Happy 2019! I stayed up all night to celebrate, and I didn't wake up until a half hour ago. Joy.

Anyway, this song is based on "When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2. Obviously, the lyrics are changed slightly to fit the story. See you at the bottom of the page.

When They Loved Me

Takes place after Nora decides to fight for the Axis, while the Axis gives her a few days to recover from Em's words, but before Em bombs Nora's country.

Nora sat on the edge of her bed. A plate of food and a glass of water were sitting on the floor in front of her. Jason had left it there, but she didn't touch it.

She hadn't been anything but sad since she agreed to fight for the Axis, since Em yelled at her, looked at her with such anger. Why didn't Em understand what she was trying to do? Em said that Nora was throwing away eighteen years of friendship, but she didn't even hear Nora out…

Nora shook her head and wiped away a fresh tear. Germany said the Axis would give her a few days to collect herself, but she could tell he was getting impatient. She gazed out the window and saw a piece of the running track Germany had near his house for some reason. The Axis trio was probably out there, running and practicing for… some part of the war. Nora still wasn't quite sure how wars worked between country personifications. Would exercise help her feel better? Sitting around in her room for the past few days was making her feel a bit queasy.

She stood from her spot and set the glass and plate on the bedside table. She looked at her hands. "When somebody loved me," she sang quietly, "everything was beautiful. Every hour we spent together lives within my heart."

Nora felt another tear drip down her cheek. "And when they were sad, I was there to dry their tears; and when they were happy, so was I." Nora wiped her face. "When they loved me…"

Nora closed her eyes and turned her face to the ceiling; no, past the ceiling—to the sky. "Through the summers and the falls, we had each other, that was all. Just me and them together, like it was meant to be. And when they were lonely, I was there to comfort them and I knew that they loved me…"

Nora opened her eyes and gazed out the window at the clear sky. "Then one sudden day, everything changed, and I watched them drift away." Nora reached her hand towards… something. Someone. "I was left alone. Still, I'm waiting for the day when they say 'we will always love you'."

Nora walked to the window and put a hand on the glass. "Lonely and forgotten, never thought one'd look my way," Nora's eyes rested on Japan, who was talking with Germany while Italy played with a cat by the track, "when he smiled at me and looked at me, like they used to do. Like he loved me, when they loved me…"

Japan looked up from Germany and spotted her, waving slightly. Nora waved shyly and backed out of sight. "When somebody loved me, everything was beautiful. Every hour we spent together lives within my heart. When they loved me…"

Nora sat back on the bed and sipped some water. Singing seemed to have calmed her down somewhat. There was a knock at her door. "Come in," she called.

Japan poked his head inside. "Nora-san," he greeted her. She gestured him to come in, and he did. He didn't comply when she patted the spot on the bed next to her, though. "Germany-san and I have been talking," he said. "We think they best way to move on from your… old friends, is to start training. Perhaps it will take your mind off things and put you to good use. If you're feeling up to it, of course."

Nora felt a pain in her heart when Japan called them "old friends", but he had a point. Sitting inside all day for the past few days hadn't done much to make her feel better, but perhaps some exercise would help. Besides, if it was anything like the anime, it would just be running some laps and maybe some antics between Italy and Germany while she and Japan watched. What could be the harm?

"You know what? Sure, I'll try it. Just let me eat this food first, even though it's probably cold."

"Of course," Japan said, bowing slightly and leaving.

Oh, Nora, if you only knew the kind of "training" Germany would put you through. If The Reader is confused, they should read derpology's story. Please.

Anyway, what did you think? Was it good, bad, somewhere in between? Leave a review, tell me what you thought, and I'll see you again soon. I have three more of these left, so once this is done, I'll try to post something else soon. Anyway, until then!