Kiku found his way into the room across the hall-the key Gilbert had given him unlocked it. He walked carefully through it, wondering at the furniture-two beds and a living room set, complete with a coffee table. Not quite what he would have thought would be in a room together, but it seemed normal for this place. Lying on the table was a scrap of paper that he absently put in his pocket as he noted something else-something built into the wall.
Moving closer, Kiku realized that it was a lever. He stood in front of it for several long moments as he tried to decide what he should do with the lever. Move it, leave it alone, what? He sighed and flicked the lever to the very top, deciding that he would hate himself later if he did not investigate everything.
The room turned red, a painful light filling the air and making Kiku shut his eyes in pain. A noise accompanied it, a breathing that was too heavy to be normal. And the sounds of a heart beat is that mine or someone else's whose just beating, slowly, heavily, the air pulsing with the noise. And Kiku fell to the ground, gasping, his mind slipping away from him what is that noise it is so funny ah the light and his breath came hard, the air barely making it past his lips what was I doing? Finding someone? Who? And the red light was replaced by darkness, and the silence that comes with the loss of a beating heart.
Kiku blinked, looking around the room at Gilbert and Ludwig. Wasn't I somewhere else? He shook his head and tched at himself, annoyed at the way his mind seemed suddenly slow.
"Thanks," Ludwig said, though Kiku could not tell if he was being serious or not. Gilbert shot his brother a patronizing grin, and then he and Kiku walked out the door. Glancing back, Kiku caught a glimpse of Ludwig sitting down on the floor, his head in his hands. Kiku sighed, trying to remember what had been said before he and Gilbert left, but everything was oddly hazy.
Kiku entered the door down the hall, ignoring Gilbert as a feeling of-of something falling over him. What was that feeling, the one you could only say in French? He sighed and looked around the room. It was oddly furnished, two beds and a complete living room set in the same room-he frowned and wondered if he had seen a house with such an odd decorating plan before. He walked past the table to look at something on the wall, idly grabbing the piece of paper that was there and tucking it in his pocket. There was a lever on the wall, and next to it-writing. He frowned and deciphered the language, a mixture of Italian and English that was confusing.
Up is Heaven.
In the Middle is Earth.
Down is Hell.
Kiku sighed and looked at the lever. Perhaps the writing was about that? Or it may be something completely different. Remember the choices, the possibilities. He shook his head, looking over his shoulder as if he expected someone to be there. Stop being silly, he berated himself, and he looked at the writing and then the lever. He rested his fingers against the handle, the cool metal soothing in the summer heat. Before his mind got the better of him he pressed the lever down to the bottom, hearing a click and a sudden grating noise from behind him.
He whirled around, heart starting to race and his fingers closing around the hilt of his katana. One of the beds behind him had moved, revealing a hole in the floor-a hole that looked as if it had been ripped there quite violently. Kiku cautiously approached it, trying to be quiet. He leaned over, craning his neck to see into the hole, ready to draw his blade-and fell in, the floor crumbling under his weight.
What the-his breath was forced out of his lungs as he landed on the ground, off balance and bruising his body. He quickly rolled to his feet and glanced around, heart pounding and feverish thoughts of the monster that inhabited the house.
There was a piano.
A piano?
White floors, white walls, and in the center of the large room, a white piano. Over to the far wall were several shelves, looking as if they were stocked with books. The complete lack of space to hide in the room made him relax and he sheathed his sword and went over to the shelves. There was nothing out the ordinary there, just the exact same books that were on all the other shelves in the house.
Kiku wandered over to the piano and toyed with the idea of playing it for a moment before deciding not to. He couldn't play the piano all that well anyways. Turning, he noticed a door. A few steps and a few seconds to jiggle the handle showed that it was unlocked.
Stepping through, the first thing he noticed was the color. The wooden floors and the stairs seemed incredibly dark after the white room, and the Asian man blinked his eyes for a few seconds. Shaking his head, he quietly shut the door behind him and started exploring.
The first door he came too, past a set of stairs leading downwards, was unlocked. The room inside was a library just as white as the room the piano had been in and just as uninhabited. Kiku poked around the first row of shelves for a few moments. Turning to go further into the room, he froze as a door opened, heart pounding. Should I hide? No time for it, anyways, and no need, because the figure striding towards him was Feliciano.
Kiku let out a sigh of relief. "Italy!" He took his hand off of his katana as well, smiling a bit shakily.
"Japan!" Feliciano said joyously, "You're okay!" The Italian beamed at Kiku, coming to a stop in front of him and looking as if he wanted a hug.
"Yes, thank god. Somehow." Kiku took a small step backwards in case Feliciano decided he really wanted that hug. Feliciano seemed more interested in talking, though.
"Right after you left, a ghost suddenly appeared from the hallway and came after us." A shudder ran through the Italian and Kiku tensed, remembering the strange creature he had encountered.
"Germany was the first to scream. You…heard him, didn't you?"
Kiku frowned slightly, cocking his head. "No, not at all…" he replied, confused.
"I see." Feliciano paused as if choosing his words carefully. "Germany's scream surprised me, too, and I was too confused at the time and tried to run away and leave you behind. I'm sorry, Japan…the front door wouldn't open no matter what and we split up while running away." He looked as if he was on the verge of tears, either from stress and fright or sincerity in his apology.
"No need to apologize," Kiku told him. "Anyone would have done the same in a situation like that. Even me."
Feliciano sniffed slightly and smiled. Kiku relaxed and then sighed, remembering where they were.
"Still. What is going on in this house? The door outside and the windows cannot be opened. Our cellphones don't work, either."
"Yep. It looks like we're locked up," Feliciano said in a startlingly bright voice. "But! I'm glad I found you, Japan. You aren't hurt or anything? Hungry?"
"I'm fine. But…" Kiku paused to rearrange his thoughts. "You're surprisingly calm about this, Italy. You were even wandering around the house…" with that thing here.
"Well," the Italian started, grinning sheepishly, "when that ghost appeared all of a sudden, I wanted to cry and cling to Germany, but…well, both Germany and Prussia were falling apart, too. So, well, I figured someone had to have a level head, and even I was amazed by how calm I felt!" He paused to grin and catch his breath, his words had been cascading out almost too fast for Kiku to catch them all. "And then," Feliciano continued, "I began to look around for everyone so we could get out of here as soon as possible!"
"That makes sense," Kiku told him, smiling slightly and nodding. "I was startled at first too, but after seeing everyone else so flustered, I felt oddly calm." Except when that…thing…is around.
"So what happened to Germany and Prussia? Have you found them yet?" Feliciano inquired, sounding rather hopeful. Kiku smiled wider, glad to be able to give the Italian good news.
"Yes, I've found them. They're on the first floor. I'll explain the details on the way." Kiku glanced around, remembering that it probably wasn't a good idea to be conversing so loudly right there. "They were both very worried about you. You'd better go and let them see you as soon as possible."
"Ah, okay! Let's go together, then!" Feliciano grabbed Kiku's arm and turned the Asian man towards the door. "I found some stuff when I was exploring, so I'll leave it with you, all right? I also made pasta. You can have that too!"
Kiku accepted the food, putting it into his rapidly-filling pockets. Where did he find three bottles of beer? Well, Germany will be happy. They walked through the library to the door that Feliciano had entered through.
The door opened back up onto the hallway Kiku had passed through, and they went up the stairs. Kiku flinched slightly as the darkness at the top of the stairs surrounded them-it seemed that every set of stairs in this house had its own aura of darkness at the top and bottom. The stairs led to another hallway where they paused for a second.
There were no more stairs leading up, but there was a door. Shrugging and feeling reassured and slightly annoyed that Feliciano still had a firm hold on his arm, Kiku tested the handle.
The creature was there.
Kiku froze, panic welling up and thoughts scrambling. He tried to articulate his thoughts but all that came out was a harsh wheeze and a gasp; he couldn't even start to remember what language he had to be speaking in, much less what he was going to say.
"Japan! The Thing! It's the Thing!" wailed Feliciano, grabbing his arm and looking to be on the verge of tears. Kiku took a deep breath and tried to figure out what he should do. Ludwig and Gilbert were there, near the bookshelf, near the…Thing. Kiku fumbled for his weapon, wondering what the hell was going on. The creature was standing by the bookshelf but didn't seem to be doing anything but filling the air with the sound of a heart beating or maybe that's mine it can't be Italy's and the feeling of despair and looking like it was going to attack.
"You came too soon!" Gilbert said, glancing over at them and grimacing. "Japan, take Italy with you and run!"
"Italy! You're all right!" Ludwig smiled in a strained manner at the two of them.
"G..Germany…your face looks weird…" Feliciano said, tightening his grip on Kiku's arm. Kiku winced as the Italian's hands came close to his wounds.
"Me and West will take care of this, just go! Quickly!" Gilbert admonished, turning his back to them.
Kiku still paused, uncertain what to do. Almost every part of him was screaming to run, listen to Gilbert and get out of this room now but there was another part of him that couldn't leave his allies there.
"Japan!" Gilbert's voice cracked as he shouted, and Kiku realized how desperate he sounded. Feigning deafness, the Asian man took a few halting steps forward.
"I must be losing my hearing in my old age," Kiku said, his eyes trained on Gilbert's boots. Don't look at the Thing it won't be real. "I can't hear you at all."
"Japan? Italy!" Now Gilbert was truly panicking, Kiku could hear it in his voice.
"Oh, ah….I suddenly got deaf, too!" Feliciano proclaimed, keeping a tight grip as he advanced with Kiku.
"Italy, you—" Ludwig began, but he swung back around to keep his attention trained on the creature, which seemed to be watching the countries shout at each other. Kiku was reminded that little more than a single, desperate minute had passed since he and Feliciano had opened the door.
"Isn't this nostalgic?" Kiku said, forcing his voice to stay calm. He lay a hand on his weapon, loosening it in its sheath. "Once again, I draw my sword in the name of the Axis."
Behind him, Feliciano stood up straight and let go of his arm. "Now that you mention it," the smaller man said, "we've been at peace for so long, I'd completely forgotten about it." Kiku glanced back and saw that Feliciano was smiling, faintly, as if half-remembering something.
"Italy…Japan…" Ludwig didn't turn to look at them but Kiku could imagine the way the German's jaw was clenched.
"It is my duty to fight beside you," Kiku said. And my honor. "Let's go, Italy."
"Y-yeah!" Feliciano stammered, and the two rushed forward with a cry. The creature leapt to meet them, slamming Gilbert aside and completely ignoring Ludwig.
Feliciano did something magic I think I hope let that have been him and the creature recoiled, snarling. Kiku drew his blade and swiped, nearly overstepping and unbalancing in his attempt to injure but the thing was too fast, it wasn't where he had thought it would be it had turned to land a blow on Ludwig. Gilbert cried out and lunged as his brother was hit, his sword scored a mark down the creature's shoulders. Feliciano darted through the fray to pull Ludwig out of harm's way and Kiku sent his sword in to keep the monster busy where is the cut I scored last time did it heal and he got a few nicks in, breath coming fast as he fought or maybe this is a different one oh gods Gilbert fought beside him, the two keeping the attention on them. With room to move Ludwig managed to get out of the battle for a few crucial moments, freeing his whip. He was too slow, the creature screamed, a blast of air forcing Gilbert and Kiku back a few steps and knocking Feliciano to the ground.
DIE
Is it in my head or not maybe I can stop it now Kiku lunged again and missed, but the creature had dodged towards Gilbert who managed to do what Kiku had not. The thing screamed again and they all took a step back, back from the pressure and the pain that emanated from the creature.
DIE
In those few moments as they caught their breath the creature lunged and scraped down Ludwig's chest, causing the man to cry out and stumble back. Feliciano stood and started chanting fast and low please let that be a prayer and both Kiku and Gilbert took a step forward, a step too close, and had to waste time getting away from each other. In that time Ludwig recovered and finally put his whip to use with a resounding CRACK that made the others wince at the sound of it.
They opened their eyes to see that the creature had gone.
The four men stood still for a few moments, panting and bleeding and trying to understand what had just happened. One minute they were fighting for their lives and the next their foe was gone, taking its quiet despair and its beating heart with it.
"It disappeared…" Kiku panted, when he had his breathing somewhat under control. He flicked black blood off his blade and sheathed it, seeing Gilbert do the same.
"It really is a ghost…" Feliciano added, sounding relieved.
"Italy!" Ludwig cried, and he moved to stand next to Feliciano. Despite the fact that the front of his shirt was ripped and a bit of blood was visible, Ludwig seemed more relieved that his companions were safe than worried that he had been hurt.
"Are you hurt?" Kiku asked, though he knew the answer. The German would probably refuse any aid, though, and it didn't seem all that deep. They were slowly amassing wounds—Kiku's arm, now Ludwig's chest. Who will be next?
"The hell!" Gilbert exclaimed, scowling at them. "You totally ignored what I said!"
"I thought the two of us alone could do something about it," Ludwig added, sighing. "You really helped. Are you okay, too?" Kiku noted the passive-aggressive assertion that Ludwig was fine.
"Yep, I'm fine!" Feliciano said, and he did look fine. He definitely looked better than the rest of them did, with two of them wounded and all three of them covered in sweat. "I'm so relieved now. You two ran away really fast, so I'd been wondering what had happened to you.
"I am glad that everyone is all right. What are we going to do from here?" Kiku asked, looking around the room.
"The…Thing could show up here again, so we should move to a room that's as safe as possible," Gilbert said. Kiku looked at the white-haired man, not used to such pragmatic thoughts from the dead nation.
"Besides," Gilbert continued, "if the four of us stick together, it won't be as bad."
"Good idea, Prussia," Ludwig said, giving his brother a small, worried smile. "Let's look for a room now. And, no splitting up, yes?"
"Roger, Captain!" Feliciano shouted, giving Ludwig a two-finger salute. Kiku sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Let's go, then."
First, though Kiku went to the fabric door at the corner of the room. A quick search behind it revealed a closet-like space with a wooden box. Kiku pocketed the box and then hurried back to the others to look for a stronghold.
Out the door and two the left they marched, eyes darting and hands brushing against weapons much more than was necessary. On the left was the room with the lever. Kiku led them inside and then looked around, wondering if the room would work. The other three walked around the room, inspecting it.
On a whim Kiku walked over to the lever. He took a moment wondering if he should move it, and in what direction. He pushed it so that it was directly in the middle and it clicked. For a moment nothing happened, and he frowned at the lever.
Then Feliciano screamed.
Whirling around, Kiku started to draw his katana only to realize that there was no threat. Feliciano had been standing near the doorway and, from the looks of it, something had fallen from the ceiling. Kiku walked over to it, his hand still on the hilt of his blade, and then smiled.
It was a key.
"Looks like we have to find a door, then," Gilbert said.
Feliciano nodded, looking properly embarrassed. Kiku pocketed the key and they set off again, trying the key in different doors as they passed by. With each locked door they grew a bit more relaxed-after all, nothing can come out of a locked door.
Hopefully.
On the second floor, they found a door that worked, in the west wing of the house. Everyone held their breath as they entered, jaws and hands clenching in anticipatory fear. There was no creature inside the room.
Kiku relaxed and then laughed a bit. He hadn't been so worried about actually fighting in quite some time—everything nowadays was about politics or the environment. It was kind of refreshing, in an odd way, to be faced with a fear that could be hurt with his sword.
The room held a single long table, made out of glass and stainless steel. Six chairs of white leather were placed around it. A marble fireplace adorned one wall, two others held bookshelves. Kiku took a walk around the room and noticed that, once again, the books showed absolutely no sign of ever being read.
Gilbert sighed and shook his head, and Ludwig did too. Kiku followed the other three out of the room, locking the door behind them. He led them to another door on the second floor that was locked, deciding to test out a theory. That door also unlocked with the new key. Another bedroom was there, larger than the others he had seen but containing the same things. One bed, a couch, a coffee table, a TV, a bookshelf with unused books on it. Kiku was about to suggest they leave when he noticed something under the table.
Kiku picked it up and sighed. It was only a box of matches, which wasn't particularly helpful. Maybe they could just burn the house down and hope they took that creature with them. He pocketed it anyways; slightly proud of how much he was fitting in his pockets. Gilbert raised an eyebrow at him but he ignored the unspoken question and instead went to investigate the drawers. The other three didn't seem like they were going to leave the room anytime soon.
There was a first aid kit in the corner drawer. Kiku let out a gasp of relieved laughter and then turned to the others. "Look!" he exclaimed softly, drawing their attention. "Germany, come here, let me look at your chest."
It took a while, getting the other three all patched up—although Feliciano wasn't hurt, he just kept getting in the way—and then replacing his own dirty bandages on his arm. By the time they were all finished there wasn't anything but cotton swabs left in the kit. Kiku debated bringing it with them but then decided not to. He had enough in his pockets.
Feeling refreshed and slightly more prepared, they went back to checking doors.
For several hours nothing happened. They rarely exchanged words, the house's oppressive silence weighing down on them. Their footsteps and shallow breaths seemed too loud to their ears. Eventually, as the shadows started to grow, they ended up back in the room with the glass table—Kiku involuntarily thought of it as the Conference Room. Isn't this nostalgic, he thought, locking the door firmly behind them. The companions relaxed a bit, taking seats around the table and taking weapons off of their belts.
"We can't get too careless," Gilbert warned, placing his sword on the table. "But I think we're safe here, for now. We have the key, and the door is locked from the inside." He shot a worried glance at the marble fireplace, but kept any fears he may have to himself.
"It is only temporary, but it should do for one night," Kiku hastily added, trying to sound more optimistic than he felt. He had slept on many a wood floor in his time but he still wasn't looking forward to it.
To sleep in the bedrooms just seemed wrong, somehow.
Feliciano yawned widely and stretched, raising his arms and arching his back like a cat. "One night is good enough for me! I'm really tired from running around…"
"We ran a lot for one day," Ludwig agreed, stifling his own yawn. "It makes me feel like having some beer." He smiled at his brother, and Gilbert laughed.
"I'm a little cold, too," Feliciano added, waving his hands in the air like an ignored twelve-year-old. "I wonder if it's because of this house."
Kiku stared at the fireplace for several long moments before his mind connected the dots. "If I'm not mistaken, we found some matches. There's enough firewood there for one night, so we can warm up."
"Hmm," Ludwig intoned, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "I'll do it, then."
They all watched in silence as Ludwig expertly lit a fire. Once the flames started the entire room seemed to relax, the four men inside of it let out sighs and shifted, working kinks out of muscles and realizing just how tired they were.
"That's nice," Gilbert said, rolling his shoulders.
"Yes," agreed Kiku, letting himself smile now that they were safe and warm. "I feel much better now that we have some light. And now that I'm not alone anymore."
"Yeah! But it was really scary at first…even though Germany was the first to run away, it was me that ghost chased after!" Feliciano told them, his face and body portraying a melodramatic version of the fear he had felt.
"You're right! I remember thinking, 'No! Not my precious little Italy!' And then bother the monster and Italy had disappeared! And West had vanished, too," Gilbert said, tacking on that last thought as if in apology to his brother.
"I hate supernatural things," Ludwig confessed, ignoring his brother's antics. "Besides, it's not like I just ran and hid…never mind, now. As long as we're all okay, it doesn't matter."
Kiku leaned forward in his chair, closer to the others. "Exactly. Besides, rather than think about how we acted in the past, we should discuss what to do from now on."
"I searched the house for a way out," volunteered Feliciano, after a few moments. "But there really isn't any. Everything is locked…it's horrible!"
"I see. We can only conclude, then, that that…monster has really made us prisoners here." Ludwig was running his hand through his head again; something Kiku had only seen him do when stressed or nervous. And, apparently, afraid or tired. "Though, having no way out is really what bothers me."
"Indeed…I really wish I could go home." Kiku tapped his chin thoughtfully. "I've been waiting for several games that will be released soon…"
"Me too. I can't eat pizza or pasta like this!" Feliciano was curled up in his chair with his knees pressed to his chest and seemed to be on the verge of tears. He took his pasta seriously.
"Um, hey…you keep talking about a way out…" Gilbert tapped his fingers on the table, leaving smudges. "If all the exits are locked, why don't we just make one? Didn't you do that when you were prisoners of war? We can put that into practice now."
Kiku nodded thoughtfully at the albino's ideas. "That brings me memories, too. I miss those times, when I kept trying to commit seppuku." That hadn't been the best of times, but it was a memorable one.
"Germany worked hard to make a way out for us. But this time, I'll do all I can to help, too!" Feliciano jumped up, startling the others with his conviction.
"All right, all right," Ludwig said, waving a hand at Feliciano so he would sit back down. "The plan for tomorrow is to make a way out. We cannot forget about that."
The fire threw shadows around the rooms, making Kiku feel as if they were entering into an unbreakable pact. Escape or die. These men once again were determined to defeat all those who stood in their way, even if it was an alien that breathed fear and spoke in minds. Kiku smiled.
"Right." Kiku looked each of his friends in the eyes, secretly memorizing the way they looked in the firelight. There was an air of importance to this place. "Now, I don't know what time it is, but let's sleep here tonight."
"My watch broke when I wasn't looking, too1" Feliciano wailed. Everyone sighed at him.
"Wait, one of us should keep watch," Ludwig said, standing up. "It may be dangerous if we all go to sleep."
"You have a point. Shall we play jan-ken to decide who will keep watch tonight?" asked Kiku, raising his hand to play.
"Jan-ke? What are the rules?" Feliciano asked, leaning towards Kiku.
"Well…it's very simple. You play by showing three types of hand signs…"
"Whatever, let's do it already!" interrupted Gilbert. "I'm really tired! I want to sleep!"
"Prussia, just wait a little," Ludwig warned, sending a dangerous glance Gilbert's way. The older man grumbled a bit but kept quiet.
"…and guu beats choki. You can throw guu, choki, or paa," finished Kiku, having pretty much ignored the two German brothers.
"Ah, it's a little like la morra. Okay, I got it! Let's play!" Feliciano finished with a flourish, standing up and presenting his hand to begin the game.
"Let's go, then," Kiku said, smiling at the enthusiastic Feliciano. "Jan-ken…" He sung the little rhyme, tapping his hands together to keep time. When they threw, everyone but Gilbert had chosen guu. Gilbert had thrown choki.
Ludwig clapped his brother on the shoulder. "Thank you for taking the watch."
"Ah, seriously, it's so fun being alone," Gilbert said, softly, as the other three made a makeshift bed out of coats. The huddled together for warmth, especially Feliciano and Ludwig. They fell asleep quickly, their whole bodies relaxing.
"But those three, they're really sound asleep," Gilbert mused, staring into the fire. He sighed. "If only I had a computer, then I could update my blog. All I can do now is take pictures of them sleeping."
Moments passed in silence as he alternated between watching the fire and watching the door. He ran his hand through his hair, unaware of how much he looked like Ludwig.
"It's just…their serious faces when we were playing jan-ken. They looked awesome," he muttered, as if continuing an inner dialogue out loud to see what it sounded like. "I couldn't resist them." He sighed and resolutely ignored the burning feeling in his eyes.
"I'm kind of cold," he said, after a few more moments. He frowned. "The fire is…strong enough, yes. What the hell? I just felt a chill…"
Click. Something turned the doorknob.
Gilbert sat up straight in his chair, his hand reaching for a sword that wasn't at his belt. He waited, barely daring to breath, for the sound to come again. "Look, this isn't funny," he told himself. "I'm…just hearing things. Right?"
Click. Click click.
"There's no one here! No one!" he whisper-shouted, "Why aren't those three waking up, anyway? Can't they hear anything?" He finally stood up, grabbing his sword off the table but leaving it sheathed. His mind scrambled for ideas. "That's it! I'll use Japan's strategy and pretend I'm not here! If I turn off my aura, I won't be found!" He screwed his eyes shut and tried to take deep breaths.
Click.
"…guess I can't do it. Right." He took a large, gulping breath and drew himself up. "I have no choice, then."
Gilbert walked over to the door, taking large, confident steps. He carried his sword, though, ready to draw it if he needed to. He paused to look at the three sleeping figures, a mess of limbs and fabric. "Forgive me…it's tough being alone." His words sounded like a lament.
He stood in front of the door, forcing himself to be calm. A few moments later he laughed, shakily. "Shit, no! I won't die yet!"
He opened the door.