Now comes what we've never seen yet. We've seen them in AU fics as mortals, we've seen them as countries, but one thing is missing… I never before came across any fic that wrote them as being both, I mean with them transforming themselves into mortals. So, here goes nothing… Oh, and about the continuations… well, I'll include them, either in this fanfic or in a sequel, I'll see that. Give me your opinions; it will certainly help me to decide! Oh, and… this chapter will most probably contain Iggy's POV as well, but I'll mark it.

Disclaimer: No such luck. I only seem to own the idea and details of the transformation.

14

She thought about it, and even slept, thinking that with time, she might get some signs to support her. This whole idea of her was unheard of, unprecedented, defying every rules of their existence more or less known to them. Not to mention… what are they going to say? The bosses and the rest of the countries, that is. How was she to tell them? And how was he to do it? Could she ask this of him? What if he didn't want it? Or if it wasn't even possible? She knew it couldn't be undone, once they were humans, and she couldn't even imagine what cost it had. She didn't want to think about it, to be frank, for if she did, she would swallow her thoughts and not even ask about it. Simply asking didn't mean anything, right? So, although she had loads to do, she took a plane to London the day after he returned there, taking just the most necessary things, and knocked on the heavy wooden door of Arthur Kirkland's residence. There was no way you asked such a thing on the telephone…

Soon enough, the host answered the door, and although he was visibly surprised by her arrival and the small amount of luggage she brought along, in a couple of minutes they sat by the kitchen table, with one cup of tea apiece. Elizaveta swallowed while he stood up and took the cups to the kitchen sink. A couple of fairies peeked in, hiding behind the doorframe, but they were ignored. How should she begin? Finally, she took a deep breath, and spoke.
'You know… I've been thinking… about us, and our circumstances.'
'Yes?' he asked cautiously. She could practically hear the unsaid Did you come here just because of that? question, and gulped once again before going on. In the meanwhile, she felt her cheeks and ears turning a bright red.
'And… I think we wouldn't have half as many problems if we were humans. So, what I want to ask is…'
She was interrupted by an ungodly scream, a sound she only heard coming from Arthur Kirkland once in her life: on the first Olympic games of the New Age, held in Athens. She was so shocked by that, that she literally fell off of her chair, inducing an abrupt stop to this uproar. (And several yelps from the fae folk but they were still not paid attention to.)
'Are you all right?' He asked, helping her up.
'Yes… thanks… but do you know you nearly gave me a heart attack here?'
'You are sure one to talk…' he growled under his breath as he sat back on his seat, then cleared his throat. 'So I take it you want to know… if I know of a way of transforming nations into humans.'
'Y-yes.' She nodded with a knot in her stomach. 'But only if you agree as well.'
He sighed, burying his head into both of his hands.
'I… I don't know. There's too much at stake. For example, we don't have to be afraid of our bosses separating us. And that's all we ever knew, the only lifestyle we could imagine for ourselves. The only friends we have are here. Who knows what kind of jobs we would take as humans?'
'These all would be at stake even if we remained the way we are. You know full well how very our relationships depend on our and everyone else's bosses. It's easily probable that one of these decades, somebody will be foolish enough to want to start WWIII, and we find ourselves on the opposite sites yet again… the way I know history.'
'And find each other afterwards… the way I know ourselves.' he added in a hollow voice. 'I'm still afraid, though. We are most probably going to lose every one of our memories… if there is a way, that is.'
That didn't even occur to her until now, but what he said made sense and dragged her back to the reality. There were loads to risk, as it seemed… What was the point of setting themselves free of a nation's burdens so that they could be together if they didn't remember who to look for?
'What if we write a note about what we find important to tell and put it into our pockets? Maybe along with a photo.'
He seemed to consider it for a while. 'It might work… but it's still too dependent on chance. Way too much for comfort. You see… I haven't practiced my magic for a good while now… And even then, the most I did was summoning. I never did something this complicated.'
She held his hand and looked him in the eye.
'I have complete trust in you about that, just as you have in me when it comes to translating.'
Arthur looked at her with an unbelieving look, as if asking what did he deserve this faith with, or what if she put her faith in the wrong man. He then shook his head, snapping back to reality.
'Even with that… how are we going to tell them?'
'I have no idea.' To tell the truth, she didn't even want to imagine the faces she'd get. She didn't care about her bosses much, but Feliks… and even Feliciano and Gilbert…
He looked at her intently.
'This isn't just a whim or a mood-swing, is it?'
'No! I was thinking about it all day long yesterday, and all the way to here as well…' He sighed, but seemed to settle for that.
'You know… I don't want you to regret it later. This…'
'We can't undo it, I know. And I'm afraid as well.' It was true: the more they spoke about it, the more real it seemed, and the more terror and doubt ate away at her. Every single counter-argument he voiced was sane and she couldn't just brush them off.
'You surely show it…' She couldn't decide if he was being sarcastic or not, but he probably was. 'Anyway… I think we better go and check if there is anything we could do before deciding and taking any more steps.' He said, standing up and beckoning her to follow him. On the first story, he stood for a while in front of a door that was painted in the same color as the walls (the only exception, and a more or less futile attempt at hiding it) before opening it.
'Stay here for a while, I'll make some light. I didn't allow this room to be supplied with electricity, and there's only a small window, you know…' he explained, seeming a bit ashamed, taking a box of matches in the hand. After drawing the curtains of the indeed tiny window, the room became light enough for comfortable walking or sitting, but still a trifle too dark for reading due to the trees right beside the wall. So he lit some candles, and placed them on a small table before carrying an extra chair beside it and calling her in.

It was a rectangular room, with shelves for books and other things (possibly ingredients, she thought) on all the four walls, a single table, some pegs to hang the clothes upon (now there was a black coat on one of them), two chairs, and a pentagram engraved into the wooden floor. Somehow, this room radiated energy and the feeling that never before has anyone been invited in here. Arthur was already scanning the bookshelves, searching then he grabbed about five quite thick volumes and took them to the table.
'Er… do you remember your Latin?' he asked, a bit uncomfortable. She hesitantly nodded. Reading was all right, she figured, but she wouldn't dare to make a conversation, not anymore.
'Good. Look through the contents of these two, and I'll take these.' he bit his lip, concentrating, while he sorted the books into two piles. They opened the topmost books, and began to read.
Half an hour later there was only one left- the others didn't help at all. She was sitting on her chair, getting bored, when Arthur suddenly leapt up.
'I found it!'
Her posture became tense. 'You… you did? What does it say?'
He sat down, trying to calm himself so that he could translate from that mixture of Scottish and Latin in which the book was written.
'Well, it describes the process, but doesn't go into the details of the effects. It only mentions what I thought, the loss of memory. We don't know what will happen to our countries, if we will be turned back to kids or maintain our physical age… nothing.'
So there was a big blackness ahead, and they could only hope that after they leap into it, they get away with it easily. Truly bloody fantastic, as he would say, or with Gilbert's more crude words, fucking great. One more reason for her to feel guilty for bringing it all up.
But… did she herself really want it? Did she think there was no other way? Wasn't she taking the easy way out by choosing to become a human? Sure, it all would be easier of they weren't countries, but if they really wanted to, they could make it, couldn't they? Or was she so afraid of this "long-distance relationship" and all its dangers? Did she have so little faith in herself and Arthur, or the outer world? No matter what it was that made her come here and search for this particular solution, the damage was done, they couldn't act as if such an important thing wasn't found out. It was as if they burnt the bridges behind themselves…
'And… what do we have to do?' she asked, face white as a parchment, eyes strangely shining and wide, gulping. He looked at her for a long moment.
'Is that your final word?'
Elizaveta only nodded. He wet his lips and began to explain.
'Well… it's relatively simple. All we need to do is pack some things I have here to certain spots around that circle, stand in the middle of it, then an incantation…'
'And?'
'No "and". It goes only as far as that.' he looked up, closing the book after marking the page. 'I'd say… we do it in about a week, unless we change our mind; so that we can talk to them properly, and say them… goodbye.' The last word left his mouth with visible difficulty. Was it really all right to ask this of him? She went and gave Arthur a big hug. She felt terrible, and not only because of the fact that it would be hard for herself, rather because she saw how very it all had taken its toll on him.
So, they both wrote a list. On the one side, the names of those they wanted to tell in private, and those they felt fine with telling to at the end of the next meeting in five days. Arthur's list on the first side was visibly longer, that she could tell after a mere side-glance. Next, he packed, and he dropped her at the airport to catch a plane to Warsaw before arranging a meeting with the royal family plus the PM in two days and leaving towards first Cardiff, then to Edinburgh and Dublin.

When the plane arrived in her best friend's capital, there was a terrible knot in her stomach which she never ever felt here. She did get this sign of fear sometimes when being abroad, but in Germany
(and that was more than fifty years ago), Austria, her other neighbors, or Russia. She had no reason to be wary of her oldest and dearest friend… until now, that is.
Yes, she was nervous, afraid even: Afraid of his reaction, and of his absence from the rest of her life. Would he understand what even she herself found absurd at times? He sure won't receive it well, they were… inseparable, like two old oak trees, grown together by the roots, as a Pole so well stated. And now she wanted to leave him after all they've been through. It seemed terribly selfish and crazy of her; she even considered calling Arthur to tell him she changed her mind only so that she didn't have to tell her plan to Feliks.
Yet she couldn't allow herself that weakness. If she couldn't cope with this, there was no way she could say the same into the faces of her bosses, Roderich, Gilbert and Ludwig, Slovakia, Romania, Croatia and Ukraine. Oh, and don't forget Serbia. She sighed, getting up from the park bench she sat down upon for crying, then headed towards the Łukasiewicz-house. Soon enough she knocked on it.
'Eli!' Feliks shouted as he answered the door, embracing her in welcome and ushering her inside, towards the living room. She didn't deserve this, and it will be all too clear for him as well…
'Feliks… sit down.' A serious tone, plus she didn't use the diminutive "Felek" she usually did. Maybe that was why he obeyed with only a silent question in his eyes.
And so she began to phrase her decision, carefully avoiding his eyes but risking a couple of glances towards his face. This wasn't the usual way she spoke; she was open and looked people straight in the eye most of the time… But now, she was too ashamed to do so. Tears began to cloud her vision halfway through, and she was glad for them because she didn't have to see what she'd done.
Silence. Terrible silence enveloped them for God knows how long. This has never happened before… they sat in silence sometimes, yes, but it has never been like this. It was as if their friendship was over. Which… probably it was. How could she hope being forgiven?
'Feliks… don't. Cry, yell, call ma anything you like, but don't just sit there…' she muttered, wiping her face with her hand.
Upon hearing that, he stood up so ferociously that if he would've sat on a simple chair, it would be already on the ground.
'I never thought I'd live to see that… You did agree to shameful things before but you never were a coward.'
She cringed. It hurt bad enough, feeling his eyes upon herself as she signed the marriage papers with Austria, and hearing a remark after the Peace Treaties of WWI ("What did you become?"), but Feliks… although he didn't always agree, he was never harsh. What he now said was in a way true, though.
'As if I had a choice… You don't know what it is like, being constantly afraid of a turn of policies that separates you from you love. We were always on the same side, you and Toris and Katyusha and me.' she said at least.
'Maybe I don't, but that still doesn't explain it! You yourself said you have no idea what awaits you after the transformation. Humans can be separated easily as well, there's no guarantee that…'
'I know! I know it all, I thought it over more times than I can count! But… I still don't see any other way.'
'Then Ivan and America should do the same as you two. Their situation is practically the same.'
'No it isn't! They are stronger, and don't care much about their bosses.'
'Cut that, Eli. I know you, you can be stubborn as hell if you want to. You don't even want to face your bosses with England!'
'Yes, somewhere I don't, because first, my love life is private matter, and second, they wouldn't be happy!'
'Would they be happy now?'
'I don't know, but at least they wouldn't have to face a nation in love.'
'Why? You say one thing with this word and the opposite with the next.'
'Don't you understand?! We are not meant to fall in love with each other! None of us is! We are to abide by the bosses' rules, nothing more and nothing less.'
'You sound just like Germany now. But tell me… what joy should we have, if we can't fall in love with each other, and neither with humans?'
'I… I don't know. But I had enough. Even if I decided to cancel this thing now, I know these thoughts would never abandon me, so… I'd rather get rid of them before I crumble. Promise me one thing.'
'What?'
He seemed to calm down a bit- at least he wasn't furious anymore.
'Whatever happens, whoever takes my seat in the meeting room… treat them the same. This doesn't have anything to do with them.'
'I will.'
'Thanks.' She stood up, wanting to hug him, but froze before taking a step. Did she have the right for that? She turned and was about to leave, when…
'Hey.'
She turned back. On the face of Feliks was a small smile, as he opened his arms. 'Didn't you forget something?'
She ran there and held on to him as she did after her revolutions were crushed, crying into his clothes with an endless, muffled string of "Bocsáss meg". He simply caressed her back with the one and patted her head with the other hand.

Some hours later, after taking a plane to Budapest (she slept because of the emotional exhaustion though the journey) and talking to her bosses, she took her list and ticked three names on one side. She needed to stop for a while, to catch her breath, before she went on, so she spent the afternoon at home. The next day, she visited her neighbors. Slovakia and Romania didn't say a thing. Roderich was quiet as well, but in a different way: as if instead of not having anything to say, he didn't dare to speak or find the words- in the end, they shook hands. It was more than visible that he wanted to hug her one last time, but his nobleman's pride didn't allow him to. Ukraine didn't cry, only wished her the bests, and promised not to tell her "little Vanya" until the meeting. Ludwig took it stoically as well, but Gilbert… he seemed broken; she embraced both of them, jokingly making Ludwig swear that he hit his brother over the head for her at times. Sadiq made a face all too similar to Gilbert's, though Tino bore it well, as expected from the fragile-looking but tough Scandinavian.

Judging by what Arthur told her, he met various reactions, too. Sealand cried, America worried, France was heartbroken ("Who am I supposed to quarrel with now?"), and his brothers said that they would miss him for the first time of their long life. About the bosses… they had their questions (which none of the nations could answer), and were shocked by the fact that now it was them who got a new "colleague", but there wasn't much they could do, was there?
And so the day of the meeting came. All of the countries gathered together, some looking more serious, others not having a clue. The tension grew by the second, but they stuck to the schedule: only after Germany said "If there isn't anything else…" did Arthur stand up, Elizaveta following his example, and make the announcement.

Silence and disbelieving eyes. Even the (nearly) always smiling Russia, Feliciano, Korea and Spain were solemn now. Then, a cacophony worthy of Babel: everyone uttered their shock and talked about it to the next in their own tongues. China's Mandarin mixed with Japanese, Russian and Hong Kong's Cantonese; Rapid Italian, Spanish and Portuguese; Greek and Arabic, the Holland of Netherlands and Belgium added to the German of Luxemburg and Liechtenstein, plus Switzerland's mixture of French, German, Italian and Romansh, just to mention a few. At long last, Germany took a deep breath and shouted "SILENCE!!!" on the top of his lungs, recreating the order he so very liked.
As they left, nearly everyone who didn't do it yet, took the time to say goodbye. Most were surprised, some even saddened (like China, Japan, Greece, Feliciano, Romano and Australia). It all reminded her way too much of a funeral, and she wanted to lighten the mood up, so that it could give her strength.
'Come on, guys, cheer up… It's… it's not like we couldn't meet again!' She said.
'You're right, Liza!' smiled Feliciano, although the trails of his teardrops were still visible on his face. America gave her a supporting pat on the back.
'She's right, man, what's with the gloominess? It isn't sun…'
A frying pan collided with the American's think head.
'Thank you, but we do NOT require this kinds of jokes.' she commented, earning a giggle from Russia and Arthur. Even Ludwig was smirking!
'That reminds me… you know what fratricide is?' Gilbert asked, grinning. When he didn't get the answer, he said: 'When the current boss kills a pig. And what's suicide?' Silence again. 'Why, when you tell this joke in public, of course!'
Ludwig hid his face (half in shame, half covering the grin on his face).
'Elisabeth, bitte…'
Now that was new. Roderich was asking for permission to hit someone?
'Be my guest, Roderich.'
Gilbert staggered, clutching his nose after it being broken, swearing in German like a sailor. He couldn't avoid another punch in the jaw, though.
'Und das war für Schlesien.' Roderich said, dusting his hands as if nothing had happened. Everyone stared at him wide-eyed. He blushed. 'What? I've wanted to avenge myself for a while…'
'And I thought you got over it over your piano here…' Switzerland growled. Before they could begin to quarrel, however, Germany interrupted, asking if they didn't have anything better to do- which they all did, alas, so they finally left the room.
'That went smoother than I thought…' Arthur remarked. She could only nod.

Two days after the meeting, she went to London… for the last time as the Republic of Hungary. He had already awaited her, of course, and before they began, they tried to drink some tea and eat something- not that they could swallow anything, mind you, and not because of Arthur's cooking being as it is.
When they saw that it was all in vain and they better get it over with, they went up to the magic room, where everything was already on its place.
'Did you write the note for yourself?' he asked.
'Yes, I did… but I didn't include any photos. I wanted to take one right before we begin…' she added, lifting a camera sheepishly. Half a minute later the photo was safely tucked in their pockets as they stood into the middle of the circle. Sweat drops were running down at the side of his head as he clutched the small paper with the incantation and licked his lips.
'Ready?'
'As ready as I can be…'
All the guilt, all the doubts, everything she pushed away seemed to return. She staggered but held on to his arm, keeping her balance. As long as they get their peace, it was all right, she reminded herself.
'Last chance.' he said. She shook her head.
'We've come too far for that… there's no way we could stop now.'
He had to agree. Closing his eyes, he concentrated and began the spell. He previously explained it to her, how important it was that he didn't stop, so she suppressed her yelp as the circle began to glow, building a wall of light around them, and as the unleashed energy flowed through her, making her dizzy and tickle. Then, slowly, the energy seemed to cease, taking something with itself, leaving her weak, almost fainting. She closed her eyes, but felt herself lean towards the floor, so she opened it quickly. Arthur only have her an encouraging squeeze of the hand while continuing.
Elizaveta struggled against faint, but the room began to spin around faster and faster, and his hands were sliding out of hers… She didn't see anything anymore, but the green wall of light, and soon after, it leaned to the left, and it all went black.

AN

Well, that turned out… weird. But I like it nonetheless, even if I would've liked to include more things about the goodbyes… never mind.
So… about the hints…
Yes, Gloomy Sunday again xd I just had to! That joke of Gilbert's… I had a class about the elections in Germany last semester, and we got a whole bunch of great jokes, this being one of them. No offence intended, I hope I managed to make that clear with the way I wrote it.
That bit with Poland… The Austro-Hungarian Compromise was more or less a "we have no choice…' thing, on both ends. I remember I already mentioned that. And the Treaty of Trianon… well, I heard there was someone who, after the signing, looked at the Hungarian delegation and shook his head, saying something like "what has become of you". I don't remember any details.
And the translations, just in case^^
Bocsáss meg- forgive me (Hungarian)
Elisabeth, bitte- Elisabeth, please.
Und das war für Schlesien. –And that was for Silesia. (Both German, of course)
A question… I still don't know if what happens afterwards should be in a sequel or in this story, although I think it will eventually be this one. I'm able to be persuaded, though^^