Welcome to Chapter 3! It took a while for me to revamp this one, adding a few new things, taking some things out. I really worked hard on it. I even edited the plaque in the bedroom with the lever. It was so plain before, so I spiced it up. I don't know if I'm really happy with the way I ended it...because it seems a bit choppy...but I can deal with it. The other version was choppy too.
As before, this is the last chapter in Japan's point of view. I will be keeping the original POVs that I had. Which means the next one is...er...well I'll just let you read to find out, don't want to spoil it.
I want to give a short shout out to all those readers who I met at MTAC (Middle Tennessee Anime Convention). You all are the reason why I'm working so hard on revamping this. I want to make you proud~
ORIGINAL AUTHORS NOTES:
Welcome to chapter 3. I tried my best to keep it in Japan's character, but I dunno if I got it. This will be the last chapter for a while that's in Japan point of view. I'm still having trouble figuring out who to do for chapter four. I hope this is what you all are waiting for.
Thank you for all who have given me advice and reviews. I appreciate it a lot. Though I still dunno how I'm going to incorporate China's 'aru' into this….I'll figure it out some how. XD
The air of the mansion was stiff and stale as I made my way down the hallway. I needed to recheck many of the rooms that I had not checked, or passed over before, so I walked over to the nearest door, reaching out to the handle and turning it slowly. To my surprise, the door was unlocked and easily swung open. Hesitantly I moved in to the room, fiddling with my good sleeve as I placed the other hand on Tachi's hilt. My unease was not needed, for the room was empty, nothing more than two beds, a sofa and a single table. It didn't even have a bookcase, and I frowned. Was this room completely useless?
I took a few steps around the room, eyeing the layer of dust that had settled in this room. Everything else was spotless, why was this room different? Giving a grunt, I bent down to my knees to look under the sofa, thinking perhaps there would be something useful, or a hint that Italy had been in here...but there was nothing. I sighed, using the table to steady myself as I stood up, but my hand hit something other than wood. I looked over, finding a small scrap of paper laying under my hand. I picked myself up, and sat down on the couch, grasping the paper in my hand to look it over. It really did look like a scrap, torn in half with a green and blue square on it and quite wrinkled. I frowned a bit, confused as to why a simple piece of paper was all that was in the room, and raised my eyes to check the rest of the room. My eyes rested on a lever that had been hidden in a corner.
Placing the scrap of paper in my kimono sleeve, I made my way over to the lever, inspecting it. It was odd for a lever to be placed in a bedroom of all places, and I ran a finger over it, frowning as no dust came away. It was a three-way lever, with a rather small plaque next to it. I bent down to read the plaque, for I was not about to play with it without some instructions.
Above us lies an endless field of Heaven
While we rest in the Middleground of Earth waiting for the day
Where we all Descend into Hell for the crimes that we have committed.
I felt a frown on my face as I read this. There were certain words in the sentences that were capitalized: Above, Heaven, Middleground, Earth, Descend, and Hell. It had to be an allusion to the lever.
"Above is another word for up, so Up is Heaven..." I muttered to myself, resting my weight on my good foot. "Middleground would be Middle, so Middle is Earth, and Decend is a synonym for Down, which means Down is Hell..." I pondered this for a moment. Perhaps the lever responded to what it felt like here. "Well...it honestly feels like I'm in Hell right now...so I suppose I will take my chances..." With a grunt, I pushed the lever down until it clicked into the last spot, and waited.
VRRRR
I nearly jumped out of my skin, and turned quickly, expecting the worst. However, nothing attacked me, and when I took a closer look, I found that the bed had moved.
"Nani?" I asked aloud, making my way over and inspecting the bed. It seemed to be on some sort of mechanized pulley system, very crudely put together. I walked around the bed, and nearly fell through a rather large hole in the floor. I bent down to inspect it, looking down into what seemed like a white room underneath. I leaned forward to get a better look...
And fell right through with a startled yelp.
I made contact with the ground with a rather painful crash, landing on my injured arm and causing pain to send stars to cover my vision for a few moments. It took me a moment to gain my bearings, rolling to my feet and stumbling as I shook the pain off.
"Kuso...that hurt..." I muttered to myself, rubbing my shoulder and picking Tachi up. I took in my new surroundings, finding myself in a stark white room. I turned in place, and instantly I felt a pit in the bottom of my stomach.
In the very center of the room sat a huge black grand piano. It's top was up, primed for play, and there wasn't a speck of dust on it's black frame. I walked over, slowly, feeling the pit in my stomach grow with each step that I took forward, a frown deepening itself on my face.
"What in the..." I asked, hearing my voice echo as I walked around the piano. "What's this sense of Deja vu?" I tilted my head as I inspected the keys. "...someone has a weird sense of humor..." I muttered, noticing that the keys had been painted with colorful numbers. I shook my head a few times, looking at the rest of the room. I saw a few bookcases in the back, and a dresser, but other than that there was nothing of real interest.
I made my way to the door, trying to open it, but found it locked. For a moment, I panicked, but then realized that it was locked from the inside. All I had to do was undo the lock, and I was out into the hallway.
"It seems I only fell one floor..." I muttered to myself in a hushed tone, closing the door behind me, and turning my head from side to side. There were a few doors, so I picked one, and walked in. This room was white too, but as I went further in, I felt myself stop from shock.
It was a library. Rows and rows of books, far more than the room on the first floor had. I couldn't help but smile as I made my way down one of the rows. I ran my fingers on the spines, picking one of the nameless books and flipping through it before placing it back on the shelf. I couldn't help myself from picking random books and leafing through them, and I vaguely heard a door open on the other side of the room. The slow, deliberate footsteps didn't even register with me until they were right on me. I dropped the book that I was holding and had drawn Tachi from it's sheath with unrivaled speed.
"Kyaaaah!"
Instantly I dropped the tip of Tachi down, recognizing that scream all too well. In front of me, cowering like normal, was Italy, one hand covering his head and the other clutching something to his chest.
"Italy!" I exclaimed, sheathing my sword and moving forward to calm him. "Gomen ne, I didn't know it was you..." After a moment, Italy raised his head to look at me, and his face instantly brightened.
"Japan!" he nearly hopped in place. "You're okay!"
"Yes, thank goodness, so are you." I replied, giving him a small smile. I did not elaborate on the fact that I was not even sure how I had survived all those attacks, and I was glad that Italy seemed so calm. Perhaps he hadn't been attacked?
"Ve, right after you left, a ghost suddenly appeared from the hallway and attacked us..." Italy was explaining, the happiness on his face gone. I watched his hand tighten it's grip on what looked like a bible as he seemed to pout. "Germany was the first to scream...you heard him, didn't you?" I blinked at him for a moment.
"Iie...I didn't." I said softly, shaking my head slightly as I leaned my weight against one of the bookcases. I watched Italy frown.
"I see..." he muttered, looking away. "It surprised me, and I was so confused at the time that I ran away...Japan! I'm sorry! I left you behind" Instantly he was near me, sobbing. "The door wouldn't open at all and we ended up splitting up while running away..."
I shook my head, giving him a soft smile and almost laid a hand on his shoulder when he wasn't looking, but quickly corrected myself.
"There is no need to apologize, Italy-kun. It's understandable, anyone would have done the same in a situation like that. Even myself." I tried to reassure him, knowing that he was very scared at the moment. He was jumpy too, which was understandable. I turned my head to look at my surroundings. "Still...what on earth is going on in this house?" I asked, and watched him raise his head to look at me out of the corner of my eye. "The door and windows on the first and second floor can't be opened..." I flipped out my cellphone, frowning at the no signal bar. "And our phones won't work either..."
"Yep~" Italy replied, giving a rather large smile. "It looks like we're all locked up!" He was silent for a moment, the smile slowly fading from his face as reality seemed to set in. Then, all of a sudden, his face brightened again. "Però!" he exclaimed nearly jumping in place. "I'm so glad that I found you Japan!" I managed to smile again at his happiness. I was glad that he was taking this well, and I shifted my position to where I wasn't leaning up against the bookcase with my bad arm.
In an instant, his happiness was gone, and his face had paled to almost white. He hesitantly reached out a hand to hover over my shoulder, his amber eyes darting from the reddened cloth to my face.
"...Sei ferito..." he muttered, his voice suddenly so soft that I could barely hear him. The look on his face told me everything; he was horrified. Quickly I tried to calm him.
"It's nothing major, Ita-kun. I'll be fine, so don't worry about m-"
"Don't you dare say that!"
I found myself floundering slightly, stunned into silence at Italy's raised voice. His face was twisted in an expression of anger, something I had never seen on the younger nation, and his hands were nearly gripping the book against his chest until his knuckles were completely white. After a moment, he seemed to calm down, and he turned away from me. "Just...don't...don't ever say that...okay?" It took me a second to recover from the shock, and I nodded slowly.
"...very well..." I muttered, giving a short bow. "G-Gomen...I didn't mean to offend you, Ita-kun."
"Va bene!" All at once, the darkness of anger lifted from the Italian, and he was cheerful again. "Are you hungry? I can re-bandage that arm if you want, too!"
"I'm fine." I said, shaking my head slowly. "Demo, you're surprisingly calm, Italy." I tilted my head a bit. "You were even wandering the house on your own." I watched him closely, to make sure he didn't panic.
"Well..." he started, but then stopped, seeming to search for the right words, almost as if he was hiding something from me. "...when the ghost appeared all of a sudden...I wanted to cry...and cling to Germany. But...both Germany and Prussia were falling apart too!" he shifted his weight to his other leg, frowning. "So I figured that someone had to keep a level head...and even I was amazed at how calm I was after I realized I was alone. I knew that I needed to find everyone so we could get out of here as soon as possible!" at the end, his face twisted a bit, as if reliving a bad memory, and I almost wanted to ask what was wrong, but the moment I had opened my mouth to say something, the look was gone, back to the normal smile he wore. I frowned a bit, but let it go.
"That makes sense. I was startled at first as well, but after seeing everyone so flustered, it was odd that I felt so calm." I replied to him, giving a small smile, and I watched as Italy's grip on the book loosened slightly, but he didn't put it down. He suddenly looked a bit sheepish.
"What happened to Germany and Prussia?" he asked, looking at me with worry. "Have you found them yet?"
"Hai, I found them." I said quickly, to put his worry at ease. "They're on the fourth floor, but I'll have to explain the details on the way. They were very worried about you, so you'd better go and let them see that you're okay as soon as possible."
"Ve~ Okay! Let's go together then!" he exclaimed, and I felt myself tense, raising a hand to hush him.
"Kansei!" I whispered hoarsely, causing him to instantly shut his mouth, even though he didn't really understand what I had said. I blinked after a moment, before relaxing and bowing my head. "Gomen, every time that I've been attacked, it's been after I've said something. It's become a reflex..."
"It's okay~" he nodded and then placed the book that was in his grasp in one of his breast pockets. Then he unhooked the top of the bag that I hadn't noticed was at his side and pulled out some white fabric. He tore a bit of it off, and then out of nowhere had grabbed my arm and had pushed up the shredded sleeve to undo the hastily done bandage.
"Ah-I-Italy!" I stuttered, tensing up at the touch. "You don't have too..." he frowned a bit at me, then smiled as he wrapped the clean fabric around the wound.
"But I want too!" he said, his voice light as he knotted the fabric. "I want to be of some sort of help~" there was an underlying tone in his voice that I barely caught. Something was off, but there was no time to deal with it now. "Are you hurt anywhere else? Goodness, you have holes all over your kimono...does Germany still have your military uniform?"
"Y-Yes...he does, and...I suppose if you insist on this, I do have a gash on my leg that could use some tending too..." I said, nodding slowly.
"On your leg? Okay~ Lets sit down then, so I can look at it better!" he said cheerfully, and I nodded again, easing downwards so that I could lean up against the bookcase as the other looked at the gash. He frowned at how red the bandages were, and then let out a hiss when he unwrapped it. For a moment he stared at it, a hint of fear and worry flashing on his face before it was replaced by determination and he dug in the bag by his side before pulling out a bottle of something. Quickly he uncorked the bottle, and by the smell I could tell it was some sort of beer, and proceeded to dump the drink onto the gash.
"I-Itai!" I couldn't help but let out a yelp of pain, my body tensing up as the stinging sensation that had made itself known in my leg suddenly turned to a very painful sharp throb.
"a-ah! Mi dispiace!" Italy said, his voice laced with the apology as he wiped the blood and alcohol away from the gash with a piece of fabric. I was forced to bite my lip from the pain, and couldn't respond as he carefully re-wraped the injury. "Alcohol takes away infection...Germany taught me that!" he turned sheepish after a second. "well...actually, I kinda stole his manual once and read it..." He rubbed the back of his head, and then dug in his bag again, pulling out a bowl of something. "Here! I made some pasta at the World Summit~ Maybe it'll take your mind off of things?" he said happily, handing it to me. I took it without complaint. After a second he handed me a fork, grinning as I opened it and slowly took a few bites, watching him. I wasn't that hungry, but I ate a little bit of it, before putting it away and folding my hands in my lap, watching as he put away the remaining pieces of fabric.
"Gomen, Ita-kun, but I believe you should keep as much of that material as you can." I pointed out, handing the bowl back to him. His face suddenly turned dark, and he quickly hid it under his hair as he put the bowl back in the bag.
"...lo so..." he muttered under his breath, and I almost didn't catch it. Lo so? What does that mean?
"Nani? What was that, Italy?" I asked politely, tilting my head to the side. He looked up at me, giving me a smile.
"I said 'Okay!' Nihon~" he replied, and I frowned, knowing that wasn't what he had said. However, I wasn't the type to push it, so I let it slide, and used the bookcase to pull myself to my feet. He watched me in worry.
"Very well, thank you for bandaging my leg, Italy." I said softly, very thankful for the time he had taken to help me out. He quickly stood as well, his face twisting as he did so. He checked his breast pocket, as if making sure the book he had put in there was still there, and calmed after a moment.
"It's nothing~ But...Nihon...would you do me a favor?" he asked, but wouldn't look at me.
"Ne? What is it Ita-kun?" I asked, turning my head to look at him. It took him a moment, but he finally turned to look at me. I blinked a few times, for a single moment believing that I was not looking at Italy, but his brother Romano.
"...don't stay in the piano room for too long, okay?" He asked, seriously, his face twisting in a a frown. I blinked a few more times, before giving a hesitant nod.
"I'll see what I ca-"
"Non!" he cut me off, suddenly, his voice rising in pitch for the second time. "Promettimi! Promise me that you wont stay in there for too long!" He looked panicked, his face twisting in the emotion. It took me a second to regain my bearings, and I stood there, blinking at him. Finally I managed to shake it off.
"...very well...I promise not to be in the piano room for too long." I said slowly, testing the water. The dark look on Italy's face instantly seemed to vanish, as my words put his mind to ease. "Let's go to the others, ne?"
"Okay!" He nodded happily as he came over to stand next to me. I nodded back, and started out of the white library.
"Come, I'll explain everything that has happened as we go." I said softly.
While we walked, I explained to him what had happened after I had left to go find the source of what had broken before, telling him that it had been a broken plate. I told him that when I came back, I found the others had vanished, and I went looking for them; finding Germany in a closet and having to go find water for him; being attacked in the library which had led me to finding the key for the room that Prussia was in; having a battle with that monster with Prussia; and even got to the part where we had separated to find a tool to help Germany get the mochi that was stuck in the wall when we arrived at the door where Prussia and Germany were supposed to be.
"Wow...so there's...a mok...er...Moki? Mochi?" Italy stumbled over the word, and I nodded, taking a breather for a moment before we walked in. "I didn't notice that..." he muttered under his breath, looking down at the floor for a moment before looking back up at me. I nodded and placed my hand on the handle, but froze for a moment, hearing some sort of sounds coming from behind the door. I frowned a bit.
"Let's go." I said, leading Italy inside the room. Almost instantly, I had to tense up. Italy let out a hoarse scream and immediately clung to my arm, causing me to take a few steps forwards.
"Nihoooon! The THING! It's the Thing!" he sobbed as I took in the situation. Germany was cornered by the creature in the corner with the bookcase, Prussia slightly off to the side, nearly gasping for breath. He made a clicking noise with his tongue when he noticed us here.
"Tsk, you came too soon!" Prussia called out, his face twisting slightly as he tried to see around the monster. His red eyes landed on Italy's trembling form and he frowned even more. "Japan, you take Italy and run vhile ve hold it off!" At the mention of Italy, Germany seemed to snap to attention, ducking slightly as he tried to get a look at Italy. It didn't work so well as the monster attacked and he was forced to roll to the side, snapping his whip around the creatures arm to hold it back.
"Italia...You're all right!" He called out after a moment, relief evident in his voice. Italy peeked out from behind me, making a face.
"D-Doitsu~" Italy's voice wavered a bit, and I turned to look at the ginger-haired nation, noticing that he didn't really seemed focused on the situation. He snapped out of it after a moment and gave a strained smile. "Ve...You're face looks weird..." I turned back to look at him, seeing the strained look on the man's face. Prussia gave a snort, and motioned for us to get out of the way.
"Me and Vest vill take care of this!" Prussia grinned at us, but even I could tell that the two were taxed enough as it was. Germany was straining just to keep the monster back from attacking us, and Prussia was huffing as if he were completely out of breath. It made me frown, and I placed a hand on Tachi's hilt. Prussia noticed, and nearly panicked. his concentration split by having to dodge out of the way as the monster suddenly turned on him. He focused on me again. "Japan!" For a moment, I continued to debate with myself, if I truly wanted to do this or not...but seeing Germany's face so strained, and Prussia trying so hard...it made me angry...yet it also made me feel...what was the word? Ah, yes. Giddy. I even found myself grinning at him.
"Dear me..." I muttered, tilting my head to the side as my grip on the hilt of my sword tightening. "I must be loosing my hearing in my old age. I can't seem to hear you at all."
"Eh?!" Prussia's face twisted in confusion, and it took a second to dawn on him what exactly I meant. His face turned downwards in a frown, knowing fully that I would not leave my allies alone like this, to fight alone. He then turned his attention to Italy, who was still peeked out from behind me, but looking at me with a confused look on his face. I drew my blade slowly as Prussia called out to Italy "Hey, Italy!"
"Oh...um..." I felt Italy's grip loosen slowly, and leave my arm. I risked taking my eyes off the monster, and noticed that he was watching me with worried eyes. I wouldn't have blamed him if he ran, knowing that it was in his nature to run from danger. Perhaps it would be better that way, if he ran off...he would be able to go get help. I would fight so that he would be able to get out...why did that thought give me a sense of deja vu?
However, Italy surprised me, pulling the book out of his pocket and dusting off the cover. When he looked back up, his face was set in determination. "I suddenly got deaf too." I blinked at him a few times, but was distracted by Germany's feet sliding against the wood floor, struggling to hold his ground.
"Italy! You - !" Germany started to say, but the monster decided that it'd had enough and tossed Germany into the wall. Italy let out a whimper from beside me, taking a few steps and frowning.
"...Isn't this nostalgic?" I casually asked Italy, lifting the tip of my sword so that it would be level with the monster when I decided to attack. Subtly, I checked my leg by pushing pressure on it. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt, and I attributed it to Italy's aid, silently thanking him. "Once again, I have drawn my sword in the name of the Axis." I couldn't help but look at Italy out of the corner of my eye, watching his actions. I could see him shaking, and his grip on the book was white-knuckled. However, after a moment, his grip lessened.
"Now that you mention it..." Italy muttered, looking down at the book in his hands. "We've been at peace for so long...I'd completely forgotten..." He looked thoughtful, and I watched him open the book and flip through some pages before settling on one.
"Italia...Japan..." Germany muttered from his spot on the floor, seeming quite speechless. I gave a small smile, bowing deeply as I kept my head level with the monster, watching as it seemed to calculate the new arrivals of the battle and move forward. I smirked a little.
"It is my honorable duty to fight along with you." I said, coming out of my bow and sweeping my sword to the side when the creature got close enough, managing to catch it's leg. It let out a noise that sounded like a yell, and stumbled backwards a few steps, and I turned my head to Italy. "Let's go, Italy." I said, skipping formalities. He jumped slightly but nodded.
"Y-Yeah!" He said, his voice shaking slightly, but without further instructions, he darted over to Germany, who was pulling himself to his feet shakily. "D-Doitsu, are you all right?" he asked, I could hear the worry lacing it even as I attacked the monster with a fury of slashes from Tachi.
"I'm fine Italia." Germany said, placing a hand on his knee as he pushed himself up. He gave a grunt of pain, and I turned my head slightly to keep an eye on them.
"Ah...Hang on..." Italy muttered and I barely heard what sounded like "Carbonara..." and reached out a hand to place on Germany's leg. Almost instantly, the wounds on Germany's body seemed to fade, even the ones on his arms.
"I-Italy...how..." Germany stuttered, staring at the boy in front of him.
"Vhen did you learn that Italia?" Prussia called over, dodging an attack. I watched Italy for a moment, pulling a piece of paper from my kimono. Italy turned to look..no..glare at the monster.
"Peperoncino..." As quickly as it had happened with Germany, the monster seemed to slow to a crawl, and I blinked at it for a moment before taking my chance and attacking. I muttered an incantation under my breath, and sent the paper flying towards the creature just as whatever Italy had done was wearing off. The blast, fueled by my negative feelings, was rather big, and Prussia was almost caught in attack.
"VATCH VHERE YOU ARE AIMING!" he screamed at me, glaring as he pushed himself forward. I frowned.
"My apolo-" I never got to finish my sentence. It seemed that Italy knew what was coming, and started moving away, screaming at us.
"Presto! Get away from it!"
The monster let out a raspy voice, what sounded like "DIE" coming from it's throat, and I turned to dart away, taking Italy's advice...but it was far too late. It wasn't a second later that there was a deep tone and a swirling mass of darkness overtook my vision. I struggled to move, to get out of it, but my energy was zapped from me each time I took a step. I barely felt my legs give out from under me, barely felt my hands hit the floor.
"Th-The hell, man?!" was the next thing that I heard, and I managed to raise my head to survey the damage. I had not been the only one to be affected by...whatever that was. Germany had fallen to one knee, and Prussia was using his sword to support himself. The only one who still seemed to be on their feet was Italy, who had somehow managed to dart away quick enough...but it seemed even he had still been affected, struggling to keep his grip on the ground. He swallowed a few times, shaking his head.
"Vongole!" he called out, and I forced my eyes to focus on him. The book that I had thought was a bible was open, the pages glowing a soft red. I blinked as the area underneath him also lit up in the same soft hue, slowly spreading outwards to encircle me, Germany and Prussia. The moment this light hit me, I felt my energy return. It faded after a moment, but by then, most of my energy had returned and I got to my feet quickly.
"Arigatou, Ita-kun." I said, and he gave a grin, flipping to another page in his book. I focused my new energy into Tachi's blade, wondering vaguely how much it could handle. I heard Germany crack his whip in anger, and we both darted forward at the same time, each of us letting loose on a different side of the monster.
I didn't get much attack in, for the monster gave that same tone, that same scream. Instantly I pivoted my feet to turn and dart away, but I was not fast enough. I was caught in mid stride, feeling myself stumble in the darkness as my energy was sucked away, and I vaguely heard Prussia call out in pain as well as my shoulder came in contact with the ground.
The next thing I knew, I was staring at the ceiling. I could hear Germany grunting and the sound of someone punching something. Prussia's face appeared above me, red eyes turned downward in worry.
"You all right, Japan?" he was asking me, and I could feel his hand on my shoulder, shaking me slightly. I let out a grunt, rolling to the side and taking in the situation. Italy was on his knees, completely out of breath and his book was lying in front of him. Germany was in fact punching the monster with all he had. "Voah, don't try to move..."
"H-hai...I thi-think so" I stuttered an answer to his first question, grabbing Prussia by the shoulder to pull myself up. I watched his face twist in surprise out of the corner of my eye, but my mind wasn't truly focused on it. I managed to turn my head towards the monster, looking over as it seemed to just fade away into thin air.
"It...disappeared..." I muttered, steadying myself before letting go of Prussia. Italy took a moment but managed to get to his feet, picking up his book and making his way over to me with a panicked look on his face. Once he had gotten to me, he turned his head to where Germany was now standing alone.
"Ve~ It really is a ghost..." he muttered, and at that moment, Germany turned around, and almost angry look on his face as he marched towards us. As he moved, he placed his whip in his belt, and gave Italy a glare as he approached. The moment he was close enough, he smacked Italy upon the head and began to chastise him, the smaller nation letting out a yelp and rubbing the spot with tears in his eyes. I let out a sigh.
"Are you hurt, Doitsu-san?" I asked, smoothing out my kimono as I stood. Germany nodded shortly, before turning his attention back to Italy. I smiled at that, glad that they were okay.
"The Hell?!" Prussia suddenly exclaimed, and I turned to look at him in mild surprise. His face was red, and he took my shoulders in his hands, shaking them slightly. I felt myself tense, the touch uncomfortable, and slightly painful on one of my shoulders. "You totally ignored vhat I said! How could you?!" I frowned a bit, opening my mouth to reply, but I was beat to it.
"I thought the two of uz alone could do something about it..." Germany suddenly said, stepping over and placing a hand on Prussia's shoulder. His voice was unusually soft and Prussia let go of my shoulders. "I'm sorry...You really helped. Are you okay, too?" I gave a short nod, moving over to where there was a table and propped myself up on it. I turned to look at Italy, who seemed pale, but okay.
"Yep! But I'm so relieved now!" Even though Italy's face was pale, his face was broken out in relief. He seemed so happy that the three of us were safe, and I smiled a little bit, knowing that it was very much like him to worry about the sake of others. "You two ran away really fast, and I'd been wondering and worrying what had happened to you..."
"I am truly glad that everyone is all right." I said, giving a small smile to everyone. After a moment, my smile faded as I wondered what was next. "Now, what are we going to do from here?"
"Yeah...The thing could show up here again..." Prussia said, and I blinked at him. He brought up a good point.
"Hai, it seems like it attacks when we are separated." I replied, and he nodded.
"So ve should move to a room that is as safe as possible...besides,if the four of us stick together, it von't be so scary." Prussia gave a laugh after that. I turned my attention away from them and lifted a hand up to my shoulder, wincing a bit as Germany and Prussia seemed to bicker back and forth. Almost instantly Italy was by my side, reaching out a hand to finger the area.
"...are you hurt, Nihon?" he asked softly, and I frowned at him.
"I believe I fell on my shoulder, it is nothing." I replied, and he clenched his hands a bit before pulling out some fabric from his bag. Without even waiting for consent, he pushed my sleeve up and felt of the area around my shoulder. I let out a hiss, and he muttered a short apology before applying the bandage. I shook my head and watched him work. It took him only a few moments to complete it, and he pulled back, standing on the balls of his feet as he surveyed his work.
"...Arigatou Ita-kun..." i muttered, and he jumped a bit. He gave me a few blinks before a strained grin placed itself on his face.
"Of course!" he replied. I frowned a bit.
"Where did you learn that spell though?" I asked, pushing myself forward. I felt my body protest, but I ignored it while I stayed focused on Italy. He blinked at me a few more times, before turning his head towards Germany and shrugging. I frowned, about to comment on it, but I was interrupted by Germany walking over, dragging Prussia with him.
"Now, Lets search for a room that looks as safe as possible." Germany was saying, as Prussia wrenched his arm away and rubbed it slightly. Almost instantly, Italy had taken a few steps forward.
"Japan still needs to rest though! He fell really hard!" the ginger-haired nation exclaimed, his amber eyes darting between me and Germany. I frowned a bit, watching this event fold out as Germany stared at Italy for a moment, causing the boy to squirm slightly. Then Germany leveled me with the same look, making me swallow a bit before I managed a small smile.
"It's okay, Ita-kun. I'll be okay until we find a place to rest." I said, watching Italy and the panic that rose in his face. For some reason, he seemed almost paranoid about my well-being. "Please...I do not wish to be attacked again. You know that if we are, I would only hold everyone back."
"Pero..." Italy started to say, his face twisting in worry.
"Think about your training, Italy. Once ve find a safe place, ve'll all be able to rest." Germany said, and Italy turned to him. It almost looked like he was going to continue to argue, but Germany stopped him. "If Japan can't valk, then ve'll carry him." I frowned at that statement. Germany knew fully that I would be unconscious before he would be able to carry me anywhere. He purposefully did not make eye contact with me, and I turned away from him to keep my eyes on Italy. The boy was silent for a moment, looking between me and Germany, then he almost seemed to deflate.
"...Roger, Captain!" he said, saluting before he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Pero, can we at least wait a bit for Nihon to catch his breath?" Both me and Germany let out a sigh at the same time, watching him bounce on the balls of his feet. "Besides, I haven't looked in this room yet!"
"...Ja...very well." Germany gave in, and I sighed again, pushing myself backwards; back onto the table so that I would be able to sit down. I supposed it would be okay to rest for a moment, and I shook my head as Italy wandered off. I decided to entertain myself by watching him, noticing that Germany and Prussia were talking between themselves. I watched Italy go over to where I had told him the mochi was, watching his face twist into a frown before he moved off, avoiding the large red chair in the center of the room.
"You gonna be all right, Japan?" Prussia's voice jolted me out of my thoughts, and I turned my head to him as he sat down next to me. His eyes were on Italy, but I could tell his attention was on me.
"Hai. I'll be fine." I replied, giving him a frown. He shook his head a few times.
"Italia let out a scream when you fell..." He muttered, his face twisting in a frown. "I don't think I've ever heard a sound like that in my life. It was heart-wrenching." He turned to look at me. "We were all worried...I just happened to be the closest to you."
"Thank you, I suppose." I replied, trying to smile at him. It must have come out a grimace because I received an odd look in return. "I'm sorry that I caused you such worry." I dipped my head in a bow.
"Doistu! Nihon!" Italy suddenly exclaimed, approaching the group with something in his hands. He looked quite pleased with himself. "I found something!" He presented his finding to Germany, which happened to be a small little box. "I don't think there's anything in it, though..."
Germany frowned, taking the box and turning it over in his hands. After a second, he handed it to me, and I blinked a few times before taking it. I looked it over myself, turning it over to look at the bottom. Sure enough, it made no noise, nothing to indicate that there was something inside it. There were no markings on the wood either, to tell it apart. I handed it back to Germany.
"I don't think it's very special." I replied, slowly pushing myself to my feet, not letting any pain show on my face. Prussia moved to get to his own feet as well, and I watched Italy's face twist in worry for a moment before he gave a strained smile.
"Can we keep it?" he asked, and I frowned. Why would he want to keep a useless box? I shrugged and turned to Germany.
"I do not see a problem with that. Do either of you?" I asked, and the others shook their head. I gave a small smile and started moving towards the door.
"Are you sure you're ready to move?" Germany asked, his voice tentative, and I turned to look at him over my shoulder, giving him a frown.
"Must you even ask?"
"Keessee!" Prussia let out a laugh. "I knew you vere okay!" He exclaimed, patting me on the back. I felt myself freeze, before I shot him a glare that only made him laugh harder. Prussia had some strength...I would give him that. I watched Germany shake his head from behind Prussia.
"Let's just go already..." the german muttered, and Italy nodded happily. I gave a small smile.
"There is a room I wish to check out, anyways." I said, opening the door. "It had some sort of switch in it. It's the only other room on this floor, so we don't have to go far." I heard a chorus of agreements and we moved out into the hallway. I made my way to door that I needed, pushing it open as my other hand once again grasped the hilt of Tachi. The bedroom was empty however, the bed still pushed aside. Italy stayed by the door as we searched the room.
"Did you fall through this, Japan?" Prussia suddenly asked right as I arrived at the switch. I looked back at him, finding him next to the hole that I had fallen through earlier.
"Oh...yes. Be careful, the floor is rotted." I replied.
"Keessee. Is that a piano I see?" Prussia gave a laugh, and for a moment, I wondered what he was thinking about.
"...so this is the room above the piano room..." I heard Italy mutter, and I turned to look at him. His face was turned away from me, but what little I could see made me think once again of his brother; such a serious expression just did not fit Italy.
"Indeed." I said, before turning my attention back to the lever. With a grunt I pushed the lever upwards, settling it in the middle.
"voah!" Prussia let out, and I turned to look. The bed had moved back over the hole, and Prussia was sitting on his rear from having to scramble back.
"Ow!" Italy suddenly exclaimed, and there was the sound of something metal hitting the floor. I turned my attention to him, finding him rubbing his head. "Something just hit me in the head..." he nearly sobbed, before bending down to pick whatever it was up off the ground. "Oh...it was a key...Hey! It says second floor on it! Perhaps it's the key to the locked doors on the second floor?"
"Vorth a shot." Prussia said, making his way over to me. He inspected the lever, and noticed it could go up one more leve. "Vhy not put it to the top too, Japan?"
"Because we are most definitely not in Heaven." I replied shortly, pointing to the wall where the plaque rested. He inspected it for a moment.
"Oh..." He muttered, and I shook my head a few times, moving around him to the door.
"Let's go see if that key works on anything." i said, walking over to the stairs. I was rather slow going down them, the injury on my leg hindering me from going down much faster. The others quickly passed me, waiting for me to catch up at the bottom.
"You okay, Japan?" Prussia asked, and I nodded, brushing past him.
"I'm fine." I said, making my way to the next set of stairs. I didn't look at anyone as I passed, keeping a careful lid on my face. Once again, the group beat me down the stairs, and this time it was Germany that asked me if I was okay.
"I'm fine." I stressed, feeling my eyelid twitch slightly. "Please, don't worry about me." I said without even thinking about it. A second later I remembered that I had told Italy that I would not say that, and glanced at the ginger-haired nation. I found he was frowning at me, and upon noticing me looking at him, he turned away, trying to hide the worried look on his face. I clicked my tongue and moved on as we checked the rooms on the second floor. Sure enough, the key unlocked every door on the second floor that wasn't already unlocked.
We entered one, and I looked for anything useful as everyone explored a different part of the room. We had decided that we were not going to split up, so everyone stayed within eyesight. I noticed almost right away a small box laying on a table. It was a box of matches, and I snatched them up, placing them in my kimono pocket as I turned.
"Verdammt!" a curse from Prussia made me look over. The ex-nation was standing in front of a television with his arms crossed. I slowly made my way over, watching as he flipped a switch and then hit the side of the device.
"Any luck?" I asked, but felt that I already knew the answer.
"Nein. Nothing electronic in this place works..." he said, hitting the screen again before sighing. "Vell, except for the lights."
"Pity." I muttered, turning to look at the other two in the room. Italy was digging in some drawers, pulling out random pieces of cloth that looked slightly moth-eaten. Germany was standing guard at the door, a hand resting on his hip, near his whip just incase he needed it.
"Ehi!" Italy suddenly called out and my eyes darted over to him. "I found a First Aid Kit!" he grinned and pulled the box out of the drawer. He dusted it off, then raised his head, leveling me in a look that said that he was about to use it...on me.
"Don't vaste it." Germany suddenly said, and I silently thanked him for saving me from the wrath of an Italian with bandages. Italy seemed to deflate, and Germany let out a sigh. "...at least until ve know ve're safe." I almost glared at Germany, but shook my head and made my way to the door. We moved to the next room; the last locked door on the floor, and found ourselves in what seemed to be a dining room. There was a large table in the center, a fireplace, and even some dressers in the back.
"Ve...this room looks nice..." Italy muttered, looking around. I nodded in agreement.
"It does." I agreed, and moved to sit down in one of the chairs. "I think this will do."
"Italia, toss me the key." Germany said, and Italy turned. I watched him pull the key out of his pocket and toss it to Germany, who turned and locked the door. I smiled softly.
"Ve can't get too careless, but I think ve're safe here." Prussia said, sitting across from me. "For now."
"It's only temporary..." I muttered, turning my head to survey the area. There wasn't a spec of dust in this room. "But it should do for one night, I suppose..."
"One night is good enough for me!" Italy exclaimed, his face in a smile. He bounced a bit on his heels. "I'm really tired from running around~" I turned my head to look at him, and noticed that he had his head turned away from everyone. I felt my face twist into a frown.
"Ja. Ve ran a lot for one day..." Germany muttered, and I let out a sigh, leaning back into the chair. "It makes me feel like having some beer..."
"Keessee! If only we had some!" Prussia gave a hoarse laugh, and I shook my head. I tried to relax...but found myself unable too. There was a constant chill forcing itself down my spine, and I couldn't focus on anything.
"I'm a little cold though..." Italy suddenly muttered, and I turned to look at him. He was frowning. "I wonder if it's because of this house...?" I propped myself up again, digging in my kimono sleeve.
"If I'm not mistaken, I found some matches earlier..." I muttered as I pulled them out. I turned to Germany, noticing he was looking at me with a rather surprised look. "Do you believe there's enough firewood for one night?" This seemed to jolt him out of the surprise and he moved over to the fireplace to check.
"...There's enough. Hm...I'll do it then." He muttered.
"Koko." I said, slipping into my own language for a moment as I tossed the matches to him. The change in language didn't seem to faze him as he caught the box with one hand. It didn't' take long for the matches to be lit and a nice fire had started in the fireplace, sending nice warm air flowing into the room. Prussia leaned back in his seat as I let a small smile make itself known on my face.
"oooh...that's nice, huh?" Prussia asked, grinning.
"Hai." I replied, feeling the heat starting to ease the tension in my body. "...I feel much better now that we have some heat, and I am no longer alone in this place."
"Sì~" Italy said smiling as he moved over to stand next to me. "But it was really scary at first! Even though it was Germany who was the first to run...It was me the monster chased after!" I turned my head to look at him, blinking at this new information. Italy moved around the table, sitting down next to Prussia. Prussia coughed a bit, placing his elbows on the table and resting his head on his hands.
"You're right." he said, grinning. "I remember thinking 'No! Not my precious little Italy!'..doch..." the albino paused, looking at Italy for a moment before continuing. "by then, both Italy and the monster had disappeared...And Vest had vanished too."
"Ich hasse übernatürliche Dinge!" Germany suddenly exclaimed, and I turned my head to watch him. He paced around the fireplace. "B-Besides...it's not like I just ran and hi-" I managed to catch his eye, frowning at him as he tried to lie. I hated it when people lied. "V-Vell never-mind now. As long as ve're all okay, it doesn't matter." For a moment, I continued to stare at him, then let out a sigh, leaning back in my chair and closing my eyes.
"Yes, exactly." I said, "Besides, rather than think about how we acted in the past, we should discuss on what to do now."
"Yeah...I searched the house for a way out..." Italy suddenly said, and I could hear the tension in his voice. "But...there really isn't any. Everything is locked...It's horrible!"
"I see..."
Something in my snapped at that. I had heard Germany say that far too many times, and I had enough. I didn't want to hear it again, and I raised my head to level him with an almost glare.
"Naze wa sore ii tsudzuke nodesu ka?!" I said in annoyance, feeling my eye twitch
"Do vhat?" Germany asked, not understanding what I said. I frowned.
"that is the sixth time that you have said 'I see' in the space of a few hours." I said with gritted teeth.
"I see..." he muttered, and I felt my eye twitch again.
"...seven..."
"Anyvays. Ve can only conclude that the monster has really made us prisoners here." Germany turned away from me, and I almost growled under my breath. Very few things annoyed me..."Though having no vay out is vhat really bothers me..." I let out a sigh.
"Indeed..." I said softly, leaning back again. "I really wish I could go home...I've been waiting for several games to come out..."
"Me too!" Italy chimed. "I can't eat pasta or pizza like this!" Leave it to Italy to be thinking about food. I reveled in the soft silence of the room, feeling myself relax even more, my mind dozing slightly.
"Um...hey." Prussia suddenly said, jolting me back into awareness. "You keep talking about a vay out...If all the exits are locked, vhy don't ve just make our own? Didn you do that vhen you were prisoners of var?" I raised my head to look at him, watching as he slammed his fist into the table. Italy let out a yelp, instantly darting to his feet. "It's time to put that into practice!"
"heh..." I couldn't help but chuckle a little bit. "That brings back memories..." I leaned my head back to stare at the cobweb littered ceiling. "I miss those times when I kept trying to commit seppuku..."
"sep...vhodavhata?" Prussia asked, and I lowered my gaze to look at him. Germany fiddled with the neck of his shirt, and Italy looked a bit sheepish.
"I believe the term you would be familiar with is 'Selbstmord', Puroisen." I replied, and watched the color drain out of his face.
"Eh? Vhy'd you vanna do that?"
"It was either that or be a prisoner of war." I said off-handedly, raising a hand to wave it dismissively. "It was then that I found out that, as a nation, I could not die." I paused, frowning a bit. "I was rather disappointed..."
"But Germany worked hard to make a way out for us at that time..." Italy said, trying to change the subject. "Then I couldn't do anything...but this time, I'll do all I can to help!" I gave him a smile.
"Ī yo." I said, nodding as I leaned my weight against the table. "Tomorrow's plan is to make a way out. We can't forget about it."
"Right." Germany said quickly, nodding.
"Ve~" Italy gave a smile as we sat there for a moment. I lifted up my kimono sleeve to look at my watch.
"I suppose we should get some sleep...I believe it is ra-" I stopped, blinking at my watch. It was stopped at ten past eleven. "Mā...This is not good, I don't know what time it is..." I let out a sigh as Italy leaned over to look at my watch. "Despite that, we should rest here tonight." Italy moved to check his own watch and frowned.
"My watch broke when I wasn't looking..." Italy muttered, and showed me his watch. His was stopped at nine fifteen.
"Nani? Why is yours stopped at that time?" I asked, and he frowned.
"What do you mean?" he asked, and I showed him my watched. His frown deepened.
"...I...Non lo so..." he muttered, blinking down at his watch. "...I never noticed..."
"Vait." Germany suddenly said, frowning and standing up. "It vill be dangerous if ve all go to sleep at once. I think one of us should stay up and keep vatch."
"You definitely have a point" I agreed, moving my hands to my lap and wincing slightly. My shoulder was starting to act up again. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that Italy was frowning at me. "Shall we play Janken to decide fairly who will keep watch?" My question seemed to catch Italy off guard.
"Jan...ke?" Italy asked, tilting his head in confusion. It was slightly amusing when he mispronounced the word, it seemed he did that with a lot of my native language. He suddenly smiled. "What are the rules?"
"Well...it's a very simple game." I paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to explain the game. "You play by showing three different types of hand signs..." I launched into an explanation of the game. I tried to make it as simple as I could, but it was a little more complicated than a normal game. My attention was focused on Italy, but I could hear Germany and Purssia talking amongst themselves. I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye, and hurried my explanation. "-and 'guu' beats 'choki'. You can throw either 'guu', 'choki', or 'paa'. Does that make sense?" For a moment Italy seemed to be thinking.
"Ah...it's a little like 'la morra'..." he muttered, and I tilted my head in confusion. Seeing my confusion he briefly described the game. I frowned, nodding. His 'la morra' was a lot like Jaken. "Okay, I got it! Let's play~" I turned, and motioned to the other two.
"Gather around." I said, and they came over, crowding around me as I laid my hand out. "Lets go, then." We all moved our hands in unison.
"Jan...Ken..."
"Ah...you loose Pruoisen." I muttered, and his face twisted in confusion.
"eh? How?!" he exclaimed and I smiled.
"You chose 'choki'. Everyone else chose 'guu' or 'paa'." I explained and he let out a sigh, placing his head on the table.
"Vhatever..." he muttered, and I shook my head. I felt a little sorry for him, but I knew for a fact that Italy had watched my hand signs closely, just so that I wouldn't be chosen. He wouldn't have let me keep watch no matter what. Thinking of Italy made me glance over at him. I had noticed that he kept looking at me, but whenever I had turned my head towards him, he would turn away quickly. I frowned.
"Ita-kun...that look does not suit you." I suddenly said, noticing him turn away from me and frown.
"E-Eh?" he stuttered, turning to look at me with wide amber eyes.
"You shouldn't frown like that. It doesn't suit you." I frowned a bit, as blunt as I was. He reddened slightly, turning away and frowning.
"S-sorry..." he muttered, and I shook my head.
"I know why you keep looking at me. The bandages are fine." I tried to put him at ease and he blinked at me.
"A-Ah...che è..." he blinked a few times, opening his mouth as if he were going to say something else, and I tilted my head. "...That's good." he finally sighed, and looked down at his hands. I shook my head after a second and turned to Germany.
"What are we going to sleep on? I certainly don't want to sleep on bare wood." I asked and Germany frowned.
"Hang on..." he muttered and started digging in the cabinets and dressers in the back of the room. I watched him for a moment, then turned my attention to Prussia, who was still sulking.
"Puroisen-san..." I said, and he turned his head to look at me. "I wanted to thank you for earlier." He seemed lost for a moment, before grinning.
"It's nothing!"
"Here." Germany said, walking over with a bundle of white cloth in his arms. "I found some bedding that ve can use." He laid it out in the corner of the room, and I slowly got to my feet to make my way over. I was surprised with how sluggish I was moving, my leg not working completely, dulled pain shooting up it every step that I took. Still, I did not let this pain be shown to the others, knowing that it would only worry them even more than they were.
"This certainly doe bring back memories." I muttered as I moved, and Germany gave a grunt of agreement.
"Ja, it does." He replied, then frowned at me. "Oh...I still have your military uniform...do you vant it?" I shook my head.
"Not tonight. It'll only get dirty, and there's no sense in that." I said, and he nodded. I watched Italy go ahead and put his jacket down in the middle of the blankets, claiming his spot.
"Ja. Lets get some sleep." Germany turned his head to Prussia, frowning a bit. "Thanke for taking watch, Bruder." Prussia had laid his head down on the table and was staring at us almost boredly. I turned without thinking and strained my leg, giving a short wince, but brushed it off.
"I apologize, Puroisen-san...I would take the wa-" I started to say, but I was interrupted.
"Non! You need to rest!" out fo nowhere, Italy was there, a vise grip on my arm pulling me over to the make-shift bed.
"Keessee! It's alright, Japan! I honestly don't mind!" he replied, and I nodded absently, to focused on Italy to do much else. I tried to pull my arm out of his grip, but the younger nation's hand was too tight around it. I hadn't realized that Italy was so strong, or at least had this strong of a grip, and I decided I would have to let him drag me. I just didn't have the energy to get out of the grip.
"I-Ita-kun..." I muttered, letting out a hiss when I was forced to step the wrong way on my leg. "Dragging me like this does not work well for my injuries." As soon as I said that, he let go of me, causing me to stumble slightly and I looked up at his sheepish face.
"...Mi dispiace..." he muttered, looking away from me with a frown. I felt a frown form on my own face, and I could not help but glance at Germany. I wondered if he noticed anything odd with the Italian, like I did. I could see Germany's face creased in a frown as he watched Italy, but his face was stoic other than that, so I could not tell what the other was thinking. I let out a sigh, and gave Italy a small smile.
"Daijōbu. I can walk on my own though." I said, making my way over the rest of the way to the bed. It wasn't far, due to the fact that Italy had drug me most of the way, and I gave a smile as I eased myself down on the corner closest to the door. Italy almost dove under the covers in the middle, and I let out a snort as he fixed himself with a rather loud 'Ve!'. Being so used to sleeping on the floor, all I had to do was fix the makeshift pillow that Germany had made and I would be set. I waited until both Germany and Italy had made themselves comfortable before leaning back and laying down. I found myself staring up at the dusty ceiling again.
"Ve...Nihon?" Italy suddenly asked, and I turned to look at him. He was also facing the ceiling, his amber eyes seemingly focused on a spiderweb in the corner of the beams. There was a frown on his face, and I propped myself up to get a better look at him. I noticed that Germany was staring at him as well.
"Yes Italy?" I replied, frowning a bit at the hoarseness of my voice. Italy seemed to notice it as well and he winced.
"...will you promise me one more thing?" he asked after a moment, and I looked over at Germany, finding him propped up on one arm as well, frowning. "...You too Germany, and you Prussia..." I felt something in the pit of my stomach drop at that, something in his voice just giving me a bad feeling.
By chance, we all answered together, Germany and Prussia saying "Sure. Vhat is it?" right as I said "Depends on if it is something I can do."
Italy didn't answer for a moment, his amber eyes focused on the ceiling. He almost looked as if he was trying to figure out how to word what he wanted to say, unsure about how it would sound. He opened his mouth a few times, but no sound came out...until he finally figured out how to say it.
"...Please don't die."
I couldn't help but blink at Italy. He wouldn't look at either of us, and I heard Prussia take a breath through his teeth. I turned my head to look at him, and noticed he was half way to his feet, his face twisted in confusion. I turned to look at Germany, seeing that he was most likely thinking the same thing.
Nations couldn't die, not unless our people were exterminated. So why was Italy so worried...
"Italia...I don't think that's an iss-" Germany started to say, but Italy suddenly launched himself into a sitting position, forcing me to lean backwards as to not be hit.
"Promise me!"
I was stunned, and Germany opened his mouth a few times but couldn't seem to get words to come out. I tried to read the ginger-haired nation's face, to see what he was thinking, but I couldn't. His hair was covering it, making it hard to see anything but a frown on it. I couldn't wrap my head around the way he was acting. It wasn't like him at all.
"Italia...vhat's the matter vith you?" Prussia asked, standing fully, his red eyes focused on Italy in concern.
"Please...per favore...just...promise me you won't die..." I turned my attention back to Italy, hearing the break in his voice. Something was about to give in him, and I could tell that if we continued to ask him about it, he would tell us what exactly he meant. But...I didn't want to force him to tell us something that he didn't want too, and looking up at Germany, I knew he felt the same way. If it was important, Italy would tell us. He always had.
I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at me, his eyes almost fearful.
"Very well, Ita-kun. I promise that I will not die." I said softly, bowing my head in my promise. I wasn't sure what Italy meant by that, I wasn't sure what was going on with the younger nation...but the fact that Italy was so torn up about it, so desperate to make us promise not to die...I was going to keep that promise. I fully intended to keep it, and I knew Germany and Prussia would do the same, even as they followed with their own promises. Slowly, I watched the panicked expression on Italy's face soften, calmed by our promises.
"Okay!" he exclaimed, and I frowned a bit. "Grazie!"
For a moment, everything was silent. That sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach had not gone away, and it was starting to bother me. I frowned, and noticed Germany watching me. Was he thinking what I was thinking?
"Now...Italy. I...have a favor to ask you, as well." I said, deciding I would at least attempt to calm this feeling in my stomach. He looked up at me, blinking.
"Ve? What is it?" he asked, and I frowned a bit, trying to figure out how to word it.
"...You cannot die either." I said shortly, causing him to pale slightly. The pit in my stomach lessened slightly; replaced by a vague sense of deja vu.
"I..." Italy stuttered a bit, obviously caught off guard by what I had said.
"You cannot ask us to promise something of that degree if you cannot promise it to us as well." I said, feeling my face twist into a frown. I heard Germany sigh as Italy continued to flounder.
"Vhile I'm not sure vhere all this is coming from..." Germany started to say, placing a hand on Italy's shoulder. "Japan has a point. It isn't fair to us if you make us promise something like that...but don't promise it yourself." he squeezed Italy's shoulder a bit reassuringly. Italy lowered his head and took a deep breath, nodding slowly.
"I...I promise..." he said, and I gave him a smile. Germany patted his shoulder.
"I'm glad." I said as Germany moved to lay back down. Italy was still frowning a bit, but he seemed to get over it and curled up in a ball next to Germany.
"Let's get some rest, ja?" Germany said, and I nodded.
"Hai." I replied, easing myself down. I fixed the make-shift pillow into something a little more comfortable and propped my head up against it, staring up at the ceiling. I found myself thinking just a bit, but my thinking was choppy. I couldn't make sense of a lot of the thoughts that were going through my head.
It took only a few moments for my mind to decide that it needed to shut off, and I felt myself quickly fading into sleep. I could hear Italy and Germany talking, and then the sound of some sort of cellphone camera...as well as Italy's snores...but I couldn't really focus on them. What I could focus on was the crackling of the fire as Prussia put another piece of wood in it to keep it going. The heat made everything nice and warm, dulling my senses until I couldn't really keep my eyes open. The events of the day seemed to melt away, the running...the monster...the injuries...everything. I tried to force myself to think about what we would do tomorrow, feeling a twinge of worry pass through me, but I just...couldn't.
I don't even remember falling asleep.
KEY:
Sei Ferito: You're hurt
Va bene: That's okay
Mi dispiace: I'm sorry
lo so: I know
Promettimi: Promise me
Presto: Quickly (not Bam)
Ehi: Oh!
Naze wa sore ii tsudzuke nodesu ka?: Why do you keep saying that?!
Selbstmord: suicide
Non lo so: I don't know
NOTE: I used google translate on much of this. So I know it's probably not the best translations. At least I'm trying .
ORIGINAL AUTHORS NOTES:
Thanks for reading! I'm starting to work on the fourth chapter. Feel free to review, and don't worry, I can take flames if needed. ^^
Stay tuned for the next chapter ^^
