Thanks to FGO, Redbayly and Mel0 for reviewing! Man, I'm so sorry for the big delay. I thought I'd get it out earlier, but I had a serious case of writer's block and you have no idea how many times I''ve had to rewrite several parts of the chapter. Fingers crossed that another delay this long won't happen again. Now, on with the show!
(DANGANRONPA Trigger Happy Havoc OST: Beautiful Days)
Of course, America probably should've known that the rest of day wasn't going to be all smiles and laughs.
"Where have you been?!"
America cringed at Iggy's pissed-off voice making his poor ears bleed, and he sweatdropped. Good to be home, huh?
Yeah, yeah, he knew that he was gonna get some flack. He's long gotten used to it at this point after so many times of ditching politics to take a trip to the Dark World. But still, yeesh, Iggy's loud as ever.
Hungary had a similar reaction, except she didn't hide her contempt and her disgust toward the guy, and sent him a scowl that'd make Italy pee his pants. In fact, America was super sure he could see her hiding her frying pan behind her back as she oozed hatred… but maybe that's just him.
See, not too long after walking off on a happy and satisfying note about how they'll be able see each other again next week (again, awesome~"), they kinda just bumped right into the people they were not looking forward into. Bummer, am I right?
…And did America mention that the three of them were still a little upset over Hungary's epic burn? And that England was hit by a door? Oh, and hey, it turned out China got trampled by two certain 'hooligans'. Wonder who they could've been?
"Alfred, you better not be having an internal monologue right now!"
Shit, was it that noticeable?
Blinking, he slowly returned to Earth as he looked up at the guys in front of him. "Sorry, dudes."
"America, we don't want any trouble." Germany said carefully, rubbing at his temples. Poor guy looked totally stressed out. "We just want a word with you and to answer a few simple questions, that's all."
America smiled at him, and he flashed a thumbs-up. "Yeah, yeah, I understand, Germany. So, what were we talking about again?"
The three Europeans groaned while Hungary snorted in amusement.
"We were speaking about how you and Miss Hungary here need to answer for your informed absence at the meeting!" England growled, looking about ready to tear his own hair out. "And she has still yet to apologize for her insensitive comments!"
"So have you," Hungary grumbled under her breath.
"What did you just say, you-"
With awesome speed, America intervened just before things could get a chance to get messy.
"Hey! Listen, I get why you might see what Lizzy said as a dick move," America began calmly, smiling uneasily. "But you guys are giving her such a hard time over this whole immigration mess. So Lizzy doesn't want people to enter her country illegally or floods of people who probably have no respect for her culture or way of life. What's so wrong about that?"
It wasn't until a few seconds after the three Europeans stared at him all weirdly that America realized that he just called Hungary with her human nickname… for the first time in front of them. Was it a problem? America didn't think so.
"Lizzy?" Germany repeated, saying it all slowly. "Did you just call her… Lizzy?"
America blinked, before he figured that, hey, might as well announce your new best bud! He felt his grin come back with full force. "Yessiree! Hungary and I are now on the way to becoming better pals!"
"That's right!" Hungary agreed heartily, a broad smile brimming with pride on her face as she held her head high. "After a fun talk regarding the similar difficulties of our lives and dealing with embittered nations, we've decided that it was high time that we improve our relations. And now we're slowly becoming better friends?"
"Oh…" France suddenly had that weird fishy smirk on his face that he'd always get when he's being… y'know, France. "Better friends, eh? Ohonhonhon! Does that mean that you two-"
A bonk on the head by England prevented France from finishing. "Focus, frog! Get your mind out of the gutter and stay on the main topic of conversation!"
"Ohonhonhon~" France chuckled with his signature laugh while a bump grew on his head. "Ah, Angleterre… there's no need to act all jealous that dear Amerique has found a fixation other than you."
"Jealous, my arse!"
"BE QUIET, YOU TWO!"
And that, dudes, was the story of how America and Hungary became the background characters of yet another one of England and France's arguments. They sweatdropped as the 'fight' unfolded while Germany groaned from behind them. Even he didn't look like he felt like breaking up the fight. He's probably burned out from the meeting…
Man. Why did he get the feeling that this'll take a long while to get over with?
…Wonder what Allen, Gil and Flavio could be doing right now? They're probably having a much better time than they were, no doubt about it.
/ / / / /
(JSRF – Aisle 10)
After saying goodbye to Al… and maybe staying rooted to the floor staring at the door his doppelganger and Betsy just through until Flavio literally, towed him away, Allen will fucking admit that he felt… warm inside, you know, because of today.
No, not THAT kind of warmth, dammit! It's that kind of nice feeling in your heart, you know? The one that makes you feel all happy like everything's right in the world, feel satisfied with your day, and made you wanna smile for no damn reason… And the kind that's not good for Allen's reputation.
God, Alfred always had that effect on him, especially when there's no one around for Allen to act tough around for. His sunny disposition and adorable laugh that's not obnoxious was damn infectious. It's not like he hated it, but it's never easy for Allen to… let go. He's too used to being like a street punk. Hell, he liked acting like a street punk. But it's… grr… gah… you know… ngh…
GAH! Whatever, man! What's he's trying to say was that Al makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside like Washington's old hugs. And that's what Allen felt right now, y.
Yeah… He supposed Betsy might have something to do with it too. Maybe being reminded of Erszi had something to do with it. Maybe the fact that he ate chili had something to do with it as well. Whatever, point was, it was a good day.
No, that's probably an understatement. Today's turning out to be a great day after dealing with a buttload of stress for the past week.
"Oh, I can't believe what an exciting day we've had!" Flavio sighed as he collapsed on the sofa. "I certainly wasn't expecting to meet another Lightner today, or any day really. It was quite a nice breath of fresh air after all the chaos throughout the week, don't you think Gil?"
"Indeed. Today was a pleasant day, a nice rest for what's been happening as of late." Gillen agreed with a smile as he sat down. "And I'm very glad to see that all of us enjoyed our time together with the Lightners."
"Yeah, it really was cool for Al to visit and bring Betsy along…" Allen said with a fond smirk, and for once it didn't pain him to admit it.
But his rather unusually happy mood was briefly ruined when he spotted Flavio giving him a no-good grin. Allen scowled. "Hey, what the hell are you smirking at, Flavio? I already admitted it and shit, what more do you want?"
As soon as he got those words out of his dirty mouth, Allen yelped when he felt Flavio calmly pull on his ear again. Gah, not again! "First of all: language, Ally. Second, oh, please get those paranoid thoughts out of your fabulous head. I'm just proud of you."
"Y-Yeah, yeah, can ya express it without ripping my ear off?" Allen yelped.
"Flavio, give him a break for just this once." Gillen gently told him, and Flavio released Allen's poor ear. "We've had a good day. Let's just enjoy the remainder of it in peace together."
And they did it in peace alright, cause for the next couple of minutes, the Trinity Trio did nothing but… Well, they're doing nothing. Or at least Allen's not doing anything. He's just there on the sofa, contemplating whether he should take a nap or not, while Gillen seemed to be doing a prayer and Flavio was cleaning his shades.
But Allen couldn't rest. There's something eating away at him. There's still stuff to do.
"Sooo… Now what?" Allen asked halfheartedly as he got comfortable on the couch, shooting up a glance at the windows. "Sun's still up and shining, so we still have a lotta time to do sh- stuff, important stuff, y'know?"
It was an innocent remark, Allen didn't mean anything bad by it. So Allen instantly regretted ever saying any of what he just said when Flavio gasped and got that twinkle in his eye whenever he thought of the s-word…
Oh hell no…
The blonde Italian clapped his hands in delight, a sparkle in his eyes. "Ooh! You're so right, bambino. The day's still young, which means that we have plenty of time go…"
"Please no…" Allen groaned loudly.
"SHOPPING!" Flavio jumped in the air in glee.
"What? No, no, no! That's not what I fucking meant, dammit!" Allen grasped at his hair in horror and desperately turned to Gillen, practically the voice of reason, for help. "Come on, Gil, talk to him. I don't wanna go fucking shopping!
"I'm afraid I agree with Allen, Flavio." Gillen smiled sadly at Flavio, who pouted and sat back down, to Allen's relief. "I don't think there's time for us to go out shopping yet. I believe there are still important things on the agenda…"
(DANGANRONPA Trigger Happy Havoc OST – Desire for Execution)
The atmosphere suddenly grew serious, and Allen found himself reminded of a shitty, shitty reality.
"Yeah, as much as I'd like for us to share a good laugh and have the camera freeze on us in an embarrassing frame so the credits will roll, we still have Italy to deal with." America felt a sneer on his lips at the thought of that guy, "And by that, I mean we still don't know how we're gonna deal with that shitstain."
Both Gillen and Flavio tensed at the mention of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, AKA probably the biggest asshole in the whole wide world. And that's saying something.
A sigh from Gil got the other two nations' attention, and he looked at them "Ja, you're right in reminding us that we still have important matters to solve, Allen."
"Damn right I am." Allen snorted.
"…But I'm absolutely sure that there's nothing wrong with waiting until tomorrow to properly discuss and formulate a plan for… the Italy issue." Prussia suggested patiently, giving a hopeful smile. "Just until tomorrow, no more, no less."
Allen could've sworn he felt his jaw drop to the floor. "Wh- TOMORROW?! You want us to fucking wait until tomorrow to deal with the biggest threat to the fucking world right now?"
"Language, bambino!" Flavio reprimanded again, crossing his arms at Allen. "And I think Gil is right, honestly. You were so tired and stressed out today until Alfred showed up to lift your spirits. In case you've forgotten, there's a door ripped off right off its hinges upstairs."
Allen froze up, feeling his face burn up with embarrassment as he rubbed the back of his head. "I… uh… I told you, I'll call the door guy!"
"That's not the point. What you– What we all need– is a nice long rest and a good night's sleep for a day of planning." Flavio sighed, and then he looked off toward the window with a somber look. "God knows we'll need it to figure out what my fratello's going to do, especially you. I doubt cursing and threatening violence will instantly solve this."
Allen opened his mouth to retort that that is not true, but then the memory of how much of a dick he was in the morning came to mind. He gritted his teeth. "Tch. Yeah, guess you have a point. I could use a good night's sleep before planning how to deal with people."
"Exactly." Prussia nodded, staring off at the window towards the distance with distracted look. "For the sake of having a cool, rational mind, I think we should all rest."
The silent agreement from Allen signaled the end of the conversation, but they weren't done yet. Because since they're talking about that bastard, Allen
"Hey, speaking of Italy, that reminds me… Flavio!" Allen called out to his metrosexual older brother, expression serious. "You heard anything from Luci? No call or anything? Shouldn't that bastard have caught on that you've gone AWOL again?"
Allen frowned when he saw Flavio pale fucking noticeably, and his older brother figure bit his lip while twiddling his fingers. Gil also snapped out of whatever the hell he's thinking about and looked at Flavio worriedly. Yup. That's pretty much the normal reaction for when anyone asked the uh… home situation between Flavio and his damn brother nowadays.
For some goddamn reason, Flavio and that fucking shitstain lived together. Yeah, read that again all its ridiculousness. Sure, not always, since Flavio had a house himself. But Flavio still liked to spend a worrying amount of time over there. Needless to say, Allen didn't like it. Gillen didn't like it. Hell, he's pretty sure no one liked it.
You could pretty much guess what life in the house was like. It was pretty damn depressing. And Allen wasn't even exaggerating. He's been over to that place once, and ever since then he only became more determined in getting Flavio to accept that there's no point in trying to help a fucker like Italy. But noooo, just because of what happened with their crapsack of a grandpa, Flavio had a fucking moral obligation to stay with Italy.
Things were always tense between those two. And it's only gotten worse since the last meeting. Flavio's tried to talk some sense to his brother, but of course it didn't do shit. So since then Flavio's pretty much avoided his cray-cray brother like the plague…
"I... I'm not sure, really. But he hasn't called yet to complain, so that must be a good sign… I hope." Flavio said timidly, not even making eye-contact. Not a good sign.
"Or perhaps he's waiting for you to come here. As abrasive as he is, he is still capable of great patience." Gillen mused grimly, narrowing his eyes in thought. "But there's no telling what he'll do once you arrive."
"S-Si, that too…" Flavio gulped, probably only now realizing that there's a teeny-tiny chance he'll be in deep shit. But in typical Flavio fashion, he smiled through it all. "But I'm not that worried. We might not get along very well, but I don't think he'd do anything horrible me…"
Allen was about to jump at the chance to grill him for his dumb logic, but surprisingly, Gillen beat him to it. "Flavio, I do not like this."
"It's… not exactly a matter of if, Gilly."
Gillen's eyes widened in shock, while Allen wasn't sure he could believe the bullshit he just heard.
"Wait, you're gonna go back to that dick's house? His house?" Allen exclaimed, standing up from the couch, and he glared at Flavio, ignoring the pang of hurt in his heart. Didn't Flavio care about what they feel when they see him go back to his depressing life at Italy's life?
Flavio had the fucking nerve to look at the damn floor even his face had guilt written all over it. "Si, I am, although not until we find a way to deal with the issue."
"That doesn't make it any damn better!" Allen growled.
"It's not what it sounds like, I promise!" Flavio cried to him, and he bit his lip. "I was thinking, and… you're probably right. Maybe I can't reason with him, maybe I can't do anything to stop him by just talking to him. But I go back, then maybe I can try to glean information out of him. I'm good at that…"
…Dammit, Flavio.
(Danganronpa V3 OST - Heartless Journey)
"That's it."
"S-Scusa?"
"You're gonna be staying here until this whole crapfest blows over." Allen declared firmly, getting off from his lazy position on the couch to stand up on front of a puzzled Flavio. "I'm not gonna let you go back to that son of a bitch while he's acting all fishy and shit. You're not going back until you decide you don't want to see that guy, capiche?"
He spoke each and every word with a kind of seriousness and steel to it that he didn't use very often, all the usual grumpiness or laziness was completely gone from his voice. He wasn't messing around. He wasn't bluffing. Allen seriously meant it this time.
Too many times. Too many fucking times Allen had to see one of the most important people of his life go back home to that bastard like a wife who just couldn't fucking accept that her abusive husband was a total asshole. While Flavio knew that his brother was a total asshole, he just couldn't get through his thick skull that just because he was indirectly responsible for Italy's rise to assholery, it didn't mean he should be stuck with him.
Okay, maybe he's exaggerating a little. Flavio was tough and he didn't screw around, but while he didn't let Italy beat him or insult his pals, he still let the tool insult him. Flavio was basically miserable whenever he stayed over at Italy's place. And the worst part was that Flavio thought that he deserved it.
Man, did Flavio look stunned. Guess he wasn't too used to his grown up little brother ordering him around, huh? Well, Allen's not a kid anymore.
"Wh-What?" Flavio's mouth dropped in shock, and maybe horror, and he of course tried to change Allen's mind. "N-No, Allen! That won't be necessary. I know you're worried but I can take care of myself just fine."
"Yeah, you sure can, just not in this case." Allen stated bluntly. He walked to up to Flavio and glared hard at him. "For Washington's sake, Flavi, even when your 'fratello's' gone completely off the rails, you still think you can handle him by yourself."
Flavio looked hurt, hurt of all things. "I can. I have been able for centuries. Bambino, I appreciate your worry, I really do, but you need to trust me. Gil, please-"
"I agree with Allen." Gillen interjected sharply, catching both of them by surprise. It wasn't that often that Gillen sided with Allen over Flavio.
Okay, maybe because Allen was a 'shoot first, ask questions later' kind of guy, but still.
Flavio looked betrayed. "Gil, how could you say that? You know that I can-"
"I know, but Italy's becoming unpredictable. If he has truly snapped, then perhaps he won't hesitate to hurt you anymore." Gillen countered calmly, face grim and filled with sadness, but he was serious. "For all we know, he could be currently making plans to capture you as soon as you arrive at the house. He might ambush you with the other Asix. Who'd be there to help you if that happens?"
"Flavio, I know that you care for your brother despite everything, to the point where you're willing to live in the same house as him." Gillen began gently, and not he's able to hide how he didn't like that fact. "But we can't trust him to be alone with you. It's dangerous right now, mein freund. You have to trust our judgment."
To Allen's relief, it seemed like Flavio looked increasingly conflicted by the minute. "I do trust the both of you. But if I don't go, then how will we know what he's planning? This isn't just about me and my fratello, Gil. Do you really think it's easy for me go back? Do you really think I'm happy to go back there to him? The only reason I'm eager to go back is because I want to stop all this!"
Allen formed his hands into fists, feeling a range of overwhelming emotions in him. "What about us? Sure, you want to help us all out. But do you think it's easy for us to see you go back to your miserable life with Luciano? Haven't you ever stopped to think about how we feel doing this to yourself? I'll tell you how it fucking feels. It-"
Gil raised a hand, signaling Allen to let him take care of this. Out of old habit, Allen automatically shut his mouth.
"I know it's not easy for you. And I know that you only want to help us, even Luciano, but you have to think this rationally and realistically." Gillen told him with a calming gesture. "There are other ways to help. And he knows you are loyal to us first and foremost, and no amount of guilt-tripping or threats could possibly change that. If he can't get you to join, then…"
Unable to form a good counter-argument, Flavio bit his lip, went back to staring at the floor, and said nothing.
"Flavio, please, at least stay until we deem it safe." Gillen pleaded with him, clasping his hands together. "If you like, we can go to your house to pick up more of your things to make your stay more comfortable, but until then, you can't go anywhere near Italy."
Again, Flavio said nothing.
Unable to take any more of this shit, Allen cursed and grabbed Flavio's hand. God, he hated feeling so weak…
"Please…" Allen gritted his teeth, his voice cracking. And- Was he crying? "For me… No… For us, Flavi. I don't want you to go. Per favore, mi fratello. Don't leave us…"
He couldn't see through the tears blurring his vision, and he couldn't bring himself to look up to see Flavio's face, so his hair was covering his eyes. But he felt Flavio's hand tense. And after seemed like forever, Flavio finally answered.
"…All right." Allen blinked and finally looked up at Flavio. He was smiling, but he was crying. "It's all right, bambino. I'll stay."
Even though hearing that news was more than enough reason for Allen to stop crying and throttle Flavio for scaring them like that, it only seemed to make him cry even harder. Man, this was embarrassing…
"Grazie, you two."
/ / / / /
(Danganronpa V3 OST: Despair Searching)
The ride to the government facility was pretty uneventful, basically, which was a damn shame, because it's a long ride to the place and Cuba could only listen to Argentina's 'funny' story about playing matchmaker to his birdie friends for so long without dozing off.
And Cuba's supposed to be driving.
Still, it's Argentina, so there's no use trying to tell him to without feeling like a complete jerk. And Cuba figured that his friend talking about his ovenbirds would help not think too much about the enormous pressure. Cuba even cracked a joke now and then to help out.
Cuba decided that he was doing a pretty decent job keeping both their spirits up despite the possible gravity of this whole damn situation and, well, the fact that they're on their way to interrogate to Italian spies, and that ain't no laughing matter. They needed to do this right. For all they knew, the entire outcome of this escalating conflict depended on the info they squeezed out of these bastards, truthful info for that matter.
If they messed up, then Cuba will never be able to forgive himself, especially if it'll cost the boss's life…
When they finally arrived the place, Argentina finally stopped talking about the key to an ovenbird's healthy diet and left the car walking beside Cuba in a decent pace, hunching over like usual. He hadn't said a word since, and of course, the hair thing didn't help. He just walked along, holding his plushie safe against his chest, and only spoke when they went to meet with the guards.
Cuba could only wonder what the hell Argentina could be thinking about. He guessed it could be nerves. Great, that's two of them…
He sighed, wishing he had a cigar and that Argentina didn't make this facility a smoke-free workplace, and looked around anxiously. There were humans going on about in their business, though a whole lot of them spared a curious or wary glance at their nation at least once. Not surprised, despite kinda working directly for the guy, it's still Argentina. The guy's not just a bomb waiting to be set off; he's the nation of Argentina.
The place itself in general was far from the desolate, fear-striking, grim, dark centers you'd find in the bad guys' countries. Barring the whole intelligence, interrogation purpose of this place, it's actually quite cozy-looking, courtesy of Argentina.
Vaya, when's the last time he came here? That whole fiasco with Mexico? The Long War? Cuba couldn't quite remember.
They went down the hall with one of the humans guiding them until eventually they reached the door they were looking for, and Cuba and the others went inside the interrogation room or the outside part of it to be more specific. Right there were at least a dozen people doing several stuff, including watching the people on the other side of the glass.
It was there that Cuba got a good look at the bad guys that they needed to crack, and he had to say, it… wasn't what he was expecting.
The Italians looked terrified. No, wait, that's probably an understatement, but they just looked so darn scared that Cuba found himself feeling bad for them. And the thing was, he didn't really think that ginormous fear was directed at the Argentinians…
Welp, Cuba swallowed. Time to get started…
/ / / / /
(PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond - Crag Area 4)
China did not appreciate the foreboding sense of… something that he was feeling.
Adjusting his black and red changsan and military cap, the short-haired man stared off to the horizon in the porch of his little home, eyes narrowed as he thought and pondered deeply on everything that had happened as of late as well as his feelings.
China did not like feeling anxious, uneasy, or anything of the sort. It was weakness. And he was always careful and successful in eliminating whatever weakness he could possibly show, but he will grudgingly admit that this was a special case.
Confused? Then, please, by all means, allow him to explain…
Italy's actions during the previous meeting were… odd, if not annoying and suspicious. It puzzled China as much as it did everyone, even that flamboyant brother of his. Not even Japan knew exactly what was on Italy's mind, and that boy was fond of spending much time with that brat.
He was already aware that Russia was investigating into Italy's suspicious behavior. In fact, he's aware that anyone with a cautious and intelligent enough mind was investigating into Italy's suspicious behavior and actions in search for answers.
As for China? It would do him well to start investigating as well, yes. But he already had… other concerns to take care of, namely something that had been practically bothering him for quite a while. And that was saying something, because normally anything that was bothering him would have been swiftly dealt with an agonizing death as soon as possible.
Hmm… except for perhaps, Taiwan, Thailand, America and the rest of the Trinity Alliance. But… All will be in due time.
But this wasn't someone. This was something he had been keeping secretly. Over the past few weeks, China had been having an odd but grim premonition. He had been feeling a sense of foreboding regarding one of his… secrets. As if it's in danger of being discovered by someone… and the feeling had only intensified since the meeting.
If China was an impatient man, he's use that very most secret weapon to rid the world of his enemies and be done with it. He had worked long and hard, shedding countless blood and lives to reach this point. It would be a damn shame if he just let his plans for the world be crushed into nothing.
But he won't. Not even as a last resort. Why? Because China wasn't an impatient man, and especially not a foolish one, make no mistake. It was how he had lived for so long, and in such a position of power as well. He had vowed to keep 'it' out of anyone's sight or hands to prevent anyone from using it, not to use it himself. If anyone, and he did mean anyone, including himself, utilized that weapon, all would perish.
He will raise the security measures. No, he will move the hiding place. He will move it to a place no one will ever think to look
There are just some things that even he wasn't bold enough to do. Things that would result in his own self-destruction in more ways than one. Things are so dangerous and risky that only someone so blinded by greed and delusions of grandeur would be willing to try…
…Someone like Italy.
/ / / / /
(Danganronpa V3 OST White - 27. Spirit, Praise and Beauty)
"Have you heard, brother?" He spoke with an amused yet dry tone of voice, looking towards his brother. "Argentina had sent both of us a message. Quite unnecessary if you ask me since we spend almost every single day together with your awful stench, but whatever. Apparently, there spies running amok in one the Alliance's countries, Italian spies."
His brother quickly turned his head toward him. Despite the mask on him, the smirking nation knew exactly what he was thinking. "There are?"
"Yes, yes, isn't it something?" He sniggered, leaning back against his chair with a mischievous smile. "And here I was wondering if I was the only one with rats running around. Argentina wanted to warn everyone to check if they've got any unwanted visitors too. There's probably going to be a meeting in the future too."
But this was also an opportunity to see if some of his theories were correct. If his suspicions about Italy's goals were right, then he's going to need to tread carefully, check on some of his… treasures, and then inform everyone else of the danger. If it were all true, then he'll see
"I think it's time we take care of the matter, don't you think, brother?
"… If it what's you want… then I'll do anything you require me to do." His brother spoke with a rather raspy voice and a slow pace, a result of rarely ever speaking unless allowed to. "Are you… going to get rid of them yourself…?"
Yes, that would be the action most expected of him, no? One of the human-hating nations going over to torture and kill the cowardly humans who dared fish any information about him for their nation to use.
It would be easy, too easy, in fact. It might even provide him with a bit of more fun today. The sound of over-confident and sinful humans screaming would be an absolute delight to hear. However…
"...No, I think not." He said finally, looking at his nails absentmindedly. "If I myself arrive to capture then dispose the insolent humans, it might give Italy the impression that he's onto something. And we can't have that, can we? So, you need to be one to go and bring those humans in for questioning. Understand?"
"Yes, brother." The tool replied automatically. No glee, no boredom, no nothing. No emotion.
"You could sound a little more excited, you know." He grumbled in displeasure, leaning his head on his hand. What an absolute bore. "Oh, come on, this is a splendid opportunity to polish your skills in the field of interrogation AKA torture. I can't have you go rusty now can I? Why must you sound so dull?"
His brother tensed at the reprimand, and he bowed his head in guilt. This time he showed emotion – guilt – as he spoke with a distorted voice. "I apologize, brother. I didn't mean to ruin your happy mood."
"As if I'd let someone as insignificant as you ruin my happiness, stupid little brother." He scoffed at the very idea, but "But anyway, I'm entrusting the swift capture of the arrogant humans to you, my trusted shadow. I will give you their location and I trust that you can do the rest. Do not let them suspect that there is someone after them.
The puppet nodded, now with just the smallest hint of positive emotion in his voice. "They will not be free to see the light of day, brother. I will make them pay for invading you."
He smiled proudly at the better display of emotion. "Good, good… That's the spirit. Now, get going, will you? And do be sure to shower too!"
"Yes, brother."
/ / / / /
New Danganronpa V3 OST: Nightmare in Locker)
That red-haired brat had proven to be quite the nuisance.
Red eyes stared long and hard at the map of the country that said boy represented, mostly out of sheer boredom, but also in concentration as he attempted to try to put the scattered pieces of the puzzle together.
America always had been a nuisance, despite Russia not having such a prominent spot on the boy's so-called 'rouges' gallery' such as England, Canada, or Italy... (Tch, he'll save what he had to say on that last one for later). And Russia did consider him to be an enemy, a genuine threat to boot, and he knew America felt the same. Well, why else would that Western 'street punk' be brimming with hostility and hatred around Russia?
Yes, while it did seem America was that way with everyone, Russia had noticed that there was a difference in the way he treated him that resembled the boy's unfettered hatred for Italy and his former colonizer. While Russia was aware that he was considered dangerous by that foolish alliance, America especially seemed determined to see him fall.
Hm. But anyway…
It always vexed him how America could just cause everything to fall apart with his mere involvement… Thwarting Russia's attempt to acquire more power for his own self-interest, convincing Lithuania to defect from Russia's side, just overall standing in his way… Yes, it vexed him very much.
Just how did a short-tempered brat like him managed to survive up to this point, even Russia wasn't sure. But somehow, through some miracle, America survived and thrived despite the ever-present threat of other nations, even landing himself in the position of the 'world superpower'.
And as America grew in power and even in wisdom, he found himself standing in Russia's way of his goals more frequently throughout the years. That boy was a magnet for trouble and chaos no matter where he went and he took full advantage of it each time he confronted Russia. They have only physically clashed once, but even that time was a day Russia will not find himself forgetting.
This… This disturbance that America caused, this derailment of his plans… It was more than enough for Russia's blood to boil.
He felt his fingers twitch at the thought, a sort of odd anger rose within him as he growled under his breath, and he once again felt burdened by the feeling of bafflement of said anger.
It's… frankly, quite odd. He and America never had that much bad blood between them compared to the latter and Canada, England, Italy, stc. So why did he feel so compelled to despise that foul-mouthed boy and wish that he could one day bury him alive in a mountain of snow?
No matter how he tried, he couldn't pinpoint the exact origin of this scorching hatred, a failure that irked Russia to this very day. He did not like having his emotions out of his control, and there was the possibility that this anger would one day cost him somehow.
It was nothing wild and difficult to restrain. No, Russia was not like that. He was much better than that. This feeling of hatred mostly manifested in cold insults and berating America whenever a good opportunity presented itself, to which the boy would kindly respond by hurling his own insults and taunts at him. While Russia would, he would be lying if he said that he always felt at least slightly annoyed by said insults.
One random 'insult' in particular, if it even was an insult (Russia never cared for researching American slang and whatnot), 'commie', was among the most irritating ones… oddly enough.
He was annoyed… Even though Russia did not care for what insults those fools had to spit at him, much less America.
They could bark and whine all they wanted. In the end, he's still stronger than them. Since they had no meager chance of defeating, they compensated by ridiculing him.
But Russia did not miss the flaming fury and scorching hatred in the boy's red eyes, how once in a while, for just the briefest of seconds, a flicker of confliction and confusion passed through his face. If Russia did not know any better, it would seem that America was afflicted with the same mysterious hatred as he was. And it did say something, considering that the boy was already ridiculously short-tempered and possessed an irritation toward everyone.
Not that Russia could truly blame him.
Tssk. Russia sneered and shook his head at his silly thoughts. He was devoting too much time to this. He will devote spare time to this mystery and see to it that this hindrance to him was dealt with. He did not need distractions.
Bottom line was, America was a bug that needed to be squashed, but when and how was still up to debate. Russia was still attempting to conclude just which country of this miserable little world was the biggest threat to his goals.
And what was his goal, out of all of this?
…Well, partially? What every nation wished, to see their enemies and potential threats to their positions of power destroyed or dealt with, to be at the so-called top of the world. That he very much wished to do. Personally? He wanted to finally have some true solitude in his life. By crushing all the noise around him and enveloping the world around him in cold, unfeeling winter… he will be at peace for eternity.
But unfortunately, he knew it was much easier said than done, especially in the cases of America, Prussia, the rest of their funny little group, and… Italy.
Russia sneered once the aforementioned nation came to mind, and he refrained from doing something along the lines of banging a hole into the table again. While his feelings toward America ranged from irate, mild interest to a mysteriously strong hatred, what he felt toward that pest was what could only be described as an extremely strong feeling of annoyance.
The whelp was dangerous, Russia will give him that. Italy was a credit to his grandfather, who despite Russia having never met him himself was said to be ruthless, extremely successful conqueror himself. Russia will at least respect him for that. And each of Russia's attempts to crush him ultimately ended with miniscule success at best or complete failure at worst, not unlike with America.
More importantly, Italy had some convoluted plan that was the cause of his over-confident behavior in the last meeting. Well, that much was obvious for anyone with half a brain. But the details of said plan still evaded Russia and it made him rather restless. He will find the truth. It can run, but it cannot hide.
Russia also had a sneaking suspicion that America knew more than he let on, but of what remained to be seen. Those two were hiding something interesting from the world, perhaps even from their own family, and Russia was nothing but determined to find out. He needed to know who needed to be dealt with first.
If push came to shove and Italy turned out to be bigger threat, Russia will have to work with Prussia and his lot to finally put an end to Italy. That is, if their worthless penchant for goodness and morals didn't prevent them from cooperating with him. The idea brought a sour taste in his throat, but it was something he'll do without complaint if it'll solve the problem.
…Speaking of, that brought him the reason why he was staring at a map of America in the first place.
He had been thinking about what his course of action should be.
And he believed that he had finally reached a decision…
/ / / / /
(Deltarune OST: School)
"Jeez, I don't think I've gotten such a tongue-lashing this year since my boss discovered that I've been using Air Force One behind his back." America dryly remarked as he rubbed the back of his head, his ears still buzzing from the earful England gave him.
Yeah, America knew completely well that one needed to deal with the consequences and all that, but England's really making a big deal over nothing. In fact, that whole thing practically amounted to nothing. Unless there's some hidden lesson somewhere, it was pretty pointless.
"Trust me; they're like this all the time." Hungary groaned loudly. "And they're not even done with us yet."
Yup, yessiree. You heard that right. He and Hungary decided to ditch getting scolded for ditching when the yelling and France and England constantly getting off-topic so that they could either ask weird questions about their new friendship or insult each other became too much. Yeah, the situation's far from over, but maybe they should give those three dudes a few minutes to deal with their issues…
Will they regret it? Probably. Even America felt kind of bad for leaving. But if they're getting no reasonable reprimanding out of it that's not about how they ditched the meeting, then why stick around?
"You know what, Alfred? Forget them. We have better things to do than to think about them." Hungary harrumphed before whirling around to face him with a cute smile. "Remember. You said that you were going to explain to me about the portals after that whole mess."
At first, America blinked in confusion, but then it him. Oh yeah, he did say that, didn't he?
He grinned at her, feeling super excited over finally telling someone other than Tony about the portals. "Oh yeah! Well, since we still have some free time on our hands, I guess I could tell ya the whole deal with the worlds."
"Excellent! So, where would you like to-"
"Alfie!~"
America's attention was snapped in the direction, and he was met with the sight of Taiwan running toward him, grinning from ear to ear, with a hand waving at him. He felt himself relax. Oh yeah, he told her that they could hang out later, didn't he?
He waved back at her, returning the grin. Golly, she's a sight for sore eyes. "Hey, Tai!"
Taiwan seemed to really appreciate the gesture, as she beamed even brighter as she approached him. "Oh, Alfie, you have no idea how happy I am to see you! I was worried sick! I-"
"OH MY, LIKE, GAWD, LIZZY!"
America's eyes widened when Taiwan was unceremoniously blocked in her path by a panicking Poland storming towards them brimming with fabulous rage. He could see Hungary already paling at the sight of her old pal approaching, who's no doubt going to demand where the heck they've been.
Uh-Oh, they didn't really think about what to say to him either, did they? Man, next time America needed to better plan out his spur of the moment decisions.
Poland looked like he just discovered his ponies nearly ate his favorite dress. He was sweating bullets, and was fanning himself as if he was about to faint. Actually, he did look like he was about to faint.
"Uh…" America's eyes flickered back and forth between Poland and Taiwan, who kinda looked a little upset over getting cut off, but Poland bellowed with all his valley-girl might as soon as soon as he stood in front of them.
"Where have you, like, been? I've been, like, so worried about you, girl!" Poland exclaimed in an even heavier valley girl accent than usual as he went up on their personal space. "You two, like, totally up and poofed for like the past few hours. No one, like, knows where you, like, ran off to! You know, when I, like, held back those losers for you to go out and chillax, I didn't, like, know you wanted to ditch the meeting!"
Hungary was at a total loss for words, and America felt real bad for her. "L-Look, Feliks, I know this looks bad and I'm grateful that you helped me out there, but-"
"'Cause, like, I'm so offended that you didn't, like, tell me! We could've, like, gone shopping together instead of totally wasting our time here." Poland whined and put his hands on his hips before stomping his foot angrily, totally ignoring what Hungary said. "We could've, like, had all kinds of fun together!"
Well, at least he's gonna scold them for being irresponsible and stuff, America laughed nervously.
America decided to do some damage control, since he's also responsible for this little mess. He put on his best smile and tried to interject in Poland's rant. "W-Well, dude, there's actually a really good explanation for why we-"
"…But instead of that fabulous afternoon, you, like, abandon me for the whole meeting!" Poland, like, totally ignored him (Holy Batman, it's infectious!) and went on like America hadn't spoken. "Do you have, like, any idea how BORING it was? And when the fighting broke out, like, for the gazillionth time, I was stuck all alone against the EU clods! They, like, kept getting up in my face! Oh, and I think Prussia might've claimed Austria's vital regions…"
Hungary's head shot up, and there's a totally weird look on her face. "Wait, what?"
"And you, like, Alfred, I know we're becoming, like, totes better friends and all, but, like, what the heck?" Poland shrilled at him, putting a manicured hand over his chest as he looked at America with what looked like betrayal. "I, like, show you all my ponies and you, like, repay me by running off with one of my most amazing buddies ever? Like, rude!"
Rude? Huh, nice. Least he wasn't screaming curses at him. America blinked and he raised his hands in a calming gesture. "Dude, I'm telling you, there's an explanation for-!"
"…So, anyway, now that I, like, totally got all that outta my system, what do you guys have to say for yourselves?" Poland said finally, staring expectantly at them while tapping one of his high heels impatiently.
America and Hungary shared a dubious glance, and he decided to be the one to explain first. "First off, Pol, dude, I want you to know that we didn't mean to abandon ya. And I didn't-"
But America's apology/cover story/kinda maybe sorta ass-pull was interrupted when Taiwan suddenly reappeared and bonked Poland on the head, looking like he'd just seen her bedroom adorned with a bunch of China flags.
"Hey! Poland, move out of the way! I saw Alfie first, so I should be the one to talk to him." He blinked as Taiwan snapped at the guy, pushing him aside. Then, weirdly, she went back to her old self once Poland was outta the way. "Oh, Alfie, I was so worried you when you disappeared. I was actually looking for you when you were gone, but I couldn't find you!"
It took a few seconds for America to register and get over how the conversation, but he smiled reassuringly at his other gal pal. Wowie, Taiwan must've been real worried about him.
"Yeah, seems everyone was looking for us, huh?" America laughed sheepishly, awkwardly scratching his head. Guess that's what he gets for making spur of the moment decisions, huh?
"Well, I wouldn't say everyone, but people did start getting pretty upset when you and Hungary didn't show up." Taiwan waved her sleeve around, oblivious to America's thoughts. "Not like it lasted long, anyway. You know how it is. They can only stick to one topic for so long before a fight breaks out."
So there wasn't a man-hunt then, he sighed in relief. That's good. America felt his smile broaden at the information. "Haha. Yeah. I can imagine. Anyway, sorry I ditched you back there earlier though, I probably should've…"
Yeah, America didn't mean to leave her hanging like that, but it's still not cool.
"Awww, you're so sweet, Ally. But you're already forgiven!" Taiwan cheerfully assured him as she beamed, to America's relief, her brown eyes sparkling. "I'm just happy you're back!"
You know, seeing Taiwan look so gosh darn happy to see him after the icy reception they got from Iggy and the others… and the disaster that followed… it really warms a guy's heart. He began to feel all his troubles from what happened earlier melt away and go back to feeling more and more like his old self again.
"Man… Thanks, Tai." America sent her one of his best grins, and Taiwan just seemed to brighten even more. "You know, sometimes I think you're too cool for me, dudette."
"Don't be silly. You'll be always be the cooler one to me!" Taiwan giggled.
Ame
Anyway, happy smiles or not, America still felt bad about what he did. Could he make it up to her somehow?
"Still, I hope I didn't cause ya too much trouble."
"Oh, no, not at all! I mean, I did go around looking for you for a while and I started to get a teensy bit worried," Taiwan told him in a relaxed tone, and then she winked at him. "But then I got over it when I realized that maybe you needed some space after having such a tough day and that you'd come back eventually."
America grinned wide at that, appreciating that someone else understood his need for space too, and then looked on in confusion as Taiwan stared at something behind him.
"Though… I don't know why Hungary's with you." Taiwan raised an eyebrow at America's new gal pal, who was staring at them weirdly without saying a word, a frown on her face as she glanced at America to ask, "Were you two hanging out?"
"Yup, pretty much." America smiled apologetically, trying not to laugh nervously too much. "Let's just say we went out for some fresh air and lost track of time…"
Well, it's technically true.
"…Was pushing Feliks out of the way really necessary?" Hungary deadpanned, finally entering the conversation, while occasionally glancing at the annoyed Poland.
"Hey, he's the one who cut me off in the first place!" Taiwan puffed her cheeks like a cute chipmunk and hugged America's arm tighter. Yup, he's definitely losing feeling in his arm.
"But I'm, like, not done talking!" Poland whined in the background.
"Well, you can wait when Alfie and I are finished having our alone time together!" Taiwan huffed, stomping her foot, before turning back to America with her usual smile and latching on even tighter. In fact, he's pretty sure she's cutting off his circulation… "What do you say, Al? Want to hang out?"
Hanging out with Taiwan? America perked up considerably at the idea. He hadn't thought of that. Yeah, that's an awesome idea! It's the best way to make it up to Taiwan for earlier, he and Hungary will still hang out, and And America will get to have tons of awesome fun with one of his best gal pals and his newest gal pal!
"…Um… Sorry, Taiwan, but Alfred and I were already going to hang out." Hungary interjected, promptly crushing America's glee over his new idea, as she smiled at Taiwan.
Ohhhh… riiiight… America was going to hang out with Liz some more and start explaining to her about how the whole Dark World portal things worked… Man, what the heck was with his memory today?
Taiwan gave Hungary a weird, frownish look. "Since when were you two on a human-name basis?"
"…Since today."
"How come?"
"Does it really matter?"
Taiwan puffed her cheeks again, and she crossed her arms. "Yeah, it does."
They both stared deep into each other's souls, all the while America just smiled at them as he was under the impression that they're having a totally friendly conversation from where he was standing and Poland stared at them incredulously while wondering if he should've brought high-heels today.
"I'm, like, totally lost here." Poland remarked hopelessly, but no one really paid him any mind.
"Hey! Then how about the three of us hang out together?" America suggested cheerfully, being completely oblivious to the atmosphere as always. "Feliks can come too! And then we can all go to Gucci's or something, I heard they're having a sale!"
Poland gasped, staggering back. "They are?!"
"They are!"
"I instantly forgive you for running off with my best buddy, like, mostly." Poland said so quickly that America barely caught what he said and he wrapped an arm around a bemused Hungary. "Come on, Lizzy, let's go shopping!"
Hungary laughed nervously, looking seriously torn right away as she repeatedly glanced back and forth at America and Poland. "Hah… That sounds like fun, Feliks, but I just said that-"
"But, Alfie, I wanted to spend some quality time alone with you!" Taiwan pouted, and she peered up at him with watering eyes. "Come on, you already hanged out with Hungary. Can't you make some time for me? Pleeeease?"
Oh no… She's doing the sad puppy look… No one can resist the Taiwanese sad puppy look!
America felt his super solid resolve crumble before those very eyes. Gah, the eyes! He never could resist the power of Taiwan's endless cuteness and she loved to use it way to often whenever America found himself in another of her and China's arguments. Gosh, was this how Allen felt like whenever America gave him the same puppy eyes look?
"Oh, would you look at the time!" Hungary loudly announced with a weird smile as she held out her wrist... which had no watch. "I'm going to be late for my… uh… weekly beating of Prussia! America, come with me so you can help me hold him down! Feliks, you can come and take pictures!"
Wait, that's a thing?
And without even waiting for America's approval, heck, even reaction, Hungary seized the confused American on the wrist and literally started to tow him away… Huh, wondered if this'll become a trend.
"H-Huh? Wait, Liz, what…" America's head darted around, but found out that there's pretty much no getting out of this. He smiled sheepishly at the two gaping nations and awkwardly waved. "W-Well, looks like I'm gonna be pretty occupied, Tai. Guess I'll see ya in a bit, dude! Don't worry, we can hang out-"
"Tick-tock, I've got a Prussia to cockblock!"
"Wh-Wha-? Wait! Alfie, don't go! I just wanna talk to you!"
"Wait! Lizzy! Can't we, like, go to Gucci's first?!"
This chapter was mostly dedicated to introduce more of the villains and set up some events for the next chapter. Speaking of the next chapter, this chapter and the next few ones will be a semi-arc called 'The Long Week' dedicated to world-building, introducing characters and moving the plot forward while at the same time occasionally focusing on the Light World. I hope you enjoyed it! Please review, if you have a minute.