Author: MercurialLily
Fandom: Hetalia
Title: Iris
Rating: T
Pairing: None
Wow, it's taken me forever to update. I've been going through some stuff (nothing you want to hear), so that's why. But I have a special treat: Two chapters posted today! That's a first!
October 7, 1993, train to Frankfurt
"So what's this contact of yours like?" Natalya asked, taking a bite of bread. She and Elizabeta were sitting across from each other in the dining car of a very fancy express train. Natalya had never been on a train before. She enjoyed everything about it. There were people who were respectful to her and called her "Miss". When they took her order, Elizabeta told her that she could get whatever she wanted. So naturally she ordered borscht, pork chops, and boiled potatoes. Her food came with unlimited bread. She was thrilled.
Elizabeta took a delicate sip from the wine glass in her hand. "Well, he's interesting, to say the least. He can definitely be a little bit obnoxious at times, though." She smiled. "But he's sweet. I'm sure you'll like him."
Natalya looked out the window. She enjoyed watching the scenery rush past. She suddenly realized that she didn't speak German, which she pointed out to Elizabeta.
"Don't worry," Elizabeta said. "He speaks Russian, too. And I'm sure you'll pick up a little bit of German. The more languages you speak, the better. I started this job speaking only Hungarian, and now I'm fluent in five languages."
"Wow." Natalya rested her head against the window. She was tired. Her eyes slowly shut, and she yawned. I won't sleep... I'll just close my eyes for a few minutes... Just for a few...
The next thing she knew, Elizabeta was shaking her awake. "We're here. Get up." Natalya groaned and sat up. Her neck was stiff, likely from leaning against the window. She barely had time to reorient herself when her bag was thrown at her and she was pulled to her feet. She uttered a cry of confusion as Elizabeta dragged her toward the exit.
The train platform was packed with people. Most seemed to be traveling separately, but there were a few pairs and small groups here and there. Some were practically shouting in order to be heard over the noise of incoming and outgoing trains. The smell of the engine was nauseating. Despite being in a new place, Natalya was relatively calm. She had grown up surrounded by people. Of course, she had to restrain herself from instinctively picking pockets.
Elizabeta for her part seemed quite agitated. Her eyes were darting around, and she kept clenching and unclenching her fist.
As they made their way off the platform, Natalya was bumped by a man trying to get around her. She looked up. The man was looking right back at her. He was very tall and broad with light-coloured hair. He seemed as though he could easily frighten anyone, but Natalya wasn't intimidated. She didn't break eye contact. Beside her, Elizabeta muttered, "Oh, shit."
After a time, the man shrugged and continued on his way. He turned around a corner and disappeared from view.
Natalya stared after him. Something about him intrigued her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Well, there was no use mulling over it now. She did, however, wonder why Elizabeta had reacted like that.
The crowd eventually began to thin out, and Elizabeta scanned the remaining people. She pointed and said, "He's over there."
Natalya followed Elizabeta's finger to a well-dressed man reading a newspaper by the ticket booth. His hat partially obscured his face. Every once in a while, he glanced around. When he finally looked up and saw Elizabeta, he tucked his newspaper under his arm and approached.
Natalya drew back slightly. She was anxious around new people, and in a foreign country her fear only grew stronger. She was even more alarmed as the man came closer and she caught sight of his dark red eyes. What the hell...? Natalya suddenly recognized his face. He was the one in Elizabeta's photo.
Elizabeta's expression remained terse. Her grip on Natalya's arm tightened.
"Liese! Lange nicht gesehen!" the man exclaimed. "Wie geht's?"
With a slight grimace, Elizabeta shook her head and replied in hurried German. As she spoke, she gestured to Natalya.
She must have explained the language barrier, for almost immediately the man turned to Natalya with a smile and said in near-perfect Russian, "Nice to meet you. I don't know if Liese here has told you, but my name's Gilbert. Welcome to Germany!"
"Nice to meet you, too," Natalya said. She gave a small bow.
"Look, we can go through formalities later," Elizabeta said. "We have to get away from here. I saw Antonov. He was on the same train as we were. I'm not sure if he recognized me, but he looked right at Natalya. We might be compromised."
The smile quickly disappeared from Gilbert's face. "We can't talk here," he said in a low voice. "Let's go back to my place. It'll be safe there." He turned and began to walk away, and Elizabeta and Natalya followed him.
The walk was quiet. Natalya was surprised at how few people were out. A car or two passed by, but there were no buses or trams. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought the city was abandoned. Was it normal for the streets to be so empty?
At length the trio reached a small apartment block, and Gilbert pointed to an adjacent alley. "Go around back and wait," he instructed. "I'll meet you there." Then he gave a quick look around and went through the front door.
"You heard him. Come on." With her hand still gripping Natalya's arm, Elizabeta moved toward the alley. Natalya was dragged along. She was confused and a bit frightened, but she opted to stay quiet.
The alleyway was filthy, in stark contrast to the street. Garbage littered the cobblestones, and a nearby trashcan appeared to be home for a family of stray cats. Something about the whole situation was slightly unnerving to Natalya, and she wrenched her arm free from Elizabeta's grasp and demanded, "What's going on? What's with all the secrecy?"
Elizabeta seemed taken aback, but within seconds she had her hand on the butt of her gun. Her eyes narrowed. "Don't do anything stupid," she said, her voice low and intimidating.
"You want to shoot me? Go ahead." Natalya spread her arms in defiance. "It's not like anyone will miss me if I die."
There was a moment of tense silence. In the back of her mind, Natalya wished that Elizabeta would just get it over with and shoot her. Then she wouldn't have to deal with any more of this. She waited for the burning bullet to pierce her chest.
But it never happened. The back door of the building opened, and Natalya heard Gilbert say, "Whoa, am I interrupting something?"
"No." With her eyes still locked on Natalya, Elizabeta motioned to the door. "Are you coming with us?" she asked.
I guess I don't really have much of a choice. Natalya lowered her arms to her sides. Then, after glancing around, she gave a slow nod. There wasn't anything else she could do.
A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update.
Lange nicht gesehen! Wie geht's? (German, obviously) - Long time no see! How's it going?