Chapter 7
"Alzati già, vero? (Get up already, will you?)"
Lovino Vargas bit his lip as he waited for the reclining Spaniard to respond to him, his amber cat-like eyes tightening in concern when the country of Spain merely stared blankly at the ceiling, a thin blanket thrown carelessly over the wrinkled clothes that he had been dressed in last night. Lovino's eyes narrowed when he saw several empty wine bottles scattered across the small table of their hotel room and silently cursed himself for leaving Spain alone last night. Dammit, why the hell had he listened to his stupid fratello?
Antonio Fernandez Carriedo sighed and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position, immediately drawing the attention of Southern Italy. Romano held his breath as the Spaniard got to his feet and began to make his way to the mini fridge in their room, his heart sinking when Antonio merely retrieved another bottle of wine.
"Oh fuck no," Romano snarled. With an unusual amount of speed, the Italian launched himself at the bottle in Spain's hands, his slim fingers easily tugging the neck of the bottle away from Antonio's callused palms.
Spain frowned blearily at his lover, his emerald eyes dulled with years of guilt and sorrow.
"Dale que de nuevo, Lovi (Give that back)," he muttered hoarsely.
Lovino merely glared, his bright amber eyes daring the Spaniard to make a move.
"No," the Italian snapped. "I'm sick of this shit, Tonio! I'm tired of you fucking moping around and getting drunk just because you can't get over something that happened fourteen years ag-"
Spain's eyes flashed with fury and he took a step towards Romano, causing the younger nation to take an automatic step back.
"Don't you dare mention that," Antonio croaked angrily.
Lovino set his jaw and met the Spaniard's glare with one of his own.
"Get. Over. It," he growled. "It's done, it's over. Move on with your life. You can't just spend all fucking eternity dwelling on this."
"How the hell can you say that?" Spain yelled. "How can you even suggest that I move on? That was my son, Lovi!"
"Era mio, anche tu, bastardo cazzo! (He was mine, too, you fucking bastard!)" Romano screamed. "I love and miss him just as much as you do!"
"Then why aren't you suffering?" Antonio whispered hoarsely.
"Who says I'm not?" Lovino challenged. "I just don't show it because I need to stay strong..." For you.
Spain shuddered and turned away, his tanned legs carrying him quickly to the small bathroom. Romano flinched when he heard the door slam shut behind his Spanish lover and hastened towards the recently-closed door, his hand freezing inches over the doorknob when he heard the small, muffled sobs that were leaking beneath the door.
"Oh, Dios mío, perdóname por mi debilidad ... Perdóname por el dolor que he causado ... Me duele mucho ...(Oh God, forgive me for my weakness... Forgive me for the suffering I've caused... It hurts so much...)
Hot tears ran silently down Lovino's thin cheeks as he pressed his pounding forehead against the door, his slender shoulders trembling.
Make it stop... Just make the pain stop...
XXX
"Ve... Ludwig? Fratello just called, he said that him and big brother Spain are going to be a little late."
Ludwig Beilschmidt frowned and looked up from the pile of papers that he had been carefully organizing, his large hands pressing lightly against the dark wooden surface of the meeting table.
"Did they say why?" he asked flatly, not really interested in the answer.
Feliciano Vargas hesitated and glanced cautiously at the two other occupants of the meeting room. Kiku Honda stared back at the Italian, his expression unreadable as he gently tugged on the sleeve of the sleeping Heracles Karpusi to get the Greek's attention.
Italy sighed and turned back to the blond German that had been watching him, his hazel eyes dark with sadness.
"Spain has been having some trouble again," he said quietly.
Germany nodded curtly and hastily returned to his papers, not even bothering to ask what Spain had been having trouble with.
There was only one problem that could really bother them nowadays.
Japan stiffened at Italy's words, his deep brown eyes flickering anxiously to the suddenly-tense Greece. Greece silently pulled away from his Japanese partner and walked slowly out of the door of the meeting room, several cats trailing after him.
"...I'm going for a walk," he announced quietly.
Kiku nodded after the Greek's retreating back, his small hands tightening infinitesimally in his lap when the door shut behind Heracles. Feliciano sniffed and slumped quietly into Greece's vacated chair, his curl drooping as he buried his face in his shaking hands.
"M-mi dispiace, (I'm sorry)," he mumbled. "I shouldn't have said anything..."
"It is alright," Japan assured him quietly. "Heracles-kun... Doesn't like to talk about it. I think... that he blames himself."
"We all do," Germany called from his place at the meeting table, his muscles tensed beneath his pristine suit.
"Si," Italy agreed quietly. After a moment, the Italian spoke again, his voice quiet. "Do you ever wonder how they would have ended up?"
"はい (Yes)," Japan replied simply. "All the time..." The Asian nation hesitated, his cheeks dusted with a light pink blush. "I believe... that Achilles would have been like Heracles... He slept so much."
"Ve... Saichi was a lot like you, Kiku," Feliciano observed quietly. "She didn't like hugs or talking, but she was really nice..."
Kiku bowed his head in thanks, his lips trembling ever-so-slightly. "Yao really liked her... So did Yong Soo... I think that Sadik and Gupta liked Achilles better, though..."
"V-ve, fratello was so angry when Cisco and Magnus got Ludwig's eyes," Feliciano remembered with a chuckle. "He said that it made them too German... But I liked them that way... They were so unique... And fratello couldn't really complain when suo figlio (his son) ended up looking like big brother Spain."
"Prussia was convinced that Magnus would end up like him," Ludwig muttered, surprising the other two. "Apparently Magnus was the most German... Gilbert used to say that there were enough 'unawesome' Germans in the family already."
"Have you forgiven him, Germany-san?" Japan asked slowly. "For... everything?"
Germany nodded slowly, his bright blue eyes distant. "Ja... Have you two?"
Japan nodded and glanced at Italy.
"... si, I suppose so," Feliciano admitted reluctantly. "I still get angry sometimes, but it wasn't his fault... Although, sometimes I wonder if Prussia has forgiven himself yet."
"Nein," Ludwig sighed. "I don't think he ever will."
XXX
"... And that was how the awesome me got arrested for being too good-looking! Hey, neffe, you listening?"
"Huh?" Magnus grumbled, his blue eyes moving with reluctance from the towering skyscrapers of New York City.
Prussia pouted at the obvious- and unawesome- lack of interest from his nephew and glanced towards the back of the car, his frown deepening when he saw that the rest of the teens weren't even listening to him anymore. The ex-nation huffed in annoyance and returned his attention to the traffic-clogged road, his scarlet eyes flickering anxiously towards the small clock on the dashboard of the car.
"Right, looks like we're running a bit late," he muttered, immediately grabbing the attention of his companions.
"How late?" Cielo broke in furiously, his amber eyes wide with panic.
"Relax, kid. You'll still be able to see your parents... although it'll be a bit trickier getting in now that the meeting has started. We'll have to find another window or something..."
Katerina blinked in surprise, her violet eyes meeting Magnus's for a split second.
"W-window?" she repeated anxiously.
"Ja. See, usually I use the one that goes right into the meeting room, but West has been locking it lately, and it's kind of impossible to get in when all of the other nations are already there and the meeting is in full-swing, so I have to find other ways in occasionally... Don't worry, it's safe... mostly."
Magnus groaned and flashed a quick glare at his twin brother before he sank back into the passenger seat, his hand clenching around the handle of his door as the Prussian proceeded to make an extremely sudden turn around the corner. Scheiße(Shit), the man was almost as bad as Francisco...
"V-ve, and they say Italians can't drive," Francisco moaned from the back of the car, echoing his twin's thoughts.
"Hey! It's not my fault that America's streets are awful," Gilbert shot back irritably. The albino gave a triumphant war-cry and slammed his foot on the brakes, nearly throwing the six teens out of their seats. "Hier sind wir! (We're here!)"
Magnus glanced out of the tinted car windows, his heart sinking when he saw the glass building rising above the semi-circle of waving flags. Verdammt... What the hell was he doing here? There was no way anyone would let him through those doors...
Prussia whistled cheerfully as the teens proceeded to stumble out of the car, his red eyes narrowed speculatively beneath his white hair.
"Hmm...I can't really remember which window is the one that West welded shut," he muttered thoughtfully.
"Can we just use the door?" Alyson broke in quickly, her emerald eyes wide and alarmed beneath her glasses. "The fairies said that we should be able to get in."
"... I agree with Alyson," Achilles added quietly. "I don't feel like dying today."
Prussia snorted and rolled his eyes. "... Wimps."
The albino led the kids towards the sliding glass doors of the United Nations, a cocky grin spreading across his features when he saw two armed guards standing at attention in front of the doors.
"Hey! Larry! Georgie! How are you two holding up?"
The two guards frowned, obviously not pleased to see the ex-nation. Gilbert winked at them and continued to move past them, apparently oblivious.
"So, I've gotta take these kids upstairs to the meeting, got it? Thanks guys, knew you'd understand."
"Mr. Beilschmidt, we've been given strict orders to not allow you inside of the building at this moment," one of the guards broke in calmly.
"We have permission to use excessive force, if necessary, sir," the other added with a small grin.
Magnus and Francisco frowned and stepped forward to defend their uncle, only to be pushed aside by the Prussian. Gilbert winked at them and mouthed 'run' before he tackled the nearest guard, his pale fists slamming into every inch of the man that he could reach. Francisco blinked in surprise before he was dragged into the building by Magnus, his fingers closing around Alyson's wrist with a persistent tug when she refused to move. Katerina and Cielo followed close behind with Achilles at their heels, their eyes wide with shock as Prussia continued to wrestle with the two guards.
"Split up!" Magnus yelled as they ran through the building, dodging neatly between the confused receptionists and security guards. "Find your parents if you can and yell if you get caught."
Katerina nodded solemnly and immediately took off in a separate direction. Cielo cursed and ducked into a waiting elevator, while Alyson and Achilles barreled through a crowd of workers in an effort to reach the stairs. Magnus watched all of them disappear into the building with narrowed eyes, his hand still clasped tightly around his twin's.
"Uh, fratello?" Francisco piped up weakly. "We've got a problem up ahead."
Magnus's head whipped around just in time to catch sight of the wall of muscle that was beginning to form several feet ahead. He gulped and hastily yanked his brother down an adjoining hallway, the blood pounding in his ears as footsteps continued to follow them. Without a word, Francisco slammed his feet into the ground and yanked Magnus into the nearest open door, a hysterical giggle breaking through his lips when he realized that they had just stumbled into a closet.
Magnus glared at his brother and pulled the door shut behind them, his lips parting in a low sigh of relief when the footsteps passed by the door without pausing.
Damn that Prussia...
XXX
Katerina pressed her back against the wall, her lips trembling as the footsteps of her pursuers drew closer. She whimpered when she heard one of the guards shout orders for the men to spread out and search, her violet eyes impossibly wide beneath her wire-frame glasses.
I'm going to die, she thought fearfully. Господи (Oh my God) I'm going to die...
Something slammed into the wall a few feet away from her, propelling the Russian girl to her feet. Katerina turned and ran down the hall away from the searching guards, her violet eyes flickering constantly over her shoulder to search for any sign of pursuers.
A solid wall of muscle clad in beige slammed into Katerina, nearly sending her tumbling to the ground. She reached out blindly for something to steady herself with, her pale hand clenching around soft fabric. A low gasp reached her ears from the wall, causing the girl to tense. Shit, what had she just done?
The Russian girl glanced hesitantly up at the wall- person that towered above her, the blood draining from her features as she took in just how tall the man was.
"I-I'm s-sorry," she whispered frantically. "I-I didn't m-mean to run into y-you..."
The man didn't reply, his wide violet eyes trained on her features with a frightening intensity. Katerina noticed for the first time that her fingers were clenched tightly around the folds of the light purple scarf wound around the man's neck. She blushed and hurriedly drew her hand away, her fingers brushing self-consciously against the worn fabric of her own red-and-white scarf.
"N-nice scarf?" she offered hesitantly, hoping to get a reaction out of the man.
He made no reply, only continued to stare at her as locks of his white-blonde hair fell across his round features. Katerina stared back for a moment, her heartbeat picking up furiously as she noticed that his eyes were the exact shade as hers, that his hair was identical to Marc's...
"A-are you M-Mr. R-russia?" she squeaked, silently praying that the silent man would nod.
The man- country?- nodded slowly, his lips curving into a hesitant smile.
"...What is your full name?" he asked softly, his voice cracking as if it hadn't been used in a while.
"K-Katerina... Ivanova... B-Braginski-Williams," the girl replied slowly, her purple eyes searching his frantically through the smudged lenses of her glasses.
Russia gave startled, nearly-hysterical laugh and bent to pull the girl into a bone-crushing hug, his face buried in her tangled blonde hair.
"Моя девочка ... Моя маленькая девочка ... (My girl... My little girl...)," he whispered endlessly, his strong arms shaking slightly as he ran his hands across the shoulders of her thin coat.
Katerina choked back a sob and buried her face into her father's warm coat, her small hands clenched tightly in the fabric.
"Я нашел тебя (I found you)," she breathed. "I-I'm not alone anymore..."
"нет (No)," Russia growled protectively. "You will never be alone again."
"I-Ivan?"
The two Russians straightened out of their embrace and turned to look at the petite blonde man that had come up behind Ivan, his arms wrapped securely around a sleepy polar bear.
Canada frowned in confusion at the sight of the half-hidden girl buried in his partner's embrace, his violet eyes narrowing slightly behind his glasses.
"W-what's going on, eh?" he asked quietly. "W-who's this?"
Katerina trembled at the sound of her mother's voice and peered hesitantly around Russia, her violet eyes filling with tears when she caught sight of Matthew's wavy blonde hair.
"I-I do h-have your hair," she whispered dazedly.
Canada stared at the girl, his lips falling open into a perfect "O" as he let a disgruntled Kumajiro slip through his limp arms.
"M-mon Dieu," he gasped.
"Matvey," Ivan interrupted gently. "This is our daughter... Katerina Ivanova Braginski-Williams."
Katerina stepped forward hesitantly, her fingers playing nervously with the fringe of her scarf.
"H-Hello," she whispered shyly. "I-I'm-"
Matthew's arms wrapped tightly around the girl, cutting off the rest of her words. With a low, choking gasp, the Canadian pulled his daughter against his chest, his thin fingers running frantically through her silky hair.
"Je t'aime (I love you)," he whispered. "Je t'aime, mon petite ange (I love you, my little angel)."
Katerina merely smiled and allowed herself to be held, a small sigh of satisfaction escaping her lips when she felt Russia's strong arms wrap around both of them from behind.
I'm home...
Hey, I'm alive! Sorry it took so long to update this... /mumbles something about lots of school work while dodging bullets/ But hopefully you'll forgive me now, yes? Anyways, in case you were confused, Yao is China, Yong Soo is South Korea, Sadik is Turkey, and Gupta is Egypt. Also, thanks for all of the reviews you guys have been giving! Keep 'em coming, okay? Tell me what you think!
And please continue to pray/think for my speech coach's wife, okay? Thank you so much to all of the people that have done so already.
And... I don't own Hetalia... If I did, there would be A LOT more yaoi... So much more...
Hasta la pasta~!