Belarus woke up, not to the sight of the room she fell asleep in, but whiteness. Cold, bleak whiteness- it was snow, against her white, bare body, completely stripped of clothing.

First, she was confused, then she began to get up. The only resolution to sleep-walking, after all, was to walk back to where you came from. (Sleep-walking was not a new thing for Belarus: it had happened on a regular basis when she was younger. (For some mysterious reason, she always ended up in Russia's bed.) And in the snow-naked? When her father was alive, she was left in the snow, stripped, incessantly. The present situation was a mere trifle, and yet Belarus could not get up. Her limbs were so heavy she could not lift them, and her mind felt numbed.

After a few tries, she could only lie there, buried in the snow, slowly freezing to death.

"Alright, " China stated clearly. "I'm only here to continue our last meeting, which, aiyah, had been terribly interrupted. Okay?"

Russia nodded to show that he understood.

Estonia crept out of his hiding spot. The path to the door was clear, and accesible, unless you counted the fact that he had to pass by Russia on the way.

Oh, well. You can't have everything in life.

He almost made it.

"Hey, Estonia," Russia said cheerfully. "Where are you going?"

"I'm just going to take a walk," Estonia replied calmly.

"What's that blanket for?"

"I was afraid that if I fell asleep, and someone came to mug me, the blanket can help me camouflage with the snow."

"You're not fooling me. You want to save Belarus, right? Stay inside. You're not going out. If I find you disobeyed, you'll be sorry for it. Do you understand?"

Estonia nodded that he did. With a heavy heart, he walked back to the library, and began to pull down books. He could hardly enjoy the alacrity of the literature he was reading, but he had no choice but to keep going. The world is so unfair, he thought. The family is all enjoying the day with their friends, and everyone has so much good food to eat, and so many things to enjoy, while that one girl is cooped up in the room of a death. And in the real world, he thought of Belarus. Her love never faltered: whenever she was hit, or mutilated, she stood there; unlike Latvia, who began crying and trembling, and who ran away; she would withstand it, and come back to Russia as if nothing had happened. Estonia had observed her closely, and he could remember all the times Belarus' love had been challenged. More than one hundred.

"Either she's so stupid she doesn't no what's going on, or she doesn't mind," Estonia muttered to himself. "It's probably the second one: I've seen her stalk people. She's so good, and so clever at it that a whole day could pass, and you'd still think you were alone."

Estonia sat there for a while, trying to enjoy his book as well as he could, considering the present situation.

"Hello. I saw you trying to go out. Aiyah, where's Belarus? And what happened to her?"

Estonia looked up to see China, standing next to him, and sat dazed for a second or two. "In the snow. Russia dumped her."

"Why? She looks like a pretty nice person to me, and her looks aren't bad."

"I think Russia is tired of her. She clings to him, and defends him, and I think that Russia feels like she oppresses him."

"Aiyah, at least she's a loyal sister, adn isn't troublesome like mine, always wanting independence...But that's enough of me. Did Russia tell you he left Belarus behind?"

"No. Latvia saw, and told me."

"Do you know where she was left?"

"Not exactly, but Latvia told me that Russia went to the left, and that he saw nothing more."

China merely nodded, and was about to leave when Estonia realized China's plan. "You're not going to find her, are you?"

"I am. I'll bring her back."

"That's not smart. She's dangerous. Very."

"Aiyah, I don't care."

Estonia knew he lost.

"Belarus, wake up." Two hands pressed her.

"Brother?" Belarus opened her eyes drowsily. She didn't remember falling asleep, but apparently she did. Now she was awake, expecting herself to be home.

Instead she found herself still in the snow, only she was unburied, and next to her she found China.

An anger took hold of Belarus. "What are you doing here?" she asked threateningly. She took out her knife. "Go away!" she commanded, as she hit him, taking him by surprise. She struck him a few more times, creating cuts on China's arms and face before he managed to unstrap his wok. As soon as he did, Belarus felt herself subdued.

As she fell, she felt surprise through her. Defeat was a childish fear, as being saved from death was a childish relief.

"Belarus," China told her as she was dazed. "I'll take you back. If you'll resist, I'll kill you. Got it?"

Without waiting for Belarus' reply, he lifted her up into his arms, and sprinted back to Russia's house. Once there, he knocked the door open without knocking.

"Russia!" he called. "Sorry for the welcomed entry, but I found this girl in the snow. Can you take care of her?"

Russia took a look at the two of them: China, determined and angry, and Belarus, limp and weak. The sight of them like that both angered and pleased him.

It was so pleasing to his eye to see hardened Belarus limp, and weak. The wall that was impossible to push down was scratched, and torn. Then Russia's eyes travelled to China, and caught of his scars.

"Are you alright?" Russia rushed to China, worried. His fingers lovingly slid down China's cheek.

"Yes!" China shook Russia off.

"Do you need aid?"

"No! I have to go now; I'm running late!"

With that, China ran out, as Belarus smoldered with hatred. It always puzzled a certain young man how someone so beautiful and attractive could be so poisonous, and angry.

Later that night, Estonia approached cautiously.

"Miss Belarus," he said to her. "Try to loosen up a little. You're binding yourself too tightly, and if you don't let it go a little, you'll lose it all. Please. Just try a little."

"Go away," was the reply, along with a knife.

That night , Estonia locked the doors of the house, and his room, and slept in the kitchen cabinet.

"Estonia, come out. I need to have a talk with you," two hands woke him up deep during the night. "For just a few minutes."