Thanks to HelloThereHowAreYou and NadiaJA627 for reviewing. Sorry for the late update, I was still figuring out how to continue in the next chapter and I was also writing other projects I have in mind. I hope this is a good bonding chapter. Now, on with the show!
(Deltarune OST: School)
Oh, for the love of Buddha, where the hell did her heroic chipmunk go?!
Her long hair whipping around as she darted her head from one side to the next, an even further frustrated Taiwan grumpily crossed her arms and groaned at her lack of results in the search for one of her best friends. Aw man, this was going nowhere! She's been at this, scouring the building for America for… uh… some time… and Taiwan hasn't seen any sign of the star-spangled nation.
Also, she's pretty sure that she's a little lost right now… Which floor was she on again? Twelfth? Sixteenth? Taiwan didn't really check, and she didn't really remember where the elevators were. Was it this way or…
Served her right for being a poor planner. Honestly, Taiwan's sure she's usually smarter than this!
At first she ran through the halls blindly, not really going anywhere specific, as she hoped to at some point bump into America, or maybe Hungary, who could tell her where the guy went (and maybe, just maybe, explain why she's suddenly hanging out with America). Oh, then she could find Vietnam or another friend of hers to help her out.
Taiwan quickly realized this was a poor strategy, as she found nothing in the first ten minutes, and she got easily frustrated with this, so she abandoned that strategy in favor of just sweetly asking around for if they'd seen America. She asked anyone she came across…
…And it went just as well one might expect.
The first nation she went to for help, Indonesia, was still a wee bit upset with Taiwan over the whole forced labor allegations that surfaced not that long ago… That, and she was arguing with Malaysia again. So, Taiwan ended awkwardly walking away while those two bickered.
After that first failure, Taiwan momentarily brightened when she found Hong Kong, and she tried to get his attention. But he just whooshed past her with some kind of water gun (or maybe even a paint gun), only yelling that he's gonna get revenge China because he blamed him for some new law or something…
Sure, Taiwan felt bummed, but at least China's day will get even worse, so it's all good.
Shrugging it off, she continued cheerfully skipping along when she saw one of her besties, Nicaragua, but it turned out she was busy screaming and giving Costa Rica a wedgie while the other Central Americans either argued or tried to get Nicaragua to let him go. Costa Rica looked oddly happy though… Well, Taiwan wouldn't want to interrupt them…
Wanting to get away from the screaming as soon as possible, Taiwan walked away briskly, pretending that she never saw any of… that. Then after a bit more walking, she came across Vietnam. And what do you know? She's arguing with Cambodia. Once again, Taiwan didn't really feel like intruding, so…
Bye-bye.
Goodness was everyone fighting with their respective rival or nemesis today?! What's with everyone? It's like they took a level in jerkass or something! Did someone light their fuse? Did they have a rough night? Did someone ruffle their feathers?
The universes' answer to Taiwan's question was what sounded like trembling. She blinked then glanced to the side when she paled and yelped in alarm before getting out of the way just like she did earlier with the whole koala and sheep fiasco. Except this time instead it was South Korea crying and running for his life as he was chased by about a dozen angry Middle Eastern nations screaming at him.
Taiwan was left speechless and stuck against the wall in shock at this weird moment, before she groaned and facepalmed as she realized what this could only mean. Oh, darn it, South Korea. Did he grope the male Muslim nations… again?
She'll… just pretend she never saw that too.
Anyway, just as Taiwan began to think she'll never find someone she'll be able to talk to, as if the universe decided to spare her for once, she bumped into Vatican City, another one of her besties. Taiwan eagerly asked her if she knew where America and/or Taiwan was… only for her other bestie to smile sadly and shake her head.
Oh… she should've known the universe wouldn't be so merciful!
And so began another pattern, where Taiwan just failed over and over again… not too different from her life, actually. She ran into Macau, who was nice enough to offer a few words of comfort, but it turned out that he didn't know where America or Hungary were either.
Taiwan then approached Morocco, a charming man, who looked like he was in a mild argument with Algeria over a lamp that supposedly had a genie (or maybe it's something else less silly, Taiwan's skills with Arabic were super rusty and it's hopeless with the many derivations). It didn't look like anything serious, so she asked them if they've seen America or Hungary…
…And they didn't.
Great.
Reluctantly (out of desperation), Taiwan decided to nicely ask Serbia when she found him, and maybe smack him on the back of the head for her friend Kosovo. But she quickly regretted it in the first three seconds of the conversation. Serbia scowled like the pompous bastard he was and barked that 'How the hell am I supposed where that ass is, you disrespectful brat?! What do you think I am, his secretary?'
That unnecessary insult and the amount of jerkass in his attitude eliminated any and all second thoughts Taiwan had over smacking him, and she promptly called him a dick in Mandarin and stomped on his foot before stomping away with Serbia's pained groans in the background.
Poor Kosovo, having to deal with a jerk for an older brother too…
But just as she was about to go around a corner, she stopped in her tracks when she nearly crashed into Bosnia and Herzegovina, who were apparently lured by the sounds of Serbia's suffering. Taiwan mentally prepared herself for failure and she politely asked them if they've seen America or Hungary.
"Da, we did, actually."
Oh, darn it! Taiwan threw her arms up in frustration and began stomping away when she did a double take. She blinked. Wait… did they say yes? Did they really say yes? Could it really be truly? Did she hear them right?
Taiwan swiftly turned on her heel and sped back to the surprised Bosnia and Herzegovina, eyes sparkling with joy and hope. "Wait, did you say yes? You know where they went?"
Bosnia nodded after inhaling from his cigarette. "Da, that's right. We saw America and Hungary not that long ago, running through the halls. They sped past us, gave us a bit of a scare, and we never saw them again. Looks like they just came from downstairs and wanted to go up though."
YES! Answers! Results! The universe wasn't completely evil after all!
Okay, so it looked like they were coming from downstairs and that they wanted to go up… yes… perfect… Except Taiwan wasn't even sure which floor she was in. Maybe Bosnia and Herzegovina knew which floor they're in!
"However, as for where exactly they were going and why, we're just as clueless as you are." Herzegovina continued after she snatched her husband's cigarette away, giving him an icy glare before looking back at Taiwan calmly. "This is the 30th floor, and it looked like they were going up, so it seems logical that you go check the above floors and their respective rooms."
Taiwan squealed in delight, and she bounced. "Yes, perfect! I'll just go check the rooms above and the rooms there for Alfred!"
"…Erm, isn't that what I just said?"
"Whatever. Which way can you go upstairs?" Taiwan asked eagerly, looking left and right.
"Just go down the hall over there, girlie. The stairs are right at the end of it." Bosnia pointed to the hallway behind Taiwan, and then sent a pleading look to his strict wife. "And can I please have my cigarette back?"
"For the last time, you're not allowed to smoke in this building!" Herzegovina yelled at her husband.
"Oh, thank you so much, you two!" Taiwan grinned brightly as she strongly shook Herzegovina's hand, beyond overjoyed. "If you two ever want an all-expenses paid trip to Taipei, just give me a call! Recognize me as a country and trips to my country will be free forever!
Bosnia stopped moping over his lost cigarette and perked up. "Wait, did you say free?"
Herzegovina elbowed her husband in the gut.
Giving one last grin, Taiwan once again turned on her heel and sped away in the direction towards where the stairs should be, leaving a trail of dust behind her. Tee-hee-hee! America, here she come! She might a good day just yet!
Taiwan ran up the stairs, careful not to trip and injure herself, and she quickly reached the next floor. Feeling more pumped than ever and not willing waste any time, she went ahead and started checking each of the rooms, even calling America's name in hopes that he'll answer….
And the result? Nothing.
She puffed her cheeks in frustration, but there's no way she's going to give up just yet. Somewhere, in this building filled with greedy jerks who won't recognize her over some senile old fart, was a tall, handsome, kind blonde nation who had trouble reading the atmosphere waiting for her to run into her arms along with… Hungary.
Speaking of whom, Taiwan really hoped the whole situation with those two was not what she feared it was. It's probably just her paranoia getting the best of her again. And besides, it's not like those two were like best friends or anything, and that probably (hopefully) won't change anytime soon. But she needed to know the truth about what's going on with them! So that's why she had to find them!
After checking the last room on the floor she's in and found the same thing as the other rooms (AKA nothing), Taiwan let out a big sigh and rubbed her poor head. Oh, good grief, her heroic chipmunk's not here!
Well, time to check the next floor!
Taiwan smiled, refusing to let this failure get to her, and she bounced her way up to the next flight of stairs. Oh well, there's still, like, what, eighteen or nineteen more floors to go and search for America? Yeah, she could do this! She-
"E-Excuse me, Miss Taiwan?"
At the sound of that ghostly voice sending chills down her back, Taiwan shrieked in horror and spun around, ready to clock the creep who dared sneak up on her right in the face. But her fist only ended up punching air, and she heard a yelp.
She blinked before looking down to find none other than…
"AMERICA!" Taiwan jumped and immediately ran up to the blonde and nearly tackled him in a hug. "Oh, I'm so sorry for nearly punching you! If I had any idea that it was you, then I never would've- Wait a minute."
Taiwan knew her sweetheart (more than she probably should), and she'd be a fool if she mistook someone else for the hero himself. So, once she got a good look at 'America', she immediately knew something was off.
For starters, this guy she was currently hugging didn't have nearly as much muscle. He felt too scrawny, like China. Also, she clearly remembered America wearing his bomber jacket and not a silly blue sweater. There's no reason why he'd change into something so unfashionable. Also also, the hair looked off, and this man's expression was too nervous and doormat-ish for someone as cool as America.
"Who the heck are you?"
"U-Um, y-yeah, I'm not America. I'm Canada, his brother, remember?" The faker explained shakily with a nervous smile on his face. "Oh Maple, why does this still happen? At least it only took a few seconds to-"
"…Who?" Taiwan asked in utter bafflement. Was this guy serious? "Listen, I'm very sorry, I've never heard of any country called Canadia before. Are you sure you're not part of the clone project Kiku keeps talking about?"
Canada squeaked and shook his head. "I'm not a clone! I'm telling you, I'm America's brother! How can you not remember me?"
"Well, you don't seem like someone people would bother remembering, to be honest." Taiwan commented innocently as she tried to wrack her brain for answers.
"W-Well! You've been avoiding me for months and you even made fun of me when Saudi Arabia froze our relations!" The guy claimed as he desperately tried to help Taiwan remember who he was. "You know, b-because of what happened with the airport or something like that...?"
"Airlines… Huh, that actually sounds kind of familiar… Oh… um… let's see… Ooh, I think I've got it!" Taiwan's face brightened, and the guy's eyes glimmered with hope. "Hey, isn't your name Cabana?"
The blonde immediately deflated. "Uh, no."
"Camilla?"
"I-I doubt any nation would be called that."
"Cabin Mana?
"That makes even less sense than the others!"
"…Bob?"
"Maple, that's not even close!"
After hearing the word maple, it finally hit Taiwan like a ton of bricks. "Wait a minute, now I remember! You're that doormat who made your stupid airports display me as a part of China last year!"
Canada flinched at her sudden (and reasonable) hostility, taking a few nervous steps back. "Y-yeah, I am. But like you said, that was a year ago!"
"I still hold a grudge! Also, that a pathetic move and you know it." Taiwan snapped, and she 'hmphed', turning around to continue her search. "I don't know why you want to talk to me, but I'm afraid I have more important things to do. Goodbye and never speak to me again unless you want to recognize me as a nation."
As she began to leave, she heard Canada call her for her.
"N-No, wait! Please don't leave! You're looking for Alfred, right?"
Taiwan's eyes widened and she spun around, glaring at Canada. "Yes. What's it to you?"
"W-Well, I'm looking for him too. He's been missing for a bit of a while and I want to find him before Artie gets too cranky." Canada explained hastily, gulping. "I don't suppose you've seen him anywhere, have you eh?"
Maybe it was her frustration, her annoyance with Canada or maybe just her whole day, but Taiwan couldn't help but give a sarcastic remark. "Yes, Canada, about a half-hour ago. But now I've hidden him again so that you can find him."
Hah, got that from one of America's sitcoms from the eighties! Those were classic!
Canada's shoulders drooped, along with his curl, sighing. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. But the point is, I think I now where we can find him, and I thought maybe you'd like to-"
Taiwan didn't need to hear any more. She stomped toward him and dragged him down by the collar. "You know where to find Alfred?"
"Uh-huh, so-"
"Perfect! Lead the way, then!
"But wait, I-"
"Lead the way!"
"Y-Yes ma'am!"
/ / / / /
(Pokémon Black and White OST: Castelia City)
The 'race' to Allen's house was all a blur in Hungary's mind. Probably because Hungary spent the entire trip laughing her ass off and cheering on America while they tried to lose the trio of Darkners in the busy streets of New York… and because they were going way past the speed limit so it's a miracle they didn't crash into anything/anyone or wound up with the police on their trail. But she didn't mind, she just knew she had tons of fun.
According to America, the apartment building where Allen lived in was somewhere on West Side… or was it the Upper East Side? It was kind of hard to hear with all the noise, but it apparent takes twelve to twenty minutes to get there, depending on traffic. That allowed plenty of time to nearly run over pedestrians, and to perform a couple of cool stunts.
Also, it was pretty hilarious racing in dangerous speeds while a red Infiniti with shouting and screaming coming from within trying to catch up to them. Oh my, those three liked to bicker a lot, didn't they? It's nice to see they loved each other despite their differences… too bad it's in a platonic way.
Anyway, Hungary wasn't going to lie, she felt rather proud of herself for being able to help bring America out of his mopey attitude and go back to his usual self after the blonde himself helped her out with cheering her up twice. Admittedly, her first idea was to slam Allen's head with her frying pan for acting like such a douche and upsetting America, but then she of course realized that there were better ways to resolve this without the use of her favorite weapon.
She couldn't stand seeing him in such a depressed mood, it's so unlike him. It just wasn't America, and it broke her heart to see him like that when he was so happy a while ago… Oh, curse Hungary's damn unluckiness! Why did it have to hurt those around her too?
And that sweet, silly, boy… he was really that upset and depressed because of the unexpected news of this world's Italy, because he was scared that all this shocking information, which Hungary will admit was a large bombshell, ruined their little trip for her. He was upset because he thought she'd be upset.
Oh, Alfred…
Why did he have to care so much for her? Maybe Allen did have a (teensy weensy) bit of a point back there, maybe America was too nice and caring for his own good. Oh no, no, no, no, don't be ridiculous, Hungary! America's sweetness despite all the stress he's going through lately was really impressive! Not a lot of nations were this sweet these days and she should appreaciate that he actually cared so much her.
It felt nice, repaying him for his kindness. She still felt indebted to him, and Hungary had no idea how she's going to return the favor after showering her with this much kindness. Although America would probably sweetly assure her that she didn't need to do anything in return and that he's only being the hero, but Hungary's still determined to do so.
…Somehow… hopefully…
So, after a few more minutes, they eventually arrived at their destination in… whoa, that's a tall building.
Hungary felt her mouth drop at the sight of the ginormous apartment building as America slowed down and pulled over. Wow, nice, very nice. Wait, had she seen this building before at some point? Didn't America have an apartment in a similar.
She was abruptly brought out of her thoughts when she heard America's boisterous laugh. The blonde cowboy took off his helmet, blowing his currently longer hair blow out of his way, and he looked back at Hungary to grin at her.
"Alright, we did it, Lizzy!" America beamed, flashing her a thumbs-up. "We beat the Trinity Trio, dude! Sweet! I get to keep ten bucks!"
Hungary blinked, and glanced around before realizing that America's right, they did beat the Darkners. She grinned back in delight. "Oh my, you're right! We're the first ones to arrive here, Alfred! We won the race!"
Great! That ought to humble Allen a little bit more… or make him angry with her for no good reason again. Oh, whatever. Even if Hungary didn't do much except warn America not to hit any pedestrians and laugh her ass off, it still felt good to win this silly little competition! It helped cheer up America even more too.
"Yeah, go Team Super Lightners!" America cheered, pumping his fist in the air.
As she removed her helmet, Hungary couldn't help but sputter at the cheesy name for their 'team'. "Team Super Lightners? Is that what we're called now?"
"Duh, 'cause we're Lightners and super cool!" America said brightly, while Hungary could only smile at his energy. Well, both of those things were true… "Yeah, not my best work, but I'll come up with something better eventually."
"So are we supposed to be superheroes now? It really sounds like it." Hungary asked in amusement. And it would fit, considering the importance of keeping their identities secret.
"Well, why not, dude? Never know when the day's gonna need saving." America smiled, before it morphed into a small frown as he glanced around at their surroundings. "Anyway, where's Al, Gil, and Flavio? I was super sure they weren't that far behind us, but I don't see them anywhere."
Hungary looked around as well, and she sweatdropped when she realized that America's right. She didn't see any sign of the Darkner's car anywhere. Where did those three went off to?
But then suddenly the two heard an extremely car honk, and the red car that belonged to the trio appeared out of nowhere speeding towards them, much to their horror. Hungary shrieked, much to her own embarrassment. What the hell was that?!
Hungary found herself being pulled out of the way by an alarmed America, only for the car to reel to a sudden stop a little far from where they were originally standing. Oh, thank goodness. She sighed in relief, she really liked this outfit… Oh, and no one got hurt!
"I guess they got stuck in traffic…" America laughed nervously.
After a few more seconds of stunned silence with nothing but the sound of all the cars in the background (Also, why was no one staring at them? Was this normal in New York City?), the doors of the car opened, allowing a disgruntled Allen grumbling under his breath, an even more exasperated and disheveled Gillen (poor man), and an oddly happy and calm Flavio step out of the vehicle.
"We have arrived~" Flavio cheerfully announced rather unnecessarily. He then spotted the shocked duo, and he smiled as he waved at him. "Oh, those two did beat us to it after all. Ciao again you two! Congratulations on winning!"
Allen scoffed, and he glared at the blonde Italian in what looked like resentment. "I dunno why you're so surprised, we gave them a huge fucking head start when you stopped to stare at the sales on H&M… TWICE!"
"But what matters is that we're all here… alive and in one piece." Gillen said firmly, giving Allen a stern stare, before he smiled at Hungary and America. "S-So, I trust you had a… safe enough trip to this building?"
Hungary's mouth twitched, and she nearly wanted to laugh nervously. "Well…"
"Don't ya worry, Gillen! Me and Liz had a blast riding through the city, and I didn't break anything this time too!" America stated happily with a blinding grin. Yes… wait, what? "What about you guys? Did y'all have fun and stuff?"
Gillen's reaction to being asked that question was a slight grimace. He didn't look too sure and didn't seem too eager to answer.
"I don't know about you, Gillen, but I had a lot of fun!" Flavio chirped as he pushed up his sunglasses. "And did you see how many shops had sales today? Oh, and Miss Elizaveta, I think I saw a few dresses and skirts that could help improve your appearance!"
Hungary's shoulders dropped, and she glared at that damn flamboyant Italian. He's still on with that?
America then laughed in his usual manner, and gently put his hand on Hungary's shoulder. "Aw, don't be so mean, Flavio. I think Liz's dress is totes cool and awesome!"
Thank you!
"So, looks like I won this battle, Allen!" America smugly announced to his grumpy punk counterpart, and he slung an around his true twin's shoulder. "Man, but wow, I really thought you'd at least cut in front of us once, but you didn't! You're no match for the hero! Point: Me!"
Allen was absolutely fuming, and he blew his bad boy hair out of his face, then he tried to play it 'cool'. "Yeah, yeah, don't go rubbin' it in my face, Alfie, it's not cool. You got lucky this time, Al, that's what. I so woulda caught up to you faster if it weren't for the shitty traffic."
America simply laughed and patted his doppelganger's back while Allen kept growling like a grizzly bear. It was a very amusing scene, Hungary snorted. Wow, she should've known Allen was a bit of a sore loser. Still, she'd seen a lot worse. Poland would always throw all the chess pieces away every time Lithuania beat him in a game, which was all the time.
"And we so would've won the damn race if Gil had just let me drive and not let the cars cut in front of us!" Allen raged, fingers twitching as he glared in a comically ferocious way at poor Gillen, who didn't look the tinniest bit fazed. Looked like he's too used to this. "Seriously, Gil, we coulda saved like ten, fifteen bucks if you just let me drive!"
Hungary gawked at them in surprise. Wait, Allen wasn't driving? Well… that could explain the lack of screaming… and accidents. He did seem like the type who'd drive all recklessly and dangerously fast like Italy always did.
"Nein, we so would've lost the race and gotten ourselves killed if I had let you drive." Gillen replied flatly, glaring at Allen like an annoyed Germany. "And, honestly, ten to fifteen American dollars is nothing to us. Besides, you forget Alfred and Ers- Elizaveta are our guests, so it's only common courtesy we treat them."
Allen sort of cringed, as if that didn't occur to him, but he kept scowling. "S-Sure, but I still have my damn pride, Gil! And besides, I'm more pissed at how long it took us to get here than losing the damn race!"
"Oh, come now, Allen, it wasn't that bad." Gillen tried to convince him, sighing.
But Allen wasn't having any of it. "Come on, you can't seriously fucking tell me that you enjoyed seeing Flavio get off-track every time he saw an H&M, Nordstrom, Macy's, Old Navy and even Sunglasses Hut 'cause he wanted to buy some junk!"
Now it was Gillen's turn to cringe as his eyes darted a little nervously to Flavio. "I… well…"
Flavio squeaked indignantly, and he lightly thwacked the back of Allen's head. "WHAT? JUNK? Excuse me, bambino, but clothes and sunglasses are not junk! They're fabulous and the stores had all those things on sale! How could I resist?"
Allen winced and rubbed the back of his head before scowling at the Italian again. "For starters, by reminding yourself that we'd keep our guests waiting, which according to you, Signor Good Manners, is very rude and improper. Or were all those years of lecturing and scolding just bullshit?"
And now Flavio cringed, realizing that Allen had a really good point for once, and he looked to Gillen for help, who was less than pleased. "But Gillen said that we could go shopping after we visited Alfredo!"
Prussia blushed red and sighed. "Alright, true, I did say that. But-"
"Yeah, well, now you can't go be a shopaholic until Alfred and his buddy here go home!" Allen retorted before turning to the Lightner duo with a begging look. "Which reminds me, please don't fucking leave."
As the three descended into a silly argument, Hungary sweatdropped at the sight. Good God, for how close those three seem to be, they could sure bicker a lot. Yes, maybe it was expected, considering their clashing personalities, but still…
She looked at America exasperatedly. "Alfred, please tell me this doesn't happen that often."
"Aw, don't worry, most of the time the arguing doesn't last long and it's totally harmless." America waved it off with a big smile on his face. "I think they're all just tired and want to have a nice big break, y'know?"
'Like us', Hungary suddenly realized.
"Alright, ENOUGH!" Gillen bellowed, red in the face and gritting his teeth. "Romano, we have guests here, we can go shopping later after we all spend some time together bonding. Allen, there's no point being angry at Flavio. Can we please just go inside?"
After that whole matter was finally resolved and Allen grudgingly accepted paying for the pizza, the redhead barked for them to get inside and follow him 'cause he really needed some coffee'. Hungary found herself doing just that and while inside she gave a puzzled look when they passed by the manager, a very old man, sleeping on his chair. But the others payed him no mind, Oh... but he's still alive right?
The others must've saw the look on her face, because Allen snorted. "Aw, don't worry about old Murray here. He's always sleeping on the damn job. What'd you expect from an eighty-year-old geezer? On the bright side, it makes the whole sneaking you and Al in easier."
Then how on earth did that human still have his job? Shouldn't he be retired? Was Allen completely fine with this? He looked too fine with this...
"But... he's still alive, right?" Hungary couldn't help but ask, because she really couldn't see or hear the old man breathing.
"Pssh, of course he is..." Allen scoffed, waving it off, before an uncertain expression appeared on his face. "…I think? I dunno, maybe? I'm not smelling any death, though..."
Gillen, for what had to be the hundredth time today, looked at Allen disapprovingly before sighing and walking over to the hopefully not dead human. The Prussian priest rang the bell three times, and the human moaned, stirring, but he didn't wake up.
He gave them a deadpan look. "I think he's alive."
O…kay?
So, after that awkward situation, everyone went into the fancy elevator. Thankfully, no one was inside, but Hungary and America were still instructed by Gillen to hide their faces just in case a human stepped in. Wouldn't want to give any residents a heart attack, after all.
And then the doors finally opened.
And to say Hungary was impressed would be an understatement.
(Jet Set Radio Future OST: Aisle Ten)
Wow…
Hungary was no stranger to fancy houses and whatnot, she used to live with Austria after all. But nowadays and for the past few decades she'd spent in simple and average houses, never something outrageously expensive or extravagant. It just wasn't in her comfort zone.
So imagine her surprise when the elevator doors opened to reveal that Allen lived in pretty expensive-looking penthouse… Huh, it looked like she forgot that both of the Americas seem to have a lot money. But it didn't really look like a place someone like Allen would live in. No offense, but Hungary honestly thought he lived in a simple apartment like America, only a bit messier and likely riddled with punkish décor.
America beamed at her and nudged her shoulder, looking just happy at the look on her face. "What do you think? Pretty cool, huh? Allen's pretty loaded, and he's owned this place for like sixty years!"
"And without any old human geezers to cut me off or tell me what to do, I can do whatever I want with it." Allen smirked proudly before glancing at Gillen and Flavio and then grimacing in discomfort. "You know, as long as it's okay with these two."
"The last time we let you use your money unchecked; you purchased a giant drill and bribed the police to arrest all the hosts from The View on false charges." Gillen deadpanned, obviously displeased with Allen's actions.
"Hey, I was doing the country a favor by getting rid of them!"
"I really wasn't expecting you to live in a place like this, Allen." Hungary said in awe as she looked around, and she smiled dryly at America. "And I don't get why you didn't bother mentioning that he lived in a penthouse."
"Hey, ain't nothing wrong with living in swanky places from time to time." Allen remarked dryly, grinning smugly.
"And would you hit me if I said that I wanted keep it as a surprise?" America asked with a shaky smile, his nervous laughter gave him away.
Hungary snorted, of course he wanted to keep it as a surprise. "No, no, I wouldn't."
"Cool. Because it's exactly that!
Allen clapped his hands. "Okay people, go ahead and make yourselves at home or whatever. I'll go order the damn pizza. Alfred, go show that buddy of yours around or something. We can have our guy time later."
/ / / / /
(Final Fantasy VI: Coin of Fate)
When Gillen first saw her, the Hungary from the Light World, he could honestly say he had his breath taken away.
He had just saw Erszi not that long ago, and now here she was, but it wasn't her. Did that sentence even make sense? Oh, but then again, none of this whole thing regarding two worlds, one filled with light and the other with darkness, one with a blinding yellow sun and the other with a harmless red sun, didn't make any logical sense either.
He sometimes wondered to himself what God intended to achieve by creating two dimensions, each having a different Earth with a different history. There couldn't be another God, it wouldn't make sense. There was only one God, and He was the who created the universe, which included the two dimensions. But what was His goal? What did HE intend to achieve with the different Earths?
Did HE love His creations so much that He created a near copy of it all? Did He wanted to see which Earth would have the better or less worse humanity? Did He, the all-knowing being, foresaw that humanity as well as nations would bring the world into endless chaos, and wanted to see if humanity would be better beings if he created a different Earth, ensuring that things would go differently?
If so, then which world was the doomed one, and which one was the test? Or were they both doomed? Was there yet another Earth or Earths that God created in hopes of seeing his creations finally getting along in one of them?
Gillen sighed, shaking his head. Oh, he truly hoped the two worlds won't discover each other. The religious communities would argue or kill each other non-stop over it.
Well, there was no point trying to deduce what God could be planning. It wasn't his place to assume or jump to conclusions…
Ah, but he didn't intend to go off on a religious monologue trying to figure out an explanation for all of this. He had been thinking about Hungary.
Just like when he had first met Alfred, an event Gillen will never forget for the rest of his life, it astonished him how much that woman and her gentler counterpart looked alike. It was truly remarkable. Their faces were identical… Oh of course they were identical, they wouldn't be counterparts if that wasn't the case. But the fact still shocked him, though not in a bad way of course. He was just unused to seeing the people from his world act like completely different people.
He wondered if this awe and shock was what Alfred exactly felt like every time he saw or spoke with the nations of this world, to see the people he had known for years with different physical attributes, different personalities, different histories…
Gillen knew his world's Hungary for centuries, ever since they were little innocent children and he foolishly believed Erszi was a boy despite her exasperatedly claiming otherwise. He remembered spending many years helping defend her land from the cruel Europeans and her spending hours on the flower fields. He remembered trying in vain to train her to defend herself so she wouldn't have to depend on him all the time. He remembered failing to stop her forced marriages with Turkey and then Austria…
He clenched his cross for the umpteenth time today.
So… one could understand the feeling of shock and even awkwardness he was feeling.
Elizaveta had Erszi's face, yes, but the wasn't the only attribute they shared. The gentle, kind sometimes awkward smile on her face was just like Erszi's, and it felt almost surreal seeing it on her counterpart. And those two had the same spark in their eyes, the same kindness and determination, the same will to live life happily despite all the troubles in their lives.
In terms of physical appearance, they differed greatly, but not to the extent of the Americas. Elizaveta was fair, had long wavy brown hair, bright green eyes and a flower in her hair. Her clothes were more… erm… less girly compared to her Dark World counterpart. While Erszi, on the other hand, had long blonde hair usually in a messy ponytail. She absolutely adored the color pink, and as a result many of her clothes, usually dresses, were of that color.
In personality, well, Gillen still didn't know Elizaveta too well so she might surprise, but from what he had seen, she indeed was quite different from Erszi. If Erszi was girly, then it would seem fitting that Elizaveta was more of a tomboy, although she did act quite femininely.
Erszi was a gentle and endlessly kind soul, someone who couldn't bring herself to hurt anyone, no matter how they may have wronged her… no matter how much trouble it would bring her. Gillen honestly admired her for that, but it constantly worried him. Thank God she could at least defend herself somewhat. She was a little shy, and she sometimes spent too much time worrying about certain things. She was a motherly figure, admired and loved by her people.
Elizaveta appeared to share some of Erszi's kindness and gentleness, as seen with her friendship with Alfred. She also seemed to be able to be a motherly or at least an older sister figure, if the fact that she also raised her world's Italy was any indication. But she was brash, a lot more prone to anger, and not very patient. Erszi didn't have any of that. Another important thing to note was that Gillen had no doubt that this woman was very capable of defending herself, he could tell that she was once a warrior.
But… despite all the differences, Gillen knew one thing: these two were no doubt extraordinary women.
Gillen watched the brown-haired stare through the large glass windows of the house at the view of New York City. She was originally with her fellow Lightner, but Flavio had pulled Alfred away to speak with him privately about some matter. He figured he could ask them about it later.
"I imagine that it must be very surreal, being in a world where it's dark day and night," Gillen began speaking as he stepped up next to her. She looked at them curiously while he continued, "I know I would think the same if I found myself in a world where the sun was unbearably bright, and the sky was blue at day... I… I hope I'm not intruding."
But Elizaveta only smiled kindly at him. "Oh no, not at all. I like having someone to talk to. But you're right, this is all pretty surreal. It's something that I'll need to get used to. Honestly, how the hell can you people tell when it's night? Or does it get even darker at that time?"
Gillen had to smile at that, and he chuckled softly. Alfred had the same exact question when he first visited. "It does get even darker, ja. While the sky is already dark during the day, the sun does still provide light for us. And when sun sets, the sky tends to turn a very dark blue or pitch back, depending on where you are, and then the golden moon rises up."
Elizaveta stared at him as if he grew a second head. "The moon is gold in this world?"
"Ja, it is."
"Oh… I wasn't expecting that."
And the Gillen's worst fear occurred: they descended into slightly awkward silence. Worst yet, the two of them started staring at the other and then looking away, then stare again, until Gillen had enough of it.
"I-I… please forgive me for staring, Miss Elizaveta." Gillen apologized in, pinching his nose, ashamed of himself. "It's just that… I knew Erszi my whole life, and to see you… You have her face, but you look and act so different. It's just so strange…"
"Oh no, don't worry, I think I'm just as guilty." Elizaveta smiled sheepishly, and she gripped her head. "I just… How? I've been dealing with that jerk Prussia, for centuries. He's caused me no end of stress, and he has this disturbing obsession with invading nation's vital regions! And now there's you… You look just like him, but you're completely different! You're so… nice!"
"And you're very… brash." Gillen remarked harmlessly, and he shook his head. "No offense, of course. I think I mentioned before that Erszi was never really a fighter, and that I had to protect her for many years. But you, you're definitely a warrior. I can see it in your eyes, you've fought in a lot of battles, haven't you?"
Elizaveta nodded, and a proud grin spread across her face. "That's right. Magyar trained me in combat, and I ended up imitating him a lot. I used to get in tons of fights when I was little and, erm, thought I was a boy. Mongolia and the Ottoman Empire, those jerks, they loved to pick on me all the time back then. Oh, and how I can forget that little damn thief Romania who had the balls to steal Transylvania from me!"
It was then Gillen learned another thing about Elizaveta, she could look quite frightening than angry, and she somehow knew how to emanate an aura of pure rage. He sweatdropped as he watched the smile on the woman's face become strained and started shaking her fist.
"You'll see, Mr. Stinky Van Hellsing! I'll get my happy place back from you! Next time I'll get it back, next time!" Hungary cackled, much to Gillen's discomfort, before she did a 180° and smiled normally again. "So, anyway, yes, I did participate in many battles. I even though I was forced to abandon roughhousing and other boyish activities when I moved in with Austria, I ended up fighting again after many years. Someone had to protect his vital regions."
Gillen gaped, and he stared at her. "Excuse me, did you say vital regions?"
"Yes. Didn't Alfred tell you? Back then, and I guess still to the present day, my world's Prussia would always to describe invading other nations as invading their vital regions. If you ask me, I think he had-"
"I… I think I'd rather not know." Gillen smiled nervously. "Again, I'm sorry that you have to put up with my counterpart. And I can promise you that I've never had such disgusting before in my life."
They both chuckled, but it hardly did anything to ease Gillen's feelings of guilt.
"I'm sorry. I should be seeing you as Elizaveta, your own person, but I keep seeing her in you and comparing your differences." Gillen apologized again, bowing his head. Oh, wasn't he supposed to be the focused and reasonable one? "It's not right. We shouldn't be comparing each other with our counterparts. The four of us are each their own nation."
Elizaveta's smile became sad, and she nodded. "Oh, you're right. We shouldn't be comparing each other with our respective counterparts. I guess we're just so used to seeing the nations we know in a certain way it's hard not to see them in you and I. Sometimes it feels that you and Gilbert are not actually two completely different people with different histories."
"Ja, same with me." Gillen said grimly, and he pondered as to what to do to remedy this situation. Then it hit him. "So then, why don't we get to know each other better?"
"Hmm?" She looked at him, confused.
"If I learn more about you and we continue bonding with each visit, then I might be able to stop constantly be reminded of Erszi every time I'm with you." Gillen explained it carefully to her. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it could work. "And you might be able to separate me from my counterpart. What do you say?"
Elizaveta grinned. "I think it's a great idea."
/ / / / /
(Final Fantasy VII OST: Cait Sith Theme)
Flavio wasn't that much of a religious person, at least compared to his friend Gillen. Certain events and seeing his prayers for his brother's sanity go unanswered along with Luciano's ever-growing malice did put a damper on his belief in an all-mighty all-knowing deity that loved his creations. If there was truly a God who loved this Earth, then he wouldn't have let Flavio's brother become a monster intent on destroying this world.
But he was thankful to any deity out there who managed to help save this day. When everyone started discussing about the current situation with Luciano, along with Flavio feeling obliged to explain how he let this all happen, how he failed his brother, he felt the lingering feelings of pain and guilt once again torment him.
He truly regretted how he acted with Elizaveta, Alfredo's dear friend, but Romano couldn't stand seeing the matter of his brother being treated like a joke, even though she probably didn't even mean to. She seemed like a nice girl…
…Albeit with a rather questionable fashion sense. But she still seemed like a pleasant person!
However, despite Flavio's worst fears that the day will have ended badly for everyone, everything then turned out fine and it was mostly thanks to Elizaveta herself, as well as he and Gillen scolding Allen for his misbehavior. Against the odds, everyone was happy again. Allen even sort of 'patched things up' with Miss Elizaveta.
Now only one teensy-eensy problem remained, and Flavio was determined to help resolve it: his bambino's relationship with the Light World's Hungary.
Flavio was saddened, although not very surprised, to see that his little brother acted hostile toward Miss Elizaveta. He would've lightly pulled him by the ear and reprimanded him for his rude behavior if he hadn't been so distracted by his worried thoughts of his brother. Oh, silly Flavio! Just where did he go wrong in teaching Allen proper manners and behavior? And whenever he brought it up, Allen would always snap at him.
…Which would then lead to Flavio lightly pulling his ear. Well, he supposed there's no point in trying to lecture someone as free and wild as Allen. Allen was Allen, but that didn't mean he couldn't improve!
Then again, Allen's rude behavior and bad manners could be deliberate… and even a retaliation. Flavio frowned in worry. Oh dear, he didn't really remind the boy of England, did he? He would never think of harming his little brother over anything, much less for bad manners!
Flavio should try to talk to him about it later, when the Lightners have left.
Anyway, Allen was always like that, guarded and angry toward strangers and foreigners, and he was so adorably overprotective of his counterpart Alfredo. So protective and loving, that Allen would often try to convince Alfred to leave the Light World and move in with him, to no vail. Those two were just so cute together!
And let's not forget about our dear Erszi! Allen always had a soft spot for her, and they've been friends for years! So, it's only logical Allen would be hesitant to trust her counterpart, to let his guard down around her, lest he pay the consequences.
Even now that they've sort of made up, Flavio could tell that Allen was still a little uncertain around Miss Elizaveta. Also, he could tell that she felt the same way about Allen, although she's much more willing to become real friends than Allen was.
So now… how could they help Allen start trusting Elizaveta…
Flavio gasped, and almost as if on cue, the light above him was turned on. That's it! He's such a genius!
Smiling, though making sure it doesn't look too suspicious, Flavio fabulously walked over to Alfred who was talking loudly with Elizaveta while admiring the view from the penthouse. Oh, those two looked so cute together too!
All right, play it cool...
"Alfredo, bambino…" Flavio smiled politely at the blonde-haired boy, taking his hand. "Do you mind if I speak with you for a moment in private, please? It won't take long."
The cute boy blinked, and he offered a smile at the brown-haired version of Hungary before looking back at Flavio. "Sure, dude! I don't mind."
Flavio grinned, and he pulled him all the way near the elevator, far enough where no one could their super-secret conversation.
"So, dude, Flavio, what do you wanna talk about?"
"I have a plan."
Please review if you have a minute and let me know your thoughts about the character's conversations. I said I wanted to focus on the characters bonding and interacting, and I hope you enjoyed them. I'll include a lot more of it next chapter!