HAH! IT'S ONLY 12:55AM AND I'M DONE! Okay, maybe I do... Anyways, I have a few words down in the little translations at the bottome. If someone could maybe correct them for me if they're incorrect? That would be wonderful :) (side note) I got your message! Thank you so much! My private messaging has been really weird lately and I'm in a bit of a hurry to finish this story by my deadline, so i can't reply as soon as i would like to :( I do really appreciate eveything though, and I hope you had a wonderful christmas! :) I'll talk to you soon! -As always, reviews, favorites and/or follows are greatly appreciated! (ps. Sorry for the bit of swearing but what are you gonna do.) Enjoy!
WHO NEEDS SLEEP?!
A message for HarmlessMelody (a.k.a. Hannah)
-luvlani88
*Britain's POV*
Bloody hell.
I hadn't anticipated my doppelgänger using magic. And now, I really wish I had.
He fired several more attacks consisting of glowing spheres. They all came at me like missiles, and I quickly summoned another force-field to protect myself. This time I barely made it as I felt the impact of the attacks on the force-field caused my body to vibrate.
The force-field disappeared and I fired back, this time with slashes of glowing white light that looked like claws. He tensed as he waited for the attacks to get closer then, cast his wand to the side as if flicking the attacks off course. They dispersed and he ran at me again.
Oh hell, not this again.
I turned and ran for a few feet, but then a little voice in my head told me to stop.
Why would I stop?! I thought back.
It's not going to help. Use your magic again. It countered and I inwardly sighed, exhausted by all this already.
"Fine…" I murmured as I slowed to a stop and turned around.
He was still running after me and I looked around rapidly, looking for something to use.
The vendor's carts! I thought and clenched my jaw in concentration.
My doppelgänger raised his wand at me and I raised my own to the right, aiming at one of the wooden carts. I put two hands on it and pulled it horizontally across to the left, effectively pulling the cart with it. It levitated off the ground slightly as it slammed into my doppelgänger, causing him to fly off the ground due to the impact, and land with a sickening crunch on the cobblestones that made up the street.
Not bad for a Brit. I thought smugly as I watched him start to get up. How come he hasn't shattered yet…?! The little voice came back, and said, Don't give him a chance to recover!
I felt my breathing hitch as I focused my energy on him, pointing my wand at him. And without warning, I flicked my wrist back to the right, knocking him several feet where he rolled over and over again, before skidding to a stop and banging into a vendor's cart, causing it to buckle and splinter into hundreds of pieces, completely destroyed.
Suddenly, the ground under my feet caved in slightly, and my instincts took over as I jumped back and stepped backwards a few feet. A ripple of dislodged stones led from the wand of my doppelgänger to the small hole that had just opened up on the spot that I was just standing on.
Shoot. That one was close.
My head suddenly snapped up and my chest tightened as he started running towards me again. His wand raised and so did mine as he fired several more glowing sphere attacks. I jumped and used my magic to levitate off of the ground and onto the roof of a nearby building. As soon as my feet made contact with the roof, I realized what I had just done. I managed to levitate myself without even thinking about it. It had just come naturally, and now here I was, up on the roof!
Well. I thought. Merlin would be proud.
I glanced back down in time to see that my doppelgänger was doing what I had done, and a few moments later he was on a roof top several buildings across from me.
He did it so fast…! I thought and tensed as the tip of his wand was suddenly pointed at me. I took a stance and pointed mine back, just as a bolt of lightning exploded out of the tip of his icy wand, aiming for me. I didn't have time to create another force-field, much less to think, so I fired a lightning strike back.
The two forces of energy collided and were suddenly pushing against each other, as if we were pushing two barricades together. Back and forth, the energy wavered. His would become stronger and push more against mine, but then I'd return the favor with little room to spare. The lightning was blinding and I squinted against the harsh light that pierced through the gloom of the city.
He can't win. I thought as his energy neared closer to me. I can't let him win.
I pushed back, but it only gave me a few more feet of distance.
I've worked so hard.
His energy felt like it was absorbing my own, making his stronger.
I've worked for so long!
He pushed me back some more and I felt my feet skid across the shingles from the force of his attack.
I have so much to lose.
A cry escaped my lips as I desperately tried to fight back.
And suddenly I wasn't thinking of my current situation or the battle between Atlantis and the Earth or Italy being brainwashed or the world ending. Suddenly, I was back in the new world, on my knees in the mud, covering my face with my hands as tears cascaded from my eyes. I was thinking of America, who stood over me with a look of disappointment and sadness mixed with frustration. I was thinking of his words as he spoke to me through the pounding rain that soaked both of us to the bone. "You used to be Great."
And suddenly I was thinking of what I should have said. What I wanted to say. What I wanted to tell him before I lost him forever.
"Only because you made me."
And suddenly I was pushing back. I was fighting back. I was putting everything I had into my magical energy and then some. And suddenly my lighting got brighter, and I was no longer squinting to see. And suddenly both of our lighting bolts are flashing with intense energy, and are growing brighter.
And then all of a sudden, something snaps and we are both forced backwards, flying through the air. And then I'm flat on my back on the ground with a huge gash in my chest that's charred around the edges from the lighting. And I hear a loud crash, like glass shattering and I realize that I have won this battle and that I am strong enough to defeat an icy demon that uses black magic.
And I smile to myself, even though I can feel the blood from the gash in my head pool around me and I still smile, regardless of the fact that I can't move and everything hurts. I still smile.
Even as darkness surrounded me, I kept smiling.
Even as I realized that I couldn't feel anything, I kept smiling.
Even as I felt like I was falling into emptiness, I forced myself to smile.
And for a moment, I wondered if this is what Italy felt when he fell under Atlantis' control. The surrounding emptiness and the silence that made your head pound and made you want to claw your way back to the surface and run far, far away.
Is this what he felt? Is this what he's always felt?
I can no longer smile as everything stops.
Well at least I know what Italy felt.
*Japan's POV*
Between the constant contact of our swords and the frequent steps and placements, I realized that I wasn't making any progress in defeating this opponent.
It knows Kendo very well. I thought. I need a new technique to use.
And that was when, after I waited for him to leave an opening near his head, that I curled my hand into a fist and threw a punch. It was such a western style of fighting, and my hand ached as soon as I made contact, but it worked. He stumbled backwards. I put my sword back in it's sheath and bowed to him out of habit.
Maybe my Kendo techniques aren't as useful as I thought. I watched it recover carefully. Maybe this style of fighting will allow me to have more success. I thought as I balled my hands into fists again.
It charged at me, and when it got close enough, it's sword swung through the air above my head but I ducked in time, and then resorted to an older, more familiar technique. I swept my left leg under him to the left and used the momentum to plant my right foot before swinging around again and striking him with my left. I had to admit, I felt so much more in control with my usual martial arts techniques.
He staggered back again and I took the opportunity to pull out my gun and take aim before pulling the trigger. I was startled by the instant recoil from the gun, but I had hit the mark, so to speak. A circular hold appeared just below his heart, in his abdomen. He was obviously made purely of ice and water, as there wasn't any blood.
He rushed forwards again and I fired several more shots, with a few hitting him in the torso, and one hitting him straight in the forehead. He seemed to close his eyes for a moment as the bullet made impact with his skull, and I pulled out my sword, putting two hands on it, and ran straight towards him.
He barely had time to open his eyes before I swung my sword and made direct contact with his head. His head shattered first, and then I watched as the rest of his body slumped down, first onto it's knees, and then fell forwards onto the ground. A moment later, it shattered.
I exhaled a shaky breath. I did it. I thought. I won. I felt lightheaded and sick, but I took a few deep breaths and ignored the burning sensation in the back of my throat.
"Hyeongje !" Someone called and I turned to see South Korea running towards me, with Greece in tow.
"South Korea…? What is wrong?" I hurried towards them as concern pooled in my stomach. Neither of them looked like they were wounded too badly…
"We need to find the other nations." He explained. "We can't defeat these things if we keep fighting like this. It's what Atlantis wants."
I blinked at this, but it didn't take me long to consider. They were right, we were getting nowhere with this. If we planned to come out victorious, than we would have to find a different way to battle.
"Hai. I agree with you. How many nations have you…uh…collected so far?"
"Well, Taiwan and France both know of this plan, and we planned to meet at the steps of the church."
Taiwan went off by herself? I thought. China will be upset…
"Very good, South Korea." I nodded. "Would you like me to accompany you?"
He nodded quickly. "Y-yes, please." He suddenly seemed like his usual-childlike self for a moment, and I wondered how much longer he had until he broke down and started crying.
"Let us go." I nodded to Greece who nodded lazily, and we all took off in search of our friends.
*America's POV*
Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! I thought as I ducked and threw a punch upwards. I hit him, but my hand hurt from the impact. Actually, everything was starting to hurt. These things were pretty intact, and by intact I mean pretty much rock hard.
"Canada…?!" I exclaimed with worry as I stumbled back. On cue, a shot rang out and my doppelgänger stumbled forward. Canada must've shot him in the back.
I wasn't sure why at first, until I realized how I could take advantage of it. Quickly, I pivoted back, planted my left foot and brought my knee up into his it's abdomen, then turned again for a kick to the chest. He fell back wards but quickly regained himself.
Three more shots fired, and he stumbled backwards again. This time, Canada had shot him in the front, in his legs.
Well, it's not like I have anything to lose. I thought sarcastically as I ran forwards and jumped on top of him, my hands balled into fists.
I put my legs on either side of his torso and managed to land a few good punches to his head. Of course, this was before he grabbed my arms and flipped over, pinning me down to the ground, causing my head to slam onto the pavement. I pushed against his arms, but he was just as strong as I was. In the back of my mind, I was waiting for him to attack me, but he didn't make any advancements.
Why isn't he attacking? I thought.
I managed to look at his face and my heart gave a stutter. I had hit him so hard that several parts of the ice on his face was chipped off, and a large crack ran down his face from the left side of his forehead to his right cheek. On top of that, he looked drunk. I mean, maybe the right word was dazed.
He's disoriented. I thought and then my ears started to ring. And then I was closing my eyes as tons and tons of ice fell on me as he shattered.
I opened my eyes and tilted my head back slightly and could just see the outline of someone's boots, and a gun that had been pointed at him.
"You okay?" Canada asked, looking down at me with worry, and I understood what had happened. Canada had shot him in the forehead.
"…I-I don't know…I think so." I managed as he helped me to my feet. My head swam and my vision was a little fuzzy but at least I was alive. "Thanks, bro." I said as he put an arm around my shoulders to help support me.
"Anytime." He smiled. "You really did some damages with those punches, eh?"
I laughed weakly. "Yeah. Thanks to the super-strength. And you."
"Sacre bleu! Are you two alright?" Someone exclaimed.
I felt dizzy but I knew it was France. Canada responded with something in French and suddenly France had an arm around my other side and they were both supporting me.
"Nice job, Amerique." I never thought that I would be so happy to hear France's voice, but I was.
"Thanks, France. It's a good thing I had Canada with me." I smiled and he smiled back, but his smile soon faded into a frown. "Listen, both of you need to get to the church steps."
"Pourqoui?" Canada asked.
"We're changing tactics." France explained. "We're not getting anywhere with fighting this way so we're going to regroup at the church steps. If we keep doing this, we're playing right into Atlantis' hands. Understand?"
Canada nodded. "Got it. Church steps. Let's go, America."
I suddenly dug my heels into the ground, forcing them to stop. "Wait!"
"What's wrong?!" Canada tensed.
I turned to France. "Britain."
"What?"
I shook my head in an attempt to clear my mind and tried again. "Britain. His doppelgänger attacked him and they ran off somewhere. His doppelgänger can use magic." I said. "France, you have to go find him!"
France stared at me in shock. "His doppelganger can use magic?! Nobody planned for that…!"
"Which is why you have to go find him, France! Please!"
He looked at me then, with an unreadable expression and then at Canada.
"I'll get him to the church. I promise." Canada said quickly and France nodded.
"I'll meet you there soon." France said. "Be safe. Both of you." And then he shifted my weight onto Canada and ran off.
Hopefully, he'd find Britain in time.
*Finland's POV*
"Are you guys alright?" I asked as I noticed Russia's horrible looking wounds.
"We're fine." Estonia replied quickly. "Russia defeated his doppelganger. That's why he has so many wounds."
"What are you doing here, Finland?" Lithuania asked.
"Japan and Greece found me and they told me that everyone is to meet on the church steps." I explained. "They said that we're not making any progress if we keep fighting like this, so we need to regroup. They're out looking for more nations." Latvia laughed weakly. "Well, I guess it's a good thing we're already here."
Belarus stood up suddenly. "Let's move to the top of the steps. We should be safer up there."
Nobody said anything else as they helped the Russian to his feet. I assisted them as much as I could, but it seemed like they were alright with it. It was hard to get Russia to the top of the steps. Whatever his doppelganger had done had really damaged him, and we stopped halfway up the marble steps to allow him to catch his breath.
"He's bleeding again. You wouldn't happen to have any bandages, would you?" Estonia asked, even though both of us knew that if I had bandages, I would've wrapped them around the wound on my arm by now.
We started moving again, and we barely made it to the top. Russia was bleeding a lot, and I knew I had gotten blood stains on my jacket from trying to help him up. As Belarus and Lithuania adjusted his position to make him more comfortable, I looked around at my surroundings.
The church was beautiful. Even in the gloom of the darkened daytime, it stood magnificent and proud. The entrance was a set of double doors, so large that I'd have trouble reaching the two large door handles. There were lots of carvings in the fading gold of the doors, but I knew I would never be able to read them, much less understand them. I wondered how long this church had been here. Surely longer than a century.
And suddenly I felt worried for it. If any buildings get destroyed…I really hope it won't be this one.
Now that we were on top of the steps, I could see almost everything from here. The ice soldiers had dispersed, probably fighting other nations. I had originally thought that we were all in the square, but now it was pretty much empty, as if everyone had run off to fight their own battles. A pang of sadness and concern echoed in my chest.
I turned back to the others. "I have to go and find Sweden and the other Nordics." I said. "I'll be back soon."
I was about to go, but Lithuania stood up. "I'll go too. I have to find Poland." He said.
I nodded. "Alright, let's go. Stay safe you guys." I said to the others.
"Be careful, Lithuania." Latvia called out as Lithuania and I began to descend the steps.
After a few moments, Lithuania spoke up. "Finland?"
"Yes?" I turned to looked at him.
"Do you think we'll win this battle?" He looked back at me and I frowned at the worry that clouded his eyes.
I couldn't answer for a moment. All I could think about was how badly Russia was bleeding, and how I couldn't find the other Nordics, and how Atlantis refused to tell us where Italy was…
"Yes." I finally said after awhile. "It won't be easy, but we've fought battles before, Lithuania. And for once, we're not fighting each other." I added.
Lithuania didn't respond for a moment, but when he did I couldn't help but here the doubt in his voice.
"Finland, let me ask you this…"
"Yes?"
"…Do we, as nations, ever truly win battles?"
I frowned at him. "What do you mean?"
He looked nervous for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. It's nothing."
It took me a moment to realize what he meant. And it just made my heart sink lower.
*Spain's POV*
"Romano!" I shouted again, feeling the panic rise up in my chest. "Romano!" An ice solider rushed at me and I aimed my gun and pulled the trigger. It shattered instantly.
"ROMANO!" I yelled desperately and nearly growled in frustration.
"Spain!" My hopes raised for a moment before I realized that it wasn't Romano's voice. "Germany…?" I looked around and realized why he had called.
He was in the middle of fighting…his doppelganger..! I ran towards both of them. Germany had a bruise on his forehead and a deep scratch across his cheek. My hand tensed on my gun as I watched Germany attack him with a kick and another punch. As soon as I got close enough, I took aim and pulled the trigger, shooting him in the side of his hip. He fell sideways and Germany took the opportunity to run back a bit to put some distance between him and the icy freak.
"You okay, amigo?" I asked.
"Y-yeah. Thanks." He said, as he put his hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Come on. Everyone is meeting at the church steps." He said, straightening up. "Let's get out of here."
I looked back at Germany's doppelgänger. It was lying completely still on the ground like a corpse. I nodded and we took off running.
"Have you seen Romano?" I asked as we ran.
Germany shook his head. "Not since these ice weridos starting fighting us. Maybe he's fighting some?"
I frowned as I considered this. "Maybe…"
We ran in silence for a moment, until I realized that he had abruptly stopped a few feet back.
"What's wrong?" I asked, suddenly worried.
He hesitated. "Spain…There's something I think I should tell you."
I took a few steps towards him. "…What is it?"
He looked at me for a minute, then put a hand up to his head where he rubbed a temple. "It's just…Before we left…Vatican told me something that I think you should know."
My heart sank. "…Is…Is Romano…sick like Veneziano?"
Germany looked at me incredulously. "What? No. No! I promise you that's not it!"
I sighed in relief. "Oh thank god."
"It's about Romano though."
I looked up at him. "Just tell me, Germany. Just spit it out."
Once again, he hesitated but finally spoke.
"…Listen…Vatican mentioned that…Romano isn't fighting Atlantis to keep her from taking over Earth." He said. "He's here to get Italy back."
I blinked at him. "…I…I guess I kind of already knew that. It's his brother, after all. And besides, Romano can be irrational when things get out of hand like this…" I paused. "What does this have to do with anything right now?"
Germany pinched the bridge of his nose. "It just occurred to me that Romano might not be fighting ice soldiers at all. He might be trying to find Italy, or rather, trying to find Atlantis or Trident or North Pole to force them to give Italy back."
I stared at him as the gears in my mind clicked into place. "You think that he's fighting them by himself…?"
Germany shrugged. "I don't know Spain. I really don't know what to think anymore." He sighed, as if he was defeated. "We can't make any assumptions but…" His voice trailed off.
I felt a moment of sheer panic as my imagination created multiple scenarios of Romano fighting Atlantis or Trident or North Pole or maybe all three. I imagined Romano with a deep scowl on his face, his hands tightening on his weapon, ready to fight at all costs.
"He's…unstable." I murmured and Germany tilted his head.
"What?"
"He's unstable." I repeated. "Without his other half, he's slowly going insane. He's dying inside."
Germany nodded and looked away. "It's true."
We started walking in silence for another moment before I spoke again. "You know what really kills me?"
"What?" Germany looked at me.
"What really kills me is that no matter the outcome of this battle, we might lose Italy." I cringed. "And if we lose Italy, we'll lose Romano too."
We were silent again as we both retreated to our own thoughts. And then Germany spoke. "…Do…Do you know what kills me?" "What?" I asked softly.
He didn't say anything at first, and I was about to change the subject to avoid forcing him to spill his thoughts, but then he spoke.
"I never got a chance to say goodbye to Italy." He said quietly. "The day that he left in the middle of the argument at the world meeting at Britain's palace…If I had known that was the last time I would see him…" His voice trailed off and he sighed.
I nodded in understanding, as he spoke up again. "…And if I had known what he had gone through…God, Spain, I would have done something! I would've…I would've tried to help him!"
"I know you would have. And he would've appreciated it so much."
"And I keep thinking…" I realized that there were tears pooling in his eyes. "…every time he went into his room and was quiet…What if he was…!"
"Vatican said he was recovering. We have to have faith in him, Germany."
He sighed again and looked away.
I needed to say something. Anything to get our minds off of this. I just couldn't take it anymore. "Come on. Let's hurry. We have to get to the others."
Germany nodded and we started running again.
Italy Veneziano… I thought. If you die, Romano will die right along with you. My heart stuttered as I thought about that. And then I thought about what Germany had said.
Boy, Italy. You sure have some dark secrets to take to the grave.
*France's POV*
"Angleterre!" I shout for the umpteenth time. I can't find him anywhere. And then one minute, I'm looking around wildly for him. And the next, I'm watching a huge sphere of light increase and then explode. It sounded like…lightning. Could it be? I run towards the explosion, hoping that the lightning was made by a wand and not by mother nature.
*Britain's POV*
I can hear something.
It's a voice.
Someone is yelling.
It sounds so dreadfully close, though. I can't understand what the person is yelling.
I want to tell them to stop yelling so loudly. Doesn't he understand how badly my head hurts? Doesn't he know how loud he's being.
"A….erre!" He's shouting.
I think I recognize the voice, but my mind is too cloudy to focus on it.
"A…leterre!"
Wait…It sounds dreadfully familiar…
"Angleterre!"
France! Oh bloody hell it's France! I want to yell back to him and tell him that I'm here and maybe even get up and start jumping around so he can see me. Hell, I want to shoot a flare into the sky. But I can't because I'm trapped in nothingness.
"Angleterre! Wake up!"
And suddenly the nothing starts to feel like something because I can feel one of his hands on my shoulder.
"Wake up! Angleterre…!"
I'm trying! I'm trying to wake up, I promise! God, I'm so tired of this. How come my body isn't working anymore?
"Angleterre, please!"
I manage a moan. It's barely there, but somehow France hears it.
"A-angleterre…?! Can you hear me?"
I moan again, this time in pain. I can feel my senses slowly returning and I can feel the pain slowly seeping into every part of me.
"Don't try to move! I'm going to put pressure on your wound, okay? "
Oh god, I can feel that. The pressure seems like a thousand bricks on my chest. I want him to stop but I need to know that I can feel pain. I need to know that I still exist. Oh god I can't take this anymore.
"F-France…" I whisper hoarsely and the pressure lightens.
"Don't worry, Angleterre, you're already starting to heal."
He's right. I can feel my body repairing itself.
Any moment now…Yup, there it is. My limbs are starting to shift. I must've broken my leg because I can feel it start to pulse and shift slightly, realigning itself. And my arm too. And even my spine was starting to contract and expand slightly. Did I break my back? My neck snapped to the side suddenly, and I both heard and felt a huge crack as it snapped into place.
Oh…I had broken my neck, not my back.
Slowly, I tried to open my eyes. The sudden light is blinding, and I almost shut my eyes again, but I fight against the urge to. I manage to blink though. And slowly but surely, my blurry vision starts to clear up, and I realize that I'm staring up into the familiar face of France.
I've never been more happy to see him.
"…F-France…?"
He smiles at me and I suddenly feel much more relieved. "You're going to be okay." He says.
Thank god I'm a nation.
"Is everyone here yet?" Turkey looked around.
"Not yet. We're still looking for France, Britain, China and Romano." America responded as Canada helped him to sit down beside Russia.
The number of ice soldiers had dwindled significantly, but there were still some left over that were trying to attack the nations who were now at the top of the steps of the church. To combat them, several nations had descended down a few steps to get better aim with their guns.
Switzerland pulled the trigger of his gun and shattered another soldier as Belarus hurled a knife in the direction and hit it squarely in the chest, shattering it as well.
"There aren't as many anymore. Atlantis must be running out of stock." Switzerland said sarcastically. "H-hey! You guys, look!" He exclaimed suddenly, and everyone turned to where he was pointing.
"Britain! France!" America shouted as he watched the two approached. France had Britain's arm slung across his shoulder as he half dragged and half carried him towards the group of countries.
Japan and Germany ran forward to help the two of them up the steps.
Britain seemed almost out of consciousness, but he still had his eyes opened. The wound in his chest had healed a considerable amount, but he was still bleeding somewhat, and there were several deep scratches on his face, as well as a gash on the back of his head.
"Britain! What happened to you?!" America exclaimed as the four nations made it to the top.
"His doppelgänger used black magic." France exclaimed as stopped to catch his breath. "He fell off of a roof and broke his neck, along with a few other things. Good thing he's a nation, no?" He smiled.
Japan and Germany leaned him up against the church doors as Hungary offered him some water from a water bottle she had brought.
"T-thank you." The gentleman murmured as he took grateful sips of the liquid. "You wouldn't happen to have any tea on you, would you love?" He joked with a weak smile as Hungary laughed.
"Here," Iceland stepped forwards. "I broke into a store and found some medical supplies. I'll give you some gauze."
America stood up as Iceland finished wrapping Britain's wound. He sat down beside one of the Brit's legs.
"You okay?" He asked.
Britain rolled his head to look over at him. He hesitated, simply to take a moment to really look at America.
Then he spoke, "I will be." He said. "What happened to you?"
America sighed and reached behind to rub his shoulder. "Super-strength, that's what happened."
Britain chuckled as Hungary gave him some more water. "It could've been worse. Could've been a freaking magic wand." America laughed at this. "Please. Try having someone punch you in the face with the force of a freaking sixteen-wheeler. Not one of my favorite moments."
Britain rolled his eyes and gave him a playful 'You've-got-to-be-kidding-me' look.
"America, I fell off of a roof. Suck it up."
America rolled his eyes and smiled.
"Hong Kong, we have to go and find Dàgē!" Taiwan exclaimed as she gripped the sleeve of her older brother.
"We can't. We-"
"Hong Kong! He could be in trouble!
" "He can take care of himself, Taiwan! He's strong, you know that!"
"But he-"
"China!" Denmark suddenly exclaimed and everyone froze and turned to the nation.
He was right, it was China. And his icy doppelganger.
They were both running across the rooftops of some nearby buildings. Taiwan felt her chest swell with worry as she yelled out his name. There was something slightly off about the way he was moving, but she couldn't tell what it was.
"China! Over here!" Hong Kong yelled.
And then China jumped off of the roofs. As he was jumping down, he grabbed onto balcony railing of a condominium and slowed down his fall. He landed on another balcony and jumped straight down onto the cobblestones of the square. His doppelganger mimicked his moves down to which foot he landed on first.
As soon as they were both in the open, the injuries that China sustained were incredibly obvious.
The back of his red rope was slashed open, displaying parts of his large tattoo of a dragon on his back, which was a mixture of several shades of crimson due to the deep wounds there. There was blood on his face too; a huge gash just above his eyebrow caused blood to pour down, coating his visage in a dark crimson. He was bleeding everywhere. And yet he was still fighting.
The nations watched in awe as the two fought. The doppelganger rushed forwards and at the last moment, went low to skid on the ground, intending to knock China off his feet.
China was faster and jumped up, placing a hand on his opponent's shoulder for momentum as he flipped so that he was upside down, and then rotated his hand so he could spin and bring his foot to hit the doppelganger's head. The doppelgänger fell forwards as China jumped back onto his feet.
The doppelgänger suddenly tucked under himself and managed to lodge a foot in China's abdomen as he completed a somersault and flipped the Asian nation onto his back, where he cried out in pain because of the wounds.
"Dàgē!" Taiwan exclaimed and started to run forwards, but Japan and Hong Kong suddenly grabbed her and held her back. "What are you doing?!" She exclaimed as she fought against them. "Let go of me!"
"You can't go rushing in there." Hong Kong said. "That thing will annihilate you! Let China handle it."
"He can't fight anymore! He's hurt!" She countered.
"It doesn't seem to be bothering him." Japan commented and Taiwan looked back towards her older brother and the icy nemesis.
They were both back on their feet and fighting with a mixture of punches and kicks. China aimed a punch but the doppelganger was faster, and grabbed his fist to pull him off balance, and then swept a his leg to kick him, aimed straight at his back.
China fell to the ground in agony, but somehow managed to roll away before the doppelgänger could stomp on him. He did a few backflips to get to his feet again, and then stood poised in a fighting stance.
"Dàgē!" Taiwan yelled and China titled his head slightly hearing her voice.
"It's because of the wound on his back that he's not fighting normally." Greece observed. "It probably hurts to move his arms and bend and contort."
Suddenly, Switzerland ran down a few steps and pulled his large gun up to his eye level to take aim.
"Switz, what are you doing?" Turkey asked as he watched the blonde nation take aim and then pull the trigger.
The bullet flew through the air and wedged itself in the shoulder of the doppelganger, yet he didn't react to it at all. There wasn't even any recoil. He just stood there. Switzerland lowered his gun slightly in shock.
The doppelganger rushed forwards again and China tensed. The doppleganger aimed a kick but China blocked it and took a step back. It started attacking again, kick after kick after hand strike after hand strike, but China held his ground and continued to block the attacks.
And suddenly, China jumped and kicked as he spun horizontally, hitting the doppelganger in the face.
But as he landed with one hand on the ground, the doppleganger suddenly kicked forwards, returning the favor to the asian's face, and suddenly leapt on him, forcing him to the ground as he gripped his throat in an icy grip and then punched him in the stomach and then started to choke him with both hands.
China started to retaliate by striking him in the face in an attempt to free himself from his grasp, but it was soon obvious that his opponent didn't feel pain. He fought harder and harder, all while gasping for air.
In the back of his mind, he heard several people shouting and screaming his name, and a several shots rang out as the nations fired at it.
"The scratches on his back…" Sweden murmured as Finland tilted his head at him, hearing his voice.
"China!" Hong Kong cried out as he let go of Taiwan, who had tears running down her eyes.
"Dàgē!" She screeched and suddenly she realized that she was remembering how China had told them to start jumping through the trees when the rushing water had came at them in the forest on the way to Italy.
And she was remembering how he had simply thrown her hair pin to stop Italy from getting away on that motorcycle.
And she was remembering their conversation on the balcony that one night.
And she was remembering how he had looked when he was helping them train, with her own movements seeming helplessly clumsy compared to China's.
And she remembered how he had broken that sword into pieces.
And she remembered how she hadn't won that battle, and yet China had still let her go to Venice.
And she remembered how he had sung to her as a child, when she was scared of the "monsters" that hid under her bed and in the dark of the night. All she had to do was sneak out of her room and run into China's room and climb into his bed and curl up next to him. And he wouldn't ask any questions, but would simply hold her close and tell her that everything was fine and that she had nothing to worry about.
"You're so easily frightened, Xiǎo jiāhuo." He would say. "There's nothing to worry about. I'll always protect you."
He would smile and hug her tight. And she would smile back as she marveled in the warmness of his hug and his familiar scent and the comforting way that his dark hair would tickle her cheek.
Wait a minute… She thought and suddenly reached up and pulled out a long, slender hair pin. She stared at it between her fingers.
Sometimes ancient techniques work much better than modern ones.
And wordlessly, the threw it. She didn't expect it to hit the doppleganger, but she was glad that it landed a few inches from China's hand.
His eyes darted over it and he reached desperately for it, as black dots started crowding his vision. His slender fingers barely brushed over it's smooth, silvery surface, but it was enough for him to grab it.
And without any hesitation, he brought it upwards and jammed it into the side of the doppleganger's neck, wedging it as deep as he could. He felt himself slowly starting to lose consciousness as he removed it from it's spot in the doppleganger's neck and reinserted it, this time hard enough for the doppleganger to fall to the side and for them to reverse positions, with his doppleganger's hands still squeezing tightly at his throat.
And finally, with a final slash of his wrist, he used the wound he had created to allow himself to slash the icy figure's neck in half, decapitating him.
Back on the steps, Finland called out loudly, now knowing what it was that Sweden had mentioned. "China! His claws!"
And just before it shattered, a sharp slicing sound was heard as the claws appeared at the figure's fingertips, slicing deep into the flesh of China's throat as blood immediately spilled from his neck.
The nations gasped as a choking shound escaped from China's lips and he fell to the ground, gasping desperately for air that wouldn't arrive and grabbing his throat in hysteria.
"Dàgē!" Taiwan was one of the many nations who screamed and ran forwards towards the Asian nation. "Dàgē!" She screeched as she reached him later than a few other nations.
"Hungary, give me some water and something to stop the bleeding!" Norway snapped as him and a few other nations hurriedly got to work.
Taiwan could only scream in panic as she watched the blood spill from her older brother, staining her dress a dark shade of red. And when she couldn't scream anymore and her tears spilled down her throat as she cried, she reached forwards and grasped his cold hand in both of her warm ones.
She squeezed his hand as she cried, feeling utterly defeated even though he had beaten that icy monster.
And suddenly he squeezed back. And she cried harder as he shakily reached up to her face as their eyes met. She barely managed to scream out his name again as softly wiped away a tear from her eye.
"Dàgē!" She cried out again. "You can't-!" She choked on a sob and shook her head as she felt the knot in her stomach worsen. "You can't leave me!" She cried in Mandarin as he stared into her eyes with an unreadable expression. "Dàgē, please! I'm so afraid! I'm so afraid of losing you! I'm so afraid of Altantis! I'm sorry! I'm so afraid, Dàgē, I'm so afraid!"
He stroked her cheek again as she gripped his hand in hers, and pressed it harder against her face. "I…I can't be as brave as you and I don't want to lose what matters to me and I don't want to lose you!" She sobbed. "Dàgē! You can't go!"
She suddenly felt a rush of anger and she squeezed her older brother's hand tighter.
"You promised that you'd always protect me!"
*Romano's POV*
Oh god oh god oh god oh god.
Oh god I can't
Oh my god no this can't be happening
I can't...
No…No I have to…! I have to…!
I have to do it for him. I have to do it for Veneziano!
Oh god oh god oh god oh god!
Hyeongje - Big Brother (Korean)
Xiǎo jiāhuo. – Little one (Mandarin)