Hetalia
Tri-Stars
Three ordinary girls somehow get transported into the anime world of Hetalia, where they're somehow called "Elements". More importantly, everyone around them is crazy, there's a lot of really hot/perverted guys, it's only 1942, and a meteor is coming to "end" World War II...and the world!
CHAPTER FOUR
Bullies, Rumours And Singing
"Ve, it was nice of Germany and Japan to let you stay with us, wasn't it?" Italy smiled at Emma.
"It was also nice of them not shoot me." Emma replied softly, feeling embarrassed by her earlier episode which, she realised now, may have reminded Japan and Germany all too much of Italy. They had agreed to stop calling her a prisoner and to let her walk around free, but she was not to be let out of their sight for more than a few minutes, for fear she'd try to contact Australia, or one of the Allies.
Emma had resisted the urge to tell them that she could hardly lift a fork to her mouth with her broken wrists, let alone hold a phone to her ear and dial an impossibly long area-code whilst looking through an international phonebook. No point in making them mad at her.
She had told them about coming from a different world, where they were in an anime, and they seemed to believe her.
"No, no, they wouldn't do that!" Italy assured her. "Would you?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at something.
What the Hell?! Emma panicked, and looked behind her as well, seeing Japan and Germany walking about ten feet behind them. "How long have they been there for?!" She whispered.
"They've been following us since we left the house!" Italy smiled at her.
Emma turned around quickly, facing the front, and marching ahead. She was still unnerved by the tall, intimidating Germany, even though Japan was the one that had captured her. She didn't know what to think of the quiet Asian nation.
Italy seemed to have decided that they were now BFF's or something like that, because he gently held her right hand (well, more like her un-bandaged fingers) in his left hand, and hummed a merry tune that might've been his national anthem. He kept trying to get her to sing with him, and she kept saying no. They were walking down a quiet street somewhere in Tokyo, but Emma was positive that there were anime people in those anime houses over there, listening...
And, why were Germany and Japan coming along with them?
As if reading her mind, Italy glanced at her, and then called to Japan: "Hey, Japan! Where's that yu-ta-yu place you told me about earlier this week?"
Japan looked confused for a second. "Yu...oh, you mean..." He then understood where Italy wanted to go. "We wirr have to take the train, Itary-San."
"Yay, the train!" Italy cheered. "You'll pay for it, right Japan?"
Japan sighed. "Hai." He and Germany exchanged a glance.
They were walking towards the train-station, when they came across a little school girl in a traditional sailor-styled uniform. She was surrounded by a group of maybe six slightly older Japanese school boys, and she was in trouble. Her face was red, and she looked like she was trying not to cry, as the boys jeered at her.
Italy gasped. "Germany! Japan! That ragazza looks like she's in trouble!" He then glanced to his left, and saw yellow lines around the outline of where Emma had previously been standing. Italy looked ahead, and saw that Emma had dashed over to the group with surprising speed.
"Oi!" She cried, her high-pitched voice ringing. The group turned to look at her. She was dressed in a slightly similar uniform to Japan's (it had taken her ten minutes to get changed!), except with a black skirt that reached down to below her knees, and she didn't have a katana but had bandages on her arms and her left arm was in a sling. The look on her face was furious, however. "Ichi-nin de kanojo o nokoshi, anata no chīsana gaki!"
Japan had to work hard to keep his mouth from dropping open in shock, as Emma bluntly told off the boys and called them 'little brats'. She seemed like a completely different person to what she'd been back at the house.
The boys glared at her, and one of them said: "Wareware wa seiyō-jin kara no jogen o toru koto wa arimasen!"
"Anata wa koko ni zokushite inai!" Another boy added.
"Don't...belong...?" Emma muttered, and the Axis Powers watched as her shoulders slumped. Blue lines appeared around her body.
Japan and Germany decided that it was time to intervene. They walked past Italy (he wasn't going to go over there!) and up to Emma.
"Anata no nenchō-sha o sonchō subeki." Japan said sternly, standing beside Emma. He was warning the young boys to respect their elders. It didn't matter that Emma was what the boys had called a westerner. She was older than them, and a guest here...not a prisoner, Japan had to remind himself.
Germany stood on the other side of Emma. He didn't say anything, but his presence was enough. He was taller than all of them, and had an intimidating aura about him.
Emma seemed surprised that they had come over to help her. "K-Kiku-Sama? Mr. Ludwig?" She stammered, using their human names when in the presence of other humans.
The nations didn't reply.
The bullies glared at Emma for another moment, before taking off in different directions. The girl glanced up at Emma, Japan and Germany, half in fear and half in respect, before bowing deeply.
"D-Domo arigatoo, gozaimasu." She said.
"Daijoubu ka?" Emma asked her.
She nodded. "H-hai. Watashi wa Kishimoto Sakura desu. Arigatoo, Nee-Chan!" She hugged Emma quickly around the waist, and then hurried off as well.
They watched her go, before Germany slapped Emma lightly on the back of her head, and muttered: "You should not have gotten involved viz zere dispute!"
"I wasn't going to just stand there and let her be bullied!" Emma snapped, her face slightly pink. "M-maybe you've never been bullied before, so you don't know how it feels, Mr. Germany!"
Italy, whom had decided that it was now safe to come over there, looked at Emma curiously. "Do you, Emma?" He asked her.
She gulped, and then looked at the ground. "Yes. Yes I do. I had to handle it by myself, though, b-because they'd usually do it when my f-friends weren't there." Or else, it would happen at home, with my parents and my sister... She added silently.
"Ah..." Italy took her by the hand again. "Tell me about your amici, ve?"
They had begun walking again, with Japan and Germany walking closer behind them now. They reached the train station, and Emma talked to Italy as Japan bought their train tickets and they waited for the train.
"Well, there's Mayling," Emma began, wondering how much she could tell them. She decided to just go ahead with it, since they would probably find out, anyway. "She's M-Malaysian, but she was born in Australia, like me." okay, that still sounds weird. "She's v-very smart, and c-creative, and draws really well and plays the piano. She can speak in Chinese as well, and is a really good c-cook. Then there's Krystal. She's I-Irish-Australian, and very tall, though not as tall as M-Mr. Germany. She likes s-sewing and fashion, and has a German Shepard named Sh-Shelby." I have GOT to stop stuttering like an idiot!
"Ah, just like your dog, Germany!" Italy said cheerfully.
"Ja." The German man nodded, not really paying attention.
"Do you have a dog, Emma?" Italy asked the girl.
Emma nodded. "Yeah, his name's R-Ranger...he came to this world too, I hope he's okay...I hope my friends are okay, too..." She looked up at the sky. "I wonder what they're all doing right now..."
Italy pointed to a pay phone. "Why don't you call them and find out, ve?"
Emma's eyes opened wide. "What the...?! I don't even know where they are, Italy!" Is he for real?!
Italy just dragged her over to the phone, saying something about calling the Allies' not-so-secret-top-secret base, and dialed a number, as Emma watched him in shock.
The phone rang once...twice...then...
Krystal and Mayling wondered how on Earth they could have gotten stuck with this bunch of people. For one thing, they argued like cats and dogs. Britain and France argued with each other, and the former argued one-way with America, China got annoyed when he was told what to do, Russia was one creepy guy, everybody ignored Canada, and Australia seemed to have been forgotten as well!
Krystal was just about to put her foot down, and start yelling at people, when a phone right next to her rang, startling her. Since everyone else was busy arguing, Krystal and Mayling answered the phone together.
"Hello?" They said.
"Ciao!" A voice on the other end of the line said cheerfully. "Are Krystal and Mayling there?"
Krystal and Mayling exchanged a glance, and then Krystal said: "That's us. Who's this?"
"Ah!" The man on the other end of the line sounded thrilled. "Emma, it's Krystal and Mayling!"
Krystal's eyes widened.
"Emma!" Mayling cried, with relief.
"It is!" Emma's voice said from the phone. "Gimme, gimme, gimme!" Her voice was heard by the Allies, and they stopped talking and stared at the two girls with the phone. "Krystal, Mayling, can you hear me...Italy, hold the phone up to my ear!"
"But Emma, I want to hear them too!"
"Italy, don't be difficile!"
"Ve, bella donna, por favore?"
"I'll be furioso donna if you don't help me out here!"
"Whaaa, you're mean, Emma!"
"Mi dispiace, Italy..."
"It's worse than I thought, dudes!" America cried, leaping over the table to snatch the phone out of Krystal's hand. "She's turning into an Italian!"
"I'm n-not!" Emma exclaimed, recognizing the hero's voice instantly. "I-is that you, America?"
"Totally!" America sounded thrilled that she recognized him by his voice. "Emma, right? Like, stoked, to finally talk to you, dudette, but where are you? I'll come rescue you!" He declared.
"Rescue me?" Emma repeated, just as France shoved America out the way, and grabbed the phone off of him.
"Ah, ma cheri, your voice is like that of an angelo!" The Frenchman told her. "How I wish to see if you are as bello as your amici, which I will, when we come to save you!"
"Save me?" Emma repeated.
"Hey, Big-Brother France!" Italy called into the phone. "Emma is our amici, she does not need saving, we are having fun here!"
"Les bons moments?" France blinked. "What kind of things are you two doing, au fait?"
"And what does THAT mean?!" Mayling stomped on France's foot, causing him to drop the phone, which was caught by Britain just before it hit the floor.
"See, this is how rumours get started." He rolled his green eyes, and then spoke into the phone. "Emma, love, are you there? It's Britain. Can you tell us where you are?"
"I'm at the Tamachi Station, south-west of Tokyo Bay, Japan." Emma replied, blinking. "In one of the wards, I can't tell which, though..." I don't think it's named Minato yet...
"Ward?" Krystal repeated. "You mean she's in the hospital?!" She exclaimed, and made to grab the phone, but Australia beat her to it.
"Emma, it's Australia, are you alright?!" He asked, sounding frantic.
"Australia!" Emma sounded thrilled all of a sudden. "Are you okay, mate? Your neck...?!"
"I'm fine, but what about you? Where did that Jap take you?" Australia wanted to know.
"Don't call him a Jap!" Emma scolded. "Japan-Sama's been very hospitable, he even made sure that my broken wrists were bandaged up and everything!"
"Japan broke your wrists?!" Australia gasped, feeling strangely horrified about the girl he'd barely met once being injured by the small, but surprisingly strong nation of Japan. He suddenly felt like getting his citizen back was one of, if not the most important things he should be doing right now.
Perhaps America felt the same way about helping out a mate, because he tried to grab the phone from Australia, but failed, and ending up tripping over England. The three of them, plus Krystal, ended up falling to the floor in a heap (Mayling was still angrily chasing France around the room).
The phone went flying through the air, and China caught it.
"Wèi?" He said hesitantly.
"Hello? Who's this?" Emma wanted to know.
"I'm China, aru." He replied.
"Nice to t-talk to you." Emma stammered. "Oh, by the way, M-Mayling loves Hello Kitty, err, Shinatty-Chan, too..."
"She does?" It was China's turn to be thrilled. "Mayling, aru!" He dropped the phone, and went to stop Mayling from murdering France.
The phone was then picked up by Canada.
"Hello, Emma?" Canada said quietly. "Listen to me very carefully, please. Could you find some way to get yourself and the Axis members to a small island off the coast of Zanzibar?"
"What?"
"We have a sea-plane depot there, and we'll be able to get to you if you go there." Canada told her. "Can you do it?"
"Hold on a second..." Emma muttered, and then began speaking to Italy. "Wanna go on a vacation to Africa?"
"Sure!"
"Good." Emma said to Canada. "I'll do it, Canada...Canada? Are you there?"
But, Canada was not, for the phone had been picked up by the final person in the room.
"Hello, and to whom may I be speaking?" Russia asked pleasantly.
"This is Emma."
"Emma." Russia repeated, still smiling. "I have heard such good things about your from your two friends. And, Comrade France was right - vash golos krasivyy."
"Umm, thanks?" Emma didn't understand Russian.
"I hope that you will become one with Mother Russia when we rescue you, angel moy..." Russia told her.
"Da." Emma muttered quietly and sarcastically, but Russia heard her, completely missing the sarcasm.
"You will?" He sounded happy. "YA ochen' rada!"
Emma gulped. "Umm, wait, I...umm..."
The phone was suddenly wrenched out of Russia's hands, and grabbed by America for the final time. "Don't worry, captured Princess, the Hero and his side-kicks will come and rescue you!"
"What was that?" Emma was suddenly sounding very distracted, and seemed to only half by talking into the phone. "Ah, wait, it's...train...ing...what...that, Mr. Germany...the...what? Train? Leave...? Oh my God, right! Matte, Japan-Sama! Italy, I can't run, don't pull me - BYE AMERICA!"
The phone went dead, and America was left staring at the receiver.
Everybody else was staring at him.
"Dudes, I don't mean to alarm you, but..." America replaced the phone on its hook very, very carefully. He turned to face them all, solemnly. "They're making her TRAIN with them!" He cried dramatically, and the room erupted into chaos.
"Emma hates sports!" Mayling cried.
"How could they make such a joli young lady train with them?" France wanted to know.
"Plus, with two broken arms!" Krystal added.
"I can't believe that Jap broke her arms." Australia clenched his fist.
"Not only that, but they're turning her into one of them!" Britain groaned.
"We've got to do something, aru!" China exclaimed.
"Let's go to an island near Zanzibar." Russia suggested, and everybody looked at him. "What?" He shrugged. "That is where Canada said we should go."
Everyone looked at Russia, and then at America.
"That is the worst idea I have ever heard!" America stated bluntly and then, ignoring the glares he got from Krystal and Mayling, gave the thumbs up. "So, instead, we'll go visit Seychelles!"
I thought America was supposed to invent karaoke in the 1960's, and then Asia would get it in the late 80's or something... Emma sat stock-still, staring as Italy sang along to a familiar pop song. But, then again, here's Italy singing bloody anime songs in his original Japanese voice, so I guess real life is different from...wait a minute...
Emma watched as Italy finished his song, and then he looked at her, and said: "Emma, why don't you sing, ve?"
Emma immediately shook her head. "No, no, no way, jose, I c-can't sing..."
"And you zink Italy can?" Germany muttered to her, from where he was lounging on the couch in their karaoke room. "Just go, or else he vill bug you all day."
"But, I can't hold the m-mike..." Emma said desperately.
"That's okay, I will hold it for you!" Italy smiled, and took her gently by the hand, dragging her up onto the little 'stage'. "You just choose a song, and away we go!"
He is having WAY too much fun with this... Emma thought, before looking at the lists of songs. How were half of these anime songs even on the list? these animes weren't supposed to have been invented yet! Then again, America had used Google Maps in the show during WWII before, so Emma guessed it was okay. She tried looking for a song she knew, and then she spotted one. "That one." She pointed with her right hand."
"That one is in Japanese, are you sure it's okay?" Italy wanted to know.
"Yup." Emma nodded.
"Ok-ay!" Italy chirped, and hit the play button.
The music started.
Emma took a deep breath, and sang: "I am a dreamer...hidden power..." If only her voice would stop shaking so much! Still, as the song progressed, she found that it was easy to close her eyes and imagine herself somewhere else, since she knew the song by heart. She had it on her computer and I-Pod back home. Home...it seemed so far away now. Some sort of sadness filled her voice as she sang, but it was also mingled with longing...maybe, somehow...she could find a home here...maybe, for some reason, destiny really had brought her to the same place as these three...maybe...
When she finished the song, Italy had stars in his eyes. "Che era bellissima! Even though I didn't understand what it meant, ve..."
Emma was blushing, her heart hammering from having just sung in front of people. But, did Italy mean that the song was beautiful, or that she'd sung it beautifully?
Emma wasn't sure, until she glanced up, and Germany nodded once. "Ja." He seemed to agree with Italy. "You have a very pleasant voice, Emma."
Emma gulped. Holy God, she never would have guessed it! Then again, she'd never sung in front of people before, so how would she know? She hadn't wanted to be a real life Mary-Sue but, she reasoned with herself, people did have talents. She wasn't good at talking to people or cooking or sports or actively making new friends, so she supposed that she had to be good at something.
She found herself glancing at Japan, too, waiting for his assessment.
There was a slight pink tinge across his face but, then again, that was often there, wasn't it?
He nodded slightly, and Emma almost smiled, but caught herself just in time. She nodded, and went to sit back down, but Italy grabbed her around the waist, and begged her to sing some more, so she did!
It was night-time by the time Emma and the Axis Powers got back to Japan's house, mainly because they'd gone to two more karaoke bars, six convenience stores, and a hotel (because Italy had needed to use the men's room but didn't want to use a public one).
Now, the Italian was asleep, and Germany had to carry him into the house on his back. He seemed to be used to this kind of thing.
Japan and Emma walked behind them, not talking, which was normal for the two of them. At the entrance to Japan's front yard, however, Emma spoke up hesitantly.
"I-I had a g-good time today, J-Japan-Sama." She admitted, looking past his left shoulder and down the street, but not at him. "I-I always wanted to come here...yeah..."
Japan was looking at her intently, but calmly. "Perhaps our way of meeting was not idear, but I am interested to see where this wirr go, Emma-San."
She nodded, and chanced a half-glance at him. "H-hai...it-it was worth it...seeing Mr. Germany's face when Italy broke that statue in the h-hotel..." She then wondered if she should have reminded Japan about this but, to her complete surprise, the usually reserved nation chuckled slightly, and she had to smile.
Japan realised that it was the first time that he had seen her smile properly, and he had to smile also. From the terrified girl in his kitchen that morning, Emma seemed to be gaining a little bit more confidence, and it was mostly thanks to Italy. Japan understood the feeling. He had been in isolation for many, many years, and lots of things about the outside world still troubled him. But, with friends like Germany and Italy, he was learning to understand these things that troubled him, even if they were at war with some of the other nations.
Emma was Australian, it was true, but she didn't act much like the nation she hailed from. She was quieter, and seemed more thoughtful. She also had a really nice singing voice and, Japan realised, a very nice smile.
Japan blinked, and then blushed at the thought but, it didn't matter, because Emma was also blushing by this stage, from keeping eye-contact with Japan for too long.
She happened to glance up again, and then her eyes widened. She cried out: "Kiotsukete!" In a far stronger voice than she'd been using. It sounded more like the voice she'd used when telling off those bullies.
She shoved Japan out of the way with both arms, and was knocked down by somebody that had just been running towards them.
Japan stared in shock, as Emma was pushed to the ground, and somebody landed on top of her. He had silvery-blonde hair and scarlet red eyes.
Prussia had arrived!