MW: I am so sorry for not updating for a month. Life has been busy and hellish. I apologize greatly. But, to my great enjoyment, I do have a supper awesome announcement to make. *clears throat*

Today, one year ago, The Fangirl was first posted!

That's right guys! The Fanseries is officially one year old (It's a bit amazing that I'm still working on this, considering that my original idea for the series was just 10 chapters long). So to celebrate, we're updating.

Well, me at least. SEK is a bit busy right now, so she asked me to try my best to proofread without her. Like always, tell me if you see any mistakes.

Lastly, before I let you guys go off and read this baby, I have a happy announcement to make. One person actually got the symbolism for the "You" think right. According to dismallyOriented , "The "You" bit doesn't happen to be a reference to those "Country x Reader" self-insert fics, does it?"

Good job girl! Go treat yourself to a cookie.

EDIT: Made a huge mistake in the naming, but I fixed it. Thank you to AddXC92 for pointing it out to me. Sorry for any confusion!

Chapter Summary: Larry starts to realize that something's up with Alfred, but will it be too late?

Warnings: Strong language, violence and explicit gore, sexual themes, some incest and boy's love.

Disclaimer: Even after all of this time, I still do not own Hetalia.

~Chapter 7~

Everyone Always Likes to Lie

"There'll be girls across the nation that'll eat this up

Babe, I know that it's your soul but could you bottle it up?

And get down to the heart of it, no, it's my heart

You're straight out of your luck don't make me tell you again."

-From the American song "Bottle It Up" by the Sara Bareilles

THE WAR: Day 12

I sighed and rolled onto my other side. Lucidity was slowly returning to me, beckoning for me to embrace the new day. I moaned, hugging the sheets closer to myself. "You might want to get up now," a voice said. "It's around noon." At first, I did my best to ignore him. Who needed Russia anyways?

Oh yeah. Russia.

I slept with him last night.

"Frack!" I swore, bolting up. Immediately, the sun's glare hit my eyes, blinding me. I placed an arm over them, squinting at the scene. I was alone in the bed, my clothes still on. The sun's rays brought a sense of cleanliness to the room, making many of the trinkets glitter. The rays came in through the large windows by Russia's desk were open. The glass was pushed outward and the ocean breeze made the forest green curtains dance. The man himself sat behind the desk, moving a compass across a map. How typical of pirates. I stared at him, asking, "Did you just say noon?"

Russia looked up. His face was drawn in seriousness. He looked completely different from last night. There was no trace of that child in a man's body who begged for me to stay. No, this was a man built to lead an army. "Kind of like an actual country," I thought. This was what a country personification should be- cool and calculating. Not the perverted homosexuals who currently populated this ship.

"Yes, it is noon," he said, leaning back in his chair. "I did not want to wake you up sooner since you looked very tired."

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, well those hammocks aren't necessarily the comfiest of things."

He grimaced. "Well, it's the best I can do," he said. "Tell me Liechtenstein: did you sleep well last night?"

I thought back to my conversation with Liech. I was not sure if being interrogated by a self-proclaimed therapist was considered restful or not, but I felt pretty good right now. For once, I really didn't feel the burden of Stella or Gilbert or Agatha. It will probably return later, but for now all I wanted to do was bask in this relaxation. I leaned back on my hands, saying, "I slept wonderfully. You?"

It seemed as though Russia's smile was growing bigger by the second. "It was much easier to sleep with you by my side." This time, I frowned. All right, that sounded creepy in more ways than one. He didn't seem to notice though. His cheerful aura was radiant, seeping from his face and into my skin. It did not fade away until a soft thud! broke our silence.

I looked over and saw Sokka on top of his desk. The feline was licking its white paws, sweeping its tail over the many maps. "Where did he come from?" I asked, knitting my eyebrows. At my voice, Sokka looked up and meowed. It leaped onto the floor and made its way onto the bed.

As I stroked its back, Russia rose and motioned to the windows. "Through there, I guess. Though-" he stuck his head outside and looked up. "-it's not an easy jump. One wrong move and he would have drowned."

"Drowned?" I picked the cat up and held it in front of me. "You better not have been attempting suicide," I scolded, ignoring those adorable green eyes. "The next time you want to see me, you better take a sensible route, you understand? No dying on me."

Sokka meowed.

Russia chuckled. "So cute. . ."

"Brother!" The door swung open and Belarus came inside. Her feet kicked up the edges of her skirt as she carried a tray of what looked to be more soup and lemons. When one was on a pirate ship that was pretty much the only thing you ate. "I brought us some lunch," she announced, kicking the door shut behind herself. I froze on the bed. Belarus was incredibly pissed with me yesterday. What was the attitude she was going to use today? Oh God, please don't tell me it's the knives.

But despite all of my worrying, she merely gave me a passing glance before returning to her task. "I see that you're still here," she stated, placing the tray on the table. Was it just me, or was it bitter? Not good.

I put Sokka down and gave her a serious look. I said, "I was really tired last night."

"You couldn't have been." She quickly busied herself by rearranging the bowls and silverware. It was frightening, the way she refused to look at me. Maybe because when she glared at me, I at least knew where I stood with her. Now I had no idea whether or not she was going to kill me or treat me with indifference. The blond picked up a bowl and started ladling some soup into it, muttering, "After all, I didn't hear you moaning at all."

I flushed and buried my face in my hands. "How can you even think that?"

A loud string of meowing met our ears. Belarus and I looked back at the desk to see Sokka standing on the maps, pawing the table top. Russia looked slightly bewildered, unsure of what to make of this odd display. "Liechtenstein, I think your pet really likes maps," he said, pushing himself closer into his chair. "He wouldn't stop pawing it."

Belarus smirked. "Maybe Sokka just needs to take a piss," she joked.

I sigh- wait a second. Belarus cracked a joke. Belarus cracked a joke? What? Since when did she have a sense of humor? The last I checked, she only had two modes. The first being her obsessive knife wielder. The other was the side that liked to yell at the crew for slacking off. It was completely abnormal for her to have a sense of humor.

Maybe my prayers to Jesus finally made it through.

Well thank you Jesus, I knew that you're awesome all along.

I sighed and got off the bed. "Don't worry too much about it," I told them, walking to the desk. I delicately picked up my cat and- ignoring its angry hissing -held it close to my chest. "This one is a weird one." Images of Sokka, Alfred, and the mystery man suddenly drifted into my head. When we were in Sicily, Sokka scratched my mentor for some reason, most likely because of what he and the mystery guy were talking about. "What if . . ."

I shook the thought out of my head. "That's border lining crazy," I told myself. "There is no way there's something up with Sokka. I bet I just imagined it or something." That brought me a little comfort. "Yeah. I bet he was just trying to get Al's attention."

Belarus's glare finally returned. "I have our lunch completely set up now, brother," she said lowly. "It would be greatly appreciated if we can start now."

I took a moment away from my cat-soothing to give the siblings a confused look. "You two are having lunch together?" I asked.

Russia smiled and nodded. "Yes. Just Belarus and I. So . . ." His lips quivered into a frown.

A little pang of whatever-the-feeling-you-get-when-you-realize-that -you-just-walked-in-on-a-party-you-were-not-invite d-to struck my heart. It was not as though I wanted to spend a lunch with Russia and Belarus, but it would still be nice to be invited to the event- even if I just decline the offer. Doing my very best to look unphased, I shook my head. "No, I get it. I'll leave." I gave them a wistful smile. "You two have fun at your lunch date, okay?"

I started to make my way to the door. Now that I thought about it, I was really hungry right now. I guess that's what happens when you skip multiple meals in a little over twenty-four hours. I placed my hand on the door knob. "Wait."

I froze. That was Belarus. Why was she telling me to stop? Was she going to get revenge for sleeping with her brother and lover? Was she going to stab me with one of her knives? A shiver ran down my back Oh God no, anything but that. And to think I had been doing so well to evade the need for it.

It was a tense moment as I heard her small feet shuffle across the room. "Put your stupid cat down, You, and carry this to my sister." I dropped the cat and turned around, just to meet a big brown basket full of laundry. It was so big; I could barely get my arms around the sides to the handles. The fact that it was filled to the brim with a variety of clothing and sheets made it heavy and messy.

My eyes switched between it and her serious face. "What's this for?" I asked dumbly.

"It's noon, so most of the crew is on deck. I would prefer if those doitsus didn't spread rumors about my brother and you, so we're just going to make it look as though you were in here doing laundry. All right, You?"

I nodded and I pressed my lips. "Why do you insist on calling me that? You know perfectly well that I have a real name."

Belarus cracked a small, humored smirk. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she looked very cute when she was happy- beautiful even. "You told me to call you that," she said. And like that, her mood was back to its usual moodiness. "Now get out of here," she curtly ordered. She reached past me- her cheek brushing against mine- and opened the door for me. "And make sure you give that to Ukraine and Agatha, understand?" She placed her heel on my butt and kicked me out. I stumbled a few feet, trying my best to avoid stepping on Sokka without spilling the clothes. Every single member of the crew glanced up from their work to watch Belarus slam the door shut behind me, loudly ordering me to "move my ass and be quick about it."

I growled and shot right back at her. "Calm your tits and maybe people will actually like you!" When she did not answer, a small sense of victory swelled in my chest. Yeah, that would show her. I straightened my back, balancing the basket on my hip. The crew, however, continued to watch me, as if I was a dead man walking. I frowned. "What are you all looking at?" I snapped. Some coughed and looked away while others jumped back to their original tasks.

Wow, I sure was getting a lot of victories today.

I shook my head and started to make my way below deck. "Belarus is so freaky," I thought, walking down the steps. "I swear to God, one of these days I will personally-" My stomach gave a long and low rumble. "Okay, fine- I'll get food first. I hope Ukraine has some meat . . ."

I turned the corner and walked into the kitchen and dining-room-slash-cannon-chamber. The first thing that I noticed was that there were two colors at the stoves- the red of Agatha's curls and the brown of Turkey's hair. They looked very tense, almost hateful towards one another. Yet, they were stirring tonight's stew together, the man giving her soft pointers on spices and technique.

I stared at them, giving a small "What the . . ."

"I'm teaching them a lesson." I turned to see Ukraine sitting at one of the tables, her fingers wrapped in some knitting. Ukraine leaned back a little, watching Agatha and Turley grudgingly work together. I was always fascinated by knitting. It was like some sort of magic- the ability to turn simple string into cloth.

I gently placed the basket on the ground- careful to avoid spilling -and slid onto one of the chairs, asking, "What lesson?"

She smiled warmly and pulled one of her needles away. "Those two are being ridiculously stubborn," she said, pointing at their backs. By the way their feet shifted, I could tell that they were trying their best to ignore our conversation. "They have been arguing with each other incessantly all morning. It's about time they simply gave in and admit that they don't hate each other as much as they claim they do."

I scowled, not particularly liking the turn this conversation was taking. "Ukraine—are you implying that my sis—Agatha and Turkey secretly love each other?"

Agatha picked up her pot and banged it back on the stove. Turkey, meanwhile, gave a low 'tsk' sound before moving to the counter. His rhythmic vegetable chopping filled the awkward air as Ukraine politely smiled. "I think that you're thinking a little too far ahead of us," she said. "What I meant was that Agatha and Turkey can be friends if they would simply put aside whatever came between them."

Agatha groaned. "Well it isn't my fault that someone has to be a complete douche," she muttered, stirring the stew fiercely.

Turkey paused and gave her a condescending glare. "Really? You're going to play that card?"

"Knock it off," Ukraine sharply ordered. Both of them immediately muttered an apology before returning to their work. It would not surprise me if Ukraine had actually smacked them with a spoon earlier. The blond sighed and returned to her work. "See? They've been at it since this morning," she said, moving her needles with precise magic. "But anyways, enough of that. What are you up to, Liechtenstein? I didn't see you for breakfast."

I grimaced. "Oh, I was . . . off somewhere," I said. Technically it wasn't a lie since Russia's room was somewhere. "I have some laundry that Russia wants you to do. Here." I motioned to the basket.

The captain's older sister sighed. "Typical Russia," she said, rising to her feet. Her knitting laid abandoned on the table. "Always having me do everything." She flashed me a smile as she lifted it into her hands. "Well, I best be getting started on this. You make sure that these two don't kill each other, okay?"

The only problem with that was that I was sure that I would most likely kill Turkey before any kind of peace can ever be made. I smiled unsurely. "I'll try." Ukraine chuckled before going up the stairs and onto deck.

At first, I did my best to be respectful (which lasted approximately twelve minutes) and merely watch them cook, but my stomach begged to differ. I placed a hand over it. "Is there anything here for me to eat?" I asked.

Agatha turned to me, smiling kindly. Sherry never smiled like that. "Sure. There's some soup here you can try," she said. "Here let me get you a bowl." As she bent down to the lower cabinets for the bowl, I saw Turkey quickly reach over and take care of her soups for her. By the time she rose back up, Turkey was back to cutting the vegetables. She didn't even notice that he had moved. I stared. It was as though it never happened. Agatha ladled me the brown liquid from one of the pots, stuck the spoon in it, and handed it over. "I'm glad that you asked permission first," she said. "It good that somebody here knows what manners are."

Turkey banged his knife on the cutting board. "I thought that you would like it!" He snapped. My blood ran cold. "Jesus! You don't have to make a big deal about it!"

"Wait, wait, wait!" They paused long enough for me to point an accusing finger at the man, yelling, "What the frack did you do?"

For a moment, all he did was look at me as though I was an idiot. Then, he sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well last night Agatha here decided that to return my shirt to me and I decided that I wanted to make sure that she wasn't as boring as I originally thought, so-"

"He woke me up at an ungodly hour to watch the sunrise," Agatha snapped. "Dragging me out of my hammock and everything." I could not help it- I literally had to facepalm. Were they serious? Was all of this because of a simple thing like that? And here I was, thinking sexual assault. At least I wouldn't have to murder anyone.

"Well excuse me for wanting to show you that," he replied, mockingly waving his hands around. "What is so wrong about a guy wanting to show a girl the sunrise?"

Agatha was red with anger. It was very scary how Sherry's face did the exact same thing every time we got into a heated argument. Stomping her foot on the ground, Agatha yelled, "A lot of things, starting with the fact that you did not ask me if I wanted to go in the first place!"

Turkey did something odd. Instead of continuing with the fight, he leaned against the counter and buried his face into his palms. His chest rose in fall, his breath filling the room. Agatha carefully watched him massage his temples and mutter Turkish under his breath. After a long moment, he looked up at her with determined ember eyes. "So if I did ask, would you have wanted to come?"

Agatha looked down, her eyes filled with emotion. She watched her shoes as she shifted uncomfortably. Heck, even her hands were shyly folded behind her back. "Probably."

Turkey sighed and shook his head. Pushing off the counter, he purposefully walked up to Agatha. She seemed to look even more uncomfortable when he placed both of his hands on her shoulders. "Okay then." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Miss Stu, would you like to watch the sunrise with me tomorrow morning?" he asked, sounding very much like the perfect gentleman. I frowned. He was putting moves on my sister!

My sister- no, Agatha -pressed her lips. Her cheeks held a pinkish tint as she slowly nodded. "As long as you promise not to be an ass," she replied.

He smirked, that cocky attitude of his returning. "I can promise nothing," he said, playfully taping her nose. Agatha only grew more flustered, stumbling over her words as she tried to ask him to stop. This only caused Turkey's visage to deepen.

I was dumbfounded. There was so much in that one exchange that I was not so sure where to stop. Ukraine was right that there was definitely something going on between them. Friendship would be preferable, but by the way he smirked and she blushed, I knew that it could easily explode into something more. I could not bear the thought of that.

Agatha somehow showed me the one thing I did not want for Sherry- a love life. No, I did not want her to be one of those crazy old single ladies with the hordes of cats. Just seeing my sister become so (for lack of a better word) girly made me feel sick. Guys were mean and cruel. The girl already had terrible nightmares. Just thinking about her hooking up with a guy like Turkey and getting dumped just made me want to scream. My sister should be safe. She should be locked away in a tower with Stella where I could keep them away from every bad man in the world.

After all, I did promise Dad that I would protect the family.

Placing the spoon in the table, I gently coughed into my fist. "I don't think that would be a very good idea," I practically sneered. "Shouldn't we all be concentrating on better things right now?"

Turkey shot me a glare, as if to snap at me for ruining his chances. Agatha, on the other hand, sighed. "I think she's right," she dejectedly said. Turkey looked down at her with confusion as she went back to her post at the stove. "I have to focus on finding Ebenezer."

He blinked and trailed after her. "Who's that?"

"It's my missing little brother," she explained, sounding very much like an adult. "It's a bit of a long story; I bet you don't want to hear it."

Turkey shook his head and bent his knees until he could comfortably prop his chin on his hand. He looked up at her, batting his eyes. "I like long stories," he said, smirking at his own humor.

The ginger giggled. "Get up, you look ridiculous."

"Only if you tell me."

She sighed, but not out of exasperation. No, a gentle smile was on her face. "Well, I got to give the prisoners their lunch first," she said, bending down to find more clean bowls. "I really don't want to wake up to Denmark yelling about a growling stomach again."

As Turley looked a little disappointed, I knitted my brows. "Did he do that this morning?" I asked, taking another sip of my soup. It would not surprise me- that sicko was like the love child of Alfred's obnoxiousness and Turkey's cockiness.

The very same Turk suddenly snapped his fingers. "Why doesn't Liech do it?" He asked, giving me a hopeful look. "You're friends with Seychelles, right?"

I shook my head and swallowed. "Apparently," I replied. "But just because I'm friends with her doesn't mean that I want to risk getting sexually assaulted by Denmark."

"But he'll be behind bars-"

"No!"

Agatha smacked the back of his head, softly telling him to shut up. Turkey scowled, but gave up. "I guess it was too much to hope for," he mourned, returning to full height. "I guess that you really are afraid of him."

I dropped my spoon.

It was like I was seeing the past again. I was a little kid again, watching Dad as he was about to leave for some part of the Middle East. He had a story to report there and would not be back for months. I remembered him kneeling to my impish height and placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't cry, bucko," he said, gently smiling. "You got to be the man of the family while I'm gone, all right? So no more tears. Be strong and take care of your sister, mother, and brother for me, okay?"

Being strong means that I do not yield to anything or anyone. I did not give into drama or fear. I was not afraid of anything—especially Denmark. "Give me to stupid food," I said before lifting my own bowl to my lips and drinking the rest of the soup. Agatha gave me an odd look before handing me the tray of food- two bowls of soup and enough lemons for the both of them. I could not help but to notice the surprised, but victorious glint in Turkey's eyes.

Hands still on the tray, she hesitantly asked, "Are you sure? I can go down there if you want."

I shook my head. "Please, I can do this," I said. I ripped it out of her hands, turned on my heels, and strutted to the stairs. "I'll be back in a few. Do anything inappropriate while I'm gone and heads will roll." I didn't wait for a reply.

The stairs to the dungeon (that sounds so creepy, like I'm going to potions class at Hogwarts) was as dark as I remembered them. Balancing the tray in one hand, I placed a hand on the wall as I walked down. It was also a shorter walk than I remembered. Maybe it was my nervous confusion that made the first trip seem longer. Either way, it was still damp and it still reeked. Soon enough, I stepped on the bottom step and was faced with the door. It was open just a crack and I could hear voices talking.

I blinked. How odd.

Checking to make sure that no one was watching, I looked back up the stairs and placed the tray on one of the steps. I crouched by the door, peering through the crack. It was a sight I was not expecting.

Denmark himself sat right in front of his cell bars, arms hanging out as he looked up at the Netherlands and Alfred. The two blonds were glaring at each other, fists clenched and shoulders tensed. In another stall, Seychelles had her back to them, sleeping soundlessly. " . . . I think you understand our situation, Alfred," the Netherlands hissed, trying to speak as quietly as possible. "We need her."

"I don't think that you understand mine either," Alfred replied, holding his chin up with dignity. "According to you, I have too much as stake for you two to go around and ruin it for me."

Denmark gave an uncertain grin, trying to be the cool one. "I think you both are over reacting," he said, sounding light and careless. "Alfred, my brother and I made a promise that we will do the best we can to make sure that everything turns out for the best. I know that you have a contract, but what we want from her takes priority." Alfred's knuckles were white as he bit his lip, resisting the urge to snap at them and wake Seychelles up. "And brother-" The Netherlands looked down at him. "-I hold most of the responsibility, remember? You kind of did mess this all up, but I got to handle it right now. Just let me fix everything."

I stared, unable to believe what I was hearing. So the Netherlands and Denmark were brothers? And Alfred had some sort of contract involving the same 'her'. "Her is me," I realized. "There's something going on with me." I could feel the letter from 'He With Your Name' in my pants pocket. "Could they . . . no. Neither of them share my name."

Suddenly, Alfred grabbed the Netherlands' shirt and banged him against the bars. A loud bang echoed across the room, causing me to jump and nearly crash into the food. This was a side I had never seen before. Alfred's eyes were blazing with fury as he grinded his teeth together, sneering, "Listen to me, jackass. You just told me that I'm risking my goddamn soul to do this and I'll be damned if I even consider stepping back and letting you two fuck it up."

I stared. All three of these men- this was a side of them I have never seen before. Especially Alfred. He was normally so happy and optimistic, but now . . . "And what did he mean that his soul was on the line?" I wondered, vaguely reminded of when the two of us were at the port. All I did was talk to Prussia, yet he looked ready to punch me. "Could it be part of his contract? The reason for him to mentor me?"

In a flash, Denmark stood and struck his long arm through the bars. His hand clamped around Alfred's neck, squeezing just enough for him to loosen up on the Netherlands. "Put my brother down," he hissed, low and dark. His normally bright blue eyes seemed dark, yet on fire.

The Netherlands, barely phased by everything, scowled. "You're not my brother," he muttered.

Alfred switched his glare between the two, unsure of who he should hate more. "I was tricked into giving up my soul," he said, dropping the man completely. He placed his now free hands on the Dane's arm. "And fuck it- there is no way I'll let the bad guys get away with it."

"Meow!"

I jumped, seeing Sokka suddenly appear behind me, a few steps up. The men in the other room did not hear us. Frowning, I placed a finger over my lips. "Be quiet, Sokka," I hissed. "I need to see this." But the cat did not listen to me. Nope, it just shook its mane before jumping over the tray and onto my lap. For a second, I thought that all it wanted was some petting time. But as I raised a hand to touch it, Sokka leaped off of my lap and through the opening of the door. I quietly cursed, pulling at my hair. Great, the feline was going to reveal my position.

The pattering of its paws drew their attention. The three blonds look down at it with varying expressions- Alfred's deepening scowl being the key one. "Stupid cat. . . "He growled. "What are you doing here?"

Sokka planted its butt on the ground and meowed.

At that point, I was a little afraid that Alfred was going to kick my cat. So I stood, grabbed my tray, and called, "Get back here, Sokka!" By the time I tapped the door open with my foot, Alfred, the Netherlands, and Denmark were all standing normally; as if they hadn't just gotten into a fight. I blinked, pretending to be surprised. "Oh Alfred, I didn't know that you were in here."

From behind his wired glasses, his eyes narrowed into a glare. I gulped. He saw through my facade. Denmark, however, was carelessly oblivious. "Yo, Liech!" He greeted, waving his arms through the bars like an idiot. "You brought me food! How about for payment, you give me a little kiss?"

The Netherlands sighed. "Would you be quiet, Den? Seychelles is trying to sleep." He grabbed his arm. Apparently, he did it wrongly because Denmark suddenly yelped and pulled it back. He cradled it his chest like a child, rubbing it experimentally and wincing when it stung.

"I don't think that would be a problem." Alfred's voice was quiet to the point of being incredibly deadly. He was clenching his fist as his haunted eyes engulfed my being. Sweat climbed down my back. "You two did drop her some sleeping pills earlier anyways."

"We did not!" The Dutchman, temporarily losing his cool, exclaimed. "She was asleep when I got here!"

Alfred ignored him. Walking past Sokka, Alfred came up to me and grabbed my tray. I shrunk away when he leaned in, hissing, "How much did you hear, Larry?"

I sucked in a breath, forcing myself to stop my trepidation. I had the body language of a scared five year old. There was no way I was going to be afraid of stupid old Alfred or any of the things he could do to me. So I released my breath and stood straight. "I heard enough," I whispered evenly. "Alfred, we need to talk. Now."

He pulled the tray away from me. When he stepped back, his grinning visage was back. "Step back Liech and let the hero deal with the bad guys," he practically yelled, rushing over to the cells. Baffled, I watched Alfred as he ignored the other two's protest and slid each prisoner's food between the cell bars. Once that was done, he merrily grabbed my arm and ran up the stairs, saying, "C'mon Liech! We got some rescuing to do!"

I stumbled after him, not sure of what to say or to do. It wasn't until we were halfway up the damp stairs did my words return to me. "Alfred, what was all that back there?" I asked, hearing Sokka chase after us.

He pretended to be oblivious. "Oh man, Liech. This is really great," he rambled, pulling me into the kitchen. Agatha and Turkey were seated at one of the tables, huddled together as she explained to him the man in her drawing. He was nodding appreciatively, but keeping to himself- for the most part. They sat a little too close for my comfort, but Alfred did not give me time to complain. "I totally think that now will be the bestest time to help out Ukraine!"

I gritted my teeth. "Alfred, you need to slow down!" I yelled. "What was that earlier with Denmark and Nether-"

He pulled me up the stairs onto deck, saying, "You gotta help me out with this, though. It's going to be hard to convince Hong Kong to be straight. Especially with Neder being his boyfriend and all. Hey, I remember this one time back when I was six, there was a kid who lived at a farm by mine . . ."

I groaned. "Would you kindly shut up and slow down for one freaking moment?" We broke onto the deck. No one paid any of us heed as Alfred took a moment to pause in the sunlight. He placed his hands on his hips and looked up at the sun with pride and dignity, like a superhero on a Marvel comic book. Yup, just another stupidity moment. Huffing, I placed my hands on my knees, saying, "Alfred, what did you mean about losing your sou-"

He sharply pointed a finger up at the crow's nest. He proclaimed, "There's Hong Kong! Let's go talk to him!" He ran to the base of the mast, yelling, "Hey! Hong Kong! Mind coming down here for a moment?"

I felt like crying. "Alfred!" The man only grinned and watched triumphantly when Hong Kong silently shrugged and started his descent down the rope. "He's going to make a stupid move," I told myself. "And I'm the only one who could stop him . . . Crap."

Shaking my head, I trotted to his side. "Alfred, we need to think this through for a second," I said, trying to sound like the mature and calm one when all I wanted to do was scream. "Do you really think that Hong Kong is going to agree with this?"

The blond looked down at me and innocently grinned. "Of course he will," he said. "I'm the hero and everything always works out right for the hero."

It finally clicked in my head. Everything had to turn out right . . . "So what happens if you lose your soul?" I asked. "Will everything turn out right then? Is all of this just you compensating for the fact that you might lose?" I watched as his grin broke. His lips curled downward and his hands returned to its tensed fists. He did not have time to answer. No, Hong Kong was finally here.

His bare feet touching the ground, the Asian was wearing a red Chinese garment. Long slacks as dark as his ebony hair touched his toes. Looking rather bored, his eyes glinted between the Alfred and I. "What's up?" he asked. "You're, like, in a hyper mood today. More so than usual."

Alfred slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him to his side. "There is a lot of amazing things happening today," he said, sounding like a silky voiced salesman. He swiped his hand slowly in front of him, as if giving him a display as he said, "Imagine: you can help the hero save a damsel in distress and mend her broken heart."

The Asian did not look amused. "I kind of have a duty to, like, watch out for the Red Coats," he said. "I don't have time to get involved in your stupidity." I could not resist cracking a small grin. Oh, that was a good one.

My mentor did not let that faze him. His face like a constant mask, he said, "But this is not stupid! Don't you want to help us make Ukraine happy?"

He raised an eyebrow and gave us both doubting looks. "Ukraine?" He repeated his disbelief plain and clear. My mind flashed back to when he was at the bar with her. He was able to tell her about his boyfriend problems, so they had to be close. "Why does this have to do with her?"

"Well as the hero, I promised her that I will be able to find her an awesome lover who does not love her only for her boobs or feels intimidated by them. After putting you through a series of extremely complicated tests, Liech and I have determined that you will be the best match for her."

Hong Kong looked at me, his eyes blank. I was not sure what to say. I wanted to tell him that I had no part in this crap, but something told me to keep my mouth shut. Hong Kong tiredly sighed and pushed Alfred's arm away. "Look, Alfred, I really appreciate the offer and junk but I have a responsibility to my current boyfriend or have you totally forgotten?"

He shrugged. "I get that and all, but just think for a moment- Ukraine is your friend, right? You want to help make her happy, right?" He was forced to nod. "Well this is a way to do it. Just date her for a little while and when she realizes that you're not the one and shit, she'll let you go and she'll know whether she wants to have such high standards of men anymore."

I scowled. "That's really degrading," I scolded, smacking his toned arm. "You make it sound as though it's a crime to have a specific type."

Hong Kong shook his head. "I don't think that was what he meant," he said. "But I do think that you, like, have a point Alfred. Maybe I should talk to her . . ."

"What the hell, Hong Kong!" I jumped as the Netherlands suddenly pushed me aside and ran right up to his boyfriend. Where the frack did he come from? The man exchanged a glare with Alfred before taking the Asian's hands, saying, "Why the hell are you listening to that idiot?"

Alfred grinned, laughing his boisterous laugh. "Well Hong Kong has just agreed to be a hero and hook up with Ukraine!"

The Netherlands's face turned red. He reminded me of a volcano about to blow as he stuttered over his words, trying to make a coherent thought. It was shocking: seeing such a normally cool and collective man lose his composure. His mask was disintegrating until the point here he was completely volatile. "You're breaking up with me?" He screamed.

The every member of the crew looked at us.

Oh no.

Hong Kong pressed his lips. "I am not. I was just saying that I-"

Alfred cocked his brows. "Fuck yeah he's breaking up with you," he said. "Obviously being with Ukraine would be a bajillion times better than fucking some bastard like you." I groaned and smacked him again, reminding him to stop being an unnecessary jerk.

"What the hell, Alfred?" Hong Kong turned to him, hand poised for a slap. "Don't, like, go around saying things that aren't-"

The other blond grabbed his hand, holding it like it was the most precious thing he ever laid eyes upon. "Don't leave me," he begged. "I don't care what the hell you think about me, just please don't fucking leave me! Please! I need you!"

There was an odd, almost quiet moment of stillness. The three who had been arguing were panting, their breaths hollow and light. Somewhere, in the background, I could hear Ukraine herself leaving her laundry to see what all of the commotion was. That would be a lifesaver- it would take her strict manners to get these idiots to shut up. Hong Kong was the first to break the silence. "So you don't even care for my feelings anymore," he said monotonously.

The Dutchman's green eyes grew wide. He held his hands out in front of himself, waving them around defensively. "That's not what I meant! You have to believe me, Hong Kong!" He pleaded. "That is far from the truth."

He shook his head. "No, it's not." Stepping away from Alfred, he got right into the taller's face, saying, "They say that it, like, takes a dire moment for you to realize just who someone really is. And here I was, thinking that you were totally an understanding and sweet guy. But that's not what I see. Right now, I all I see is a sad, lonely, and possessive man who wouldn't even listen to my side of the situation."

"No, that's not true." To me, the Netherlands sounded desperate. "If you can just let me explain-"

"The fact is that every time I ask you to before, you would always change the subject. What makes now any different from before?" He opened his mouth to reply. Hong Kong cut him off. "There should not be any difference," he said. He closed his eyes, his thick eyebrows drooping as he took a long breath. "I love you, Neder, but I think that you and I need to get our priorities straight. Take some time away from each other."

The Netherlands shook his head again, body quivering from sorrow. I could see tears brimming his eyes, the words that started to form on his lips before being lost forever. I could feel my heart ache. If Stella said anything like that to me, I would be in a similar state, probably worse. I think Alfred could sense how much it was disturbing me since he reached over and wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders. I felt myself relax. Gently, I placed a hand on his- a silent thank you.

The Netherlands dropped to his knees, his hands on the ground. His chest heaved as the first tears fell onto the wood deck. A few choked sobs only confirmed it. "I am a coward among millions of men," he whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. "Yet my heart has chosen to love a strong one like you . . . I love you."

My ears twitched. Those words! They were in the poem that he wrote for Hong Kong! Emotions overwhelmed me. I buried my face in my hands, taking deep breaths. That was too much. I should be happy that Hong Kong was going to be straight, but this was too heartbreaking. Why did they have to break-up, why? Alfred squeezed my shoulder. "Oh yeah, because my mentor is the biggest dick alive."

"What is going on right now?" I breathed a sigh of relief when Ukraine finally intervened. Her short hair shined in the sun as she drank the scene with her eyes. Hands on her hips, she observed the pitiful state of the Netherlands and the tense one of Hong Kong. "Is everything alright or do I need to call my sister out here?"

The corners of Hong Kong's lips curled upward, into something like a grimace. "Everything is, like, fine right now," he said. His ex-lover tensed. "I was just taking care of a few loose ends." He looked down at his feet. "Um, do you want to go somewhere private because I totally need to talk to you right now."

Ukraine gave the Netherlands another concerned look. I could see it in her blue eyes- a debate of whether or not she should intervene. I would like to believe that something to her that the talk was something that had to do with the man on the floor because she gave a motherly smile. "I could use another hand with the laundry."

" . . . Straightie,"

I knitted my brows in confusion. "What's a straightie?" I whispered, looking around for anyone to answer. But everyone around me looked as equally in the dark about it as I was. I don't think any of us had ever heard of that word being used in such a spiteful manner before. Yet, it came from one person and that was the broken blond.

The Netherlands looked up, his despair replaced with fury and anguish. "You mother fucking straghtie," he growled, glaring straight at Ukraine. Her eyes went wide with shock as he climbed to his feet, yelling, "You good for nothing, Goddamn cunt. I swear to God, bitch, you are nothing more than a fucking ,whorish straightie!"

We all exchanged more looks of confusion. Okay, how was that an insult? Still, Ukraine pressed her lips together, her eyes brimming with tears. "How dare you say something like that to me," she growled, failing to sound fierce.

"Well who here is going to fucking stop me? Face it, you're nothing but a fucking straight slut."

That was the last straw. The woman who we all saw as our mother broke. She quickly buried her face into her hands, sobbing loudly and unashamedly. "I'm sorry!" She turned and ran back below deck, crying, "I'm so sorry!" Hong Kong shot the Netherlands one last glare before chasing after her.

We all watched unsure of what to do. Would he gain the heart to turn around and apologize? No, he frowned. "Tch, fucking straightie."

"Shut up!" In an instant, Alfred had the country in a headlock. He was squeezing his neck so hard that the Netherland's pasty face was a light red. "How dare saying something like that to her!" He yelled, his knuckles turning white from pressure. I was at a draw. I didn't want Alfred to kill the Dutchman, but I didn't want the Netherlands to escaped unscratched. "You know how sensitive she can be! Ukraine has done nothing but taken care of us and that's how you repay her?"

"Get off of me, human!" He kicked Alfred in the stomach, sending him flying into the mast. The Netherlands rolled onto his back, wiping his mouth as he rose to his feet.

This time, I took action. Without even thinking it through first, I jumped in front of Alfred, spreading my arms out like a shield. "Get away from him!" I yelled. He took a step back. No one- not even myself -thought that I was actually going to do that. Growling, I gave him a challenging look. "You've done enough damage already."

"What the hell is going on here?" The door to the captain's quarters swung open and Belarus came storming out. The moment her blue eyes saw me and the Netherlands, she sprung to action. "Netherlands, what the hell do you think you're doing?" She demanded, marching angrily. The man looked a little taken back when she yanked him towards her. "My brother said that as long as you doitsus are on this ship, no one is to brawl."

"We weren't fighting," he replied, face as blank as a clean slate. "I got into an argument with Hong Kong and Alfred decided to strangle me."

"Excuse me, awesome one coming through!" Prussia pushed through the crew members and to the first mate. Like usual, his face was a little burnt from the sun. Belarus glared at him as he gave an annoyed and cocky smile, saying, "Since no one here is awesome enough to actually tell you that that doitsu made your sister burst into tears and run away, I will."

Belarus's bit her thin, pale lips. Did she chase after her sister or not. "She'll be fine," she reasoned aloud. "Ukraine has thick skin."

Prussia crossed his arms over his chest. "Well that was completely insensitive of you," he said. He did not falter when she sent him a deadly glare. "But anyways, Liech!" He leaped over to me like an excited bunny. He pulled my arms back to my side and held my hands in his. For someone who was sunburnt, he was extremely cold. "Where were you last night?" He asked, red eyes blazing with curiosity. "You never went to bed."

I opened my mouth. "Well, um. . ." Belarus shot me a glare, silently ordering me to keep my trap shut. I was more than happy to—it would be too embarrassing to have to explain that I slept with Russia. But I still had to tell him something or else his childish brain would never let it go. "W-well, you see—"

"Belarus!" Everyone turned to see Turkey strutted onto deck, Agatha trailing behind him like a lost puppy. You know, if my sister was an animal I think that she would be a bunny. I have never seen a ginger rabbit before, but there was something about their lopped ears that described her perfectly. I would be a cat since cats had a sense of dignity to them and I was the only child in my family to have one. With the way Jerry quivered and acted meekly, I would say that he was a hamster.

Hopefully, cat-me would not eat hamster-him.

Belarus gave them a look as sharp as her knives, barking, "What the hell is it, Turkey?"

"You're sister is crying her heart out down there," he said, crossing his arms. "Hong Kong is taking care of her and everything, but I still think that you need to go down there and comfort her. Also, what's a straightie? She keeps on moaning about how that's some sort of insult or something."

Her eyes went wide. "Hong Kong is down there?" She repeated, trying not to choke. "Our lookout?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. What's so wrong about that?"

"There are a lot of things that can be wrong with that." I jumped. I had never heard that voice before. Like everyone else, I turned around to find the source. It was a man, standing on the side rails while holding onto one of the masts ropes. He was decked lavishly in a light blue suit under a red coat—the very same the captain of the Red Coats wore. The man's wavy blond hair clipped his chin as his slim hand rest over the hilt of an undrawn rapier. He grinned and winked. "Bonjour."

Prussia, eyes not leaving the newcomer, pushed me behind him. Belarus, meanwhile, reached for the knife strapped to her leg. I coward back, shaking. Frack, it was a freaking knife. "What are you doing here, France?" She snarled, looking ready to fight. The rest of the crew did the same- bending their knees and raising their fists. The few that had weapons on them flashed them for the world to see.

France smiled sweetly. "There are a lot of reasons for me being here," he said, effortlessly walking along the rail. His back was drawn back and poised like a ballerina. "I can name the obvious one- this is THE WAR, we all want to go home -but here's one that may not have occurred to you: you have my daughter."

She grimaced. "Idiot. You're outnumbered."

He did not even falter. "Belarus, the brown coat of your brother has the ability to control General Winter, basically the snow and weather. The power of my little bunny's red coat is magic itself, which I happen to be wearing right now." He raised his hand and snapped his fingers. In a flash, we were surrounded. All along the Romanov were the members of the Red Coats, armed and ready to fight.

The Brown Coats gasped and drew back into a circle. I could feel Prussia tightly grabbed my arm. I saw Turkey hold Agatha's hand, whispering for her to stay close. Alfred managed to place a hand on my shoulder. I gulped. We were going to have to fight again.

At last, France's smile turned into a sick, bloody thirsty smirk. "It is never a good idea to trust your own eyes," he said. "So I will say it again: where is my daughter?"

It was obvious that Belarus was panicking. Sweat fell from her forehead and her eyes shifted to every corner of the ship. Her grip on her weapon tighten. After a long quiet moment, she said, "You'll have to fight us for her."

He drew his rapier, the blade gleaming in the sunlight. "Well then- bon-fucking-jour." It was the cue to start fighting. The Red Coats cried out as they made a dash towards us, ready to shed blood. Belarus shouted an order to fight before lunging towards France. Their blades met as she quickly balanced on the rail. For a moment, I let myself indulge on the image of the two blonds dance. They moved back and forth, jumping and slashing at each other all while maintaining a perfect balance.

Prussia yanked me. "Let's get you somewhere safe," he said, pulling me along.

Technically, he pulled us along- I was dragging Alfred along with me. He ran in front of me and the next thing I knew, the two men were pulling me along. I tripped and stumbled over my long pants legs, but I dared not stop. There was a deafening thumping in my ears. I was only thinking of one thing and that was my appending death. "I'm going to die here."

"Duck!" Suddenly, two hands clasped my shoulders and forced me to the ground in time for the three of us to dodge a sword. It was wielded by someone I didn't know- a dark skinned man wearing a white headdress thing. There was a red band on his arm. Prussia took one glance at him before lunging straight at him.

I screamed, "What are you doing?" Alfred held me back as I watched with wide eyes as they wrestled on the deck. There was a few blood chilling thuds as their fists made contact with each other's skin, before an end finally came.

Wordlessly, Switzerland yanked the man off of Prussia and held him in a headlock. "What the hell are you doing, doitsu?" He yelled, struggling to keep him in place. Already, there was a streak of blood dripping down his cheek. At least the musket strapped to his back made me feel a little bit better.

Prussia slowly brought himself back to his feet. His clothes were ripped and the pallid skin that showed was yellow and purple from bruises. His thin lip was cut, creating a bitter red stream down his chin. "I was arming myself," he said, wiping the blood on his sleeve. None of us knew what he meant until he bent down and picked up the Red Coat's sword. "So then I can, you know, be awesome and keep my girl safe."

Switzerland scowled. His eyes switched between the self-proclaimed awesome one and me. "Just keep my sister safe," he said, strengthening his grip on his victim's neck. "Anything bad happens to her and you die."

He cracked a twisted grin. "I'm too awesome to die."

Alfred, for once, sighed. "Let's get going," he ordered as he stood, picking me up with him. He reached over and grabbed Prussia's arm. "We have to get you-" Suddenly, it grew very cold. And then, we were falling. Prussia, Alfred, and I held hands as we slid along the slick floor, screaming from surprise. Our bodies bumped and crashed into others and lost swords nicked my arms and legs. Alfred hit the rail and I crashed into him. He barely had enough time to protectively wrap his arms around my waist before Prussia crashed into me. His back crushed my nose and forced my head back into the rail. A sharp pain radiated in my temples.

I groaned, "G-get off!" I shoved him away, panting heavily. For a moment I sat there, nurturing my throbbing head. I could feel the cold ice through my pants. "What the hell happened?" I muttered. It was not until I saw Russia calmly walk out, pipe in hand, did it struck me.

He froze the ship- the ground was covered with ice.

"Hello Red Coats," he greeted, calmly looking around. A pleasant smile was stretched across his face. "I see that England is not here. What a coward." He sighed. Suddenly, he swung his pipe into the nearest red band. The poor Asian victim screamed before sliding/falling across the deck. "It's shameful- THE WAR will not end today."

"How do you end THE WAR?" I asked dumbly, still massaging my temples. At least Alfred had enough humanity to keep his mouth shut and spare me the headache.

Alfred stood, once again lifting me to my feet. "I already told you how," he said curtly. "Now get up." His face was drawn into seriousness. He looked almost angry, like when he was talking to the Netherlands and Denmark. "You too, Prussia. We'll need that sword."

Prussia rolled onto his back and looked up at him. "What? You're not going to help me up?" He asked, holding his weapon close.

Alfred rolled his eyes. "You can manage it yourself," he said. "Now-" He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and forced me to kneel. A loud bang rang throughout the air, causing a ring to appear in my ears.

I yelped, rubbing my ears. "What the frack!" I yelled, trying to hear myself. My voice was a small muffle, barely audible. I could feel a little blood drip from my ears. "What the . . . oh my God! Did someone just try to shoot at us?"

My mentor nodded. His voice was a little muffled as well, but I could slowly feel my hearing return and his words became more clear with every breath. "Let's get below deck. We need to get to safety now or else one of us is going to get shot."

"That's not going to be possible." We looked at Prussia. Frowning, he pointed a finger at the stairs. He didn't need to say anything for us to understand. There was a thick layer of ice over the entrance. We would not be able to get down there. We were stuck.

I felt my heart drop.

"Well what are we going to do now?" I shrieked, grabbing the rail and helping myself up. I offered Alfred a hand and pulled him to his feet. The man was barely standing before he pushed me back to the ground. It happened so quickly that by the time I was sliding into Prussia's arms, I had not even realized yet that someone had tried to attack us.

To me, it did not matter how the attacker even looked like. All I could see was Alfred's face was pain as he held his arm above him, a machete plunged deep into the skin. Prussia held me closer to him, whispering hushes and he tried to get me to look away. But I could not rip my eyes away. There was so much blood. It was thick and it poured from his wound like a waterfall. It created a puddle on the ground, soaking his bare feet. Then, eyes traveling down the length of the freaking blade, I saw the white of his bone.

I curled over and slapped a hand over my mouth. No, I was not going to barf. I did it once and I was not going to allow myself that luxury again. Only weak people were so squeamish with blood.

Glasses cracked, Alfred looked at us with a painfully determined face. "G-get to a s-safe spot," he growled through his teeth. "I-i'll hold- oof!" His attacker kicked him in the stomach.

I grasped Prussia's shirt sleeve. "Why are they doing that?" I demanded, the words flying out of my mouth rapidly. "He's a human, they can't-"

Prussia shook his head and quickly rose to his feet. "It's THE WAR," he said, pulling me up. His bruised arm wrapped itself around my waist. The other was before us, holding the sword in a defensive manner. "And like any other war, people forget morals. And I think I know where to go. C'mon."

This time, we were much more careful when he ran across the ice. Prussia would have me jog with him a few steps before pausing and letting the ice slide us the rest. It was tricky, but it worked. None of the other Red Coats tried to attack us. There were all preoccupied by their own battles. Currently, Switzerland was grappling the man with the white head piece from before. Russia was fighting off five people at once with his pipe. Belarus and France were up at the mast, dancing with swords among the sails like Peter Pan and Hook.

"Hey! Prussia! Liech!" Turkey waved a hand in the air before returning to his fight. His opponent was a pretty, dirty blond woman who utilized a combination of a small hand ax and boxing as her weapons. He was the only thing standing between her and the captain's quarters. And there, trembling and crying at the door, was Agatha.

A sense of duty overcame me. Taking the initiative, I turned my direction towards the woman. I think Prussia understood what I wanted to do since he rushed in front of me. Without much thought, he stopped his feet and started sliding to Agatha. As he passed, he struck the back of the woman's head with the sword's hilt. She was out cold before his hands hit the wall. He grinned. "Was that awesome or what?" He asked as I slid to them.

I stopped right next to him, ready to reach over and comfort Agatha when she reacted. "Fucking idiot!" She screamed. The second Turkey sheathed his twin swords, she lunged towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist. I stood there, dumbfounded, as she started wailing loudly. "Don't you ever do something so stupid again you asshole! Don't get yourself fucking killed! Holy shit, I'm scared!"

At first, the Turk was stiff and unresponsive. He held his arms away from her as he stared down in confusion. But then a gentle smile appeared on his lips. "It's all right," he hushed, petting her hair and rubbing her back. "I'll keep you safe, I swear." I stared. More than anything, I wanted to be the one who protected her. I wanted to hold my sister close and tell her that everything was going to be fine.

I wanted to be the lifesaver.

I wanted to save Stella's life.

Prussia sighed. "Look, I admire the touching moment and everything, but I need to know if there is any place that's safe right now. The ice's ruining a lot of our options."

Turkey, still holding her close, looked up. "That was what I was trying to do," he said. "Before that jackass attacked me, I was trying to get little Miss Stu here into Russia's room."

She shook her head, burying herself deeper into his chest. She cried, "Don't leave me alone!"

Prussia knitted his eyebrows. "Will it be safe enough?" He asked.

"Well I fully intend on staying guard and making sure that no one gets in- that is, if one little girl would just let me go." Again, her orange locks went side to side. No.

He nodded, turning around to me. A fearful look glinted in his eyes as he grabbed my shoulders, saying, "Liechtenstein, you have to go in there with her and be safe. I'll stay out here and defend it with Turkey, okay?"

I grabbed his shoulder, probably giving him a matching look. The sight of Alfred's arm was burned into my eyes. I looked at Prussia and only saw a knife in his face- the blood gushing, the pearly white bone. "Do you promise me that you'll not die?" I whispered, tearing up.

This time, his grin was more for my comfort than anything else. "I'm awesome and awesome people don't die."

I pressed my lips. I felt like a coward; I did not want to be outside in the bloodbath any longer. But . . . "Agatha goes in first," I said. "Just in case."

Turkey nodded, gently and delicately forcing her to lift her face from his chest. True to the Sue way, her face was red and blotchy and the whites of her eyes pink. No one in my face was an attractive crier. Like a father to his daughter, Turkey forced her to look up at him, asking, "Did you hear that? Liechtenstein's going to be in there with you and Prussia's going to help me defend. You have nothing to worry about."

She sniffled. "But what if you-"

"I'm going to make it out of this alive," he said evenly. "We made plans to watch the sunrise together, right? I wouldn't want to miss it for the world. Dying would mean missing it, right?"

"I'll be here to protect you, sis," I said, straining for a confident smile. It looked more like a grimace than anything. Prussia wrapped his arm around my shoulders, voicing a strong agreement. Nothing about him seemed fake. I think I understood why Liechtenstein liked him so much. He was so genuine sometimes, childish even.

Agatha soberly nodded. "You better keep your promise," she hollowly growled. Letting go of Turkey completely, she watched the iced ground as she opened the door and walked inside. I inwardly sighed. She was treating it like a death march- what a drama queen.

I started to follow her, but ended up crashing into the ground.

My mouth slammed painfully shut, sending a fiery wave up my face. I cried out. The next thing I knew, someone was pulling me towards them, forcing me to sit up. A blade was jammed under my chin. I looked up at Turkey and Prussia. One was slamming the door shut as he demanded that Agatha remained calm while the other pointed his sword at me. I blinked. "Prussia, why are you . . ." Then it hit me. I was being held captive. The blade under my neck was the woman's axe. The woman Turkey was fighting over was holding me. Did she trick us?

Prussia bared his teeth like a threatened dog. He growled, "Let go of her, Belgium."

The woman, Belgium, shook her head. "She's part of my team," she said. "I have as much right to take her back with me as I do to kill her." Her words made me shake.

Turkey reached for his swords. "If you don't let her go, I'll-"

She pressed the blade closer, saying, "Even think about it and she gets it." He gritted his teeth, but ultimately dropped his hand. "Good. Now surrender." Turkey and Prussia exchanged a look. I could see it in their eyes- was Liechtenstein really worth it? Both of their swords dropped to the ground. Apparently, yes. Yes I was.

"D-don't do that!" I yelled, struggling against her hold. Belgium cursed, holding my arms back as she tried to keep hold of the axe. They looked down shamefully. "C'mon, you two! Fight!" The ax handle struck my head. Gasping, my vision immediately started to give out. Through the haze of the fading colors, I could see some men grabbing Turkey and Prussia and binding their hands behind their backs.

I closed my eyes, choking back a sob. A warm stream of something, most likely blood, fell down my head. My head. My head hurt so much. I couldn't think, I could breathe. Frack. I'll do anything, just get rid of the pain in my bloody head.

The lights in my head started to go out.

I could feel my consciousness slip from me . . .

"You!"

. . . and it was lost.

The Room: Day 12

Erwin stared at his brother. Bud was his usual self- sitting cross legged on the ground as he rubbed his arm, muttering something about how Erwin did not have to hurt him that badly. Erwin, meanwhile, did not understand how he could be relaxed. Erwin had just been in the middle of something very important, but very also very dangerous. For both of them to be called here by Himaruya surely meant that there was something very wrong.

Erwin did something very wrong.

"Stop panicking, Winny," Bud said, wincing as his hand ran over some invisible wound. "Even if Hima-pops is mad, I told ya that I was going to take the blame for you. Relax."

The darker haired one groaned. "Who says that he'll listen to you?" He demanded. "And what if it's not about the girl? What if he found out about Aluino?" Erwin never really stopped thinking about their third brother. He was like them: blessed with lucidity so that they may assist their father, Himaruya, in achieving his goals. But unlike them, Aluino turned his back on them. He was a traitor, a traitorous brother. Himaruya ordered them to get rid of Aluino completely.

Erwin clenched his fists. The thought of what he did to his brother gave him the chills.

Bud, however, gave him a hostile look. His face drawn and threatening, the man's voice was somehow still light and chirpy as he said, "We agreed that he would never bring up that traitor ever again, Winny. We have that situation completely under control. He isn't going to come back anytime soon."

"I would hope half of much, considering that I specifically asked you two to kill him." Erwin's heart dropped as Himaruya briskly walked past him. His heart was pounding unmercifully inside of his chest. He was here. His master and lover was here.

Bud gave his usual greeting of shouting out the usual nickname before jumping to hug him. Himaruya gently patted his back, allowing him a moment to dwell before pushing him away, saying, "That is very nice Bud, but we have more important matters that must be attended to." Bud jumped back to Erwin's side, joining his brother in erecting his back and keeping his hands at his sides.

Himaruya smirked, a chuckle threatening to leave his pale lips. "I am very glad to see that you both are doing well," he said, folding his arms behind his back. Chills danced down Erwin's back as his father started pacing around them, circling them like a vulture. The heels of his white shoes clicked on the floor, complimenting his voice as he said, "At least, I presume that neither of you are doing well since you both were told to create a psychological distraction for the boy and that has not been achieved."

Erwin gulped. "What do you mean?" he asked softly. "Mr. Sue is being distracted."

Bud nodded eagerly, pouting his lips like a child. "Yeah! I mean, have you seen the way he's thinking right now? Every time he looks at her, his mind is blocked by thoughts of protecting her. He's not worrying about the vial or anything like that!"

"And at what cost?" He stopped right behind the light haired one. "Is it right that the cost of distracting dear old Mr. Sue should be the affections of my dear Sadiq?" He asked spitefully.

Erwin placed a hand on his chest. He stared down at himself in amazement. He's known all along that the root of everything was the personification of the ex-Ottoman Empire: Republic of Turkey. This should not be a surprise. "But why does that hurt?" He wondered, trying to massage the pain away. "Being with Turkey makes Himaruya happy and that's the only thing that matters. So why does it . . ."

"Furthermore, I believe that you let too much information slip to our client." This time, Himaruya walked around him, swooping right into Bud's face. Bud did not blink. He held his shoulder back and stared straight on, seemingly immune to his hard look. It was a cruel combination of anger, disappoint, and irritation. Himaruya leaned in a little bit more, growling, "I told you to not let him know about the loss of his soul. Yet, you did it anyways. Why?"

"It is part of the psychological trauma for both Alfred and the boy," Bud replied evenly.

He quirked a light eyebrow. "Really? Perhaps I need to remind you of a few little details you may have forgotten-" He struck Bud across the cheek, sending him onto the reflective ground with a bloodied face. He wasted no time in stomping his foot on his back, harshly yelling, "I specifically said to never mention the soul part! The possible loss of Sadiq's soul ignited a dangerous flameof rebellion inside of the girl! If we are to learn from the mistakes of our past, then we will be wise to do whatever necessary to keep the boy on leash, even making sure that Alfred remains in the dark!"

Erwin closed his eyes. He did not like this. He did not like seeing Bud in pain as much as he hated seeing Himaruya upset. But he had to take a side. His brother promised him that he would take the down fall, but . . .

Erwin cleared his throat. Both of the light haired men's eyes snapped at him, each with varying degrees of annoyance. Erwin played with his fingers. "Excuse me for saying this Himaruya, but I believe that by telling Mr. Sue of the consequences of the loss of our dear Alfred's soul will actually keep him on his leash," he said, prim and proper. "Mr. Sue naturally desires to be strong. By revealing the possible loss of his soul, Alfred become a hero to Mr. Sue. He's tragic and he has his own struggles, yet he hides it with a bright and ignorant smile. Mr. Sue will admire him feel loyal to him, a component that their relationship currently lacks. And, in the long run, his loyalty to Alfred will be better for the plan."

Himaruya observed him for a long moment as Bud stared with an open mouth. "Is that really what you believe?" He quietly asked. Erwin gulped and nodded.

It was a long moment.

Then finally, he cracked a gentle smile and stepped away from Bud. "I see the point that you are trying to make. I do believe that this choice will also have many negative consequences against our favor. But-" he placed a hand on his neck. "-As we all know, my existence here is strained. I cannot do much to fix this problem nor make sure that it succeeds. Thus, I will trust you, my dear Erwin and my darling Bud, to handle the situation. Understand?"

They both nodded. His smiled grew wider. "I knew that I can rely on you both." And like that, he was gone.

Bud rubbed his face, wiping away the blood before it stained his white clothes. "I told you that I could handle it," he said.

THE WAR: Day 13

When I opened my eyes, I realized that I had no idea where I was. Through hazy eyes, I realized that I was lying on a colt in the middle of a large deck. The sky above me was an orange color, the colors looking gray against it. I moaned and turned my aching head. All around me were unfamiliar people, all wearing red armbands. I blinked. Why was . . .

I seized up. I was captured! Some Red Coat chick named Belgium knocked me out and took Prussia and Turkey captive as well! I sprang to my feet, ignoring the dizziness in my head. I had to find them, I had too. . .

It didn't take too long. By the looks of it, the captain of the Red Coats- England -was giving a grand presentation of his new captives (so grand that the Asian girl in pink assigned to nurse me was happily distracted). He was surrounded by a thick crowd of pirates with red armbands, all avidly watching and cheering at the right moments. Although I could hear his crisp accented voice, I could not see anything. "Looks as though I have to go in."

So doing what I did best, I rolled up my sleeves and dove straight into the crowd. A few people gave a few exclamations as I passed, wondering aloud what I was doing up. I ignored them, concentrating on a single goal: finding out if Prussia and Turkey were all right.

What I saw was a mixed blessing.

On the bright side, Prussia and Turkey were in relatively good shape. Their arms were bounded behind their backs as they were forced to kneel on the ground. But at the same time, their shirts and vests were torn off, revealing the bruises and cuts on their toned chests. England loomed in above of them, smirking as he proudly gave his long speech. ". . . We all fought valiantly, and even though we did not succeeded in bring back Seychelles, we did manage to bring back Liechtenstein. Not only that, but we have two new prisoners to-"

"Bullshit."

England paused, his bright green eyes looking a little surprised as he cocked a thick eyebrow. Up close, I saw that he did have a slight stature under that big red coat and pirate hat. He raised his sword, sticking it underneath his Prussian speaker's chin. "Really? What makes you say that?" He asked. "I can count perfectly and I will have you know that I see that both you and Prussia are my prisoners."

As Turkey looked down (smart enough to keep his mouth shut), Prussia shrugged. "I'm not arguing about that part," he said in that stuck-up voice of his. "I was actually objecting to the fighting valiantly part. No offense to anyone here- you all kicked ass. But you, England, were nowhere during the fight."

A hand landed on my shoulder. "That idiot," Alfred whispered, loud enough for only me to hear. I jerked, barely believing that my mentor was standing right there, so casually amongst the enemy. He looked better than the other boys; His bruises and cuts were far less and there was a thick bandage on his arm. "Is he trying to get himself killed?"

I gaped. "What are you doing here?" I asked.

"Liechtenstein, lass, what are you doing up already?" I froze. All eyes traveled to me as England spoke. Prussia and Turkey both turned- looking a little surprised, but defeated. Prussia especially had this empty look in his red orbs. "You should be resting."

I looked up at Alfred, expecting him to help me, but he was merely motioning for me to do something. I looked back at Prussia and Turkey. When I was being threatened, they both were willing to do whatever it took to keep me safe. Plus Turkey was determined to keep Agatha safe, even at the cost of his own life. He tried to protect my sister when I couldn't. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, saying, "Captain, I know that these men are the enemy, but they are not bad. I beseech you to listen to reason and exact mercy on them, especially the one who insulted you."

England smiled gently. I flinched. Okay, why was he doing that? He should be growling and resisting, not smiling like that boastful, blond smart-ass in my English class. He sheathed his sword, giving me a kind look as he said, "Lass, I have been in many wars before this and I understand the gift of kindness onto others. I only planning of imprisoning Turkey normally. Actually, Holy Rome?" A blond, teenage kid in dreary black clothes popped out of the crowd. "Can you take Turkey down to the others. I'm sure that he will enjoy the company."

Holy Rome gave a curt greeting to his younger brother (Prussia grinned madly at that) before lifting Turkey by his ropes and guiding him below deck and to the prison. Turkey gave no kind of objection or struggle. With that, I took another challenging step forward, Alfred joining me at my side. I asked, "What about Prussia?"

England's smile turned into a grimace. "Prussia, unfortunately, will remain in solitary confinement until he learns to give a little respect."

"How is that merciful?" I demanded. I immediately shut my mouth again. What was I thinking- objecting to England like that? Was I trying to get myself killed?

Again, he gave me that pitiful look. He walked up to me, not as a friend, but as an enemy. In a way, it relieved my nerves just enough that I did not shrink away when he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Would you rather I torture him? England asked. "Trust me, this is far more merciful."

"England?" We both looked down. Tugging on England's coat was two ten year old boys, both blond with bluish eyes. One, wearing a respectful pair of pants and a blue shirt, had wavy hair that resembled France's. The other, wearing torn shorts and a worn shirt, looked like a young version of Alfred.

I looked between the two, speechless at the striking similarities. Just give the younger one a pair of glasses and they would be identical twins of different ages. I turned to Alfred, intending on demanding what was going on, when I saw his face. It was drawn, eyes looking sorrowfully down at the child as England knelt to the ground, placing an affectionate hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, America," he said, like a father to his child. "I was just taking care of a few things. I told you that I was going to teach you how to sword fight today, yes?"

America nodded. "Uh-huh! You said that I can use the big sword too!"

England laughed and rose to his feet. "Well, I'm finished here. France will make sure that Prussia goes where he needs to be. Let's go then." And with a hand on the child's back, he lead him right past me . . .

. . . And right through Alfred.

I placed my hands over my mouth, resisting the urge to exclaim my surprise. England just walked through Alfred! He didn't even acknowledge him- only lead America away with an affectionate smile. I looked around, realizing that no one else looked taken back. Was I the only one who could see him? Was Alfred a ghost?

Experimentally, I grabbed Alfred's arm. Not only could I still touch him, but I could tell that he was shaking. Two streams of silent tears fell silently from his eyes, clinging to his cheeks, chin, and neck. His free hand was clenched into a tight fist. Alfred's lips were pressed and his expression emotionless, almost numb, like it was too painful to even express.

I tighten my grip on him. "Alfred, why did he . . ." But I could not complete my sentence. I could not bring myself to. The pain in Alfred's face was so intense, that I didn't know what exactly was the right thing to say.

"What's going on here?"

My mouth slowly fell open. I was wrong- there was someone else here who could see him.

And that person was Prussia.

MW: Was this worth the wait or what? I told you darlings that I have Alfred's situation completely under control. Why do you doubt my abilities?

Anyways, I really like this chapter. I actually think that it's the longest one yet. We're just about half way through the story actually (15 chapters, again), so that means that the next 8 chapters are going to contain a lot of excitement and character conclusions. ;)

I hope you all enjoy and thank you all for reading!

No Notes

Next Chapter: There is something definitely going on with Alfred and Larry is determined to find out what. But how can he when he's on the enemy ship?

I promise that it wouldn't take me another month to update! Sorry again for the wait!