This one is for insane-assylum-13 who requested some Germany/Mexico

Song: Hakuna Matata

Ludwig looked down at the small German farm his cloud was raining on and nodded in satisfaction. It always gave him pleasure to know that his duties were appreciated and needed sometimes. As a rain spirit, he wasn't exactly the most popular type of weather out there. There was even a nursery rhyme about it, "Rain, rain, go away. Come again some other day." He guided his cloud past the farm and planned on settling there for a time but a crackle in the air let him know that trouble, more commonly known as his brother, was coming. A loud rumble came from the east and a flash of lightning streaked across the sky to land on his cloud. a rush of electricity raced up and down Ludwig's legs before settling. He blinked rapidly until he could see clearly and glared at the man lounging on the other end of his cloud. Gilbert was shocking to look at which fit his role as a lightning spirit perfectly. His wild white hair was always tousled and his crimson eyes flashed with a mischievous light while his jagged, crimson tunic constantly crackled with energy. He was almost the exact opposite of Ludwig whose blonde hair and gray tunic were always neat and orderly and his blue eyes were the definition of solemnity.

Gilbert cackled at Ludwig's expression, "Ksesese, vhy so serious bruder?"

"Because vhenever you come around you bring trouble in your vake," Ludwig answered.

Gilbert pouted and pressed a hand to his chest in mock hurt. "Oh come on! Zhere vas zhat time vhen-"

"I had to save you before Lovino turned you into ash?"

"No, I vas talking about zhat ozher time-"

"Elizaveta almost crushed us because of zhat prank you pulled?"

"I meant zhat ozher, ozher time vhen I-"

"Made Vash so made he threw you across Europe and Asia?"

Gilbert sighed and flopped onto his back. "You're no fun, you know zhat? Vhy don't you loosen up once in a vhile?"

Ludwig rolled his eyes but didn't respond. He took his job seriously and he did it well, that was probably why he'd become a full-fledged rain spirit so quickly. He was young by spirit standards, only a hundred years or so. Still, it was sometimes hard to remember that Gilbert was the older brother. "Vhat do you vant?" he asked, coming right to the point.

Gilbert shook his head, "It's not vhat I vant, it's vhat Mutter Nature vants. Und she vants you to go to zhe Gulf of Mexico."

Ludwig stared at him in shock for a few seconds then flew to the clipboard resting next to him and flipped through the pages frantically. "I don't remember seeing zhat in my schedule!"

Gilbert laughed again, "Zhat's because it isn't in your schedule. Mutter decided it just now and she vants you to get zhere fast." He wilted slightly under Ludwig's suspicious glare. "Vhat?!"

"If you're trying to trick me, I'll-"

Gilbert quickly shook his head, "Zhat's not it at all! Ja, I've pulled pranks on you before, but even I'm not stupid enough to involve Mutter!"

With a groan Ludwig sat down. "Vhy? Zhis vill mess up my entire veek, no, my entire month. I'll have to get Roderich to fill in for me und-"

Gilbert snorted and sat up, "Seriously bruder! Calm down and just go vith zhe flow! I don't know vhy Mutter vants this, but I trust her. Don't you trust her?"

"...Ja."

"Ksesese! Good! Now get going!" With another mad cackle and a snap of his fingers Gilbert was racing across the sky and out of sight. Ludwig pulled out a map from the very bottom of his stack of papers and found the Gulf of Mexico. He'd never been there before, he'd heard it was warm but that was about it. Ugh, he was getting a headache. The sooner he got done with whatever Mother Earth wanted him to do the better.

It was the unexpected cold that woke Ludwig up. Mumbling angrily he sat up and looked around at the earth beneath his cloud and was surprised to see grey rocks instead of a lush rainforest floor. His trip to the Gulf of Mexico had been long and frustrating but upon reaching it he'd been pleasantly surprised by the wonderfully climate and amazing landscape. He'd drifted in from the Atlantic Ocean near the port of Veracruz and fallen asleep, letting the wind and mother nature carry him where they may.

But now it was so cold! He looked to his left and yelped in surprise, he was about to run into a gigantic mountain! He estimated it was around 5,500 meters above sea level and it housed what seemed to be several glaciers at the very top. He felt a tingling sensation go through his spine, the kind he only got when he was about to meet a new spirit. Was this the reason Mother Nature had sent him here? He nudged his cloud up the slope of the mountain and watched the horizons around him get bigger as he got higher and higher. After a few minutes the cloud reached the very top and Ludwig gingerly stepped off it onto the snow-capped peak. The wind bit at his exposed arms and face making him shiver violently. He crouched low, placed a hand on the snow, and tried to communicate with Mother Nature. Something was blocking him though, something deep inside the mountain. The tingling sensation returned and Ludwig fell to his hands and knees as all sense of vertigo left him.

About two feet from him several sheets of ice detached themselves from the mountain and swirled in the air faster and faster. More ice joined them and Ludwig scrambled back from the ever increasing mini tornado that was boring through the layers of snow, ice, and rock. Bits of debris flew everywhere and Ludwig was forced to cover his face to prevent something hitting his eye or worse. He considered somehow reaching his cloud and flying away but just as quickly as the wind had started it suddenly stopped and he could open his eyes again. The landscape was the same as before except that now there was a hole in the mountain. It looked to be around five feet in diameter but it was impossible to tell how deep it was. A loud noise, almost like a yawn, came up from the hole and a moment later a hand followed. Ludwig watched with apprehension as the dark hand was followed by an equally dark skinned arm. Then another arm appeared followed by a head. It was a woman, her long black hair fell like a curtain in front of her face and hid her features as she slowly climbed out of the hole.

Ludwig looked her up and down; she was wearing a plain white dress that went down to her knees. Unlike her arms, her legs were made of stone and were webbed with cracks. This openings were filled with lava that oozed onto the ice with a hiss. The woman swiped her hair away from her eyes and now Ludwig could see her dark brown eyes and proud features. She yawned again and stretched, her fingers reaching for the sky, the she rubbed at one of her eyes and Ludwig was suddenly reminded of a child that had woken from a long nap. The woman finally seemed to notice Ludwig, with a sleepy smile she said, "Nano toka."

He didn't understand, but Ludwig guessed that she was greeting him. "Uh...hallo."

The woman blinked and tilted her head to the side, "You speak... English?" Ludwig nodded, glad to have found a common language. She smiled again, "Who are you? And what year is it?"

Ludwig stood up slowly, "I am Ludvig, und it is 2013."

"Oh! I slept all the way to the 21st century?!" The woman looked around at her mountain and laughed. "Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this..."

Ludwig scratched the back of his head, "Neizher vas I. Er... who are you?"

The woman shrugged, "I don't know what my people call me these days, wait a moment." She closed her eyes and the mountain seemed to hum under her feet. With a whispery sigh she opened her eyes again, "Most people call me Pico de Orizaba. But I have many other names. I have been called Citlaltepetl, Istaktepetl and Poyautecatl. You can choose whichever you like."

With a puzzled frown, the rain spirit replied, "...but...vhat do you vant to be called?"

The woman looked thunderstruck. She waved a hand and a shelf of stone burst out of the ground to form a bench-like seat. Plopping down onto it, she mused aloud. "What do I want? No one's ever asked me that before... my people usually name me whatever fits best. Um..." she looked at Ludwig shyly, "Would you call me Citlal?" Ludwig nodded gravely and held out his hand. Citlal took it but after the first second they jerked their hands away in pain. Ludwig held back a hiss of pain as he looked down at the blisters forming on his palm, her hand was scorching hot! "Your hand is so cold," Citlal muttered. She glanced behind him at his cloud and recognition dawned on her face, "Ohhhh... you're a rain spirit!"

"Ja. And mountain spirits aren't supposed to be so...hot."

Citlal raised an eyebrow and lifted up one of her feet. Lava was still seeping from it and she pointed to it. "I'm not a mountain spirit, I'm a volcano spirit."

That made absolutely no sense to Ludwig. Volcano spirits were supposed to be quick tempered beings, constantly flying into a rage and passionate about everything. Citlal sensed his confusion and explained, "I've been dormant for a long time, my last eruption was sometime in the 19th century. I've been sleeping ever since. I wonder why Madre wanted me to wake up? I don't think I'm going to erupt anytime soon. Maybe I'll never erupt again." She said this last part so cheerfully it took Ludwig completely by surprise and he could help but yell,

"But, you'll go extinct! Und if you go extinct zhen you'll die und some new mountain spirit vill take your place!"

Citlal laughed and waved his concern away. "I've been around since the Pleistocene, I've lived a good life. And maybe I will erupt again, it doesn't matter to me. Now sit down before you collapse." She patted the rock next to her and Ludwig sat down. Even though they maintained a safe distance he could still feel heat radiating off her.

"Still," he continued, "Maybe if you try to erupt or, I don't know, do somezhing-"

"Hakuna Matata."

"...Vhat?"

"Hakuna Matata. I heard it from an old African wind spirit once. It means 'no worries'." Citlal looked off to the east and her eyes got a faraway, nostalgic look. Then she snapped back to the present and looked at Ludwig. "What about you? When were you born?"

"A century ago."

Citlal whistled, "That's impressive. You're so young! I'd forgotten that rain spirits have a shorter lifespan... still, the fact that you're already on your own is amazing!"

"Vell, I take my job very seriously," Ludwig answered somewhat stiffly. He wasn't really sure about how he regarded this volcanic spirit. She was very old and probably very wise but her nonchalant way of living - even if she was almost at the end of her days - reminded him of his brother and he certainly didn't like that.

With a huff Citlal smacked him on the arm causing them both to wince. "Well, it sounds like you take it too seriously. Shouldn't young rain spirits like you be flying around causing floods or droughts-"

Ludwig cut her off indignantly, "I vould never do somezhing so foolish!"

With another laugh Citlal stood up, "You REALLY need to learn the concept of Hakuna Matata my friend." An unexpected yawn burst from her throat and she looked mildly taken aback. "Oh, I think I'll be going to sleep again soon." She pivoted and looked at Ludwig with large pleading eyes. "Stay with me until I fall asleep?"

Ludwig rubbed his arm and thought about it. He really should get back to his schedule but... perhaps it would be okay to relax just this once. He nodded and stood up. "Alright. Are you sure I von't be a bother?"

Citlal winked at him, "No worries."

So... I think I really like this little universe! I may come back to it some day.

Just so you all know, Pico de Orizaba is a real volcano. It's the biggest mountain in Mexico and the third highest in North America. It's currently dormant, but not extinct so it may erupt some day. Also, it has nine glaciers, the biggest being Gran Glaciar Norte. Random Fun Fact: The name Citlaltepetl means "Star Mountain" in Nahuatl so Citlal means "Star".

Also, does anyone find the concept that a rain spirit can choose his own name while a volcano spirit can't weird? I think it makes sense but I want to hear your opinion.

Please Review!