DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA:AXIS POWERS OR ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH IT. IT ALL BELONGS TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNER/OWNERS.
Ahh, sorry I'm introducing the characters so slowly! D: And a HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter! Honestly, you all have no idea how much it motivates me...again, thank you! :D
I used google translate for the Swedish part. If it's incorrect, please feel free to correct me! All translations are at the end.
"What? You want to make a deal? With me?"
"I need to...need to help them!"
"When you can barely stand? What, death wasn't satisfying enough?"
"No, no...don't you see? I have to...have to help them-"
"Them? Those fools who always cast you aside, who couldn't even bother remembering you?"
"No...not all of them are like that. You'll see!"
"He's right. And I will assist him to the very end."
"You...how did you get here!?"
"I was dead before my time, as are they all. See, now, the pain they go through? Of the lives they cannot forget? Of the lives...they do not want to forget. Even now, the spirit that resides in them burns bright."
"As did the fire that ended your life?"
"...Everything becomes black at some point. But when, how, and why? Those are things we choose for ourselves."
Everything was painful. Arthur screamed, shut his eyes, and gripped his head in a vain attempt to control the pain that was spreading throughout his body. The migraine was too overpowering - he couldn't think properly. At some points, he was sure that he had blacked out. He writhed on the ground, screaming all sorts of things he later could not recall. What was going on? All Arthur wanted was for it to stop. The pain had become unimaginable to the point where he couldn't even move. Was he moving his body, or was it jerking randomly on its own?
After what seemed like eternity, Arthur felt someone grip his wrists and forcefully remove them from his head. The pain in his head just grew more, and Arthur tried to aim a feeble kick at the person who was holding them, but his body didn't respond. Was this what dying felt like? A strange pain entered his chest, until it went up and spread to his eyes. His eyes suddenly began to sting so badly that he heard his own voice cry out in misery. It sounded dry. Hoarse. And a few seconds later, he questioned whether it was his own voice. He thought he heard someone else's voice whisper something to him, but wasn't sure what was real and what was not.
Suddenly, the pain vanished as quickly as it had come. Arthur lay motionless on the ground, happy to be breathing and alive. And that was when his senses returned to him. "Arthur? Arthur!" he heard a desperate voice say, and Arthur hesitantly opened his eyes to see Alfred on top of him, staring down at his face in worry. "Arthur, Arthur!" He lightly shook Arthur's shoulders, then let out a sigh of relief when he saw Arthur's eyes were open.
Arthur felt too weak to move. He looked up into Alfred's eyes, his facial expression not changing. Alfred helped him sit up against the trunk of a tree, looking worried and baffled at the same time. The expression was so strange that Arthur would have laughed if he had the energy to. Everything was so...strange. What had just happened? One minute he was shaking Alfred's hand, and the next...
"You...you're definitely not okay." Alfred said, frowning. "And...you said...what does that word mean? Is that a name, or...? Who is 'America'?" he asked, frowning.
Arthur groaned and cleared his throat, not hearing Alfred's question. "What?" he croaked, his voice dry.
"Never mind," Alfred shook his head. He could always ask Arthur later. "But for now, you should really go to the Healing Center." He put his hand to Arthur's forehead, gasping when he felt how warm it was. "Man, you have a fever!"
Arthur shook his head feebly in denial. He was fine this morning! He began to panic when he realized he was starting to see double. It was weird - he saw Alfred, but in his double vision it seemed like the second Alfred was wearing glasses, and a brown jacket with a fluffy collar instead of his white shirt and brown pants. This second Alfred was wearing a dark green uniform, and something Arthur didn't recognize was on his belt. The two images of Alfred, regular and strange, mixed, until he wasn't sure which was which. He reached out weakly in an attempt to take off Alfred's glasses. He didn't even know why.
Alfred leaned back slightly to avoid Arthur's fingers poking into his eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked, confused.
"Your glasses...why did you put them on?" Arthur asked, then had a very bewildered look on his face. "You...when did you change?"
"What?" Alfred frowned. He wasn't wearing glasses, and Arthur was looking at him with a glazed look in his eyes. "Arthur..."
"A-And you...you..." Arthur took in Alfred's mixed appearance. "Y-You...your jacket. It has...it looks soft. Brown...you're not allowed to have a brown jacket. You aren't a...you aren't..."
"Y-Yeah, but...what are you talking about?" Alfred tilted his head, severely confused. "I'm not wearing a jacket..."
Arthur groaned loudly, his migraine coming back. He closed his eyes, and blacked out.
Lovino sighed, drumming his fingers on the table. "Are you done yet, Feliciano?" Lovino was twenty-two, and had just gotten back from his job ceremony only a couple hours ago. Actually, he wasn't completely twenty-two yet. But at the convenience of the Court, they decided he would have his job ceremony early. He was a night chef, and henceforth was to prepare dinner for the many in the New Society, and eat only after they were done eating. It wasn't a full-time job, so he had some free time, unlike a lot of people. Feliciano, his twenty-one year old brother, was currently doing homework that his tutor had assigned him. Usually, people finished their schooling at age eighteen, but for some unfathomable reason Feliciano was behind, and therefore had to continue his schooling for an extra four years, until he received his job.
"But Ludwig assigned so much!" Feliciano exclaimed, and Lovino glared at him.
"No, he didn't. You just spend all your time telling him useless things, and then he doesn't teach you anything and then you don't understand how to do the homework so it takes you longer!" Lovino spat, annoyed that his brother wasn't done yet. It had been three hours since he started. Ludwig had told Feliciano it would only take around thirty minutes, if he was focused. Which Feliciano never was.
The Diner was where the people went to eat - they all had assigned eating times, so there wasn't chaos. Lovino had to enter the Diner through the back, and help prepare dinner. In another hour, he was supposed to be there, and Feliciano had insisted on coming with him, but wanted to finish his homework first.
"But Ludwig is so interesting, don't you think?" Feliciano smiled, poking Lovino's cheek. "And tomorrow is Day 6, right? Ludwig doesn't come on Day 6 and 7. So I still have time. I changed my mind. I won't finish it today. Let's go!" Grabbing Lovino's arm, the brothers left their Unit House.
"Fine," Lovino grumbled, following his brother's lead as they walked along the path. "I still don't get why you want to come anyway." Feliciano simply smiled, his beautiful eyes sparkling. Lovino raised an eyebrow, saying nothing. It was weird, though. That he and Feliciano had ended up in the same Unit House. And they were alone, save for the nurse, who rarely came anymore anyway. Apparently, she was busy with a project the Court had assigned her. But Lovino still clearly remembered the day she brought Feliciano home.
"Shh...don't tell anyone, C1-One. This is your real brother. The Court made an exception for you two. Let's all be happy together, okay?" Her long brown hair flowed down her shoulders like a waterfall. Her green eyes, bright and mischievous, winked at Lovino. It was rare for the court to put actual siblings in the same Unit. How on earth had that woman managed to get them together?
As they finally arrived at the back entrance of the Diner, the two saw a strangely familiar face taking out bags of trash and putting it in a big container. "Ehh...I can't believe it! Isn't that...It's Antonio!" Feliciano smiled, running towards him. Antonio looked up at the voice, his deep green eyes reflecting his surprise at seeing the two after so long. Lovino jumped a bit upon seeing Antonio. What was he doing here!? Yes, this was absolutely the perfect moment to see that annoying bastard again. He struggled to stop the smile that was appearing on his face by frowning. Yes, he would have been happy. Maybe. But...no. He didn't have the right to be happy, especially since...Lovino sighed.
The reason being 'a lack of tutors'[around the time Lovino was 13], the Court has asked Antonio to became a part-time tutor, in which he would only tutor one student, and only on three days out of the week instead of five, so he could balance his main job as well. Replacing Lovino's previous tutor, Roderich, Antonio had tutored Lovino for around one year, after which he stopped. After Antonio, Lovino was then tutored again by Roderich, and later Ludwig, whom he hated. Before Lovino was 13, he and Feliciano were tutored by Roderich. This man continued to tutor Feliciano separately while Lovino was tutored by Antonio, but eventually when Antonio left, Lovino was again tutored by Roderich. While Antonio was Lovino's tutor, he also spent some time with Feliciano. This was rather strange in the New Society. For people to have more than one tutor...Why had the Court insisted Lovino have Antonio, even when he and Feliciano already had a tutor? There wasn't a need for Antonio. In any case, when Lovino was 17 and Feliciano was 16, Ludwig had replaced Roderich as their tutor for a reason unknown to them. Lovino couldn't put into words the hatred he had for Ludwig. Lovino grimaced at the thought of him...him, who Feliciano couldn't shut up about...
"Little Feli! It's been so long! You're so...big!" Antonio hugged Feliciano, and threw a happy smile over at Lovino before beckoning him to come closer, his eyes sparkling. Lovino huffed, not moving. Antonio never even liked him, anyway! He only ever liked Feliciano...Why couldn't he just leave him alone? He could feel his face becoming hot, much to his annoyance. He didn't care about Antonio! So what if he was here? Antonio's face changed into a pout, then he sighed and smiled again.
"What are you doing here, Lovi?" he asked, walking over towards Lovino, Feliciano following him. Lovino felt slightly startled at the intensity of Antonio's eyes. They were staring right into his own - green matching gold. Though sometimes, Feliciano liked to describe Lovino's eyes as caramel.
"He's going to be a cook! He's going to meet his mentor today, and his mentor can teach him everything, and then Lovi can be a good cook!" Feliciano bursted out happily.
It had been so long since he'd last seen Antonio, or his smile, for that matter. Antonio looked undeniably happy - and Lovino didn't know what to say. Especially after..."Y-Yeah." he muttered weakly, cursing himself for not being able to come up with a better response. He frowned at Antonio, then blurted out, "So what are you doing here anyway?" After what had happened...Lovino didn't even want to see Antonio again. Wouldn't it be better for Antonio, too? Wasn't it why he left?
Antonio paused, tilting his head. "I'm a cook, I thought I told you..."
Ignoring him, Lovino stomped towards the back entrance, opening the door and walking in. He was greeted by a man smiling at him, and handing him a piece of paper. "All right, find your name, and the name next to it is your mentor. You'll be learning for three hours today, and the next three hours are practice, with your mentor assisting you. You will be eating dinner with your mentor today, so make sure to be polite and get along well!" Lovino looked at the paper, sighing. Great. Another bastard he had to get along with. He found his name, and his heart pounded in his chest as he saw the name next to his. The mentor he would have to spend so much time with. Antonio Fernandez Carriedo.
"Vart vill du åka, Finland?" Bright blue eyes gazed wearily at the smaller man.
"Någonstans är bra, Sve. Jag är glad om jag är med dig." A slight smile graced the small man's lips.
"... Jag skrämmer inte du?"
"Du brukade, Sve, men du är verkligen trevligt inuti, och verkligen bryr sig om andra människor. Du sätter mig alltid innan ni. Och du är så ärlig. Det är en del av vad jag älskar dig."
"... Vi kunde sitta under trädet."
A laugh escaped his lips. "Ja, jag gillar det."
Tino jumped out of bed, blinking rapidly. He kept having that dream! Over and over...was something wrong with him? He didn't even understand what was going on. He couldn't understand the words coming out of their mouths. He sighed. He just felt...for some reason, he just felt so calm...
"You okay?" A flash of red, and he found Yao, his 'brother,' by his side. "You've been waking up really late lately." He had a red apron on, with black pants and a white shirt.
"Yes, I'm okay." Tino smiled slightly. "Aren't you supposed to be at work, Yao?"
Yao blinked, then yelped, jumping up. "A-Ahhh...yeah, I was waiting for you to wake up. Remember, the Lumber-men wanted to see you, right?" He busied himself with assembling the things he needed for his job. Yao was a morning cook - He helped make breakfast and lunch for everyone, and ate after that. He was usually free in the night time, unless the dinner chefs were really having a hard time.
Tino was 21 years old, and Yao was 25. This was the time where Tino was supposed to help out as much as he could in all different areas. And the Lumber-men had requested that Tino come to help them today. Antonio was also in their unit.
"Yes...I'll go get ready for that," Tino laughed slightly, sighing and sliding off of his bed. He stood up, yawning. "Where's Antonio?"
Yao turned around, facing Tino and frowning. "Wasn't he...um..." He spun around, gathering the last of his things before saying, "I think he left around 7...said something about teaching someone something..."
Tino frowned, then smiled. "Ah! Yes, he came back late last night, didn't he? 'Lovino'...say, isn't that the boy that he used to tutor some time ago?"
Yao tilted his head. "You think so? I don't really remember..." He shrugged, before shouting in exasperation. "I'm going to be late!" He said a quick goodbye to Tino before rushing out the door. Tino giggled, shutting the door Yao forgot to close. Almost a minute later, someone rang the doorbell. Tino hastily changed into something presentable before opening it, only to stare up at a man with violet eyes, who was smiling at him pleasantly.
"I-Ivan," Tino whispered, a bit surprised, and honestly, scared. Ivan Braginski was a member of the Court, and as such, could talk to anyone. This man always gave off bad vibes...though Tino knew he was imagining it...right? Or was he so scared because Ivan was...well, big and intimidating? He shook himself, then smiled back. "How are you doing?" He knew he shouldn't judge Ivan too quickly. He had only seen him a couple of times before, after all.
"Very good," he said in a cheerful voice, as his eyes drifted to a point past Tino. He stared into the house, and Tino blinked, confused.
"Y-Yes?"
"Yao..." he said, looking a bit disappointed.
"Oh..." Tino smiled, then thought silently When has he ever talked to Yao? How does he..how does he know Yao? "He just left, you know?"
Ivan blinked, then pointed to a bag strewn on the floor. "He forgot."
Tino laughed, surprised. "Ah...Yao is always Yao..." He walked inside and picked up the bag. "Ah...will I be able to catch him now?" he wondered to himself aloud. Then, he turned, facing Ivan. "Ivan, what are you doing here?" He said it timidly, not meaning to be blunt.
"..." Ivan frowned slightly, and tugged on his coat a bit, gently adjusting it, before saying, "Yao..."
Tino bit his lip. Had Yao done something wrong? It was impossible...Yao wouldn't do anything wrong! Sometimes he did get a little...actually, very stressed out, but that would never cause him to break one of the Rules! "W-Why?"
His violet eyes grew darker, before they cleared. Ivan looked at the floor, then at Tino. "Tell him...to come to the House on Day 7." With a smile, he turned around and walked away. Tino stood in the doorway, stunned. What...what had just happened? Was Yao...
Tino shook his head. Ivan didn't seem angry. He just probably wanted to talk to Yao about something. He shut the door, walking down the street in hopes of catching Yao. Until something caught his attention.
There, squatting and trying to pull out something from the ground by the looks of it, was a tall man with short blond hair. Tino looked at him. No, this man wasn't from his cluster, but...he was curious. What was this man doing here? Only people from Tino's cluster hung out here.
Tino really couldn't tell what he was doing. Was that a weed, or...? He shook his head. It was none of his business what this man was doing. This man wasn't in his cluster, and as such Tino wasn't allowed to talk to him. But...Tino frowned. Should he offer to help him? The thing he was trying to pull out wasn't budging...He was about to walk by the man just as something came flying at him from the corner of his eye. Reflexively, he protected his head with his arms, facing away as he braced himself for impact. He blinked, surprised when he felt no pain. He turned and was met with beautiful, icy blue. It took him a while to realize he was staring at the man's eyes. "Oh!" He scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. He looked at the man, a lot taller than him, and holding a rusty...what was that? It seemed so familiar to Tino, and yet...he examined what was in the man's arms. It was a long stick that looked rather dirty, and seemed to be made out of something strong. At the end was a huge metal head, that narrowed off into a sharp point at one end, and was only about a fourth as long as the stick it was attached to. What was it? It seemed that there were red stains on it as well...
"Um...what is that?" he asked, pointing to it. The man grunted, looking down at it before looking at Tino. He mumbled something which Tino didn't catch.
"E-Excuse me?" he stuttered, then gasped. This man...he knew why he couldn't stop staring at him! This was...the man...
The man looked up at him in surprise. Yes. Tino knew it. It was one of the men in his dream. The taller one, who was talking with a man who looked identical to Tino. The taller one, with the same icy eyes and intimidating stare.
"Vart vill du åka, Finland?" [["Where do you want to go, Finland?"]]
"Någonstans är bra, Sve. Jag är glad om jag är med dig."[["Anywhere is fine, Sve. I'm happy if I'm with you."]]
"... Jag skrämmer inte du?" [["...I don't scare you?"]]
"Du brukade, Sve, men du är verkligen trevligt inuti, och verkligen bryr sig om andra människor. Du sätter mig alltid innan ni. Och du är så ärlig. Det är en del av vad jag älskar dig." [["You used to, Sve, but you're really nice inside, and truly care about other people. You always put me before you. And you're so honest. That's part of what I love about you."]]
"... Vi kunde sitta under trädet." [["...We could sit under that tree."]]
"Ja, jag gillar det." [["Yes, I'd like that."]]
