China was happy Hong Kong was safe but felt betrayed when the latter accepted Irene's invitation. Who is that girl anyway? She couldn't be completely sane if she stayed at that monster's place. Yao didn't even know someone lived in Russia's house, he didn't know anything about Russia's personal life. Not that he wanted to. His attention stayed on the strange girl; she was human for sure and as long as she did not speak or moved, her appearance was similar to Belarus': girly dresses and a doll like beauty. Why would Russia take in a girl? And why does she seem to enjoy herself?

He tried sending a silent 'help' message to his special administrative region but only got a 'deal with it' smile in return. He sat uncomfortably on the yellow couch with Irene and Hong Kong while the Russian prepared something (hopefully food) in his kitchen. Hong Kong started the conversation "You're not helping him?"

"Nah," the girl answered "My cooking skills are as good as your French."

"We don't speak French, aru." Informed China

"My point exactly." Grinned the brunette

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here?" wondered the former member of the communist block

"I was summoned to this world by England and am now running away from him. That jerk wanted to keep me in his house 'till he found the return spell. Don't be surprised if I know a lot about you, where I come from, you're part of an anime called Hetalia." Irene answered

"But," continued Yao "aren't you scared of Russia?"

"Russia isn't a bad person inside, he simply doesn't know how to interact with others." Said the teenage girl "Just for tonight, try trusting him and look beyond his fake smile and his creepy aura, please?"

Irene seemed so sincere China simply couldn't refuse. Just thinking about the man made shivers run down his spine but if it was only for a night, he could handle it.

The two teens were getting along really well and spent the whole meal chatting about technology and annoying parents. Meanwhile, China inspected the blood red dish sitting in front of him. He noticed Russia was staring at him, waiting for Yao to take the first bite. He put poison in it, aru. He wants to watch me die slowly. Hong Kong noticed the glaring contest going on between the two countries and the serving of Russian cuisine and decided to lend Irene's plan a helping hand "This is really good! What is it?"

"It's borsch." Russia answered, displaying a smile that conveyed real happiness, not his usual fake childish expression. Seeing Xiang gulp down his entire plate without showing any signs of internal bleeding, China decided to swallow his portion. "Do you like it China?"

"Aya! It's surprisingly yummy!" exclaimed the Asian nation, surprised by meal's taste. Ivan's smile grew and he blushed slightly at the compliment. The blond man started eating too, reassured that they all liked what he cooked. Somehow, with the girl around, the imposing nation looked more like an abandoned puppy than a mad psychopath. Yao started thinking he might just come out alive of this sleep over.

"What happened at the meeting today?" Irene asked out of curiosity/wanting to start a conversation

"Korea's mouth was taped." Answered China "It was hilarious, aru!"

"Дa, it was very funny." Affirmed the blond country "And Japan ate a ball shaped eraser thinking it was a mochi." The Chinese man laughed remembering the scene.

Hong Kong sighed "Did you get any work done?" Both Russia and China stared at him before the blond giggled innocently and the Chinese burst in laughter.

"When did meetings ever get anything done, aru? I just attend so my boss stops nagging." Explained the long haired country, glad the two teenagers didn't leave him to have an awkward talk with the host.

"It is the same for me." Informed the cold nation "If I miss international gatherings, my boss gives me a lot of paperwork and I don't like paperwork." China was impressed at how normal Ivan sounded. He dropped his guard reassuring himself that Irene was right; the man was just socially incompetent, not deranged.

Yao dared addressing the other man "How is your relation with your boss?"

"He is very… How to say…" started Russia

"Strict? Demanding?" suggested the guest

"Дa, demanding. He – " The giant choked on a piece of food. His every cough made the table shake and the silverware jump. Irene tried coming to his help but was held back by Hong Kong who told her to wait.

China quickly reacted and slapped the choking man's back as hard as he could. He prepared a glass of water with his other hand proving himself to be as good with his hands as Yoda. After a few seconds of violent coughs, they all relaxed when the chunk of food was swallowed entirely.

"Chew more carefully, aru! I won't be there every time!" the man scolded before realizing who he was lecturing. Oh damn, he'll go all 'kolkolkol' on me.

Instead of feeling insulted, Ivan was reminded of his sister Ukraine who always told him the same thing. She used to be like a mother to him when she wasn't about to breakdown, now she avoided her brother. He knew very well China would never replace his sister, but if he could just have someone – a friend that would tell him right from wrong…

"Will you become one wi – " the nation started before receiving a disappointed look from Irene. Ivan looked towards his feet, ashamed. He blushed and rephrased his demand "W-Will you be my friend? Please?"

The East Asian country didn't know what to say. People don't ask for others to become their friends. He then remembered what Irene had said about him not knowing how to interact with others, maybe he was really just asking why they were in his basement, without any anger, maybe he was really just waiting for Yao's opinion on the dish before eating, maybe he really was in need of a friend. "If it's just becoming your friend, I don't really mind, aru." China answered, a bit of doubt in his voice.

Russia got up, casting a shadow on his fellow country, and slowly approached him. This is it. He's going to kill me. Yao closed his eyes, waiting for the iron pipe to impact on his skin. He suddenly felt the big arms wrapping his thin body, so I'll die strangled. He opened his eyes, expecting a lack of air but instead got a big warm hug "Thank you! Nobody wanted to be my friend!"

The confused look on Yao's face was priceless. He panicked for a while, not sure what to do when an overgrown child hugged him. He then noticed a tear on the border of Ivan's eyes. A tear of joy. Most of the fear he held towards the Russian immediately disappeared under a wave of pity. It was true, Ivan was a good person inside. And if that is true, than it must hurt a lot to be excluded like he is. China hugged the big man back. He smiled slightly remembering his early years spent with the Russian. Back then, they both experienced pain and hardship, they supported each other to survive. But when Yao pulled himself out of the mess, wasn't Ivan forced to endure it more? Alone? "I'll be your friend, don't worry. I've been your friend during the Mongolian rule, we can just resume that relationship."

Irene and Xiang smiled at the success of their plan. Now they needed to find the next country to befriend Russia.

9. England's quest: Johnny England:

Canada didn't trust England's plan. The latter had taken a lot of 'safety measures' (if setting fire to the house in case of failure could be counted as a safety measure) but a lot was never enough when they had to infiltrate another countrie's house. It was simple: England would feed the neighbor's dog some of the food he made so it would be 'to occupied falling in love with scones' to bark at the suspicious men, the gentleman then had to pick the lock and let the Canadian in. Inside, Matthew only had to be as invisible as always and look for the girl. But in his house, the plan proved itself to be dangerous. Especially if they were seen.

After the first bite, the golden retriever immediately fell in a comatose state. Britain was wondering why and when Canada tried explaining, the island couldn't hear him. At least the dog's out. I hope he gets over the trauma. They slowly crept towards the in the spacious garden, it was a pity they came when it was dark; the diversity of flowers was real eye candy under the sunlight. The two intruders often mistook the human sized statues for actual people and froze in their tracks, making the way to the main door take twice as much time as it should have.

The big double door entrance took England half an hour to unlock. He was still surprised at the dog's sudden unexplainable illness and couldn't take his mind off it. He finally convinced himself the canine had a heart attack from the taste explosion in his mouth and focused on the old style keyhole. The door slightly creaked as it opened.

"In you go, Americanda." Whispered the United Kingdom "Americanda? Where are you?"

"I'm right in front of you." Answered Canada, not bothering correcting his name anymore.

"Who?" asked Kumajiro. Both men shushed him.

"Good luck, lad." Wished the older nation "I pray for your safe return." Canada gulped and engulfed himself in the corridor. The house had a normal size for a country's house, but the many decorations made it look more luxurious than it was. In the dark, Matthew couldn't see much, thankfully, he knew the inside like the back of his hand. He even knew which painting stood where, which door led to where and which room the owner was most likely to be in.

Cling!

The sound of glass alerted Canada of someone's presence. Maple! When does he ever sleep? The western nation paid extra attention to the little noise he made. He headed in the first room on his left, the study. He seriously doubted Irene would be in there but it was worth a try. Matthew lit his torch and shone it around the circular room. He checked behind the expensive looking furniture, somehow hoping the brunette would be hiding there.

A weird thing came in contact with his leg. He reflexively turned the light towards the moving creature to see a mouse. He hated mice. They crawled everywhere and ate all the food. Matthew took a quick step back, forgetting about the chair behind him. He tripped over said object, almost bashing his head on the ground. Uh oh. That might've made too much noise.

On cue, a person came in the dark room. The nation fortunately found time to hide under the wooden desk in a desperate attempt to remain unfound. Don't let him see me, don't let him see me, don't let him see me… the steps came closer to Canada's hiding place until they stopped right in front of him. The blond dared to take a peek at the legs standing a few centimeters away.

He could barely see the shape because of the lack of light in the room but one thing was sure: These weren't the legs of a man. They were too thin, too smooth and not muscular enough. Irene! Canada stood straight up and after banging his head on the table grabbed the girl by her shoulders. The young woman seemed surprised; she tried fighting back and even managed to punch the poor nation in the stomach.

"Stop that! It's me, Canada!" he wisphered

"Lachez moi! (Let me go!)" yelled the girl "J'ai rien compris a ce que vous avez dit! (I didn't understand a word you said!)" the canadian released her. Did Irene speak french?

"Vous n'etes pas Irene? (You're not Irene?)" he asked

"Non! (No!)" she answered.

Other steps got closer to the room, heavy steps, those of a man, and within seconds the owner of the house was with them. He turned on the lights to see what was happening.

Canada finally got a good look at the girl he was holding moments before. She was of small stature, with long red hair and beautiful brown eyes but dressed very lightly, just wearing a t-shirt and underwear. Definitely not Irene. It only took one glance at the half naked nation to explain the ginger's presence in the room. Ewwwwwwwww...

"And what are you doing here Canada?" spoke the french man

"I am... uh... visiting?" Do you have a crappier excuse, brain?

The french nation came closer to Matthew "Did you miss me?"

"NO." quickly denied the four eyes while taking a few steps away "I was just looking for someone."

"And why would that person be here?" Francis asked, he turned to his companion and murmured"Chérie, si tu veux bien nous laisser... (Darling, if you would leave us...)" The girl took her leave and France turned back to Canada

"She is a girl, even if that doesn't change anything to your eyes, and she's pretty. Excuse us for thinking you might have kidnapped her to... um..." started the shy nation

"Rape her?" completed the older nation "It hurts that you think so little of me. But, dis moi (tell me), what do you mean by us?"

"He meant me." claimed the british nation who had just entered the room, black. And by black it was litteraly. "Sorry for taking time Americanda, it seems the only other entry point was the chimnee." He took a look at Canada and relaxed a bit when the latter seemed to have remained untouched by the bearded man.

"Why didn't you just come with me through the main door?" asked the youngest nation

England thought for a while before speaking up "That is of no importance. Where is Irene?"

France raised his hands in the air "I don't even know who she is!" Britain looked at the man suspiciously and collapsed on the chair after deciding his lifelong enemy wasn't lying.

"I was so sure you had her! Where do we look now Cam... Dana... Americanda?" asked the island nation.

"How about you tell me more about this Irene and I help you?" suggested Francis

England reluctantly obliged "She's a human I've accidentally brought from another world where we seem to be cartoon characters or something... She ran off to God knows where after the world conference."

"Actually," completed Canada "She's the one who brought Bosby's chair."

The half naked man let out a little 'Ah.', and after thinking for a while shared his idea "There is another nation who enjoys the company of young girls," informed the french man "Italy, did you check with him?"