Hope you enjoy… here's Maddie!

I do not own Axis Powers Hetalia.

…

Today had been Ivan's first day of tenth grade. He hadn't been expecting anything different from his past years of school: Same fearful looks, same avoidance, same teasing, same attitude, and same amount of friends. He didn't expect anything to change, and he was right. Nothing did. Ivan also knew for a fact that the house would be empty when he got home, so he decided to wander around town. With the cold temperatures starting, his mood got worse and worse. The fifteen-year-old didn't like the cold, and for good reason, too.

As he walked, he got bored and wanted to see something he hadn't in a while. Ivan looked at his surroundings closely. He was in a quiet place not far from his house, the street where the local hospital was. The small houses that ran along the area were painted light, happy colours, and the hospital itself was a large, clean building that had a safe feel to it. Ivan loved this area; hospitals didn't scare him like it did most people. It was large, sure, but it was full of people.

The Russian boy was standing far down at the corner of the street away from the hospital, not wanting to disturb patients who were coming outside to get fresh air. Then, something caught his eye: right across the street, far from all the houses and hospital, was a tall, wooden fence with a sign on it. Ivan became curious at the new sight and crossed the street to get a better look. He saw that the old sign that was nailed there had paint chipping off and spiders making webs stringing along it.

Maple Tree Park, Open to the Public

Ivan read the sign and took a better look at the old gate. It was tall and closed off, but a latch and hinge showed that it could be opened by anyone, and it wasn't locked. Through a crack that he peeked in, he saw a pavement sidewalk that was almost hidden by grass, and it went a long way to lead to an opening. The grass was cut, so maybe it was still tended to, but obviously the park didn't get many visitors. Ivan clicked the latch open and pushed, and the gate creaked and squeaked loudly as it moved. Ivan closed it behind him, and when he walked down the path into the opening he was met with the sight of the park. All he saw was a small, fenced in space with a few average-sized maple trees crammed close together. Ivan sighed; it was just a few trees. Still, it was peaceful. He walked and looked up to one of the trees, seeing a little bird sit in its nest and watching it rather fondly. Animals were cute, even though they didn't like him very much.

The gate creaked open once again, but Ivan didn't notice the noise. He was concentrating on the little bird. He did, however, hear someone walk behind him and jump a little, turning around. A girl stood before him. She was a petite girl, and her height was a little under average. By the looks of it, she would only reach about the height of his middle chest. She was probably his age, and yet she reminded him of a small child the way she stood so protective and nervous of herself with her arms wrapped around her shoulders and hand clutching the fabric of her little red jacket. It had a maple leaf pattern around the stomach, he noted. How appropriate. Other than that, she also wore a plain black skirt and thick white nylons underneath, as well as a little beret hat that matched her red jacket. Ivan couldn't help but notice the pure blond colour of her hair, and how wavy it was. Adding to her childish looks, it was done in pigtails with red ribbons. One single curl of hair stuck out the side of her head unable to be hidden by her hat. Ivan's own eyes were a light violet colour, while this girl's eyes were a darker, bluer shade of violet, and they were hidden by a pair of plain, circular glasses that were slightly too large and seemed ready to slip off her face. She was very fragile and weak-looking, someone that could easily be scared or hurt. The paleness of her skin also showed she probably wasn't very healthy.

Ivan sighed and turned back around. He was ready for the young girl run away in fear of him. He was close to twice her height, after all, so she had every reason to do so. He waited, but nothing happened. Ivan raised an eyebrow and turned around. The girl stared blankly at him. "Can I help you?" he asked a bit harsher than he intended. She still didn't move. Then, she began to walk over to him slowly, finally stopping right in front of him. Her small, pale hands reached over and took something from his shoulder gently. He looked to see what was in her hands, and saw it was a fallen leaf.

"I heard somewhere that if a leaf falls and never touches the ground, it's lucky." She mumbled, playing with it, then looked up to him and held it out. Her voice was quiet and a bit shaky, but very gentle and sweet at the same time. Then, for the first time, a timid smile crossed her face. "It's yours. Sorry to bother you, eh."

Ivan stared in disbelief, taking the leaf slowly. What… was going on? The girl's smile vanished as she looked a bit concerned. "Um… w-what's wrong?" she asked quietly. He jumped in surprise, and then glared at her. She fidgeted under his stare, playing with her hands.

"Don't I look dangerous or scary to you? Aren't you afraid I'm going to hurt you?'' he asked fiercely. She frowned, shaking her head. His expression lightened. He looked down to the leaf. "Well… everyone else seems to think so." He mumbled. The girl was silent for a while, shifting back and forth on her feet.

"What's your name?" she finally asked. Ivan's confusion grew, but he looked at her answered anyways.

"Ivan Braginski… yours?" he answered. The girl's smile returned to her face.

"Madeline Williams." she responded, and then continued with something Ivan didn't expect to come out of her mouth, "W-Would you like to be friends?"

"W-What?" he asked, eyes widening. She flinched and looked to her shoes.

"I… um… I asked if you wanted to be friends, eh… if… if that's okay…" she explained quietly, head still down low. Ivan shook his head in confusion.

"Why… would you ask something like that?" he asked. Her head rose up, face nervous.

"Y-You said everyone's afraid of you... and everyone doesn't even know that I exist… s-so… we could be friend…" she stammered. Ivan would almost be amused with Madeline, that is, if he wasn't so confused. Not only was she not very intimidated by him, but she wanted to be friends when they had only just met. Then, she held out her pinky.

"W-We could pinky promise… I think that what you're supposed to do…" she suggested, eyes pleading. Ivan stared, still unsure what to think or say.

"I… thought that it was a pinky swear, from what I've heard." He responded, not able to come up with anything else to say. She tilted her head a bit.

"Pinkys don't swear… that's… that's what I heard… so it's a pinky promise…" she stated, holding out the tiny finger to Ivan. He stared at it. What was he supposed to do? If he didn't do it, what would Madeline do? She looked so hopeful… he didn't want to hurt her feelings. It couldn't hurt, he supposed. The Russian slowly brought his own larger pinky to wrap around hers, and once he made that action, she smiled brightly and broke out of the touch.

"I come here a lot… b-but when I'm not here I'm at the hospital so I'll be there if you even need me!" she explained, beginning to walk away and giving a little wave. He just stared blankly as she disappeared, and then sighed.

What exactly had just happened?

…

Alfred was in Ivan's house when he arrived home. It was a sight he often got, and he never enjoyed it, especially since he was dating Natalia. The other boy smiled in a prideful way and stood up from the dining table where he had been sitting. Ivan smiled as well, he always did, but in a way that would scare most people away, a way that made him look like a maniac.

"What're you doing here, fat ass?" Alfred started with a grin. Ivan's smile became even more dangerous.

"I should ask the same, comrade." He said in a childish voice. It all came automatically when he was annoyed or purposely trying to scare someone. Childish voice, creepy smile, dark aura… it was all natural, as was the kolkolkol that came from either under his breath or out loud. The noise let people know he was upset no matter how smiley his face was, and he was doing it under his breath right now.

"Whatever I wanna do, commie!" Alfred laughed, getting up and shoving Ivan. His face grew dark. "You wanna do something about it?" Ivan's smile became sadistic.

"Nyet." He whispered the work before a string of kolkolkol's came from his mouth as he turned and walked upstairs. He hated that American boy.

In his room, Ivan lay down on his bed and pulled something from his pocket. It was a small, wrinkled leaf. He twirled it around in his fingers and thought back to Madeline. She said go to the hospital to see her… but she didn't seem sick enough to be a patient there… sure, she had been quite pale and thin, but couldn't her family take care of her? If she could go on a walk, she didn't need to stay in the hospital right? And the fact she wanted to be friends with him so badly… did she not have friends of her own? She seemed like the type of person who could do that easily… a nice, pretty girl who never got caught up in trouble and made lots of nice little friends. Why approach him of all people?

The hospital… Ivan hadn't been there since he was very young, as far as he remembered. Should he go…? He made a pinky promise, after all. It was childish… but it was, in a way, a promise. Ivan knew it was bad luck to break one of those… and Madeline seemed like someone who could have her heart broken easily. Ivan may a bully, but he was reasonable. He didn't like to make nice people sad, and Madeline was a nice person. Would he be welcome in a hospital, a place full of sick and injured people? Perhaps, considering he hadn't done anything wrong. Ivan decided the hospital wouldn't be that bad of an idea, but only if Madeline wasn't at the park tommorow.

He tucked the leaf back in his pocket. It would wither away and die soon, but apparently was good luck. Ivan wasn't sure what would be considered good luck for him, but he might as well keep it. In the back of his mind, he told himself that it obviously was good luck if it gave him a friend. He wouldn't let that thought come clear into his mind, though. Not yet, it was too early to know, and Ivan had lost a lot of trust of anyone staying by his side over these past two years.

…

Katyusha walked into his room not long after, and Ivan did nothing but stare blankly from his bed as he flipped through a Russian sport's magazine. She stood nervously at his door, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"May I come in, Vanya?" she asked softly. He nodded, closing the magazine and sitting up straight on the edge of his bed. Katyusha sat beside him, fixing her skirt and taking a deep breath.

"Vanya… it's time we have another talk about your behaviour…" she started. He glared.

"What about my behaviour, Katyusha?" he snapped. She flinched, clutching her skirt and causing the wrinkles to form again.

"Vanya, you know what I mean! You used to be such a happy little boy until we came to Canada! Why can't you just be kind to the others around you and make friends?" she cried. He looked away furiously.

"You don't think I try! They are all idiots, it is not my fault!" he yelled. Katyusha shook her head.

"I can't believe you when you say that no one wants to even talk to you! There has to be someone!" she argued.

"Well there isn't, Katyusha! Everyone leaves! Now stop pretending to care and leave me alone!" he yelled, pointing to the door with a shaking finger. Her expression turned hurt, small tears filling the corners of her eyes.

"Vanya…" she whispered. Ivan growled and turned his back to her, no longer in the mood for yelling. He heard his sister sniff, probably crying by now, and walk out quickly. Once she was gone, Ivan's tense shoulders slumped, as did his tight expression. He was guilty; there was no doubt in that. His sister's tears made him sad, but he no longer knew how to talk to her without yelling. Ivan sulked in his room until he fell asleep for the rest of the night.

…

Once again, Ivan's expectations for school hadn't been high. Once again, it was a bad day that brought his mood down a great deal. But Ivan had made a promise to himself to see Madeline, and it wasn't like he had anywhere else interesting to go, anyways. Another fight with his sister meant that he was in trouble, and town became so boring during this time of year. He could pick on Toris and laugh at his shaking, but Eduard might catch him again and scold him even more.

He went to the park, once again looking around at the little trees that grew there and even some flowers… but what wasn't there was Madeline. He pouted, a little bit nervous of having to go to the hospital. Was she only not coming to humiliate him and made him go in a place where he would probably get even more than the usual nervous glances? He took his own time walking to the building, and when he saw the main entrance he took a deep breath and walked ahead inside.

The hospital wasn't huge, but it was a fair size. About a hundred patients resided there at the most. It was all white and smelled like disinfectant just as any hospital would. He went to the front desk to ask for Madeline Williams, got a warning glance from the lady sitting there as to say "Cause trouble and I kill you", and was finally given a floor and room number. He found an elevator easily and got to the floor, but finding the room took a little longer than that. Eventually, while walking down the clean white halls, he discovered the door with the number he was searching for. It was a bit far away from all the other rooms, Ivan wondered why.

He opened the door to see her room, taking a quick glance around. It wasn't much different from what he expected from any hospital room… white walls, cheap curtains, a large window, a chair to sit in… although it was a bit larger than he thought it would be. There were cupboards and shelves with many books and clothes inside, as well, and inside the half-opened door of the bathroom, Ivan saw that there was a small make-up case that was probably rarely used, a few bottles of pills, and other things that you would expect to find in there like a brush and toothpaste. She even had her own shower. Ivan figured that Madeline must spend a lot of time in here.

After his quick glance around the room, Ivan turned his attention the bed where Madeline sat on the edge of. The girl had her hair down today, and that one little curl still stuck up out of her head obnoxiously. Even so, it had still been brushed down. She was wearing a pair of plain white pyjamas and red slippers, and her glasses were still on, too. In her arms was a large stuffed polar that was probably pretty old and well-loved, but it still kept its nice white fur soft and clean. Madeline's dark violet eyes met his lighter ones yet again, and a smile crossed her face. He just stared back, a bit stressed out by her happiness.

"You came! I-I mean… I thought I scared you away…" she laughed nervously, then seemed to realise something and looked down at her attire, turning bright red. "O-Oh maple! I… um… I'm in my pyjamas because I thought I'd be alone in my room all day! Er… my fever's a bit high so the doctors wouldn't let me go out…" she explained nervously, trailing off at the end into a quiet voice.

"I don't really care." Ivan mumbled. Really, he didn't. He was still in a bad mood and couldn't care less about a pair of pyjamas. She nodded a bit and put her bear neatly upon her bed, which had its cream-coloured wool covers flipped around everywhere. She patted it on the head and stood up, but wobbled as soon as she did. Ivan was a bit surprised and automatically rushed over, taking her by the shoulders before she could collapse.

"Maple… s-sorry… I'm sorry…" she gasped, sitting back down. Ivan took a look at her skin… it was paler than yesterday, and glistened with sweat. He forgot about school and was now more worried about Madeline. She was blushing furiously now, removing herself away from him. "I'm perfectly fine, you didn't have to do that… I'm just light-headed is all…" she whispered in embarrassment. He backed away and nodded a bit, trusting her word. Although Ivan wasn't quite sure what was wrong with this girl yet, he was beginning to feel the need to ask. But she would probably tell him, so there was really no need.

"Um… I guess I'll just sit here then…" Madeline mumbled awkwardly. Ivan stood there, unsure of what he was supposed to do. He blushed a bit and rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Do you go to school?" Madeline finally asked. He paused, then his face darkened a little.

"Da…" he mumbled.

"Oh… what's "da"?" she asked, a bit confused.

"It's "yes" in Russian." He answered. She brightened up.

"Oh, you're from Russia! I've heard of that country!" she giggled. He became a bit less tense-looking and nodded, eyes glowing with a far-off look.

"It's a nice place, I miss it." He sighed happily. Madeline smiled sadly.

"I guess it's hard coming to a new country… I've lived in Canada my entire life, though." She explained, and then smiled brighter. "But… you do like Canada, right?" she asked hopefully. He became tense again, suddenly regaining his bad mood that he was finally starting to loose.

"I do not know… the people here aren't nice…" he mumbled darkly. Madeline became worried, and once she opened her mouth to speak Ivan felt rage building up in his chest.

"That's not true… t-there are plenty of nice people here if you look… you can make a lot of friends… I can tell you're very nice and…" Ivan listened to the girl speak and his temper grew more and more, until finally he snapped.

"Stupid girl! You know nothing! I cannot make friends, they leave… they all leave! Everyone leaves me by myself! No one here is a nice person, not even you! You are mocking me! You are making fun of me! This is all for your damn amusement, isn't it?" he boomed. Her eyes widened, and she shook as he yelled in her face. They were far away from the other patients and doctors, thank goodness for that.

When Ivan finished, he turned his back to the little Canadian and waited for her to make some sort of sound of distress. By now, he had gotten his rage out and felt a lot better. He wasn't sure whether he had just made a mistake or not, so all he did was wait for her panic reaction. She surprised him yet agai since when they met yesterday when she spoke calmly.

"You're a lot like a bear…" she mumbled. Ivan turned to her in confusion, and watched as she turned around to grab her bear and hold it up for him to see. He rose an eyebrow at the furry ball, backing away in an unsure manner.

"Bears are scary, right? That's what people think when they first see them. They're big and mean-looking… and they can be dangerous if they want to… so people assume that they're going to hurt whoever comes near them. But bears aren't really that mean unless you threaten them, eh? And if you're willing to look at them differently, then they don't look scary anymore. Just like Kuma. He's not scary at all, but he's a bear. That's because whoever made him wasn't thinking about bears as being big and scary, so Kuma isn't big and scary at all." She explained. Ivan had completely calmed down now, almost understanding what she was trying to say as odd as it was.

"… You still don't have all of my trust." He stated quietly. She smiled at him gently.

"I made a pinky promise, Ivan. You know I can't leave you, now! Just as long as…" she paused, frowning. "Just as long as you can stay with me… i-if that's okay…" she mumbled, embarrassed.

"You won't abandon me?" he asked more gently than before, expression becoming sad. She smiled again and shook her head.

"No, I won't." Those words made Ivan feel strange… almost over-whelming… and he wasn't sure what to think.

"I'm leaving now… I'll be back…" he mumbled, walking away quickly. Madeline was a bit surprised at his sudden leave, but she could only hope Ivan would keep his word and she would see him again. She watched him walk away with a smile.

As Ivan made his way home, he knew he had finally heard the words he had always wanted to hear… and yet things were so complicated once he actually heard them. He wasn't prepared for what being actual friends with someone might bring, but… this was what he always hoped for. He would be stupid not to take this offer!

And so, Ivan decided he'd be "friends" with Madeline… just for now.

…

Yay, Maddie showed up! XD She's so fun and adorable to write, I want a little Maddie to carry around in my pocket ^_^ I'd feed her maple syrup and give her all the Canadian hugs she wants! Anyways, this is chapter one, I hoped you liked it. It's a little rushed… meh. *lazy*