A/N: Alright, here is Natasha and Miyako. It has been a while hasn't it? Here is how they relationship was established and also a bit of what happened in their lives between this all. They are very similar characters deep inside so I think they fit together quite well. :)

The title of this chapter is a reference to both Miyako's name and Natasha's love for snow.

22. The snowy light, beautiful night

She was beautiful. And when she began speaking, Natasha felt like floating. No one ever before had been so kind to her. No one ever had given her a genuine smile. She heard the other had also had her troubles thus she felt even more grateful of being the one receiving the smile.

"Watashi no namae wa Watanabe Miyako desu." The shorter (and younger) girl had introduced herself in her native language. Natasha found it pretty. It even sounded pretty when the Japanese girl spoke Russian, the language Natasha still despised. Maybe she could teach the exchange student some Belorussian…

And now Natasha was just watching the other girl standing in the snowfall and admiring the whiteness of the world. She didn't care about the looks and whispers she still received from her classmates, she'd learn to ignore them, but she did care when the people began including Miyako to them.

"Another weirdo?"

"Yanovich is hogging the Jap all for herself."

"Damn, I'd like to spent a night with her."

"She is kinda cute…"

"Do you think we'll get lucky?"

"Just go and ask!"

Those were the boys. Natasha didn't like them. Sometimes they tried to beat her up when she got one of her more patriotic phases and refused completely to speak Russian. She spoke anything else but Russian: Belorussian, English, Lithuanian, Japanese(the only reason why Miyako was placed to her home for the six months of exchange)… But no Russian. The teachers didn't like it either. They didn't like how one of their student wasn't loyal to Russia.

"I hate Russia. I hate how it takes everything from me." She had answered. And earned a slap from one of the older teachers who believed in physical punishment. No one in the board of governors did anything about it because it was Natasha. So the girl had closed up even more. Over the years, she hadn't changed at all. Neither had the treatment towards her. And now she was already in high school.

"Do you want to go home?" Natasha didn't even notice when Miyako had walked up to her, peering through her glasses with those onyx orbs of hers.

"Sure." The Belorussian smiled and took the offered hand. The school day had ended a while ago. Some hot cocoa or tea would do some good.

The duo walked mostly in silence. Words weren't needed for them. The snow fell all around them. The evening was already darkening. On the way Natasha bought them both mugs of cocoa. It was the same vendor than years and years ago when she and her siblings, little Nikolai and Katerina, had bought cocoa from. When Niko had lost his mittens…

Lounging on Natasha's queen-sized bed was the way they usually spent their free time. Miyako liked it very much, especially when they shared common interests. They both liked manga. They liked same manga. They even had a common internet friend. A girl from Finland who vlogged about Hetalia. She and Miyako had even started their own manga project and Natasha had been lured in as a critic and beta-reader. It would be published in both English and Japanese.

It had been such a surprise when they'd realized how much they actually had in common. Though it hadn't been until April really when Miyako had opened up. She had told Natasha about her sister Mariko and her dead twin Momoko. Her fear of being forgotten and her fear of something happening to Mariko, too. And Natasha had told her about Nikolai and Katerina. How they'd died in a car crash. How the situation the Japanese saw at the moment was the same than years ago. How Natasha had stopped caring.

"But if they pull you in my problems…" Natasha gripped the sheets and almost let her tea cup slide from her hand to the floor. "JA nie daruju ich. (I won't forgive them.)"

"They hurt you. They make you lonely, right?" Miyako looked up from her place where she was lying on her stomach next to Natasha.

"Yes. Even though I don't care about them… They…"

"And your father only cares about work now…"

"…"

"It's the same with my parents. They only think about future so they are blond to the present. They even failed to see…" At this the smaller girl trailed off and looked away. But Natasha managed to catch that look. There was pain and hurt in her eyes.

"Miya-chan…" The silverette had been allowed to call Miyako with a nickname that no one else really used. Miyako was still 'Ane-san' for Mariko and to everyone else just 'Miyako' (maybe with somekind of suffix) or 'Watanabe-san'. And according to the face the girl was making, Natasha realized something bad had happened to her. Something she better talk about.

"Miya-chan, what happened?" Natasha switched into Japanese, in the case Miyako would feel more comfortable with it.

"I… I never really told you what was my reason for exchange, did I?"

"No…"

"I ran away. I used to have a boyfriend… He was handsome, polite, caring… At first. Then he became possessive and abusing a-and… my parents didn't see it at all." Miyako buried her face into the duvet covering the bed. "He continued his act around them and they didn't believe me when I told them what he was doing. Mariko was the only one… My parents were even considering our weddings at the time. It w-wasn't until Yoshiro tried to…" The flood of words was cut off abruptly. Natasha ran a soothing hand along Miyako's back, rubbing the stiff muscles. She had an idea what could've happened to Miyako.

"Did he…"

"He tried to r-rape me!" The Japanese girl broke down sobbing. "And it was only then that my parents saw that I'd been right. That he'd been hitting me and restraining what I'd been doing. They promised to take me away but then Yoshiro began stalking me. He sent me messages and photos about myself when I was at home. He kept telling me I belonged to him. He kept saying I'd eventually return to him. That he loved me and I loved him…"

"So you decided to…"

"I fled here. He doesn't know how long I'll be here and even he won't waste money on calls aboard. This place… is the only one I'm safe. Even the boys at school are looking at me like a piece of meat."

Ah, so she was freaked out by boys in general now… Natasha kept stroking the bluish black locks of hair. She let them fall into silence again. It held on for several minutes during which Miyako cried silently.

Eventually the smaller girl fell asleep. Natasha got up from the bed carefully and tucked Miyako in. The Belarussian didn't bother changing her clothes so she just slipped between the covers too. Thankfully her bed was big enough for both of them.

"You are beautiful Miya… My Miya… And I'll protect you." Pale long finger traced gently the Japanese girl's cheek bones and lips before tucking a stray lock behind the girl's ear. Miyako was beautiful. Like porcelain doll. Natasha knew she was also referred as a doll too sometimes but usually it was because of her lack of emotions. Miyako in the other hand… she was delicate. And Natasha wouldn't let anyone else touch her. She'd let no one hurt her again. Ever again.

"Arigatou…"

"Sardečna zaprašajem…"

A/N: And at least Natasha acknowledges she loved Miyako. Miya... I'm not sure. But she is really comfortable around Natasha. She is the only one outside Miya's immediate family who knows about the situation with Miya's ex. Yoshiro won't appear btw. He is created only by name and I apologize if anyone takes an offence on his name.

As you can see in Natasha's choice of languages, her short period at Russia's house influenced her subconscious a bit. Even though she doesn't really remember anything about it, she had a certain degree of liking to Lithuania. Thus she began studying the language. Japanese came long the ride when she discovered manga. Her opinion about Hetalia... She likes the series but she doesn't like Belarus's obsessiveness. So she rather searches fanfics that handle the other aspects of her personality. And no, Natasha doesn't connect the people of her 'dream' to the manga or the mange to real life. Yet.

This has to the headcanon I created for this fic. When people meet nations it's a three steps process when it comes to stereotypes and APH:

-First time can be brushed off as a coincidence. There's a variety of different people after all.

-Second time might raise suspicions by them the nations can try to affect their people's memories(like what happened with Nat and her father). So they might not even remember the encounters.

-Third time is usually the realization. Then it's too late for nations to hide if the connection has been made. Of course there will be people who will never learn about their real identities so this concerns only the people who dig deeper than surface. Meaning that the next time Natasha meets Russia, she'll most likely remember properly what happened and... well, that's for another story.

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Please review. That'd be really nice. Pretty please?