(Okay, I'm not gonna finish by the end of summer; that's for sure. There are about 36 updates in total until this story finishes, so approximately 36 weeks. Welp, better get to work. Also, sorry about the late update. This one took a while.)

You insert the disk into the player and begin.

You are greeted with a moment of static, then a clear picture.

Prussia opens a door and a gust of dust rushes out, making them all cough and sputter. Prussia rubs his eyes until he feels the burning sensation subside. After a few blinks, Prussia's able to see past the dust clouds. It's just like any apartment room: typical couch, TV, dining room table and chairs. What set it apart from the typical apartment was its untidiness: the typical couch lacked its cushions; the typical TV was shattered all over the floor; the typical dining room table and chairs were barricading a window. It looked as though the old occupants were in a rush to leave. Prussia doesn't try to imagine why.

Germany passes Prussia and enters the room, staring at the chaos with grave curiosity. Italy soon follows after him with an uneasy expression. For a moment, Prussia can't enter; he's too wrapped up in pondering what could've happened. Plus, he couldn't help noticing the food expiring in the corner; whoever was here left recently, and they could be back.

Prussia swallows hard and takes a step inside.

CRACK!

"AH!" Prussia quickly turns his attention to the sound. It was from underneath his foot, from a shattered picture frame. He looks up to see Germany and Italy staring at him in shock.

His brother's expression fades to anger. "Dammit, Prussia, don't scare us like that!"

Prussia smiles uncomfortably. "Heh, heh… Sorry!"

Italy is suddenly overcome with fear and starts blubbering. "You guys, can we please get outta here?! This place is so scary! I don't think we should be here!"

Germany curtly tells him, "stop whining and put up with it. We don't have much of a choice. It's better than sleeping outside with all the fires."

Italy solemnly nods his head and takes a seat on the couch. Prussia is overcome with a motherly instinct and declares, "don't worry, Ita-chan, I'll keep all the bad stuff away! I was a knight after all!"

Italy's face is suddenly plastered with that eternal, easygoing smile. "Wow, thanks, Prussia! I can always count on you!"

Prussia feels some heat in his cheeks and bashfully looks to the side. "Aw, well… I gotta be good at it. West just can't appreciate your adorableness enough to care!"

"If you're done, Prussia, could you check out one of the rooms down the hall?" Says Germany, as he studies the miscellaneous objects on the floor.

Prussia sighs. "See? Doesn't even bat an eye. You gotta appreciate Ita-chan's cuteness, West! It's an injustice."

"Prussia."

"Alright, alright, whatever. I'm going." Prussia then takes a step and the picture frame cracks again, the sound sending shivers up his spine. How pathetic was he? He knew it was there; why was he still freaking out? Prussia irritably picks up the picture frame and blows the dust off to reveal a family portrait. Out of curiosity, he picks off the pieces of glass concealing the photo and pulls the photo out. The picture had a grandmother, a grandfather, a mother, a father, two children, and a dog, all staring at him with smiles. They were wearing traditional Chinese clothes and seemed to be genuinely smiling into the camera. The eldest of the two children was hugging his confused little brother close; their cheeks mushed together. The mother had her head resting on her husband's shoulder, and the grandparents smiled with tired eyes. Prussia couldn't help but smile at the sight of the picture. It was so natural, so warming, unlike most cringy family photos. Whoever these people were, they must've been very close and happy.

Prussia's smile fades as he looks up at the tattered apartment. The grandparents probably didn't make it; they look very old. They never would've been able to keep up if they were in a rush to leave. The youngest was probably caught if he wasn't carried. Prussia is sure he would've been carried by the mother, but that puts a higher chance of them both being caught or killed. The father might've sacrificed himself to give them time to escape. Either way, only three or fewer members of the family could've gotten away, looking at all the chaos outside. Hopefully, they all made it out, but Prussia doubts it. How could anyone live through that without losing someone? Only people in movies and storybooks is who.

"Bruder." Prussia snaps out of his morbid predictions. Germany is staring at him from the bathroom door. "The rooms."

What rooms? What was he talking about? Prussia takes a minute to think, then it comes to him. "Oh! Right!"

He hurriedly drops the picture and heads down the short hallway. He stops in his tracks, however, since the hallway is filled with chairs and other furnishings. Looking at how they're stacked, the occupants were probably trying to barricade the doors. Prussia doesn't try to imagine why; if he did, fear would take over. He can't let that happen. Although the doors were heavily blocked, Prussia somehow clears the way for both the doors. He wipes his forehead and puts his hand on the doorknob, but stops after noticing a pair of eyes on him. He looks to see Italy regarding him nervously. Prussia flashes him a reassuring smile, and Italy returns the favor as Prussia turns the knob and steps inside.

Prussia closes the door behind him as soon as he's inside, just as a precaution. Suddenly, a foul smell fills his nostrils. He closes his nose with his left hand before he starts gagging. Where the hell was it coming from?! Prussia surveys the room. It's a small bedroom, but strangely able to hold a bunkbed and a large airbed. The airbed is deflated, but it obviously took up at least half the room when it was in use. The drawers were left ajar and empty and red, smelly moonlight was spilling into the room from the windows, revealing the dust long awaiting their time to shine. The dust danced through the air the more Prussia rummaged through the junk, and when Prussia moved to another part of the room, the dusty dancers landed cheerfully knowing they had performed. Prussia stepped over the various pieces of clothing and toys to reach the closet. He opened the accordion doors to find nothing but more dusty junk and dusty dancers.

After a while of searching, he straightens his aching back and is rewarded with a cracking relief. Looks like this place is pretty much useless; there's nothing but toys and clothes and junk. They might be able to use the mattresses when they go to sleep, but that's about it. That horrid smell had long become normal to Prussia, but that doesn't mean he likes it. It's so disgusting; what could it be?

Then, from the corner of his eye, Prussia sees a small figure. He approaches carefully to find the smell getting more intense. It's the cause. Prussia holds his breath and continues approaching until he's within a couple meters of it. The moonlight isn't hitting it, so Prussia can't get a very good look, but he does know something: it's something dead and decaying. It had the terrible smell; what else could it be? Prussia notices that it's very small, like an animal or… Prussia falls backward and scrambles away as far away as he could, his heart racing. There was no way. NO. WAY. He quickly rushes the thought out of his head. Don't think about it! You can't get like this! Stop it!

The room starts spinning. It looms over him. He swears he sees the figure move and moan when he knows it's impossible. His breathing quickens. He had to get out, but he couldn't move! What the hell?! Why now?! He feels a small, cold breath on his neck and a child's whisper. Move! Now! He desperately gets to his feet and scrambles for the door. He opens the door and gets out, but just before he closes the door, he sees a small, shadowy figure reaching out to him. A little boy.

Prussia slams the door and gasps for air as he leans back against the wall just opposite. Was that a… ghost? No, no it couldn't be! They don't exist! His mind is just playing tricks on him is all. He just got really scared and started seeing things, right? Y-Yeah… right. After catching his breath, Prussia looks over to the furnishings he put to the side. Out of impulse, he starts putting the furnishings back into their barricade. If that actually happened, like hell he wasn't gonna reblock the doors!

While he stacked, he couldn't help but remember that thing. If that thing was real, it was probably the little boy, the youngest one. Prussia stops stacking for a minute. He had a feeling someone died, but the youngest? His mother must be horrified, and the older brother… Prussia suddenly feels a huge pain in his chest just thinking about it. The older brother must feel responsible for not watching out for him. He must feel the worst. Prussia starts stacking again, worry becoming ever present in his actions. That's not gonna happen. Those kids were small, helpless, like hell that would ever happen to him and Germany! Plus, they're not normal people, so why worry? There's nothing to worry about! But that different feeling from before is back again. Is this... a warning?

"Prussia, have you finished searching the rooms?" Prussia looks over from his stacking to see his brother with his arms crossed. Germany looks exactly like he did since they left the house that night, although he looked a bit more exhausted. Prussia suddenly remembered how he had to tell Germany about Berlitz. Jeez, did he get anxious! He almost ran out the door in boxers! Of course, being the wet towel, perfectionist he is, he stopped himself and ran back to his room to change. Prussia took a nap in his day clothes beforehand, so he luckily didn't have to change, but when Germany came out, he was wearing the clothes he wore the day before! Guess he never got around to doing his laundry. But before Prussia could make fun of his brother, Germany put on his jacket and bolted out the door. And here he is again, still in those clothes, still with him, still his younger brother. Fuck whatever that shit was! His brother's here now, and he can handle himself! Prussia helping out is a bonus, not like Germany would ever need it! They're both not normal people; they can't die so easily. Prussia thinking of such a ridiculous idea that they were in danger is just plain stupid!

Italy suddenly joins Germany at the end of the hall. "Ah, Prussia, are you alright? You look kinda pale! And what was all that noise earlier?"

Same goes for Italy, too! Everyone back home as well! Why is he getting so worked up about it? Prussia takes a breath. "It was a mess in there; I had to move a lot of stuff around. Sorry if I worried ya, Ita-chan."

"You don't need to restack the furniture," comments Germany.

"Well, whoever was here blocked these doors for a reason. It really stinks in there!" said Prussia, tripping over his words. It's not really lying.

"What about the other door?"

"Huh? Oh, same thing! Probably…"

"Probably?"

"I mean, it is the same thing!"

Germany stares him down. "Hm… alright, then."

Prussia lets out a quiet sigh of relief and smiles. "Hey, why don't we sit and take a break? I'm tired."

"Yeah! I found the couch cushions; they're really squishy!" Says Italy, smiling.

"Good going, Ita-chan!"

Italy and Prussia then go and take a seat on the couch. Germany takes a seat in a nearby armchair.

"Ah, much better!" Exclaims Prussia, as he slowly sinks into the couch. "Hey, West!"

"What?"

"I never had the chance to call you out on your clothes! You wore those the day before, didn't you?"

"He did?" Asks Italy.

Prussia nods energetically. "Ja, ja! He put it on in a fit of panic!"

"And why wouldn't I? Berlitz ran off. It's not that big a deal. You do it all the time!" Says Germany, defensively. His brow wrinkles with annoyance. "Why do you insist on annoying me so much today?"

Prussia smiles. "Kesesese, it's my job to annoy you, little brother, and I've been slacking off quite a bit lately!" Prussia then punches his brother hard in the arm.

Germany holds his bruised arm and glares at Prussia. "This really isn't the time for that or any of this chatting! We need to talk about our situation!"

"What is there to talk about, though?" Prussia says, putting his shoes up on the table- Wait, shoes? Prussia looks at his feet to find shoes! When did those get there? He quickly looks over to Germany who has shoes, too! Well, whatever, it's not a bad thing and that's what matters. Prussia then looks up to his brother's moving mouth. Oops, looks like Prussia didn't hear the first part of what he had to say. Oh well, probably not important.

"...and who knows if anyone else is here with us. If they are, we should go looking for them."

"Of course, we will, but it's kinda late don't cha think West?"

Germany looks to the broken windows to find an evening sky filled with fire and smoke. He turns back to them. "I suppose."

"Good! Then we can just hang out till morning comes!" Says Prussia. "So, Ita-chan, what do you do when you're bored?"

Italy smiles with content. "Oh, I usually just flirt with girls and hang out with Romano!"

"Is that it?"

"Well, I guess so! If I'm not doing that, I'm just sitting around at my boss's house."

"Yeesh, it's really boring nowadays."

"It's called peace, and it's better than fighting all the time," says Germany.

"Then peace is boring! We hardly ever see Italy and Japan anymore since the wars ended. What a waste!" whines Prussia. He sinks deeper into the couch. "At least when we were fighting, we were having fun." He looks over to Germany. "Remember that time you had to act American to keep us from being found out? That was hilarious!"

"We could've been captured."

"It was still hilarious though!"

Italy chimes in. "Prussia does have a point. I didn't like the fighting parts, but I liked hanging out with you guys! We should hang out more!"

"No, as long as we all have work to do, we should focus on it. We can't put our needs before the needs of our homes," says Germany.

Prussia straightens up before he's consumed by the couch. "What do you even do as work now, West?"

"I help with anything I can to make our home better."

"Well, yeah, but what do you do?"

Germany's quiet in thought for a few moments before he answers, "I just do what my boss tells me to. I'm sure it's all very important."

"You do nothing, don't you?"

Germany ignores his brother's comment. "Like I said: I'm sure it is very important."

Prussia rolls his eyes over to Italy and mockingly repeats what his brother said. "Like I said: boring."

Suddenly, Prussia finds the other two in complete silence and gazing off with 1000 yard stares. For a while, Prussia doesn't notice and tries to start up a new conversation which he eventually learns to be futile. Prussia is taken aback by their states; what's wrong with them? Did it have to do with what he said? All he said was that they should hang out more. Is it really that hard? Having another big war is a bonus; they didn't have to be fighting. Prussia was perfectly fine just having someone visit or him and his brother visit someone else! Hanging out with just Germany gets boring, and hanging out with other Berliners just makes him feel out of place. There's no need to think about anything; he should just do it! But… if Germany is so against it, there must be an important reason. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem like he wants to tell them.

Prussia indifferently looks to the side. Politics are stupid; it was so much simpler way back when. If you want it, you do it, and if you're lucky, you get to fight someone. Everyone is so unawesome now with all the thinking and peace treaties and shaking hands and money, even Berlin's night scene is no match for the thrill of battle. He wishes he could go back to that time; at least then, he felt in his element.

He can't relish in his memories anymore; he's here now and needs to get used to it, but damn if it isn't boring and hard. It's like the school of unawesomeness, and school is already unawesome by itself. It's double unawesome, one of the worst of its kind. Prussia turns to Italy and puts an arm around his shoulder to snap him out of his trance.

"Soooooo, Ita-chan, do you watch Netflix?" Says Prussia with a smile.

"Hm, what?"

"Netflix, that unlimited movies thing?"

Italy brightens up. "Oh! Yeah, I watch it! I learned a lot about food in one of them. There was one I also watched that taught me really yummy recipes and stuff!"

Prussia purses his lips. "Hm, food's cool and all, but I really like those really cool action movies they got! There's also a lot of American hero movies coming out; I watched one of them and… I guess it was kinda cool. When it started getting aliens involved, it really put me off."

"Yeah, America's movies have a lot of that." Italy turns to Germany who was still stuck in his trance. "Hey, Germany, what do you watch?"

Germany doesn't respond. "Gerrrmanyyy?" Italy pokes his arm, and Germany blinks a few times before turning to face him.

"Huh?"

"What movies do you watch on Netflix, Germany?"

Germany's face twists with annoyance. "Why would I do that? I have a lot of more important things to do than watch movies."

"But movies are fun! We should all go to one when we get back, hm? With Japan too!" offers Italy.

Germany doesn't answer. He simply turns away, making Italy's smile fade to disappointment. Another deafening silence fills the room. Looks like Prussia wasn't the only one causing these awkward pauses. Why's Germany acting like that? He at least would give Italy an okay or something to keep Italy from feeling hurt, but geez! Then, Prussia remembers how long it's been since they've seen Italy or anyone else. Even he had to admit, it felt pretty strange talking to Italy again after so long. Maybe his brother is going through the same thing?

Well, whatever it is, it's dumb; he shouldn't be putting Italy down like that! Prussia suddenly rises to his feet and declares, "I'll go to the movies with you Italy! And I'll drag West along, even if it kills me!"

Italy springs up from his seat. "Really?"

Prussia smiles. "Of course! I'm sure West wants to go. He's probably just thinking through his mental calendar to see if he's busy or something. We'll get a bunch of popcorn and cover it in butter and-"

A loud growl cuts Prussia off. Aw, shit. "Um… ah… speaking of food, do we have anything to eat?"

Italy puts his hand up. "Ooh, I can make spaghetti! I just need a fire!"

"We can't live off carbohydrates again. We need something else," comments Germany. "I think there was a cafe on the first floor."

"Perfect!" Prussia rushes over to the door. Boy, was he hungry. With all this stuff going on, Prussia must've forgotten all about it. Actually, now that he thought about it, he slept through dinner. No wonder he was so hungry. What time was it anyway?

"Wait!" Prussia stops himself mid door opening to turn and face Germany. Germany was out of his seat now as well. "I'll go instead."

"But West, I'm really hungry!" Prussia whines.

"That's why I want to go. I want to make sure something is brought back."

"Too late, I'm going."

"Bruder!"

"Don't worry! I won't forget to bring something back! And I won't eat it all! I'm not that hungry!" Before his brother could continue protesting, Prussia slams the door and runs down the hall to the staircase.

His stomach growls louder and louder as he descends the concrete steps. Strangely, the staircase had no railing whatsoever; it's all staircase. It doesn't really bother him since Prussia hardly ever used railings, but the lack of it really bugged him. Now, he's starting becoming super conscious of the gap that leads to the first floor. It was just big enough for him to fall through and splatter all over the floors and walls. One wrong move and… splat! He shivers at the thought and breaks his gaze away from the gap, his heart pumping faster.

When he finally reaches the first floor, a feeling of relief comes over him. Glad that nightmare is over. He looks around the lobby for the cafe. Apparently, a room's flooring from above had given way since they were last down here and dumped all of its contents into the lobby. The floor was covered in debris and pieces of the white bathtub that contrasted with the lobby's black carpet, making it almost look like a night sky.

Prussia kicks one of the stars along with him as he wanders and turns his head this way and that. The lobby was small, so he thought he'd find the cafe easily. Guess he was wrong. He really should've asked his brother where the cafe exactly was, or maybe what it looked like, for it can't be one of those extension-of-the-lobby cafes.

Then, he spots a regular wooden door with the words Cafe on a plaque. Bingo! He deserts his star and rushes over to the door. Finally, he can eat! But of all things to be, the cafe was a room with a tiny little plaque? This hotel must've been pretty sucky when it was in business. Anyway, enough about that, he found it, and he's gonna end his and the others' hunger.

He turns the knob and pushes the door in. It opens to reveal the tiniest cafe you've ever seen. There was only one table and a bar that took up half the room. The windows were, of course, blown out like all the others, and anything that could be smashed was smashed and scattered all over the floor. Seeing destruction had become less of a shock to Prussia by now; it's everywhere so why wouldn't he? He's not a terrible person for not feeling worried or sympathetic.

He makes his way over to the bar which he wasn't even sure was supposed to be there. Do cafes have bars? Prussia wouldn't know; he always thought cafes would be boring and have tea and English food, and ever since that day he visited England's house, he swore to himself he wouldn't eat anything England made or anything that came from his home. He couldn't go through that again…

He rounds the bar and looks in the cabinets and shelves for something. Eventually, he finds a box of pretzels, some peanuts, and some other snacks. Well, at least he found something. He opens the box of pretzels, grabs a handful, and closes it back up with the other snacks stuffed inside. The single, unharmed, red-cushioned bar stool calls to him, and he gladly heads the call by taking a seat and snacking down on the pretzels. They tasted like, well, pretzels, but that's what Prussia hated the most about them. Who could like this stuff? It's disgusting, but what choice did he have? He's starving and apparently Italy's pasta is out of the question for now due to his brother's pasta PTSD. He smiles to himself. Heh heh, pasta PTSD; that's pretty good.

Bump.

Prussia jerks his head to the noise.

Silence.

He stares intently at the pile of junk in his view for any sign of movement. There's nothing. Well, something made that sound, like hell he was gonna stay here.

He slowly gets out of his chair while still keeping his eyes on the pile. But when the second foot makes contact, it doesn't hit the ground but rather, something squishy. Prussia freezes up; does he dare look?! Before he could, however, he feels something wrapping itself around his leg and progressively making its way up. It's long and smooth, like a... garden hose? Who cares?! Chances are that the thing making its way up his arm is-!

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he sees the snake's head, its split tongue sticking out and retreating rapidly. It makes its way to his shoulder and slithers past the prickled hairs on Prussia's neck to his other shoulder, but it stops. Prussia is still frozen, but he feels balls of sweat forming all over his body. He couldn't think properly; he could only think of the thing biting him and his slow, painful death. Death? Wait a minute, how can he die from a snake bite? He's not any old human; he's a country! But then again, he doesn't know any countries who were bitten by a snake and lived. He really should've gotten to know Austrailia more. Now, he's even more terrified of what's to come.

The snake's head protruded from the left side of Prussia's head and stared him straight in the eye. Its eyes were completely black, like a void about to swallow him up. Prussia wouldn't be surprised if that actually happened.

Augh, he couldn't take the suspense anymore! He's not gonna wait around to die!

Prussia grabs its neck hard, and the snake hisses at him. But before it could take a bite, Prussia throws it out the window as hard as he could. Relief washes over him and he feels so much better, that is until he sees the hundreds of snakes in the room hissing at him.

Oh, fuck! Prussia hurriedly grabs the box of snacks, stuffs his face with his pretzels, and rushes out as fast as he could. He could hear the snakes hissing right behind him. Were they following him?! Well, he did just chuck one of their friends out the window. Prussia would probably do the same.

He turns briefly to find the snakes slithering after him. Overcome with fear and adrenaline, he screams bloody murder and runs to the stairs at breakneck speed. By the time he reaches the foot of the staircase, a couple snakes have gotten hold of his ankle. Prussia shakes his leg in a panic until they lose their grips and go flying across the room. Serves those things right! He wastes no time scrambling up the stairs.

He could feel his breath shortening by the time he reaches the sixth floor. He had to keep going! If they were still after him-! He tries pushing on, but his legs have already gained a hundred pounds. It was useless; he had to rest. Luckily, he manages to make it to the top of a flight. He sprawls out on the dusty floor and desperately breathes in the dusty air with both his nose and mouth. His hair sticks to his sweaty forehead, and he could feel his heart beating out of his chest.

After a few moments of lying around, he listens carefully for the sound of hissing. There's nothing. They must have given up. Prussia lets out a sigh of relief and laughs a little. He's alive! He made it! Fuck you, snakes! Wait till those guys hear about this.

Prussia gets to his feet. As terrifying as that was, it was also really thrilling! Prussia hasn't felt that terrified in a long time. Of course, he'd never do it again, but boy did he feel more alive than he has for the past century. Prussia makes his way up the stairs once again.

He reaches the 36th floor with no problem. He had to take a few rests but other than that, he feels great. He makes his way down the hallway and opens the door to find Italy blubbering like a baby to Germany. Prussia's smile melts away as he closes the door behind him.

"Wah! Germany! Germany! Save meeee!"

"Get off of me, Italy! Calm down, what is it?!"

"Uhh… what happened?" Asks Prussia.

Italy and Germany look over to him, and Germany tries to say something but is interrupted by Italy's blubbering. "Prussia, thank god you're alright! We heard you scream and we were going to go help but I had to use the bathroom so I went to the bathroom and when I was about to leave this really really scary hairy guy was right behind me and yelled at me and tried to kill me with his sword It was so scary I closed the door before he could get me!"

"In the bathroom?" Said Prussia and Germany in unison.

"Yeah!"

Germany and Prussia exchange the most confused looks there ever could exist. The bathroom? Is he serious?

Germany pries Italy off of him and heads over to the bathroom door as Prussia and Italy stare at a distance. Germany grabs the doorknob and stays very still. His brow furrows. Did he hear something? Suddenly, Germany opens the door quickly to find nothing inside but normal bathroom stuffs.

Everyone turns to Italy who looks completely shocked. "But… there was…"

Germany sighs and closes the bathroom door behind him. He mumbles to himself, "of course there wasn't someone in there." Germany then looks to Prussia. "Prussia, what happened? You're covered in dust."

"Huh? I am?" Prussia looks down at his clothes to find, indeed, he was covered in dust. Must've happened when he was catching his breath. He quickly starts dusting himself off as Germany makes his way back into the living room with everyone else. Prussia scoffs. "You guys wouldn't believe it if I told you."

"Tell us anyway," answers Germany with crossed arms.

"Well," starts Prussia, still dusting himself off. "I found some snacks in the cafe and decided to have some before heading back. But then, a snake started coiling itself around my leg! I grabbed the thing and threw it out the window easy, but then I saw that the whole room was filled with them! I bolted outta there with the food, and the things followed me! Goddamnit, this dust isn't coming off!" Prussia dusts himself harder to no avail.

"Prussia, forget the dust and continue!" Yells Germany.

"Alright, alright, calm down! At least try to understand this is my favorite shirt! Anyway, I ran up the flights of stairs as quickly as I could, but eventually, I had to stop to take a breath. When I came to, I realized they weren't following me anymore, and here I am. Trust me, I wouldn't come here if they were still following me."

"I know you wouldn't."

Prussia, suddenly filled with pride over his great escape, brags to everyone. "But I was so badass! You guys should've seen it! I threw that snake so far out the window! Then a couple other snakes got hold of me, but I socked 'em and threw them way across the room! They were hissin' and everything, but, of course, my awesomeness prevented me from getting scared! That scream earlier was from being startled! Trust me, I really didn't need you guys' help. I'm here, right? And I'm just as awesome as I was before. Kesesese~!"

Germany looks over to the table and then to Prussia. "Did you bring the food with you?"

Prussia's pride freezes up. "Uh… what?"

"The food you found. Where is it?"

Prussia starts sweating. Didn't he bring it with him? He was certain he picked it up when he dashed out of the cafe! Then he ran, then he threw those snakes off his leg, then he-! Oh, shit.

Prussia nervously tells his brother, "um, ah… I think I might've put it down while… ripping some snakes… off my ank...les…"

"Let me guess, at the foot of the stairs, right?"

Prussia sucks his teeth, answering "yeah…"

They stand around in silence for a few minutes until Germany says, "alright then, let's go get it."

"What?"

"Let's go get the food. Italy, you're welcome to stay here."

"I'd rather stick with you guys," says Italy.

Germany gets up and heads out into the hallway with Italy following behind. Prussia catches up and says, "Um, West? Didn't you hear me? I said I was chased by hundreds of snakes."

"What of it?" He responds coolly, descending the stairs.

What of it? What of it?! Does he not understand?! "They could still be down there!"

"They won't."

Prussia grabs his shoulder and stops him from continuing his descent. "Wait, wait, what do you mean they won't? How do you know that?!"

"I don't know. I just think they won't, and if they aren't, it'll confirm a theory I have."

"A theory?"

"You'll both see. For now, let's just get down there."

Germany continues his descent, leaving Prussia and Italy confused on the steps. Prussia looks to Italy who just shakes his head. Instead of pondering it further, they decide to trust Germany and follow him down the steps.

When they reach the lobby, there's nothing, and Prussia and Italy are amazed. They follow Germany in stunned silence as he finds the deserted box of snacks in the middle of the floor. He picks it up and turns to Prussia and Italy. "Just as I thought. Nothing."

It takes a minute for Prussia to construct the words. "West… are you psychic?!"

"No, bruder, I'm not psychic…" says Germany, not in the least amused. "I just thought that since that man in the bathroom disappeared, maybe the snakes disappeared as well." He hands the box of snacks to Prussia. "I have no idea what it's supposed to mean, but at least we know that these things aren't real."

Italy smiles, "oh, well, that's a huge relief!"

Memories of the snake wrapping itself around his leg made Prussia uneasy. Were they really not real? Because that snake, all of them, felt very, very real. Then again, if they disappeared, it must mean they weren't real. Where would they even go? Especially for the man in the bathroom.

"C'mon everyone, let's head back."

They reach the room without any trouble or strange interactions. They eat their snacks and end up talking about movies once again. All the while, however, Prussia couldn't help but ponder how these things were possible. The danger felt so real, but so far, no one has gotten hurt. Could it be that the place they're in is messing with their heads? Then it should be easy to spot these things out now, especially considering how outrageous they've all been. So there's nothing to fear then! These mirages can't hurt them! Suddenly, Prussia feels a lot better about their situation.

After they finished their "meal" and the sky became night, Prussia and Germany found themselves to be the only ones in the conversation. Italy had long ago fallen asleep on the couch, and Prussia was lucky enough to have his shoulder be his pillow. Oh, Italy! How adorable could he get?

"I think it's about time we went to sleep. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow," says Germany, leaning back in the armchair and closing his eyes. "Prussia, be lookout, would you?"

"C'mon, why do I have to?" asks Prussia. "Can I just be look out right here?"

Germany opens his eyes and irritably rises from the armchair. "Alright, I'll be look out then. Get some sleep."

Prussia is suddenly overcome with guilt seeing his brother rise from the armchair. He never noticed how tired his eyes looked, how slowly he moved, how hunched his back was until now from the couch. Now that he thought about it, Germany was once again the one wasting most of his energy keeping everyone calm when everyone can't, putting up with Prussia's teasing and Italy's crying, taking up the strong, collected leader role in their crisis. Why wouldn't he be tired after having to go through all this with Prussia and Italy? He must be twice as tired as anyone.

"West, wait," said Prussia. Germany turns. "I'm not all that tired. I'll be look out."

He looks to the window then back to Prussia and says, "are you sure? You had to use the stairs three times today."

"Eh, that's nothing," Prussia slowly takes Italy's head and sets it down on the couch. He gets up and pats his brother on the back. "You get some sleep, yeah?"

He stares at him for a moment before taking a seat back in the armchair, assuming the position he was in before. Prussia then piles up some debris to make a mound to sit on in front of the window. The moon was trying so hard to break through all the smoke and shine its light on the destruction, but only a little bit was making it through. But thanks to that bit of light, Prussia was able to spot two figures running down the street an hour later.

Prussia rises from his mound and gets closer to the window. Yes, there were two figures running down the street! He couldn't believe it! But there was also another figure behind them, an inhuman shadowy shape. Prussia quickly turns to Germany and Italy but holds his voice back. No, he can handle this. Why should they have to wake up for this? He turns back to the window to find the two figures still running toward the hotel. He wonders whether they would see him from the 36th floor. Wouldn't hurt to try; he could never get to the first floor fast enough to get their attention. He hurriedly puts his arms out the window and waves at them. They don't notice. Shit! Prussia then turns and looks around the room for something to grab their attention. Then, he spots a couple of Italy's pure white flags on the table. They're tiny but their color contrasts the building! He grabs them and rapidly waves them out the window.

He then sees one of the figure's arms outstretch to point at the flag. They see him! Prussia then points the flag toward the bottom and goes back inside the room. Hopefully, they understood. He drops the flags and rushes out the door, down the hall, and down the stairs.

It wasn't until the 20th floor he heard footsteps in the stairway. He descended faster and faster until he finally bumped into the two figures. He couldn't believe it and looking at their expressions, they couldn't believe it either.

"Hungary? Japan?"

Indeed, it was them. They were wearing casual clothes, but he couldn't mistake Hungary's long brown hair and flower clip and Japan's bowl haircut.

"P-Prussia!? That was you in the window?" Exclaims Hungary.

Japan looks behind him and turns back. "I apologize but this is not the time to talk. Something horrid is chasing us. We need to get going."

The building shakes as a thundering howl fills the air. The sound of wood breaking and things clattering to the floor can be heard further down the stairs. Prussia quickly tells them to go to room 3670 on the 36th floor and that Germany and Italy are there.

"But where are you going?" Asks Hungary.

"I'll draw whatever it is away so that it doesn't follow you guys back to the room." He goes past them and starts descending the steps.

"Prussia, wait a minute!" Hungary yells.

Japan's voice responds, "come on, Hungary. He can handle it; let's go."

Prussia hurries down the steps. They don't know it isn't real yet; it would be a pain to have them come along. With this knowledge, Prussia is sure he can take it on without fear. The howling thunder shakes the building once again and Prussia has to halt his descent until it ended.

When he reaches the 7th floor, he sees the creature down the hall. It was a monster. It was like a lion but also like a dragon but also like a bunch of other things. It looks sort of like those lion things in front of Chinese restaurants. Y'know, those terrifying statues with orbs in their mouths? That's what it looked like. Actually, it looked exactly like one of those things.

Prussia didn't feel scared, and he didn't care about its terrifying appearance. It's not real, and the fact that it's one of those statue things goes to prove it more. Those things are completely fictional. Prussia fearlessly comes out of his peeking corner and approaches the beast's back.

It's not real.

Prussia takes a few more steps forward.

It's not real.

"Hey! Monster!" He yells. The beast turns its head and roars a mighty, thundering roar. The building shakes once again, and pieces of the ceiling fall and shatter on the floor. The beast charges at him.

It's not real!

He stands his ground as it approaches at high speed. He puts out his hand and closes his eyes.

It'll disappear!

The galloping monster can be heard only a few yards in front of him.

It will!

Then, he feels a huge force push him to the side as the beast rushes right past him. He hits the floor and snaps his eyelids open. He sits up and sees Hungary getting up.

"Hungary?!" He exclaims. "Why are you here?!"

"You better thank me for being here! What the hell was that?!" She yells.

"It's called getting rid of it! It's not real!"

"No shit it's not real, Prussia! How could something like that ever be real!?" counters Hungary, her face turning an angry red. "But that doesn't mean it can't hurt you!"

Prussia's outrage fades away and his expression turns to genuine confusion. "Huh?"

Hungary rolls her eyes and grabs his arm, pulling him to his feet. "Just let me handle this, okay? C'mon, let's get back before it finds us."

Before Prussia could say anything, Hungary shushes him, pulls him out of the room, and runs to the staircase. They run up the stairs and hear the thundering roar again from levels up. As they pass each floor, Prussia starts to see embers flying around and later, whole floors aflame.

Prussia was about to warn her that they were getting closer to the thing rather than away from it, but that was before he realized the embers weren't floating around the staircase anymore and the floors weren't on fire. They passed the worst of it, or they passed the creature.

Suddenly, she stops climbing the steps.

Prussia is once again confused. "Why'd you-?"

She raises her hand midway to stop him. "SH!"

He does what he's told and finds that there's no sound at all. No thundering howls, no crackling fires, nothing.

Hungary puts down her hand and turns to him with a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness; it finally disappeared."

"Wait, you knew about that?" Asks Prussia.

"Yup, and I probably know a lot more than you do. It's all thanks to Japan, though. He's really amazing with this kinda stuff," she says, giving him a knowing smile. "But I'm sure Japan will explain everything to everyone when we get back, so let's do that, yes?"

"Uh… sure."

They climb the stairs to the 36th floor without a word. But when they reach the room, everyone was in commotion. It took Japan, Italy, and Germany a minute to realize Prussia and Hungary's entrance. When they did, they immediately shut up.

"Hello everyone!" Says Hungary with a smile.

"Wow, Hungary, you're here too?" Asks Italy.

"Italy?" She asks, a look of shock spreading across her face. Suddenly, she breaks into a smile. "Well, at least I know I won't be bored while I'm here!"

"Japan, is everyone here?" Asks Germany.

"Yes, I only arrived here with Hungary. I can share my explanation."

Everyone gravitates to the couch and takes a seat. Japan has the stage. Finally, some answers. Prussia hated being left in the dark about things, especially when it came to something as alarming as this.

Japan takes a breath. "You have all realized by now that these dangers that have been appearing are fake, correct?"

Everyone nods their heads.

"Okay." Japan crosses his arms and looks to the side for a moment. "It is a little hard to explain, but they're actually real too. What I mean is that they don't exist but they can interact with us, hurt us, do what they want with us."

He pauses and looks to them, as though to see if they were following. But with the thoughts running through Prussia's head, the only expression he could've possibly had was one of confusion. What the hell is he talking about? They're real and fake? Japan must've only been greeted with confused looks for he sighs and reiterates.

"I'm sorry, it appears I wasn't clear. How about I use an example? Prussia."

Prussia jumps at the sound of his name. "What?"

"I heard you were ambushed by snakes in the lobby. Did you happen to make contact with them?"

Prussia remembers the two snakes coiling itself around his leg, their surprisingly smooth skin sending chills down his spine. He shudders and answers, "yeah, it was really uncomfortable."

"They also disappeared a while later without any evidence they ever existed, right?"

"I guess so, yeah."

Japan turns to face everyone. "This is what I mean. Wherever we are, it seems capable of constructing physical things that are real, but also capable of destroying them at whatever time it chooses."

"So wherever we are is some kind of controlled environment?" Comments Germany.

"Yes, something like that, and whoever kidnapped all of us is probably the ones who created this place," says Japan. "However, who these people are… I have no clue."

"A better question is why they're doing this to us," says Hungary, her arms crossed.

"Actually, I've recently thought of a theory addressing that issue," says Japan. Everyone returns their attention to Japan who continues. "I've noticed a running theme in this place. They all have to do with China."

"China?" Says everyone at once.

Japan nods. "Yes, you all must've noticed it by now, right? How we're in a ruined city called Beijing, how everything is written in Chinese; plus, Italy's description of the large man that appeared in the bathroom actually sounds like a Mongol. There's a big pattern here; everything that's after us, they seem to be China's fears. But that's not all. I also believe that the numbers on our backs may represent our order."

"Whoa, hold on, you're losing me here," says Prussia, putting his hand up to stop him from continuing. "I get the whole real, fake thing going on, but the whole fear taking form thing sounds a little… much."

"I know it does, but it's the only thing I can think of that makes sense."

"That's not what I mean. What I mean is why would whoever these people are do that to us? What's the point in it?"

"I have to agree with Prussia; it seems a little pointless," adds Hungary.

"When has anything made sense lately?" Says Germany. "I think we should take Japan's word on this. We have nothing to go on except what he thinks, and so far, he seems right."

Everyone gets quiet, and Japan smiles a little to Germany before continuing. "This is merely a theory, everyone. You do not need to believe me, but I feel like this is completely possible. I know quite a bit about China, and everything I've seen so far seems to revolve around his fears. The numbers on our backs might represent the order of the fear worlds we'll be going through. I really doubt they would have brought us here to stay in this world forever; they would want all of us to face our own fears."

Germany adds. "So… does that mean there's 70 of us here?"

"70?" Asks Japan, surprised.

"Yeah! Prussia has a 70 on his back!" Says Italy, cheerfully.

"Ah, I see. Then maybe the numbers represent something else… I doubt there would be 70 of us here."

They stand around in silence for the longest time. This was so much to take in if it is true. Prussia had so many questions to be answered: who are these people? Why are they doing this? Are there really 70 of us here? Will they have to face their fears? How did they even know their fears? Who? What? Why? Prussia's head spins with these questions and soon, he starts getting a headache. He can't remember the last time he has been this stumped.

He can't help but cry out, "Auggggh! This is too much for me! My head hurts."

"Me too!" Agrees Italy.

Germany sighs. "I guess sitting around and thinking about it isn't going to help anything. We've had a long day; we should get some rest. I'll be look out."

Germany takes a seat on the mound of junk Prussia made while everyone else prepares the floor with blankets, carpets, and anything else that could soften the floor.

After the preparations were set, Italy says cheerfully to everyone, "haha, it's like we're having a huge sleepover!"

Hungary smiles. "Yeah, all we need is some popcorn, a good movie, and a TV!"

"Yeah!" Says Italy, taking one side of the couch. He then turns to Japan on the other side attempting to fluff a pillowcase. "Hey, Japan."

"Yes?"

"It's really nice to see you again." He turns to Hungary. "You too, Hungary! It's really been a while, huh?"

Japan nods. "It has, hasn't it? I apologize, I have been so busy at home, I've forgotten to visit."

Italy shakes his head. "It's okay! Everyone's been really busy lately! I just wanted to say that it's nice to see everyone again." Italy hurriedly adds, "But, uh, this whole situation is still bad, though!"

Japan answers with kindness. "It's alright; I understand what you're saying. I'm very glad to see all of you again as well."

"Um," starts Germany. He clears his throat. "I hate to intrude, but please go to sleep. If there's more of us out there, we'll be spending the whole day finding them."

"You just had to kill the mood, huh West?" Remarks Prussia.

"Just get some sleep. All of you. We'll be leaving first thing tomorrow."

Prussia rolls his eyes and looks up at the ceiling from the hard floor. Italy seems to be really cheery over the whole gang getting back together. That's good, they could use some positivity with all the craziness going on. He then looks over to Hungary who's already knocked out. Of all people he expected to see, he didn't think he'd see Hungary, yet here she is. Why is she here? Why are any of them here? He wasn't sure if he wanted to know, for all the reasons he thought of were really diabolical.

He looks back to the ceiling and closes his eyes. Well, he shouldn't be thinking of these things, should he? He should be sleeping.

Prussia is sure it'll make more sense, but maybe tomorrow.

OoooO

Prussia is rudely awakened by chills and goosebumps. He sits up and looks around to find that the apartment was gone. He was in a rickety, old shack. Light shined through the holes in the wood and the floors creaked wherever he stepped. Where was everyone? Prussia then spots a window and looks out to see snow gently falling from the sky. The snow on the ground had to be at least a foot deep. Looking at all the snow suddenly makes Prussia realize how cold he was, and he starts warming his hands and arms.

"Good morning Prussia." Prussia turns around to see Hungary holding a blanket. "Here, catch." He catches it and quickly wraps himself in it. Ah, sweet warmth. "C'mon, everyone's in this room."

Prussia goes through the doorway to find everyone sitting around a fire, wrapped in blankets, and eating marshmallows. Italy just finished his and was chewing it blissfully. Germany was roasting his way past the ideal amount, and Japan was roasting his way too little.

"Well," starts Prussia, a smile spreading across his face. "I'm already liking this place."

"It's great, right?" Says Italy. He passes Prussia a marshmallow on a stick as Prussia sits down and joins them.

Germany blows out his fiery marshmallow and sighs. "They're a bit too sweet for me."

"You're just mad 'cause you can't roast it right," says Prussia, holding back a laugh at the pathetic marshmallow. "I can teach you how to do it right."

Germany scowls at him. "Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"Okay, if you really think so." Prussia then turns to Italy. "Okay, Ita-chan, watch this. I'm gonna make the most awesome marshmallow and it'll be just for you! If you didn't know, I'm actually a master at this."

"Really?" Comments Hungary with a smirk. "I never knew that about you!"

"Yes, really…" Says Prussia, detecting her sarcasm. "Just you wait."

Japan then intrudes. "So, ah, we might as well talk about this new environment. It seems that we're in someone else's fear world."

"I wonder who's scared of shacks in the middle of nowhere filled with marshmallows…" says Prussia, eyeing his marshmallow closely in the fire.

"Er, well, this doesn't necessarily mean that they are afraid of something so specific. They might just be scared of shacks in the middle of nowhere, being snowed in, and marsh...mallows?" Japan takes a moment. "I must admit, though, a fear of marshmallows is very strange. But what I'm trying to say is that these fears can be completely separate. I mean, China being scared of Beijing falling and being filled with horrid monsters is a little too specific, don't you think?"

"That does make a lot more sense," replies Italy. "But marshmallows are delicious! Who would be scared of them?"

"NO!" Everyone looks to Prussia whose marshmallow fell into the fire when he wasn't looking.

Germany and Hungary eye him with "you're such a liar but I knew it all along" eyes. No, the battle can still be saved! Before his brother or Hungary could comment, Prussia stands up and yells, "hey Ita-chan, let's go play in the snow!"

"Huh? But what about marshmallows?"

"We can have more later! For now, we should totally go make awesome snow angels!"

"Oh, okay!"

So Prussia and Italy grab a couple coats hanging on the wall and open the door to be greeted with a strong gust of snow. They jump into the clean sheet and get to work.

It ends. You pick up the next report.