The young girl that was having a tea party was a very young-looking girl, five years old at the most with waist-length black hair that was tied up in two braids that framed her tanned face and almond-shaped, crystal-blue eyes that resembled America's and she wore a light pink dress with darker pink hibiscus embroidered along the hem that matched the real one she wore in her hair. However, to England and Japan, the girl looked rather familiar. Now they knew they never met her so she shouldn't have created this itching feeling in their minds, yet...she did.
As England and Japan tried to figure out why her face created such a strange feeling of remembrance, Ace, the Golden Retriever wearing a fancy bonnet, ran over and sat next to the girl as she poured some 'tea' from a china teapot for him. "Now, remember to mind your manners, Ace. We don't want a repeat of what happened last time," she said as she pointed towards one of the stuffed animals, a bunny that clearly had been chewed up and only recently been haphazardly stitched back together with it still missing one of its black button eyes. Clearly embarrassed by the incident, Ace bowed his head in embarrassment before looking up at the girl with big puppy dog eyes who in turn just pet him on the head. "Don't worry I still like you," she said with a smile before sitting down and pouring herself 'tea'.
"Lani!" America called to the girl who looked up and her eyes brightened.
"Daddy!" the girl, Lani, called as she raced over to her father and hugged his legs.
America smiled down at the girl and picked her up. "Hey, kiddo. How's your day been? And where's Alaska?"
"Pretty good, as for 'Laska, he went to go read in the apple orchard on the other side since he didn't want to play tea party with me. Something about my doll looking possessed and freaking him out but I have no idea what he's talking about," Lani replied. The other countries looked over behind the father and daughter to see the table where the dolls and at one in particular that appeared to be older than the others due to it being porcelain as opposed to plastic and wore a white Edwardian gown with black hair and painted blue eyes that turned its head and now seemed to be staring at them...Um...
"Aloha, everybody," the countries heard and looked over from the doll to the brightly smiling girl to which they gave an awkward wave to the child, who then gestured at her father to set her down which America did so, allowing her to bend down under the table to pull out a rectangular black box and place it on the table. Turning a dial on the side and flipping a switch caused the box's lid to spring off revealing beautiful leis of varying colors and flowers, allowing the state to reach in and pull them out before turning to the countries. "Welcome to our house," she said before grabbing a nearby chair to stand at almost the same height as at least some of the countries, placing her floral leis on each of them as she passed by until all of them had one around their neck.
"Er...thank you, dear," England said, examining the orchid lei around his neck before looking back at the physically five-year-old who had returned to her father's side with a beaming smile.
"You're welcome," she said, tilting her head to the side. "It's kind of my specialty to welcome visitors."
"Well, that's good," England said before taking a good long look at the child, examing her facial features and quirks before something in his mind clicked, remembering where he did see someone with her features. However, that had been many years ago, at least three centuries and the last time he saw her was in the 1890s and she was nearly 16 in physical age by then and didn't possess this girl's blue eyes. Perhaps they were related? "Lani, was it?"
"Well, yes, that's my nickname," she said as she walked over to the box still sitting on her tea party table before putting it back under the table. "It's short for my human name Moana Leilani Jones, but if you want my actual name," she continued whipping around before grabbing her skirt and curtseying, "I'm the State of Hawaii."
"Hawaii, huh?" England asked as the girl stood up straight. "Are you perhaps related to the Kingdom of Hawai'i?"
"She's my mom!" Hawaii said with joy obvious in her voice before looking up at England, scrutinizing him for a moment before asking, "You're Mr. England right?"
"You know who I am?" England asked as he noticed the girl walking closer to him.
"Of course!" Hawaii continued. "My mama told me that when she was starting out as the Kingdom of Hawai'i you helped her learn to be a proper lady."
"A shame those lessons never seemed to catch on with America," England muttered under his breath side-eyeing his former colony.
"Did you just call me a lady?!" America, who somehow heard his whisper, yelled back.
"I meant on how I was trying to teach you to be a proper gentleman," England said rolling his eyes before looking over at America. "It's quite obvious I failed in that endeavor."
"Oh...Hey!" America cried out in anger as England turned his attention back to the young state.
"Anyways Ka'iulani really was your mother?" England asked bending down to meet the young state at eye level and from where he now stood he could see many of Hawai'i's features in this young Hawaii.
"Yes. I just said that," Hawaii said, staring wide-eyed at England with innocence reflecting her bright, crystal-blue eyes.
"I see," England began before looking at the girl for a long moment with her cheeks upwards and filled with joy which confused the older country. Shouldn't she be sad talking about her mother given what America did to her? England flashed back between his former colony and the child in front of him and then a thought came to him, "Do you miss your mother?"
"Sometimes," she said looking downwards towards the grass, her eyes turning slightly glassy before shaking her head. "B-but it's okay. She visits whenever she can so it's not that bad."
"I see," England continued before seeing Hawaii raise her chin to look back to him. "Do you know why she only visits you?"
"Yeah, it's because she's one of the limbo countries," Hawaii said with a smile. "Mama explained that since there are people in my state that still identify mostly with her than with me or daddy, she can still visit the Earth whenever she wants."
"Well, that's lovely dear," England continued. "Do you know what happened to your mother?" and with those words, he felt a cold, piercing glare from America chill is back (not that he would ever admit that) that he tried to shake off.
"Well, daddy told me that mama got really sick and could no longer take care of me so he took me to the mainland," Hawaii explained with a hint of sadness in her voice before pausing for a moment, taking a deep breath. "When I came back, mama was caught in limbo and I felt this rush if that makes sense, and I became the personification for Hawaii," Hawaii paused before looking up at England with a questioning look before turning her head to the side. "Why do you ask?"
England paused staring at the child who stared back expectantly at him and just as he was about to open his mouth, felt goosebumps pop up on his neck as he felt a presence inches from his back. Quickly he swiveled around, causing him to look behind him quickly to see America giving him a very un-America glare, before said American grabs his shoulder and tightly holding it causing England to flinch from the grip. Damn America and his super strength.
"Mr. England didn't mean anything by it, hibiscus," America said turning his glare to a smile when it was directed at his daughter before turning creepy when his gaze was on England. "Right, Iggy?"
England took a lot of shit throughout the years (Henry VIII's was just one of the rulers he had been forced to deal with due to their status as his boss. Ugh, he still has a headache from all those weddings he had been forced to attend) but looking back at America, England felt his eye twitch. Nobody, especially not the little bastard he helped raised, threatens him into doing anything (except for letting Poland ((and Czech Republic and Slovakia)) getting invaded by Germany during WW2) and with this thought in mind he turned away from America back to the child before him, refusing to allow himself to be intimidated by the likes of him, "You don't know that your father a-" England then felt a searing pain erupt from his skull down to his toes before being flung away from Hawaii by a certain American far into the field.
"Daddy, why did you just do that?" Hawaii asked.
"Oh, no reason, hibiscus," America said as he rubbed the girl's ebony, braided curls.
"Hm...Okay!" Hawaii said, her big smile returning to her face.
"Wait, you don't know America ann-" began Germany before he too was flung into the distance with England which only made Hawaii give a questioning look before shrugging it off.
"So you're Hawaii? You're so small and cute!" Italy commented as he grabbed up the child and squeezed her against his chest, causing her to smile but still pull away a bit.
"Mahalo...very...much," the state said as in-between trying to get air back into her young lungs. Well, now she knows how Alaska feels every time she randomly decides to give him bone-crushing. "Could...you...please...put...me...down?" Hawaii asked in between gasps for air.
"Oh, mi dispiace, bambina," Italy said as he put the girl on the floor, but due to the lack of air the little girl nearly fell onto her bottom which caused her American father to come rushing to catch the small girl.
"Are you alright Lani?!" America cried diving towards the girl's side, and holding her against his chest. "Do you need a doctor!?"
"No, daddy," Hawaii said, clearly used to it at this point though with slight annoyance in her little voice.
"Are you sure? No broken bones? How's your scar?" America quickly asked spinning her around to check to see if she was okay, which probably just made her a bit dizzier.
"I'm fine, really," Hawaii said with a little giggle at her father's overprotective behavior until she heard the distinctive sound of a shotgun being loaded. Oh no.
"How dare you cause my little girl harm?!" America cried out as he pointed his gun at Italy who was now whimpering like a newborn baby.
"Please, America! You know I'm a virgin! I don't wanna die before I finally get laid!" Italy said falling to his knees begging the angered American to not shoot him which seemed to be falling on death ears and if you're wondering why the other countries aren't helping, well would you want to face off an irate America father who was currently pointing a weapon at their intended targets' face? No, no you would not.
Italy meanwhile was now praying for Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary to save him from the angry American, when he heard a little voice pipe and a shadow cast over him. Looking up thinking he had missed the gunshot from America's gun and was now being sent to Heaven or the bad place but probably the bad place. Fortunately for the Italian, he heard not the crackling fire of eternal damnation but a little voice of the young girl they had just met.
"Daddy! I'm fine," the girl scolded her father to the shock of everyone including America's would-be victim. "And you really shouldn't be threatening a guest."
"Well, I didn't exactly invite them," America said putting the safety on his gun.
"It's impolite and honestly just downright rude to point a gun in someone's face," Hawaii said, her hands on her hips.
America paused for a moment, which made the wind go deathly still before sighing. "Sorry, hibiscus," he muttered.
"Alright. Now you get a hug," Hawaii said hugging her father's leg. The countries paused as they witnessed America's eyes turn warm as he picked up his youngest daughter and hugged her.
"Thank you, hibiscus," America said as he squeezed the little girl against his chest who replied with a large smile on her face as she held him around his neck when a small, slightly scared Italian voice peeped up from behind the father and daughter.
"Is it safe to approach?" Italy said still cowering on the grass.
"Don't worry, Mr. Italy, I'll make sure daddy doesn't do anything," the girl said.
"Well, um, okay bambina," Italy said, this time keeping his distance from the American state. He already had been on the receiving end of America's ire once during WW2, no need for a repeat of that. "So, little Hawaii-"
"Please, just call me Lani," Hawaii said with a wide a smile. "Everyone in my family, so you can too."
"But that's your human name," Italy said with genuine confusion. No anthromopic rarely used their human names outside of specific situation and yet she's asking him to do so. It was rather strange.
"Sure, but it's mine since 'Hawai'i' was also the name of my mama, my grandfather, and great-grandfather," Hawaii said with a shrug. "Besides I like Lani."
Italy blinked at the small child before just shrugging it off and saying, "Si, Lani." Italy paused for a moment thinking back to how the young state defended him and was very welcoming to him and the other countries despite America basically saying he didn't want them there and the shared feelings of his children. Italy paused before looking back at the young girl"Scusi, Lani, may I ask you a question?"
"Of course!" Hawaii said.
"Why are your siblings so-?" How should Italy put this without losing his life. It is very difficult to heal yourself when you die.
"Insane?" Hawaii said, cutting him off and saving him from a bullet through the head.
"Lani!" America indignantly cried out as Hawaii just shrugged in response. "Not nice."
"Sorry, daddy," Hawaii said before turning back to the questioning Italian. "It's mainly because they don't really like outsiders and they allow politics to tear them apart which is wrong since ohana is supposed to look out for each other no matter what not let something as stupid as how you vote to tear them apart," she answered. "I mean I may be a Democrat, but my best friend is my big brother Alaska and he votes Republican but we still love each other so why should my other siblings stop caring about each other just because of their political opinions. People like that are so dumb."
The countries paused at that until a few of them came forward and began to have converse with the young state, except for one, Japan who was still frozen from shock until he cracked a small smile at the young girl. It seemed that not only had the young child taken after her mother in looks but in intelligence and temper, so perhaps the girl will be easy to have an actual conversation, unlike the other children he had come across so far. Not only that but she was also Hawaii, which to him was the most beautiful, enchanting state out of America's fifty so they should be able to get along well enough, right? Right.
"Hello, Hawaii-san," Japan said coming closer to the small girl who was happily chatting with the other countries without seemingly a care in the world with a wide smile on her face even when she looked at him. Japan gave a bit of a smile at this and was about to open his mouth when the girl's eyes snapped open, fury burning in them, and before he could even register what was happening felt a harsh pain in his cheek that knocked him to the ground, face down.
Through his dizzied mind, he could hardly make out the faces that looked at him in fright as he felt America reach down to help him to his feet as Japan tried to figure out what just happened and who hit him through his blurry version, saw the young child holding a surfboard that had randomly materialized out of thin air since he knew she didn't have it before with fury burning her blue eyes which had become noticeably colder than before. What just happened? Japan didn't know and has his vision cleared he saw the other country were in as much of a state of shock, even America but the girl didn't seem to care. No, instead her eyes, burning like a blue flame, were fixated on Japan. "W-why?" he managed to mutter out.
Hawaii coldly said, "I will have my vengeance for Pearl Harbor. Also, someone must pay for that shitty abomination of a final season of Sailor Moon that was not worth sitting through 22 hours of Japanese classes for and the fact there is no season 2 of Ouran Host High school."
"Hibiscus, firstly, where did you learn such language?" America asked.
"New York whenever he rants about Pennsylvania and Massachusettes," Hawaii answered which made America visibly groan, holding the bridge of his nose.
"New York," America groaned before turning back to Hawaii. "Mr. Japan isn't responsible for the animes and I already got our revenge when I dropped the atomic bombs on him."
"I know but that was your revenge, not mine," Hawaii pouted crossing her arms. "Besides you know what my back looks like," she angrily said pointing to her back which made the countries pause for a moment.
"I know, I know," America said. "Just be nice in the meantime, okay? Or no chocolate and I'll take away your Switch."
"You wouldn't!" Hawaii cried out her eyes puffy and fearful.
"Then you know what you have to do," America said pointing towards Japan who was still trying to understand what happened and was now somewhat afraid (though he didn't show it).
The young state groaned a bit before nodding, walking over to Japan who tried to remain his usual state of calm in front of this five-year-old looking state, but given the hits, she can dish out when she's angry it was proving to be a more difficult challenge than expected. "I'm sorry I hit you in the head with my surfboard, despite the fact it was revenge for you killing my soldiers and giving me trauma and a burn scar that runs down my back for the rest of my life," she said staring at him which made Japan a bit unnerved, shifting in his shoes trying to avoid the blue-fire gaze of the girl before him. "Better?" she said, shifting her gaze to her father before marching over to him.
"I guess," America said.
Japan shook his head, took a deep breath, before looking at the girl before bowing to her, "Hawaii-san," he said before pausing to see if he actually caught her attention, which he seemed to do so though she didn't face him. "I understand your anger at me and I like the other former Axis Powers realize what we did during World War 2 can never be forgotten by the people we hurt, but please believe me when I say I am sorry for what happened to you."
"And why should I trust you?" Hawaii asked.
"Well, I trust him," America said.
Hawaii looked up at her father and said, "That's because Mr. Japan did you wanted when the war was over."
"To be fair we all did," Italy said. "None of us wanted to be under, um..." Italy looked over at Russia who was staring creepily back at him.
"You all be one day," Russia whispered before smiling which caused the Italies to hide behind the closest countries.
Japan meanwhile looked at the girl. How could he get her to see him being honest? Wait...He thought back to what she said to England of the Kingdom of Hawai'i was her mother and an ally of his...Perhaps... "Your mother trusted me. We were even engaged to be married once."
This made a shift in Hawaii's expression, almost calm, before her blue-fire eyes settled on Japan again, "You still dragged us and millions of innocent people into a war nobody in our country wanted anything to do with," she said coldly.
"I know," Japan said, sadly. "Is there anything I could do to change your mind?"
Hawaii glared at him and said, "No."
America sighed before looking at his daughter, "Hawaii why don't you head inside and see if Louisiana made some of her beignets, okay." At this Hawaii looked at her father before running inside with Ace at her heels. America looked at Japan who tried to hide his hurt under an emotionless mask.
"Japan?" America asked.
"Does...Does Hawaii really hate me that much?" Japan asked.
"Of course not. Lani loves everyone, she just hates war," America said before pausing. "She even hated me and refused to talk to me throughout the 60s and into the 70s over the Vietnam War."
"So how can I make her like me," Japan asked.
"Well, don't bribe her," America said. "I learned that the hard way. Eventually, she forgave me and I'm sure she'll forgive you, but she can hold a grudge worse than her mother."
"You annexed her after telling her you would help her reinstate her monarchy. I don't blame her for having hated you," England said finally arriving back with Germany. "I honestly don't know how you two had a child."
America had no answer like he was deliberately trying to avoid the touchy subject when a bark was heard from behind him. The countries looked over to see what looked like a Siberian Husky but brown and white-furred with a thicker and more muscular build. The dog also appeared to be heavily pregnant as well. "Sakari? Why aren't you with Alaska?" America asked the dog who seemed to acknowledge him with a shrug. "You don't know? Do you where he is?" America asked and the dog pointed towards the northwest of the large estate. "Okay let's go take you back to him," America said as he followed the dog, with the rest of the countries following him on this epic journey meeting the slightly mad states.
