Egg Nation- Storming the Tower
Amu headed the group and took a few steps, starting the march, only to pause in the realization that she had no idea where she was going. She'd forgotten the way to the Easter building. After Amu froze with one of her legs lifted in the middle of a stride, Arthur glided ahead and picked up the lead.
"It's this way" He stated apathetically, his indifference struck Amu and her Guardian Characters as odd. From their first encounter he'd only spoken in a nurturing manner, but now his entire presence emitted an unsettling somberness. The rest of the group had already begun to follow, hesitating at first, but only complied when Utau went without a second thought. Amu scurried back up to her friends who'd continued without her for a bit.
"How do you know where the Easter headquarters is?" Miki asked with a hint of accusation thrown at the Englishman. Her question intrigued the interests of all present, even England's fellow countries raised a curious brow. Arthur mentally scolded himself before he replied, "While I was out with Amu's mother and sister, I felt something strange. And this is just intuition, but I believe that its source is where Alfred is being confined and tortured."
"And how do you know t-" The suspecting character started to retort.
"Wah! Am- Alfred is being tortured? He's so big and strong, a guy like me doesn't stand a chance against these bad people! Ludwig, I'm scared. Protect me!" Feliciano wailed, fleeing to Germany's side as he pulled desperately at his friend's clothing in an attempt to create a barrier. While Germany tried calming (And by that I mean yell at) the Italian; the rest of the nations hovered silently, gawking at the latest information. The children's and other characters' surprised expressions were present, but they lacked clarity, not that the nations had a complete understanding of the situation though it was slightly better. This carried on until Francis inquired, " Mon cher Angleterre, what do you mean?What has happened to Amérique?"
"Why did you speak French just now? Are you trying to hide something?" Miki shouted as if charging them of a crime, doubt lacing her words. France was taken aback, while England took the verbal abuse with only a solemn look as a response. Amu became irritated with Miki's outbursts and proceeded to lecture her untrusting character, receiving a saucy remark that sent her face ablaze. An argument immediately sparked between the two.
"Why should we trust them? They're obviously keeping secrets from us!"
"We can't turn a blind eye to someone in need!" Amu defended. Ran and Su soon entered to intervene their debating, with no avail. Luckily a level-headed Tadase began to apply some sense to the situation, but he was backed up by Kiseki's hollered demands of the 'peasants' to cease their bickering. This started a fueled fight between the characters, and even Nagihiko's reinforcement was unable to calm everyone down. Rima attempted to step in and aid, but her sound words were ignored. It was at this point that all the characters tried dealing with one another and vice versa for their owners. Except for Yaya and Pepe; who fell onto the ground, blubbering fat tears, and Utau as she stood at a distance from the chaos accompanied by Il and El.
"Yaya doesn't like all this fighting, can't we just be friends? Wah!" She cried in between her spilling eyes and loud whining. Ivan took pleasure in this discord at first, but after its more recent and noisy developments he drifted to Francis and Arthur with a displeased scowl. This frown pushed back the other nations away in fear, Canada covering his face with Kumajiro and shivering more out of worry for his brother than the Russian's terror.
The fighting below the countries then escalated to Kukai having to hook his elbows around Amu's shoulders, restraining her from charging at the scoffing Miki. The flip of a cell phone closed with a clamp, and a van cruised up to the edge of the curb, its driver's window opening which revealed a woman with red-brown hair and glasses.
"Aren't you all as lively as ever?" Sanjo Yukari commented, seeing the disorderly conduct of Amu and her friends. Their brawl had ended as Utau coolly said, "I'll have none of that arguing on the way; so if you wish to continue, you'll just have to walk." She finished her speech by slamming the vehicle's door, emphasizing the little tolerance she had for them now but gave a gentle glance from the passenger seat that sincerely wanted their pointless quarrel to end. Amu picked up the girl's smile and parted from the previously tense atmosphere, sliding the van's door open and climbing in. Ran and Su gladly followed, exhibiting the contagious grin, but Miki was a little reluctant to take on the happy demeanor as she entered the van.
"C'mon! Don't just stand there, the rest of you get in. You've got an evil plot to foil… again" Sanjo-san pestered, beeping the horn to provoke them into hurrying. Once the last on the children and characters scrambled into the tightly packed van, she sped off.
'At least she drives at legal speeds, unlike Saeki Nobuko.' Amu breathed, relieved, after remembering the reckless driving of a certain fortune teller. She then drifted away from her thoughts, focusing on the stiff awkwardness that had taken hold. The morning's events were passing by so quickly; just a few moments ago they'd all been fully invested in a heated argument, and now they sat quietly with nothing to say. It was then Sanjo-san who took on upon herself to break the unnerving silence.
"Geez! It always seems like your group always, constantly has to clean up adults' mistakes. So, what's Easter up to this time?" The manager sighed, generally annoyed by the company's tendency cause her stress. Amu starred at the driver in shock and asked, "Utau didn't tell you the specifics of what Easter's doing, and you still came anyway?"
"It's Easter, why should the details matter? When it comes to those guys, whatever scheme they come up with can't be good." She explained slightly frustrated at the lack of an answer to her questions but appreciating the nobility that Amu thought she had. The ever observant character, Kiku who now hovered next to Utau, took notice of this; then providing with what she desired answered," Our friend has been kidnapped, and it is imperative that we rescue him immediately."
"How long until we arrive, aru? I don't think I can take much more of- Ah! Wh-what is happening, aru? My head" Yao started to ask before clutching the sides of his head and falling into Rima's cradled palms in pain. This reaction spread like wildfire to the other nations, who all had their own unique way of dealing with the dreadful feeling that assaulted them.
Feliciano nearly fainted, Ludwig catching him in time and staggering back a bit from his throbbing headache. Matthew simply buried his face into his polar bear's thick fur coat, wincing furiously. His gaze suddenly shot up when Rhythm was uncharacteristically quiet as he tugged on the Canadian's sleeve, guiding him to Nagihiko's opened hand which he rested on. Ivan slowly hovered down onto Yaya's shoulder and stood up on one knee while holding a hand to his head, a deranged child-like smile spread across his face as he gleefully imagined the moment when he would be able to break the limbs of whatever caused him this ailment.
Francis skittered through the air, away from the vengeful Russian and dramatically landed on Kukai's leg as he writhed in pain. Kiku remained in the air, his body trembling and usually unreadable face barely hinting at the suffering from the pounding that bombarded his head. Amu lifted her arm, placing a hand over her heart which felt an unrelenting tug as she watched Kiku silently endure. Little did she know that everyone else in the vehicle felt the same pang in their chests from their nation's pain. Arthur messaged his temples and rolled his eyes at what he considered an over the top theatrical reaction from France.
"It wasn't this bad yesterday; guess that was only a sample of what your Easter company can do, huh?" England grunted as he weakly offered them some playful banter, it wasn't received well, in fact no one seemed to acknowledged his remark at all. It did however give Kukai's character fuel to start a conversation.
"I sense a lot of X Eggs, there must've not been as many when you were here last time, but there's something else. I can't really explain it though." Daichi informed, having a tricky time trying to convey the unfamiliar yet powerful sensation surging from the direction of the corrupted heart eggs. His owner only became more confused at the character's cryptic comment, and Daichi shrugged, unable to give a proper explanation.
"I know what you mean. I feel it too, but I've never felt anything like this before. I guess it's kinda like a whole lot of X Egg energy is being shoved into something really small, but it's overflowing. And that overflow has become ten times worse then what went in." Rhythm vaguely accessed, but his interpretation seemed to be generally accepted amongst the characters. It was an unwanted approval, the idea of X Egg energy inbreeding with itself and becoming more powerful was frightening.
"But why have Feliciano and everyone else fallen ill? Oh! I don't even have any ingredients for therapeutic tea, desu." Su fretted as she fluttered back and forth in an endeavor to tend to their unknown sickness. When she arrived at Kiku's side, he politely refused her offer and pointed out," Arthur did mention a strange sensation associated with Alfred. We must be somehow connected to him"
"But we're all Guardian Characters, shouldn't this energy have the same effect on all of us?" Ran asked holding her chin, Miki was about to pounce on this evidence and add it to her case when Amu gave her a restrictive glare. Then Feliciano piped in, "But we're not characters, at least I'm not. Are you a character Ludwig?" Germany face palmed at the Italian's question, and before anyone could respond to the comment, the van jolted to a stop.
"Okay, we're only a block from Easter's headquarters. I suggest coming up with a plan on getting inside because I don't think they'll let a group of half a dozen children waltz right in." Sanjo Yukari suggested; her words soaked in irritation and sarcasm, but Rhythm flashed a confident grin as his gaze bounced back and forth from Matthew and Nagihiko. The manager's light cynicism melted away, leaving only her annoyance as the cocky character announced, "That ain't gonna be a problem lady, not with Matthew's invisible character change!"
The Guardian Characters rushed in to surround him with some disbelief but mainly eagerness at the Canadian's ability, and a light pink tinted blush brushed across his cheeks as he humbly scratched the back of his head. Francis and Arthur stood at the back of the crowd, they and the other nations having grown accustomed to the strange feeling by now only perceived it as a nagging mosquito. France nudged England lightly with his elbow, shifted his blue eyes toward Canada and said," It's nice to see him like that, non? He usually is too timid to get the spotlight, but ironically enough his invisibility is what's getting him all this attention."
"Did you actually just say something that wasn't meant to seduce another person? Good God! The word is going to end, you dumb frog. But you're right, it really is nice." England joked before agreeing with the Frenchman; the two older nations continued to proudly look on at Canada, but England bit his tongue as his mind wandered to the subject of America. Once the initial excitement had died down the crowd dissipated, giving Matthew room to shout in a voice that wasn't his regular whisper, "Character change!"
Ping!
When the stuffed polar bear hung from Nagihiko's arms he and Matthew disappear simultaneously, and the van door seemingly opened itself on its own as he pulled at the handle. After stepping out, everyone knew he'd left when the vehicle shook from his exit, Nagihiko ran up to the intimidating building. He fought back the urge to laugh uncontrollably as the two weaved through the businessmen and women without detection. Before, Matthew's character change was a startling concept to Nagihiko, but now he was barely able to contain his adoration for the useful ability. The automatic doors seemed to graciously open themselves to him, welcoming one of the company's worst nuisances like an honored guest, as he timed his entrance with the arrival of a couple employees.
It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for, a fire alarm, which he pulled down right away. Then sprinting back to the front doors, Nagihiko observed the intended results of his labors. Loud alarms sounded and bright lights flashed, the employees scurrying from every direction out the doors. From secretaries to scientists, all were screaming as they scrambled out of the supposedly burning building. It didn't take long for a fairly large group of faculty to be assembled outside, and with another ping the character change was undone.
"They're distracted. Let's go!" Utau yelled as she jumped out of her seat after spotting a visible Nagihiko, ordering the rest to follow. It'd begun. Amu and her friends piled out of the van, running after Utau through the hysterical mob. They managed only to get a couple confused looks from the adults they'd cut through, and no one was willing to pursue them. When they reached the front lobby, Nagihiko was waving them down as he stood impatiently pressing for the elevator.
"It's downstairs! That's where the X Egg energy is coming from." El notified when everyone started heading over to the elevators, and Il then stuck her pinkies inside of her mouth to produce an attention catching whistle and yelled, "The stairs are faster!" Utau was already by the stairwell's entrance, holding the door for the rest of them. Nagihiko gave a sheepish laugh before joining the others as they filed through the doorway to begin their descent down the staircase. The first couple flights of stairs were traveled down quickly without so much as a complaint from Yaya, but the appreciation of this achievement was dashed soon afterwards.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion from one of the upper levels rocked the skyscraper and the few people that inhabited it. Amu lost her footing from the vigorous shaking, and her body fell forward down the stairs. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for impact with the concrete steps, but Tadase grabbed her arm and anchored the two to the railing he had his elbow linked around. As the ground's quaking ended Amu hesitantly squinted her eyes opened, coming face to face with Tadase's concern-filled pale burgundy ones. Their heart wrenching gleam almost completely deafened Amu as Tadase worryingly asked, "Are you alright Amu-chan?"
She slowly nodded her head, still struggling to piece together what was going on. Her gaze drifted around to discover no one had met with the near death experience she had encountered, and as Amu turned back to her rescuer, opening her mouth to speak a familiar voice was head over the PA system.
"Hinamori Amu and company; you've managed to force my workers to abandon their stations, and the X Eggs have escaped the confinement we've place them in. Thank you, come down to the 6th lower level. What everyone is looking for will be down there."
"The director, do you think we can trust him?" Rima identified the voice and asked Amu, who was unlatching herself from Tadase. She fumbled with her hands, embarrassed as Francis gave them an intrigued look and mused about the power of l'amour. Once her flushed face cooled down, Amu started seriously considering Rima's question. On the one hand if he were telling the truth, there would be an inevitable and most likely difficult battle. On the other hand though if the director was lying, then a trap would definitely be waiting for them.
"I don't see why we're all just standing around. The longer we sit here contemplating, the more pain Alfred has to bear. I'm going to get him, and there isn't a force on Earth that can stop me!" Arthur exclaimed more so in defiance to the director, who he assumed would be listening, than to Amu. His last sentence uttered in a blood-thirsty vengeful tone, and he began to soar down the flights of stairs. Amu was the first to chase after him; calling him to return so they could discuss the matter further, but Arthur was in no state to stall and continued on. When England came upon the 6th level, he blindly charged at the heavy door.
'I… I've got to save him. I can't lose him, no not again!'
Amu was soon by his side and helped the determined character push open the door, its metallic creak uncomfortably rang and echoed within everyone's ears. England slipped through as soon as there was enough of a gap for him to squeeze into. He was the first to discover a dimly lit hallway that had only one doorway which he flew towards anxiously. The next room was fairly spacious from what the nation could make out of the shadow cloaked space; there was a faint purple glow from the opposite side, and as he focused his sight on it, he discovered a metal cylinder with a glass orb placed on top. Inside the delicate prison was where the ominous glow illuminated from and where a slouched Alfred sat.
"Alfred!" Arthur shouted: first relieved, happy, cautious, and then concerned… what? As he approached the clear sphere, England felt the uneasy sensation gnaw away at him yet again. He also took note of the American's behavior or the lack of, which qualified for more than strange considering how animated he usually was. As the older nation rested his palms against the smooth glass, Amu and the others finally caught up to him.
"It seems you've decided to come after all, I'm very pleased that you're here to witness Easter obtain the Embryo." A smug voice called from the darkness; it belonged to none other than the managing director of Easter, who stepped out of the protective shade wielding a remote. Click. And a pair of metal doors slammed behind the young intruders, scaring them half to death. They turned to give the director a threatening group glare but were foiled when their concentration was broken by the sudden jerk of the floor as the very large freight elevator they were in proceeded to climb up the shaft.
All of the loud noises were especially frightening to the weak, little Italian who quivered as he held onto Ludwig's arm and squeaked, "I don't like this! You'll protect me no matter what, right?" Germany looked down at his small companion, his expected scowl wasn't present on his face though. Instead he wore an empathetic face for Italy, which wordlessly cooed the scared nation into a semi-tranquil state.
"Feliciano! What have I told you about hanging out with that damn potato-eater?" Lovino scolded as he came forth from the shadows, his angry glare and foul mouth both present and accounted for.
"F-fratello?" Italy stuttered; in an unbelievable shock at the sight of his brother, but as he examined his towering sibling any happy greeting Feliciano had planned for him vanished. It was his eyes that left the little Italian troubled, those eyes that were so similar to his own had no gleam. No, they were dull and gave the impression of a lack of an able and free consciousness.
"Hey! Aren't you forgetting about the awesomeness that is me?" Prussia said in an offended tone, trailing behind South Italy with a narcissistic smile stretched to his ears. Germany also noticed the same lifelessness in his brother's bright red eyes that Lovino exhibited. It was unnerving to say the least.
On one hand there would be a battle. On the other hand a trap would definitely be waiting for them. Is there a third hand that has both scenarios? Because if there is, then director Kazuomi Hoshina was holding it.
A/N: Two words, technical difficulties... no seriously it started when I was working on the last chapter. The poor, little laptop was literally falling apart! But the awesome power of Prussia compels me to work around such occurances and bring you an amateurly written story, so this specific chapter is sent with love from Prussia. And remember: peace, happiness, love and PASTA!
Peace~! ...again -MagnifiedSun