MW: Four score and seven years ago, we posted a chapter-

SEK: It's only been three weeks.

MW: -Yet so much has changed during that time.

BFTL: Stop stalling and tell them what happened.

MW: *sigh* You guys never let me have any fun. Alright, so for a while now, I have been running a tumblr blog that specializes on critiquing (not hating) the human OCs of Hetalia. There I was, having so much joy in helping others when I was forced to reveal myself. Yeah, so in order to avoid the personal questions (because, apparently, tumblr really likes this story) I got a personal blog.

So on there, I will be answering general questions about myself and my stories. I hope to start using it as a way to keep you guys updated on the progress of my work so that when another four score and seven years happen, you guys wouldn't be left in the dark about what's going on.

Although the links are in my profile, my personal blog is midnaswolftheawesome and my critique blog is thehetaliahumanoc. (Please keep the personal questions off the critique one).

Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. Thank you for over 170 reviews and 61 follows. Information about the result of the sequel debate and the rest of this story is in the second author's note.

Chapter Summary: The final struggle for Sadiq soul commences, but will everyone make it out in one piece?

Warnings: Strong Language, Sexual References, Violence including blood and death, Yaoi, mentions of Yuri.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but your souls.

~Chapter 14~
A Kiss With Death

"In a battle all you need to make you fight is a little hot blood and the knowledge that it's more dangerous to lose than to win."

-George Bernard Shaw, Irish Playwright

Cycle 12: The Room

It was very strange. One moment, Turkey is sitting on a grassy hill, watching the dandelions disperse their seeds in the wind- how fragile they were. Then it was suddenly all gone. The blue sky turned white, the wind died, and the grass beneath him faded into a white chair. He dropped the plant he was holding before it disappeared and snapped his head in every direction

The scenery was gone- Himaruya had to be back.

"What's going on?" The nation demanded, rising to his feet. His eyes glared up at the ceiling, daring him to join him in person. "What happened? How much time is left in the cycle?"
For a few moments, there was nothing but a dead silence. He stood still, quieting his breaths. Gravity felt heavier, oxygen was harder to breathe. Turkey wanted to- but couldn't- scream away all of his worries. Just scream and demand to know what was going on. What happened to Sherry? Did she do it? Was everyone safe?

Himaruya's cold hand appeared. It cupped his cheek as the creator stood behind, safe from any violent response. It smirked when he notice the white clothes shiver along with the man's back. How pitiful.

Bluntly, without any sign of triumph, it gave the news. "You lost Sadiq." Turkey's eyes went wide and his knees buckled together. As hard as he tried, the nation could not help but to fall unto his knees, staring at the ground in shock. It actually happened- he lost. "Your soul now belongs to me." Himaruya declared, moving his hand onto the top of his head. "It's a shame, isn't it? After all the trouble you went
through-"

"Where's Sherry?" Himaruya raised an eyebrow. Did his Sadiq just growl at him? That was not right- he should still be in shock. Did the thought of that human really snap him back to his senses that quickly? As he thought about it, Turkey turned and glared at him with a fiery look, saying, "I said: where is Sherry? What happened to her?"

"She is free to go," it replied easily. "I have no use for her anymore. She's back in her own universe, enjoying her restored freedom." A flash of relief overcame the Turk. She was safe- millions of miles away from this mess. All was good. Yet, he still found himself frowning. She was safe, but he wouldn't be there to make sure it stayed that way.

The blond observing him sighed and squatted down to his height. "Don't be so down Sadiq," it said, placing a finger in each end of his mouth. "It's not all that bad." It forced his lips to curl upward. "You will forget about her eventually."

"I won't." Turkey slapped its hands away, sneering, "I promised her that I wouldn't be a coward anymore; that I will not give into your games. Even if I may be stuck here with you forever, I will never forget my reason to fight back."

Himaruya roughly grabbed Turkey's chin. He gasped. Since when was the creator so willing to hurt him? Its eyes were dark as they stared through him. Thin lips in a line, it leaned in closer. "I would be careful what you say now, Sadiq," It unmercifully spat. "I wouldn't want to anger the person I will spend the rest of existence with."

"Like I give a damn, jackass."

It threw him away, letting him skid a few feet on the slick floors. Returning to full height, the regal figure made a displeased noise. "If you think that by making me hate you would solve all your problems, you are quite wrong. A bitter man is far more dangerous than a love struck one."

Turkey pealed his face from the floor. His lip was split and a small trickle of blood dyed his teeth red. He grinned at it, showing the gruesome sight off proudly. "How can you say that you love someone when you constantly cause them pain?"

It smirked. "I was just about to ask you the exact same thing, Sadiq." He frowned. "You are one of the biggest hypocrites I know," it continued, waving a lazy hand before walking away. "Stop trying to be the person you aren't- the victim. You are as guilty here as I am. We both might as well enjoy our stay in this prison."

The brunette looked down, bundling the legs of his pants in his clenched hands. It was right- why did it have to be right? He defeatedly closed his eyes. "I guess I really am stuck here."

Then he remembered.

His eyes snapped open as his hands went to his pockets. It was gone? Did Himaruya take it? That didn't make sense. The only reason why it wouldn't be here was if someone . . .

All the color in Turkey's face drained. Sherry was the only one with opportunity and motive. She was still here, still in danger. He buried his face in his palms. Why did she always have to make things so difficult for him?

Turkey didn't notice Himaruya's knowing smirk.

Cycle 12: The Void

I screamed. The blackness of the void absorbed my voice, making my distress muffle around my ears. My suffocated heart banged against the prison of my rib cage. I felt as though I could not breathe. Something in my head reminded me that the black surroundings were safe- I was safe. I stopped screaming and focused on my breathing. In and out and in and out and in . . .

"Sherry!" Seychelles was in front of me. She's been there for a while, yelling at me to calm down. Why I didn't see her before, I didn't know. I just concentrated on my breaths as she spoke. "Calm down!" she demanded, clutching my shoulders. "We're going to achieve nothing by screaming!" Her look turned condescending when I continued hyperventilating. She slapped me. "Pull yourself together, woman!"

I gasped, feeling the red sting on my cheek. I stood there, feeling my head clear of some panic. The cogs in my brain were dusted of cobwebs and they slowly started to turn. I wasn't dead. I was in the void.

Sadiq and I lost.

"Where's Sadiq?" I demanded, remembering everything that had happened. "Where's Himaruya?" Seychelles frowned. I felt ready to grab her shoulders and shake her senseless, or at least until tells me what's going to happen next. "Well?"

She shook her head, bit her lips, and observed her feet. "I don't know where any of them are," the African said, allowing her bangs to fall over her eyes. "All I know is that I should be going back to my body, but I'm still here."

"Well do you at least know why I'm still here?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair. Or at least I tried to; they constantly stopped on a thick knot of orange hair. I resisted a sigh. I was so used to Seychelles's body- how was I supposed to be content with this one?

Seychelles's arms slapped her sides in defeat. "I don't know! That thing said that he would get rid of you the first chance he got."

I grimaced. "You seem kind of disappointed."

"Of course I am." I winced. What the hell, Seychelles? I thought that you are supposed to be a cute, kind and fun-loving little girl! Why are you acting so out of character? "You've caused enough trouble as it is," she spat, curling her lip. "I just wish that you'd get out of here and leave the people who actually belong here alone."

If I applied my new empathy skills with her, then I should be able to figure out why. . . Oh. I get it. The words tumbled out before I could stop them. "You're jealous of me and Sadiq."

Slap!

"You are the biggest jerk I've ever met!" The girl yelled, looking ready to strike me again. For a second time, I rubbed my cheek. After dying- what? - five or so times, I truthfully just don't give a fuck about pain anymore. Or (at least) for this moment. I bet the second I see the light of day again, I would be back to being dead afraid of knives, Clorox bleach, and just anything else that could possibly end my life.

I frowned. "Sadiq probably wants to die right now," I thought grimly. "He probably thinks that death is better than an eternity with Himaruya." I shook my head. No, bad imagination! Stop thinking like that! You're only going to make yourself feel even worse. I paused.

It was my fault- everything. If only I stopped and listened to him sooner. I dug my hands into my pajama pants pockets. Then maybe this would have turned out better. . .

I froze. Did my lucky purple puppy pattern PJs just give me a blessing? My fingers brushed over the cool metal again. Yes they did. I carefully wrapped my hand around it and pulled it out for the world to see. It was the Sadiq's pocket watch. My mouth unhinged itself as I stared down at the gold mirror-like surface. "What is this doing here?" I whispered, more to myself than to Seychelles. That didn't matter- she was paying me no heed and just continued to sulk in her own little piece of blackness. I turned it over in my hands. It seemed so small. . .

My blue eyes went wide. They stared at the slim gold chain. It was levitating slightly, the end pointing a little to the left. There is no way that a floating chain was natural. Why was it doing that? Maybe it was possessed.

"It's his shackle." I looked up at Seychelles. Her hands still crossed over her chest. The girl's narrow eyes looked at me without respite. When I gave a questioning sound in reply, she groaned, "Idiot. Turkey said so himself that the watch was his shackle and the chain was somehow connected to his wrist. Remember?"

I did. I looked down at the chain and adjusted my position until it was completely straight. Then, using it as a compass, I started to walk. With this, I will find Sadiq.

At first, I was so bent about making sure I was going in the right direction that I did not notice Seychelles calling for me to stop. Actually, I wasn't even aware that she was following me until her hand jerked my shoulder back. "Where are you going?" She demanded as she forced me to look at her.

I released an annoyed breath. "You said that the chain connects to Sadiq," I snapped. "So obviously it'll lead me to where he is." I started to walk off again.

Again, she held me back. "But we're the only ones here!"

"And how do you know that?"

"What do you think I do when you're not here?" the African demanded, smoothing out the ends of her pony tails. Her cheeks were tinted red with frustration as she tightened the ribbons as well. "I walk around trying to find an end. And you want to know something? There is none!"

I shook my head. "I don't care!" I yelled, feeling a headache thump against my skull. I really wish that I could just strangle her. "Just because she annoys me does not mean that I get to kill her," A sane part of me answered. Correction- the part of me that learned her lesson and knows not to mess with fandoms. Shaking that voice out of my head, I continued. "Sadiq would risk his life to save one of us! What kind of a person would I be to abandon him when he would do something like that for me?"

Seychelles's voice immediately topped mine in strength and volume. "Himaruya is going to kill you!"

I waved her off and started marching in the direction towards Sadiq. "At least I would have died the way I lived- screwing life over with fictional characters." I took a few more steps. The urge was too great for me to resist adding, "Go stay on the side lines Seychelles while people like me actually do something right for once." The nation glared at my back a few seconds, cursed her conscience, and quickly followed after me.

The void seemed emptier. For a long time, Seychelles and I were Hansel and Gretel in the dark, scary woods. Our bread crumbs were a golden chain and the ginger bread house was Sadiq. The witch would be waiting there, waiting to eat us but we didn't care. Or at least I didn't. The price of seeing Sadiq again would be well worth the pain.

Every now and then, we had to adjust our trail in order to align with the chain. When that happened, Seychelles would give me a worried glance. What if we were going in circles? What if we were going to be stuck in this place forever? Every time, I shrugged and silently challenged her to back away.

Every time she chose to stay.

It wasn't until the watch told us that we had been traveling for thirty minutes did something change. Seychelles grabbed my arm and pointed to an area a few yards away. I trailed her gaze and saw a small speck of white. "I'm not imagining that now, am I?" she asked, squinting for a better look.

I shook my head. "No, I see it too." I glanced down at our guide. "The chain is pointing towards it," I said. A small smile appeared on my face. "I bet my fanart that's where Sadiq is."

Her eyebrows knitted together. "Your what?"

I ignored her and gripped the watched tighter. "Never mind," I growled before breaking into a jog. "Let's just get going."

My crap, I felt fat. After spending some much time in a supermodel's body, my normal one just didn't cut it. My legs felt weighted as I tried to keep my reasonably quick pace consistent. A frown always appeared on my face every time I saw Seychelles just a few paces ahead of me. She looked as though she was barely trying. Yup, just another walk in the park for the African Islands. As my feet continued to feel heavier and heavier, I quietly vowed that I will start hitting the gym once this is all over. "If only I had a love struck German to run away from," I mourned. "Evading Germany is the best workout ever."

A sharp whistle rang through the air. "Hey Sherry." I snapped my attention back to the task on hand. Seychelles had slowed her pace to a quick walk as she pointed at the white speck. It was much closer, maybe a football field's length away, and had a more refined shape. Seychelles's eyebrows pressed together as she asked, "Doesn't that look like a square?"

I squinted and copied her pace. I tried not be show my relief when I found that I could just walk. "Yeah it does," I replied calmly. "What do you think it is? A TV?"

The girl rubbed her sweaty hands over her blue dress. "I don't think so." She stared at it for a moment longer. "Actually, I think it's a window."

"A window?"

A shrug. "Yeah." We were silent as we walked the last few yards towards it. When we were there, I understood what she meant. It was a white box in the middle of the darkness, blazing like a TV at midnight. Timidly, I took a step forward. I was a foot shy of being able to peek my face through- even on my tippy toes. I scowled and placed a hand in front of me.

I gasped, feeling the smooth surface on my skin. The darkness had ended. "There's a wall here," I whispered, fearing who or what could hear me. Seychelles appeared at my side. As she experimented with the newfound boundary, I looked between her and the window. She was slightly taller than me, but not tall enough to get a good look through. She was, however, considerably lighter. My scowl deepened. Damn it, did I have to? "Do you want to see Sadiq again?" The little voice in my head asked. I sighed. Damn that thing. Remind me to hire a therapist when I go home to help me get rid of that nuisance.

Reluctantly, I went onto my hands and knees, softly ordering, "Seychelles, stand on my back and tell me what's in there."

She gave me a confused look. "Are you sure?"

I wanted to groan. "Do I look happy doing this?"

Seychelles's shoulders fell. "I guess you're right," she said as she gently placed a foot on my back. I winced as she added the rest of her weight. She may be lighter than me, but she was still heavy. "I'm sorry," she whispered, peeking into the light. "Tell me if I hurt you."

A low groan rumbled up my throat. You know, if the person on the other side heard any of this, they would probably be having some very dirty thoughts right now. Oh my God.

The image of Seychelles and I as a yuri pairing popped into my head. I gagged, causing said girl to sway and grabbed the hole's edge for support. What would you call that pairing anyways? 'SeySher'?
And watch, everyone is going to start shipping it. . .

"Sherry, did you even hear what I just said?" I snapped back to reality with enough time to shake my head. Seychelles looked through the window again, reporting, "Turkey's in here, and-"

"Sherry?" Every ounce of my body turned into ice. Sadiq . . . he was here. A stupid grin stretched across my face. Oh my God, Sadiq's here! It was one thing to know the fact and another to see (hear?) the evidence. But even with my bubbling happiness, I could not gather the will to greet him in reply.

All I knew was that I was afraid. Was I afraid of him not liking my normal self? But speaking to him would only be using my voice. . .

Something came and blocked the majority of the white light. I looked back up and saw that Sadiq was at the window, his arm squeezed through and his hand on Seychelles's cheek. "Are you alright, Sherry?" he asked, unaware that it wasn't me. "What happened?" Seychelles looked down at me- blushing -eyes pleading for me to speak up and rid her of this awkward situation. If my arms were free, I would have shrugged. Yeah, I would be perfectly content with him never seeing me, but since I have to save the girl with the major crush . . .

Before I could speak, Sadiq's relieved tone changed drastically. "Sherry, I need you to get out of here," he said urgently, hand forcing Seychelles to look him in the eye. I could imagine them blazing with the fearful fire he seemed to always harbor. "I know that you used that stupid watch to get here. Just get rid of it, go back to your own world, and forget about me, okay? If you don't, that jackass will-"

"Do we have a guest, Sadiq?"

I saw Sadiq's arm tense into rigid stone.

Seychelles's eyes stared straight ahead with fear.

I felt my own blood run cold.

In a playful tone that sent shivers running up my back, Himaruya asked, "Aren't you going to let them in?"

I barely heard Sadiq give a weak 'no'.

"But it's rude to keep visitors outside," He easily replied. "If you don't want them to leave, I suggest you open the door and let them in." None of us replied. I held my breath, a task easier said than done. My back was already aching from supporting Seychelles. For what felt like a millennium, everything was silent. Then, "If you aren't going to let them in, I will."

Another flash of fear shot through me. All of my senses were on alert, and I needed to escape and fast. Seychelles had a similar thought. She jumped off of me and starting running. I sat up and quickly stretched my back. I could hear my bones creak in protest. Still, I wouldn't have been able to move fast enough if they were in knots. Just as I was scrambling to get back onto my feet, the door was starting to open.

I could never run away fast enough. Instead, I opted to press myself against the nearby wall and pray that Himaruya didn't turn to look at me. The boisterous pounding of my heart made me deaf. Sweating a waterfall, I stuck the watch back into my pocket and shakingly looked at the man as he stepped a little outside. The bright light of the room shadowed his face, making him resemble a phantom. I held my breath. The creator scanned the world directly in front of him, eyes eventually resting on Seychelles.

She was close enough that they could still see each other clearly, but still far enough away that it would be troublesome to follow after her. I saw Himaruya smile as he shook his head. "I was wondering what you were doing here, Seychelles," he called. Said nation froze and stared like a deer in headlights. "After all, you are a smart girl. Unlike Miss Sue here."

I gasped, suddenly feeling his hand on the collar of my white tank. I yelped when he dragged me from my hiding place and into the open. I stumbled a few paces and closed my eyes at the blinding light. I shivered when I felt his breath on my face as he held me close for examination. I hated it- he could scrutinize me but I couldn't even glance at him.

I swear to God, he planned this.

Trembling, I held his arm for support as he gave a thoughtful 'hm'. "This is very surprising," Himaruya said, sounding like a fan who already knew the spoiler. I gulped and gained the courage to peek my eyes open. I still winced at the bright light, but now I could see his sickly pleased face. My stomach sank deeper into my legs. "You resemble someone that we used to know."

His silence was a cue for me to speak. Digging my nails into his flesh, I glared at him, spitting, "Resemble who?"

He treated my rebellion like nothing more than a mere fly. "Ask Sadiq." I was shoved (more like thrown) into the room. I had to resist completely shielding my eyes. A bright, glossy white covered everything in the room: The walls, the ceiling, everything. I chose to keep my head down- Maybe then it wouldn't be half as embarrassing as it already was.

I stared at the ground and saw my reflection. I looked horrible. My tank top was messed up from the harsh treatment and my hair was all over the place. Immediately, I started smoothing down the locks, begging them to be tame. It wasn't until I saw the tips of a pair of white shoes did I remember Sadiq.

"Sherry?" He stood a few feet away, reflection showing a stock still man. He was staring at me with wide eyes, softly muttering my name. He couldn't see my face very well- my hair acted as a shield and ruined my reflection. I swallowed. I needed to look at him. I needed to see his smirk and know that everything was going to be alright. I needed to know that we were going to making it through together. With my courage in hand, I slowly forced my head up.

It was the single most awkward moment in my life.

Minus the split lip, Sadiq looked healthy though slightly uncomfortable in his stiff white clothes. His hands shook ever so slightly as his eyes stared straight at my face. They were wider than ever. I stood there, unsure of what to do or say. I bit my lip. I told him how I looked like- he should know how awful I appeared.

My lip was spared when he took a small step forward. Then another. Suddenly, Sadiq was right in my personal bubble. His calloused hand cupped my cheek as the other one ran through my hair before resting on my shoulder. "Agatha?" he whispered, his honey eyes shining with disbelief. "But that's- you're so young . . ." A weak but cheerful laugh left his mouth. "Oh God, you're so young!"

He pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms into a suffocating grip. I knitted my eye brows. Agatha? Agatha was my middle name. Why was he calling me that? The thought left me when I realized that Sadiq was actually hugging me and petting my hair and muttering with fond relief about finding this Agatha person again.

My face flushed. He was acting like a lovesick puppy.

My hands turned into tight fists. As much as I was enjoying this, I had to tell him that I was not this fantasy girl of his dreams or whatever she was. Taking one last Sadiq filled breath (the air around him tasted like apples), I asked, "Sadiq, who the hell are you talking about?" I felt his body tense. Great, now I felt bad. I gently pushed him away, saying, "In case you have forgotten, my name is Sherry. Sherry Sue. The girl you have so much fun abusing. Remember?"

Sadiq was silent for a long moment. His gaze filled with disappointment, but he was quick to cover it up. "I was just testing you," he declared, rubbing his hand on my head. His forced smirk did not falter when my locks wrapped around his digits like a snake. He carefully untangled them, saying, "It wouldn't have surprised me if that jackass made a fake Ag- you or something." I gave him a suspicious look. His smirk was reinforced.

Why was he trying so hard to hide this Agatha from me?

A slow clapping filled the air around us. Sadiq's face fell as his back tensed. I turned around to see Himaruya smirking as he mockingly applauded. A sharp intake of air filled my lungs when I realized that he was slowly walked towards me. The Turk stepped in front of me and protectively hid me behind himself. Beneath my fear, I was thankful.

Himaruya looked ready to kill.

Staring straight at his opponent, my mentor softly ordered, "Sherry, give me the watch." I suddenly felt the extra weight in my pocket. He nudged me again. "Sherry . . ." My throat decided to unclog itself, allowing me to mutter a soft 'no'. He nearly groaned. "Right now isn't the time for this," he said. "It's dangerous and I don't want you to-"

"We started this together," I snapped, recovering from my case of fear caused laryngitis. "And hell, I'm gonna end it with you."

This time, he grabbed my shoulders and faced me. A thoroughly pissed off visage met me as he growled, "Damnit Sherry- we lost. There is nothing either of us can do to stop this. Get out now before it-"

"Before I do something unspeakable." Sadiq's nails dug into my shoulder flesh. I gasped, suddenly remembering the knife wound I had accumulated earlier. It was no longer there, but the pain sharply reminded me of the blade. I looked past my mentor and to the speaker and my attacker. The devious sparkle in his eyes made a dark shadow appear over the upper half of his face.

Sadiq shoved me further back and faced his enemy. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her," he growled, white teeth flashing like fangs. "I swear that if you even think about it-"

"Have you already forgotten my promise?" The other asked. His eyes slicked over me. "I swore that I was going to make her pay for what you did."

His feet shifted, ready for a fight. "And what makes you think that I'll let you go through with that, jackass?"

One instant, I was standing behind Sadiq, feeling safer than I originally thought possible. The next, Sadiq was flying across the room before hitting the farthest wall painfully. He moaned as he slid to the ground like a dead fly on a windshield. I started to screamed. "Sad-"

Himaruya's hands latched around my throat. My voice was replaced by a frog like cough. The pain was terrible- my neck, chest, and head were hurting from either pressure, oxygen loss, or a combination of the two. My wide eyes were ready to pop out of their sockets. I clawed at the creator's arm. The most I hoped for was for him to release me. Realistically, I could only pray for him to at least slacken his grip.

My legs felt dead and I could no longer support myself. I collapsed into the white chair behind me, feeling my head and vision blur. Still, he did not release me. I think I heard Sadiq yelling for Himaruya to release me, but my ears were practically useless. How much longer would it be before I die. . .

"Stop it!" Himaruya loosened his hold before releasing me completely. I hunched over, hand on my throat, coughing and gasping for air. My head slowly sorted everything and my vision became crisp. I could even see the red marks the floor reflection revealed to be on my throat. I looked around the room, trying to figure out what caused the sudden change of mind. He had been so close to killing me.
Then I saw why.

Seychelles stood directly behind him, hands wrapped around his throat. Unlike him, her eyes were terrified and her hands were pale and clammy. I stared at her, mouth hanging open with amazement. She came back. Seychelles came back to face the guy she was most afraid of. She helped me.

My small bit of delight melted when I saw the rest of the scene. Himaruya was still smirking, still looking as though he had absolute control of everything. Sadiq, pinned to the wall by an invisible force- noticed it too. He pressed his lips together anxiously, expecting the worse. And it happened: Hidekaz laughed.

"My, my Seychelles; I was not expecting such a response from you." He turned, easily brushing her arms away. The smaller girl took a step back, gazing at him with fear. "You are a smart girl; you are well aware of what the consequences of attacking me will be."

When he didn't add anything else, Seychelles took it as a hint to speak. Her eyes darted between the three of us, as if searching for the one safe person. In a voice no louder than a whisper, she said, "I-I know that I sh-shouldn't be. B-but you want to know something?" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She seemed to grow more confident, more sure in her actions when she continued. "Someone really stupid once reminded me that if this was happening to me, they would come in a save me. I guess I'm just returning the favor."

It was like the moment where you are watching a 'FrUk' video on YouTube and you see one of your pieces of fanart. A swell of pride and happiness floods your stomach spreads to your head. You feel as light as a feather and breathing is no longer important. That same sensation mimicked itself when I heard her words. Seychelles actually listened to me. Yeah, she called me stupid but she was heeding my advice. She thinks I'm smart. A small grin stretched on my face.

Himaruya, meanwhile, rolled his eyes. "That is disappointing," he stated. "And here I was, actually thinking about letting you off the hook nicely. But if looks as though that will no longer be an option. You'll simply have to prove yourself to me."

The grip Seychelles had loosened, though she grinded her teeth to cover it up. "What makes you think that I'd want your approval?" She growled, trying to sound fierce.

"I don't." He swiftly slapped her hands away and pivoted on his heels. In one hand, he held her wrist down. A finger on the other one pressed against her forehead, making her eyes grow wide with fear. In a low voice, Himaruya said, "You are my creation. You are in debt to me. There is nothing you can do to disobey me." In a soft, but dangerous voice, he commanded, "Take care of her."

The moment he stepped away, I knew that Seychelles was different. Her eyes looked almost emotionless and her back was stiff like a soldier. She slowly started walking towards me. I pressed myself closer into my chair. When someone orders another to "take care" of someone that usually ends with death. My scared shitless eyes drifted to the door behind her. I could perhaps run outside, have her chase after me, run back inside, and lock her out.

It was crazy, but maybe it was crazy enough to work.

I stole one last glance at Sadiq. Himaruya was at his side, affectionately cupping his cheek, and whispering something inaudible. My mentor looked past him, begging me to stay safe. He winced when Himaruya kissed his jaw line. Ew. Still, I nodded and started my mad dash.

I didn't make it five feet before being pushed onto the ground. My head spun and I cried out in pain. Seychelles straddled my hips before wordlessly wrapping her hands around my neck. For the second time that day, I was strangled.

Choking, I clawed at her arm. A plan tried to formulate itself in my head, but everything was on melt down and most of my thoughts made little sense. I just knew that I needed to get her to snap out of it. But how? Every anime I've ever watched came into mind.

Long monologues. Every anime character makes long impactful monologues.

Worth a shot.

Carefully, I dug my fingers under her hands, forcing her to loosen her grip ever so slightly. It wasn't enough to release me, but I was given access to desperately needed air. "Stop it Seychelles," I whispered, wincing at the pain. "I know that you don't want to do this." Her grip became tighter around my neck. My fingers dug into her skin and my extra oxygen was gone. Eyes nearly shut, I looked up at her vengeful expression. "You saved Germany . . ." I added, barely able to speak. "Y-you saved me . . . save me . . . please. . ." All of my air was gone. My eyes fluttered shut. Still, she did not release me. I wanted to cry. I was going to die here. I was going to die without even seeing my family again. I didn't even get to apologize to Bella. . .

"Seychelles! Wake up!" Sadiq's scream drew me back to reality and made Himaruya lose his concentration.

A second later, Seychelles hands were gone. I took a sudden breath of air and opened my eyes. The girl's eyes were wide with shock as she stared at her hands. Her head moved in a small motion, her ribbons swaying with it. "What did I do?" She muttered, looking like a horrified HetaOni!Italy. "What did I . . ."

I turned my head towards Sadiq and saw a new red mark on his face. Blood spilled down his lip and splattered on his white clothes. He woke her up. But how? Was it because she likes him? Must be- the power love holds in this world is incredible.

Himaruya, meanwhile, had one hand on Sadiq's chest and another pointed at Seychelles. Eyebrows furrowing under his glasses, he growled, "Seychelles, I command you to listen to me and take care of that girl."

She snapped out of her shock. Brown eyes glared at the enemy as she sneered a loud "no". Quickly, she crawled off of me and helped me to my own feet, saying, "You are nothing but a coward, Himaruya. You have others do you dirty work while you go off and stay in safety." She loudly stomped her foot on the ground causing me to jump with surprise. "Don't turn me into the monster you are!"

Himaruya glared back at her with equal amounts of hatred. "Do not paint yourself to be immaculate, Seychelles, you hate Sherry," he spat, taking his attention off of Sadiq. As I rubbed my hands over my sore neck, I noted Sadiq experimentally twitching a finger. "You wanted to hurt her and I was just allowing you to live your fantasy."

"They're not my fantasies," Seychelles snapped. Sadiq flexed both of his hands. He smirked. I smiled.

Neither of them noted us. Himaruya took his hand off of his lover and stood. "The problem is not whether or not they are fantasies. The problem is that not only are you my creation, but you are in debt to me." This time, Seychelles also noticed the brunette as he moved his arm and bent his knees, but she was quick to cover it up. I held a moment of admiration towards her for her ability to keep her brown eyes straight on Himaruya, even as he said, "You have no choice but to listen to me."

I hid my smile when my mentor silently stood, a victorious look gleaming in his eyes. Seychelles smirked and took a step forward, saying, "You and what army?"

Himaruya frowned and took a step forward to meet her. His pale face was right in her brown one. He replied, "I am a god, I am my own army."

This time, I was the one to step forward. It was half the size as theirs, but it was enough to make a point. Playing off the total cocky Tony Stark persona, I said, "We have a Sadiq." Not a second later, said man lunged forward and wrapped his arms around Himaruya's small waist. Seychelles pushed me back just as they crashed to the floor.

For someone so small, the not-Estonian sure did put up one heck of a fight. They were a mass of tangled limbs and growling breaths. They tumbled and hit each other, each trying to gain the upper hand. Behind my back, I crossed my fingers. I prayed for Sadiq to be the victor. I didn't know what I'd do if Himaruya won.

I didn't think anyone did.

The Turk fiercely jammed the heel of his hand into the other man's face. It probably was enough force to break someone's nose. Instead, the square glasses that laid on his nose broke and the glass shards sprayed on the ground.

My fingers were crossed even tighter. "C'mon Sadiq!" I called, feeling my chest pound. I winced when Himaruya flipped on top of him and pressed his back into the glass. Whatever need to be vocally supportive vanished. I guessed that my shouting was distracting him.

Miraculously, Sadiq found the will to grind his teeth and kick Himaruya away. He flew a foot or so before crashing into the white chair. My mentor smirked and scrambled to his feet and wiped the gathered blood off his face. His split lip was torn even more and a large purple bruise was puffing on his cheek bone. He raised his fist, perfectly prepared to pound the small man sprawled over the chair.
Seychelles grabbed my hand and I held my breath. This was the finishing blow.

Or, at least, it should have been.

Himaruya held his hand out and an invisible force turned gravity against Sadiq. He held still for a moment, but then flew back into the opposite wall. I screamed. It was the same force that held him back earlier and controlled Seychelles. As the bad guy pushed himself off the destroyed piece of furniture, I forgot myself and tried to run to Sadiq. My hand, however, was caught.

I looked down and saw that Seychelles was holding onto me with a death grip. I grabbed her wrist and tried to yank mine away, but it was no use. "What the hell, Seychelles!" I yelled. "Would you let-" Then it hit me. I looked up at her face and saw her staring straight at the chair. Neither her face nor her eyes moved. That stupid force was around her as well.

Shit.

"This is becoming more troublesome than I thought possible," Himaruya commented, nonchalantly, cracking the kinks out of his back. "If I had known that you two would have been so much trouble-"

"Let us go!" I demanded, pulling and yanking at my stuck limb. Damn, her grip was strong. "Just give up and let all of us go!"

He turned to me, raising an eyebrow. The calm expression on his face left my paralyzed. The very thought of moving left me completely when he approached me. "You are a very irritating character, Sherry," he said, voice louder than the loud thumps of his shoes. I gulped. "You are so easy to manipulate, yet so difficult to get rid of." He was right in my personal space. Fear drove me to step back and make myself as small as possible. I gave Sadiq a sideway glance, silently begging him to come save me. By his scrunched nose and growling breath, I would say he heard me.

Cold fingers latched themselves under my chin and forced me to look back at the creator. His blond hair was messed up and his broken glasses were crooked. Everything about his appearance was comical, yet I still found myself shivering in stupefying fear. He sighed whimsically, drawing a finger down my pimple-specked cheek. "There are so many things I would like to do to you, Sherry," he said. "So many ways I would like to enact my revenge. But you want to know the way I chose?" His frigid hand drifted down my side.

A surge of panic overcame me and didn't leave even when it rested over my pocket. "In less than five minutes I can make you regret living. I can make you go through hell and back. Then I'll take that watch and you'll be on your merry broken little way home where you can cry and mourn your disaster. But the worse part will be that you wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it. Because if you did, then you'd be considered crazy."

I took a deep, shaky breath. Breathe Sherry, you can beat this guy. It's just a threat- who said that he would actually go through with it? "That would be very bad for you," I replied softly. Softly, but evenly. "If you did that, you'll have to deal with a pissed off Turk and Seychellois. Probably also an Icelander, Englishman, Frenchie, Liechtensteinian-"

He laughed. "You have gut- I'll give you that. However, have you stopped to wonder that I could possibly kill two birds with one stone?"

My stomach dropped. "How?"

He took the hand off my pocket and cupped both of my cheeks. "Imagine the anguish they will feel. Sadiq and Seychelles are standing right here; they can save you. Yet they will be forced to stand around and do nothing about it."

I felt Seychelles's heart drop. I didn't know how- I could just feel it plunging into her gut. I stole another glance at Sadiq. If glares could kill then he would be a mass murderer. Sadiq . . . "So you want to hurt Sadiq?" I demanded, trying to meet his gaze fiercely. The effect was probably ruined by the strands of orange hair falling over my face. "If you even feel an ounce of compassion for him, you wouldn't want to put him through something like that."

The blond didn't even blink. "He needs to be broken."

"He's not your bitch."

This time he smirked. "I have control of everyone. Technically, you are all my bitches."

Glory be- what was wrong with me? I was actually piecing the puzzle together in my head. Just think about it: this guy has controlled everyone but me. Both Sadiq and Seychelles were frozen solid while I was spitting every remark possible. I could call it a strategy, but that would be harder for Himaruya. So in my little logic equation, that means . . .

"Correction: I am not your bitch." He raised an eyebrow, mildly surprise at my tone. I sounded more sure than I felt. Yet, I already set the challenge so I had to finish it. I took one last deep breath and said, "I'm not your creation, you can't control me. The only time you ever had was when I was in Seychelles's body, but you created that- didn't you?"

He chuckled and I knew I was right. "Yes, that is correct." He leaned into me, humor gone and expression dark. "But what are you going to do about it?" he asked. "After all, I still have the upper hand." He was so close, I could feel his breath on my lips. My lips . . .

I smirked madly. "This." And I kissed him.

.

.

.

What? The only times Sadiq has been able to break free of his hold was when Himaruya was distracted. So what better way to do that then with a kiss?

Shut up, it sounded better in my head.

I mean, hell, it wasn't even pleasant in real life. His lips were cold and his saliva made them slimy. They reminded me of frogs. Slimy, mucus covered, wart ridden frogs. I squeezed my eyes shut, resisting the urge to barf. The princess in the story was able to do this how?

After a moment of being completely grossed out, I decided heck with it and bit down. My teeth pierced his mouth's delicate flesh. Warm liquid spilled into my mouth and my tongue tasted the distinct flavor of iron. I felt the grip on my imprisoned hand vanish.

Slap!

I yelped, feeling the hot sting of being bitch slapped. I rubbed my cheek, cursing the idiot who invented it. What kind of dumbass goes around slapping people with their knuckles anyways?

Himaruya loomed over me, wiping the blood from his mouth. "You little slut- what did you hope to achieve by doing that?" He demanded, a poisonous zing drowning his voice. "What made you think that-" His voice turned into a scream of pain.

I looked up and barely caught a glimpse of Sadiq before a hand slap over my eyes. "Look away," Seychelles ordered, dragging me away from the scene. She turned my back to them and forced me to squat on the ground. She didn't remove her hand, not trusting me to not look at him via reflection. "You don't want to see that."

The image of Himaruya's shocked face drifted to my mind. The trail of blood dripping down his chin reinforced Sadiq's presence behind him. I suddenly felt sick. "What's going on?" I asked, tensing when I heard another pained noise. Her hold on me tightened. I flinched and pressed my lips. What was going on? Did I even want to know? "Seychelles, please . . ."

I felt her shake her head. "It's not pretty."

I heard Himaruya groaned. I really wished that I had a stuffed animal to comfortingly hold. I had one at home, sitting on my bed. It was a fluffy blue rabbit Dad gave me when I was seven. His name was Bunny- something completely original for a child. I wanted to hold Bunny and bury my face into what remained of his fake fur. My dead cat Berry had clawed off the majority of it.

Seychelles shifted uncomfortably on her feet. She spent another tense moment deciding on the right choice. Then, she changed her mind about our location. Again, she forced me to stand and ushered me out of the room. The void was amazingly much warmer than the room. Out here, the sounds of the fight inside were not as harsh but I could still hear the final remains of the losing fight. I resisted the ever strong urge to barf.

The girl removed the hand from my face, but kept my back to the scene. She rubbed my shoulders, as if telling me that if I was not calm she would not tell me the truth. I forced my eyes to stare at the blackness beyond me. My breathing calmed to a normal pace.

Seychelles hesitated a moment longer, but when a loud thud! rang, she made up her mind. "When you kissed him, both of us were free to go," she explained. "Turkey grabbed one of the glass shards from Himaruya's glasses and used it as a knife."

I placed a hand over my mouth, forcing the acid to go back down my stomach. So when Himaruya screamed it was because Sadiq . . .

I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms over my gut, imagining Bunny between my arms. Oh my God, did I just help Sadiq murder someone? Did I just kill him? Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God . . .

I heard Seychelles hush into my ear and rub my back for comfort. Still, I barely registered it. I squeezed my eyes shut. My head was concentrating on my imaginary toy and happier thoughts. My ears, meanwhile, were only detecting the sound of Sadiq continuously attacking his enemy.

Think Bunny, think home, think Berry, think the Little Mermaid, think 'FrUk, think anything but murder.

Eventually, I sat back down onto the floor. The nation joined me, an arm slung across my shoulders. As I brought my knees to my chest, I wondered why she wasn't panicking like me. Then I remembered: she's a country. I bet things like this were just a walk in the park for her. I wished that I was as strong as her.

I guess the good thing about violence that it always had to get worse before it got better. The worst part was done and the painful noises of groans, grunts, and thuds were dying out. Then, they stopped completely. I held my breath. The only sound was Sadiq's heavy panting. I tuned into the sound of him shuffling around the room, doing who knows what.

I felt Seychelles move to see what he was doing, but by her relaxed muscles I knew that it couldn't have been serious. "What happened?" she asked nervously, rising to her feet. I refused to look or open my eyes. "Where's Himaruya?"

He was silent for a long moment. "He disappeared," he said softly. He sounded so tired, still as stressed as when he was stuck in the cycles. "After I . . . his body just turned into dust and scattered." I heard his shoes as they clicked on the floor. I felt his presence when he stepped into the void. I jumped when he closed the door, locking the three of us outside.

It was silent for a long moment.

Slowly, I untangled myself and forced my eyes open. It wasn't so much different- the inside of my head and the void. Everything was black. I carefully turned on my butt towards the two nations. Seychelles was absently untying and retying her bows, eyes staring out into the nothing. Her wistful look didn't leave half of an impression as Sadiq's.

The white shirt he wore earlier was gone, replaced by an equally white undershirt. There was no sign of the original and I could infer why. His slacks were splattered by the red substance. It was as if I had photoshoped them there. Somehow, that idea made it easier to deal with it.

His visage was strangely fitting. He was also staring out into the darkness, but it was with awe. By the way his mouth was slightly parted; I could tell that he was still processing what all of this meant.
I thought it best to stay quiet.

Silence. . .

Sadiq suddenly started laughing. His voiced echoed around the world like a song of rejoice. Somehow, just hearing it made my heart lighter. "We're out," he exclaimed, deep voice echoing around the emptiness. "Shit, we're actually out!" His voice died down and I could practically feel his body freeze. Seychelles and I gave him strange looks as he ran his hand through his hair and chuckled. "If we're out, that means . . ." His smiled turned into that was amazement and disbelief. "I'm free."

He suddenly wrapped his hands around Seychelles and tightly squeezed her. "I'm free!" He yelled again, lifting her up into the air. I chuckled at her blushing face. His happy air was so infectious that I could not help but to laugh when he started spinning her like a child. That attracted his attention.

He gently placed her on the ground, kissed her cheek, and rushed over to me. He quickly grabbed my wrists and pulled me up onto my feet. A second later I was pressed to his chest as he hugged me, laughing and celebrating the fact. Still smiling, I closed my eyes and breathed in his scent.
He still smelled like sweet apples.

The fact that everything was over (and that her crush just kissed her) suddenly hit Seychelles. "On my God!" She jumped into the air, barely able to contain her excitement. "Woohoo! This-" She started laughing. "-This is actually happening! Oh my God, I'll go to talk to Papa and England and Liechtenstein and Germany . . ."

In my head, I was doing the same thing. I was squealing as I created a little check list in my mind- kiss Mom, hug my brothers, apologize to Bella. The little happily-ever-afters were playing out in my head rapidly, making me want to burst out into song. I wanted to cry. This was fantastic; this was heaven.

Sadiq pressed his face into my hair. I froze and shifted uncomfortably on my feet. His content sighs tickled my scalp, sending heat to my cheeks. In a voice too soft for the other girl to hear, he said, "Thank you, Sherry."

I wrapped my arms tighter around his waist. We both squeezed harder. "I don't deserve your thanks," I muttered, looking down at the ground. "Sadiq, I should have listened to you sooner. If I did, then maybe everything . . ." His warm hand suddenly found its way under my chin. He delicately pointed my face towards his. I breathed in.

Smiling softly, he shook his head. "I don't blame you," the Turk said. "You didn't know me and I wasn't exactly being the nicest of people."

I pretended that I did not feel the deepening blush on my cheeks and simply shook my head. "But-"

He cut me off. "And besides, if we did anything differently, we may have never defeated it in the first place."

"Or maybe it could have been better," I replied, my eyes drifting back to the ground. They were swelling with tears. "Maybe none of this . . . fighting . . ." I trailed off, my voice turning into a sob. My imagination engraved an image of a bloody, dead Himaruya onto the back of my eyes. No matter what thought I tried to replace it with, it refused to leave.

By now, Seychelles had noticed our little moment and occupied herself by smoothing the wrinkles on her dress. In a way, I felt sorry for her.

The man, meanwhile, frowned, wiping the trails off my cheeks. "Don't beat yourself up over this," he sternly ordered. I sniffled again. His hands moved to my cheeks. Cupping them, he said, "Now Sherry, I want you to listen to me, okay? You saved my soul. If you hadn't played your role, I would never have gotten my opportunity to fight against Himaruya. I owe my life to you, understand?" I weakly nodded, still not believing him.

He leaned until our faces were mere inches from each other. "So when I thank you, I want you to accept it, alright?"

I opened my mouth, ready to reply to him when the strangest thing happened: He leaned in and pressed his lips against my own. Time slowed to a halt and my world started to spin. My eyes closed in defeat. I didn't have the sense to kiss back- I didn't feel the need to. Everything just seemed better with him leaning into me and doing the work.

I was reminded of my kiss with Fake-Sadiq. That one's kiss was so much fiercer; the real one's was simply gentle. My chest started aching. I had to talk to him about what happened- was it really just a trick or did he truly have romantic feelings towards me?

I wanted it to be a trick; I wanted everything to remain normal between us. But at the same time, I wanted more from him. I wanted his affection, his company, and his love. The longing for it was stabbing my heart with guilt. I wanted a father and Sadiq could be that. But I also wanted my real Dad. I wanted him to be the one holding me and telling me that it would be okay.

Sometimes, I just hated myself.

It lasted for a few seconds before he stepped back. The sudden lack of his presence made my eyes snap open. Sadiq was standing a few feet away, right by a sad looking Seychelles. He smiled sadly, gleaming eyes meeting mine equally. In his hand, he held his pocket watch.

Panic struck through me. As if to double check, I dug my hands into my pockets. The pocket where I held the watch was had something else in it. I wrapped my hand around it and pulled it out. In my palm was Himaruya's broken glasses. I jumped, nearly dropping the rectangular frame.

I looked back up at the two nations. Their figures were fading away, disappearing into the darkness of the abyss. I could barely see Seychelles as she was calling out a goodbye. I could no longer hear her, but I could see the thick frown on her face. Sadiq was standing still, smiling with sadness and guilt. His eyes never left me as I mouthed out one last thing.

I was no expert in lip reading- we all knew that -but I could barely make out what he was trying to tell me. At first, I thought he said "good eye, a manga", but that didn't make sense. I squinted my eyes and suddenly understood.

"Goodbye, Agatha."

I screamed and starting running towards their disappearing shapes. I couldn't leave, not now. I still wanted to spend so much time with them. I still had to hug him goodbye, tell him that I'll miss him. "No! Don't!" They were nearly gone. I outstretched a hand, trying to catch their remaining pieces. "Please, don't! I lo-" The rest of my word was lost in my descent into darkness. All around, I could feel myself falling

and falling

and falling

and falling

a

n

d

. . .

MW: So there we are. Man, I always feel as though my final show down chapters are lame. So very lame.

SEK: Stop fishing for sympathy like MK claims you do.

MW: I would say that I hate you, but then I would lose my proof reader.

SEK: It's all part of the plan.

MW: Damn you.

Anyways, the plans for the rest of this story and series. After much thought and debate, I decided that this is going to be a trilogy. Sorry for those who wanted one big one. But to make things easier for you, after the epilogue, there will be the symbolism cheat sheet, and (once I feel ready to post it) a last chapter giving a preview to the next part and publish date. See! I'm making this so easy!

For those curious, this series is going to be entitled "The Fan Series". I'm going to hold back on the titles due to the fact that they technically contain spoilers. So Blue, do your usual line.

BFTL: (I need to speak more . . .) And remember to review!

No Funfacts Today!

Next Chapter: Everything over, everyone tries to settle back into their previous lives.

So . . . I guess you guys should review. I mean, there's a little box down there just inching to be written in.