IV - Dangerous Contact
[Опасный контакт]

Anya ran down the stairs and burst through the doors to the shopping center.

"Hey! Wait a minute! Not so fast!" She cried, running and barely catching up to her guest. Recovering her breath, she bowed at the waist.

"I'm sorry," she panted. She wanted take care of all business within two minutes, but it all lasted longer than she first thought.

Amelia didn't expect Anya to come so quickly, but it was so typical of the sneaky little bastard. A heartwarming smile grew across her pink lips and tried to act pleasantly surprised. It was with a flick of her wrist that she shoved her cell phone into one of her pockets making sure it, along with the several charms of American flags and gold-plated stars, was secure and out of sight.

"Oh, Russia-san, don't rush! It's okay… I'm just admiring this beautiful little town. You have a wonderful country with lovely little shops! It's no wonder why you are always dressed so nicely… I wish we had things such as these in Canada…" She fingered her newfound curl in all nervousness as her gaze was met by an intense, deep hue of violet.

"You are too kind, thank you." The host took refuge beside her short, red-clad colleague and leaned against the balcony herself, studying the people below.

Her eyes focused on the red, flashing set of numbers perched on the off-white wall just above a glass storefront: 9:00 am. With a clicking of her heel, the Russian let out a labored sigh and delved a hand into one of her insulated coat pockets as if feeling for something. She felt the eyes of her guest on her, as if she was studying her, or calculating something… Well, maybe she just simply was thinking things, or just went a bit too crazy over the wonderful tea she just drank for hours. Her well-kempt fingernails hit something metallic, her expression softening as she finally found what she had been looking for and extended the phone with a sudden flip and began to input numbers in a flurry.

"I think Toris or Raivis can meet us around here. My house is a short distance from here."

The much younger girl stared at the pavement under her feet as the words twisted and contorted, forming a knot in her now full stomach. Shit… Lithuania. Would Toris notice her through this? Amelia knew he had a thing for her sister so… would he know every little detail of Maddie to realize that she was a fake? As if her mission wasn't hard enough, being in some super cold place drinking some terrible concoctions: TEA, especially. She could see the sly little smirk on that motherfucker England's face…

Do all heroes have to be subjected to such horrible treatment?

The grip on the metal railing became increasingly tighter.

"Hello? Yes, plans have changed and I need you immediately. Just please, hurry up! We cannot wait for you!" Anya threw the challenge out there to the poor soul on the other side. When she finished the call, she turned to her self-absorbed guest. "We need to walk a short distance. It's a maximum of five minutes to get to the end of the street. We will wait for Lithuania there. He will take us."

It was the inevitable now. Amelia stood up straight and nodded in agreement. Typically, if Amelia was her normal self, she would then challenge anyone to a race, it would make her feel better and take her mind off of things! But knowing Canada, she would whine and complain and would probably fall flat on her face, or straight on her ass. So it was in Amelia's best interest to act boringly and painfully reserved: 'just like a lady should' England would always say. She couldn't wait til she got back to the States and give him a little piece of lady starting with her FIST!

A modest finger shot up. "Oh, I'm in no hurry… It gives us more time to appreciate all these stores! But my money is no good here, so I'll just window shop!" She chirped, definitely a whole different person from just a few moments ago. Clutching the bag close to her small frame, the blonde awkwardly began her walk with Russia.

"Don't worry about it. When we arrive at home, I can help convert your Canadian dollars to rubles. It's not so difficult. There are points of currency exchanges on every corner." Anya gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. "I'll always be happy to help! By the way, you forgot something…"

Amelia froze in her tracks when she felt that frigid, icy hand. "W...What did I…" Amelia couldn't even finish her sentence, afraid of what she possibly did wrong. Her strained grip around her bag strap tightened and twisted and she grew silent. If Russia could point out something already, what exactly would Lithuania find?!

"You forgot Kumajirou! But don't worry, he was with me the whole time, and I did not let go for even a second." Her small satchel, because she was running, was tucked behind her. Anya adjusted the strap and pulled the bear out from the bag, letting him leap into her arms.

"Here you go! There! And next time, don't forget about him!" The Russian smiled and held the bear out to his respective owner.

"O-oh, t-thank you!" She swooped the bear up in her arms, secretly reluctant, since she never really liked the bugger in the first place. The bear always did one thing or another to her, like the dude had some personal grudge against THE BEST PERSON IN THE WORLD! She must have made a sour face, because he quickly smacked his paw against her cheek.

"Dummy! You forgot about me!" Kumajirou exclaimed.

Play the part, girl, just play the part. "Ah, ah, I'm sorry, Kumajirou! H-how could I ever forget you?!" Amelia squealed softly as if the bear had some power behind his punches and held a tired hand up to her face.

Everything looked just about normal. "I'm glad everything worked out," Anya added with a smile. As the two progressed further, she looked through the crowd and saw a young man running like a bat out of hell trying to push his way through. Almost arriving at the end of the street, she cried out to him. "I think I see Toris! Hey!" She began to wave her arm, and he instantly took notice.

Amelia didn't realize that the street was getting more crowded as they neared the corner and began to lose sight of Anya, even as tall as she was. "O-oh, wait, Anya!" She cried out as the people weaved around her, occasionally bumping into her and sending her into another. She held onto Kumajirou, tightly pinning him against her chest as he continued to flail his little paws about to successfully sock her in the face again.

"Anya!" She yelled out again. Being short was something terrible, but she pressed forward, slowly inching her way back to the Russian.

Latvia, of course, spotted his mistress. How could he forget that soft yet chilling voice? Even in his nightmares he heard the Russian girl call out his name. He will most likely never forget it. Besides, it was hard to lose sight of her due to her tall stature.

"Y-yes, ma'am! I'm coming!" Toris, the poor fellow, broke through the endless stream of scurrying people, and finally broke free from the hell and arrived at Russia's feet.

"I'm s-sorry!" He loudly exclaimed, frightened at the thought of displeasing her. He took a few moments to catch his breath, and slowly straightened up.

Now safe in a pocket in the midst of the chaos, the silver-haired girl crossed her arms almost in disapproval. Her eyes, seemingly so careless yet refined, pierced through and took hold of the Baltic's soul in an instant. "You're just in time," Toris swore she almost spat. "Drive us to the house ASAP! It's very important."

"O-of course! Let's go around the corner. I could only find a park over there. It's rush hour now, you know.." The brown-haired man looked to the right of Anya and noticed a short, petite blonde girl holding a large white bear to her chest rush to her side. "O-oh, w-welcome, Canada-san!" He bowed to her in greeting, "I'm sorry, I did not notice you at first." He stood up and began to knead his fingers into his sleeves, which was a custom for whenever he became uncomfortable.

"It's been a long time, Toris!" The makeshift Canadian smiled warmly, stopping with a click of her heel. She carefully placed Kumajirou on her shoulder so she could clasp his hands together with hers. It was wonderful to see a friendly face and a trustworthy ally in such a foreign place to her. If only she could give him a big ol' trusty bear hug, that would be sweet, but her boss wouldn't necessarily approve. Mustering all her inner strength to refrain from doing so, she remembered her wonderful, extravagant reward waiting for her back home, and simply let out a soft laugh. She just hoped Toris would not notice her through the disguise… which, minute by minute, was slowly decaying at a faster rate, unbeknownst to Amelia.

"I am delighted that you could come visit us, even if it's not for long!" He smiled broadly, feeling her comforting warmth. Because they have not seen each other in so long, the two exchange glances for a long moment. For Amelia, it was slightly awkward, and creepy. "D-don't worry, I will do everything quickly!"

"Yes, well, I wanted to return the favor s-since…" Damnit, she forgot the excuse Maddie told her to use. It was best for her to just stop right there before she dug herself a deeper grave. So she only continued to smile, turning to Anya. "... Well, nevermind all that. Let's go before we get trampled."

"Yes, I think we have to go. And preferably fast," Anya sighed slightly and took Maddie by the arm. "Well, you are my valuable guest and I can't let you fall behind! Haha!"

Valuable, she thought, probably to torture me later. What a creeper.
It took a moment to process the cold hand against her sleeve. When she realized it, Amelia unwillingly blushed. Come to think of it, it had been years since someone dared to lay a finger on her. Years... maybe even before the first World War, but definitely before her radical industrialization. Russia was really overstepping her boundaries...

Amelia was yanked from her place, wobbling legs following. "Gaaaagh! W-w-wait! Just a minute-" Amelia grabbed a hold of Kumajirou's arm just in time before she was taken away by the girl. The odd group began to run hastily to their car, careful not to bump into anyone along the way. Her shoes clanked heavily against the old cobblestone street. She was notoriously clumsy with any shoes with even a slight heel, so the blonde almost lost her footing several times and Anya, as an impeccable host, helped her everytime she stumbled to regain her balance.

It was maybe after the fifth time that Amelia had to stop and thank her gracious host, who she now clung onto for dear life at her elbow. Her light, lavender eyes ascended upward, tracing over the soft contours of her slender and tall frame. Of course, her sister's short stature was compressed enough to be eye level with Russia's chest, go figure! She couldn't help but stare at the beautiful sight of the much taller girl's long, poker straight hair that danced behind her. The setting sun brought out the shiny brightness of her rich silvery blonde strands. The warm and tingling tightness in her stomach returned, and Amelia, with a choking cough, turned away abruptly, pulling her hand away. 'Stupid! This is all so seriously retarded, really!'

"Huh?" Anya turned her head, coincidentally responding as if she could hear her thoughts, as she almost knocked over a businessman in a neatly pressed English suit carrying a large, worn leather suitcase in one hand and a phone pressed against his cheek with the other. He was speaking with his darling wife who constantly called him at the most inopportune of times asking what he'd do in the evening with her, but this part of the conversation was now illegible.

"Oh, sorry!" She wanted to say something else, but the man only gave Anya a look of scorn and annoyance and shouted something along the lines of "Where are you going? Open your eyes!" and hurriedly ran to the nearest subway entrance. The man cooed something to his wife before disappearing completely.

Anya just blinked and shrugged. People were often so ignorant and wild…

One wrong, out-of-line step at rush hour would make anyone fall out of sync with the frenzied flow of movement with the crowd. Continuing to keep a firm hold of her unstable guest, Anya struggled to keep her balance. But her footing began to gradually slip with each one of her passing citizens: the paving stones below shifting and threatening her own ability to prevent falling over. The girl squeezed her friend's hand, trying to somehow stay in place. Unknown to them both, it was now Amelia's turn to be the savior.

The final passerby scurried past them, unexpectedly, almost violently pushing Anya forward and into the arms of a now startled and bewildered America, whose eyes were now wide with a crippling and choking fear.

"A-a-a.." Amelia's cheeks turned a deep rose-colored shade.

It became silent. That was when their eyes met, and neither of them could bring themselves to look away. An overwhelming surge of unexplained and foreign emotions crashed through the spy's smaller frame, almost knocking her over. The movement of time seized at that moment, the people around them freezing in place, where it would not be physically possible otherwise without the help of some higher power. Deep, mesmerizing amethyst orbs seemed to pierce through her heart, peering into and taking her much younger soul. But it was a welcomed invasion to the American, who often found herself alone while surrounded by many other people; other countries. She found a great comfort in her elegantly dressed adversary, feeding off of such a daring look and willing to let go of everything she fought so hard for to get drunk off of such a mystifying, breathtaking, snow-white goddess...

Wrapped tightly in a delightful and pleasant madness, Amelia began to succumb to a euphoria which threatened to drown her and pull her into a deep slumber for good. She felt a warm tingling creep down her fingertips and down to her toes. She could get used to this intoxicating high, so similar to a drug. A more sensible, sober voice within her told her to pull away while there was still time to be saved. Her mind knew what she felt was dangerous, but her heart wanted to play with something so mysterious and intriguing...

Breaking through her inner conflict, a sharp inhale with a clearing of her throat came from the miniature blonde guest, who now covered her mouth and struggled to keep any composure or dignity left.

"Ah, I'm so sorry…" Her ashen blonde host looked up once more at a wide-eyed Amelia beneath those beautiful black, long and full lashes that were laced so perfectly along those pretty little purple gems. Her face was so innocent: the girl looked like an angel, incapable of stealing another's tortured mind, heart, and soul, which happened just a few fleeting moments ago. Pushing away a good distance, she managed to regain her footing before her flustered guest. "I'm such a klutz."

The little actress sighed and rolled her eyes. "Sometimes you're just so helpless.." She grumbled, quiet enough so Anya couldn't make out the words. A right hand was extended, grabbing a firm hold of Anya's. "Dwelling on it will get us killed. Toris and all of them are waiting, let's go!"

With a sharp tug, Amelia surprisingly managed to carry the weight of them both. Kumajirou cooed, drooling at the mouth as his eyes saw stars, trying to fight (unwillingly) the images of the two out of his mind. The small group finally found the end of the street, seeing a large break in the crowd where Lithuania and Latvia stood, awaiting their orders. Making the final push, Amelia entwined her fingers with Anya's, a large, dumb smile flashing across her face.