Hiya~!

So, this is a fairly romantic fluffy chapter, I just wanted a bit more development.

I've decided that this series'll be a six part. So we're already more than halfway done~!

Enjoy, and don't forget to review, I like feedback and I appreciate every word. Really, even if it's criticism. But also keep in mind I'm fragile too. C:

Appeasement

"So how t-tall am I?"

My heels were barely touching the ground as I puffed out my chest and stretched out as much as I could. To me, every centimetre I could get counted. My back was pressed against the wall as England made a careful pencil mark on the door frame.

"Alright, take a step away from the wall now, will you?" He instructed me.

I slipped away from under him, looking back at the faint line. England pulled out the bright yellow measuring tape and pulled it up to the line. I stared at it anxiously. I don't know why finding out if I grew any was so important to me. I guess I kind of liked the idea of growing up, becoming an adult. Maturing. Maybe people would take me more seriously then.

England pressed his thumb to the measurement, bringing the tape closer to his face. His eyebrows furrowed.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

"Five foot, Two? Bloody…" There was a look of confusion on his face, "Did you manage to shrink America?"

"U-um..." I sighed, fiddling with my glasses.

It happened again. I know a little kid who wanted to grow up faster, shouldn't want adults to dote on them, but all I asked was for them to remember my name.

"I'm Canada..." I drifted off.

It was an added letdown that he told me my height in feet when we use the Metric system here. So I honesty didn't know if that was tall for my age. I was a little disheartened from England's reaction. I could at least guess that I haven't passed America.

England stared at me. His eyes squinted a little, like he was looking past me instead of looking at me.

"What..?" He continued to scan me. I waited patiently, knowing he'd recognize me sooner or later, "Ah! Canada, I'm so sorry! You look so much like your brother."

"….It's okay." I smiled at him. As much as I wanted to say, I knew started a fight wouldn't solve anything. Besides, hard as I tried sometimes, I could never stay angry at anyone.

The day continued on in that manner. Basically, like any other day. We'd start to do something, he'd forget who I was midway through it, and then I'd remind him who I was again. I guess I was used to it, just as someone would go through their habitual day, this was mine. But all of that aside, I still enjoyed being around him.

"Well Canada, it was fun, but I should leave before the storm hits." England said as he pulled his arms through the sleeves of his rain slicker.

"Okay England," I stood at the door to see him off, "Be safe."

He was about to leave when he took his hand off the doorknob, like he had changed his mind about something.

"…Canada…" His lips tugged into a frown, "…it was…" He struggled getting out the next word, "wrong of me to try and keep you all to myself. So I've decided that…Every once and awhile, France will come to take care of you too."

"W-What? Really?" My face lit up.

He nodded; a look of disdain on his face.

I hugged him tightly, "Thank you England."

His green eyes looked down at me; he smiled softly and patted me on the head.

"I'll see you in a couple of days."

I waved to him, a light smile on my face as he left for his own home.

I was so proud of England. I know that was probably sounds weird when I say it in aloud, but the feeling the true. England was finally being the bigger man. Wow, he even admitted he was wrong. It definitely was a rare day. What did France do to convince him? Beg? No, they were both too proud for that. But I knew he probably couldn't have come to this resolution on his own.

My arms wrapped around my stomach. I was still 'recovering' a little from England's cooking. He should really let me take over the cooking part soon. I don't know how much more of this I could take. I lumbered back up to my room, plopping myself down on the bed. Kumatigrio was peacefully resting on my pillow.

"Did you hear that?" I stroked my polar bear's soft pelt, "France is going to come here now too. He's really nice."

I realized that he hadn't been here for so long he probably hadn't even met my pet.

The flash of lightning from the nearby window caught my eye. England left not a moment too soon. I heard it was going to be a bad storm. But, I was kind of glad. After long weeks of waiting, winter had finally rolled out, and spring had come to take its place. It had been nothing but rain from the first day of the season and all of the traces of the harsh long winter had been washed away. We've seen only the Lion so far, but the lamb was going to come eventually. I was sure of it.

My stomach expressed its discontent again, rumbling angrily.

"Ow.." I don't know how I'd break it to England that he's just not that great of a cook. If I ever was going to.

To get my mind off of things, I pulled out a book. It was a thick hardcover of fairytales that England had given me a while back. Being the serious person he was, I never expected him to love these stories so much. It rubbed off on me too; I loved them just as much.

I sat there, reading the intricate and complex stories. A beautiful illustration for the end of every chapter. I flipped through its creamy pages, entirely immersed. I don't know how long I read for, probably almost a couple hours. Somewhere between that, the rain started. The storm was gradually moving closer, but I took no notice. The noise of raindrops pelting on the window was muted in the background. Eventually, my eyelids grew heavy and my grip on the book loosened. I started to nod.

"Well, it's late anyways."

I gave in to the sandman leaning over my shoulder and closed my eyes. Thoughts of princes and princesses and perilous dragons drifted through my head.

"Are you feeling ill?"

"…Huh?" I looked around in a daze. I was standing in an extravagant room, filled with high class furnishing. An elderly man I didn't recognize stood in front of me, dressed in a formal black blazer and bow tie. He was kneeling. A crystal chandelier hung above us. Lastly, sitting in front of me was a full body mirror framed in polished silver.

I didn't recognize the reflection standing before me.

The boy was wearing a red double breasted jacket with golden buttons. Black cuffs trimmed with gold, a black tie and dress pants. A scarlet maple leaf was pinned to his left side, right above his heart. When I leaned closer to the mirror, so did he. Under a pair of glasses gazed deep indigo eyes, full of surprise. I gingerly touched my cheek, still checking if it was really my own. Lastly, sitting a top neatly gelled back hair was a crown.

"…Sire?"

I looked down at the man. He seemed to refuse to look at me directly in the eye.

"H-how did I get here?"

The man eyed me like I was crazy.

"The Ball, Sire….the planning has been going on for months. Are you sure you're feeling well?"

"…Fine." I answered back. Just what was going on?

"I understand your feelings of anxiety, however everyone is waiting." He smiled courteously as he gestured to a grand pair of double doors. I looked to the door, swallowing hard. Who was waiting?

As I walked towards it, the servant readily opened the door for me.

"So this is the ballroom then?" I thought to myself as I entered.

It was an enormous room, eggshell white walls and huge pillars that touched the ceiling. Sparkling marble floor tiles covered the ground. The room was bustling with people. Girls in flowing ball gowns and Boys dressed in different styles of suits. Everyone seemed absorbed by light banter, well, that is, until I walked into the room.

For someone who was ignored on a daily basis, having all eyes on you, is just as bad. Blood rushed to my face. In fact, I was close to hyper-ventilating. It was so quiet, every footstep I took, seemed to echo off the walls. The servant stood close to my side.

People came to greet me. While most just shook my hand, some of the bolder ones would pull me into tight hugs. They would start having small talk with me, average things like the weather. Everyone seemed so poise and together. I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. In comparison, I felt like a little kid that snuck into their parents' party. Needless to say, I felt out of place and uncomfortable.

A girl came up to me, asking me to dance. I declined as politely as I could. In almost every other group of people, I received another offer. Though a lot of them were very pretty in their own way, and I was flustered by the offer, something was stopping me. It didn't feel right…or more so, it wasn't the right girl.

Really, what was I doing here? Honestly, I was too afraid to ask.

There was a several loud knocks beating on the front doors. The crowd hushed. I looked over to the entrance, a tall pair of double doors made of dark red wood. Though it was storming outside, light shone though its contour.

I don't know what came over me, I felt compelled to answer. I had that vague sense of knowing that whoever was behind that door would be what I was waiting for. Who I was waiting for. The servant tried to stop me as I scrambled through the crowd, muttering apologies as I went. They parted like the red sea for me, a clear path in sight.

I clasped my hands around the large handle and threw the doors open. A blinding white light. I shielded my eyes, straining to see who was at the door. What was happening? Why now?

I awoke to the glaring ceiling light and the muffled sound of rain. I patted my nightstand blindly for my glasses.

"Guess I left the light on when I fell asleep."

Clouded images fled from my mind, the more I tried to get them to surface, the faster they slipped away. But I was left feeling lighter than before. Must have been a good dream…

What was that?

The heavy knocking continued. It…reminded me of something. I shrugged it off, still trying to clear the haze from my head. I got out of bed, reluctantly. I'd look out the window but it was too dark to see anything anyways, not to mention the rain.

I shuffled down the hallway. The floor tiles chilled my feet. Who could it possibly be in the middle of the night anyways? It was probably just my imagination or something, I'd check, and then I could go back to bed. The knocking continued, getting more impatient.

Okay, so it wasn't just in my head. I unlocked and opened the door.

Anna stood at the doorway within the tiny glow of the porch light. Her clothes clung to her tightly and her hair dripped with water. She was soaked to the bone. Her hand clutched the frame, her head was bowed.

"W-William..." She panted, her head lifted gently. Her legs buckled and she fell towards me. I stepped forward and caught her in my arms. Her body went limp.

"H-Hey..! Anna?" I bit my lip, panic starting to arise. I shut the door and carried her (as best as I could) inside.

I tucked Anna in my bed, Kumihiro sat beside her. For once, he looked worried too. I dried her off, but her clothes were still drenched in water. How long had she been out in the rain? I went from pacing around the room, to sitting in a chair at her bedside, my hands nervously clenched together. Nervous energy. Her face was flushed, even her expression was uneasy. Her fever was getting worse. I brushed back a lock of damp hair. Dark circles were accented under her eyes.

"She hasn't been sleeping either..."

I went to the bathroom, taking a facecloth and poured cold water on it. I sighed heavily, lingering longer than needed. I couldn't call England, he wouldn't be able to get through this storm. And frankly, America wouldn't be much of a help in this situation. But it's not like I could help that much either.

Please get better Anna. I don't know what I can do.

When I came back into the room, Anna her head was turned to the window, watching the rain fall. She heard me come in. Her lips curved upwards, but you could barely call it a smile. It was…broken. I sat back down in the chair, placing the wet cloth on her forehead.

"…For your fever." I said quietly.

She opened her mouth to say something, lavender eyes searching my face.

"…Thanks." She seemed to have held back what she was actually going to respond with. She coughed.

"Please tell me what happened." I pleaded. It was so much worse when you said nothing at all.

She shut her eyes. "Denmark's gone away to fight Norway. I don't really want to talk about it." She mumbled. Her voice was quiet and weak, it cracked when she spoke.

I sighed, but I guess I could understand. Anna always gave herself fevers whenever she got put under a lot of stress. I guess it was a side effect from bottling everything inside. I'm sure running around in the rainstorm didn't really help though. She was never really one to express herself openly. The expression 'suffering in silence' came to mind.

"I guess I'll let you rest then." I stood to leave with a tired yawn. I could go sleep on the sofa or something, I didn't mind.

There was a tug on my sleeve, as light as a feather. I looked back to Anna.

"Don't leave…" she said quietly before she cracked a smile, "You haven't caught me up on the past few weeks."

I could hardly believe her, even after all of this, she still wanted to hear about my day.

"I've been so busy; I didn't even notice how big Kumajirou's gotten until now…" She said, trying to start the conversation as scratched the small cub under the chin.

Wait, what was his name again? I couldn't ask now since I've owned him for months. Shoot, I missed my chance again. No wait, I was going off topic, man she was good at distracting me. Still, she never usually asked of anything from others, this was the least I could do. I sat back down in the chair and pulled it up closer to the bedside. She would keep trying to speak when she surely didn't have the strength to if I didn't do something.

"I'll t-talk while you rest, okay?"

Anna nodded with a smile, drawing an 'x' over her heart with her finger. She closed her eyes.

Hmm, where to begin?

"Oh! England told me today that France can come to visit now!" I told her enthusiastically.

"Really? That's great~!" Anna beamed.

I smiled at her enthusiasm. "And j-just the other day…"

And it went on like that for quite a while. I told her everything I could possibly think to tell her. The funny moments, the times I got frustrated, the times when my wallflower qualities really showed. I managed to tell her every detail that I could remember. She would nod every now and then, interjecting with 'mmhmm's or questions and comments. It felt really good just to have someone to talk to, better yet to know that she was actually listening.

"..And then Engla-"

"…William… I've only been a burden on you. I'm really sorry."

Before I could disagree with her, I noticed her face had relaxed, and her breathing was even.

"Haha…So you've finally fallen asleep…" I smiled.

I knew a lot had been troubling her. She always had that habit of keeping everything to herself. She wouldn't tell me anything, because she thought it would make me worry, and then I just worry more because of it. I was glad I could be here to help her when she got knocked off her feet. It was almost worrying that even when she was ill, her focus of attention was still on me.

She knew that I was ignored more often than not, so she tried to compensate for them by giving her own effort and attention to me. Whenever I felt like I was slipping away into the background, she was always there to pull me back up. That's what friends were for, to lean on each other when we needed it.

There was a twinge of regret in my stomach.

Maybe that's all we were. Friends. A part of me wanted to tell her how I felt, but…the other part, the stronger one, was afraid. Afraid she wouldn't feel the same way. But if she left because of my confession, I don't think I could bear it. Call me a coward but, if you had the choice of staying with her or risking it all to lose it all, wouldn't you do the same thing?

"I wonder when you'll learn my name…" I said quietly. She still called me William. It almost seemed too late to correct her.

No matter what happens, I want to be there to protect her. To take care of her when she got herself sick from worrying. I want to be the person who she could confine in, so she wouldn't even get sick to begin with! No matter what happens, I want to be there for her because...I don't think my feelings will ever change.

It was late. The middle of the night. The young girl, who had been tossing and turning all night from nightmares, sat up, rubbing away the sleep from her eyes. She decided to go fetch a glass of water to try and calm her down, and then maybe she'd be able to get some sleep.

She stepped out of her room, the floor felt cold on her bare feet.

"Huh? Did Denmark forget to turn off the lights?"

She clung to the banister as she walked down the stairs. Denmark stood at the front door, his back to the staircase.

"Denmark? What're you doing up?"

He slung a large polearm with an axe head on his shoulder before turning around. Clearly he didn't intend for her to find him leaving.

"Go back to bed Anna." He said firmly.

It all finally clicked together in her head.

"N-n-no!" She ran up to the man hugged him tightly, "You're going to fight Norway aren't you?"She nuzzled her head into the cloth of his shirt, "Don't go. Don't go. Don't go." She repeated over and over again. "Please…"

Denmark plucked the little girl off of him, her feeble grasp easily broken off.

"I'll be back by morning."He had a pained expression on his face as he opened the door and walked out.

She stood there in pure shock, precious seconds ticking by. Was this really happening? No, not if she could help it. She wrenched the door back open.

She ran outside, trying desperately to find her guardian. But it was pitch black; she couldn't even see her own hand in front of her face, let alone even a silhouette of Denmark. Her chances were dwindling; she sprinted carelessly in a random direction, stray rocks cutting her bare feet. She cried out for Denmark and Norway. Rain fell on her in sheets and chilled her skin. But she couldn't care less right now.

How long had it been now? Hours?

She just kept running. No matter how cold she was, or how wet, she wanted to stop them. Hot tears ran down her cheeks before they mixed in with the rain. She had screamed for them so long, that her voice had left her. And worst of all, she was hopelessly lost.

Longer still did she wander, her limbs numb and stiff from the blistering weather.

"Huh?"

Her head snapped up. What was that? There in the distance.

…A light.

Hope glimmered in her eyes and fuelled with her new strength. She tripped and stumbled as she hurried towards it. When she got closer, she recognized the form of a house.

"Canada?"

She scrambled to the door, knocking rapidly. Please, please answer.

The door opened slowly, the light shone upon her face. She could feel warmth wafting from the inside on her skin already.

"W-William..." She breathed. Any energy she had left was spent, that was it.. The world started to spin.

"H-Hey..! Anna?"

"Mhm…I must have fallen asleep…" I thought to myself. I sat up wearily, aurgh my head was killing me.

I felt a weight on my stomach. I looked to find Canada was resting his head on me, snoring quietly. I guess I wasn't the only one who dozed off.

"He really did stay..." I tousled his golden curls and pained a smile.

He always worked so hard to be a good person to everyone around him. All he wanted was a little acknowledgment from the ones he loved. Was it so much to ask for? It was like he was literally transparent with the other countries. I wanted to change that.

"H-Hey! Greenland, I'll take you home." England said, in a huff.

"Ah! Wait! What do we name him?" Canada called out quietly.

I struggled against England, trying to get a few more precious seconds in before I had to leave. I brought a finger to my lips in thought.

"Hm…" England gave me a break and stopped tugging long enough for me to come up with an idea. While the Nordics were doing business with Japan, he taught me a few basic words. I knew at least 'White' and also 'Bear', wouldn't that work out fine?

"How about Kumajirou? It's cute~!" I answered back; I heard a quiet "Heh." from England before he pulled me away and slammed the door.

We walked along the aged path, only the sound of our footsteps broke the silence. I usually cut my way through the forest to get here, since the path took longer, but I could guess that wasn't the best way to go with England.

We had only reached about the halfway point before I burst out.

"England..!"

He looked down at me with a raised eyebrow. I inwardly cursed at myself.

"…I know it's not my place to say things like this…b-but hear me out."

He nodded, still looking slightly amused with me.

"I've noticed that…What I mean...Uhm…" Hesitant as I was, I didn't want to beat around the bush and make this already embarrassing situation longer than it needed to be, "With all of your fighting with France, I think you don't listen to what Canada wants…or how he feels." I rushed my thoughts out as quickly as my mouth would allow it.

Silence again.

"That's preposterous! What would ever make you think that?" He just looked insulted now. But the fights between England and France were epic, just about everyone knew about them. I cringed, it's not everyday you offend a major nation. Today was definitely my first. We continued to walk, before I knew it, we had arrived at Denmark's house.

"It's just that sometimes…You need to know the difference between what Canada says, and what he actually feels. He hates making people unhappy; you should know that, so he lies about being happy himself. And if you really care for Canada, you should know to put aside your…'ill-feelings'" and that was putting it lightly, "towards France…for Canada's sake." I opened the front door quietly, hoping that Denmark wasn't waiting around the corner to scold me. "…Thanks again." I shut the door and sunk to the ground, hiding my face in shame. Even when I tried to fake confidence to others you could see right through it. Would England even take me seriously?

"It looks like it worked after all…" I smiled down at the sleeping Canada; remember how happy he sounded that France was allowed to see him again. I may mess everything up for myself, but it doesn't have to be that way for him.

I slid out from under his head and got out of bed.

"Woah," I stumbled and held my dizzy head. I guess it was too early say I've recovered. I took the damp face cloth from my forehead and rested it on the bedside table.

After some effort, I managed to get him back into his own bed, and tucked him in.

"You'll catch a cold if you sleep like that…" I laughed quietly, scolding the boy. It was a good thing he was a heavy sleeper. I took the glasses off his face; it was just like his to fall asleep with them on. As I set them down beside the cloth, I felt my elbow knock against something.

I looked to find a hefty book, bound in worn red leather.

"A book of fairytales, huh?" I picked it up a brushed the cover gingerly. I didn't think he was into this kind of stuff. To think, if he hadn't fallen asleep with the lights on, I probably would still be out there now. And, it was all thanks to this book.

I sighed. What was I doing? I set the book down on my lap. I wanted to slap myself.

Canada. He was kind, and somehow kept a cool head within all of this chaos. He was so docile, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't even hurt a fly. The peacekeeper in every situation. He always tried his best in everything he did. And he always made sure to put others as a priority. Yes, he was shy, but I think that's one of his most charming qualities. Just being close to him gave me butterflies in my stomach. He was…perfect. But that's was also the exact reason I didn't want to get any closer to him.

"Someone like him…" I stared down at the book, "Deserves a princess, not a pauper."

I've just been pulling him down all this time. If I wasn't so selfish, I would've left a long time ago. But I was so happy being with him, even knowing that this was wrong. I guess that makes me a bad person too.

I put his book down on the nightstand, and climbed back into the covers on the opposite side. I was still feeling too sick to make it home on my own yet. Plus, it was still raining up a storm outside.

And when he finds his princess; I should be there at the sidelines cheering him on. Like a friend should. Whether I was actually happy would be beside the point. As long as he was.

I glanced at the boy lying next to me.

I leaned in and gently kissed his forehead. Again, I couldn't be gladder that you were a heavy sleeper. I was supposed to keep my distance from you. I didn't want to become close friends like we have. And yet, even after all of my precaution, it was too late.

"I've always known, Matthew."

When I woke up in the morning, I found my hand holding his, our fingers interlaced.