Chapter 26: Tea for two

Since it was late and the girls still needed to pack the few things they owned, they all decided that it would be easiest if they all stayed at the boarding home and that arrangements to travel to Iceland would be made in the morning. The normal intensity that lingered when they were all together wasn't present; instead there was a wave of peace, teasing, and just random discussion. Before the girls left their job (which they only held for a few days) they were given a small goodbye gift which included one paycheck large enough to pay for a week's worth of time at the boarding home and a small basket of desserts which they gave to the guys to indulge in. It was like there wasn't a thing wrong in the world and that, for one moment, everything was at peace.

Since they had wasted so much time during their walk back, they had arrived at the Boarding house almost thirty minutes later than the normal time. The old woman was sitting by a fire, drinking tea and munching on crumpets while reading a battered up book.

Alice walked up to the woman and tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me miss, but do you possibly have any more open rooms for these fine folk?"

The old woman put on her spectacles that were attached to a gold chain that went over her ears and around her neck. She observed the eight men; all of them could feel the woman staring right into their souls with her deep, aqua blue eyes.

"Separate rooms, correct?" Her tone was suspicious and honestly the comment made everyone quite uncomfortable.

They all nodded, triggering a mood change of the old woman from distrust to sincerity. "Well it's been quite some time before I've had so many people staying here, especially such handsome men as you all."

She brought them up the stairs and they all agreed to share two to a room since that would fill up the remaining rooms in the boarding home. There was a little general store close by so while the others were settling in, China went out and bought some toothbrushes for the guys and a pack of hairbands since his had broken.

The rooms were separated like this: France and England (much to their dismay), America and Japan, Germany and Italy, and China and Russia (much to China's dismay, though Russia seemed pretty happy about it). The girls said good night to the others and went off to their beds, the guys then did the same after they pulled America off of a snack tray of Jaffa cakes.

Strangely enough there were no major issues going on other than that and everyone went to bed peacefully, for a few hours anyways. It was around two thirty that Anya was woken up by the sound of footsteps going down the hallway and stairs. She got up and silently tiptoed to the door and opened it, stalling whenever the hinges squeaked. She finally opened the door wide enough for her to slip through, then crept down the hallway and down the stairs. She peeked over the railing and examined the room, not seeing anything, then she heard someone stub their toe and whisper/yell "Ow, damn it aru."

Anya continued down the stairs and looked into the little side kitchen that was almost hidden and saw China rubbing his foot in pain right next to an open cupboard filled with packages of cookies and tea bags. Anya walked up behind him while he searched through a little tea bag can and stood there, watching him while he was completely unaware. After a few minutes of this China pulled out a tea packet and silently celebrated, then he turned around and saw Anya looking at him with her unnaturally purple eyes.

He dropped the tea bag and stared at the smiling Anya, totally in shock. "H-how long have you been standing there aru?" He felt like he was being crushed with the intimidating aura that Anya wasn't meaning to give off.

"What are you doing down here at such a late hour?"

China nonchalantly stepped on the tea packet, hoping she wouldn't notice it even though she had been watching the entire time. "Nothing aru."

Anya got down on her knees and pulled the tea from under his foot, totally putting him off guard. She got back up on her feet and put the tea pack in front of both of their faces, China's face turning a deep red.

"Don't tell anyone, I just can't sleep without drinking tea to calm my nerves and I wasn't able to since we were so busy with America aru."

China was absolutely flustered, never before had he stolen something from someone that wasn't considered an enemy of his country, and Anya was amused by it. She bent back down to the cabinet and pulled out another packet from the little canister. She then went to the tea kettle and began to boil water, taking it off before it had a chance to whistle.

"Can you get some cups?" She whispered to China who was still in astonished by how coolly Anya was acting.

He searched the cabinets quietly and pulled out two little tea cups and set them down next to Anya who was holding the two packets. She placed them in the cups and poured the water into them, watching as the steam rose and danced in the air like a ghost in a graveyard. She took the cups and walked over to the couch by the empty fireplace and placed the two cups on a coffee table.

"You wanted to drink tea, da?"

"Oh…um ya." He walked over to her and sat on the couch hesitantly and picked up the tea that smelled of ginger and orange.

Though China was trying to hide his face in his cup, he could tell that Anya was reading him like a book, her gaze almost hypnotizing. He put down the cup and stared at the little drop that had been left on the rim of the cup. Anya took a dainty sip from the cup and placed it next to China's, then she looked over at him.

"Is something on your mind?" She looked at him with the up-most of interest, something that China hadn't seen in a while.

Though tea was the only thing that he was thinking about earlier, her question seemed to trigger points of interest in his mind. He picked up the tea and looked down into it. "Just tea aru."

There was silence, the only sound being from the howling wind hitting against the aged wood of the house. Anya had finished her tea and patiently watched China as he tried to drink the tea as fast as possible, though it was still hot and such attempt burned his tongue, then he saw Anya do something out of the corner of his eye. She had taken out a flask of vodka she had gotten as a gift from the Baltics a while back and took a swig of it.

"Drinking alcohol constantly is bad for you aru."

Anya set the flask on her lap, her hair covering the profile of her face. "I don't drink constantly, and besides, I want to enjoy it the most I can before going back."

China finished his tea but he remained seated by Anya who was taking another swig. She didn't seem to be anything like the Russia in this world; she seemed much more loving and not as destructive.

"Your much different from the Russia I know aru."

Anya looked up at him and saw a smile plastered across his face, corny as hell but still nice. "Da, how so?"

China pondered all the reasons, hoping for a long list so that his comment made sense. "Um, well…"

Anya waited patiently for his answer, though he continued to ponder. "You aren't as scary is one thing. Also, you aren't obsessed with everyone becoming one with you and you don't seem to be bent on watching others suffer aru." China was pretty happy with the list but his happiness quickly turned to remorse when he saw how Anya's face slightly crinkled up, her normal smile had been replaced with a dreary line of solitude.

"Da, is that so?"

China was trying to think of a way to take it back since it looked as though it didn't bode well with Anya. "I-I mean, it's not like there's anything wrong with that aru."

He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"No, it's fine." Her hand waved the question away.

"Though you should know I did once have the desire to see everyone suffer."

The question stung China though he was unaware on why. "What made that change aru?" China didn't know how far he could go with his questions.

"I saw what it looked like, and I didn't like it."

Anya turned her head to the ground and stared at her bare feet, digging her toes into the red carpet. China didn't know what to do; he was at the complete mercy of whatever emotions Anya decided to release, though he hoped that whatever it was it would be silent since it was three in the morning. He tried to catch a peek at Anya's face and saw a single tear fall down and disappear into the shaggy carpet.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-." China began but couldn't finish because Anya's face came back up to his, revealing a shivering smile.

"No really, it's fine. I'm just tired." She got up and grabbed the cups then walked into the kitchen.

China could here running water and then the near silent clatter of plates being put back into the cabinet. Anya came back in and took the first step up the stairs. "Good night."

"Sleep well." China answered back as he watched the Russian woman take one shaky step after another until she disappeared into the upstairs hallway.

China got up as well, though he fumbled around since the tea was hitting his system, forcing his eyes shut as he felt for the stairs. He walked up and opened his eyes just wide enough so that he could find his room. He silently opened the door and sneaked under his covers, hoping nobody had heard him. His drowsiness brought him into a deep sleep, though his mind was thinking the same thing over and over.

"I saw what it looked like, and I didn't like it." He kept thinking that one phrase played like a record in his mind.

Before officially passing out, China thought to himself "What did you see?"

- Man, if someone woke me up at two am, I'd kick them to the moon.

-Thanks so much for the support you guys. I won't be able to update for a few days because I'll be out of town and away from my laptop, sorry. :(