The Fandom

by BFTLandMWandSEK

So let me get this straight: there is some universe out there where Hetalia is real. Said universe is in trouble and the heroes who have to save it are a rabid fangirl and a homophobic jerk. Yeah, we're screwed. -A satire look on the Hetalia fandom- COMPLETED

7. The Information Dump Chapter

MW: Hey there! This update is obviously not during summer vacation, but it's still in the glorious month of August, so who cares? Quick update about my life: I have officially started senior year and while I am not drowning, I have a lot of crap I have to do. I'm already casted in another play and working on another issue of the school newspaper. Tons of fun, right? At least I no longer have to go to school at seven in morning. My 18th birthday also came and went, and like one person remembered. Thank you MastermindKakashi again for the best wishes.

I would also like to thank the following people for expressing their shock and amazement and general feelings in the form of a review: HoneyBeeGirl94, Devin Trinidad, Prulicious, Hammsters, LittleMissMaple, MastermindKakashi, HimekoUchia, Nowhereland, Lyasa, HTCJTJ, MistyFox101, TheSilentReader (you should get an account because I really want to reply to the things you write), XxxImNotOkayxxX, and FrostyTheBookLover.

I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Summary: England tries to explain everything that has happened so far.

Warnings: Strong language, some violence, and puberty.

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~Chapter 7~

The Information Dump Chapter

"There are no extra pieces in the universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle."

-Deepak Chopra, American Author, Public Speaker and Physician

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The Fangirl: December 30th

While I have a countless list of things I would like to see when I first wake up in the morning (a cute boy, a cuddling puppy, a paid college tuition, Jesus, shea butter), there is also a list of things that would instantly scare me shitless and make me wish I was never born. While this list includes many horrors like John Travolta and Miley Cyrus's music career, I would have to say psychopaths would be at the top.

So imagine my terror when I woke up to see Belarus leaning over me.

"What the fuck?" I tried to yell as I pushed her away, but my voice only came out as a hoarse croak. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing for that stupid pounding to leave my head. The pressure made my skull feel like it was going to split open.

I felt Belarus's warm hands on my skin as she readjusted the blanket lying on top of me. "Calm down," she ordered, as harsh as ever. "No doubt you're in pain right now."

I gritted my teeth. "Well I feel a pain in my ass," I hissed spitefully, shifting onto my side away from her. The move made the piercing pain radiate in my butt. I yelped. "Fuck!" That was supposed to be a figure of speech, God! I didn't actually mean for you to make my butt hurt!

"If you would stop being a bitch for one moment," Belarus scolded, "I would have gotten a chance to tell you that those idiots there forgot you were a tropical island and more susceptible to the cold then they are. Long story short, a good part of your ass got frostbitten."

"What?" More pain coursed through me as I struggled to sit up properly. The more I moved, the more I adjusted to the dulling ache in my butt. I rubbed my eyes open, taking in the unfamiliar room. My bed was one of many lined up in a row, the heads perpendicular to the wall. Right across from me was a similar row, the heads against the drawn satin cushions of the grand windows. The more I looked, the more I realized how rich the entire room was: white crown molding, soft printed wallpaper, lovely hardwood floors. This was the house of a king.

I counted six other bedridden people, three at my sides and three across. Spain, the Netherlands, and Sadiq were already awake with varying levels of mobility. England—the true creator?—and Liechtenstein—Larry?—were still fast asleep. I found Belarus's face on my right side, her invisible lips lying straight across her face. Her skinny brows furrowed her forehead. "I said you had a slight case of frostbite on your butt," she told me. "Luckily, with our accelerated healing, we managed to restore it, though you'll have a bruise there."

"Are you telling me that I froze my ass off?"

Belarus looked ready to kill me. "Sure."

"I knew it!" Any conscious person in the room snapped their head towards me as I laid back into my pillow. "I've been saying this entire time that I was going to freeze my ass off, but does anyone listen to me? No!"

"Jesus Christ, Sherry." Ari, who had been chatting with Sadiq in the bed to my left, shot me a hot glare. "You never said anything like that."

"It was in my inner narrations," I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest.

Belarus switched her irritated look between us. "Who's Sherry?"

Ari clapped a hand over his mouth, looking beside himself with horror as Sadiq stumbled over his words. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I put on my liar's tongue. "He didn't say 'Sherry,'" I explained. "He said 'really,' like 'Jesus Christ, really?'"

I didn't know if France knew Ari nearly spilt the beans or if he just had incredible timing since he glided to my side with a happy grin, singing, "Good morning, my beautiful daughter!" He took my hand in his, shoving Belarus aside in the process. "How are you this fine afternoon? None of the wonders of Paris will ever give me as much joy as I am feeling right now."

Belarus must have taken the message since she silently gathered her medical bag in her hands and went on to tend to Spain on the other side of the room. France watched her go from the corner of his sparkling eyes, sighing when she was out of the vicinity. "Thank goodness," he breathed, lowering himself onto the stool she had abandoned. "There's no way I can talk to you with her around."

I grimaced. "No one wants her around period."

"Au contraire, my dear. I invited her here. She's a wonderful doctor and she has done a magnificent job taking care of you and your little butt problem."

I scowled. "That still makes her a bitch."

It was France's turn to give me a strained grimaced. "First impressions are important, but they often lead to misunderstandings," he said. "I'm sure if you give her a chance, she wouldn't be too bad."

"Says the guy who shoved me into the front door to talk to her."

France opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He stayed in that about-to-talk state for a long moment before he finally closed his mouth again. He folded his hands onto his chest, plastering a happy, but defeated smile onto his face. "Touché. Now, would you like to hear about what happened after you fainted or not?"

Fainted? I cocked a brow. Is that was what he was going to call being dragged into Himaruya's realm and nearly getting my head sliced off by my own brother?

Panic jabbed at my chest. I whipped my head around the room, looking for his bright head of shaggy orange hair, but to my horror, there was none. Different shades of yellows and browns were the only hair colors that greeted my sight. Don't tell me we left him behind...

"Sherry?" I blinked. France had his hand on my forearm, giving me a gentle but reassuring squeeze. The concerned look in his eyes told me that he had to say my name several times before I heard it. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Why do you look so scared?"

"Where's my brother?" I demanded, my words light from my heavy breathing. When did I start panting? And my heart- why was I just now noticing how quickly it was beating?

France gave me a confused look. "Your brother? He's here?"

Yes, he's here! I wanted to shout. He's been here the entire time and I've been too dumb to realize it.

"Don't worry, Sherry. He's here." Sadiq gave me a strong grin, the man already sitting up soundly in his bed next to mind. He lifted a finger to the mattress across from him. "He's right over there." I followed the vision of his point, my eyes landing on an unconscious Liechtenstein with a dozing Switzerland at her side. The events on the bell tower popped back into my head, reminding me that it was Liechtenstein who introduced herself as my brother.

Wait.

That meant Larry was stuck in a girl's body.

I roared with laughter, leaning into my stomach as I basked in the thought. Imagine his horror when he had to deal with bras. Even better: periods. The idea was just too good to pass up.

France, Sadiq, and Ari stared at me for a long moment, ignorant to my sudden glee. "I will never understand that woman," Ari muttered beneath his breath, reaching for a book at Sadiq's bedside.

"I've learn to just flow with it," Sadiq replied.

France sighed, snapping his finger into my face. "Focus," he ordered, adapting his more serious tone. "Do you care what happened afterwards or not?" Miraculously, I managed to calm myself long enough to listen to his explanation. We were unconscious for two days. During that time, Switzerland insisted on staying by Liechtenstein's side while Belarus was called to care for us. All was well in the town, not a single hint of another bombing anywhere. "The most eventful thing that happened," he said, "was that I was able to finish planning for the festival tomorrow."

"I'd forgotten that was actually happening," Sadiq said.

Ari leaned forward on his stool. "Is it even safe to keep it going?" he questioned. "With Himaruya around, a big event like that is bound to end with disaster."

France stared at them as an offended expression dawned upon his visage. He clutched his heart, placing a hand over his forehead in a melodramatic manner. "I put so much time and effort into promoting straight rights and this is how you two repay me? By suggesting that I throw a year's worth of time and money away because some homicidal cheese licker is in town? No. I refuse to give in. I will not stand around and let your ideologies conquer mine. I shall stand strong and persevere!"

I exchanged a look with Sadiq and Ari, each of us resisting the urge to bury our faces in our palms. Sadiq was the one to voice our thoughts, giving the Frenchman a tight grimace as he said, "Hey, France. Do you remember World War II?"

France's offended look turned into one of sheer horror. "Why you-"

A loud groan cut his objection short. On the other side of the room, Liechtenstein stirred from her sleep with the large stretching of arms and an exaggerated yawn. Her hand knocked into Switzerland's face, instantly bring him back into reality. He was on her in a minute, taking her hand in his, speaking in a rapid voice. "Are you alright, sis? How are you feeling? Are you in pain anywhere?"

Liechtenstein- no, Larry -squinted at his face, as if not quite registering who he was seeing. Then, it clicked in his head. "Oh, big brother. You're here," he said (yes, we're going to use masculine pronouns with him, no questions asked) (yes, I am skipping over the whole "should I refer to him as a guy or a girl" cliché because screw you). Larry looked past the blond's head, counting to make sure Spain and the Netherlands were with him.

The Netherlands sat with a pencil in his hands, writing on a yellow notepad as he smoked a cigarette. Spain had been lying in his bed in reserved silence until Belarus went to check up on him. His silence turned into a noisy insistence that she had checked him enough times and had no need to quadruple check his ass for frostbite.

Larry nodded at them, acknowledging they were there, before passing his eyes over to us. They skimmed over my friends with a distant gleam, as if he wasn't sure if he should trust them or not. He looked at me. Professional nonchalance turned into a well of emotions. I could tell just from his look that he wanted to drag his body off the bed and join me at my side. But he couldn't. Not with Switzerland and Belarus in the room.

Belarus finally left Spain (who had been pinned to the bed on his stomach) with a hurried air, rushing to Larry's side to double check for any injuries. Larry's attention left me as he became preoccupied with the girl with the knives. Something about her presence made him uneasy. Uneasy, but hopeful. Was he crazy?

"Finally." I turned my attention to Spain, barely catching a glimpse of his bare bum as he pulled his pants and underwear back up to his waist. He rolled back onto his back, looking more relaxed than before. "I swear to God, she just does that to touch my butt," Spain told the Netherlands.

His companion snickered into his cigarette, gray wisps of smoke dancing around his face. "What a curse it must be to have a butt so perfectly shaped that lesbians can't resist it."

Spain chuckled as he threw his pillow at him. "Shut it, Lars."

I smiled, holding back a laugh of my own. Those two were on Larry's side, so they had to be good people. Spain especially, knowing the Hetalia canon. Flashes of the battle we had so nearly escaped came back to me. I held back my nausea as I remembered how well both Spain and the Netherlands fought, how trusting they were of Larry. It seemed like my brother chose a good group of friends.

My thoughts were interrupted by Sadiq. "So has anyone gathered the courage to talk to them?" he asked in a low voice.

Ari shook his head as France gave a light shrug. "Spain is my friend and I did talk to him, but neither of us acknowledged the elephant in the room," he explained.

"Well they helped us out with Himaruya," I offered hopefully, "so they have to be on our side."

The disappointment was plain in Ari's eyes. "That's not necessarily true. They might be against Himaruya, but their goals might be opposite from ours or their plans might endanger us." He looked back at Larry, watching him try to convince Switzerland he was alright while Belarus shined a light into his eye. "For your sake, Sherry, I hope they end up being our allies."

A rough cough spurted from our last unconscious, but now arising, man. England cracked his eyes open, turning his acid irises around the room. His mouth hung open like he was about to speak, but France never gave him the chance to. "My little bunny! You're alive!" He wrapped his arms around England, squeezing him tightly before giving him a deep kiss.

Sadiq and I stared at him, feeling our discomfort grow on our skin. If the true creator was in England's body, then that meant...

"So who here's going to tell him because I definitely won't," the Netherlands said, cutting through our awkward air. His voice was loud enough to make France tear his mouth from his boyfriend's.

"Tell me what?"

Spain passed him a kind smile, saying, "It is one of the many things we will have to discuss when we are alone."

"What the hell are you guys even talking about?" Switzerland demanded, shooting us a glare. At least it wasn't bullets. "The entire time I've been here, it's been secret after secret. What are you people hiding?"

"We're all secretly talking about how much of an ass you are, jackass," Sadiq said. Even after all of these years, the same angered but sad look was engraved into his features, making him look older than he really was. His calloused hands reached for his bed sheets, gripping them into compressed balls.

Switzerland stared at him for a long moment, his brows furrowed. I waited for the moment when he would shout back an insult- we all did -but it never came. Switzerland plucked his gun off his chair, calmly pulling the strap over his shoulder. "I'm leaving," he said, purposely not meeting anyone's eyes. Anyone but his sister. "Would you be alright by yourself, Liechtenstein?"

Larry smiled and nodded like the perfect picture of the perfect little girl. "I'll be fine, big brother. Don't worry about me. I can protect myself." He nodded and, with another well aimed and incredibly painful glower, he stormed out of the infirmary, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence.

Belarus rose from her stool, taking her bag in hand. "I'll leave once I check England's health," she announced, stalking to the man's side. "Obviously I'm not welcomed here either."

Larry started to say something, but France was quick to cut him off. "No, no- we are eternally grateful for all that you've done for us. I swear we will pay you anything in return for your services-"

"Can it, old man. You make me sound like a prostitute."

I couldn't help but to snicker, especially at the horrified look on France's face. Poor guy, he probably never had anyone beside England insult him before. But being the country of elegance, he recovered and smoothed a hand through his hair. "Excuse me. I didn't mean any offence," he apologized. "But you understand what I am saying?"

"Of course I do." Belarus did not look at him as she shuffled through her bag and ignored England harsh refusals for medical care. She stuck a glass thermometer in his mouth. "But I don't want any of your rewards."

Much like every other person in the room, I raised a surprised brow. I hardly believed the words had even left her mouth. Since when was Belarus the person to do something without reward? She wasn't selfless. In fact, she was the polar opposite. France blinked away his bewilderment with the kind of grace only a politician could wield. "Thank you. That is very kind of you."

She grunted her reply.

France's finesse guided his focus away from the woman, allowing him to turn to face the rest of the room. "We have many stories to share, I am sure. Perhaps I can invite everyone to discuss them over dinner?" An expert sparkle gleamed in his eyes. "I promise you that it will be very delicious. I made duck."

The Netherlands was the first to respond. "I'm up for a free dinner," he chimed with a light shrug.

"Your food is always so good, France!" Spain gushed with a bright, adorable smile.

Larry gave him a stern look, trying to be the mature one of the group. "As long as I don't see Iceland try to get it on with a cat, I'll love to."

Ari's face turned the deepest red I had ever seen as Sadiq hooted with laughter so strong that he nearly fell out of his bed. The Netherlands almost did the same, except he started to choke on his cigarette. I had forgotten about the whole bestiality thing Iceland used to be into, but the sudden wave of the memories made me giggle with them. "That's not funny!" Ari shouted.

Larry snickered. "Yes it is."

"Fuck you!"

"As long as it's not an animal."

Off went a renewed round of rambunctious laughter. France pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering French swears under his breath. "Everyone here is so immature," he said to himself. He looked up, pleased to see that Spain was not laughing. "Can you watch over everybody while I finish cooking?"

Spain whisked his hand in a salute. "Aye, aye captain!"

I watched France give a sigh of relief before heading out of the room. I leaned back into my pillow, enjoying the sight of Larry and the Netherlands join forces to make fun of Ari. The whole scenario felt loose, like no one here was talking of betrayal and death minutes before. I let my eyes fall onto Belarus's meticulous nursing, feeling more at ease than ever before.

---

The Fanboy: December 30th

"...and that's why mitochondria, the powerhouse of a single cell, still has more potential in an intense political environment than you ever will." Iceland crossed his arms over his chest, giving me one last dignified huff. "So in the end, nothing you say even matters."

I stared at him with an even look, unsure if I was impressed or bored. On one hand, the silver haired nation managed to reduce my importance in life to subhuman level. On the other more annoyed hand, I was ninety-five percent sure he said all of that with the intent of boring me to sleep. He succeeded with Sherry, who was napping in her bed with an oddly content look on her face. I glanced at her, her relaxed face triggering a smile upon mine. At least she's safe, even if I was one of the people who threatened her life. I still had to apologize to her for nearly slicing her neck into two.

I aimed my smile at Iceland, folding my hands on top of my stomach. "I really admire your passion for mitochondrial functions and everything," I said, "but you still had sex with a goat."

"That was one time!"

Antonio's loud sigh sounded next to me. "I don't think making enemies of our friends is a very good idea," he scolded, ignoring Turkey as he ordered Iceland to calm down and accept a joke. "Especially when they're already suspicious of us."

"As long as Sherry says we're friends, they'll accept us," I reminded him in a quiet voice, wary of Belarus's sharp ears. Getting Switzerland and his curiosity to back down was easy enough. Belarus, with all her stubbornness, was destined to be a persistent problem. "And knowing Sherry, she'll welcome me with open arms."

"Even after threatening to slice her throat?"

I winced. In the heat of the Room, it seemed like a good idea. I had wagered Sherry was too important to kill and knew that Jerry's testimony would validate my threat. I knew I was lucky Roderich decided to humor me for a bit. I knew it was luckier that Alfred didn't magically kill her in order to "save me the trouble," or whatever excuse he would have spilt. Thinking about the risk I took, the fact that I nearly got my sister killed, made nausea swell in my gut.

I wiped my hands on my bed sheets. I also didn't want to think about my twin, but his image was burned into my back of my eyes. He was with Himaruya, the bad guy. I tried to think of an excuse for his choice- blackmail, a deal, sheer nativity -but my mind always redirected me back to a single word: willing. Jerry willingly joined forces with Himaruya. He willingly stood behind enemies lines and participated in their plans. My hands gathered a fist full of linen. Was he here only because Himaruya knew it would mess with me? Was I to be blamed for Jerry's presence?

"Rest for a bit and you'll be fine." Belarus's voice made my thoughts come to an abrupt halt. I watched her stand with a defined flick of her blond hair her eyes meeting Antonio's with a stern glare. "Tell France he should call me if anyone's condition worsens," she said, smoothing her hands over the wrinkles of her skirt. She plucked her coat off the back of her chair and pulled her arms through the sleeves. "Also, remind him to give Seychelles some Advil, or else her butt's going to be in more pain than necessary."

Antonio nodded. "Got it. Thank you for helping us."

Belarus brushed him off, stalking towards the door. With her gone, we can finally acknowledge what the frack happened in that bell tower. I skimmed my eyes over the room, realizing that Turkey's commanding glare was once again aimed at me. He was mad at me, that was sure, but not for jabbing at Iceland. Considering how protective he was of Sherry in the Room, there was no doubt he had a word or two about my little knife ploy.

I had the distinct feeling he was going to do more than simply talk to me.

"Belarus!" I kicked my sheets off and swung my legs over the side of the bed. She stopped at the doorway, giving me an annoyed look as I pulled my boots back on. "I'll walk you outside."

She rolled her eyes. "No you're not." She passed through the doorway, letting the wood barricade swing shut behind her.

I vaguely registered Antonio warning me to listen to her, but I paid them no heed. I laced up my last boot with a satisfied grin, jumping off my bed and chasing after her.

The curtains of the hallway windows were drawn opened, letting in the silvery light of an overcast sky. It illuminated the plume of hair that danced against her back, shining brightly from the other end of the hall. I barely kept up with her, my calves aching. I was more exhausted than I had realized, even after two full days of sleeping. "Belarus, wait!" She didn't hear me, or if she did, she chose to ignore me. The latter seemed more likely.

France and England's mansion was a total labyrinth filled with way too many turns and dead ends. If I didn't have the light house of Belarus's hair to guide my way, I would have gotten lost within seconds. I trailed after her for many florid corridors, wondering when the frack were we going to reach an exit.

The sight of the grand front doors was a welcomed image, one that filled my tired body with relief. Belarus had to end her quicken pace at the mammoth entrance, wrapping her small hands around the oversized brass handle. "Belarus!" Her struggle with the handle prevented her from escaping my jog. I smile when I reached her, stopping to place my hand on my bent knees, winded. "I'll give you a hand."

Her response was a silent scowl, but that did not prevent her from accepting my aide. Both of our strengths were barely enough to nudge the doors open. When there was nothing more than a slim crack between the two, Belarus stopped pushing and slipped through. I stood there, confused, until it dawned on me that I should follow after her.

"Frack, wait!" I squeezed myself through, not nearly as nimble as the woman. I broke off into another jog, trying to catch up with her stalking figure. Even with the inch of snow on the ground, her long stride was unfaltering, determined to both abandon me and leave the gated property of the Frenchman. I felt a swear on the tip of my tongue. "Jesus Christ- why are you avoiding me?" I called out.

That stopped her. "Because I don't want to talk to you," she snapped, refusing to turn around to face me.

I stopped next to her, the snow giving a final crunch beneath my feet. "Why not?" I asked, panting. "You're my friend-"

"No we're not." Belarus stuffed her hands into the pockets of her black coat. Her nose and lips were red from the cold. Each gulp of air that left her lungs condensed into white fog around her mouth. Still, she did not look at me. "Stop pretending things are okay between us when they're not, straightie. We haven't been friends for a long time. Face reality now before you get hurt."

I brushed my hair behind my ear. These were the times where I needed Liechtenstein. She would know why Belarus was acting this way. She could tell me what to say or take control and make the effort for me. But right now it was only me. I would have to do this blind and pray that I don't royally screw up. "I know what must have happened between us hurt, but life hurts," I said. "You were in love with me once, so in love that you would lay down your own life to keep me safe. Things might be different between us right now, but I still care about you. I just want you to care about me too."

She looked dead ahead with an unreadable expression. "You want me to care about you?" Her head turned, revealing the coldest layer of ice gleaming in her eyes. "Fine."

I felt the pain surge through my stomach before I even registered that she hit me. By instinct, I pressed a hand into my throbbing gut, resisting the need to vomit the contents of my stomach. In the edge of my vision, I saw her make another move to hit me. I raised my free arm towards her, catching her hand a foot's length from my face. Belarus gritted her teeth. In a foul swoop, she freed her imprisoned wrist and took hold of mine. She twisted my arm into an odd angle. I yelped, unsure of where to hit her next.

Belarus didn't even give me the chance to retaliate. She flipped me over her back, slamming my spine into the ground. I cried out again as the snow rushed into the odd corners of my body, cooling away the pain from the new set of bruises. I groaned, trying to sit up, only to be pushed back into the ice. Belarus trapped me beneath her like an animal: her hands encasing my wrists and her knees pinning my legs.

"You're fucking reckless," she hissed, strands of her limp hair brushing my hot cheeks. "Look at the position you got yourself in!"

"You assaulted me!" I snarled back. I was keenly aware of the fact that not only was this a beautiful woman leaning over me, but a woman who once had an infatuation with Liechtenstein. I struggled against her hold, but found her grip to be iron locked.

"I assaulted you?" Belarus chortled. She increased the pressure on my wrists, causing me to wince. "Someone else grabbed you here hard enough for you to bruise." She shifted her position until her knees were digging into the painful spots on my thighs. "And they had to pin you down exactly like this to give you bruises there."

I remembered the way Alfred had pinned me down at the bell tower. His sky blue eyes, his unsettling happiness. I blinked his victorious face away, focusing the lens of my eyes on the concern warping Belarus's face. "Why were you in a fight like that?" she demanded hotly. "What the fuck have you been doing with those bastards that made you get hurt? I showed you how to defend yourself, Liechtenstein, a long time ago. So why aren't you?"

All breath left me. I knew I was breathing in, yet I felt like I never exhaled. The moment the air reached my lungs, it disappeared. I stared up at her, knowing that this was what she meant when she said she cared. Liechtenstein's well-being was still one of the biggest anxieties in her life, even if their relationship was strained.

"Thank you," I whispered. My muscles felt like liquid in a sack.

Belarus stiffened. A warm blush smeared its vibrant color across her face, from the edge of cheek to the other. Unable to meet my eye, she got off of me with distant, robotic movements. I sat up, regarding her with a calm face as she spent a long minute readjusting her dress and hair, returning her appearance to its previous near perfection state. She paused, biting her lip in thought. "Liechtenstein." She rolled up her sleeve, revealing a slender throwing knife strapped to her forearm. She unbuckled it with one hand, looking at it one more time before tossing it to me. "Don't let an asshole do that to you again. Are we clear?"

The severity of her tone did nothing to faze me. I sent her a small smile, rolling up my sleeve to strap it on. "Thank you."

She huffed. With a final glare, she turned on her heel and stalked away, leaving me in the snow. I decided to let her go in peace, watching her shrinking back approach the far off boundaries of the mansion property. I smiled to myself. Deep beneath her stony exterior, she really was still my friend.

I returned to the mansion as a soaking wet mess. It wasn't until I was standing in the dark foyer, water dripping from the tips of my jeans, did I realized how freaking cold I was. Why didn't I grab my coat before rushing outside?

"You're soaking wet." I jumped as Lars rose from the bench he had been sitting on. A new cigarette decorated his lips, the orange tip burning dimly in the wan light.

I grinned, hugging my arms as a shiver stretched its terrible hand down my back. "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, pulling off his beige coat. He draped it around my shoulders, encouraging me to snuggle into its warmth.

I shrugged. "Belarus. So what's up?"

"Dinner's starting."

I took a long, deep breath. The moment of truth was upon us. Now I had to sit and explain to Sherry everything that had happened to me so far. Then I would have to listen to her describe her horrors. I didn't know which one was worse: telling my sister I am a murderer or finding out she did the same?

Lars guided me to the dining room at the mansion's center. Like every other foot of the premise, the baroque decor adorned every inch of space. Polished marble floors spanned beneath my feet, touching grand white molding. Red wallpaper with intricate flower designs was glued to the walls. The flowers weaved and curled into one another before transforming into the white molding on the ceiling, all outlining the base of the magnificent gold chandelier. A circular white table sat directly beneath it, one already covered with place settings and food.

Antonio was already seated, two empty spaces next to him. He grinned at us when we came in, directing us to sit in them. I glanced over the other seated diners. All of Sherry's team was here, arranged so that she sat in the exact center of her posse. I couldn't tell if it was for protection or symbolism. Either way, I decided to match them. I sat next to Antonio and Lars took the spot next to mine, the one by Iceland.

France, who was sitting at the Spaniard's elbow, stood. "Now that we're all here, we can start eating," he announced, every bit the perfect gracious host. "Please pass the food and wine around for everyone to share, except if you are Iceland or-" He looked at me. "-Larry?" I nodded. "Yes, Larry and Iceland. You both are not of drinking age."

"I am how many hundreds of years old?" Iceland asked, irked. "I can handle wine. Plus, Norway lets me drink alcohol."

"And I am not Norway." France said apologetically, though it lacked any genuine sympathy. "Would you like some cranberry juice instead?" Iceland responded with an angry grumble.

"Do you need to change clothes?" Antonio asked me, as he handed me the platter of duck. The browned meat was draped in a thick sauce and embellished with oranges. "You're soaking wet."

I brushed him away. "I'm fine." I didn't want to leave now and prolong my dread for any longer.

From then on, little pieces of small talk were flung into the air every now and then, but none of it lasted long. The inevitable silence fell between us as we chewed our meat (the sauce tasted like oranges) and vegetables. It was probably the best meal I had ever had, save for the instances where Sayaka took the time out of her day to make me traditional Japanese cuisine. Her food was always the best.

My eyes shifted between each face at our round table, noting the way each person held himself. Turkey was wary while Antonio seemed to be at complete ease. Iceland's oddly colored eyes scrutinized my face while France tried to look happy with the awkwardness around him. England- the true creator -was the only person who dared to look bored. His acidic eyes observed us with a vein of irritation, as if he was waiting for someone to mention the reason for our gathering.

I thought about being the one to fulfill his wishes, but I couldn't bring myself to break our quiet truce. I didn't know how to start the conversation. I didn't think I could handle it once it began. I tried to swallow a spoonful of wild rice, but each of the grains stuck to my throat.

Sherry placed her fork on the edge of her plate with a loud clink, well aware of the noise she had caused. All eyes traveled to her side of the table, but she did not seem to notice. She sipped at her wine, swirling the purple liquid around in her glass. "So Larry," she said, choosing her words carefully. She was as nervous as I was. "You're in a girl's body now."

I almost laughed. Leave it to my sister to point out something as insignificant as that. "It's different," I replied, grinning. "I kinda miss peeing while standing, but not the morning wood." Satisfaction swelled in me when she and many of our dinner mates laughed. "So Sherry." She gave me her attention again. "You're black now."

Sherry rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. "That's racist."

"I'm not racist. I'm just homophobic."

"So he finally admits it," Antonio muttered wistfully into his wine.

I scowled. "Just because I won't have sex with you-"

Sherry choked. She curled into her abdomen, a fist pounding her chest as she gagged. Turkey, the closest person to her, jumped into her aide, pounding her back with his hand. "Goddamnit!" He swore. "Please don't die on me. I don't know the Heimlich maneuver!"

She grabbed her napkin and gave one final, throat clearing cough into its folds. "You're fucking useless, Sadiq!" she shouted, hoarse.

He frowned. "I'm not useless!" he shot back. "I do more than you!"

"Whore!"

"Jackass!"

"Right now is not the time to argue," France scolded, stabbing his fork into his peas. They stopped shouting, but they still growled at each other like rabid dogs. I stared at them. These two were prepared to die for each other in the Room, yet they now seemed ready to bite each other's head off at the most opportune moment.

Iceland leaned back in his seat, blowing a spurt of hot air through his lips. "So is anyone going to bring up the actual reason why we're here?" he asked.

Lars grinned at the boy sitting next to him. "Would you like to start, Wonderbread?" he asked.

Iceland shook his head. "I'm a bit of a minor character, actually. I don't have all of the details."

"Well if you want details," I said, "Antonio can start with our side of things."

Antonio looked hesitant. He turned to England, sending him a respectful look. "Should I, Boss?" he asked. His restrained tone was unnerving. I was far too used to Antonio calling the shots. To think there was someone out there- someone in flesh in bone sitting a few seats away -who can make him yield was unsettling.

England skimmed his eyes over the entire table.

"Why are you his boss?" France asked, switching his puzzled look between the two men. No one bothered to answer him.

England nodded, solemn. "Don't worry about it, Antonio," he said. "I will explain everything." He looked at us again, like he was about to silence us, everyone was reticent. The smallest of smirked played upon his lips. "I hope you chaps will listen very closely to what I am about to say. I am only going to explain everything once. I will also do my best to keep everything in chronological order, though our timeline is a little skewed. Understand?"

We chorused a soft "yes."

"Very good. Now before we actually get started, I would like for us all to go in a circle and properly introduce ourselves."

"Why?" Turkey asked, glaring.

"Because everyone here has some nickname and when we get to the story part, it'll make my life a hundred times easier if we don't have to stop every second to explain who is who." Turkey nodded, though he didn't look too happy about it. "We'll go clockwise around the table." England forced a smile for France. "Can you start us off?" he asked.

"I would love to, my little bunny." France cleared his throat before turning a suave wink to the rest of us. "Hello. I am the country of France. I hope we can all get to know each other better."

Antonio chuckled, though he turned serious again for his introduction. "Formally I am Spain, though you may call me Antonio Fernandez Carriedo."

Now it was my turn. "Hi, I'm Larry Sue," I said awkwardly.

I was far too happy when Lars clipped my introduction with his. "I am the Netherlands, though Princess there—" He pointed his cigarette at me. "—calls me Lars." I stuck my tongue at him like a child. He didn't say that Denmark gave him the name and I wasn't going to mention it. It was his story to tell.

Iceland observed his audience with a cool eye. "I am Iceland, but Sherry calls me Ari."

"Name's Turkey, but I'm known as Sadiq Adnan."

My sister waved a hand, a goofy smile on her face. "Sherry Sue here…" She looked around, realizing that everyone was still looking at her. She pressed her lips, suddenly nervous. "Yeah, that's pretty much it."

Finally, England gave us a small nod. "And I am the 'true creator,'" he said, "though you may have the pleasure of calling me Hidekaz Himaruya."

"What?" I jumped to my feet, my hand reaching for the knife Belarus gave me. The rest of the uproar continued similarity, both Lars and Sadiq preparing themselves for a fight. "You can't-" Antonio placed a hand on mine, pressing my palm into the hidden knife. He looked at me with a stern gaze, ordering me to stand down. I bit my lip, my ears consumed by the growing roar of demands for explanations. Antonio believed in him. If Antonio could place his trust in this Himaruya, then I had to too.

"Alright, everyone please be quiet already!" Himaruya—if that was really is name –ordered above the ruckus. "Put the knife down, Lars. Sadiq stop looking like you're about to bash my head in. France, I will explain where your boyfriend went in a minute so stop crying." Another fifteen minutes of orders to settle down passed by before Sherry finally pulled Sadiq back into his chair, hissing something into his ear. Ari and I had to combine our strengths to pull Lars back into his, though that did nothing to ease his seething.

Himaruya released a tense breath. "Thank you. Now may I explain?" Sadiq grumbled something incomprehensible, earning a smart elbow jab in the gut from Sherry. Himaruya folded his hands on the edge of the table, resuming his refined façade. "Himaruya and I—you may call me Hidekaz to avoid the confusion—are like siblings. We share a name. It was my job to create and rule this universe with order while my dear sibling's only purpose is to generate chaos. We're like two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other."

"Why would Himaruya want to make chaos?" I dared to ask. "Every time I've met him, he's been nothing but orderly and controlling." Lars and Sadiq muttered agreements.

Hidekaz smiled. "Chaos is controlling. The order he creates will give birth to chaos in this world."

"But where does Sherry and I come in?" I asked. "And Jerry? How do we play into this whole chaos thing?"

"That is a very fascinating story and I'm glad you brought it up. It actually plays into what has happened to everyone." He rested in his seat, a thick frown stretched thin across his face. That was one difference between him and Himaruya: he lacked any obvious smugness. He did not waste time taunting me. He was serious and straight to the point. "It started a long time ago, at the start of this world. The strife between me and Himaruya has always existed, though for many centuries it was battle fought solely between us. Six years ago, that changed. His strategy changed and he brought Sherry Sue into this world by contract."

"So she made a contract with Himaruya?" Lars asked.

"No I didn't!" All eyes shifted to Sherry. The girl's face turned red, but whether it was from her offended anger or the sudden attention, I wasn't sure. She looked down at her lap, suddenly meek. "I didn't ask to come here," she muttered.

Lars blew a stream of smoke. "Then how did you get here?" he pressed. I nudged his arm, a silent order for him to back off.

Hidekaz gave my sister a kind look. "Why don't you explain what happened when you were here?" he suggested, speaking to her in the gentle manner of a teacher to a shy student. "You must remember what happened back then."

She shrugged, not meeting her eyes. "I really don't want to remember."

"I used to date Switzerland a long time ago." I scrunched my brows, amazed to see that Sadiq was the one taking the initiative. By the tightness of his mouth, I could tell that this was the last story he wanted to tell, but he was willing to speak up anyways. I couldn't tell why. Did he care about my sister enough to relieve her anxiety or did he merely want the explanation to continue unhindered? "I'm sure most everyone here remembers that. A little after our bosses forced us to attend that high school, Switzerland was dying—no one's sure how that happened –and I was offered a contract to save his life in exchange for my soul. Of course, Switzy woke up with no memories of me or our romance and our relationship went to shit. I felt cheated so I demanded that I be let out of my end of the bargain, so Himaruya offered me a deal: if I could get the girl in Seychelles's body to fall in love with either France or England and earn a kiss from him, I'm free to go. If not, I was stuck as the jackass's slave."

Sadiq tapped Sherry's shoulder. "Can you explain how you got into Seychelles's body?" he asked. Every inch of his body softened, as if he was afraid his touch would cause her fragile glass to break. "Just tell them that and I'll do the rest."

I watched Sherry fidget in her seat, her finger tracing the edge of her plate. Her eyes never left her lap, not even when she sighed and nodded. "Alright." She looked up, giving us a tired look. "Okay, so back when I was fifteen—"

"How old are you now?" Lars asked.

"Twenty-one. Anyways, so when I was fifteen I was absolutely obsessed with Hetalia—"

"What's Hetalia?"

Sherry gave him an odd look. "It's here," she explained. "This universe is Hetalia. You guys are living in a Japanese anime."

Lars lifted his brows. "Oh." He placed his cigarette back into his mouth, outwardly satisfied.

Sherry waited for him to say more, but when he didn't, she continued on. "So I was really into Hetalia and everything, except I really hated Seychelles's character—"

"One last question." Everyone including myself nearly banged our heads against the table. Ari did and ended up with bits of rice and orange sauce on his brow. Lars ignored the irritation around him, leaning into his air as he regarded her coolly. "How do you feel about my character?"

"Well right now you're kinda pissing me off."

"Before that?"

Sherry thought for a moment, shrugging again. "I thought you were okay, like I had this headcanon that you carry at least five bunnies on you at all times. Are you satisfied?" He nodded "Finally. Anyways, so I despised Seychelles's character until one morning I woke up in her body. It turns out that Seychelles got wind that fangirls generally really hated her character and made a deal to temporarily give up usage of her body in exchange for one hater to realize they were wrong. I just happened to be that one hater."

Sadiq placed his hand on hers, telling her she was done. Sherry was more than happy to resume her state of silence, though her explanation seemed to have relieved some of her anxiety. I wanted to reach across the table and tell her that there was no need to be afraid, but Sadiq started talking before I could. He summarized the adventures he and Sherry had six years ago. He told us about her efforts to win France and England's hearts and how she helped Sadiq win back his soul. He recounted in detail how he thought he killed Himaruya, even going as far as to stand and demonstrate how he stabbed him.

"And Sadiq gave me Himaruya's glasses afterwards," Sherry added. "They somehow ended up with me when I returned to the real world, so I hid them—"

"Shut it!"

"Don't tell us!"

I looked at Ari with surprise, amazed to see that he had shouted and lunged from his chair like me. Sherry flinched at the sound of our voices, though she said nothing. However, if wide eyes could speak, they would be demanding to know what she did wrong. "You need to keep their location to yourself," Ari hastily explained. "From what I've been told, Himaruya's minions are going after you because they want those glasses. It's the only advantage we have. The more people who know where they are, the more chances they have of getting it."

"He's right," I said. "Keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone where they are. Not even us."

Sherry pressed her lip. "Right. Sorry."

Before I could tell her to not feel bad about it, Ari started speaking again. "And there's one question I have for you, Hidekaz." The man in England's body took his chin off the hand it was propped on, intrigued. "Out of everyone, why did you choose England's body?" he asked. I lowered myself back into my seat, realizing where this was going. "He's not the strongest guy around. Plus he has so many responsibilities that you would have to take time out of your whole 'war with your brother' thing in order to properly pose as him. So could it be that you chose his body in order to make sure that Sherry failed her original mission?"

France gasped, looking faint. "The original mission?" he echoed. "That means—"

"Yes. You especially chose England so that you can sabotage Sherry's schemes to woo him and France." Ari gave him a challenging look. "Or am I wrong?"

Silenced laid over the table. Hidekaz regarded Ari with a calculating eye. A slight smirk played on his lips, but it lacked the coldness of Himaruya. Staring at it carefully, I realized what it meant. For whatever reason, Hidekaz was proud of Ari's assertion. "You're not wrong, but you're not right either." England reached for his wine, taking a long drink before continuing. "While I admit that my possession of England's body did allow me to ensure he would never fall for Sherry Sue, that was not my main intent. I wanted someone who agrees with me and my policies and England was more than happy to offer up his services."

Sadiq banged his hand on the table. I jumped as he snapped to his feet. His glaring golden eyes darkened on his face, sending threatening vibes across the table top. "So you were willing to sacrifice my soul for whatever the hell you want?" he snarled.

Hidekaz sighed. "I had no intention of sacrificing your soul, but making sure this universe is not thrown into chaos is my main priority. In fact, the loss of your soul would have done me more harm than good."

"What do you mean, jackass?"

"We don't need these vessels to exist in this world. They're like shields. They offer us protection, but at a cost of weakened powers. Himaruya chose Estonia's body since it has the closest relationship to the negative world—that would be Sherry and Larry's world (I will explain that eventually). Because Estonia's body is the closest, it does not hinder our powers by much. But before I could procure any of the other bodies with similar 'perks,' Himaruya made them 'aware' of the nature of this universe and turned them into his minions. Therefore, I had to gamble away more of my power in exchange for a proper place in England's body."

Saidq gritted his teeth. "What does that have to do with my soul?"

"I'm getting there. Although our powers differ slightly between each other, there is one basic variable to it all: followers. Remember how in Peter Pan, a fairy can only live if there are children to believe in it? Our powers can either increase or be depleted completely based on the number of people who are willing to fight for us. I made the bet that even though England's body will weaken me, if I can eventually get you to join my side, I will regain some of it back."

"And the same principle goes for Himaruya?" I asked.

"Yes."

Sherry pushed her plate away, giving her enough space on the table to place her forehead against it. "My brain's going to implode." She moaned. "How am I supposed to keep track of all of this?"

Lars grimaced. "We're not even half way done yet," he told her.

She groaned again, running her fingers through the ends of her ponytails. "Fuck… just kill me now."

Antonio whispered into my ear. "Are you sure she's the older sibling?" I rolled my eyes and elbowed him in the stomach. He only chuckled, saying something about how cute I was. What a cocky idiot.

Lars leaned closer to the table, giving her the smallest of mischievous grins. "Would a bunny make it better?" She looked up, confused. Lars's grin only widened as he stood and stalked to her side to the table. He reached into the folds of his scarf and pulled out a small, black and white rabbit. "His name's Rembrandt," he told her, lowering the lopped ear creature into her palms. "Take good care of him."

For a moment, I could only open and close my mouth in shock. Was my sister really glowing with happiness at this very moment because a chain smoker pulled a bunny from his scarf? I supported my head on my hand, finding myself absolutely speechless. It wasn't until Lars returned to his seat could I even muster my thoughts into words. "How long have you been carrying that thing around?" I asked.

"Always." He pulled his box of cigarettes from his pants pocket, lighting another with a cheap, gas station lighter. "I always have at least three on hand at all times."

"What?"

He pointed to lowest pocket of his coat, the one he had draped around my shoulders. "Check that one."

A part of me wondered if I had gone insane as I opened the flap. At first, it seemed like there was nothing inside, but before my relief could settle, two lop eared bunnies popped their heads out of the dark abyss. "Lars!" I buried my face and my hands, feeling ready to cry from disbelief. "Oh my fracking God…"

"That is not worth crying over," France said, twirling an innocent lock of hair around his finger.

Antonio laughed, pounding his hand on my back. "It's not that bad, Larry!" he told me with his dimpled smile. "It's not like we went through that burning building with the little bunnies."

Lars inhaled a whiff of tobacco. "Oh no, we did."

Antonio blinked. "Okay, but this is probably a recent thing. It's not like he had them on the Romanov."

"No, I did." Antonio and I stared at him, mouths hanging open. Lars leaned back in his seat, his arms pillowed behind his head. "I had at least seven on me back then."

"You're a lunatic," I said.

"Yeah, I know."

Like everyone else in the room, Ari looked between us with a confused glare. "I'm not sure if I should ask if you guys bombed the police station or why you're bringing up THE WAR first," he said.

"We didn't bomb anything," Antonio said.

Our irrelevant conversation had gone on long enough. "I think now would be a good time to transition back to the main story," Hidekaz announced.

A few more minutes passed as we settled ourselves down to our previous level of seriousness. During my conversation with Lars, Sadiq had managed to start another argument with my sister. France was able to end it before I could figure out if it was about the bunny cupped in her palms or something else that involved my sister being "a complete dimwit" (his words, not mine). I gave Lars's jacket back to him with the insistence that he took care of his rabbits himself. I ignored the startling fact that my hand shook in the process. If I was right, now would be the time for me to reveal what happened during THE WAR. I bit my lip, already feeling the fear claw through my ribcage and gnaw on my skin. Maybe Sherry's fascination with Rembrandt would be so strong that she wouldn't hear any of it.

I swore I felt the prickling beginnings of tears when Hidekaz finally started. "Now that we've discussed what happened six years ago, or eighteen months if you're of this world, which ended with Himaruya's death, I should explain why he's still alive," he said. "Sadiq did manage to kill him, but because Estonia's image gave him protection, he had enough time to send his consciousness back in time by many centuries. His plan was to establish a new vessel for him to flee to after Estonia's failed him."

"Why does he need to establish one?" Ari asked, balancing his forehead on his fist. "Can't he just get permission like you did?"

Hidekaz grimaced. "He tried. This new vessel, Prussia- or Gilbert as many of you call him -did not accept his offer. So he had to scheme for a way for Prussia to willingly ingest a small fraction of Himaruya's essence so that he can enter and take over whenever he wants. That takes us to what happened during THE WAR, about three years ago."

Sadiq raised a brow, wiping his hands on the fabric of his slacks. "You mean centuries."

"Three years in Larry's terms." Hidekaz turned to me, giving me a gentle look. "Would you perhaps like to tell the tale? I believe you know every aspect of what happened."

I swallowed hard, trying to rid myself of the lump in my throat. "Do I have to tell everything?" The question sounded stupid even as I said it.

"All of it. Leave out not a single detail."

I dragged my suddenly dirty hands down the still damp folds of my jeans. You're not a coward, Larry. You could do this. I glanced at the attentive faces, each one waiting eagerly for me to start. Even Sherry, who brushed two fingers down the spine of Rembrandt in a soothing repetition, gave me that attentive, wide-eyed look. If these words did not leave my mouth, I would only make her worry about me. I was stronger now than I was back then. I wasn't like one of those overly anxious people I read about in that psychology book.

I stood, giving myself more power, and balance my weight between the two hands latched to the edge of the table. "Well, in my world's time, it started about three years ago," I started, testing the waters. So far, I wasn't drowning. "Do you remember the day Bella and Sayaka got into that car crash, Sher?"

And I told them my story. I told them about my contract, of Denmark and Belarus. Orion and the knives. Sokka, Agatha, and the Romanov. About Alfred and what he meant to me. How he was my friend and how I depended on him. How he stabbed me in the back.

I figured that any mention of that past would have left me breathless and, in a way, it did. The very thought of the Romanov and what happened there made my mouth sour. I wished I had a way to call Sayaka from here, even if it was just for a moment. She would know what to do. Yet, as I started to delve deeper into the past, the more readily the words came to my tongue. It felt like I had phased out, like my soul had crawled out of my skin and I was watching from the sidelines as a skeleton of me spoke.

"Thank you, Larry Sue." I blinked, feeling my consciousness jam back into its proper place. I placed a hand on my head. When did I finish? "I'm sure that was quite difficult for you to do," Hidekaz added silkily, like he was kissing the band-aide on my wound.

I breathed through the gaps of my teeth, balancing all of my weight on the palms of my hands. If he knew what effect this would have on me, why did that doitsu have me tell it? He was there, wasn't he?

He was there.

"Of course it was," I said with the grit of my teeth, "though I think I get it now."

He cocked a massive brow. "Get what?"

I took my hands off the table, forcing myself to stand upright. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but you followed Himaruya into the past, didn't you?"

Hidekaz didn't flinch. "Of course I did. What are you getting at?"

"I think I know where this is going." Ari rose to his feet. He sent me a look of friendship before facing the blond with another one of his pugnacious looks. "If you were in England's body during THE WAR, then you were the reason why the Romanov was attacked so many times."

The accusation made him stiffen. Hidekaz's face turned the slightest tint of red. "W-well…" He coughed, regaining his composure. "I did what I had to in order to pose as the true England. It wasn't pretty at times, but I did nothing that wasn't repairable."

"My sanity isn't," I muttered beneath my breath, loud enough for only my ears. Lars roared with enough laughter to confirm the fact that he could still be a total ass.

"So have you been posing as England since the pirate days?" France asked.

"No." An audible sigh of relief spread through the room. At this point, no one wanted to see a wedge develop between the couple. "I come and go as I need to. For example, England fainted a few days back because I was re-entering his body."

France couldn't help but to smile. "I was wondering why he swooned. I figured he was too used to me for it to have been my impeccable good looks."

"I don't think anyone can ever get used to your beauty," Sherry commented. Her mouth formed an easy smile, but there was something off about it. I stared at her lips for a long second before realizing what it was: fake.

He fanned himself. "My, my—my darling daughter has quite the talent for compliments."

The fake smile faltered into uncomfortable shock. "You do remember that I'm Sherry, right?" she asked.

"Of course I do." France floated from his seat, gliding to Sherry's chair like an actor on the stage. He placed his hands on her shoulders, giving her a sure hug. "You are Sherry and you are like a daughter to me." He kissed the side of her temple, causing her to make the happiest look I had ever seen. "I'm always welcomed to adding new members to my family. You are Larry can be my adoptive daughters."

I frowned. "I'm a boy."

"Adoptive daughter and son."

I pressed my lips, suddenly remembering that I had a brother on the wrong side of the battle. I looked down at the napkin on my lip, picking at the lemon colored cloth. "Hidekaz." The blond did not hesitate to give me his attention, though the superior look on his face told me that I should appreciate his charity. "You've been doing everything you can to help us, right?"

He voiced a firm "yes."

"Then can you help my brother?" I didn't need to look at him to see the uncomfortable look on his face. Yet, I pressed on. "He's helping your brother and I'm sure that he was tricked into whatever contract is holding him in place. If you can get him out of it—"

"I can't." A rock dropped in my gut. "Unlike my sibling, I do not boast to be the god of this universe. I created it, but I have my restrictions. If he is under a contract, no matter how much I try, I do not have enough power to interfere with it."

"Do you at least know any of its details?" I asked. I convinced myself that there wasn't a pathetic plea in my tone.

"I don't, but I can tell you this: if he is possessing a person's body, I would be able to sense it. However, I cannot sense even the smallest trace of poor chap's soul anywhere. It's most likely that he's kept in the mutual domain."

"The mutual domain?"

"Yes. Did I never explain it?" I shook my head. "Please forgive me then," Hidekaz said. "It must have slipped my mind. The mutual domain is part of the three 'universes' my sibling and I are a part of. See here, a universe is like a photograph. There's the pristine version with full color and the roll of film with the negative copies. The pristine version is this universe and the color of it is the existence of personified countries. That is why we call this universe the 'positive' world. The roll of film has the same image as the photographs, but it would lack the right colors. So Larry Sue, if the colors are the personified countries, what would a world with the wrong colors mean for the 'negative' world?"

"If I'm following your analogy correctly, then the negative world would not have the personified countries."

He smirked. "Bingo."

I placed a finger on my temples, feeling the beginnings of a headache. "Let me get this straight: let's say that the Avatar universe if the positive world and the bending aspect is the color. That means that the negative world would be exactly the same except no one can bend?"

"Correct." Hidekaz gave me a light, but sincere smile. "And the mutual domain is just the technical term for the Void and the Room. Both are the junction between the positive and negative worlds."

"Wait." Sherry pressed her hands to the side of her head. "I'm fucking confused. Are you like the god of my world too?" she demanded.

Hidekaz frowned. "First of all, can you try to go one bloody minute without swearing, Sherry?"

"Fuck you."

"Hey!"

France sighed. "Can you both not make this an international problem and just answer the question?" he ordered.

Hidekaz crossed his arms over his chest, grumbling beneath his breath. "Stupid git… fine." The green of his eyes were sharp enough to cut through my sister's skin. "I said earlier that neither my sibling or I are gods. My sibling and I primarily dwelled in the positive world before all of this started happening."

"Because you're Himaruya Hidekaz, right?" Sherry asked.

"Naturally."

"But there's something I still don't get." Everybody turned their attention onto Lars as he leaned back in his chair, propping his legs onto the table. France made an incensed noise as his dirty boots dug into the remaining food on Lars's plate. "So I've been dealing with this Himaruya guy for a long time now and there's nothing remotely nice about him. So here's the thing: putting himself in other people's bodies offers him some sort of protection. Wouldn't that also happen to Larry and his sister? Why would he protect his enemies, especially the second and third time around?"

An unsettling silence settled around us as we waited for the answer. "…I'm not sure," Hidekaz admitted at last. "It must be because of his plans, but it is quite the risk to take. Perhaps there is some compassion left in him."

"Well perhaps there is some compassion left in everyone to help me clean up." France said. He nudged Sherry's shoulders before he motioned for us all to stand up. "Come, come. Once we're all cleaned up in here, we can have some more drinks in the lounge."

Hidekaz held up his hand. "Hold on for a second France, I have one last question to ask everyone." His face dropped into one of complete severity as his steady eyes passed sagaciously around the table. "I know that the last thing anyone here wants is to be involved in the middle of a private war, but I am asking for your support. I need all of you to help me restore the balance to the positive world and bring an end to the impending chaos. Will you stand by me?"

A new silence gathered around us, but this time it was more nervous. No one knew what to say or how much this war would eventually take from them. No one wanted to be the gallant first to step forward and offer up his services.

Yet, just when I was starting to think no one will, France spoke. "While I am not one to favor war and violence, my little bunny did decide to help you." He placed a hand over his heart, bowing his head in respect. "And I will follow him to the ends of the Earth. If that journey must be made with you, then so be it."

"I'm obviously with you," Antonio added with a grin.

Lars lifted a cigarette. "Give me the chance to get Mathias back and we'll be fine."

I sighed. Those two were hardly giving me a choice. "I'll work with you," I announced.

Sherry jumped to her feet. "If he's joining, then so am I."

I scowled. "No you're not."

"Yes I am." Sherry sent me a glare, one that lacked any of her previous eagerness. The tightness of her mouth and the furrow of her brows combined together to create the same look Mom would give me when she was angry. "In case you forgot, I'm under a contract right now that I don't remember ever making. And our baby brother is under his control. I want to help him as much as you do. So I'm joining and so is Sadiq, right?"

Sadiq blinked, as if he was jumping back to reality. He looked up at her with distracted eyes, as if wishing her to not have placed him on the spot like that. Then, as if it never happened, it was replaced with one of determination. "I guess I have to keep you safe," he said.

That only left Ari. The boy with the silver hair sighed, looking almost annoyed at the rest of us. "Fine, but the moment you fuck up is when I'm going to plunge a knife into your back."

Hidekaz grinned. "Duly noted." His look softened again for another round of "thank you"s. I tried my best to listen to them, but all I could focus was the growing pain in my privates. I ended up crossing my legs, wishing for the speech to end so that I could go to the bathroom and pee. The speech of gratitude last forever and a day until France ended it with a reminder of the fated alcohol in the lounge. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as we rose to help. I said something about finding a bathroom before I hurried out of the room, letting Lars take the time to explain my bowel movements to everyone else.

Ceiling lights on the dim setting illuminated my path down the hallway. I moved in a swift walk, peeking into every which room for a toilet. I should have asked France where the nearest bathroom was before I left. At least that explanation turned out better than I had expected. My sister and I were on the same team, even if her friends were a little questionable. I couldn't help but to wonder why Sadiq had such an intense look upon his face. He didn't have it before my explanation. What did I say to cause it?

"Wait up!" Antonio jogged up to my side, a large smile on his face. "Where are you going?" he asked, sticking his hands into his pockets. His white turtle neck seemed to glow in the dim light.

"Bathroom."

"Cool." Antonio looked down at me, at the various paintings on the walls, and finally the ground. "I just want to say that I'm sorry about lying to you earlier." I stopped in my tracks, surprised, but before I could speak he started explaining. "I really did want to tell you about your brother, but Hidekaz told me not to. I didn't want to hurt you."

I trained my eyes on the carpet, feeling the weight of our previous argument against my chest. I knew I had been too harsh on him. He was only doing what Hidekaz ordered him to do, even though he should have cued me into the plan Hidekaz had. "It's okay. I understand your position now," I said. I inhaled. I had to be truthful with Antonio, especially if he was going to get rid of all the lies between us. But the truth would resurrect my previous anger. I didn't know if I could put him through that. I chose my words carefully. "It's just… you didn't tell me about Sherry either. I was just afraid that you were going to be another Alfred."

His faced softened. "Larry…" The dull light reflected off the beginnings of tear trails before he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to his chest. For reasons beyond me, I started to feel my own tears prick at the edge of my eyes. "I'm so sorry," he said, stroking his hand down my bobbed hair. "I should have realized."

I shook my head, squeezing my eyes as the tears fell. "I just never knew with you," I hiccupped. "I knew Prussia had turned and Lars only cares about Mathias and he doesn't even bother trying to hide it, but with you I never knew and I hated that and I want to trust you and I want to be your friend but I just never knew and why am I so fracking emotional right now?" Antonio chuckled as I pulled away. I wiped the plentiful tears from my eyes, groaning when they continued anyways. "Seriously why am I even crying?"

"Well girls have a tendency to be a bit more emotional," he told me, pulling a tissue out of his pocket. "Here, blow your nose." I thanked him and did as I was told. The mirth withered from his face, leaving behind only a ghost of his usual demeanor. "Larry, there's something else I should mention. I told you I would be completely truthful with you and I am doing so now: Jerry is here, in the positive world. In someone's body."

I gaped at him, feeling the tissue fall from my hands. "He is?"

"I've felt traces of his presence since you came here, though I didn't know it was him until I met him in the Room."

"Why would Hidekaz lie to me?" I demanded. "He specifically said that—"

"I don't know why he did." Antonio bowed his head, distressed. "I'm sorry, but I really don't know. I just know that's he's here."

"So the true creator is lying to me," I whispered. I craned my neck over my shoulder, checking the corridor behind my back. It was empty. "Does it have something to do with this massive plan he has?"

"I don't know."

I wiped my hands on my jeans, thinking. Hidekaz would only keep Jerry's presence from me if only he wanted me to stay away. Was he afraid Jerry would distract me or did our separation give him some benefit? "I'll think of something," I said at last, looking Antonio back in the eye. He still needed to apologize for the unwanted kiss. "Until then we'll have to pretend you never told me that. Alright?" Antonio nodded, sealing his lips like a zipper. "Now can you show me where the bathroom is? I need to pee badly."

---

The Fangirl: December 30th

"I think I know what to call the bad guys," I said as I rested my sore ass on the plum colored loveseat. The extravagance from the rest of the mansion remained consistent in the lounge, though there was a more homely mist in the lounge. There was something about the baby blue walls and the deep hickory bookshelf that made me wanted to sprawl out on the plush cushions of my couch and relax. After the day I had, I couldn't wait for the reassuring warmth of the fireplace. The only thing blocking me from that fate was Lars's inability to light the wood. He crouched at the hearth with a box of matches, curing each time the dwarf light on the match met the fire log and flickered into nothing. Ari, who had claimed the pool table by the door, laughed every time Lars failed, earning a series of very irritated snaps in return.

I wished their liveliness would rub off on Sadiq. He sat on the other end of the loveseat, a hand beneath his chin as he stared out the nearby window. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I already knew the answer. Larry had said that Agatha was one of the bad guys. I knew Sadiq felt a duty to protect and love her. His memories of the past must have been turning in the crevices of his head, each one closely analyzed and annotated. I had done the same things countless times in dull classes and restless nights, relentlessly trying to discern what parts of my past was real and what was romanticized. If he was anything like me, he would walk away with few answers.

France smirked at me as he handed Hidekaz a stout glass of amber scotch. Hidekaz regarded me with an odd look as he balanced the ankle of one leg on the other's knee. "We don't need a nickname for Himaruya," he said, leaning back into his arm chair. "What would the point be?"

"It'll be really cool," I offered, enticing an irritated groan. I grinned as I stroked two fingers down the back of the docile bunny resting on my lap. I hoped Lars never asked me to give him back. I loved this little guy and his fluffy goodness. "C'mon, I promise it's a really good one."

He closed his eyes, bringing his alcohol to his mouth. "Fine. What is it?"

"Well, since the main baddies are Himaruya, America, and Austria and they all wear glasses, we should refer to them as the Bad Glasses Trio."

Hidekaz snorted. "That is absolutely lovely, Sherry," he said, tongue dripping in sarcasm, "but we're not using it."

"But Hidekaz!" I whined as the starting blaze of the fire made Lars give a triumphant laugh and joined Ari at the pool table. "It's perfect for them. Don't you think it's perfect, France?"

"I actually have to agree with her on that one," France said as he handed me my own glass of scotch. I gave it a quick smell and winced. I could drink wine and beer fine, but the moment I was faced with the stronger liquor, a sick feeling welled in my stomach. I placed the glass on the side table. "'Bad Glasses Trio' really is a clever name and put that glass on a coaster, Sherry. I don't want the wood ruined."

I did what I was told as Hidekaz replied, "It's clever, but still unnecessary. Right now we need to focus on more important things, like forming a plan. Once Larry Sue and Antonio return, we must sit down and formulate a strategy to use against Himaruya."

"I thought you already had this shit figured out," Lars said, chalking the tip of a pool stick. "From the way Spain talked about it, anyone would have said that you were in complete control of everything."

"I do have a plan," he replied. "But there are still matters we must figure out together."

"Can we wait until tomorrow to do it?" Ari asked. I sent him a confused look. Since when was my little Icelandic kid willing to put off something so important? "I'm still processing everything I learned tonight. I can't form a thorough plan when I don't quite grasp the situation. I'm sure Sherry's brother would feel the same way."

"Why Larry?" I asked.

"He seems like he's the kind of guy to do all of the planning, like me."

"Actually, he's more of just a smooth talker," Lars said, leaning his stick on the red velvet surface of the pool table. "He just makes things up as he goes. Right, Sherry?"

"Yeah, sure." My strained smile tugged painfully on my skin. I truthfully didn't know what my brother was. Today was the first day in a long time when we didn't get into any real arguments. Why did it take for us to be sucked into a different universe to stop being such argumentative siblings?

I chewed on my lower lip, my tongue rubbing the shreds of skin against the roof of my mouth. Larry seemed like a stranger. I bet he was still the same insufferable bigot I grew up with, but in this universe there was a layer of compassion in him. Here, he cared about more than just himself. All of his previous anger and ego was gone, replaced by a strange map of traits I could not identify. In this hellhole, he looked alive. Stimulated. I never knew a brother who wasn't dead.

What should a girl do when she realizes she doesn't know her brother as well as she thought she did?

"Hey, you're back," Ari welcomed as Antonio and Larry walked into the lounge. While Antonio looked ready to crack up at any given moment, Larry kept his red face aimed at the ground, hiding behind his blond bangs. What happened while they were gone? "Can you tell Hidekaz to wait off on the planning until tomorrow?"

"Actually we'll have to wait the day after," France said. "Tomorrow's the festival and I need Hidekaz and Sherry to help me, or at least pretend to be England and Seychelles and help me."

"Cancel it." Ari placed his pool stick on the table, striking the white ball across the velvet lawn. "Something like a festival is just the perfect opportunity for Himaruya to do something bad."

"I've had this planned for months. We can't cancel it now."

"I agree." Antonio placed his hands on the back of my couch, leaning in ever so slightly. "Canceling would be too suspicious. Plus he won't do anything during it. Any disturbance caused during the festival has the chance of lowering the public's opinion of him. He'll end up weakening himself."

Hidekaz nodded. "That is a very good point."

I didn't get to hear how Ari was convinced to continue with the festival as I felt a slight tug on the sleeve of my shirt. Larry stood by me with a bashful look, holding onto the fabric like a child. "What's wrong?" I asked with an ever growing sinking feeling in my stomach.

Larry leaned in and whispered into my ear.

I cracked up laughing, drawing every pair of eyes onto us.

"It's not funny!" Larry snapped as his lips trembled. The beginnings of tears gathered at the edges of his eye lids.

"What are you talking about? It's hilarious," I replied, unable to rid myself of the chuckles. Still, I did my best to keep my mouth in straight line. It wavered all the same as my stupid grin fought to stay on my face. I turned to France with my failing look, trying not to laugh as I spoke. "Do you have any pads? The red sea needs parting."

"Are you on your period?" Lars leaned into the pool table as he and Ari burst into their own fits of laughter. "That's hilarious!"

"I am going to murder you both!" Larry snarled, gripping his hands into tight fists.

France motioned for me to rise to my feet, already leading my brother towards the door. "I think Seychelles kept a box of tampons in one of the guest bathrooms."

"I'm not using tampons!"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed his arm. "Don't worry, it's not that hard," I said, ushering him out of the room. "If you want, I'll stand outside the bathroom and tell you how to get it in there."

"I know how to get things in there!" Larry spurted. "I just don't want to put something like that—"

"Wait, are you saying that you had sex with Sayaka?" I shrieked.

"I thought you knew!"

"No I didn't! Am I the only virgin left in the family?"

Ari stared at us as we passed, looking like he finally understood the meaning of the universe. "I think I understand how they're related now," he commented as we left the room. His pool partner rested his face in the nest of arms he made on the pool table, his muffled laughs vibrating the balls on the table.

---

The Fanboy: December 31th

The digital clock at my bedside was lazily blinking midnight when I decided that I had enough of trying to fall asleep. Keenly aware that the rest of the mansion was asleep in bedrooms close by, I slipped into the hallway with silent feet. I did my best to remember the arrangement of rooms France had shown us a few hours earlier. If I was right, Antonio was in the room next to mine and Sherry was down the hall.

I crept across the carpet, counting doors until I came to the last one. Unlike the sleepless nights at home, the light in her room was not on. Nonetheless, I turned the doorknob and stepped inside.

Like me, Sherry was awake. She was perched on the desk by the window, dressed in the spare clothes Seychelles kept at the mansion. The brown eyes of her body had been trained on the silver snowfall outside, but they turned the moment I walked in. She didn't say anything, but we knew what the other was thinking.

I sat on her bed, pulling my legs close to my chest. I had nothing to write with, so I had to content myself with simple day dreaming. Sherry scribbled a black pen on a yellow pad of paper, but from her tight lips, I knew she was having difficulties drawing. We stayed like that until the clock in her room told us it was one in the morning.

"Are you sure you remember nothing?" I whispered, breaking the silence.

Sherry looked up at me, the moonlight illuminating her dark skin. It was weird seeing her expression on a different face. "Nothing."

"I did too, but then I started remembering. Now I remember up to a scream." I rubbed my hands on my pajama pants, trying to clean them. "Your scream."

"Oh." Sherry stared at me for a long moment, speechless. She placed her failed drawing to the side and slipped off the desk. She crawled onto the bed, seating herself next to me. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "for bringing you here."

"It's fine—"

"But I am!" She clamped her mouth shut, wide eyes from surprise. Neither of us expected her to raise her voice so loudly. She looked around and, when she was sure she had woken no one else, she returned to her hushed tone. "I am and nothing you say will ever make me believe this isn't my fault because it's my fault. I'm sorry."

I thought over my response before I said it. "Nothing you ever say will make me blame this on you."

"Really?"

"Really." It wasn't a lie.

She leaned into my shoulder, laying her head on the crook of my shoulder. "I'm a crappy sister," she muttered.

I laid my head on top of hers, inhaling deeply. "And I'm a crappy brother."

We were silent again, nothing but the sound of our ever slowing breathing filling the air.

"Can we both stop being crappy long enough to save our less crappy brother?" Sherry asked.

I hummed an agreement. "Yeah."

Sleep conquered me before I realized it. The combined melody of Sherry's breathing and the normal creaks of the mansion filled my unconscious mind. For the first time in a long time, I was aware of my lack of dreams. For now, that was alright.

---

MW: This really isn't a filler chapter since a lot of plot was explored in this, but at the same time, it's not a very fast paced one. Technically I shouldn't do info dump chapters like these, but this is the information I had to go through now for everything else to make sense. I guarantee that from this point onwards the plot is going to barrel its way to the end. I only have eight more chapters to fully end a series I've been working on since freshman year and it's going to be one hell of an adventure.

There's also some little detail in here that I really want someone to point out. It's not necessarily plot important. It's just an observation involving Hidekaz. Hopefully, someone will pick up on it.

I'm going to try to have two updates in September, but there are no guarantees. My goal is to basically end this series before the end of high school. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful Labor Day.

Notes

"Bad Glasses Trio" I've had this joke prepared for years now, since I started thinking about this story. I've been dying to tell it. Now that it is out there, I can die in peace. I can drop this story right now and not care because everyone now knows of the Bad Glasses Trio. I hate myself so much.

Next Chapter: France forced Hidekaz and Sherry to help out with the love festival as Larry and the rest of the gang try to come up with a battle strategy against Himaruya.

Thank you for reading! Please review/favorite/follow if you deem it proper. Feel free to check out some of my other stories as well. Have a wonderful evening!