Chapter Number / Name: #4 / Your Eyes

Pairings: PruLiech (...I really don't have any other couples in mind...)

Author's Note: Ohgodguysdon'tkillmeholycrapman—I mean...Ahaha, I'm back! After...one or two years...? Uhohmygoddon'tkillmepleasemotherofRussiaohgoooddd. Please forgive me! OTL Um...I hope a 3700-word chapter will make up for it somehow!...Okay, on a more serious note, I've decided to truly continue this FanFiction. I do admit, I did get out of the Hetalia fandom for quite a while, but I've gotten back into it. Though, my writing style might have changed a smidge, however...So...y-yeah. Don'tkillmeplease/shot

Will be told in: Mainly third person. Might switch later on in chapters.

Disclaimer: Hetalia: Axis Powers/World Series/The Beautiful World does not belong to me. Nor does its characters. It all belongs to Himaruya Hidekaz.

Other Important Notes: If the text is quoted in ' - ' and is italicized , then it means that the text is what the character is thinking.

[Third Person]

Switzerland's eyes were glued to the grass beneath him as his hands turned into fists. Hungary had spit out the truth like a person eating England's scone for the first (and most likely, last) time. He absolutely detested this truth, however. He went over it in the past numerous times, always saying that he was simply protecting his young sister from the immoral personalities of the other countries. Sure, some of them weren't all that bad, but the majority of them were just too vulgar for the innocence of his dear little schwester. Liechtenstein was just so fragile and naive. Why couldn't she understand how much she meant to him?

"Look, Switzerland," Austria started to speak. "Have you ever wondered why Liechtenstein is the way she is? So delicate and inexperienced?"

"..." Switzerland was silent as a child being scolded. It was almost as if Austria had read his mind.

"To put it bluntly, it's because of you. Do not get me wrong, you have trained Liechtenstein to become an even brighter girl than when you took her in, and she is clearly capable handling herself around others in a polite and refined manner. However, throughout this 'training', it seems as though you've developed an obsession with protecting her. You've kept her from the outside world for ages now, only letting her experience the rest of the earth through pitiful books and the Internet." Austria cleared his throat, preparing to finish the rest of his lecture. "It's gotten to the point where several of the other countries have not only industrialized a fear of you, but a fear of even going near Liechtenstein."

At this, Switzerland gave Austria a stunned look. Who would be afraid of Liechtenstein, the sweet, young, harmless girl? "Afraid...? But why—"

"Again, to put it bluntly, it's because of you." Austria let out a sigh. "Whenever somebody approaches Liechtenstein during the meetings, there is a certain level of chance where you would take your gun and start overreacting. It normally differs with the person...America, 90% likely. England, 85% likely. France, 100% likely. It terrifies others and gives them a destitute experience with poor Liechtenstein, as pleasant as her personality is."

"..." Switzerland was silent once again.

"Haven't you noticed how lonely she's been?" Germany questioned him.

"She's been what?" Switzerland felt like he didn't hear that correctly.

Germany let out a stressed sigh. "You've been depriving her of contact with other people without even knowing it..."

Switzerland didn't understand.

"Listen, Switzerland..." Hungary approached him and lightly placed one of her hands on his back, her other hand going to his shoulder. "I know we're going over this a little too suddenly, but we really want the best for Liechtenstein...and you too. We know and we truly understand that you're especially protective of her, since you were the one who responsibly took her in and raised her. But she needs that experience that she's been longing for. What if you're not there for her one day? What will she do?"

Switzerland's eyes widened. He had never thought of that...

"...I see that you get our point," Austria announced. "Now, let's go find Liechtenstein and Prussia. I'm starting to get worried about them myself...They might have gotten lost."

"Right. Let's pack our things and go. We can continue this in my house after we find them..." Germany declared. With that, they began to sort and put away the food, utensils, and other objects. They tried to work as quickly as they could, despite the awkward silence that almost poisoned them to death.

"Huh?" Prussia's deep red eyes blinked as he watched his small, dandelion-colored bird fly around Liechtenstein's small figure. Gilbird tweeted happily and perched himself on several spots on Liechtenstein. Places like both sides of her shoulders, on her lap, on the top of her head. "He really likes you."

Liechtenstein giggled as Gilbird flew into her hands once again. She held him close to her face so that she could feel his soft, warm feathers. Gilbird nuzzled himself against Liechtenstein's cheek and tweeted merrily. A little improvised song made on instinct from the little birdie.

"...You know, he almost likes you too much, kesesese," Prussia chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck. Oh ho ho no, he was not getting jealous of his bird. The awesome Prussia? Jealous? Of his own bird? Just because Gilbird was being cuddled and held close to Liechy didn't mean that the way-too-awesome-for-jealousy Prussia was envious. Not even in the slightest. That would just be utterly ridiculous.

...Okay, well maybe he was a little jealous. Just a little. But it was nothing that the awesome Prussia couldn't handle.

At least, that was what he thought until he saw Gilbird nestling himself close to Liechtenstein's chest. Sure, Liechtenstein was pretty much cardboard-flat (though he did hate to admit it, since Prussia did like...well...), but for Gilbird to do that? It made Prussia twitch. Un-awesomely. The sudden unhealthy spark in his chest rose especially when he looked up to see Liechtenstein's reaction. She didn't seem fazed at all...She was still smiling. Oh, bless this girl and her innocence.

"He's very friendly, I wish that all animals were like little Gilbird...All the ones I've met so far are quite friendly too, though," Liechtenstein smiled warmly as Gilbird tweeted and shook his puffball body.

"Yeah...friendly," Prussia snickered hollowly. He pouted slightly, but then went back to his normal, over-confident grin, remembering that awesome, manly people don't pout. That, and because of the fact that he didn't want Liechtenstein to ask him why he looked a little upset. After all, he was supposed to be the one comforting her.

"Big Bruder has a lot of goats, and they're very cute and kind...They like to graze around the hills and around our house," Lili started to pet Gilbird gently with her finger, causing him to coo quietly. "I like to pet them and have picnics with Big Bruder around where they graze. It's very peaceful and fun."

"Well that settles it!" Prussia had a sudden outburst, making Liechtenstein jump a bit and Gilbird flail for a short period of time. When Gilbird peacefully fluttered onto Liechtenstein's shoulder, Prussia continued. "We're gonna have another picnic-thing or whatever you call it! That'd be awesome, right? Kesesese!"

"Oh, it would be delightful!" Liechtenstein smiled brightly up at the Prussian. However, one or two pessimistic thoughts came up into her head. "B-But would Big Bruder really let us all go again? With...With what happened today...I don't think that he'd allow me to...Maybe if I apologize to him..."

"Eh? Apologize to him? He's the one who needs to apologize to you, Liechy!" Prussia said, gently putting a hand on her Gilbird-free shoulder. "He needs to trust you more, you know...let go of you some time. I know that you need that guidance and stuff—heck, I recognize the feelings of it 'cause of West—but I also know that you need to learn things on your own too. And your bruder up there? He's been keeping you from getting to those things. You get what I'm saying?"

Liechtenstein looked up at Prussia with her bright, grassy-green eyes. She was absorbing what Prussia had told her, realizing that he was right. She didn't like to admit it, but it was almost as if her dear brother Switzerland had been 'quarantining' her lately. "I...I love my Big Bruder..." Liechtenstein started to say. "I really do. He's done so many kind things to me...He took me in when I had no home...He gave me all the necessities of life, and more...I've always wanted to repay him for everything he's done for me..."

"I see that Liechy," Prussia sighed and gingerly placed the lily on Liechtenstein's lap behind her ear. "But he needs to let you see the world. No...Not see it. Experience it."

That was no lie. Liechtenstein had always wanted to see what the land of the other countries looked like. Sure, she had seen Mister Germany's land and house since she once lived there, a little bit of Mister Austria's house, and a tiny area of Miss Hungary's place, but that was all (besides her own land and Switzerland's of course, since she knew the topography and places in it like the back of her hand). She wanted to know the feel of the rest of Europe, Asia, and the Americas...everywhere. What she read from books was never truly enough to satisfy her. If anything, it made her desire to go out into the world grow stronger and blossom. "I understand, Prussia..."

"Awesome," he said in reply, satisfied that Liechtenstein had gotten his point and agreed with him. He really hated bringing back up the subject of her brother, since it kind of did seem to bring her mood back down a bit, but he wanted to make things better. After all the things Prussia himself had gone through...He didn't want anyone to feel sadness—no wait, loneliness like that ever again. Such loneliness was cruel and bitter, and no living thing deserved it. Especially not Liechtenstein. Especially not someone so young, sweet, innocent, and full of potential.

While dozing off into thought, Prussia noticed that he was staring at the lily that he had given her and placed behind her ear earlier. She seemed to have really liked it...A girl like her would seem like the type to adore flowers. Not that he was stereotyping anyone or anything. He lifted the white lily and observed it closely. Yes, it was indeed a pure white. From the inner center of the flower onto the mid-tip of its petals were brushstroke marks of the loveliest color of violet-red. It seemed to fade along the way to the ends of the petals. A polite yellow-green made their short marks from the center of the flower, not lasting throughout the entirety of the petals, but more...the base of them. The filaments and anthers matched the yellow-green color, making it a flower worth questioning and something to search for.

...Something...to search for...

Prussia's focus trailed off towards Liechtenstein's eyes, which were a sparkling emerald as always. They blinked a couple of times, following the fluffy little Gilbird as he flew around her. In the middle of Liechtenstein's watching, however, she noticed that Prussia was staring at her. She blinked once more, a bit surprised. But he quickly looked away and stared off at the motionless trees on his left. How long had he been looking at her like that? The thought of it had brought an unfamiliar warmth to her cheeks as Gilbird started to rest on her lap.

Liechtenstein then put her attention on Prussia once more, hesitating a bit because of embarrassment. Even though he had turned around in a split second to avoid her gaze, Liechtenstein had seen a swift flash of crimson red escape her. His head was facing her so that he was in profile view. She could see his one of his narrowed eyes...And when she thought about it, they were so peculiar. She had never seen such unique color irises. They were a such mysterious blend of scarlet...it was as if every time he blinked, they changed into a different shade of red, shining underneath the sunlight. It was strange how they contrasted from his pale skin. What was this condition called again? Albinism?

She didn't detect how long she was staring at him until Prussia turned back around to tell her something. He had felt that it was far too quiet (Gilbird wasn't tweeting anymore and Liechtenstein wasn't giggling or talking to him or his bird), and wanted to bring another topic to the occasion. But as soon as he opened his mouth, he was stricken with speechlessness. She had been gazing at him with the most enquiring expression on her face. This explained why it was so quiet. Well now, that was ironic, now wasn't it? After all, he had been doing the exact same thing to her just a couple minutes ago.

Liechtenstein's cheeks were now painted a brighter shade of pink similar to the 'brushstrokes' on the lily in her hair, and she quickly fiddled with her ribbon and started to softly bite her lip. She then started looking down at her cupped hands on her lap, where Gilbird had rolled his way onto. The way Lili was so nervous just made her so...so...cute.

"So, Liechy," Prussia cleared his throat, wanting to break the ice. Or rather, kick the ice's sorry ass so hard that it went around the world twice, eventually launching it with full power so that it went into outer space, never to be seen again. He hated the awkwardness. "D'you think that the others are worried about us? And by us, I mean you, by the way."

"H-Huh?" Liechtenstein blinked several times before looking back up at Prussia. "Oh...They probably are worried about us," she said, despite the fact that Prussia had said that by "us" he only meant Liechtenstein. "The both of us..." She then smiled lightly at him.

"Eh, on the small chance that they are worried about both me and you, I'm guessing that we should go back, as awesome as it is to stay here..." Prussia sighed. He really did like just sitting here, hanging out with Liechtenstein. Even if it it got randomly quiet sometimes.

"You're right..." Liechtenstein nodded and started to stand up along with Prussia. She tried to do so without separating her hands, since little Gilbird was taking a nap in them. However, such a thing was quite difficult, so when she stood up, she ended up losing her balance. Consequently, she started to fall backwards. Bracing for impact, she shut her eyes and held Gilbird close to protect him from getting hurt.

"Whoa there Liechy!" Prussia acted quickly, swiftly taking a step forward as he slipped his arm around her waist, using his other arm to support her back. He was lightning fast, as if he saw it coming. It happened so suddenly that Liechtenstein's eyes were still closed when he caught her. Once she opened them, they made eye contact once more.

"D...D-Danke, P-Prussia," Liechtenstein stuttered tensely as the blush reddened.

"It's no problem," Prussia said almost absentmindedly as he held her in his arms. Mein gott, he was holding her in his arms! But before he could help Liechtenstein and himself stand back up properly, he was interrupted by a sharp, unsuspecting pain on the back of his head. "Augh!" If it wasn't for his strength (and the fact that he didn't really want to let Liechtenstein go just yet), he would've dropped poor little Liechy. He looked up at the cause of the pain, already suspecting who it was.

"What the hell Hungary?" Prussia yelled at the frying pan-wielding woman behind him. "That hurt!"

"It was supposed to, you moron," Hungary huffed as she put her frying pan in the 'secret pocket' that she had on her apron. She hastily went over to Liechtenstein and helped her stand up properly, pushing Prussia out of the way as she did so. It made him even more upset, but this time, Prussia didn't interfere. "Lili, are you hurt?" She started to check Liechtenstein if she was alright.

"Nein, Miss Hungary..." Liechtenstein reassuringly smiled up at Hungary, who let out a relieved sigh. Hungary fixed Liechtenstein's slightly displaced ribbon and put her hands on her hips. "I'm alright...But what about Prussia?"

"Oh, no need to worry about him. After all, he can take a hit..." Hungary looked at Prussia with a menacing glare and a chaotic grin. This scared the living hell out of Prussia, but he would never admit it unless he was with France or Spain, or anyone else who was scared by Hungary. So pretty much the majority of the male countries. "Isn't that right, faszfej?"

Prussia scooted back, unknowingly bumping into his younger brother Germany. This made him shout in one of the most unmanly ways possible for the Prussian. Spain and France would've laughed their asses off. Gilbert turned around to see his older brother, noticing that Austria and a seemingly sulking Switzerland were beside him. "W-West! Kesesese! How long were you there?"

"A couple seconds," Austria answered for Germany as he adjusted his glasses. "Long enough to just barely see you catch Liechtenstein."

At this, Prussia turned to Hungary. "So you knew that I saved her from falling, but you still hit me?" He questioned her, his hands becoming fists as his eyes twitched.

"Igen. That's right," Hungary chuckled lightly, as if she was laughing at a child's joke.

"That's so not awesome," Prussia complained, crossing his arms and scowling at the Hungarian woman. She knew that he wasn't really going to do anything to hurt her, and that pissed Prussia off. Especially since she was right. He wouldn't truly hurt any girl or woman, especially not in front of Liechtenstein. Now that would just be plain stupid. Still, he mumbled to himself vulgar things about how un-awesome that was.

"Come along now Liechtenstein," Austria spoke, starting to head back. Switzerland's unfortunately contagious and gloomy mood was starting to go affect Roderich's mood in an unhealthy manner. He wanted to take care of that quickly, for he was not going to play his piano in such a woeful disposition.

"We're going to go to my house to settle ourselves," Germany said bluntly, not really having any further comments. He would've said something if he could, but his train of thought and the situation didn't really bring him anything to work with.

"Ah, okay," Liechtenstein said in a happy tone. She liked visiting everyone's houses, although she had only been into a couple of them...

"We're going home? Great, I'm so un-awesomely tired right now, I could go for a beer or some," Prussia said, stretching his arms and putting his hands in his pockets. "Come on; let's go already before I get smacked in the head again."

"Was that a challenge?" Hungary turned to Prussia with another taunting glare. This one sent Prussia running like Italy in the middle of gunfire. Well, not that fast, but still pretty fast.

"Nein! It wasn't!" Prussia shouted as the Hungarian started to chase him all the way to his house. "STOP CHASING ME, IT'S SO NOT AWESOME!"

Austria, Germany, Liechtenstein, and Switzerland watched as they walked towards Germany's house. The Austrian and German pinched their foreheads almost simultaneously as Hungary and Prussia disappeared from their point of view. Liechtenstein watched them until she couldn't see them as well, but when they did, she looked towards her brother. Switzerland seemed out of focus and had his hands in his pockets. He looked like he was contemplating on something important.

"Big Bruder?" Liechtenstein nudged his sleeve in a gentle manner, making him look down at her after a second or two. Her voice was quiet and timid, but he could understand every word that came out of her mouth. "...I'm sorry for saying those things..."

"It's not your fault, Liechtenstein," Switzerland patted her head in a brotherly manner as he let out a sigh. After a short pause and another one of Switzerland's distant looks, he spoke again. "I should be the one saying sorry."

She stared at her brother for what seemed like the longest time, and leaned against his arm as the walked. Switzerland ignored the glances that he got from Germany and Austria and continued walking. Maybe, just maybe, a little good can come out of talking about this whole situation at Germany's house. The young Swiss man didn't exactly know what benefits could actually take place, but it was worth a shot. Why, one may ask? Because he might be able to make his sister happier. And all he really wanted was that. He looked down at Liechtenstein with his tired, minty-green eyes and found that she was petting a small bird, softly singing it a German lullaby so that it may fall asleep again. It made Switzerland, Germany, and Austria a bit sleepy themselves, but they would never admit it.

[[Extra Short]]

A couple minutes later...

"Germany, I'm far too tired to continue on..." Austria said in an exhausted tone, stopping in his tracks.

"Am I going to have to turn into a human chair again?" Germany said stressfully, giving Austria a look that seemed to question life and its meaning.

"If you will," Austria wiped the sweat off of his brow. He actually was sweating a little.

At this, Germany mumbled something to himself and went down on his knees and hands, suddenly becoming a chair for Austria to take a break on. Austria took a seat on Germany's back, making Liechtenstein giggle quietly at the sight. Switzerland's expression gave the feel that he felt embarrassed to just look at them like that. "Hurry up," Switzerland said as he and Liechtenstein politely waited for Austria to get his strength back, despite the fact that they knew it would run out as soon as he got it back.

"Mister Germany and Mister Austria are really funny..." Liechtenstein laughed lightly as she continued to watch them in place.

"Ja," Switzerland said as he looked away from them for a split second. "Ja, they are..."

Edit/Author's Note II: I forgot to add this little author's note in...*flails*...Anyway, let me know what you think! As always, all sorts of reviews are deeply respected, encouraged, and loved! Tell me what you like, what you don't like, all the bits and pieces! I want to respond to all of them from this chapter onward! Even if it's just a simple comment, I'll respond. U-Unless you guys don't want me to, eheheh...*hides back in the hole of cowardly fear and loneliness* I just want to know who's still actually interested in this story...