Chapter 20: Cause of Nightmares

The next morning, Germany did not hesitate to call up England about what happened last night and England urged him to bring her to his house right away. He asked about having magic involved, and that took some time, along with Italy's input of it as they talked it over on the phone while Prussia held the girl as she absentmindedly petted the white cat with a scar on the right eye.

"What's his name?" She asked.

"Don't know yet… still looking for an awesome name for him. So I usually call him Awesome Cat."

She fingered the wrinkled and frayed ribbon. "Needs a new ribbon soon…" She whispered as Germany and Italy came into the room and said they were going to England's home.

0o0o0o0

When the four arrived… Germany, Italy, Prussia, and Fern-Lui headed to England's basement, which creeped the poor Italian.

"You sure this is okay?" Germany asked, not liking the torture looking devices hanging off the walls.

"I'm fine… Really." She said as she stood in the center of the floor while England drew a circle around her.

"My dear, this is a serious problem." England said as he finished drawing the circle and went to his book.

"Everyone has really bad nightmares." She said.

"Not as often as yours though." Prussia said in a moment of full seriousness. "And last night got you shaking, and I mean shaking like there's no tomorrow, and we weren't able to get you to sleep for hours. Heck! You look like the walking dead! You're paler than me for crying out loud."

She sighed, knowing that there's no way of getting out of this. She can still remember that dream from last night and now it haunted her while she's awake.

"What are you going to do, England?" Italy asked.

"Well, first of all, I'm going to get to the bottom of why she's having so many nightmares in the first place."

"Is it going to hurt?" She asked.

"A bit of a shock, but nothing… that… will be…" He said as he got his cape on and his book open with a sage bundle in his hand, had the tip over the flame to heat it enough to smoke. "Life threatening."

"I feel so much better hearing that." Prussia said sarcastically.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere."

"Neither does the Busby's Chair."

England glared at the Prussian before clearing his throat. "Now then! Are you ready?"

She sighed as she nodded. 'I want to sleep without seeing that again…' She thought as England started to chant out a spell, making the circle glow and the still air pick up. She felt warm that she felt like passing out before she felt something icy cold going around her and looked to see black scales hovering in front of her.

"This is bad…" England said.

"What did you do?" Germany asked.

"This time this isn't my doing." He said as he flipped through the pages before facing one of the mystical creatures that were nearby. "Go get that one book that I brought in the other day."

"What's going on?" She asked still seeing the scaly trail, much like a snake's body, but she didn't see a head or tail of the creature even though it's going around her.

"It seems there's something on you that's causing me to not go further to help you with your nightmare issue."

'Well, well…'

She looked around to find the owner of the voice, only to find nothing. She felt a certain fear that she had felt in her dreams.

'That's it you idiot… give me more of your power…'

Her eyes widened as she saw England about to chant. "Wait! Stop! You're feeding him! Stop it!"

'You…'

The black energy acted like ropes and tightened around her.

"Fern-Lui!" The nations called out as Prussia and Germany ran towards her, only to be knocked back by the time they reached to the edge of the magical circle's energy.

"What the hell England!" Prussia called out.

"It's not me!" England said, looking fearful for the girl's sake as all of them saw the black energy acting like a constrictor. "That energy again…"

"Ve! What's going on!"

"England! You better explain what that thing is in the next five seconds!" Germany said.

"I saw this energy the first time she came to my house, but I didn't know what it was, only that it was a dark energy. I still haven't found out what it is, and I didn't know it would do this!"

"What is it exactly!"

0o0o0o0

While that was going on, the girl struggled to free herself, only to hear that voice whisper in her head.

'So you can hear me… And what's all this about? Hm? Trying to rid of me? You know you can't. Don't you remember?'

'Stop this…' Said a gentler voice. 'You caused enough pain on her.'

The threatener growled. 'Keep out of this, weakling, you can't hold me back anymore!'

'Please stop this Brother!'

'I'm not your brother! And I don't need to be here…'

'Wait! Stop!'

'Why should I? This is what we've been waiting for! We can finally do what we were supposed to do!'

'That was decades ago… Things have changed… Or did you not realize that!'

The threatener chuckled darkly. 'We'll see about that!'

She felt the tightening hold on her release, only for the magic circle to act up followed by a skin crawling laughter as the dark energy went up to the ceiling, where there was another circle and went through it.

"What in Fritz's name was that!"

"A dark energy, most likely a curse." England said as he got up. "What kind it was I'm not sure."

"I'm sorry…" She said as the nations looked at her. She was still standing in the now destroyed magic circle, head down to look at her feet. "Forgive me… Please don't ask me what that was… I rather… not recall it…" She remembered the blood on the white snow and the body it came from and shook her head. "Please don't force me to tell! I don't want to!" She then felt a gentle embrace and she looked up to see Italy. "Mamma Italia…"

"I'm just glad you're okay…" Italy said as he held onto her tighter. "I was so scared that you were going to get hurt."

She returned the embrace as she started to cry as Germany went up and stroked her hair.

Germany is unsure what to make of all this and he could tell by the look on England's face that he didn't expect anything like this either. 'Whatever it was it's gone now…' He thought. He would like to get answers, but he could see the pain in the small body that he painfully recognized from his own experience.

"So… what do you make of this?" Prussia asked quietly.

England had a look of deep thought before responding. "A curse that personified itself."

"A personified curse? Is that even possible?"

"It's no different than a wicked spirit." England said as he looked troubled. "But what was that thing with a child? And why didn't I pick it up earlier on? Why didn't I sense this much energy the first time she entered the circle?"

"Looks like we're not getting answers today." Prussia said as the girl calmed down.

"I know I wouldn't say anything." England agreed.

"I've seen that look before." Prussia said still looking at the girl. "West knows about what's she's going through too."

"Pardon?"

"You wouldn't understand…" Prussia said as he got up. "Okay! That was possibly the most unawesome thing that has happened in this unawesome house. Can we go back home where we can all be awesome or something?"

"I think that's best." Germany said as he and Italy got up, Italy holding the girl in his arms bridal style, thanked and said sorry to England, who in turn apologized as well, and went home.

0o0o0o0

England was sure now that something was amiss. "Now if only I bloody remember what I did that time… I used a lot of methods…"

"Some of them even whacked your memories a bit." Said one fairy who didn't seem interested at all.

England looked and became annoyed. "If you know something, please do tell, otherwise bugger off! As you can see I'm not in the best of moods to deal with you!" He said as he stomped off.

"Like I don't know…" Said the disgruntled fairy as he hovered next to the annoyed Brit. "Listen, I may have an idea of what it is, but the cast you used is in 'that' place."

England stopped in his place as he looked at the fairy. " 'That' place?" He said quietly as he begins to pale.

The fairy nodded. "And I'll give you a hint, you were going to use it on a nation in that war."

England felt something cold drop in his stomach. "But… it's been years…."

"Enough time to gather enough strength. But now the real question is, why the girl? What could she possible be involved with something like that?"

"Easier said than done…" He leaned up against the wall and rubbed his eyes. "Git! I could be the reason she was sent here!"

"You don't know that for sure…"

"It has to be! I created that to…" He got up to run. "I have to find that casting spell! There has to be something I could make this right!"

0o0o0o0

Back in Germany's house, Fern-Lui was catching up on some sleep as she was in some kind of dream.

She looked around to see that she was in a white room with a black couch with a man, somewhere around his twenties, in grey slacks and a loose white blouse shirt, and long, slightly mess of black hair.

The man looked up and his glass blue clear eyes caught sky light blue. "Long time no see."

She blinked before tilting her head. "Ferrowim?" She asked as she saw him smile and she smiled and ran up to him. "Ferrowim! I missed you!" (1)

"I missed you too. Sorry I haven't tried to talk to you in so long." He said when he received a punch on his stomach. "I deserved that."

"What took you so long?" She asked with a pout.

He looked at her sadly with a sigh. "I was trying to keep my brother from hurting you through your dreams, but he's just too strong…"

She blinked. "Was that him back in Uncle Britain's home?"

"Yeah… that was him…" He said as he held the girl on his lap. "If you haven't stopped England from going further with his magic, who knows what he would've done. I know it takes a lot to make a portal so quickly."

"Where did he go then? And why did he leave?"

He sighed again as he petted the girl's hair. "I wish I knew… And he was powerful enough to leave on his own and no doubt survive without you to provide stability…"

She leaned in towards him and curled up. "So those nightmares about that time we met… when you two weren't separated…"

"Was his way to get you to suffer so that he can have enough power to escape… I'm so sorry… I really did try everything I could to stop him."

"It's not your fault… Before you met me, there was no other way for you to live…" She said as he held her tight. "I don't regret it… but it must've hurt you a lot."

"It did, but it's a good kind of pain. I just wish Brother can see that."

"Even if he could, he'll still be like that… He's the darker half after all."

"Aye…" He said as he looked alert. "You have to wake up soon. I'll try to contact him and see where he is and what he's up to."

She nodded. "Danke, mein friend. You still make a good older brother."

He chuckled as he covered her eyes. "Until we meet again…" He said as she felt light for a moment.

0o0o0o0

She woke up as Italy walked in to check up on her and her stomach growled from lack of food earlier. "I'm hungry! Can we have spaghetti with wursts?" She asked happily, making the Italian happy.

"Sì! I was wondering what to make for lunch!"

"Can I help? Please?"

"Of course!" He said as they headed down to the kitchen to start cooking.

When Germany came to see how Italy was doing, he also saw the girl there as well. "How do you feel, Fern-Lui?" He asked, clearly concerned.

"Rested up!" She said with a smile, knowing how scared her adoptive vati must've been. "Can you come here a second? I wanna know if you like how the sauce tastes."

Germany wasn't sure if the girl was playing an act or is really okay, but he played along as he went up and tasted the tomato sauce, and deemed it really good, which made the girl happy which made him ease a little.

"Ve~ Your birthday is coming up soon! What would you like?" Italy asked as he strained the noodles.

"Ve? You don't have to do anything special, I'm happy with what I got." She said.

"Ve? But we should still celebrate it either way, because this will be our first time to celebrate your birthday together."

"He's right." Germany said. "Even us nations who are hundreds to thousands of years old still enjoy their birthdays."

"I guess you're right…" She said.

"What do you do back in your world, ve?"

"Well…" She looked thoughtful. "Everyone gathers around to sing me happy birthday in their native language, which usually sounds strange but I love it either way… then there would be a huge cake made by mein vati und my two uncles that are pretty well known to be good cooks, especially baking." She giggled. "Vati would have a fit whenever he gets stuck with my two uncles, because one would use ingredients that make it sound like he's making bombs than cakes, and the other would annoy him that he looks like a tomato by the time he was able to get away from him and go to Mamma."

"Sounds strangely familiar…" Germany said, remembering the time France would come over that time and shivered at the thought. 'Such a horrid time… And he has to be my neighbor of all things…'

"And after the cake is brought out, I make a wish, blow the candles out, and we all have a serving of cake, which is a rare treat because we have to be careful of the stuff we're using."

"Ve?"

"Oh, all of us were on rations." She said, thinking she may as well let them know a bit of her life, since she told TRNC about it.

"Really?"

"Yeah… Not really great times, but we make the most of it every day." She said with a smile. "Everyone gets into small quarrels now and then, but to me it's funny and once they realize that I'm there, they immediately stop arguing and start forgiving each other. Then they go back to arguing, but they make sure I'm not around."

"Ve~ Sounds like a lively family."

"They are, but there was one time Mamma got really, really, really angry. It was scary…" She shivered. "Mein vati had to take me far away from the room that she was in."

"Ve? Was she really that scary when mad?"

"Mein vati is the toughest man I know, and he said he rather face a firing squad than be in line of Mamma's 'Mafia Rage', or so he calls it."

"Ve! Sounds really scary."

"It only happened once though, so it's really, really rare. Though mi zia was really quiet for a month after that, and her favorite past time is trying to argue with vati, calling him names and what not."

"Very serious then." Germany said, not even imagining what Italy would be like if he and the girl's mother were alike somehow.

"And I still don't know what happened. All I know is that Oncle was bruised the next day."

Germany, knowing that 'Oncle' is French, and thinking about France, he can easily picture the scenario. "Maybe it's best you didn't know then, especially if it made your mutti that upset."

"I guess." She said with a shrug. "Anyway, after cake I would open my gifts, which are usually home-made and the best!" She said happily, remembering her last birthday.

She was surrounded by everyone, her mamma and vati on either side of her as she opened a crudely wrapped gift, but she was happy to see a metal trinket that she wound up and saw the dog bow then did a flip. She laughed as she looked to see the petite Japanese woman as a man with short blonde hair with a lock of it stuck out from the rest sat next to her, smiling.

She was brought attention by her mamma to see the hand knit scarf by a long, light brunette haired woman in a dirtied green dress with a white apron, but she was happy to receive the gift all the same.

She was handed another crudely wrapped gift to find a simple pale pink dress with old lace at the collar and smiled as she looked up to see a woman with straight blond hair that reached past her cheeks, with a man with brunette hair that was tied back, both smiling as she was handed more gifts that were in the same brown paper with old strings.

She heard her aunt's argument with her uncle, which wasn't new and knew her uncle can calm her down. Then there was another small argument by another woman with long, dark hair in a low pony tail with a smiling tall man with short, platinum blond hair, as she sighed and pouted, which he wrapped an arm around her, causing her to smile a bit.

She always liked birthdays, she can see how everyone just come together and just enjoy the time together.

"It didn't matter that they were really small or a little strange, I loved all that I received and I draw a lot of pictures for them to return the favor for their birthdays or holidays."

"Is that why you're so good at drawing?"

"Sì, I just love to see someone smile when I give them a picture I took time and care on." She said with a smile. "And so far it's the same here too."

Both nations couldn't help but smile at the cheerful demeanor of the girl as lunch was ready when Prussia came through the door, nearly dragged in by the dogs.

"Damn West! What are you feeding these guys? I thought I was gonna lose my arm walking these guys!"

"Welcome back, Onkel Preußen." She said.

"Oh hey, you're up. How you feel?"

"In your terms, awesome." She said with a slight giggle, making the Prussian chuckle.

"Awesome!" He said as he ruffled the girl's head. "Hey, this looks good."

"Mamma Italia and I made it."

"Again, awesome." He said as he sat himself down and everyone enjoyed their afternoon together, almost forgetting what happened earlier that day.

Almost.

Translation:

(1) Ferro - Italian - Iron/ Wim - German - Will-helmet

Okay! That's it for now. Just, hopefully, five more chapters to go before I start on the second of the triology, which would require me to look into post WWII and Cold War... I shouldn't have mentioned that... Anyway! Now we're getting to the point where we see that my OOC is hiding something tragic and England is involved. What could that be? Only I know!

Anyway, you guys know the drill, feel free to let me know what you think about this and I'll do my best to reply to those. Until then, laters! I'm going to do do some things on my end and hopefully get this first part done before summer session starts for me.