Faded: look! i posted it finally! (i could sworn i did this earlier...sorry.)
Riane: you. are a retard.
Faded: oh shut up. anyway, i'm soooo sorry about the late update. chapter 7 is almost done, so you'll (hopefully) be seeing that soon. ^^"
Riane: right. so she says. anyways, Hetalia doesn't belong to The Faded Guardian in any way, shape, or form.
Faded: on with the show!
Erina
Dear America,
Hello, how are you doing?
No…that was too formal.
She crumpled the paper in front of her and tossed it in the waste bin by her desk.
Hi America, how's it going?
She shook her head at herself. Now it was too informal. Sure they were friends, but this wasn't something to be addressed lightly.
She sighed, and crumpled this paper and let it join the other in the waste bin.
America:
Hi. Sorry I haven't contacted you in a while, I've been busy. Anyways, I'm writing because I need to discuss something important with you…
Erina looked over the first few lines of what she had written and smiled slightly. Perfect. She continued writing, detailing what she needed to discuss and when and where they could meet up to talk. The only problem there was, was how to sneak the letter past Siberia and safely to the mailbox for pick up in the morning. When she was done, she tucked the letter neatly into a small envelope and stuck it in her pocket.
Since she had been busted by Siberia about supposedly being out with America instead of with her friend Georgia, China had made sure the teen was strictly policed at all times by none other than her "brother" (if you could call him that) Siberia. The older boy was more than happy to oblige, constantly tailing her wherever she went. The only time Erina was able to get time to herself now was if she was a) in the bathroom or b) had locked the door to her bedroom. (Though even if she did, Siberia was able to manhandle doorknobs in the same way Russia could, so that didn't always work out.)
She walked coolly out of her room and toward the door, but as soon as she made contact with the doorknob, Siberia was on her in a second.
"And where do you think you're going?" he asked, an almost cattish smirk on his face.
"Out to the mailbox," Erina replied simply. "I'm sending a letter to Georgia."
"Why don't you just call her?"
"Because this is meant for her eyes only, and some people don't like it when other people eavesdrop on their phone conversations, dearest brother."
Siberia merely scoffed at her tone. If anything he seemed to be amused. So the little girl was finally growing a backbone, he'd hate to see what would happen when she showed her fangs to China for the first time. Perhaps he would string her along a little more, just to speed up the process. "Hmph. I don't care whose eyes it's for," he told Erina. "Show me."
She gave him a 'yeah right' look and pushed past him without a word. Like hell she was going to show him that the letter! Not only would it blow her cover, but it was also a complete invasion of her privacy! Erina huffed to herself and put the letter in the mailbox. "Don't even think about looking at that letter," she growled, before stalking back into the house.
Siberia chuckled to himself. Oh yes, this would be quite interesting. He vaguely wondered how long it would take before the little almost-nation broke and tried to fly on her own without China's help.
America
"Sir, you have a letter."
America looked up from the paperwork he was finally catching up on and nodded. He took the letter, thanked the secretary and let her leave. He grabbed the letter opener that he never used (because honestly, who sent letters to him anymore, when they could call him?) and tore the envelope open. His eyes flicked over the neatly written text of the letter and, when he was done, had to pause and make sure he had read the signature right. The letter was written with a kind of curtness that he never would have imagined Erina able to portray.
America:
Hi. Sorry I haven't contacted you in a while, I've been busy. Anyways, I'm writing because I need to discuss something important with you. I'm not sure how exactly to say this, so I'll just come out and say it. I need your help. Things are getting out of hand at home. China is constantly trying to keep me from growing on my own. No matter how I try, I am somehow hindered. It is for this reason that I humbly request any help that you can give to me and my people. As they suffer under this nearly tyrannical rule, I do as well. I want to free them from this and allow them to truly live.
I hope that I can count on you to do what is best, though I understand if I am too much of a liability to your government. Please give my best to your boss, brother, and everyone else.
Regards, Erina
After finally realizing that this letter was not a fake, America immediately wrote back, hoping that what he offered would help. Sure, when he had first met her she had been happy to stay with China, but now she seemed to have done a complete 180 from how she had previously felt. There was also something very different about her from the last time that America had seen her. He didn't see any of the relaxed and content girl from before, but now he saw a mature young woman taking on the responsibilities of her country and being her own boss. He also saw some of himself in her. She showed that same wariness of her guardian, as well as that same underlying rebelliousness. He finished the letter and sealed it, calling one of his associates in and telling them to send the letter as soon as possible.
America fiddled idly with his pencil, looking out the window. Now all that was left was to play the waiting game.
Erina & Siberia
One month. She had waited a whole month, with no response.
Erina sighed to herself and laughed quietly. She should have expected this; after all, she was still a tiny little thing with an even smaller military strength. She was nothing but a burden to any other country besides China, but she doubted even that. Maybe Siberia was right. Maybe she should just shut up and be happy that she had someone to take care of her instead of having to take care of everything by herself.
Erina slammed her hands down on her desk. No! Like hell was she going to listen to a word that asshole Siberia said. She would show him…she would show them all! Dammit, she would fight for what she wanted. "I'll fight…" she muttered to herself. "I'll fight and I'll win."
"And what if you don't?"
Erina jumped in her seat and turned to see Siberia standing in the door way to her room. She frowned and crossed her arms. "What do you want?" she asked.
"What are you even fighting for?" he asked, brushing a few stray strands of hair from his face.
"What do you care?" she demanded. "It's none of your business anyways."
Siberia only grinned cheekily. "Hmm…I wonder what China will say when he finds out you're trying to gain independence." He feigned thoughtfulness and added, "He'll probably never let you out of his sight again."
"Which is precisely why I need to do this!" Erina exclaimed. "He needs to understand that I'm not just a trophy for him to show off! I'm becoming my own nation; tiny, yes, but still a nation! He needs to understand that I can't always be under his control."
Her brother merely waved his hand. "Then go. Have fun. Fight. Just remember that without any assistance, you're doomed to fail. That's just a little history lesson for ya, sis." He winked and walked off.
She tried to keep her composure as he left, but how could she? Was he really encouraging her to go through with this or was it a test? Thinking about it, he had always seemed a bit odd, and she had initially wanted to get along with him; but it had turned out differently. After much deliberation (5 minutes of thought) she went against her better judgment and decided to go through with it. She really had everything to lose, and everything to gain. Depending on how many more citizens she could get into her army, she could have a slim chance of winning, but maybe Siberia was right. She needed foreign recognition from somebody—anybody—to have a better chance at winning.
Despite not expecting anything, Erina went out to check the mailbox to look for a reply from America. Maybe today would be the day she got a reply. She opened it tentatively and stuck her hand in feeling around for an envelope. Unfortunately, her hand only touched the cold metal of the bottom of the mailbox. She closed the mailbox dejectedly and walked back inside.
"What were you looking for, aru?"
Erina's head whipped up at the sound. There stood China, leaning against the doorframe; arms crossed, and a disapproving frown on his face.
"Nothing…" she replied, fidgeting a bit.
"Are you sure you weren't looking for this, aru?" He pulled out a letter addressed to her from his shirt pocket. "Because I found this when I went to look through the mail this morning, aru." Erina bit her lip and tried not to react. She recognized the messy scrawl as America's handwriting. "Since this was from America," he continued. "I thought it had been misaddressed and was for me. However, it seems it was for you. Do you know what was in here, aru?"
"No…" she mumbled, though she secretly hoped that America had written to say that he would assist her.
China smiled pleasantly at her and held out the letter. "Why don't you read it, aru?"
For a moment, Erina was unsure if she was being tested; in all honesty, she thought she would get smacked with a bamboo stick if she did take the letter. However, when he offered the letter again, she took it from him and began to read it.
CONFIDENNTIAL. FOR THE AMBASSADOR OF THE COLONY OF ERINA ONLY.
Erina:
I got your letter. Let me say that it is not at all a burden for me to help you through this. I'm honored that you have enough faith in me to ask me for assistance. On the topic of China blocking your growth, I am here to assist you in anyway. Believe me when I say that I know what you're going through right now. It will be near impossible without more foreign recognition for him to grant you any independence. However, I will tell you that if worse comes to worse, you will need to be prepared to fight for your independence. If you don't want it, you're not going to be able to get it. Erina, I fully believe that you can achieve this, but my only concern is that your military is not big enough. I will send some troops over if you wish, but in the meantime, I will also try to get other countries to assist you.
Best of luck to you,
The United States of America, Alfred F. Jones
When she finished, Erina handed the letter back to China, looking down at her feet. She could feel him staring at her, waiting for an explanation. She looked up and saw a mixture of emotions on his face. China seemed almost…sad. Was she really been so important to him that this bid for independence was so hard on him?
China folded up the letter and placed it back in his pocket. He looked at her impassively with his mouth pressed into a thin line. He turned away and told her, "I'm sending in my military to keep an eye on you. I don't want to hear about any instances of rebellion. Do I make myself clear?"
Even though he couldn't see her, Erina nodded and replied quietly, "Yes, gēge."
China gave a small nod, before leaving the room. As soon as he did, she threw open the living room window and let the loudest scream she was capable of rip from her throat. How dare he! How dare he! He was using military force to hold her country down! This was completely unacceptable, and something had to be done. "As they say, 'desperate times call for desperate measures,'" she muttered to herself. Erina picked herself up, grabbed her phone and headed outside. It was time to make a few calls. There was no more room to look over the little things that China did to keep her down anymore.
She needed a war.
Could she do it?
'Of course I can' Erina told herself.
Faded: DID YOU LIKE IT? OH I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. sorry, i'm a tad hyper.
Riane: obviously. anyway, what about that contest...?
Faded: ah! right! in these last two chapters, i made references to 2 different things: a video game & a song. if you can spot the references & get them right, i'll write you a request of your choice.
Riane: the references are kinda obscure, but if you get the gist of it, she'll probably give it to you.
Faded: yea, probably. anyway, good luck & happy hunting! :)
*please send your guess in a PM. thx. ~TFG
