Sakura02: Well, of course you sense foreshadowing; you know what's going to happen! :) If it makes you feel any better, every time I typed America laughing, I heard his laugh in my head.

Thank you: Tailsdoll123, Yami Mizuna, Wolfsbane-Nin, and ilovezim123 for reviewing!

"Please don't make that face, Arktos." America sighed patiently. He finished putting on his jacket before kneeling down in front of the very upset toddler. "I'll only be gone for a few days. There's plenty of servants here to take care of you."

Arktos stood in the large, unfamiliar entryway by himself. America had brought him to his home in his own country. For the past few days, America had been staying with Arktos, helping the little boy become familiar with his new home. Now, though, America had to return to his own home to take care of his people. "Don't go, Big Brother! Stay with me, please!"

America shuffled nervously, torn between reaching for his little brother and holding him close or making a run for it. He finally scooped Arktos up and gave the boy a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back in a few days, I promise."

It took Arktos a moment to realize that he had been put down and that the front door had been closed. "Big Brother!" Arktos wailed out, his little hands reaching out to where America had once been standing. Arktos cried and cried for minutes on end, hoping his big brother would come back.

When the door was opened, it wasn't America that stepped in. "Why are you crying, Arktos?"

"Feli!" Arktos bawled, rushing over to Italy and hugging the older country. "Big Brother left!"

Italy smiled and picked the toddler up. "There, there. Germany and I will stay with you for today."

Arktos looked over Italy's shoulder. A wide smile spread across his face when he saw the stoic man standing in the doorway. He reached out and waved. "Hi, 'Ermany!"

Germany gave Arktos a small smile. "Yo, Arktos." He took the still reaching toddler from Italy and held the boy stiffly in his arms. "Hey, stop crying already. You're not hurt are you?"

Arktos suddenly remembered why he had been crying in the first place. His tears welled back up in his eyes and he back crying at full force again. "Big Brother left! He not coming back!"

"Don't cry, Arktos!" Italy shouted, flailing his arms about wildly. "America will come back! He will!"

Germany shifted nervously. He hated when Arktos started crying. He pointed his finger in Arktos's face. "Stop it. Stop it right now."

Arktos stared at the finger pointed in his face. For a moment, he did stop crying. Then, his lower lip began trembling and he started crying even louder. "Big Brother!"

"That's not helping, Germany!" Italy whined. He took Arktos from Germany and bounced the little boy in his arms. "It's okay, Arktos. I know Germany can be really scary sometimes. America will be back in a few days. His boss needed him to do some things, so he had to go home for a little bit. He'll be back real soon, I promise."

Arktos sniffled and wiped his tears away with his chubby fist. "Big Brother work hard?"

Italy nodded excitedly. "Yes! America is working very hard! Why don't you show Germany and me around your home?"

Arktos's eyes lit up excitedly. He wiggled around until Italy put him down. He took both Germany and Italy's hands in his. He led them through all the different rooms on the first floor of the giant mansion. He first led them into the large living room complete with a fireplace, a large flat screen television, and the latest video game console. Bean bags were scattered around the couch and there was a Lego table in the corner of the room.

The study, kitchen and other rooms on the first floor were much less childlike. These rooms were ready for when Arktos got older and would be able to handle his country's affairs. For now, when America was there, he would work in the study on keeping Arktos's affairs in order.

"My room!" Arktos said excitedly, pulling the two older countries up the stairs towards his room.

Arktos's room was similar to the one he had had in America's home. The walls were painted a light blue. A huge toy chest filled to the brim was pushed against one wall with a bookshelf right next to it. Arktos's bed was on the opposite wall and covered in stuffed animals. The window in his room looked out on a small garden where his wooly mammoth roamed around.

"Wow, you have some really cool stuff, Arktos!" Italy exclaimed, immediately going over to the toy chest and pulling out a toy car. He drove it around on the soft carpet and towards Arktos.

Arktos squealed in delight and latched onto Germany's leg. He looked up at Germany excitedly before rushing forward and tackling Italy to the ground. He was feeling better about America having left. It was still difficult for him to understand why his big brother had to leave him and he was missing America terribly. If he had Italy, Germany, and his other friends visit him and play with him, though, then he felt a bit better about America not always being there.

Italy laid down on his back and held Arktos up in the air. "Do you like your home, Arktos?"

Arktos nodded slowly. "Yes." He looked thoughtfully around for a moment. "It's really big…and quiet."

Italy brought Arktos down to lay on his chest. He hugged the little boy close and smiled. "It'll be okay, Arktos. As long as you've got your big brother, me, Germany, and all your other friends, your home won't ever be too big or too quiet."

Arktos looked up at Italy and then turned his head over to Germany. "Stay?"

Germany sat down on the ground next to Italy. He patted the little boy's head and gave a small smile. "Sure. We can stay with you for the night."