So sorry for not updating in half a month! I've been on a late-lent giving up Hetalia. Unfortunately, that meant I had to give up on the fic too. I'm back now, however, and I hope you guys aren't too mad at the long wait!
MissKitty23- I'm glad you've liked everything so far! Thank you for all your reviews! And Lars (somehow) keeps his drugs secret. That's how he's raising Alice without the police and whoever getting onto him for it.
Frankenweenie- YOUR PARENTS ARE READING THIS TOO? (Hi, parents of Frankenweenie!) But aside from that, I'm really glad you all have enjoyed the story thus far.
We have a few new characters who are mostly one-time used OC's of the ancients (except for a certain Korean):
Bong Chung (though briefly mentioned) is North Korea. She'll play a bigger part in the sequel; Eseld- Britannia; Brit- Brittany (used to be part of old France with Gaul, had major connections with Scotland); Wilhelm- Germania; Ansel- Cornwall; Aodhaigh- North Ireland; Neval- Gaul
Psh, there's totally no Kirkland family reunion in this chapter or anything….
BUT SERIOUSLY GUYS. I LOVE YOU ALL FOR READING THIS, GIVING ME ALL THESE KIND WORDS, AND FOR GETTING OTHER PEOPLE TO READ IT. You all are the best, and the only reason I've actually gotten to the end of something. Thank you so, so much, and I hope you'll read the last chapter next week and the epilogue after that.
Chapter 38-
"I knew this was going to happen, I knew this was going to happen- I told you this was going to happen, didn't I?"
"A million times, Sestra."
Katyusha twittered on, completely ignoring Natalya rubbing her temples in exasperation. So she had foreseen something terrible happening. Whatever. The call from the hospital was probably just Alfred having been bitten by Grigori or something. Now that Natalya had been waiting for all night. A smirk inched its way onto her face as she imagined Alfred crying over his bandaged hand. He was such a baby. Afraid of ghosts, pouting like a two-year-old, crying all over the place because he left his dad-
Natalya let the grin slip from her face. That… that wasn't true. She had seen him crying while he talked on the phone to his father so many days ago, but she knew it wasn't because he was whining. Alfred usually joked about that. He didn't cry over a joke. And… he hadn't laughed at her when she broke down.
He was there for her- the first person to ever assure her things would be okay and mean it. Alfred was a mystery to her- one second, she absolutely hated him with every fiber of her being and wished he'd get stabbed in the gut. The next, she….
She focused back on Katyusha's crying. "-probably bleeding everywhere, and dying! I can't lose my baby brother after I just got him back! It's all my fault! He's in trouble all because I ignored my intuition and let them go! And Alfred's probably in terrible trouble too, and Arthur and Samantha and Matthew and everyone else are going to blame me too! I'm such a terrible person!"
"You're not a terrible person, Sestra." Just annoying. Seriously. Can't you just shut up and stop blubbering long enough to drive?
Wrong thing to say. Katyusha erupted into full-fledged sobs. "BUT I AM!"
Natalya was sure her eyebrow was twitching. "IF YOU DON'T PUT THIS TRUCK INTO GEAR RIGHT THIS INSTANT, I'M PUSHING YOU OUT AND DRIVING THERE MYSELF. AND WHEN I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO SHOWS UP, BRAT WON'T LOVE YOU ANYMORE. HE'LL LOVE ONLY ME THEN!"
Even though she was partly kidding, Natalya had to admit her threat was a pretty good idea. If Ivan ended up hating Katyusha because of that, then he really would love only her. And that meant spending more time with him! Ivan would be all hers!
The tears still flowed freely from Katyusha's eyes, but the truck was started and swerving onto the road, causing three other vehicles to honk furiously at them. Natalya rolled her eyes. Pulling the but he'll hate you! card always got her sister moving.
Resting her head against the window, Natalya's eyes flickered at the fleeting cityscape. Somewhere in there was Ivan and Alfred, hopefully okay, just as she predicted. But there was always the chance that she'd be wrong, and… it scared her.
I love them both.
((((()))))
"POL, YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK THE LAMP-"
The harsh sound of shattering glass and laughter interrupted the young man's shout.
Tino looked uncertainly up at Berwald, having second thoughts about this meet the neighbors business. That laugh had to be Feliks's doing, and Tino was honestly frightened by it. He'd already seen the damage done at Aria's party as a result of Feliks's "fun". It had taken hours to scrub off all the fluorescent pink, and even LONGER to explain to Aria that it was COMPLETELY NECESSARY to desecrate her bridesmaid's dresses like that. If he was apparently on good-enough terms with Tino's soon-to-be neighbors, then there was no telling what kind of chaos he'd be dragged into.
Unfortunately, Berwald didn't seem to share the same trepidation. He patted Tino's head in an attempt to comfort him and valiantly walked up to the door, completely ignoring a new voice screaming, "MY LAPTOP!". It was a long while before the house quieted down long enough for the door to open. A young man on the verge of tears stood before them. "Hello?" he tiredly asked.
Tino recognized him in an instant. "Eduard?" he burst in surprise.
Indeed, it was. The boy blinked and smiled. "Tino! What are you doing here? Ooh, it's cold out here. Come on in, you two."
The brothers wasted no time in doing so. Eduard, his little brother Raivis, and a third boy with dark brown hair Tino didn't know scurried about, quickly up the messes Feliks had made. Feliks himself sat on the couch, smiling brightly. "Like, hey, guys! Surprise seeing you two!"
"I'd normally say you should be helping us clean up, Pol," the brunette grumbled, sweeping up broken glass from what used to be the aforementioned lamp, "but I know you wouldn't."
"Ah, you know me so well, Liet," Feliks replied. "I'll, like, grab some cash from Tavian later to buy you a new lamp. I'll get one that totes fab-fab, unlike that ugly one from before."
Eduard didn't bother to tell him it had been a moving-in gift from their great aunt Geneva twelve years ago. It wasn't Feliks would have cared either way. Instead, Eduard offered his friend a seat. "So, what brings you here at this weird hour? Oh! This is Toris. I don't think you've met him yet. He's our brother."
Toris smiled and shook hands. Of course they already knew Feliks, and Tino had heard about Raivis from Eduard at school. Eduard and Tino were in Calculus and Physics together, and were pretty good friends. It would be great to have someone he already knew as a neighbor. Tino explained the situation as best as he could with Feliks's squealing "WE'RE, LIKE, GONNA HAVE THE BEST FUN EVER, GUYS" every three seconds. With the girly outburst, Tino feared he'd switched over into Anelie, but the Baltics didn't bat an eyelash. Maybe… this really was normal for him?
Tino was really starting to regret going with Berwald.
But still, he couldn't shake off the warm feeling in his chest. He was moving in with Berwald next to his best friend. Berwald wasn't nearly as picky as Abel and didn't complain as much as Emil. That meant… no sudden relocation. He'd… finally be able to… to stay.
This was the best day of his life.
((((()))))
"APPA APPA APPA APPA APPA, GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT!"
Yao barely had time to sigh before Yong Soo rammed into him, making the older man stumble from the impact. He let out an involuntary shudder when Yong Soo's clingy arms wrapped themselves around his chest, squeezing him tightly. "Yes, Soo?"
"YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS APPA, BUT THERE'S A NEW KID AT SCHOOL! I HEARD IT FROM TAO WHO HEARD IT FROM MICHELLE WHO HEARD IT FROM-"
"Stop shouting!" Yao hypocritically yelled. "And why aren't you doing the dishes? You're grounded, if I remember correctly."
Yong Soo pulled back with a miserable pout. "I know, Appa, but then I heard from Tao that we have a student! She's KOREAN."
A sudden silence fell over the hectic kitchen. Half of the remaining crowd in the dining area also ceased their banter in dread, everyone present snapping their heads around to stare at Yao Wang's most troublesome child. Yong Soo completely ignored them, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Bong Chung- that means superior and noble, by the way- is her name! A HER! Appa, this is awesome! SHE'S FROM KOREA. SHE CAN HELP ME ON MY PRONUNCIATIONS NOW!"
Yao winced both at the information and at how he resumed his excited shouting. "Th-that's wonderful. But Yong Soo, you know it's rude to just jump her, so be sure to-"
"Oh," he interrupted, quickly falling serious, "I wouldn't dare be rude, Appa! I'm going to get Alfred and Mr. Bonnefoy and Tao to teach me how to win over a beautiful girl, because I'm positive she's a goddess."
Being Korean doesn't make her a super model OR your future wife, Yong Soo….
The boy continued, still slightly aghast that his father would ever accuse him of being rude. "You see, since her name is superior and noble- I did tell you that, right? Bong Chung! It's so… so Korean, da ze!- she's gotta be a really classy girl. So Alfred's going to teach me how to be a popular kid that girls love! Even though I've heard from Kiku that the girls secretly laugh at him behind his back, but I like Alfred too much to tell him. And Mr. Bonnefoy is French. That's enough for that. And Tao actually has a girlfriend! Man, I still can't get over that! I mean, I'm the better looking twin, right? Because I've got the Korean name, and everyone knows that girls love Koreans, since being hot originated in Korea."
…Only you could understand that logic.
As he droned on and on about himself and Bong Chung, Yao could feel a migraine forming. Luckily, he was used to Yong Soo's banter, so he was able to shrug it off and resume cleaning tables. A good hour had passed until Yong Soo seemed satisfied that Yao knew just how amazingly beautiful and stunning and ethereal Bong Chung was. Seeing his raving over for the moment, Yao shooed him back to the kitchen, shaking his head wryly.
Kids these days. Always so caught up in their "nows" rather than their futures. But Yao couldn't blame him one bit. "Now" was what determined the future, wasn't it? If one didn't let their "nows" go to waste, surely their futures would come out okay. After all, Yao knew full well what throwing away a good opportunity could do to one's future. He intended to keep Yong Soo happy and as Korean as could be, Kiku as studious and polite, Xiao Mei as caring and fiery, and Tao as quietly dignified and strong. He wouldn't allow them to make the same mistakes he had, and he wouldn't allow them to have any less than perfect.
There was one thing, however, he really couldn't stand; Yong Soo's ecstasy or no.
He absolutely had to stop using up all their vegetables and seafood for kimchi!
((((()))))
Katyusha and Natalya crashed through the hospital doors, running up to the receptionist. "I-Ivan Braginski and Alfred Kirkland?" Katyusha breathlessly asked. "I'm his sister. H-his guardian."
The young woman nodded. "Mr. Braginski didn't check himself in. I heard he hadn't suffered any injuries." The two sisters let out a sigh of relief. "He's with the police in Alfred's room."
And Natalya's relief turned into dread. Her navy eyes widened. "R-room? You mean… he got hurt? What happened to him? Alfred isn't in bad condition, is he?"
Gaping hopelessly, the woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know much about his condition. He's supposed to be in room 423 later. I'm sure Ivan or the officers have information for you."
Katyusha took Natalya's hand before she could start yelling. "Let's go, Sestra."
Struggling to keep her eyes clear and dry, Natalya tightly nodded. She didn't pull her hand away from Katyusha's.
((((()))))
"The stars are quite marvelous tonight, aren't they," Francis softly noted. Dinner hadn't exactly been a success, but in a way, it had been. Francis just wasn't sure if he could say he loved it or not. However, he was sure he definitely loved Therese now.
Not exactly as a test, Francis had taken her out for dinner. It was awkward having that tiny box in his pocket all night, but despite that, they'd had a good time. That was enough for him. Matthew had ran out because he was "feeling sick", but he'd come back all grins, so Francis knew he'd called over Alfred. He felt like rolling his eyes, thinking about those two, but he knew to keep in the moment.
Therese laced her arm through his and nodded. "You can see them so clearly…. Très enchanteur."
"Not as enchanting as you, my dear."
Matthew quirked a quiet, knowing grin on his face and Francis felt every bit of nervousness leave him. Stunning both Therese and Michelle, he withdrew the small velvet box and opened it. "I hope this will remind you of this night," he said, kneeling on one knee, "and of how brilliantly the stars cast their silvery light upon on us. I love you, Therese, and I want to spend the rest of my days with you. You've been so much to me, never leaving when I ran out on you; always remembering to keep a promise, even if it meant driving all the way to Massachusetts. I know, because of these things, I haven't done the same for you. But even so… will you marry me?"
He took the solid embrace and tears as a yes.
((((()))))
The night air chilled her face when Lili took a hesitant step out of the doors of the hospital, her home for the past month. It certainly had seemed much longer than that, though. Vash pulled her coat closer around her and took her hand. "It's gotten warmer," he murmured. Although his voice was just as bland as usual, Lili could see the happiness shining in his eyes. He hadn't gotten his healthy daughter back yet, but he was taking her back to her real home; back to the warmth she'd thought she'd lost forever. Already, in taking the first few steps to the parking lot, oxygen machine at her side in Vash's other hand, Lili felt so much better. It would take a while to get back to school- and even longer to get adjusted to normal life with cancer- but Lili was certain she could be strong.
Just like Lovino. Lili didn't need to think of all the things he'd gone through to know he was a fighter. Sure, back at school, Lovino had been the most cowardly boy she'd ever met. He emitted girly screams whenever Ludwig or Alfred would "sneak up" on him, and he'd always hide his nervousness behind a plethora of muttered curses he didn't know she'd heard. But she loved him for it anyway.
Lili felt the blush rise to her cheeks at the thought. She hid her face in her coat, explaining to Vash that the air was making her nose cold. Vash took the joke with seriousness, hurrying her off to the car and immediately turning on the heat. He had even brought along a blanket for her to snuggle up in during the ride home. Lili faintly smiled at her father's twittering, asking her if she was warm enough, or if she still had the headache from earlier, or if she needed this or that….
"I'm fine, Vati," she giggled. "I am perfectly alright."
"But you're sure you're not co-"
"In such a thick coat and under a blanket? I'm okay."
Vash merely sighed in acquiescence. The ride was a short one, laced with a comfortable silence accented by Vash's nearly inaudible humming. Lili loved the simple moments like this. If she could just have these, she knew she'd be okay forever. She leaned over and rested her head on Vash's shoulder, making him start. "Ich liebe dich, Vati."
"I love you too, Lili."
((((()))))
Natalya couldn't help but cry out in relief when she found Ivan sitting in a recliner-like chair thing, slightly frowning as he stared out the window. Two policemen were also in the room, though they had taken to watching MASH on the TV. All three snapped their heads around to see Natalya run in and throw her arms around Ivan's neck. She felt him flinch before he patted her back, returning the hug somewhat guiltily. "Are you okay, Brat? What happened? You're not hurt are you? What about Alfred?"
"I-I…," Ivan started thickly, eyes darting to the floor. After taking a deep breath, Ivan ground out, "I broke a man's femur bone. With a metal pipe. B-because he was trying to take this old lady's purse, a-and Alfred tried to stop him b-but he had a knife and stabbed Alfred and- and I couldn't stop myself! I'm sorry, Sestra, but I had to make him hurt because he hurt Alfred and-"
Ivan again cringed when Natalya jerked back, eyes wild and tearing. "He was what?"
She felt something violently crack inside her chest, stealing the breath out of her lungs. It sent a shudder through her, made her head spin. Both Ivan and Katyusha reached out to steady her before she stumbled back and fell.
Natalya let out a howling Russian curse.
Her stupid heart, breaking again.
((((()))))
Even though he was in more pain than he'd ever felt before, Achaius sort of liked being home on leave from service.
He laid on his couch, cigar lazily hanging from his teeth, Aldwin faintly humming in the kitchen as cleaned up the remains of breakfast- delicious salty porridge, fixed just the way Achaius loved it.
Suddenly, his dearest brother Aldwin ruined this delightful morning for him. "Sut hyfryd. We're getting a call from America."
America meant Arthur. And Arthur meant a migraine of enormous proportions.
"Ignore it," Achaius sagely advised, skimming through today's paper.
"What if it's important?"
"Ye ignore it."
Aldwin cast him a withering glare before answering the phone anyway. "Hello-?"
Achaius could hear the outburst all the way in the living room. He craned his neck around as far as he could without jostling something that would scream in painful protest. He bit back his sweet told ye so and asked, "Artie?"
Much to his surprise, Aldwin shook his head no. Before he could explain, another angry barrage pelted his abused ear. The brunette wandered farther into the kitchen, speaking soothing Welsh to calm the person on the other side. Glad Aldwin couldn't see it, Achaius knitted his fiery eyebrows in worry. America and not Arthur meant something bad. "I think it's your mother, Achaius," the soft voice of his wife Brit Kirkland said above the couch. She leaned against the back, sighing at his aghast gape. Brit cocked an eyebrow at the sight. "Who else besides Aìlin would scream like that? Besides Arthur, of course."
"What's me mum doin' in America? A thought she was vacationin' at Inverness?"
Brit shrugged. "I dunno, honeycakes. Oh- I forgot to tell you. Uncle Neval called earlier. Apparently Wilhelm passed away.
Achaius's eyes went wide. "Old Willie? When'd he kick the bucket?"
"About a month ago."
"…Neval's that forgetful, eh?"
"Yeah."
"WE CAN'T CALL OVER AÌLIN AND ANSEL!" Aldwin shouted from the kitchen. "Mum, you can't possibly expect us to magically come up with a few hundred dollars each to head to America right now. Achaius is still injured and- wait, what do you mean you were mugged? Mum? What- the hospital? Why're you at…. WHAT?"
Tearing into the living room, phone discarded back on the counter, Aldwin burst, "Alfred's been stabbed!"
Achaius and Brit exchanged looks of horror.
"…We've got to call Aodhaigh," Brit murmured. "He's the only person who can talk to Aìlin and not get strangled. Aldwin, go ahead and call Ansel. If we leave now, we can reach America in a few hours and keep Peter and Arthur from falling apart. Poor lad… first his wife leaving him half a year ago, then us sending Peter to him, and now this with Alfred…."
"…Dear," Achaius slowly started, "ye need ta stop gettin' yer information from Uncle Neval. It's been a lo' longer than half a year…."
((((()))))
Ludwig wasn't sure how to react to… this. He'd known Gilbert to be eccentric, and he knew Antonio wasn't exactly the brightest crayon in the box sometimes. But to go camping in the middle of winter?
In their living room?
"…What are you two doing here?" Ludwig incredulously asked, stunned to walk into the living room and see Feliciano sitting amongst his dogs, giggling and giving them tummy scratches. Antonio and Gilbert were, as usual, scheming a plan to ruin Francis's life just a little more while they pitched a tent in front of the couch. Ludwig compulsively ran a hand through his hair to assure himself it was still slicked back. Finding all was well, he turned to his mother for an explanation. Helda, having arrived with him from their bakery, merely shrugged before she left to start on some snacks.
"Grazie, Mrs. Beilschmit!" Feliciano called, waving at largely at her retreating form. The boy turned his sights on Ludwig. "Ooh! Luddy- do you mind if I call you Luddy? Anyway! Papà said he'd take me camping, and Gilbert said he'd come to, but since it's winter and really cold outside and Mamma would kill Papà if he let me sleep outside, we came here! Isn't it so cool? We're going camping in your living room!"
The little boy eagerly awaited his response. Ludwig blinked. Silence. He opened his mouth, then shut it back. Finally, he groaned. "Vati, how many times have I told you not to let Italians in the house?"
"But he's so much cuter than stuffy ole' Lovino!" Gilbert burst. He patted Feli's head, said Italian absolutely beaming. "See? How can you say no to a face like that?"
Well, he was a lost cause. "Mutti, Dad's on one of his girly 'cute' rants."
"He'll get over it in a minute or two," his mother replied back.
It appeared Ludwig too was a lost cause. With another sigh, he grabbed the instructions and went to work properly setting up the tent. Honestly, Ludwig inwardly scoffed, can't you two admit you can't fix it by yourselves and look at the manual?
Feliciano was a bright chattering background noise. Ludwig absently hummed to his often extremely questions, going along with whatever he came up with. It was a lot easier than properly engaging in conversation where Ludwig had to struggle to understand his fast speech. Geez. Did this kid even stop to breathe? But surprisingly… Ludwig didn't find Feliciano too insufferable. Finding him annoying, however, was a completely different subject. As Feli raved on and on about this or that, Ludwig felt himself faintly smiling. It felt strange to smirk while he had a migraine forming, but he couldn't bring himself to tell Feli to shut up.
He was starting to understand Lovino a bit more now.
Almost mechanically, Ludwig looked down at his watch. Ten on the dot. Time to walk the dogs again. Feliciano bounced up. "Pleeeeeeeease can I go with you? Maybe we'll see Tino! He walks his dog at night, too. Plus, if you go out there all alone, you'll get lonely. I'll make sure you don't get lonely!"
Again, Ludwig blinked uncertainly. Then, lips moving on their own accord, he said, "Alright. Coat on. No getting above a whisper. Don't go faster than the dogs. Don't trip and fall on the sidewalk or something."
"Alright! Grazie grazie grazie, Luddy!"
"I never said you could call me-"
"I'll go get my coat right now!"
Once they and the trio of German Shepherds made their way outside, Gilbert and Antonio met each other's stunned faces. "Ludwig was… grinning," Gilbert slowly said. "…I think Feliciano broke him."
"Feli does that to people."
((((()))))
"I can't get his levels down to normal," a nurse frantically burst. "If he keeps this up, he'll likely go into shock."
"Give him another sedative. Good God, what'd the guy do, try and twist everything apart? Carry! Where's that blood transfusion? We don't have but a few minutes here! He's bleeding out!"
"I'm here, I'm here. We haven't matched his blood type yet. We're giving him O."
"Good, good. Are we ready for surgery yet?"
"Anesthesia's kicking in."
...I can't go to sleep. But still, it was getting harder and harder to keep his dazed eyes open. Obviously, the doctors and surgeons and nurse thought he was unconscious, sleeping unaware that they were fussing over the probability of his staying amongst the living just a little longer.
I can't go to sleep, Alfred fruitless thought to himself, feeling consciousness slip out of his fingers. I haven't told Dad it wasn't his fault, I haven't told Mattie and Kiku and everyone else that I'm sorry, and...
...I haven't told Natalya I love her.
Alfred felt his eyes shut of their own volition. He wasn't sure if he'd ever open them.
Translations
Korean-
Appa- Dad
French-
Très enchanteur- Very enchanting.
German-
Ich liebe dich, Vati.- I love you, Daddy.
Welsh-
Sut hyfryd.- How lovely.