Disclaimer: We don't own Hetalia!
A/N: Hey, everyo-!
Pollux . . . Yes, Castor? What is this? ↓ I decided to re-edit Return to the Viking Age. I thought I told you to leave it alone! *Shoves papers at Castor.* Read these! You'll think differently after you have.
Anyway, while Castor's catching up on what I've done, it's time for more reminiscing. Every other likes to be praised for their work, and we're no different. When we didn't receive any praise for the first week or two (or three?) we were pretty down-hearted. We wondered if anyone even liked our story. And then she came. She called it 'beautiful', 'a wonderful blend of humor and action'. She even went so far as to say 'I love it!' She went on to read every single chapter and commented on every single one of them. Who is this girl, you ask. Well, if she's not saying 'aw, you're so sweet' right now, she better start doing it soon, Dalasport. Dala was the first person to praise our work and she's never faltered once, even when we took long breaks. In fact, every single one of you has stuck with us this whole time. And for that we are very thankful.
Enjoy! Please review! (If you know any Cherokee, please correct me!)
What is going on?
Russia was not a well-liked nation, except perhaps for a spare few. Both Japan and Poland's dislike for the larger nation well well-known by most of the others. Some thought perhaps America should hold a grudge, but the younger nation refused to. He laughed in their faces and said 'forgive and forget' then walked way.
Due to this unpopularity, only eight nations had been willing enough to return to Russia for another world meeting: Egypt, Cyprus, Turkey, Greece, Cuba, and Russia's sisters. The rest of the world's nation had thought it a hoax.
There was one other man in the room, a man none of the eight nations recognized. He was tall, nearly seven feet, with snow-white hair and equally pale eyes that lacked both an iris and a pupil. The man hadn't spoken once since he had entered the room, not even flinching when Turkey had growled at him.
It had been twenty minutes and Russia still hadn't arrived. The nations were growing restless.
"Who are you?" Greece asked the pale, tall man. He had been dragged kicking and screaming to the world meeting by his archenemy: Turkey.
The pale man regarded Greece coolly for a moment before speaking. "I am Antarctica," he said in a voice that reminded Greece of winter winds. The gathered nations stared at him in shock, unable to find anything to say.
"But I thought Antarctica was a continent," Ukraine finally said, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I am inhabited by scientists," Antarctica explained almost gently to Ukraine. "Not many people live at my house because it is inhabitable." A penguin squawked beside him, annoyed with rather warm temperature of the room.
Before any nation could make any more comments, the room's doors swung open on squeaky hinges and Russia strode in, faucet pipe in hand.
"Privet," Russia said, coming to a stop at the head of the table. "Thank you for returning; and thank you for joining us, Antarctica."
"It was not a problem on my part," Antarctica said in his chilling voice. "You did say this could affect the whole world, so I had no choice but to come."
"Da, and I meant what I said," Russia said. "I have also brought some terrible news."
"What is it, Big Brother?" Belarus asked, and Russia inched away from her hesitantly. "I can help you, and then we can get married!" She looked hopeful at the very thought, but Russia shivered and shook his head.
"Net," he said, a note of pleading in his voice. "I need everyone to help me with this."
"But, Big Brother," Belarus began, but Ukraine covered her mouth with a gentle hand, cutting off the rest of the sentence.
"Please continue, Russia," Ukraine told her younger brother with a small smile and Russia nodded to her thankfully before turning to the rest of the nations.
"I do not know if you have all heard," Russia said slowly. "But Little America has gone missing."
"Sí, I noticed," Cuba said, leaning back in his chair. "I haven't had any problems with that hijo de puta for a good couple of days now. It's been nice."
"Da?" Russia asked with a smile that made Cuba shiver. "You may not like what you are going to here, though. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden kidnapped America after the world meeting and got away with it because my security guards were too inept to check the crate that was with them."
"Ne?" Turkey asked in shock, but Russia did not stop there.
"They have also kidnapped Canada, Iceland, China, and Hong Kong," Russia added.
"¿Que?" Cuba asked in shock. His chair tipped too far back and he hit the floor with a loud thunk. "¡Maldita!"
"Da," Russia said, ignoring Cuba's swearing. "And I have no doubt in my mind they will strike again."
"Who do ya think they'll go after next?" Turkey asked worriedly as Cuba pulled his chair upright again and sat down. "Not all of us are that important, are we? Why did they kidnap Icy? He's small and weak, no threat at all."
"Iceland may be small," Russia agreed. "But he is Norway's brother," he pointed out. A few of the nations were still trying to absorb the information while the others looked terrified at the prospect. Antarctica appeared just plain bored with the meeting.
The doors swung open once more and Japan led Taiwan, Macau, Vietnam, and Korea into the room. Mr. Puffin was perched on Taiwan's shoulder, swaying slightly with her movements.
"Sorry we're late," Taiwan said enthusiastically, Mr. Puffin swerving unsteadily on her shoulder. "The plane was delayed on our flight over."
"That is alright," Russia said, trying to smile reassuringly at the Asian nations. Japan sent him a glare before sitting down with Taiwan and Vietnam on either side of him.
"Did you tell them yet, Russia-san?" Japan asked stiffly.
"Da," Russia said. "I told them just before you came in."
"What do we do, da-ze?" Korea asked worriedly, his question went unanswered as realization dawned on some of the other nations.
"What about Finland?" Turkey asked. "Ya haven't said anythin' about him yet."
"Does anyone know where Little Finland is?" Russia asked, looking around the room.
"Yes!" Taiwan said, leaping out of her chair and waving her hand enthusiastically. "I saw him leaving with Estonia after the meeting, maybe he's still at Estonia's house."
"Good," Russia practically sighed in relief. "I will look into that with my sisters' help . . ." He trailed off when Agent Orlov pushed herself into the meeting room, the human's arms full of papers and folders.
"Forgive me for interrupting, Mister Russia," Agent Orlov said, trying to straighten the mountain of papers in her arms without dropping any of them.
"Da, what is it?" Russia asked, slightly annoyed. He had specifically asked his personal assistant to not bother him during the meeting.
"There are reports of several disturbances at the American-Mexican border," Agent Orlov said. She pulled folder out and passed it to Russia who opened it and examined the papers. "We cannot tell what is happening."
"Very well," Russia sighed as he closed the folder. "I will take Cuba to investigate the matter with me before we visit Estonia's house."
"¿Que?" Cuba demanded angrily, standing from his chair so quickly it fell over once more. "Why me? Why should I help the brat out?"
"Because Mexico is your sister," Russia explained, a dangerous note in his voice. "Denmark, Norway, and Sweden have just captured the world's only superpower. If they could do that without even noticing, how long do you think it would take them to seize your land, Comrade? You will help me, da?" He leaned forward threateningly and Cuba shrank back against the wall.
"S-Sí," Cuba muttered, breathing a sigh of relief when Russia stepped away from him.
"I will come as well, Big Brother," Belarus said with a wave of her hand. Russia sent his older sister a pained expression, but Ukraine just shrugged helplessly.
"Very well," Russia relented. "You may come if you like, Belarus." Belarus let her hand fall back to the table, looking extremely pleased with herself. "Korea." The Asian nation jumped in his seat as he was addressed by the European nation. "May I speak with outside, please?" Russia asked, and Korea nodded slowly before following him out of the room.
The tension in the air was thick as the nations waited for Russia to return. It was several minutes before Korea bounded back into the room with a very determined look on his face. The young nation fell into his seat, hardly able to sit still as he bounced in place.
Taiwan leaned over Japan. "What did Russia want?" she asked curiously.
"He wants me to talk to someone for him, da-ze," Korea said, looking extremely excited about something.
"Who?" Taiwan pressed, but her question went unanswered as Russia cleared his throat.
"Cuba, Belarus," Russia said, stowing his faucet pipe in his coat. "We will be leaving now." Belarus practically bounced out of her seat while Cuba followed Russia at a more sedated pace, grumbling about annoying Americans and not wanting to help them.
"Well," Turkey said as he stood from his chair. "I guess that's the end of the meetin'." He surprised a sleeping Greece by grabbing the other nation around the waist and throwing him over his shoulder.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Greece demanded, kicking wildly in Turkey's grip, but Turkey just ignored him.
"I'm takin' all of ya with me," Turkey said, grabbing Cyprus by the wrist and motioning to Egypt. "I don't want any more nations disappearin'." He led Cyprus and Egypt from the room with a struggling Greece over his shoulder.
Japan rose from his seat. "I agree with Turkey-san," he said. "We should stay together; it will be safer. Korea-kun, will you please return to us once you have spoken with . . . your friend?"
"Ye, da-ze," Korea said excitedly before bounding from the room like a jackrabbit.
Vietnam shoved herself away from the table and stormed from the room with Macau and Taiwan hot on her heels. Japan nodded a farewell to Antarctica and Ukraine before following Vietnam out of the room.
"I-I will be seeing you around, Mr. Antarctica," Ukraine told the continent and then hurried from the room.
Antarctica was not alone for long. Agent Orlov approached the continent hesitantly, still trying to shuffle the pile of papers in her arms. She ignored the penguin that squawked at her.
"Mister Antarctica," Agent Orlov said, and the continent turned to look down at her.
"Yes?" Antarctica asked in his chilling voice.
"Mister Russia would like you to retrieve the micronations from their meeting in Sealand," Agent Orlov told the continent. "He asks that you take them to your house so Denmark, Norway, and Sweden cannot get ahold of them. General Winter will accompany you to ensure their safety."
"Very well," Antarctica said, slowly standing from his chair. He towered over the human before him. "I will leave immediately."
"Spasibo," Agent Orlov said. "And good luck." She left quickly, the doors swinging shut behind her.
Antarctica sighed and scratched his penguin's head. "At least I won't be so lonely now," he commented to himself.
.o.)O(.o.
The door of the house flew open and collided with the wall with a might crash. A dent was left in the wall and the door swung uneasily on its hinges. Denmark lowered his foot to the ground, having kicked the door in to open it.
"Just what I get fer riding a dragon," Denmark grumbled to himself as he marched into the room, Hong Kong over one shoulder. "A sore butt."
"You said you wanted a fast trip," Norway pointed out in annoyance. He was getting sick of Denmark's griping.
"Ja, but dragons have rough scales," Denmark practically pouted.
"Grow up," Norway grumbled, and Denmark glowered at him.
"Wh're are we p'tting th'se two?" Sweden asked, quickly changing the subject before either Denmark or Norway could kill the other.
"Simple," Norway said. "We put them to work."
"Th't d'pends on how quickly they break," Sweden pointed out, shifting China on his shoulder. The ancient nation grumbled but didn't outright complain about his discomfort.
"I agree with Sve," Denmark said. "We need ta teach these two who their masters are before they can be released."
"What are you talking about, aru?" China asked unsurely, trying to look over Sweden's shoulder. Hong Kong shifted restlessly on Denmark's shoulder.
"Yer our slaves now, China," Denmark snapped at the ancient nation. "Ya better get used ta it." He dropped Hong Kong to the floor, causing the young nation to yelp in both pain and surprise, while China was lowered to the floor by Sweden. The belts were unbuckled from around China and Hong Kong's wrists and legs, freeing the two nations.
The minute he was free, Hong Kong struck out at Denmark hard with a foot. The Viking swore and grabbed his chin in one hand and Hong Kong's ankle in the other.
"Yer going ta regret that," Denmark snarled, dragging a struggling Hong Kong toward himself.
"Let me go!" Hong Kong shouted, trying to kick Denmark again, but it was useless. The Nordic nation threw him over his shoulder once more and marched toward a dark door.
Behind the door was a set of staircase that led to a large room. The room was littered with torture devices, chains hanging from the walls. A furnace sat in the corner, a rack of brands settled beside it.
Sweden shoved China before him, having forced the ancient nation to descend the stairs. Norway shut the door at the top of the stairs. The lock clicked with an ominous sound that made Hong Kong whimper and Norway made his way down the stairs.
"What is this place, aru?" China asked weakly. His mouth had gone dry at the sight of the whips carefully laid out on the table.
"Norge has some big fancy name for it," Denmark said with a wave of his hand. "But I just like calling it the Fiery Pits of Hell." He felt Hong Kong shiver on his shoulder and he grinned. "I bet ya wished ya hadn't kicked me now?"
"Leave Hong Kong alone, aru," China demanded before withering under Denmark's glare.
"I don't think so," the Nordic nation said. "He deserves ta be punished."
"Bùshì," China disagreed. "He only hit you because you attacked him first. I would have done the same thing, aru."
"If ya hadn't been so old?" Denmark asked with a wicked grin, and China flushed angrily. "It really is his fault, though. He wouldn't be in this position if he didn't try ta cause trouble."
"T-Teacher," Hong Kong whimpered, struggling helplessly on Denmark's shoulder. "Help me!" he wailed. China moved to aid his younger brother, but Sweden grabbed him by the upper arms and dragged him backward.
"Bùshì, aru!" China shouted. He tried to struggle, but it was useless. Sweden was both stronger and larger than he was.
Hong Kong was thrown unceremoniously to the floor. He struggled to crawl away from Denmark, but the taller nation planted a foot on his back.
"Teacher," Hong Kong sobbed. "Help me, please!"
"Knock it off," Denmark snapped. Bending down, he grabbed Hong Kong's hair in a painful grip and dragged the Asian nation to his feet. Hong Kong whimpered and clutched at Denmark's hand.
"Hong Kong, aru!" China lunged forward once more but Sweden effortlessly held him back. Denmark hesitated for a split second, his eyes flicking between the sobbing Hong Kong and the struggling China.
Denmark forced Hong Kong to look at him. "Do ya know what ya did wrong?" he asked in an almost gentle voice.
"Bú," Hong Kong sobbed, shaking his head. "Please."
"What did he say?" Denmark demanded at China. The ancient nation licked his lips nervously.
"He said 'no', aru," he told Denmark.
"Nej?" Denmark repeated, glaring at Hong Kong. "Ya don't know what ya did wrong? Then I guess ya get ta be punished. Sve, stick China over there and come hold this brat for me."
Sweden grunted and dragged China across the room to lock him in the chains against the wall. Only once the shackles had been successfully locked did Sweden make his way back to Denmark.
"What are you doing, aru?" China demanded, yanking at the shackles holding his arms tightly.
"Shut up, China," Denmark snapped. He shoved Hong Kong toward Sweden who grabbed the smaller nation by the upper arms in a vice-like grip. Denmark ripped the back of Hong Kong's duangua open to bare his smooth back to the chilly air.
"Leave Hong Kong alone, aru!" China shouted. He watched as Norway placed a brand into the roaring fire of the forge.
Denmark ran a hand over Hong Kong's right shoulder blade, as though trying to decide a good spot for a brand. Hong Kong whimpered and dropped his weight to the floor; but Sweden just grunted and hauled him back to his feet.
"It's ready," Norway said. Denmark removed the cherry-red brand from the forge.
"Please," Hong Kong begged through tears. "I'm sorry." His useless struggling increased as Denmark approached him from behind.
"It too late fer that," Denmark said; and he plunged the brand down on Hong Kong's right shoulder blade. Hong Kong's screams filled the room and he thrashed to escape the searing pain on his skin.
"Hong Kong, aru!" China shouted helplessly.
Denmark pulled the brand away from Hong Kong's shoulder blade and tossed it aside with a clatter. The brand had left a burn in the shape of a Scandinavian cross on Hong Kong's skin. The Asian nation was released from Sweden's iron grip and he collapsed to the floor in a sobbing heap.
"Wh't about th't one?" Sweden asked Denmark, nodding to China who shrank back against the wall.
"Right ya are, Sve," Denmark said as he watched China with a predatory look. "China needs ta know where his place is in this house."
China watched fearfully as Denmark returned to the forge to grab another cherry hot brand. Sweden approached China and unchained him from the wall, throwing the ancient nation to the floor and pinning him there. China's mandarin jacket was ripped open at the back just as Hong Kong's duangua had been.
"Aiyah!" China screamed as he struggled. "Please, stop, aru!"
Denmark ignored China and pressed the brand against the Asian nation's right shoulder. China's screams intensified and he thrashed against Sweden's grip. It was several minutes until he calmed down; even after Denmark had pulled the brand away and tossed it into a bucket of water.
"Can ya clean these two up, Norge?" Denmark asked his brother. "Yer the one who knows what ta do with them." He left before Norway could answer, earning himself a glare.
Norway grabbed a bottle and cloth from the table of whips and approached Hong Kong with silent steps. Reaching down, he gently touched Hong Kong's unburned shoulder. The younger nation flinched away, trying to stifle his sobs.
"It's alright, Hong Kong," Norway soothed. "You'll feel better soon." He soaked the cloth with the contents of the bottle and dabbed at Hong Kong's burn. Hong Kong whimpered, fresh tears forming in his eyes. He had never felt something so painful before, even when Japan had attacked him.
Slowly, a numbing pain overtook the burning sensation and Hong Kong relaxed. His sobbing petered down to nothing more than sniffling. He laid helplessly on the floor as Norway straightened up.
"Sve, will you take Hong Kong to his new room?" he asked. "I need to take care of China."
"Ja," Sweden grunted, and lifted a near-unconscious Hong Kong into his arms.
Hong Kong was barely aware of their ascent up the stairs. He watched the scarlet walls of Denmark's house pass by through half-closed eyelids. There was another flight of stairs and then a door was opened. Sweden's strong arms suddenly disappeared and Hong Kong found himself dumped on the floor. He hit the carpet with a yelp. He was aware of the door snapping shut and then a new voice.
"Hong Kong?"
Wide awake now, Hong Kong spun around to see his best friend laying on a bed. Iceland was watching him with glazed eyes.
"What happened?" Iceland asked, trying to support himself on an elbow. He was trembling with the effort of it.
"Iceland," Hong Kong said in a sort of dazed way before he broke out into tears. "Iceland!"
"What happened?" Iceland repeated firmly. He forced himself to sit up, almost falling back with a wave of dizziness. The room was rocking to and fro.
"Your brothers are crazy," Hong Kong sobbed. "They burned me."
"Hvað?" Iceland demanded. Standing shakily from the bed, he stumbled his way to Hong Kong's side. He examined Hong Kong's new brand before falling back onto the floor with a green tinge in his face. "I think I'm going to be sick," he said.
"A-Are you alright?" Hong Kong asked, wiping tears away with the sleeves of what was left of his duangua.
"I don't' know," Iceland said. "I remember throwing Mr. Puffin out the window, and then Norge touched my shoulder and I blacked out. I don't very well right now," he moaned and shuddered.
"Mr. Puffin found me," Hong Kong said, trying to calm down. "I took him to China's house, but then your brothers attacked us. Mr. Puffin escaped; he's waiting for Japan to find him."
"I hope he's alright," Iceland sighed. He leaned against Hong Kong. "I'm sorry for getting you into this trouble."
"It's not your fault," Hong Kong pointed out. "You didn't know this was going to happen." He wrapped an arm around Iceland's shoulders, wincing when his right shoulder was jostled by the movement.
"Are you going to be okay?" Iceland asked, his voice slightly muffled by Hong Kong's shoulder.
"Duì, I just hope Teacher will be alright," Hong Kong said. "He's not as young as he used to be." Iceland pulled out of the hug to see if his friend was laughing but Hong Kong just had the same blunt expression he always did.
"China should be fine," Iceland said. "They won't be too hard on him." His confidence slipped and he added in a whisper: "I hope."
Hong Kong pulled his friend into another hug. "What is going on?"
.o.)O(.o.
The door to the study was ripped open and Sweden dragged China into the room by his neck. The ancient nation was shoved to the floor at a grinning Denmark's feet. His burn had been cared for by Norway before he'd been dragged away.
"Yer going ta be a lot of trouble," Denmark said. "I can already tell." China stared at the floor, refusing to rise up to the jab. Something leather wrapped around his throat and was locked before China had a chance to react.
"That has a tracker in it," Denmark told China as the ancient nation's hands flew to his throat to feel the leather collar. "Now ya won't be able ta run off without us knowing where ya are."
"Why are you doing this?" China demanded as he tugged uselessly on the collar. The buckle was too complicated for his blind fingers to solve on their own. "Are you trying to take over the world, aru?"
"We just want out power back," Denmark said innocently. "And yer going ta keep that collar on if ya know what's good fer ya. Now, ta go over yer jobs."
"Who said I was going to work for you, aru?" China demanded hotly.
"Ya don't have a choice," Denmark snapped back. "We didn't kidnap ya just because yer pretty. And there's one more thing I like about that collar," he added with a grin, holding up a small remote. He smashed one of the buttons down and a jolt of electricity surged through China, causing the nation to fall back in writhing pain.
"And that's only level one," Denmark said gleefully. "There's three levels: two ta shock ya inta obedience and one ta knock ya out. The whole perimeter of this house is set up with an invisible fence."
China stared at Denmark in shock. He was finally seeing the Viking at his best: terrifyingly strong and wickedly merciless. China's head dropped to his chest and he sat back on his heels.
"That's better," Denmark said. "Now, yer jobs are ta take care of America and Canada, but ya can't help them escape. That goes fer Iceland too. Don't worry about Hong Kong, though, he's in good hands. Yer in charge of cooking meals, and cleaning whenever ya feel like it."
China gaped at Denmark before managing an answer. "That is a ridiculous amount of work," he said incredulously. "And why do I have to take care of the brats, aru?"
"Because I told ya ta," Denmark growled. "Ya don't have ta do much with the kiddies; just make sure they stay out of trouble. Besides that, yer really just taking care of the household. Oh, and China." China yelped when he suddenly found himself being dragged up by his collar. Denmark's knuckles crushed his esophagus, cutting off the ancient nation's air.
"Don't ya ever call my kids 'brats' again," Denmark snarled dangerously. "Understand?" China nodded, choking and scrabbling at Denmark's hand. "Good boy." Denmark dropped China to the floor with a grin. He mussed China's hair. "Have fun, min lille hund. (my little dog.)"
China gasped and coughed as he tried to take in air and clear his throat at the same time. He was barely aware of the door snapping shut behind Denmark.
"You are all crazy, aru," China muttered under his breath. His throat ached with every breath he took.
"Wh't was th't?" Sweden asked, and China jumped in surprise. He hadn't been aware Sweden was still in the room.
"N-Nothing, aru," China said quickly, scuttling backward in fear.
Sweden stared at China for several seconds before he finally turned and left the study. China breathed a sigh of relief. He was safe for the time being.
.o.)O(.o.
It had been nearly an hour since Sweden had locked Hong Kong in Iceland's room. The two young nations had situated themselves on Iceland's bed beside each other. Iceland had found Hong Kong a new shirt in one of the drawers of the dresser in the corner. Hong Kong had laughed when Iceland had remarked on the creepiness of Norway hording his clothes. The humor of the situation had been lost when they'd sat down on the bed together.
"What do you think they're going to do with us?" Iceland asked after several minutes of silence. He wrapped his arms around his knees and propped his chin on them.
"I don't know," Hong Kong said. "Norway's your brother."
"I really he wasn't right now," Iceland muttered into his arms.
"Weren't you a Viking?" Hong Kong asked. "Why aren't you acting crazy like they are?"
"I was colonized by Norge when he was a Viking," Iceland explained to his friend. "I just sort of grew up with him while he went off with Denmark and Sweden and colonized Greenland and Vinland."
"What about Finland?" Hong Kong asked.
"He was invaded by Vikings," Iceland said. "But he never really partook in that kind of stuff. He mostly just spent his time alone until Sve took control of him during the twelfth century. I met Fin during the Kalmar Union. Fin and Sve left, then Norge, and I was left alone with Dan."
"That's sad," Hong Kong commented. "At least it's only Denmark, Norway, and Sweden."
The door to the room burst open, surprising both Hong Kong and Iceland. Denmark and Sweden stood in the doorway.
"Having fun without us?" Denmark asked with a grin.
Hong Kong sank back against the wall in fear. Iceland wrapped his arms protectively around his friend.
"What do you want?" Iceland demanded. He tried to glare at his fellow Nordic nations, but it wasn't very effective.
"Is that any way ta talk ta yer friend?" Denmark chuckled. "We were just dropping by ta tell ya yer free ta leave yer room now." Hong Kong peeked over Iceland's shoulders at the tall nations, wondering if he'd heard correctly. "There's just one thing we have ta do first."
"And what's that?" Iceland asked. He pressed himself closer to Hong Kong when Denmark and Sweden approached the bed. They towered over the Asian and Nordic nations.
"Nothing really," Denmark said. "Just this."
Iceland yelped as he was grabbed by the front of the shirt and yanked off the bed. He heard Hong Kong cry out in fear as Sweden did the same thing to him. Denmark captured him in a rather painful headlock and bared Iceland's throat. Something leather brushed against Iceland's skin and buckled. Iceland struggled hard until he was suddenly thrown back onto the bed. He was joined seconds later by Hong Kong.
"Ya can't leave the property without being shocked unconscious," Denmark said as Iceland felt the leather collar around his throat. "And I don't feel like searching fer ya in a blizzard. Oh, one more thing." Digging in his pocket, Denmark withdrew a leash and locked it to Hong Kong's collar. "I don't want yer pet wandering around the house on his own."
Hong Kong gaped at Denmark before finding his voice. "Sh-Shénme?" he stuttered.
"Quit speaking other languages," Denmark snarled at Hong Kong. "The only ones ya can speak here are ours." He turned to Iceland, visibly calming down. "What are ya going ta call him?"
"Hvað?" Iceland asked in disbelief.
"What are ya going ta call yer pet?" Denmark asked in an annoyed voice. Hong Kong tugged lightly on the leash and Denmark sent him a glare.
"He already has a name," Iceland said in confusion.
"Wǒ bùshì chǒngwù, (I am not a pet,)" Hong Kong snapped at Denmark, yanking harder on his leash.
"Knock it off," Denmark ordered as he jerked on the leash. Hong Kong was sent tumbled to the floor. Iceland leapt to his feet to help his friend but was stopped with a firm hand on his arm.
"I don't like his name," Denmark told Iceland in a dangerous voice. "Pick a new one, or I will." Iceland thought quickly, racking his brains for what he could possibly choose.
"Vinur," he finally said, and Hong Kong looked up at him curiously.
"What about Hvalp?" Denmark asked with a frown. "Or Lille Kina." Iceland's brow furrowed at the degrading names.
"I like Vinur," Iceland said.
Denmark shrugged. "Fine," he said. "Have fun with Vinur." Hong Kong's new leash was passed to Iceland and the Vikings left the room. The door was shut behind them but remained unlocked.
"What does 'Vinur' mean?" Hong Kong asked as he clambered back onto the bed. His shoulder was starting to sting again.
"It's Icelandic for 'Friend'," Iceland told his friend, earning himself a smile.
"I like it," Hong Kong said.
"I thought it was better than what Denmark chose," Iceland muttered, a small blush on his cheeks. "He wanted to call you 'Puppy' or 'Little China'."
"Those sound mean," Hong Kong commented with a wrinkle of his nose.
"They're probably supposed to be degrading, or something like that." Iceland said. "I couldn't give you anything from their languages. If you don't want to speak any of their languages, you can always try mine. It's different enough from theirs."
"Even though Norway found you?" Hong Kong asked curiously.
"Já," Iceland said with a serious nod. "Since I'm an island, I was isolated from Norge, Dan, and Sve's evolving languages. Icelandic is the closest thing you'll find to Old Norse."
"I'd like to learn it," Hong Kong said eagerly.
Iceland blinked in surprise. "O-Okay. Um, well, like I said: 'vinur' means 'friend'," Iceland said before grinning shyly at Hong Kong. "'Ass' is 'rass'. You can also say 'fara til helvítis' which means 'go to hell'." Hong Kong laughed at that, stopping when a voice seeped through the wall.
"Hey, Iceland," the voice shouted. "Why are you teaching Hong Kong insults?" It was America.
Looking at each other, Iceland and Hong Kong scrambled from the bed and dashed other neighboring room. America and Canada were laying on identical beds. The brothers watched Iceland and Hong Kong warily.
"Hæ," America finally said, nodding a greeting. Hong Kong didn't answer. He could only stare at the brothers with wide eyes.
"Halló," Iceland said, nudging his friend in the ribs.
"What happened to you?" Hong Kong asked, and Iceland smacked himself in the forehead. He had meant to make Hong Kong stop staring, not ask rude questions.
"We could ask you the same question," Canada said, eyeing the collars and Hong Kong's leash. "Why are you treating your friend like a dog, Iceland?" he asked in an icy voice.
"Dan's making me do it," Iceland said quickly. "I have to call Hong Kong 'Vinur' now."
"But what are you doing here?" Hong Kong asked Canada.
"Denmark, Norway, and Sweden think America and I are their sons," Canada sighed.
"And are you?" Hong Kong pressed curiously. Iceland would have stomped on his friend's foot, but he doubted Hong Kong would have taken the hint.
"Yes," Canada said at the same time America said: "No."
"You can't ignore it forever," Canada told America who pulled a face at him. "It was mostly me," he explained to a wide-eyed Hong Kong. "They found L'Anse aux Meadows. They would have moved further south into America if E-Tsi (Mother) hadn't stopped them."
"I have younger brothers?" Iceland asked softly. America and Canada watched him warily, surprised when Iceland lit up with joy. "Cool! You two can call me Eldri Bróðir." America cracked up laughing while Canada pouted.
"Another older sibling," America managed to choke out.
"I'm still the run," Canada moaned forlornly.
"What do you mean 'another'?" Hong Kong asked America curiously. The North American nation sobered up quickly.
"We were raised by Greenland," Canada said before America could try to explain himself. "That was before England found America and Papa found me. She would always return whenever France and England were gone to continue raising us."
"I miss Greeny," America sighed. "I haven't seen her in years."
"How many time have I told you not to call her 'Greeny'?" Canada demanded.
Before America could answer with a witty remark, there was a shout from the doorway.
"Hong Kong!" China called in relief and tackled Hong Kong in a hug. "I was so worried about you, aru."
"Nǐ hǎo, Teacher," Hong Kong said, patting his older brother reassuringly on the shoulder.
China pulled back from the hug and spotted the leash. His eyes followed it to Iceland's hand.
"Why are you wearing a leash, aru?" China asked in a dangerous voice. His eyes narrowed at Iceland.
"I-It's not what you think," Iceland said quickly. "Dan's making me do it!"
"He's telling the truth," Hong Kong added.
"Besides," America piped up. "Iceland's too small to actually hurt anyone." This earned him a seething glare from Iceland. "Dude, you don't even have a military."
"Iceland has to call me 'Vinur'," Hong Kong explained to China. He grabbed Iceland by the sleeve before the other nation could jump at America. "Denmark is making him treat me like a pet. Iceland is going to teach me Icelandic so I won't have to learn Danish, Norwegian, or Swedish."
China listened intently before huffing. "Fine," he said hotly. "But I still do not like it, aru."
"No one said you had to," Iceland muttered, earning himself a smack on the head from Hong Kong. "Ow, it's not my fault my brother and his friends are crazy!"
"Bú," Hong Kong agreed. "But I do have six annoying siblings."
"Hong Kong, aru," China reprimanded his younger brother, but Hong Kong ignored him.
"I have an egotistical older brother," Canada sighed, and America stuck his tongue out at him.
"And I'm stuck with an annoying younger brother and a sister who's bipolar and has short-term memory loss," America countered. "Hey, Iceland, my right hand itches really badly."
Iceland obliged, moving forward to scratch the back of America's hand until the larger nation thanked him.
"Is this what siblings are for?" Iceland asked, earning himself a grin in response.
"Siblings are there to stand by your side," America said sagely. "Even when the going gets tough. Trust me, I've had years of experience." Hong Kong and China shared guilty looks. "But they're also there to bug the crap out of you and spin your head five ways to Sunday."
A sudden loud and boisterous voice shouted up the stairs, causing the five nations to start in surprise.
"Stay out of trouble while we're out," Denmark called loudly. "We're going to have some fun!"
Hong Kong twisted the leash in his hands worriedly. "Where are they going?" he asked nervously.
Iceland shrugged. "Who knows?" he asked. "I just hope they don't cause any trouble."
Bad things.
A/N: What did you think?
Okay, this is actually a lot better than your first editing job. Thanks! . . . Hey! What? I'm complimenting you! Grr, whatever. I'll see y'all later.