Hello everyone! This chapter came out a lot later than expected, so please accept my apologies! I had to do a lot of revisions. The seventh chapter should be out soon(a couple of days at most!) because it is kind of like the 'second-part' to this chapter, if that makes any sense at all xD I'd have to say that the next chapter is probably my favorite out of the chapters so far.

Thank you for all of the reviews! They are much appreciated ^.^

Oh, also, to end some confusion that there might be(though what I'm about to say is not really required to understand the story), there are different things going on at different times in this chapter - for example, Lovino/Antonio/Alfred/Arthur/Lukas are all doing things at night, while Berwald/Tino/Roderich/Vash/Lili/Lukas are doing things in the morning of the next day/afternoon of the next day. The time should 'sync' for all of them around the ninth/tenth chapter(Meaning, the story from then on won't be so 'split up' with everything happening at different times)

Ah, and another note...though most of you probably expected it, from now on the story will become a bit more USUK-centric.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HETALIA: AXIS POWERS.


A deep breath in. "That poor boy..."

"You made it so, didn't you? Witch. Why can't you let them be?"

"No." Beautiful blue eyes blazed bright. "He cannot. He must bear the pain, for his pain will lead to happiness."

"Why do you continually fight against me? What force compels you?"

"Hope."

"Lies. You're doing it for him."

A pause. "And you are doing it for all of them, aren't you? You act like this, and yet your heart yearns for their happiness."

"Lies, witch. Lies."


"Lovino! Lovino!" Antonio's cries became louder, more assertive, and increasingly more desperate. He had given up pounding on the door by now, and simply leaned his forehead against it - the only obstacle between him and Lovino. "Lovi..." His voice reduced to a whisper, and Lovino could barely hear it.

No, Lovino wouldn't give in now. He didn't want to hear it. What Antonio had to say. He didn't want to hear him apologize for hating him, or for leaving, because Lovino didn't blame him. And yet...

"Lovino, open the door." Lovino perked up at the change in the tone of Antonio's voice. It was commanding - like Antonio wouldn't settle for anything less. "Lovino, right now."

Lovino remained silent. Like hell he was scared! Why would he be scared just because the bastard began to sound dead serious for once in his life? Not that it had anything to do with it. It's just that...the room was dark. Yeah, that was it. "G-Go away." he said in a muffled tone.

He heard Antonio's breath hitch. For the first time in an hour, Lovino had talked.

"Lovino Vargas, open the door right now." Lovino's eyes widened. Was it really Antonio talking? His voice sounded so...different.

"I-I..." Lovino began weakly, biting his lip. Then, his fury at himself made his voice stronger, and he shouted, "I already know what you have to say, okay!? Just leave me alone!"

"Are you crying?"

Lovino blinked. He fingers touched his face, and he felt tear stains on his cheeks - how did he not notice he was crying? Why was he crying, anyway? He didn't need to cry - he was perfectly happy without Antonio in his life at all. And it didn't matter if Antonio hated him anyway! In fact, the only reason why Lovino had gotten into this wretched state was because that damn Roma, or whoever decided that he was to be a Chef, paired him up with Antonio!

"N-No, y-you're just hearing things!" Lovino snarled, trying to cover up his shaking voice. He could almost laugh. He was such a weakling, and he knew deep down the reason he was crying. He didn't want it.

Antonio...to hate him. He didn't want it.

A harsh pound on the door was all Lovino heard before he was slammed against the wall. Why did the room have to freaking shake whenever Antonio hit the door?

He felt Antonio's fist on the door go slack. He heard a sigh. And he heard footsteps walking away.

Lovino's eyes widened in surprise. He gave...up? So...Antonio really didn't care too much after all. Well, it was a relief of some sorts, but still...

Waiting another couple of minutes, Lovino decided that it was time to leave this dark, and kind of...creepy room. He opened the door slightly, only to be slammed against the wall. Again. But this time, it was Antonio who had, quite forcefully, slammed him against the wall. Antonio was in front of him, and way too close. Lovino could see him clearly - the door was open now, so light filtered into the small, previously dark room.

And his emerald eyes were clearly angry. Very, very angry.


Arthur frowned. "Can't forget...what?"

Lukas turned his head to face him. "Everything. Nothing. All of it, and none of it."

Arthur looked puzzled. "Well, that makes sense." he said sarcastically.

Lukas looked at the ceiling again, clearly not in the mood for a conversation. Then again, he didn't seem like the type who talked a lot anyway. Arthur had a strong feeling that he didn't. But...Arthur didn't know him. So clearly he didn't really know a lot about Lukas...but for some reason, he felt like he did. Arthur frowned, not quite liking the way he was contradicting himself.

"Are you the same?" Lukas began, then stopped. "Of course..." he turned to face Arthur again, "All of you don't."

"I-I don't understand what you're saying," Arthur began, then Lukas slowly shook his head.

"You wouldn't." Lukas turned to look at the ceiling again. The door burst open, and Doctors rushed in to question Lukas.

"Do you remember anything?"

"What were you doing at this time?"

"Your brother said you disappeared. Is this true?"

Lukas looked at them all blankly. "What...?" he began slowly, his face expressionless. "What?"

The Doctors looked at him, puzzled. One of them said gently, "You just fell to the floor all of a sudden. How are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"What were you doing before you fainted?"

"Don't know."

"Your brother said that you 'disappeared' for a couple of hours before you collapsed. Is this true?"

"Don't know."

The Doctor frowned. "We'll let you rest more, then talk about it then." He murmured with his colleagues before saying, "There's nothing we can do now...if you don't remember anything."

Lukas simply nodded, then closed his eyes. The Doctors filed out again. Arthur blinked. They just ignored him. Well, it was good. He didn't think he could lie through his teeth if the doctors questioned him. Or, maybe he could. But lying was against the Rules.

Arthur chuckled. Then again, what harm would it do? He already broke one. In fact, he was quite sure he had broken more than one. With him.

Alfred.

Alfred.

Alfred.

Where was he?


Alfred sneezed, rubbing his nose with his sleeve. He almost never sneezed. Huh.

He was out in the fields, as usual, pulling up the weeds from the ground, as was part of a Farmer's job to do. Recently he'd been training a lot with the Farmers.

He had too much work to do, so he decided to finish it all up and then go eat. He wondered if Jett and the others would be upset - which they probably would, knowing them.

Arthur. That face appeared in his mind again. He had carried Arthur to the Healing Center - he was surprisingly light - and then set him down in a bed. He found a Nurse and explained what happened, but only gave a quick summary and left out the 'he's not in my cluster' part.

Yes, that part was important, but...well, as long as Arthur was okay now...

Alfred sighed. He wondered if Arthur had woken up - would he be mad that Alfred just left him there? But...he wasn't even allowed to talk to Arthur in the first place. Arthur was right when he had brought it up earlier.

Alfred pulled out another weed. And another. And another. But no amount of weeds, no amount of anything would allow him to see Arthur again, and he knew it. It was best to forget about him, right? Or...could he see him again?

Could he? He had no idea where Arthur lived, but...

Alfred sighed, looking up at the sky. It was a beautiful sunset. The reds melted into the oranges, which melted into the yellows and finally into the sun. The sky was becoming dark - purples and blues mixed into one, and the moon was beginning to appear.

He could, though. See Arthur. If Arthur was still at the Healing Center, then Alfred still had a chance. To say goodbye, to see him for the last time.

In front of all the Nurses and Doctors who might suspect them? Alfred grinned, imaging the look on Arthur's face. Yes, he would take that chance.

But...it would have to be tomorrow morning...Alfred was already impatient. Could the night pass any more slowly?

Sighing, Alfred continued his work, pondering exactly why it was that he really didn't want to say goodbye to Arthur.


"Axe."

"What?"

"It's an axe."

Tino blinked. Oh, that's what that thing was called. An axe.

"'m a lumberj'ck."

Tino's eyes widened. "Oh, really? That's where I'm going today. I heard they wanted to see me..."

Berwald nodded. "I came to g't you."

Tino smiled. "Oh, I see! Thank you, Berwald."

Berwald simply grunted and turned around, walking towards the forest. Tino followed him, frowning slightly. Why didn't Berwald ever smile? He was kind of scary!

Tino walked beside Berwald, keeping up his pace step-for-step. Oh...Yao's bag was in his arms. "Um, excuse me, Berwald. Do you mind if...um...if I quickly drop this off at the Diner on the way there? M-My brother Yao forgot this..." He held up the bag for Berwald to see. "See?"

Berwald nodded slowly, then turned his eyes back to the forest path. Tino frowned. He was such a serious guy! Not that Tino hated that, but...


"I'm so glad that you agreed to go on a walk with me, Roderich." Lili smiled, holding Roderich's hand while she walked along the path with him.

"How many times must I ask you to call me 'brother?'" Roderich sighed. He looked at her, expecting a response, and was surprised when her body tensed, and her face twisted into a frown.

"Roderich...it doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean? Isn't that what you called me when you were a small child?" Roderich adjusted his glasses before continuing to stare at her. They had stopped walking, and Lili let go of Roderich's hand, turning to face him with her round, sincere eyes.

"I-I didn't realize...I thought that I'd eventually get used to it. But I never did. Roderich, I'd love to call you 'brother,' I really would, but..." She was interrupted as they heard a greeting.

"What are you two talking about? Not a fight, Roderich? Because I'm sure that you of all people know the consequences of fighting," Vash said seethingly, stiffly marching over to them and stopping until he was in front of them. Ever since he had gotten his job, he became a lot harsher than normal - though when he was young he was always a bit harsh. He turned to Lili, whose eyes widened when he looked at her.

"N-No, not at all, Vash sir!" she squeaked, when she noticed that Vash was carrying something. "What is in that bag, Vash?" Lili suddenly frowned. She felt weird...calling this man 'Vash.' But then again, what else could she address him with?

"Oh, yeah...I found something the other day. While I was hunting, you know?" He reached his hand into the bag and pulled out a small, very dirty and slightly torn, purple ribbon. "I was going to clean it later and give it to you."

Lili blinked, smiling. Everyone labelled Vash as scary, but she never truly thought he was. He was very kind, and Lili knew it, though she did wonder why others couldn't see it. "Thank you," she said, her eyes shining. She reached out for it, saying, "Even if it is dirty, I don't want you to trouble you any more. I can clean it."

Vash nodded, then let out a huff, saying, "It's not a big deal." He laid it gently in her hand.

...

Roderich had a hard time explaining to the Doctors what happened after that.

"Are you sure all that you're saying is true?" one of them asked, a puzzled frown on his face.

"I'd never lie!" Roderich exclaimed, offended. "I suppose I'll have to tell you one more time. Vash gave the ribbon to Lili, and she...I'm not exactly sure why, but she stared at it in her hand for a long time, and didn't move. I asked her what was wrong, but she didn't respond. And, after a couple of minutes, she began to cry. Vash and I were completely puzzled, and just as Vash opened his mouth to ask her what was wrong, she fainted, but her hand was tightly clamped around the ribbon that Vash gave her. How many times must I tell you that it happened exactly as I told you?" Roderich finished, exasperated.

All of the Doctors stared at him, before they turned to look at Lili. She had a gash across her forehead, which looked more like a scar to the Doctors, but it was clearly an open wound as it was bleeding through the bandages they had put on it. Her arms and legs had several bruises on them, and her hair had inexplicably tangled and matted itself. Her chest moved up and down slightly as she took feeble breaths.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Roderich, but yours and Mr. Vash's story make no sense. How did she suddenly get all of these injuries if nobody inflicted them on her? If she simply fainted, perhaps she could have been dehydrated, and we could comprehend that, but such severe bruises? A gash which was clearly made by something sharp? Please, gentleman. You know the punishments of lying. In fact, you know the severe punishments of hurting someone. But hurting someone who is in your unit? Your cluster? I am absolutely appalled. And such a sweet, young girl...I am ashamed of you two. The Court will assign you punishment when they hear of this. This is completely unheard of in our Society. How disgraceful!"

Just as he finished his statement, Vash entered the room. "He doesn't believe me." Vash growled, slumping into a chair by Lili's bed. He gazed at her, wincing every time his eyes fell on a bruise or cut.

"This man refuses to believe me as well." Roderich said, sitting opposite Vash in another chair by Lili's side. He sighed as he saw one of the Doctors dispatch a Messenger to the Court.

"We're going to have to watch you until the Court comes to pick you up." Two Doctors stood by both Roderich and Vash, staring at them, eyes waiting for them to make a move.

All of a sudden, Lili's eyes fluttered open, to everyone's shock. She took deep breaths, before a look of surprise registered on her face. "Hôpital...?" she murmured, before she looked at Roderich, then at Vash. And a wide smile spread across her face before she leaped up and embraced Vash. "Big Brother!" Her eyes held a certain depth to them now, and as she backed away, puzzled, a look of understanding registered on her face. "Oh, no...big brother...y-you don't..." Tears welled in her eyes.

Vash and Roderich were too busy gaping at something else to notice her tears at first. The bruises - the cuts - they were...disappearing. Just as quickly as they came, all of a sudden all injuries that Lili had were gone. As if it were magic.

The entire room fell into a state of shock. Everyone was too surprised to think properly. How? How had these injuries healed so quickly? What was going on?

Vash was the first to get over the initial shock of Lili's sudden 'revival' of sorts. He looked at Lili's face, and stood up, walking over to her. "Lili - what happened? Why were you crying? And...you...the bruises - did you...Lili...?" He struggled to form the right words. The entire room had been stunned.

Lili wiped away her tears. She looked at Vash, her eyes heavy, not so bright and naive as they were before. Still, they held the element of kindness and sincerity. She studied him carefully, before she broke out into tears again. "I'm so sorry..." she said, looking at the ground while struggling to stop her tears.

Without thinking, Vash rushed forward and hugged her, letting her cry into his shirt. Then, he bent his knees so that he was eye-level with Lili, put his hands on her shoulders, and said in a concerned voice, "What's going on, Lili?"

Lili hesitated before opening her mouth. "B-Big brother...I-I'm just so happy...to see you again, like this..."

"What are you talking about?" Vash frowned, and Roderich jolted out of his stupor, shook himself a bit, and walked over to Lili.

"Lili, is everything okay?" Roderich asked, aghast.

"Roderich..." She began to tear up again, and rushed over to hug him. He hugged her back, surprised at her sudden burst.

"Lili..." Roderich began, then stopped.

They were silenced by the door opening, and they turned to see Lukas walk in, his eyes staring at Lili's. Lili blinked, then smiled. "I didn't really know you, but I'm so happy you're okay, too..."

Lukas nodded slowly, then his eyes widened. His body began to shake, but stopped after a couple of seconds. "So it is true..." He smiled softly, walking over to Lili, his eyes slightly watery. He leaned down a bit and whispered something into her ear. Lili's eyes widened, and she nodded. She said to Roderich and Vash, "I need to talk to..." Lukas whispered something again, and she said, "...Lukas for a while, okay? Don't worry about me. I'll be back." As she turned to walk out of the room with Lukas, a Doctor interrupted them.

"Aren't you a patient too? Shouldn't you be resting?" he said to Lukas sternly.

"Later," Lukas snapped, stepping past him, and, with Lili, he left the room, closing the door behind them.


Stepping out into the hall, Lili turned on Lukas, bursting out, "You remember, too!? Why doesn't Big Brother remember? Or Roderich? And...nobody in my cluster remembered either!"

"Sh." Lukas said. "We'll go to my room and discuss this. Nobody should hear." With that, they walked in silence towards Lukas' hospital room, which was shared by Arthur.

As Lukas opened the door, he raised an eyebrow in surprise. Arthur was gone. "Well, those two were fast."

"Who?" Lili asked, tilting her head. Tear marks stained her cheeks, and her eyes were still a bit watery, and very bewildered.

Lukas shook his head. "He will come back." He sat down on his bed, and Lili closed the door and sat down on Arthur's bed.

"Mr. N-Norway, please tell me..." Lili pleaded. "What is happening?"

"I don't know." Lukas said plainly. "We're the only ones, I think. Who remember."

"But...I thought we were...d-dead..." Lili began to tremble. "I-I saw it.." she said, choking back a sob, "With my own eyes. I saw Big Brother die, Mr. Norway!"

Norway gazed at her, pity and sadness clawing at his own heart, before his eyes darted to the ceiling. Something black and small was attached the ceiling by some kind of wire...he frowned, looking at it, before gasping slightly, standing up. "I didn't know they made them...here."

"W-What?"

"Get out, Lili."

Lili's face was puzzled as she stood up. "B-But, Mr. Norway-"

"Sh." Lukas eyed the black object on the ceiling one more time before whispering, "Look."

Lili looked to where Lukas was looking, before she gasped. "T-They were...?!"

"This entire time. Which means Arthur will be in trouble. As we might." Lukas whispered, as he studied the object, before his slightly tensed face suddenly relaxed. "By the looks of it, I don't think it records any sound," he said. "We are lucky. It only records what it sees. Like a movie without sound."

Lili paused. "Arthur? Oh, that's...Mr. England, right?"

"Yeah."

"B-But...M-Mr. Norway, we're not in the same cluster. If the Court sees us...talking..."

"I will say I was confused, not in my right mind. As in, I mistook you for someone else. I think a mentally distorted person could be excused, unless this place is really a lot worse than I imagined."


So, what do you think? The pace of the story will quicken from here~Expect lots of interesting things next chapter!