A/N: Hey, this is the second part of 'Sunflowers'. Natasha still here and now you'll get some insight into her character. More nations in this one and hopefully none of them are out of character...

9. The Frozen Sunflower

Crash!

The shards of glass which a moment ago had been a bottle of vodka slid on the floor. Another bottle4 flew to the same direction and crashed on the wall mere inches from Natasha's head. She didn't flinch, only blinked slowly and void of any emotion. It was like she wasn't even there. She had been like that since the funerals…

Her father was slouched over the kitchen table with a few bottles of various different liquors around him. Some were empty, some still full, some half-drowned and some broken regardless of the amount of alcohol they'd had inside them before breaking. It had been a month now. A month since Natasha's mother, Nikolai and Katerina had died in a car crash in the middle of a blizzard. Natasha had been at school then and her father at work. Nikolai had caught a cold. He had always had poor health. So their mother had taken him to see the doctor. Katerina was with them because she couldn't be left home.

"Why them…?" The drunkard man slurred. "Why not you? You just stand there, indifferent to everything. You don't even speak."

It was true. Ever since the death of three members of their family, Natasha had closed up and stopped speaking. At first she had merely switched into Belarusian but then the other kids at school had started bullying her worse than they already had because of her natural quietness. Even the teachers had tried to make her speak Russian so she had then completely stopped speaking. In her mind it was Russia's fault that she had lost about everyone she cared of. And since the funerals in Minsk, their previous home, her father had started drinking and mumbling incoherent and inane things. At first Natasha had ignored them but when he started saying that she should've been in that car, it started slowly eating her away.

When the man had finally fallen asleep, Natasha walked quietly into the hall and slipped her black winter boots on. She glanced at her reflection on the full body mirror there. She was wearing a deep purple skirt and a matching blouse with a white collared shirt, the same ones than on the funerals. The girl looked then at the coat rack, considering whether or not to take her coat, it was February after all.

"Maybe I should. So no one will stop me…"

As soon as Natasha was out of the door, she set off running. Her feet thumped on the snowy ground heavily as she tried to get as far as possible from the house she had never called home. Her home was in Minsk, had always been and would always be.

It was nighttime and not many people were out despite the city being the capital of Russia. Natasha didn't stop though. She kept running until her vision was blurry and she was feeling dizzy. When was the last time she had eaten? Oh yeah, the lunch time at school. One sandwich. And that was nine hours ago.

The girl slipped and stumbled in exhaustion but didn't stop running. Eventually she was on a quieter area where the snowbanks were high and the streets were covered by them. She slowed down and looked up at the sky. She couldn't see the starts on the dark, velvety sky due the tears and sweat.

"Niko, Kat… JA chaču dadomu." She choked out before fainting on the nearest pile of snow.

"Sunflower?"

Natasha woke up slowly. She blinked a couple of times before realizing that she was lying on a soft, large bed in a dimly lit room. She didn't shot up to sit. That would've been stupid. Instead she took in the room around her.

It had light brown walls and darker brown, heavy velvet curtains in front of two tall windows on the wall on her left. Drapes made of similar fabric were also around the bed which was some sort of really old-fashioned four poster bed. On the bedside table on the left side of the bed was a glass of water and a lamp. The lamp was the only source of light in the room with its warm hue it spread around.

Natasha got up slowly, keeping the heavy and warm blanket up to her chin. She rubbed her eyes before slipping out of the bed and walking to the door of the room(opposite to the windows and almost in the corner). When she pressed her ear against the door, she could hear people talking there. In Russian. At least four different people.

Quietly, the girl opened the door a bit. There were four people indeed there. One was the man she had met with Nikolai and Katerina, Ivan Braginsky. Other three were noticeably shorter than him. Natasha didn't pay much attention on them though and retreated back into the room.

Clack

A silent sound from the lock made the Baltic Trio spin around and Russia lift his gaze from them. They didn't see anyone there though.

"Little sunflower must have woken up." The tall nation spoke and walked past the other three. He opened the door to find Natasha sitting on the bed, her knees against her chest while she hugged them tightly and her head resting a top of her arms. When she heard the door opening, she lifted her head up to glare the man. Russia merely smiled.

"We have been worried, sunflower. I found you passed out in the snow two days ago."

Natasha's eyes widened. Two days?

"One and half." The nation corrected. "It's midday now on Thursday."

Natasha nodded slowly before turning to look at the windows and resting her head on her knees again. The scowl was back on her face. She had failed. She was still alive. And still in this stupid country. Stupid Russia that was at fault of everything.

"We can talk later if you want, sunflower. You must be hungry, da? I'll send Toris to bring you some food."

No reply. Russia continued smiling despite that until he stepped outside the room. Then the smile slid away.

"Mr. Russia?" Lithuania asked shakily. "What is it?"

"Toris. Get some food for her. Eduard, find me everything you can about Natasha Yanovich. Raivis, do something."

"Yes" The trio squeaked and scurried away.

Ten minutes later the door opened again. Natasha hadn't moved an inch. Lithuania stepped into the room carrying a tray which he placed on the bedside table. Natasha looked up.

"I brought you some food."

A nod. Natasha shifted on the bed and reached for the spoon next to the plate of soup. Toris watched her for a short moment before walking around the bed and opening the curtains of the window closer to the bed. Bright light flooded into the room. Natasha stopped in midway of eating(the plate was half empty already) and turned around. Her eyes widened in wonder at the brightness outside and in no time she had leapt over the bed and hurried to the window. The girl pressed her palms against the cold glass. There was piles and piles of pure white snow, bright wintry sky and dark yet snow covered forest surrounding the premises of the house. Natasha couldn't help but stare at it all. It had been such a long time for her since she had seen something without the greyness of Moscow.

"You like snow then?" Toris asked. Natasha's head snapped up. She stayed silent and nodded then slowly.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" The Lithuanian continued, looking out of the window.

A nod again.

"You don't talk much, do you?"

A head shake.

"But you can talk… right?"

A nod.

"I must be annoying you with my questions." Toris chuckled joylessly. Natasha regarded him for a moment before shrugging. The man wasn't Russian so he was okay, even though he was speaking Russian to her. The girl turned around and leaned against the window. She felt like saying something and opened her mouth to do so but decided otherwise then. No, she wouldn't speak that language. But she wouldn't speak her language either. She was constantly bullied for speaking differently and surrounded by people trying to coerce her to speak that language.

Natasha climbed back on the bed and resumed eating. Toris watched her in silence, waiting for her to finish.

"Eduard, have you found anything?" Ivan appeared to the door way of the Estonian's room. The IT whiz jumped a bit but turned to face the large nation.

"Yes, I have but may I ask why you are so interested in her?"

"She has a Russian nationality but, unlike her siblings, she doesn't feel Russian. I can't recognize her an my citizen."

"Oh…" Estonia opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. "Well, I found her alright…"

"And?"

"Her mother and siblings died a month ago…"

"Little Nikolai and Katerina?"

"Yes, according to the records is was a mere accident though."

"And Natasha?" Russia inquired.

"Psychiatrist she was forced to go is saying she stopped talking after the funerals. Before that she had been saying that her siblings were going home which is weird because their family wasn't religious at all." Eduard frowned while Ivan remembered what the children had told him earlier.

"But I'd rather go home." Natasha said.

"Why don't you go then?" Russia asked. He didn't like the sound of the part 'anything to get out here'. But maybe it was just the girl didn't like Moscow.

"Because our parents don't want to leave. They work here. And our friends are here." Katerina explained.

"Hmm… Yeah…" The other girl muttered.

"…Where are they buried?"

"It doesn't say… No, wait. They were taken to Minsk."

"Minsk?"

"Yes…"

"Could it be then… that she is Belarusian?"

Natasha had gone back to sleep. She had been offered a chance to go around the house but the girl had promptly refused to leave the room. She had only used the toilet across the hall once but otherwise had holed herself up in the room and was shooting proverbial daggers at anyone who tried to get her out of there. Latvia had fled the room after that and Estonia was also avoiding the room as much as he could. Lithuania seemed to be the only one she allowed to stay there for extended amounts of time but she didn't talk to him at all either.

A week later Toris was again with Natasha. The girl ate quietly her breakfast while Toris told her about the things going on in the house.

"Mr. Braginski's sisters are coming today for a visit. Their names are Nataliya and Yekaterina." Natasha looked up. "What is it?" Toris asked.

"Nataliya… Yekaterina… Natasha… Katerina…" She said quietly.

"Oh, that's right. A bit like you and your sister then. I can't really say about personalities though…" Lithuania trailed off. He had to admit there was something in Natasha that resembled Belarus but not that much. The girl herself in the other hand stayed quiet.

"Do you have other siblings too?"

"Nikolai."

"You don't talk much, do you?"

A glare.

"The day you woke up, Mr. Braginski asked Eduard to look up on you. I'm sorry for your loss."

"They are home now."

"Where is that home then?" Toris questioned, relieved that he had managed to make her talk a bit.

No answer.

"Is the problem that I'm speaking Russian to you?"

A nod.

"And you are not Russian."

Another nod.

"Belarusian?"

A third nod. "And proud about it. I hate Russia. I hate being here. I hate how this country is taking everything from me. So I'm not letting it to take my national identity too." Natasha said in Belarusian. Toris blinked in surprise before nodding and giving her a grim smile.

"Sometimes I think so too." He answered in the same language, making Natasha smile at him.

Natasha washed up and slid into her own clothes Toris had washed for her. For the last couple of days she had worn Raivis's clothes so it was nice to get into her own ones for a change.

"You ready?" The Lithuanian asked when she stepped out of the bathroom. The girl merely nodded.

"Silent treatment again?"

A nod.

"Okay, let's go then." Toris held out a hand which the girl took.

"Big brother, marry me. We can become one for eternity." Belarus clung on Russia's arm. The large nation was shivering horribly and trying to look anywhere but her. Ukraine was standing nearby in the sidelines, unsure what to do, while Estonia and Latvia stood as close to the door as possible.

"Nataliya, would you let go of my arm please?" Ivan said after a few awkward moments when he had miraculously managed to gather up some courage. "And not to talk about this matter today. We have a guest, a human quest."

"A human? Why Vanya?" Ukraine asked. It was rare for Russia to invite houseguests(other than his sisters) especially humans.

"I couldn't let her die." Was the simple reply.

"'Her'? A girl? What do you want with her then? If you think you can-." Belarus began but Russia cut her off, holding up his hand to silence her.

"It's nothing like that Nataliya, I can assure you. Little sunflower is only eleven years old now."

"Fine." The youngest of the three huffed.

"Where is she now?" Ukraine decided to ask before any sort of spat could begin between her younger siblings. It had never really happened before but there was a first time for everything.

"With Lithuania. she had refused to let anyone else close to her. She even refuses to speak." Russia smiled a bit sadly.

"Mr. Braginski?" Lithuania knocked on the door frame.

"Ah, Toris. Come in. Is…?" The question remained hanging in the air when the Lithuanian stepped into the room, Natasha behind him. The girl was gripping the nation's shirt like her life depended on it.

"She is a bit shy at the moment." Toris smiled uncertainly.

"It's alright." Ukrained smiled and leaned a bit tot eh side to get a better glimpse on the girl. Something other than just her violet skirt. "Hey there. My name is Yekaterina but you can call me Katyusha."

The girl just buried her face on the back of Toris's shirt and tightened her grip. The Lithuanian glanced at the Kievan Rus family briefly before trying to pry Natasha's hands off his shirt.

"Nia.(No.)" The girl squeaked, hands shaking. She was downright scared.

"It's alright, you can let go." Lithuania murmured.

"Nia, JA nie chaču.(No, I don't want to.)" Natasha whispered so only Toris heard her. She was shaking her head so hard that her grip loosened a bit and the Baltic nation managed to get her hands off and to grip his own.

"Just let go of him already, girl." Belarus snapped. Natasha froze. Carefully, very carefully, she peeked behind Toris's back at the three nations before hiding again.

"Eduard, Raivis, Don't you have any duties to attend? Toris will join you shortly." Russia smiled at the two other Baltics who almost saluted before hurrying away.

"Big brother, what's the deal with this girl anyways?" Belarus huffed. "Why it's so important for us to meet her?"

"Well, isn't it simply impolite not to meet my houseguest? Besides I thought she would do with some female company after staying here for a week."

"Vanya, you sound like you kidnapped her." Ukraine muttered.

"No, she ran away. I think. I only took her here so she wouldn't freeze to death. Apparently she didn't really appreciate that though…"

"And why's that?" Belarus crossed her arms over her chest. Russia glanced at the pair by the door. Lithuania was crouched in front of Natasha who had also crouched down as an attempt to hide while keeping a death grip on the Baltic's hands. The brunette nation was talking to her quietly but she just shook her head.

"I have a guess…" Russia said slowly. "But why don't you tell me that?"

"What?"

"Look at her."

And Belarus did. Now when she could see the girl's face, she could recognize her as one of her own. She could see Natasha's struggles in the new country: how she was mocked, how she had no friends except her siblings. How she heard about the deaths of her siblings and her mother and how her father turned into a drunkard. How she cried constantly that she wanted to go home while the rest of the time she wore an emotionless mask. How she taught herself over the years to hate everything in Russia. And how she ran away in the hopes of dying an being reunited with Nikolai and Katerina.

"She… wanted to die." The young woman whispered. At the same time Natasha's startled and panicked cry pierced the silence in the room. Toris had managed to slip out of the girl's grasp by distracting her with a photo he had rescued from her skirt pocket when her clothes had gone to the wash. And now the Baltic nation had slipped out of the room, closing the door behind.

"Nia! Nia pakinuć mianie ŭ spakoi!(No! Don't leave me alone!)" The girl dashed to the door but it wouldn't open, locking her into the room with three strangers. The photo lay abandoned on the floor where she had dropped it. A photo of her and her sibling.

Belarus walked to the eleven-year-old who was at the verge of tears while on her knees by the closed door. While coming closer the nation could hear the girl begging the Lithuanian to come back with a quiet voice. She could hear glimpses from other sentences too, like "they're too similar", "don't leave me alone", "I'm scared" and the most common one: "I want to go home". The nation of Belarus sat behind Natasha and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl flinched at the touch and tried to get away until she happened to look at the woman directly in the eyes. She froze, once again, before tears welled up into her sapphire eyes.

"It's alright." Belarus whispered. "I understand."

And that was all Natasha needed. She hadn't cried properly since the death of her siblings. Actually she had never cried because she had tried to stay strong for the sake of them. Yes, she had, when she had been alone, cried how she wanted to go home but she had never had anyone to comfort her nor had she ever properly mourned the loss of her siblings. So that gentle push was all she had needed to hear for a long time and now she was quite literally crying her eyes out against her homecountry. And no one was to judge her. Not Russia who had saved her life, nor Ukraine whi picked the photo on the floor and wiped some stray tears away from her cheeks. Not even Belarus who some other circumstances would've killed anyone who had as deep hatred against Russia as Natasha had. But this girl was an exception. Her feelings were entirely justified. Belarus could feel her pain as tears slid down her own cheeks too.

Eventually Natasha fell asleep out of exhaustion on Belarus's lap.

"Do you think her father is worried about her?" The woman asked quietly as she petted the girl's hair.

"I doubt it but it's possible." Russia answered with an equally quiet voice.

"Poor girl, having gone through so much." Ukraine whispered, before walking to Belarus and Natasha and placing the photo on the girl's skirt pocket.

"What are we doing with her now?" Belarus looked up. "She… Natasha can't go on like this. Not without Nikolai and Katerina." For once the female nation wasn't her creepy self but still slightly tear-eyed.

"She needs to go home, Nataliya. Not to Minsk but the place her father waits for her. And it's up to her will she remember being here at all and whether this is a dream for her or not." Russia said gently. "But if it helps you at all… we can make her father stop drinking and notice her and her good sides. That's how much power we have as nations over this situation."

"Very well…" Belarus looked at the girl and hugged her tightly.

Natasha opened her eyes tiredly. She was in her room, lying on her bed. How nice… Wait!

She blinked several times and shot up. She was indeed in her own room, in her every day clothes and daylight was pouring into the room through the window opposite her bed. She looked around. Yes, this was her room alright, it was day time, and her digital alarm clock told it was Saturday… Natasha frowned at the clock. It had been Tuesday night when she had ran away, Thursday midday when she had woken up, and Friday on the next week when she had met Mr. Braginski's sisters. And now was the next day from that. But what was she doing home then? Or rather had that all been just a dream? If so, how long had she been asleep? And what were those noises from kitchen?

Carefully Natasha got out of her bed and stepped into the hallway. Her father was in the kitchen, cooking breakfast.

"Good morning, Natasha!" He greeted the girl. "It's good to see you awake and on your feet." The man walked to her and placed a hand on her forehead. "Good, the fever seems to be gone now."

"Fever?" Natasha asked before she could stop herself. Maybe because her father was speaking Belarusian to her after all those years living. The man didn't even smell like alcohol and there were no bottles in the house. He was clean and tidy, almost like going to work at any moment but in casual clothes.

"Yes, the police found you from the snow. Why did you run away like that? I was worried to death for you. Just the thought of losing you like Niko and Kat…" The man turned away a bit as his voice broke. He scooped the girl into a tight hug. "Thank god you survived with only a fever."

Natasha wrapped her arms around her father and squeezed him a bit. She was confused. She could remember being in that large house where people were friendly to her. She remembered how she was left behind once again and how she cried. But no matter how hard Natasha tried, she couldn't bring herself to remember whether it all had been a dream or not. Nevertheless she smiled.

A/N: Right, I hope you liked this one. As you can see the countries messed up a bit with her father's memories too. But it was only for Natasha's sake.

BTW as you might have noticed, I don't name the parents of these kids. It's just too hard to keep track on the names. Merely the amount of OCs I have is a lot... And the parents are not in that big of a role. Just on the background.

But for now, until next time! Please review by the way. It would really help me to know were the nations in character and what is your opinion on the OCs. And also I'd like to know if Natasha is in your opinion like 2P of Belarus. I mean... she doesn't like Russia and gets along with Lithuania but still scares Latvia. ;)