."

With a final nod, he slipped into his home and left Berwald. Inside, he slumped onto the couch. Hanatamago ran to him, jumped onto his lap, and greeted him with a happily wagging tail and wet kisses.

"Hanatamago," he giggled, "stop it! Down boy, it tickles!"

The fluffy dog refused to obey.

Knock Knock

"Huh?" Puzzled, Tino took Hanatamago with both his hands, walked over to the door and thought vaguely if Berwald had forgotten something, but as he pulled open the door, he found no one. He caught sight of the intern's black Porsche round a corner. The Finn's brows furrowed, confused, and merely brushed off the idea. But as he took a step, his foot landed on something unusual. He looked at what it was and to his surprise, there was a small piece of folded paper on the floor. Securing Hanatamago on one arm, he picked up the paper and read what was written.

His eyes reached the final words, and instantly, he grew weak in the knees as heat sprawled across his cheeks, causing his face to turn bright red.

"Oh my god, Berwald. If you only knew..."

Jag älskar dig, Tino Väinämöinen.

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A/N: Oh and, I'd like to share that I had an awesome time at the local Hetalia Day held last October 22. ^^ I went as Japan and I am forever amazed with wigs. I never imagined I could fit my Taiwan-length hair in a Japan wig. ^^ Anyway, my companions were Austria-san and Hungary-san. It ended up being a threeso-*shot*

And just recently, I saw a photo of Estonia. You know, those I'm going to treat you like my homework-*insert Estonia's face here*-Slam you on my desk and do you all night long, things. Because of that, I now think he's hot. 8DDDDDDD

*shot*

So, time to proceed to Chapter 25.2. ^w^