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Trial Two: Psychosis.

Incessant howling greeted Greece as he came to inside the room filled with pitch blackness for the second time in his memory. Once again he seemed to have absolutely no mobility of his arms, though his legs lacked their bindings. He winced at the deafening sound as harlequin green eyes futilely attempted to survey his surroundings. Frustration welled behind his heart and radiated throughout his veins: the urge to plug his ears, or find the animal (he assumed that it was a cat) that served as the source of the bloodcurdling noise forced him to shake his wrists as if trying to break his shackles using only pure strength in the spirit of Achilles.

The yowling crescendoed, completely concealing the sound of booted footsteps just outside what seemed to be the only door attached to the room, coincidentally directly in front of Greece. His eyes squeezed shut, mustering all of his effort to block out the death-laced clamor until it abruptly stopped, as if someone had put the suffering cat out of its misery. The familiar creak of the door forced Greece's eyes open: the same built silhouette as last time hovered in front of him after crouching briefly to collect something, though this time he could almost distinguish the shrouded person's identity from the sliver of light that poured into the room. Fine stubble adorned his chin... a light-colored tassel seemed to stem from the hat perched at an angle atop his head...

"Back again, are we?" The voice that resonated in Greece's mind what seemed like ages ago now rung about the room, having acquired an arrogant quality. "You must have known that the time had come for you to begin your second trial. Only one more awaits you after this."

The man in stooped to set whatever it was that he had picked up in front of Greece before backing away a few paces, his arms visibly folding across his chest. Greece could almost discern the smirk that upturned the other man's mouth as the ungodly scream ripped through what tense silence had engulfed the room, this time much closer to the Mediterranean country than he had anticipated. The image of a tabby cat, its fur standing straight up and gaining a spiky quality, surfaced in his mind as something scratched against the fabric of his jeans, latching between denim fibers and working its way upward. A mixture of hisses and yowls that could have easily done a banshee's wail justice elicited from the animal now cinched to his torso as it found the bare flesh of his arm, exposed by the short sleeves of his snowy shirt. Whetted claws that felt like tiny embers had ignited just millimeters underneath his epidermis pierced his skin. The animal keened with earsplitting volume before animatedly jerking its head down, easily slipping its needlepoint fangs underneath Greece's pliable skin. Its frail body seized unanticipatedly, relinquishing its hold on the tanned country's arm before crashing against the unyielding floor with a sickening thump.

The fetters that wrapped Greece's wrists unfastened with a metallic clink from just a few inches overhead: his arms fell almost limp at his sides as he rubbed his new wound which pulsated almost as if it possessed its own life force, though it didn't specifically hurt. A deep chuckle resounded from the man standing a few feet away as he studied his prisoner amusedly. "Trial two, psychosis, will now begin." He pivoted about-face and began to stride toward the door, which still stood ajar.

"Wait... I need to ask you-" Greece managed, his voice barely the ghost of a whisper but audible this time as a hand extended toward the man before the door slammed shut, cloaking the room once again in suffocating darkness.

Greece bolted upright from underneath the kotatsu table, his forehead almost connecting with its wooden top as his eyes cracked open, squinting for a few moments to allow adjustment to the rather bright room lit by the midday sun. Perspiration beaded against his countenance, beginning to trickle down the side of his face. He wiped his face with the back of his hand before glancing around, an abnormal sort of emotion overtaking his brain: he felt dejected and almost lost, like a child that had unintentionally let go of a shiny, drug store balloon, sacrificing it to the fathomless azure expanse overhead. Gripping need forced him to slide out from underneath the table and hop to his feet, steeling himself from breaking into an all-out dash down the winding hallway that connected the living room with the rest of Japan's traditional house. His knuckles rapped twice against the sliding door that blocked his path leading into Japan's bedroom, and twice again after no response. "Japan?" Greece called, his voice rising on the last syllable of his friend's national name.

The Asian country shuffled through the hallway, an onyx brow quirking slightly at the sight of Greece in front of his door. He traipsed toward the taller country and tapped his shoulder once he stood a few feet away, head tilted upward to look into his face. Greece turned with astonishing speed, eyes glittering with inexplicable tears as he threw his arms around the startled country, squeezing him as if he would float away. "E-Eh? Greece-san, what's the matter?" Japan questioned quietly, hesitating before folding an arm around the other country.

"I thought... you had left. For good," Greece whispered into the shell of Japan's ear before burying his face in the diminutive country's shoulder, unable to cease the trembling that snaked through his limbs.

Japan shook his head as his other arm curled around Greece's waist, fingers lacing together before his hands came to rest against the small of the other's back. "I would not leave without telling you first. You seem... rather shaken up. Greece-san, please come with me. Did something happen while you slept?"

The memories came in a stampeding onslaught, catching Greece off-guard just as he readied to shake his head in a negative gesture. The ethereal shimmer of fluorescent light that barely touched the tips of the mindless cat's fur as it braced itself to clamp down onto his arm... the maniacal laughter that spilled from the other man's mouth as he watched from barely three feet away, never attempting to protect Greece from the destructive animal... the rectangle of light that pooled in the room from the only open door... that door...

A lone tear skirted the supple skin of his cheek before his head rose off of Japan's shoulder, hand flitting up to dash away the fluid. His eyes met Japan's chestnut irises, charcoal pupils almost blending into the dark color that rimmed them. "I had a nightmare," he stated simply, his voice catching as if he were to break down at any given moment.

Japan's eyes narrowed as he stared into Greece's teal optics. "Why do you look as if you're going to cry? I've never seen you like this," he remarked, his hands unlacing as one flickered up to his friend's face, cupping his cheek in a soothing gesture.

"I don't know. I can't... can't deal with this."

Greece removed his arms from around Japan, taking a few steps back before tramping straight past the country in which he had found one of his only friends. Before he could advance out of arm's reach, Japan whipped around as his hand seized Greece's wrist, halting the Mediterranean country in his tracks. Greece's brows furrowed as the distinct sound of breath hitching in surprise graced him: his gaze slid to Japan, whose face now wore a rather shocked expression. His eyes bulged as he stared down at the underside of Greece's left forearm, directly beneath his elbow joint. "Wh... where did you get that mark, Greece-san...?" he asked almost forebodingly, his tone transcending multitudinous octaves.

Greece's periphery shifted from Japan to his own arm, though he immediately wished he hadn't looked. His heart detached itself from its cozy place just behind his sternum and flew into his throat in pure horror: two bulbous rosy marks protuberated on his skin, tainting the surface around it a lighter shade of tan than the rest of his body. They were situated rather close together... mimicking exactly the way a cat's main canine teeth would be positioned on its top jaw...

"I can't tell you. You won't believe me," Greece replied instantly, jerking his wrist out of Japan's grasp with astounding strength.

Japan shook his head reflexively, for once stepping directly up to his friend and looping his arms around his midsection. His eyes darted up to Greece's face, espying the telltale glimmer of fresh tears anointing his forest-hued eyes. "I will believe you. You know that I have never doubted you, even when you told me about your gods and goddesses and all of their adventures. Please, Greece-san, tell me what happened. Those marks... they look ominous, unhealthy."

Greece scrutinized Japan's eyes for a few silent moments before embracing his friend, his arms lingering around the shorter country's shoulders. "Alright. There was a cat in the dream I had... it-"

"Hey, Japan! I hope you're home!"

An exact doppelganger of the voice in his dream interrupted Greece, reverberating malignantly through all of the halls and rooms of Japan's one-story abode. His mint eyes snapped to the open doorway which served to frame Japan's guest: he stood a few inches taller than Greece, with skin just as tan and tidy stubble ornamenting his chin, a masquerade-like mask of ivory beguiling his eyes... a khaki-colored tassel sticking out of his crimson hat...

That stubble... that tassel...

A rush of mixed emotions- anger, hatred, confusion, loneliness, melancholy- enveloped Greece's mind, propelling jumbled thoughts across the slate of his brain, suffusing throughout the rest of his body like crystalline water through dainty fingers. The world spun before a relentless curtain of the deepest, impenetrable black tumbled over Greece's eyes, his arms slackening around Japan before he lost all sense of balance. His thinking self had vacated his physical body before he collided with the hardwood floor underfoot.

To be continued.