Choose Your Player

Chapter Two: Party Crashers

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The cool, crisp air of Britain wafted through a large window of a living room. There the personification of England, Arthur Kirkland, sat. His legs were crossed while he sipped a brew in his large arm chair. Today was peaceful with no worries or local events, a day of relaxation from the chaos that made up the daily duties of a nation, but still the British country wore formal attire. There was not a single wrinkle in his white dress shirt and gray vest or in the pair of dress pants to match. His clothing was an important part of himself, showing his overall personality and demeanor. Great Britain thought of himself no less than a gentleman, so it was more than logical that he would assume to dress and act like one.

His peace and quiet was soon interrupted by the sudden ringing of the doorbell. At first, the person on the other side of the door was patient and waited several seconds before ringing it once more. After a minute the one ringing the doorbell grew impatient and began mashing the life out of the poor bell.

"I'll be right there!" England called out in a thick accent. Whoever was on the other side was really getting on his nerves. Britain quickly pulled on his gray coat and opened the door to find America breathing heavily. "Good god, man! What on earth are you doing here!?" He pulled the ragged and soaking wet Alfred through the door and closed it soon afterwards. America paced back and forth, all the while desperately grasping onto something underneath his jacket. England paled at his behavior and managed to ask, "You didn't murder someone; did you?" For the first time, the usually excited country spoke.

"What!? Of course not! It's just that… something really weird just happened." Sighing, Arthur decided to let him say what he had to say. The eldest nation forced Alfred onto his couch, sitting beside him so as to let him know that he was listening. It was one of the rare occasions that England revealed his father side, a side almost long forgotten by America. So over the next half hour, Alfred explained to him everything that had happened with the old lady he met on the street and how she had touched his neck. "That is when she gave me this…" America pulled a small jar from beneath his leather jacket. The tiny blue light that floated within captivated the older man as it bobbed silently.

"So she presented it to you… Why?" He took the jar in his grasp and examined it as Alfred gazed at the burgundy carpet.

"I don't know. Will you take a look at my neck for me? I mean… it felt so odd when she touched it. It couldn't have been the rain because it hadn't even started then, and what type of rain can bring a person to their knees…?" Alfred pulled his t-shirt collar aside so that England could take a good look at where he had been touched. England leaned over and his eyes widened as he ran his hand along a strange mark that had appeared on the other's neck. "Is it bad..?" Britain's silence was making him worry as it drew on longer and longer.

"A mark… I don't have any idea what it is…" His eyebrows that were even thicker than his accent furrowed in confusion as he gazed upon the mark. It was silent yet again, but it was then interrupted by the phone ringing, scaring the living daylights out of both of them. Alfred had jumped as Arthur stood up to answer it where it was held up on the wall next to the kitchen. He held the phone to his ear as he stood there and unconsciously wrapped the cord around his finger while he spoke to the person on the other end. "Of course; yes. Yes; I'm still holding it tonight. Oh no. Your fine; don't worry about." America raised an eyebrow at the conversation being held. " Alright; bye…."

"Who was that?" He turned to look over the couch at him.

"China; he was asking about the party tonight." Arthur stood there and looked out the window, where the rain continued to poor, another typical day in Britain….

"Wait; what party!?" England looked at him as if he were crazy then grew slightly infuriated.

"'Party? What party?' you ask. It's only the party I've been letting you know the details of for the past month! Are you saying that you never heard one word that I said!? Wait; why am I even asking that when I know the answer!?" Oh, he was ticked…. At that, Alfred yelled back at him.

"And what do you mean by that!?"

"Oh, you know what I mean!" He sighed out of frustration as he regained his composure. "You're invited you know. That's why I thought you came here in the first place…."

"Well, it originally was to drop by for a visit, but I'll go to your party. I mean; what else do I have to do at the moment?" Alfred shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes as he did so. "When does it start?"

"Well, you are certainly not going in those clothes! Look at yourself; you're utterly dreadful!" He pointed to his soaked clothes and dirty jeans. "Even if it was dry as the desert, I would still not be seen with someone wearing such a thing." He huffed and crossed his arms at the man's lack of style.

"What's wrong with the way I dress? I'm completely comfortable, and that is all that matters!" Alfred stood up from the crouch so he could face Arthur full on.

"Well, you're still changing because this is not just some random get together! This is a formal party where we will be discussing present and future politics with one another, so get along and put on something decent. Clean up while you're at it. We don't want you looking like a slob." Feeling defeated, the United States of America drug his feet as he walked to the bathroom. "Get a move on! We only have an hour and a half to get there, and the drive takes an hour!" With that said, Alfred bolted to the bathroom to get cleaned up for the party…

xXx

Green hills rolled by as Alfred looked out the car window. It would not be too long until they had made it to Arthur's large estate. It was not uncommon for a country to have several houses, being that they represented the nation's themselves. England was no exception, having purchased a large residence in the English countryside. It was a place where he could run off to find some relaxation and peace. He often used it for vacation and other purposes such as large events like this evening.

Alfred continued to gaze through the glass, frustrated that his former father figure had forced him into bearing formal attire even though he was a mature man himself. He hated doing what he was told by Britain. After all, maybe it was because of his battle for independence…. He was brought out of his thoughts as they rolled up to the front of the estate. It made his jaw drop at the site of it.

It was a small mansion with four stories and land that spread over several acres. The windows on the sides were large and appeared to be very expensive as did everything else. There was a garden on the side of the building, surrounded by bushes and covered in paths throughout it. Every type of flower imaginable sprouted from the soil and ponds that shimmered in the sunlight were crafted here and there. A large white gazebo rested in the middle of the oasis, covered in vines that made the area feel even more majestic.

America could barely stop gawking as he was escorted from the black vehicle and into the foyer where two, large marble staircases ran up to the second floor. The floor above them- the rest of the house in fact- was probably just as grand as what the country had already saw, seeing as there was red, plush carpet beginning on the steps and weaving towards the upstairs.

"Are you coming or not…?" The sound of Britain's voice nearly frightened the poor nation to death. The estate had been so grand that he had almost forgotten England was there.

"Yeah." They then walked to the kitchen so that they could check up on the cooking and see how everything was going. Other than a mishap with one of the chef's forgetting to prepare a dish, everything appeared to be fine, but Arthur barely even noticed when Alfred quietly snuck out of the room overwhelming with strong smells to go look around the rest of the house. After all, he knew for a fact that he was not going to eat what Arthur's people prepared….

xXx

It was at last time for the party. Silk ribbons were draped between columns in the dance hall along with bright white lights. On the walls to both sides of the area there were two large tables prepared to allow the guests to eat. The first time America caught a glimpse of the room, he felt it to be too high class for the gruff British nation. The site that lied before him was something more up France's alley if you asked him. Everything was just a bit too grand for his tastes.

The first guests to arrive were France and Canada. England put on the best fake smile he could muster as he shook the Frenchman's hand. He then turned to the man's side and was expected to shake Canada's hand. He paused for a moment before shivering and walking over to get America to join them. Once again, Canada had been forgotten… poor Canada.

"Bonjour, America! How are you doing; has my grincheux angleterre been treating you badly?" England was about to shout at him for being called such a name, but France continued talking to the younger nation. "Is this house not splendid!? I'm surprised that England could pull it off so well, but I have to admit that it is nowhere near the scale of my own housing and events. Oh let's face it, nothing can compare! Ohonhonhonhonhonhon~!" The Frenchman laughed as England proceeded in hitting him upside the head. For once in his life, America did not butt in but instead stood to the side while sweat dropping along with an invisible Canada.

Two hours had passed since then, and all of the guests had arrived. Business discussions were going as planned, and the food was delicious. People laughed and drank until they were a bit tipsy. Apparently at one point or another, France had slipped some liquor in the drinks being served and even began raiding the kitchen for more. Before they knew it, there was bound to be a naked France streaking throughout the estate. That was a sight no one would prefer to see again. Unfortunately, they had enough of that on a normal basis…

England's party was at full throttle, and it seemed that nothing could ruin the occasion, but it was obvious now that everyone had been entirely off the mark with that statement. A crash resounded throughout the room that sent every person to jump out of shock.

"Who the bloody 'ell… is ruining my party!?" A very drunk England yelled out with a hiccup to follow. Evidently, France's raid of alcohol reached him as well. The source of the sound had come from the kitchen, so the countries ventured into the still warm room that had been used to cook the buffet. Servants had left to attend the party or either was allowed to leave for the barracks. There was no one in the kitchen except France, who had passed out on the floor long ago. The cause of the commotion was caused by no other than the three Axis members that lay below the now broken glass window.

Japan was groaning as Germany had fallen on top of him along with Italy, who had fell on the blonde, and did not seem to want to move any time soon. Germany was angry and yelling at Italy for causing them to get into this mess, complaining that he had ruined the plan. The brunette of the group just smiled and waved to the rest of them.

"Oh ciao, everybody~!"

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(A.N.) Wow! 2,103 words, not counting the author's note. This is almost as long as my one short story for my Black Butler 3 part series! :3 If only I had wrote two hundred or more words, I would have beat my all-time record for how many words I have wrote for a chapter EVER! You never know… I might beat it soon. After all with this story, I'm planning on writing fairly lengthy chapters, which is something unusual for me. Most of the time, I like to keep it around 1,000 or 1,300 at the most. Lucky for you readers! More reading material and it's a good thing that I know exactly what I want to write for this story! Also before I forget, I want to thank Randomality101 (on deviantart) for being my first reviewer/commenter!

As for translations:

"grincheux angleterre"- French for- " grumpy England".

With that said, I will be signing off…

~Ame-chan777