Italy leaned back in his chair as he glanced around the living room of Germany's house. Japan was sleeping on the couch and Germany was passed out on the hardwood floor. Italy smiled as he looked at his friends. He was so happy that the three of them could speak to one another again. He loved having a beer with Germany and Japan. It felt like old times, when they were friends- or at least, that's what Italy wanted to believe; but he knew it wasn't true. The feeling of betrayal in his heart was proof of that.
Near the end of the war, Germany had gotten mad at him. Said that Italy was useless and invaded, seeking to further control him.
And that hurt, Germany, Italy thought as he took another long drink of wine from his glass. I thought maybe I wouldn't be pushed around anymore if I helped you. But in the end, that's all you did.
Push me around.
Yes, I went along with you- because all I wanted was to be loved- to be useful. And I was. But now, I have to accept what we did. What I did- but I don't know if I can do that. It's a heavy weight. One that may be too much for me- for anyone. The weight of 6 million lives can never be carried by one man, can it? God, we were all wrong, Germany. We were all wrong and we all did unthinkable things; and now, we all have to live our actions, I suppose.
And that's why I can't sleep anymore.
Because I know one thing, monsters don't sleep at night.
And I am one.
Italy grabbed the half-full bottle of wine off the table and after a moment, decided to do the only thing he could do- drink himself to sleep- because he knew he would never forget.
A/N: There is so much to talk about here that this is not the only chapter that will talk about the Holocaust that is defined by the US Holocaust Museum as follows: "The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jewish men, women and children by the Nazi regime and its collaborators." That is where I got the number of 6 million that I will be using throughout this story. Of course, there were millions more people who died as well: Soviet civilians, disabled people, Roma, and homosexuals. But for the sake of this chapter, I went with 6 million- the number of Jews killed by the Nazis. If you want to learn more about the Holocaust, please read the Holocaust Museum website or find your local Holocaust Education Center/Museum. We must know that history can repeat, and we must do all we can to never forget and make a better world for everyone.