"No," America squeezed his eyes shut, turning away from Fillmore. "I don't believe you. I just saw him a few days ago, and he was fine. There's no way he's dead."
"I'm sorry, America," Fillmore moved forward, placing a hand on the Nation's shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting manner. It was startling, how much the other was shaking.
"I didn't get to say goodbye," his voice was strained, catching in his throat on unshed tears. "He was fine…He was fine!"
"America, I'm sorry," Fillmore repeated, wincing when the young Nation jerked away from him. "He became very ill. They're saying it's cholera, but they don't know for certain. They tried their best. I'm sorry."
"Don't…apologize," America sniffed, scrubbing at his dry eyes. "It's not your fault. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."
"You're upset," Fillmore justified, keeping a respectful distance as the blond tried to calm himself. "It's understandable."
"I can't believe it," America stated numbly, moving to sit down, where he promptly brought his knees to his chest. "I don't believe it…"
"I'm sorry," was all Fillmore said, before leaving America to compose himself in peace.
"You have got what is worth more than a thousand Wilmot Provisos…You have nature on your side." ~ Henry Clay
"[If you will not yield] let the States…agree to separate and part in peace. If you are unwilling we should part in peace, tell us so, and we shall known what to do." ~John C. Calhoun
"Peaceable secession! Heaven forbid! Where is the flag of the republic to remain? Where is the eagle still to tower?" ~ Daniel Webster
"Are you all right?" Fillmore questioned, noticing the troubled expression on his Nation's face. After their first rough meeting, things had gotten better, the Vice-president quickly easing into his new role. "The Compromise is finally settled…that should be a load off your chest. I know it is off mine."
"It is," America agreed, not looking at his president. "But all this talk of secession…it's unnerving."
"It is," Fillmore repeated, sympathetically, but not able to help the tone of interest that crept into his voice. "What would happen to you if the lower states seceded? Just out of curiosity."
America felt something grow cold inside of him. "…I don't know."
"I'm sorry," Fillmore responded, noting the panicked look to his Nation's face. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sure it wouldn't be anything too pleasant…"
"No," America couldn't help the shaking in his voice. "I'm sure it wouldn't."
"But it's all over now," Fillmore assured, putting a smile onto his face. "You shouldn't worry…the Compromise will keep that from happening. It's all over."
"You're probably right," America responded, faking a smile. Fillmore returned to his paper work, the finishing touches to the famous Compromise. And America was left alone, for his thoughts to fester as he desperately pleaded for them to vanish.
There was nothing like an adventure to get your mind off of troubles. America inhaled the salty air, smiling to himself. This was it, taking a break from all the talk of slavery and politics back at home. Already he could feel his mind going onto more pleasant matters.
But that all soon became upset when they reached Japan.
"I won't leave until you let me present this letter!" Perry fumed, the translators getting the message across.
" 'You have to go to Nagasaki'," his translator returned, biting his lip as the other man began to flush, turning to his men.
"Fire!" he shouted, and the cannons blasted at some buildings along the shore, demonstrating their potential.
"What are you doing?" America shouted, but Perry held out a hand, wordlessly telling him to stay out of it.
Perry brandished two white flags that a crew member handed to him, giving them to the Japanese. "When you're ready to surrender, raise these," were his last words.
It wasn't long before his objective was accomplished. They had superior military technology, and Perry knew it. Grudgingly, they were allowed to land and come onto the shore, to meet with the delegates present.
Among them, America immediately detected that familiar presence, the feeling of another Nation close by. He looked over the assembled Japanese, his eyes landing on a younger one, with dark hair cut in a bob about his ears, and a wary expression on his face.
Negotiations didn't last long, and the other Nation made no move to greet him, merely watching with poorly concealed fear. And America didn't blame him, after the method Perry had pursued. Shortly, their party left, promising to return for a reply.
And return they did, nearly a year later, to find the Japanese delegates had prepared a treaty covering nearly all their demands. This time, negotiations lasted slightly longer, giving America a chance to talk with this new Nation. At least, new to him.
"I think you should learn more about the world, Japan!" America encouraged, watching as the other Nation hung back, nervous and wary of this newcomer. "There are so many countries and wonderful things out there in the world. It's not bad to meet others once in awhile, you know. Since I went out into the world, everyday is exciting!"
Japan glanced up, watching the other Nation with a new curiosity. America wished he would say something, although he knew that was a futile hope. Japan hadn't spoken a word since they had arrived, apart from whispered foreign syllables in his translator's ear.
And so America continued on, telling Japan about the other Nations, and all the nice things he'd be able to see, increasingly conscious of the fact that the smaller Nation was hanging onto his every word, intrigued.
If the blond had been more observant, he would have noticed that at some point, Japan stopped conferring with his translator over every bout of foreign language spoken, but was listening to him directly, obviously understanding. But he didn't, just continuing to ramble on and on about the world outside Japan and its immediate surroundings.
When it was finally time to go, America held his hand out for a goodbye handshake. Only to have the other Nation stare at it strangely. "You give me your hand, and we shake them," America explained, proceeding to demonstrate when the other complied and lifted his arm. "Good! That's it."
Japan smiled. "Sayonara…Amerika-san."
"Bye!" America returned cheerfully, waving when the Japanese withdrew his hand. And so began the return trip back home.
Historical Notes: There seems to have been much debate on the actual reasons behind Taylor's death, but it seems generally agreed upon that he died of cholera morbus, or acute gastroenteritis as it is called now, on July 9th. Other theories believe he might have been poisoned through one of the citizen-dishes he sampled at the Independence Day celebration shortly before. You can Wikipedia him…it mentions more than my book does. His vice-president Millard Fillmore took office. Taylor was also the only president whose death in office did not follow the pattern of Tecumseh's Curse. Basically, after the Battle of Tippecanoe, it is said Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa (also known as the Prophet), placed a curse on Harrison and all future presidents with the same end number of their election year. Starting with Harrison, every president elected at 20-year-intervals has either died or had an assassination attempt.
Clay, resigned to ever becoming president, proposed that California be directly admitted as a free state, the rest of the territory open to slavery. Also, that the government should take care of Texas's pre-annexation debts, and the slave trade should be abolished in the District of Columbia. Calhoun, too weak to speak (he died four weeks later), had his speech promoting succession delivered for him by Senator James M. Mason of Virginia. He could come up with no alternative to Clay's proposal. Webster supported Clay, not very well, as years of excessive drinking were beginning to take their toll, but he got across his message of anti-secession clearly. There was no strict division between parties, and opinions of many people were heard, not just significant figures.
In the Compromise of 1850 California became the 31st state, New Mexico and Utah became two new territories, Texas received $10 million towards its debts, and The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 was amended to appease Southerners. A federal commission was appointed to issue warrants, assemble search groups, and compelled citizens, with threats of fines or imprisonment, to assist in the capture of fugitives. Commissioners who accused a person of being a runaway were paid more than ones who declared the person legally free. Many hoped this would be the end of the debate on slavery.
In 1852, Perry embarked from Norfolk, Virginia for Japan, in command of a squadron in search of a Japanese trade treaty. Aboard a black-hulled steam frigate, he ported near Edo (modern Tokyo) on July 8, 1853. Here he was met by Japanese representatives who told him to go to Nagasaki, the only port open to foreigners at the time. Perry refused to leave, demanding permission to hand over a letter from Fillmore, and threatening to sue force if he was denied. To show his seriousness, he had his ships attack some buildings along the coast. He sent two white flags to Japanese, telling them to hoist the flags when they were ready to surrender. The Japanese military forces could not resist Perry's modern weaponry, and were forced to let Perry come ashore to avoid further naval attacks. Perry landed at Kurihama (in modern-day Yokosuka) on July 14, 1853, and gave the letter to the delegates present, promising to return for a reply.
Perry returned in February 1854 with twice as many ships, finding that the delegates had prepared a treaty covering almost all of the demands in Fillmore's letter. Perry signed the Convention of Kanagawa on March 31, 1854 and departed.
Check out the Hetalia: http://community(dot)livejournal(dot) That major piece of America's dialogue in this chapter belongs to Himaruya…as do all these lovely characters I may or may not be abusing.
My book is EXTREMELY sketchy on the details, so I got most of this from Wikipedia. Let me know if I screwed anything up.
Speaking of which, looking through my history book, and the internet, I realized I goofed up a bit last chapter. Taylor actually died before the Compromise of 1850 debate. And so I've made the appropriate adjustments, as you've probably noticed. I'm sorry ^^