Ivan woke up to see a young girl staring down at him, her face framed by short blonde locks, her green eyes illuminated by a lantern she held. He recognized her from somewhere, but last he'd seen her she was a child. Lilli! That was it. The girl was Lilli Zwingli, Vash's older sister… uh-oh.

Without thinking, he whispered, "Don't… don't let your brother know I'm here."

Lilli jumped a little at the sudden sound of his voice but bent down to get a closer look at him. His platinum blonde hair was dusted with snow, his violet eyes red and watery and his face was so pale… "You have to come inside," she hissed back, "you'll freeze to death, Mr.-"

The Russian gave a sudden smile. "I'm not that much older than you, you know. Just Ivan, da?"

"Sure." Lilli was a little wary but reached out her hand for him to take. Ivan stood up slowly, shivering as a bit of snow fell from his coat to the ground. He ran his finger under his nose, sniffling, and Lilli wondered if it was just the cold or perhaps he was crying a little.

All her life, she had been told to stay away from him, and Vash watched over her like a hawk. The last person he'd ever allow into the house was Ivan. Vash meant well, but he was somewhat of a "shoot-on-sight" type. Lilli knew he was just being protective, but something about seeing Ivan alone in the cold like that made her heart go out to the big, quiet Russian. She'd only heard bad things about Ivan, and really didn't know whether or not she should trust him, but what was she to do, leave him alone to freeze to death? So Lilli decided to be a Good Samaritan and walk Ivan Braginski through her front door.

"Sh," she told him as she shut the door discreetly and placed the lantern down of the coffee table, blowing it out. She led him cautiously to the bathroom, still taking his hand, and like a child, the big man held firmly, perhaps a little fearfully, to it, his palms cold and sweating. She sat him down on the edge of the bathtub and asked in a hushed voice, "Ivan, do you think you could take a hot bath very quietly? You need to get warm."

"Da, I suppose." Ivan's fair skin flushed as Lilli exited the bathroom, whispering, "I'll make you some tea. Wear a towel when you get out, I'll sneak you some of big brother's pajamas."

Ivan nodded and started running the bathwater. Lilli, meanwhile, sunk against the wall, laying her head in her hands. Ivan Braginski was in her house and she couldn't hide him from Vash forever. A fine mess she had gotten herself into.

Lilli felt a sudden warmth rub against her leg and heard a soft purring sound. "Oh, Duchess," she whispered, picking up her cat and holding her close, "what on earth am I going to do?"

Hetalia-Hetalia-Hetalia

Ivan thought about Lilli and smiled as he dried off from his bath. She was certainly growing up to be a beautiful young lady. Her radiance, her youthful face and warm voice that soothed him like a mother's singing, all made him think of the flowers he so loved. She was, indeed, like a little sunflower. He wondered just how old she was, if her age was acceptable in line with his twenty.

Lovely little sunflower, he thought to himself, making a little toga out of the towel.

Lilli came back in a moment with a cup of hot tea and some warm socks and pajamas. "Big brother's not as big as you," she said, frowning as she held the pajama shirt up next to her view of Ivan. "I hope these will do."

"Doushka, they will do fine, thank you." Ivan smiled and got behind the shower curtain to change.

"What did you just call me?" Lilli asked through the curtain.

"Doushka. It means 'dear'," Ivan responded calmly, pulling on the pajama pants one leg at a time.

"Oh." Lilli repeated "doushka" in her head and smiled. Ivan couldn't be all that bad, could he?

The Russian finished dressing and pulled back the shower curtain, and Lilli pulled him out of the bathroom and sat him down in the hall, handing him the tea. After the bath and a few sips of the hot liquid, the color was beginning to come back into Ivan's cheeks. Lilli, however, was losing a bit of her own in apprehension. Vash would be horrified if he ever knew she was alone with a man, and most especially Ivan. How would she explain the Russian's presence to her overprotective brother?

She sighed and then queried, "So Ivan, why are you in Liechtenstein?"

"Traveling," Ivan replied, sipping his tea. "I docked in France, and well…" He blushed and lowered his voice. "I think I'm kind of lost." He coughed and Lilli giggled. Lost? How cute!

"Why are you laughing?" Ivan asked, looking hurt. Lilli immediately turned serious again and apologized.

"I didn't mean to offend you," she explained, "I just, well… I just thought it was sort of, um… cute, I guess." Why was that so hard to tell him? But he just smiled and took a sip of his tea.

"Sunflower," he murmured, his eyelids drooping. And, to Lilli's alarm, Ivan fell asleep in her hall.