All right, everyone, here's the first chapter. My friend, who has asked to be called Hadoken, finished the second chapter, and that will be up once I finish the third. Hopefully that won't take too long.

Anyway, enjoy. And thank you everyone who has reviewed or alerted or favorited this story so far :D

Disclaimer: We do not own Hetalia. I have no witty comments to make.

It was a beautiful mid-spring afternoon, the flowers around the castle brightly blooming, the birds fluttering about merrily and chirping cheery little tunes. The clouds overhead were large and fluffy, wispy marshmallows set against a background of pure blue.

Japan sat next to the well for a momentary break, head back, eyes closed against the bright sunlight. Most of his morning had been spent cleaning the courtyard and valiantly trying once again to dissuade the birds from pooping all over the newly-cleaned floor. As always, his efforts had been fruitless, and he would have to spend another several hours scrubbing the same area. He sighed in frustration.

A particularly curious bird chose that moment to peck at Japan's hand. He blinked, looking down at the little creature. It gazed back up at him, twittering sweetly and tipping its head at a cute angle.

"What?" Japan questioned, a smile spreading over his lips. "Would you like me to sing or something? I don't see how that's very fair, considering you and your friends keep making extra work for me."

The bird continued to stare at him, with its little black eyes wide and expectant, ruffling its feathers in the most adorable way the prince-turned-maid had ever seen. Japan had always been a sucker for cute things, ever since he accidentally got locked in that room with the magic mirror who was obsessed with Hello Kitty. It even tried to convince him that a servant in a cat suit named Shinatty was cute, but that only scarred Japan for life.

As the tiny creature continued its begging routine, he could not help but oblige. His voice was soft and melodious, an octave or so deeper than one might expect from his appearance. The melody was one of the few lullabies Japan could remember his mother singing to him, those four years he had been able to spend with her. Probably some anime theme or ending, based on what he knew about his deceased parent and the entire closet full of anime DVDs and manga.

He missed her dearly, even now, 13 years later, and singing the songs she had once sung to him was one of the only ways he could feel closer to her. That and watching anime, a hobby he had taken up in his sparse free-time. Granted she probably wouldn't do anything about the dress but he could live with that. It was actually surprisingly comfortable.

Lost in his thoughts as he was, Japan failed to notice the presence of another until he spoke.

"That's a nice voice you have." Startled, Japan jumped up, glancing over to his left where a young man sat. The bird, angry that the prince had stopped singing, began attacking the stranger violently, causing him to nearly fall into the well as he tried to evade their assault. With Japan's help, the two were eventually able to ward off the flying critters, though not without receiving a good deal of damage. However most of it, if not all, had been done to the nameless man.

He smiled at Japan with relief at the fact that he was no longer being kamikazed by rabid sparrows, mixed with something that might have been amusement. Japan couldn't be sure. His emerald eyes sparkled with left-over adrenaline and merriment. Cautiously, Japan backed off a few paces. The stranger ran his fingers through his blond hair, before holding both hands up in front of him, assuring peace, "No need to worry. I'm not going to hurt you." And then he laughed: a short, amiable chime.

Japan felt his cheeks coloring, and retreated several more steps, only to have the other move forward to take hold of his wrist, gently, albeit firmly. "Now don't go running away from me. I only wish to talk."

"I-I," Japan stuttered, looking frantically between the young man's smiling face, and his captured wrist. "I really must finish up my chores." His gaze flickered to the empty bucket and the brush beside it, which he darted for the moment his hand was released.

The blond-haired one looked on in amusement as the smaller man rushed to the well, placing the bucket on the hook before agitatedly cranking the handle, his face still a vibrant crimson. There was a silence, filled only with the faint splash of the bucket filling and its return trip back up the shaft. When Japan took the bucket and returned to the site of his previous work, the other man followed.

"My name is England, by the way," the blond remarked, kneeling beside where the other was scrubbing, careful to avoid bird droppings. "And you are Japan, correct?"

Japan jolted sharply, nearly upending the bucket. "H-How did you know my name?" he asked nervously, the brush in his hand still as he looked up at the other with a mix of expectancy and wariness.

"Well, you are the prince, aren't you? Everybody in the kingdom talks about how absolutely adorable you are. And true to their words, the dress really does make you look even cuter."

Japan looked thoroughly embarrassed, if not somewhat mortified, by the comment. Even the tips of his ears were red by this point, and so he returned to his work vigorously, determined to try and ignore the other.

"I was wondering if you would like to accompany me out to dinner this evening."

So much for ignoring him. "I-I apologize," Japan dropped the brush this time, straightening, though still refusing to look the other in the eye. "I don't understand the principles of these…jokes."

"It's not a joke," the other replied, his expression now rather offended. "Am I that far beneath your standards, that my proposition is laughable?"

"No, of course not," Japan assured, taking the brush once again and continuing his chore, as he mumbled, "I just didn't think…I didn't…this isn't one of those cheap romance novels…I just met you, I mean…"

England looked mildly surprised as he was a big fan of those "cheap romance novels". He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

Japan stood, taking the bucket and splashing its contents over the freshly scrubbed stone. England followed after him as he made his way back to the well.

Just as the bucket was once more full and safely on the stone surrounding the well, Japan felt two arms twine around him from behind. "E-England!" he blushed furiously, trying to push the other away. "Wha-what are you doing? That was my first time!"

"Eh?" the other responded intelligently, allowing the smaller man to pull away fully.

"I-I," face still red as a strawberry, he fumbled for what little composure he had left. "I need you to take responsibility!"

"For hugging you?" England clarified, incredulous. Japan looked away, fingers fidgeting spasmodically as he tried to diminish his blush.

"I…I apologize for over reacting," he began, still not looking up at the other. "About tonight, I-"

"You'll accept?"

"I-I never said-"

"Wonderful! I'll see you at 7, then?"

"England, I…" But the other had already left, leaving nothing but empty air where he had before stood.

Japan shook his head silently to himself, before grabbing the bucket and returning to his never-ending chore. Sure enough, the spot that had been clean several minutes previous was once again filled with bird excrement. He would have to work quickly if he wanted any chance at being able to meet with England as offered. Not that he liked him or anything.