MW: Do you know what's not cool? Trying to type when you have wet nail polish on. That's actually the reason why I'm posting this a day earlier than I said I would (somewhat; it's Friday in some parts of the world already). I have a lot of fanfic updates to go through in the second AN so make sure you give it a read.
In the meantime, let's give a holler to some awesome people: HoneyBeeGirl94, UltimateOtakuGirl100, Isuckatreviewing, MastermindKakashi, NotSilentAnymore, lafayette722, Krinos Yuri, and Le-awesome-me.
Hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Summary: It's time for Sherry to join THE WAR, but can she get there before Larry panics?
Warnings: Swearing, some violence.
~Chapter 10~
Waltz of the Siren's Song
"I know who I was when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then."
-Lewis Carroll, British Author, Poet, and Mathematician
The Fangirl: The 9th Honeymoon
The last time I was in a hospital, it had been raining. Larry and I had sat in the waiting room with Bella as we waited to hear news on her stepsister. For years I looked back on that summer day as a distant bad dream, one you never think much about since the nightmare never happened to you. Now the very thought made my stomach twist and my toes curl in my shoes. I had unknowingly sat next to Larry as his soul traveled the world of Hetalia. I didn't know what he had been going through and I knew that I should not be feeling this guilty, but the germless stench of the hospital brought it all back to me.
Luckily for me, I did not appear far from France. I sat in the chair next to him as he leaned into the wall of the waiting room, eyes closed with content. I stared at his stubbled face and limp locks for a long moment, unsure if I should wake him up or not. He looked like he was perfectly happy to be asleep, even if it was upright and in a gray waiting room filled with nervous, sniffling patients.
"He has a kidney stone."
I jumped, realizing that France was peering at me with barely opened eyes. "Who does?" I asked.
He smiled wistfully as he readjusted his position in his seat. He leaned forward, using his arm to balance his chin on his hand. "Oh, just my little bunny," he said with a wistful smile. "We joked about it, remember? We had to end our honeymoon early because of it."
I gave a wry grin. "He has a prehistoric monument coming out of his penis."
A short laugh left his mouth. "Yeah, that sounds just about right." He sighed, looking down at the green carpeted floor. "So what are you doing in my memories?" I explained what happened, showing him my watch like evidence. Again, he sighed. "Of course this would happen. Thing always were so much simpler when this was just a love story between me and England." He turned towards me, his blue eyes filled with an indescribable knowledge about the world. "I have to go back to reality now, don't I?"
I nodded. "Yeah. You do."
France mulled it over for a moment. "Alright. It's only fair." He held out a hand. "May I touch the watch now?" he asked. I felt like smiling- this was all too easy -but my mouth refused to work. Something about the weight of the hospital forced my lips into a perpetual frown. Without a word, I touch my watch on his palm and watched him disappear from my sight.
I released the breath I never realized I was holding. I wanted to talk to him more, I realized. I wanted to sit next to him and tell him about my realization with Sadiq and the omen Himaruya gave me. I wanted to tell him everything on my mind before I burst and messed up. But it was too late for that now. Now I just had to grab Larry and Antonio and I could be on my way.
With a resigned frown, I clicked open the pocket watch.
I froze.
The hands were already going backwards. I wasn't turning the knob or doing anything special to it. The skinny hands were just going counter clockwise in their circles, retracing time. I barely had a moment to feel the fear and dread before the hospital around me began to fade away, and I felt myself falling once again.
The Fanboy: Day 16
"Are you alright, Lar?" I seized up as Alfred peered at me with concerned eyes. I held my breath, biting my tongue as I tried to figure out what happened to me. I was injured and fell unconscious. Nowhere along the line was I supposed to wind up back on the Romanov.
Maybe this was an illusion. Himaruya could have used his powers to give me this nerve-wrecking hallucination.
Or maybe everything in that town was the mirage.
Maybe I've never left THE WAR.
Maybe my fragile mind was finally starting to crack.
"Larry." I jumped when Alfred grabbed my shoulders. "Are you alright, dude?" he asked. "You're hyperventilating."
The racket of my lungs consumed my ears. I winced at the noise, pushing him away in the process. I scraped my knee on the rough floor as I scrambled to my feet. I needed Antonio. Antonio was the cat and the cat was Sokka. I needed Sokka.
"Seriously, what's gotten into you?" Alfred stood. His furrowed brows only made my legs jitterier than before. I buzzed in place as I checked the floor of the crew's quarters for the brown-spotted fur. It wasn't there. Sokka wasn't there.
"Antonio?" I whispered, taking a step forward.
Alfred grabbed my wrist. "Calm down," he ordered sternly. I shrieked and immediately tried to yank my arm away. I pulled and twisted it in every odd direction, and yet his cold iron grip never released me. In panic, I lashed out and scratched my nails down the length of his forearm. He hissed. "The hell was that for?"
"Let go of me!" I screamed. I stomped my foot onto his. His grip slacked just enough for me to pull my arm away. I ran around him, bolting for the stairs. I had no idea what my plan was. I just knew that I needed to get away from that monster and find Antonio.
My foot hit the top step in a thunderous note. I sprinted into the kitchen as my eyes adjusted to the dim light that the oil lanterns on the walls made. My eyes jumped around the room, searching for the feline. Where did Antonio go? Why would he leave me behind? What was I doing here?
"Is this who you're looking for?"
All air vacuumed out of my lungs. Silently suffocating, I looked at my sister's doppelganger. She stood on the stairs leading to the deck, her face friendly as she held Sokka up by the scruff of his neck. The man-in-cat-form meowed as it swiped its claws at her, but Agatha was smart enough to hold him away at an arm's length. "I just came here to tell you that you're needed in the captain's quarters," she told me, as though everything was normal and she was not a shadow version of my sister and the man who betrayed me was not climbing the stairs to follow me.
She tilted her head to the side like a confused animal. "Can you understand me alright?" she asked. "You didn't go deaf when they shot you, right?"
My stomach dropped. I was shot?
She jerked her head towards the deck. "Now come on. You can't keep the captain waiting."
I shook my head. Only the dumb trusted sirens.
"I bet he's in shock right now," Alfred said as he swaggered towards me. He placed both of his palms on my shoulders and pushed me towards the stairs. "No worries, though. As the hero, it's my job to give any damsel of distress help when she needs it." When I refused to put my foot on the first step, he shook his head good naturedly and picked me up bridal style. "Now let's go see the captain!"
Agatha walked in front of him, guiding us onto the deck. The bright rays of light the sun gave off overhead blinded me. I gasped as my head spun. A flood of conversations covered the thumping of my erratic heart as I regained my sight. The familiar crew and their infamous brown arm bands lingered on the ship as they went about their chores, oblivious to THE WAR around them.
They were all going to be blown up.
"Wait-" Alfred slapped his hands over my mouth, smiling at my horrified face.
"Let them figure it out for themselves," he said. I bit his hand, but the asshole didn't even blink.
"Hold it." Agatha and Alfred stopped as ordered, giving their attention to the blond woman stalking over to us. For a moment, I felt a rush of relief. Belarus was here. She would help me. The narrow faced woman scowled as her frigid eyes glared at Alfred and Agatha. "What's going on?" she demanded, a hand lingering by the knife she kept hidden at her hip.
"Just taking the cat and Liechtenstein to Captain Russia," Agatha said, sounding ever like the innocent girl she pretended to be. If she kept this charade going, I swore that I would personally drown her.
Belarus's glare harden. "No, I mean right now. What's going on right now?"
Agatha sighed. "What do you mean?"
"I'm just going to take Liechtenstein to Russia now," Alfred announced. "Bring Sokka when you're ready." Neither of the girls responded as he galloped away, completing his final course to the captain's quarters. I tried to climb out of his arms, but he held on tight. "Don't bother," he said, loud enough for only me to here. His smirk dripped with the same smugness his father always wore. "You and I are going to have some private time together."
I kicked my legs, but he remained undaunted. I craned my neck back, trying to catch one last glance at Sokka. Agatha held the struggling cat in her arms like it was nothing, seemingly oblivious to the long red scratches Antonio's rage left behind. She smiled like a flight attendant as she explained the current situation of THE WAR. Belarus watched her with a skeptical eye, nodding to show that she was listening. Her glare jumped from Agatha and landed on me. It was as cold as I remembered, but something about it told me that she knew something. Something I should also know.
Alfred kicked the door open and strolled inside. Again, my eyes had a moment to adjust until I was met with another nerve straining scene. The elegance of Russia's stayed the way I always remembered it, but the captain himself was nowhere to be found. Instead, Denmark lay on the large bed, his breathing labored as he slept. But I knew he wasn't sleeping. His contract had run out. His soul was gone, sacrificed to Himaruya. I swallowed, suddenly feeling guilty. I had forgotten that this poor guy had no control over his actions. Seeing him here made me want to fall onto my knees and beg for forgiveness.
Alfred grabbed a chair and pulled it up to the edge of the bed. "Here we go!" He dropped me onto it before pulling up another one for himself. The blood coursing through my veins turned into solid stone, turning my limbs stiff. Shaking like an earthquake, I stared at him as he sat in the chair backwards, his legs straddling its back. He placed his chin on his arms and smiled. "Now, we wait," he said.
For Russia?
"Yeah, we lied about the whole captain wanted to talk to you thing." I jumped when he raised his hand. He smirked at my reaction and relished in using it to scratch his neck. "Well, not exactly. You probably remember that he does want to talk to you. You know, the whole being madly in love with you thing. Now that I think about it, that little plan worked out a bit too well. I guess you just make a very attractive girl, Larry..."
My eyes traveled around the room, taking in the odd trinkets and sailor maps. I looked at the desk casted in sunlight, hoping that the window it stood in front of would give me some hope for salvation. Instead, I sat the tip of a brown coat. As Alfred rambled on, I leaned forward, trying to see who it was.
I yelped when I did.
Russia lay with his face against the floor, a red splotch of blood on the back of his head. Someone had knocked him unconscious long before I came in here. I placed my hands on my arms, shivering at the sudden cold. I had the feeling that "someone" was no other than that damn siren. I stared at the gruesome sight for a long moment until the turning of the door knob forced my attention away. "God, I hate that bitch," Agatha said as she locked the door behind her. Sokka struggled in her arms, biting at the fabric of her sleeves to no avail.
I gulped. Antonio was in the same situation as me. Belarus and Lars were on the other side of that door. Russia was bleeding on the floor. Who was supposed to help me now?
A familiar voice spoke up. "Me."
The Fangirl: Unknown
I stumbled over my feet as my vision skewed topsy-turvy. "Shit, shit, shit!"I tripped over my own foot before finally tumbling onto the ground. I landed on my tailbone, which sent a sharp arrow of pain up my butt. "Oh, fuck!" I groaned, rubbing my ghostly bruise. I would have figured that a lack of a body would mean a lack of pain, but no. A soul's booty could be hurt. Too bad I didn't have Nicki Minaji's butt. My fall would have been comfortably cushioned.
I started to rise to my feet, swearing as I wiped the nonexistent dirt off my white-clad behind. Where was I? The buildings around me looked new, yet I knew that the designs were ancient. They were the typical European houses painted warm shades of orange as they crowded the stone street. I whistled in awe. I only saw houses this beautiful in Windows default wallpapers, never in real life.
"Yah!"
My head whipped around in time to see Lars's sword meet Denmark's. Equal smirks stretched across their faces as they exchanged a mutual look. Looking more like friends than enemies, Denmark pushed Lars back. He waited until his friend in the old fashion loose white shirt regained his sure footing before going in for a strike. Lars stepped aside easily and stuck out his leg. Denmark tripped over it and fell to the ground.
Lars balanced his weight on his sword as he laughed. "I see that you're falling for my good looks," he taunted.
Denmark lifted his face from the cobblestone street and grinned. "I've always been attracted to the ugly," he replied. He pushed himself back onto his feet and checked the red arm band tied to his arm. Lars had a similar one, except his was a dirty shade of brown.
I stared at them as they continued with their good natured fight. I was back in time to when Denmark and Lars were still the best of friends. Not only that, but their loose shirts and weapons were similar to the fandom's design of the 'pirate AU.' I must have been sometime in the past before Larry became part of THE WAR.
I gasped. I should be in THE WAR right now! Did I go too far in the past? Could I fix my mistake without using too much of Antonio's energy? Could I even scroll past time? Hell- how the flying fuck did I even get here? The clock hands had started to go back in time on their own accord. Was this another one of Himaruya's plots?
Or maybe it wasn't. Lars wasn't with us when Antonio started the backup plan, but the idiot could have still gotten drawn into this mess. Maybe it was just my duty to collect him before I saved Larry. I didn't know if it was true, but it was worth the shot. I turned my attention back to them, singing, "Lars-"
"Ah!" Denmark echoed his friend's cry of pain as he jumped away. His hands flew to his mouth in horror as his parrying sword stayed in its place in the Netherland's stomach. I screamed at the sight of the blood leaking around the silver blade. It fell in loud droplets onto the cold stone streets.
I placed my hands over my eyes, shaking as I crouched into a ball. Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God.
"Lars! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—"
Make it stop. I don't want to see him dead. I don't want to see-
"Please hang on! Oh fuck, I'm so sorry!"
Stop talking, I don't want to hear-
"Lars..."
Stop-
"We can save you."
I froze at the familiar voice. The temperature dropped to near freezing levels. I hugged my arms as I dared to look back. The European town was gone, replaced with the reflective walls of the Room. I stood, realizing that I had no reflection here. Even now, I was nothing more than just a ghost.
"It's a terrible shame what a moment of distraction will do to you." I saw Austria's reflection in the wall before me. I froze, almost thinking that he was talking to me, but then he turned and started to pace, directing his words to the person in that infamous chair. "One mistake and then you find yourself on the verge of death."
I turned around. Lars sat in the white chair, looking completely confused as to what was going on. America stood to one side, rocking on his feet as he continued to look bored. On the other arm stood Antonio. I gaped at him as he kept his head bowed, the end of his low ponytail climbing up the length of his neck. It was mentioned at dinner last night that Antonio used to work for Himaruya, but for him to be involved in the contract making seemed inexcusable. Yet here he was, standing with the enemy. I wanted to be mad at him, but I couldn't deny how uncomfortable he seemed to be, how small he was compared to his two brothers.
Guilt, I realized. Antonio felt guilty. Already he did not want to be associated with those monsters. I could tell that he was itching to break away and join the good side of this fight. For all I knew, he could already be plotting his escape away from the Room and into Hidekaz's welcoming arms. I wanted to reach out and comfort him, but I knew that my hand would only faze through him and my voice would remain unheard. Being a spectator sucked.
"What the hell is going on here? Who are you people?" Lars demanded. He picked at his starchy white pants, crinkling his nose at the fabric. "Why am I dressed like this? Hell, why am I sitting down?" He started to rise. "This is bullshit-" He yelped when America placed a hand on his shoulder and roughly shoved him back down into his spot.
"First rule to the Room: never stand unless you're invited," Austria instructed, a dangerous edge in his tone.
Lars glared at the mirror-like wall, threatening to cut their reflections with his eyes. "Why don't you face me and tell me that?"
A hint of a smile curled the brunette's lips. "That's the second rule: you are not allowed to look upon our faces."
"Why?"
"Does it matter? After all, you are dead." Lars gasped at Austria's words. His eyes widen with the sudden influx of memories, all reminding him of the blade in his stomach. He placed his hands there and pulled his white shirt from their tucked place in his pants. His pale abdominal skin was clear of any marring, not even a single drop of blood. He breathed a sigh of relief. Austria looked smug as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're not in your body right now, dear Lars. If you were in your world, you would be bleeding from the gut."
"My world?" He leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. "I'm dead, aren't I?"
"Not yet. You could still live."
This time, Lars raised his head to reveal a face full of hope. I moved closer until I was standing directly in front of him, so close that my legs were mere millimeters from his bony knees. In those intense seaweed-colored eyes, I saw his despair and the crushing realization that dying could mean losing Denmark forever. I saw his face contort as he realized that this was a monkey's foot and softened when he decided that he didn't care.
He almost turned around to look at Austria, but he stopped himself. He leaned back into his chair. His hand slipped into the pocket of his suit coat and returned with a cigarette and lighter. I watched with growing anxiety as he deliberately placed the cig in his mouth and lit the tip. He blew a string of gray smoke from his lips. "How?"
"Lars!"
I turned to the voice as the Room faded away. The European village was back, the blue sky above it as rich as ever. I rubbed my eyes. Why was everything changing so quickly? What was I even witnessing anyways? I felt like I was stuck with a front row seat to a choppily edited movie.
The sound of sobbing alerted me to the scene. I saw Denmark held Lars in his hands he as sobbed into the dead man's soaked chest. Sour bile rose in my throat. I ordered myself to ignore the red liquid staining their clothes. The same red coated the blade of sword he had used. It lay abandoned to the side, casted too close to my transparent feet. I stepped away from it.
"I'm so sorry," Denmark cried, already hoarse. He collapsed into another loud sob as his body shook with grief induced tremors. "Oh Jesus- I'm so sorry!"
"Mathias?" Denmark pulled his face away, sniffling. His mouth slowly fell open as Lars opened his eyes. He gave a tired smile to his crying friend, an almost peaceful look in his green eyes. "You look like a fucking mess."
Denmark- no, Mathias -laughed. "Jesus Christ." He ran his arm over his teary cheeks as Lars sat up. "You had me worried. I thought I killed you! Your heart beat stopped- oh my God!" Mathias jumped away, pointing to Lars's gut. "What happened to your wounds?"
The relaxed smile disappeared from his face. Lars folded his arms over his stomach. "I just healed really quickly and..." He sighed. "No. I'll tell you the truth. I did die, but these people gave me the opportunity to come back to life."
Mathias pressed his hands to his temples. "Something like that is impossible."
"No, it's not." Lars reached into his pocket and pulled out his own golden pocket watch, one that looked identical to mine. "I made a deal with them, see? All I have to do is get Russia or Belarus to fall in love and kiss some guy named Larry. It'll be easy."
"And if you don't?"
Lars bit his lip.
Mathias looked at him, fury sparking in his blue eyes. "And what if you don't?" he asked again, a biting tone lining each syllable.
I saw Lars swallow. "I'll lose my soul."
The air hanged low to the Earth, weighing heavily on our shoulders. The horror dawned on Mathias's face as gradually as the skin creases with age. His mouth formed a small circle as his eyes drifted down at the polished gold trinket. He placed a hand on it and gave it a firm squeeze. "You can't give your soul up because of me."
"I'm not doing this because of you," Lars snapped. He tensed when he noticed his friend's hand reached for the short dagger hanging on his belt. "What the hell are you doing?"
Mathias looked down at the watch he held before himself. He looked consumed by the watch's gleam. He gulped. "Making this right."
He stabbed the dagger into the alabaster dial.
"Please!" I tripped over my feet as I turned around again, distraught from another sudden change of scenery.
The clicking of heels brought my attention back to the scene. Mathias was on his knees, about ready to cry as Austria approached him with deliberate steps. America stood by Lars, keep him still as Antonio lurked in the corner, obviously unhappy. His air of anger lay over the monochrome room, settling on Mathias's head as he lowered it to the ground. "Please. I'll do anything, just let Lars keep his soul."
Austria stopped in front of Lars. His arm moved like slime as he grabbed Mathias's chin. He tilted the face up and away from his own, grinning at the surprise response. "What are you willing to give up, my dear Mathias?" he asked.
"Nothing!" Lars snapped, stepping forward. He looked like he could have done more- murder shined prominently in his eyes-but America restrained him with a hand at the elbow. "Don't do this-"
Mathias closed his eyes, resigned. "I'll give you my soul in return."
Silence pulled the air. Antonio's eyes widened as he gasped. He stepped away from the wall he had been leaning on, stalking towards his brother. "Erwin, you can't-"
"I'm not tricking him, Aluino," Austria said sweetly. I wanted to barf at the lie. He leaned forward, shrinking the distance between him and the determined blond. "This is a mutual agreement between two business partners. Tell me, Mathias- would you like to make a deal?"
"Enjoying the show?"
The white room switched to a stark black as I turned for the last time. This time, no bizarre movie played out before me. Now, it was only Lars standing awkwardly, his shoulder hunched, his thumbs hooked into his pants pockets. He wore the winter clothes I saw him in last: a pair of old jeans, the signature scarf, and a heavy trench coat. He aimed his eyes off to the side, as though he could not bring himself to look at my face.
I placed a hand on my chest, feeling the rabbit pace of my heart beat. "What was all that?" I demanded.
He shrugged. "Memories. My memories. I've been watching that same set play over and over again without stop."
"Why?"
"I don't know. I figured that I got sent to hell and this was my punishment."
"Wait, hold on." I sat on the ground, crossing my legs crisscross-applesauce. "Are you the Lars from my time?" I asked.
He mimicked my position, placing his pale hands on his skeleton knees. "Yes? Why wouldn't I be?"
"I ran into Antonio of the past a while back..." I blinked, remembering my list. Ari, Sadiq, France, Larry, and Antonio. At no time was I ever supposed to run into Lars. I peered at him cautiously, expecting him to turn around at any moment and betray me. "So what are you doing here then?"
He shrugged again. "I'm not actually sure. I died so I was thinking that this was hell."
"You died?"
He cocked a brow as though he couldn't believe my shock. "Yeah. I did. Did no one tell you?" I shook my head. Larry was dying. No one had time to tell the barely conscious girl that the man with the bunnies was due to be buried six feet under. Lars brushed away my worried glance with a hand. "Don't worry about it. It's no big deal."
"But it is!" I interjected. He ignored my concern, instead concentrating on finding a cigarette in his coat pockets. "If you died, then you would come back to life as another person. What kind of bastard would want that to happen?"
He smirked when he pulled out the precious gray cylinder. "Me." Blood drained from my face. Unnerved, I watched him place it in his mouth and lit it with the flickering flame of a small lighter. I didn't know which was worst: his nonchalance or the fact that he wanted to die. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth, blowing a gray stream of smoke from his mouth. "Should I explain?"
I gave a hollow "yes."
He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Alright—how do I explain this? Well, after I left you I found Mathias. We talked and I found out that he was not on his contract any longer. He had complete control over himself. He's working with Himaruya because he wants to. He said that he needed to kill me, but Italy saw and-"
"Hold on." He flinched, afraid of my words. "You believed him? Just like that?" I asked. "Are you sure you weren't being tricked?"
His jaw tightened with determination. "I trust Mathias-"
"And the last time I checked, Mathias was under a mind controlling contract. I totally get that you want him to be okay, but we're up against some mind controlling god, Lars! We can't trust anybody right now."
"Like you're someone to talk," he snapped. "Name one person you don't trust."
I rolled my eyes. "Himaruya."
"What about Larry or Turkey or Spain? You seem to trust those assholes well enough." I glared at him. How dare he insinuate that Larry was evil. He's just misunderstood. If people would only take the time to get that... "And who says that I can trust you?" Lars demanded. "With your logic, I should be thinking you're Agatha or some trick to make me do his bidding."
I groaned, resisting the urge to ram my knuckles into his sharp jaw. "Because you're only saying that right now just to accuse me!"
"But I have a point-"
"No you don't! Do you really think I can't tell if I'm talking to my own brother or not?"
He folded his arms over his chest, accomplished. "And do you think I can't tell if Mathias is being mind-controlled?" he asked.
I blew air out my nostrils. "If that's so, then why didn't you notice it sooner?"
"Because he was pretending to still be controlled." He rolled his eyes. "Geezes, you sound just like your brother right now." I didn't know if I was to feel flattered or just confused. I wasn't making any major revelations that you could only find if you dissected everything word by word. I was just stating the obvious. "Look- I admit that there's a chance that I'm wrong. It's possible. But I trust Mathias and I'm willing to make that mistake."
I sighed again, feeling defeated. "It could get a lot of people hurt," I said. I shook my head. He was stubborn. Nothing I could ever say could sway him now. All I could do was damage control: make sure that his stupidity didn't hurt too many people. "So are you on Himaruya's side now?"
He looked down. "I'm not sure," he said. "I know what he's done and I can't forgive him for it. But I trust Mathias and he wouldn't have stayed unless he thought he was doing the right thing. It's hard to say." He raised his face. Green eyes bore into my blue ones, commanding me to listen. "I have this feeling that there's more going on here than what we're being told."
I blinked, taken back by his comment. I knew that there had to be something else going on, but for him to outright say it into the open air made me hesitant. "What do you mean?" I asked, pronouncing each word with care.
"Even though we know who Hidekaz is now, both he and Antonio are still vague on what their actual plan is. Even Himaruya is being more mysterious than usual. Think about it- if he wanted us out of the picture, he could easily do so. Even if his powers are based on people's opinions of him, he could just use mind control on a bunch of us to make us like him. Yet, he won't and, for the life of me, I can't figure out why."
"Maybe he has restrictions," I replied. I remembered being fifteen and bound in the clock tower as Himaruya's prisoner. He said that he could make certain things permanent, like his inability to fully control Sadiq. If he was a great being, then how could he create something he couldn't reverse? I had the vague feeling that Hidekaz had something to do with it, but I didn't know how.
Lars was right: both Himaruya and Hidekaz were acting too suspicious for my comfort. What could Hidekaz be scheming and how could being sent to the past aid Himaruya?
I didn't know. This was something I needed Larry to figure out.
"Sherry, you're fading away right now."
I looked at my lap, surprised to see my ghostly form grow fainter by the second. Gasping, I pulled out my pocket watch. The hands were moving backwards again, though not as fast as before. They moved as quickly as a person could humanly turn them. Was Himaruya pushing me along? Was he the one who sent me here? It made sense: if I was in the past, then it was because he needed me to do something. Or realize something. Did he think that talking to Lars would convince me to switch over to his side?
I placed a hand on the side of my head. How did Larry manage to deal with thinking like this all of the time? I've only done this kind of stuff for a minute and I was already getting a headache. "What's going on?" Lars asked, not sounding the least bit concerned.
"I'm leaving now," I told him, holding back my worries. There was no point in getting worked up when the only person who could sympathize with you could only shrug at your predicament. I tried to smile, but it felt strained. "I'll see you in a bit, Lars. Don't do anything stupid in the meantime."
He said nothing in reply. Maybe he wanted to speak up but didn't get the chance to since the ground disappeared beneath me. I watched as I fell backwards, my vision beginning to distort as he continued to rise further above me, sitting in the edge of the invisible, black cliff.
I lulled into a sleep as the falling sensation continued on and on and on and...
The Fandom: The Room
Jerry sat comfortably on the piano bench, engrossed in the melody that left Austria's fingers. He sat no idea how the man managed to memorize so many of these beautiful pieces, but the mystery only made his rendition of "Moonlight Serenade" sound all the more romantic. Jerry closed his eyes, blocking out the warm parlor the Room had turned into to think of Conner. The paperboy will be waiting for him at home, grinning as he beckoned him onto the couch for another cuddling session. Dad would be home as well, and Conner could start appearing at his doorstep with the proud title of "boyfriend" instead of "paperboy who may or may not be personally delivering your paper to the front door day after day for a reason besides customer service." Jerry couldn't wait for it.
"Hey, Jer!" The ginger peeked an eye open, unsurprised to see Denmark holding a soccer ball. "Let's play a round. One-on-one, unless the snobs want to join us."
"I am perfectly content with my music, thank you very much," Austria stated with a curt huff.
A long, raspy sigh turned Jerry's attention to the arm chair by the fireplace. Himaruya sat with a book on his lap, his cane leaning against the side of the plush velvet. Like everyone else, his white suit seemed out of place in the colorful parlor- complete with oil paintings, grand molding, dark patterned wallpaper. Red eyes rested on Denmark with a tired, parentally air. "There's no room to play football in here," he said, "and I'm not going to change the entire layout just for you."
Denmark pouted. "Oh, come on! It's boring here," he complained. "Jerry wants to play."
"No I don't," Jerry said.
"And why not?" The blond folded his arms over his lean chest as he straddled his legs. "Bud wouldn't hesitate to play with me."
America was currently away, taking his sweet time in the past to ensure the success of the plan. Jerry was not sure if it was entirely necessary, but Himaruya seemed to know what he was doing. "I'm not Bud," Jerry replied, looking at the mastermind behind this all. The albino was once again focused in his book, but Jerry could tell that he wasn't reading. He was thinking, turning plots and plans around in his head. No emotion showed in those red eyes. No malice or worry, only logic.
"But what could be more fun that playing a game?" Denmark asked.
Jerry turned his attention to the piano again, filling his eyes with the soothing tune. "I just need time to relax," he said.
"You didn't answer my question."
Jerry frowned. He knew that none of the men who judge him wrongly for being gay, but he still felt hesitant to bring it up. Being in the closet did that to you. "My boyfriend."
Denmark sighed wistfully, falling back into the floral print couch. 'Your boyfriend? Sounds romantic." He turned towards Jerry, sending him a large grin. "I bet you would be an awesome boyfriend. Do you get him gifts and stuff?"
"I never had the chance to," Jerry replied awkwardly. "It's different in my world."
He brushed it off. "Right, world differences. I forget that sometimes."
An odd, momentary silence filled the space between them as the piano song continued unhalted. "Larry's a really good boyfriend," Jerry said suddenly. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to bring it up, but seeing Himaruya's eyebrow arch in surprise made the story even more important to tell. "He had been dating Sayaka for a long time. Before all this happened, he had this great plan to take her to New York and see Chicago on Broadway. He worked two jobs to afford all the expenses, but after all this..." Jerry nodded his head towards Himaruya. "What do you think?"
Himaruya closed his book, placing a red ribbon between the pages. He crossed his legs, releasing another long breath as he thought it over. "I know many things, but your brother can be a mystery at times. There are somethings I just don't know."
"Why did we never try using her against him?" Austria asked. No one noticed that he stopped play, or that his fingers were still poised to strike the next chord. "Maybe we could hold her as hostage or-"
Jerry's blood ran cold until Himaruya interrupted him. "We have rules against that. My sibling was never dumb enough to leave me with such an obvious option, or I him." He looked away, placing a hand under his chin. "And besides, all we need now are those glasses Sherry Sue has. Once I have them-"
Denmark moved his hand like a person talking. "Ya-dada, returning to you full power and gaining the upper hand. Will there ever be a time when you don't mention that?"
Himaruya smiled ever so slightly as he opened his book again. "Stop being so insolent and I just might." Denmark pretended to be offended as Austria gave the smallest of chuckles. Jerry hugged himself, shivering at the new wave of chills riddling his arms and legs. He knew that he should be rooting for Himaruya to find those glasses and end everything, but something about the tone of voice made him weary. He didn't know what he wanted more: an end to this never ending madness and betrayal or the comfort in knowing that the fateful end had yet to come.
The Fangirl: Day 16
"The door won't open!"
I rubbed my eyes, swearing as I tried to focus in on the new situation. My feet hovered a few inches off a damp deck, one that seemed to be scrambling with people. I was on huge pirate ship, one rocking on the blue rolls of the vast ocean. I turned in a circle, watching men and women with brown arm bands rather around a single person: Belarus.
The sharp woman looked worriedly at the door to the captain's quarters, unsure and confused, before covering up her worries. She faced the crowd with a strong glare as he raised her head in power. "Never mind Russia then. Everyone gather your weapons and prepare the escape boats," she ordered. She placed her hand over her brows like a visor as she checked the position of the sun. "Shit. We don't have much time."
"Like, much time for what?" Hong Kong yelled from his post in the crow's nest. The crew echoed the question.
Belarus pressed her lips, thinking for a long second. She pointed a finger towards a ship in a distance. "We've never seen England's boat so close to us without any cloaking spells before," she explained. "Obviously he and the rest of those Red Coats are planning to blow us up. Prepare for the worst, everybody. If you see a bomb, chuck it overboard before it explodes."
I allowed my body to float a few feet in the air, trying to get a better view of everything. Was this THE WAR? Everyone seemed tense enough to be the soldiers. But Larry in Liechtenstein's body was nowhere in sight. I couldn't even find the golden head of America. I definitely was thinking about Larry and Antonio when the clock went berserk. They had to be here, or else there would be no point.
Maybe they were there and I just didn't see them. I scanned the crew again, searching for heads of hickory curls and cropped blond hair when I met Belarus's gaze. Her eyes were wide, their icy color aimed at my floating figure. It almost looked like she was amazed by me, maybe even confused. But that's impossible, I told myself, I'm a ghost. She can't see me.
From the shade of the mast, Prussia lifted an indifferent hand. "What does the captain say about this, first mate?" he asked, his tone treading between nonchalance and munity.
Belarus stared at me for an uncomfortable moment longer. She blinked out of her trance, shaking her head back into reality. "Are you questioning my authority, Prussia?" she demanded.
Prussia looked between her and the rest of the crew. "Yes." He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned into the wood pillar. "And what is the unawesome you going to do about it?"
Belarus glared at him for a long moment. The atmosphere dropped heavily as everyone felt her growing urge to chop his neck off. When she pulled out a knife and flashed the blade against the sun, I could have sworn that Prussia's sun burnt skin paled. But she didn't use it. She only smirked and ran the pad of her finger over the sharpen edge. "Nothing," she said at last. "I'm only the first mate. You don't have to listen to me, even if all I'm doing is offering a way for all of us not to die. But by all means- if you want to see everybody's body parts flying across the sky like Chinese fireworks, then be my guest."
Prussia scowled at her, but the damage was done. The rest of the crew scattered, in search of weapons and explosives. Lars had to nudge his arm, hissing something into his ear before the albino would dare to get a move on. "I wonder where Liechtenstein is," Prussia asked as they went.
Belarus watched them leave. She glanced up at me with a look at told me that she could see me. But how? I knew that her character bio said that she could see ghosts, but she didn't notice me when I was at the bar fetching Ari. Wasn't it only the people who grabbed onto me who went into the past? That would mean Ari, Sadiq, France, Antonio, Larry...
Belarus was there. Her hands had applied pressure to Larry's wound. She was saving his life when we spun back time. Since she was holding onto Larry and Larry was holding onto me, would that mean she also got dragged into the past?
"Hey!" A white light flashed in front of my eyes. I gasped, raising a hand to block it. Belarus looked up at me with even eyes, her mouth tight as she lowered her blade from the sun beams. "Come here." I grumbled as I floated back to the ground. Now that I was closer, she glanced over me again, taking in my orange mane and stiff white suit. "I would say that you're a ghost, but you look exactly like that Agatha girl. Care to explain?"
I grimaced. This was going to be awkward. "It's a bit of a long story..."
"I just want to know what's going on," she told me as she started towards the captain's cabin. I followed after her, giving her an odd look as she stared to check the wood panels. She turned to give me a sharp glare. "Now would be nice."
"Right." I shifted on my feet. Telling her the truth seemed like the best option. With Belarus the Bitch on my side, I might have a better chance at getting Larry out of here safely. "Okay, so you're not going to believe any of this, but hear me out. My name's Sherry and all of my friends have been scattered in the past because my brother who was kinda possessing Liechtenstein's body got shot- you were there, don't look so surprise- and there's this big thing going on where there's this asshole named Himaruya who's trying to bring about chaos or some shit like that and he made that Agatha girl to be like some evil twin version of me to screw up my brother and now I need to get my brother, Antonio-I mean Spain -and now you back to our normal time period before shit gets seriously fucked up."
I sealed my mouth, realizing that nothing I said made much sense, not even to me. Yet she nodded her head as she absorbed every word without question. "Believe it or, but I've heard weirder," she said, not even looking at me. I stared at her, surprised. Out of every response, that was not the one I was expecting. Crouching, Belarus pushed back a barrel. Beneath it was a magic seal carved into the deck. Without so much of a word, she slashed her knife over it multiple times until the design was unrecognizable. She rose, clapping the dirt off her hands. "There, now the cabin won't explode."
"So you believe me?" I asked.
She frowned. "I'm not sure. It sounds crazy, but you're obviously here." Her face contorted with disgust. "And if it was true, then that means that your brother is in Liechtenstein's body and that would mean..." She shuddered. "Oh God- I don't want to be straight."
"You shouldn't judge people based on their sexualities," I said.
"All I'm saying is that being straight doesn't seem like the thing for me, unless it's with my brother."
"Well incest is win-cest."
She ignored my sarcasm. "Here's another problem, though. That magical seal looked like it had been carved into the deck ages ago. That would mean that someone on this crew would have had to inscribe it." Her face dawned with realization.
I scrunched my brows at her. "Belarus?"
She hastily lifted her skirt, revealing her other knife. "Go save your brother. He should be in there. I need to take care of a little munity real quick." She sprinted away.
"But I need to send all of you back at the same time!" I shouted back, but it was already too late. She was gone, ordering about members of the crew before her legs carried her below deck.
I'll deal with it later, I decided, turning back towards the captain's cabin. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Larry was just on the other side. It should be easy to grab him and get to Belarus before things start to go wrong. I turned my thoughts towards being ghostly. I took another deep breath and tested my hand on the door. It went through. Another breath later, I gained enough courage to plow straight through.
It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the sudden change of light. When it did, I didn't like what I saw.
Larry sat on a chair by a lavish bed, his hands on his bouncing knees. His head was bowed, the lock of his blond hair creating a curtain around his face. Air hitched in my throat when I saw Denmark sleeping next to him. Memories of his past with Lars flashed in my mind. Pity stirred in me as I began to notice a rhythmic thumping. America sat backwards in a chair right across from him, rocking back and forth on the legs. Each time the legs struck the ground with a loud thump, one loud enough to fill the void of sound. Neither him or Larry noticed my entrance.
Agatha did.
She sat on a desk in front of a window. The mass of curls exactly like mine framed the clone's round face. Even her light blue eyes looked like mine, though they were narrowed in a mockery so unlike me. The only difference between her and me was our ages. She looked to be a younger version of me, about eighteen years old. Baby fat still bloated her cheeks and her skin was still freshly scarred by pimples she had refused to leave alone. A white cat struggled in her arms, but no matter the desperate damage the poor creature inflicted, her grip never lost its iron hold. I could only guess that it was Antonio in his neko form. Agatha grinned cheekily. "Hey, Sherry!" America turned his attention onto me, but Larry stayed oddly focused on the ground. "It's great to finally meet you," she said. "You do look a lot like me."
Larry had still yet to react. I gulped, trying to think of a new plan. Antonio and Larry were on opposite sides of the room. There was no way I could send them back to their proper time at once. I could try stalling, but I didn't think that I could do that while thinking of a strategy. "Wow, rude." Agatha rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. She opened a drawer to the desk and unceremoniously placed the cat inside. Antonio hissed and scratched as she closed it shut again and locked it with a brass key. "I try to give a nice greeting and you ignore me." She slipped the key between her boobs, like I would do. "Fucking-"
"Well excuse me, princess, but I don't like you," I snapped back. It looked like I was going to have to stall. "I mean, you're just like me except really evil. It's like I'm normal Link and you're my 'shadow' version. It's like in the new Super Smash Bros they have a normal Pit and a Dark Pit character, which really pointless since..." I trailed off as the meaning of my words fully hit me. I hopped from one foot to the next. I stuck my hands in my pocket. "Now that I think about it, 'Dark Sherry-'" Her irked frown was beauty in my eyes. "There's no-"
Crash!
America's chair toppled to the ground as Larry punched his face. He fell sharply onto his back, gasping when pain shot up the length of his spine. Larry turned to run towards me, but America grabbed his leg. He too fell, but it was his chin that hit the ground first. Larry yelped in pain as America moved to pin him to his spot. "Howdy, Liechtenstein!" He greeted. "How ya doing?"
Liechtenstein? I watched her fight against his hold, flashing her teeth as she kicked her legs into his chest. If that's Liechtenstein, then where was Larry? Larry and Antonio had to be in the same timeline, so Larry might still be in there. Liechtenstein could just have taken temporary reign of her body, like what Seychelles sometimes did for me. I turned back to Agatha, clearing my throat loudly. "Okay..." I started, unsure if I should resume my original speech or not. I felt like I was onto something, but I didn't want to leave Liechtenstein in the dust. If I tried, I could quickly run to help get America off of her.
I can help her in a moment, I decided as I stepped towards Agatha. For now, I just needed to make my point...
A patch of brown caught my attention.
I turned my face slightly, just enough to look at it without drawing Agatha's alarm. I tried not to gasp when I realize who it was: Russia.
Face down.
Bleeding.
Is he dead?
No, his chest rose and fell with each shallow breath. I gulped and looked back at Agatha. Did she do this to him, or was it America? Did it matter? Both of them were trying to hurt us.
I had been silent for way too long. I cleared my throat, trying to resume my previous composure. "Anyways..." I started to approach my smiling doppelganger again when a new plan formed in my head. It was crazy and way too reckless, but I had to give it a try. In this state, there was no way I could do anything against either her or America. I needed a body and, if she was a copy of me, then I might be able to take hers for my own. It was a stupid plan, but it seemed like one Larry might think of.
I glanced back at the struggling Liechtenstein again (America had her pinned to the floor like a dead butterfly) before finally gathering my courage. "So, Agatha." She grimaced. I knew that she was trying to resist the urge to mention that this was my third try at talking. I knew that since I would have reacted the same way. That was unsettling; your evil double having the exact same reactions as you. "What's your purpose for being here again?" I asked as I drew closer. "I mean, you're kinda pointless to everything now that I think about it."
"What?" She looked a little confused, but not enough to call it sincere. I felt like she already knew what I was going to say. Did it have something to do with us being the same person, or the fact that she was working with Himaruya? I didn't know.
"Well yeah. Himaruya totally could have made Austria or Denmark over there do your job. You're like that unnecessary OC in a fanfiction where everything could literally happen without the OC but the author just put her in there for the shits and giggles, ya know?"
By now I was directly in front of her, barely an arm's length away. Agatha thought over my words for a second. "Yeah, I kinda do," she said. "But that's because you don't know what I'm actually here for."
I stared at her face, wondering how I can get into her (not like sex, you freaking lesbians). In Gravity Falls, a demon literally pulled a kid's soul from his body in order to possess it. Austria had said that if I thought about doing something in this form, I should be able to do it. Maybe thinking about it will work the same. I shifted my stance, readying myself for the switch. "Like what?" I asked. I grabbed her arm and pulled. "This?"
The image of me pulling her from her body ran over and over again in my head like a gif. I squeezed my eyes shut in vain hopes that it will increase my likelihood of actually making this work. For a moment, I even swore that I felt her soul peel away from her body like a sticker.
Of course, all of it was just stupid hoping. Agatha snorted. "I knew you were going to try that," she said, sticking her hands on her hips. "Better luck next time, whenever that is."
Fucking Agatha. I gritted my teeth, looking off to the side. Russia's white hand caught my eye. I stared at it and the sun coming in from the window warmed it in light. I couldn't pull Agatha's soul from her body, but what if I had a body without a soul to fight me? Russia didn't seem like he was using his.
Agatha got the same idea as me the moment I did. Her eyes widened and, forgetting the facts of the situation, she lunged off the desk to grab me. "Don't-"
I phased straight through her and the desk behind her. In a flurry of motion, I placed my hand on Russia's chest. I closed my eyes and imagined the falling sensation that transported me between worlds. Take me into Russia's body, take me into Russia's body, take me into-
I dropped at an alarming rate, enough to make my stomach shoot up my windpipe My vision left me as I felt a force wrap around me like a snake, growing tighter and tighter until I could hardly breathe. I tried to crane my face away, gasping for air. Take me into Russia's body, take me into Russia's body, take me into Russia's body...
"You want to use my body?"
I stood in front of Russia in what looked to be the Void, but I wasn't sure if that was right. Everything was coated in that inexistent color, but I had the faint feeling that this was a different place. At the corner of my eye I thought I saw movement colors- a snow storm, firing of guns, stench of alcohol-but it left my peripheral vision every time I tried to look at it. Russia himself seemed unfazed by the setting. His brown coat lay on his shoulders like a royal cape, one admitting power. I would have thought that his face would also be masked in that same aura, but instead it looked soft to the touch. He regarded me with the same visage Mom gave me when I was stressed and uncertain. I relaxed. Mature, cautious, gentle- that was what I needed to see.
"Yeah, it's kinda important," I said as I tried to ignore the scenes just outside of my vision. They felt familiar, like they were all real life reenactments of actual Hetalia episodes. If I was inside his body, I supposed that it was possible that I had also slipped into his mind.
He grimaced, nearly looking frightening but not quite. "How important?"
I sighed. "I need to save my sibling and probably Belarus as well." Rage flickered across his face, but it was gone in a blink. I could not help but to feel unnerved by his change. Still, I pressed on. "I only need it for a little bit. I promise I won't wreck you or anything."
Russia stared at me for a moment longer. "I do not trust you, little girl," he told me. I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to point out that I was physically the same age as him. "But when the safeties of my sisters are of concern, I must do what I must to keep them safe. Promise to do that and you can use my body for some time."
I grinned, feeling myself move to a different part of the universe, one that did not involve memories hiding in the corners. "Will do, Russia—" Pain jabbed into my skull. I gasped as my eyes opened to see the wood floor of the ship. I felt weak all over, as though I had been severely beaten by a blunt object.
But I have been, I realized as I noticed my bear-sized hands. I was in Russia's body now and the poor bastard had his head caved in. I groaned as I tried to peel my cheek off the damp, blood stained wood. Thank goodness I was so desensitized by now or else I would be shitting my pants far more than I already was. I tried to move my arms to lift myself up, but a heavy weight landed on my back. I swore as my chin slammed into the ground.
"Okay, that was pretty clever," Agatha said as she focused her weight on my spine. I ground my teeth together as the crossing of her legs sent another jolt of pain along my nerves. "Honestly, I didn't even realize that Russia's too injured to move until you entered him as well."
"Shut up," I muttered, trying to pick myself up again.
She shifted her weight and I kissed the floor again. "I can't. I gotta tell you things." She placed a hand on the back of my head and used it as a balance when she leaned forward. I gasped as her nails pressed into my head injury, squirming to get her off. If my resistance affected her, she did not show it. Her breath brushed the side of my face as she spoke loud enough for only me to hear. "First off, I do have a point for being here. Yeah, I don't get to do a lot of the dirty work for Himaruya and stuff, but I've done a lot. Like I was originally made to mess around with Larry, and then to distract Sadiq. Now, I'm here to mess with you."
I glared at her shadow on the floor. I was in too much pain to speak, but I knew she knew what I was thinking- I didn't need to be messed with. If anything, I was the one person out of the entire group who could be cut from every single plan and not be missed. I've been nothing more than a hazard for everyone. She should stay with messing with the people who mattered.
"Yeah, you do matter," Agatha said, answering my thoughts. "If you didn't, you wouldn't be the one doing all of this. You're going to be pretty important in the grand scheme of things. So that brings you and me to this: why are we having this conversation? Any guesses?"
To mess with me, I guessed.
Agatha poked my round cheeks with a grin. "That's right! To mess with you. I gotta make you want to stop supporting the enemy by the end of this conversation." She dwelled in her moment of pride before asking, "You wanna know how?"
I didn't want to know. I wanted her to quit showing off like me, get off of me, and get as far away as possible from me.
"Too bad. I'm going to tell you anyways." She leaned in further until I could feel her thin lips against the rim of my ear. Warm breath shot into my ear, making me dizzy from anxiety. "You and I are exactly the same, Sherry," she whispered. "And that's the point. You and I have similar thoughts, appearances, tastes, everything. Where we've taken sides is our main difference. You're on Hidekaz's side and I'm on Himaruya's. We've made those decisions willingly- I know what you're thinking, Yeah, Himaruya created me, but he's a man of free will. He wouldn't keep me on his side unless I wanted to. And I want to because I know what's really going on here. I know Himaruya's plan. I know what made Jerry decide to be on our side. And I know exactly what you'll do once you realize it too: you'll react exactly like me. You'll be on his side."
I stared at her with wide eyes, processing what she meant. It seemed a bit contrived, but at the same time, I felt the threat of her words. Himaruya was planning something big. Big and important. Whatever it was, it was going to be enough to convince me go switch sides. I didn't know what they were smoking, but they obviously did not know me well enough. There was no way in hell I would ever go on his side. They had nothing to use against me. Well, nothing but my brothers' lives.
What if they were going to use Jerry as ransom?
The desk shook from Antonio's struggling. The key to the drawer was somewhere in Agatha's boobs. I closed my eyes, shutting out the rest of the world. I could get that key if I tried. I just had to think like myself. If I was having a victorious moment, what would be the one thing that would mess me up?
Resistance.
I looked at the arm pressing down on my head. The sleeves to her dress were rolled up to the elbow, revealing pale flesh ripe for the picking. I saw that Agatha's attention was on the desk, worried that Antonio just might break it open. I seized my opportunity. I craned my neck around and bit her forearm. I didn't bite hard enough to break flesh. I only pressed down light enough to make her shriek in panic. She shot her arm away, leaving me completely free to move.
Despite the throbbing in my head, I rolled onto my side. She fell off me easily, her back banging into the drawer imprisoning Antonio. I moved fast, pinning her to her spot with a single over-sized hand as the other one dove down her shirt. She screamed and kicked at me, but Russia's body was sturdy. I hardly felt it. Squinting away the growing ring of black around my vision, I pulled out the key.
"Pervert!" Agatha yelled. She sprung back onto me, chewed-on nails clawing my face as I held the key out of reached. She crawled over me like I was a stepping stone, trying to make her stubby arms long enough to grab it. I swore a loud "fuck" when her nails scratched my eye.
Distantly, I heard America swear as Liechtenstein kicked him away. He tumbled across the floor until he banged into the nearest wall, sending a shelf of trinkets avalanching onto him. Liechtenstein tripped over her feet as she rushed to her feet. Shoes shrieked on the ground as she hurried over to me. Without so much of a word, she took the key from my hand. Agatha stopped struggling, sending the petite blond a sharp glare. "When are you going to let brother dearest take control?" she asked, rising from my lap. I realized that I should hold her down, so I grabbed onto her ankle. Agatha frowned again, but said nothing.
Liechtenstein looked at her with an unreadable expression for a long moment. A slight smile appeared on her lips. "Not right now," she said, smiling politely. "He's emotionally comprised right now. We agreed that I should take control right now."
Agatha pointed a finger at me. "Sherry's in this body, Doesn't that make him want to come out?"
Liechtenstein looked up, a finger on her chin. In any other situation, I would have thought that she was being mockful on purpose. But her eyes were too focused on a single point in the ceiling for it to have been an act. She stayed- listening -before she nodded. Her shoulders relaxed for a split second as she blinked rapidly.
Her stance changed and she became a different person. Her feet moved apart and her chest huffed out like a guy. With no sense of femininity, she held up the key with a smirk. "Yes, it does." We stared at her dumbfounded as she stuck the key into Antonio's drawer. "But here's the thing, Agatha: you said so yourself that all you wanted to do was to make your point. Well, you point was made, so you and Alfred have no reason to be here anymore."
"You're scared shitless, aren't you?" Alfred called as he rose to his unsteady feet. Liechtenstein flinched. "Knew it! You can't hide it from me, Larry."
My eyebrows jumped as I saw Liechtenstein grind her teeth. Yes, that was my brother in control right now. That explained the change in their posture. Larry hissed something beneath his breath as he finally opened the drawer. Antonio burst from his confine, leaping into Larry's arms. He laughed, petting the cat as Antonio rubbed his furry head into my brother's face. Forcing Antonio to stay quiet in his arms, he shot Alfred and Agatha a new hard look. "You heard me," he said. "Go away."
Agatha stood. "And if we don't?" she asked. She used the same tone of voice I had used when Larry and I had been arguing. It was low and stressed, not all that threatening, but it was the memories associated with it that made Larry and I paled. Larry sucked in his breath as if to say something, but his lips seemed to be glued together. He was trapped with no means to escape.
I didn't think about what I was doing. I put my hand into my pocket, glad to find my pocket watch. I waited until Agatha took a confrontational step forward to lunge towards Larry to release her ankle. My empty hands tapped my pocket watch on his shin and, before anyone could know what was happening, both he and Antonio faded away.
I released a long breath as the relief swept over me. Now I didn't have to worry. He was safe. That was all that mattered. He was safe.
Agatha groaned. "Shit, I should have seen that one coming," she mourned, sitting back on the edge of the desk. "Damn it, there was more I wanted to say."
I ignored her, instead, focusing down on my watch. My mission was done. Now it was time for me to go back.
Alfred shrugged as he sat on the bed, patting Denmark's leg. "At least we still have Belarus to pester."
Fuck.
I tried to stand up again, only serving to make my head swim. I fell back onto my hands and knees, swearing as the assholes laughed at my failure. I closed my eyes as I tried to block them out. Obviously, I was going to get nowhere in this body. "Sorry Russia." I felt his body collapsed under me as my soul slipped out of it. Opening my eyes, I saw him lying on the ground unconscious as my ghost hand impaled his head. I jumped away and looked at the door. "What do you think you're going to do without a body?" Alfred jeered.
I didn't have enough cockiness left in me to grin, so I gave them a loose shrug instead. "I'll figure it out." I sprinted off, running through both the desk and the cabin door. The sunlight hit me with all my brilliance as I ran into the crowd of mingling crew members.
"Belarus!" I yelled, searching the crowd for her drape of blond hair. Panic bubbled in my stomach when I failed to see her. I cupped the corners of my mouth and shouted again. "Belarus, you bitch! Where the flying fuck are you?"
"I, like, didn't do it!"
"Liar!"
I twisted around, just in time to see Belarus on the deck above the captain's quarters as she held Hong Kong by the collar of his shirt. He forced him to bend backwards on the rail, suspending the upper half of his body over the turning waves. Her porcelain features flushed red as she shook with fury, ignoring Prussia as he demanded her to calm down. I swore as I jumped into the air, flying towards her. "Belarus-"
"There is only one person on this boat who is fascinated enough with explosives to plant so many fire circles," Belarus sneered. "Plus China and England are both on the opposite side. There's no reason for you to not to betray us."
I landed next to her just in time to see Hong Kong give her an even look. "And like, if I did, what would you do about it? It's like already too late."
Belarus ground her teeth. Prussia reached a hand out, as if to touch her shoulder. "Belarus, don't-"
The bitch shoved Hong Kong overboard, turning away before she could see him hit the water. I took a step back, afraid to even touch her. I may have been a ghost, but I was sure that she would find a way to harm me. I bit my lip. Never mind that. We needed to get out of her pronto.
Wanting to avoid as much conversation as possible, I decided to skip the explanation and just poke her with the watch already. I placed my hand in my pocket.
The world around me erupted.
I screamed, crouching into a ball as everything lit up in a blaze of red and orange. I couldn't feel the heat, but I knew that I was standing in the middle of the flames. I looked up, realizing that both Belarus and Prussia were gone. "Belarus?" I called, hoping that she would mumble some sort of reply.
None came.
I looked around and saw the staircase to the lower deck burst into a similar set of fire.
Explosions.
The ship was exploding bit by bit.
That would mean...
I jumped to my feet and ran towards the rail. I passed through it and allowed myself to float in the air. In the teal waters, hidden by wood debris, I spotted strands of platinum blonde. I dove towards it at high speed, the air rushing around me until my head broke into the water. Seeing the water swirl around me made me balk. I stopped in place, aware that Belarus was unconscious as she quickly sank deeper and deeper beneath me as I grabbed my neck. I should be drowning right now. I was in the water. I can't breathe!
I forced the thoughts from my brain. I was a ghost. I didn't need to breathe. I was panicking for no reason. I pushed myself downwards, sweeping the water in front of me as I tried to catch up to Belarus. A trail of bubbles floated from her part lips as her hair surrounded her sharp face like a halo. Parts of her flesh were burnt and bleeding, but I refused to acknowledge it. Instead, I took out my watch and held it out to her.
I swore when her fingers failed to brush against the metal.
Behind my eyes, I saw another sight. I was still diving in water, but the depths were brighter and shallower. However, the water was turned red and my hand was reaching towards a head of orange…
The bubbles stopped coming from Belarus's mouth.
Giving one last final kick, I reached one more time. I barely scraped it on her fingertips, but it was enough. She disappeared before my eyes, leaving me alone in the waters. Immediately, black began to consume my vision. I dropped the watch, grabbing the sides of my head as I tried to stay awake. Antonio had said that sending someone back in time on my own accord, without his help, would knock me out for a few days.
I groped the water for the watch and when I failed to grab it, I took hold of its chain instead. I pulled it back to me, feeling my vision blur beyond compare. The world around me grew darker and darker as I turned back the dial, thinking about the time period I needed to return to. Take me back to the snowy seaside town, take me to Sadiq and Ari.
Take my back to my brothers.
Take me back to Larry and Jerry.
Take me back...
MW: I am so tired right now. This also took me so long to go through that it's practically midnight here in SoCal. Obviously, there's probably a few mistakes so you should tell me if you found any. This chapter is not the best written in my opinion. I like it towards the end, but there's something very sloppy about the Lars's past scene (remember how I said that I was going to go back to it?)(Guess what? I did!).
If I do this right, then I can complete this story by February-March-ish. Once that happens, I have a few options about my next course of action. Sagacity and Kidnapped by Straight Men will continue, though I have another big fanfiction planned (you'll learn more about that in future ANs). The fic is a period piece, so I will have to do some research but while I did my research I was wondering if anyone would be interested in a mini-fic for Gravity Falls and Over the Garden Wall. I kind of fell into both of those fandoms a while ago and crossovers for them are rather popular. A few people have already said that they would like to read it, though I figured that I should also ask my faithful readers what you think. I'll write it in a way that will require little prior knowledge of their original media, so if you haven't watched either of them you can still follow the story. You can tell me what you think in a review or on my writing blog.
Speaking of my writing blog, I have a few Gravity Falls fanfiction scraps on there if you're interested. I also have some photos of me from the play I was in back in November, so if you ever want to see my ugly face now you can.
Wow. That was a lot of personal rambling. Thank you to whoever got this far for reading!
Notes
"Waltz of the Siren's Song"- Has anyone picked up on the mermaid imagery/allusions I always use for Sherry yet? If you did, you probably also noticed that Agatha is always referred to as a siren.
"It was Antonio in his neko form"- This clause gave me flashbacks to seventh grade.
"Gravity Falls"- I've been into this show since September, so it's kind of amazing that it took me this long to reference it.
Next Chapter: We're back in the real world and now it is up to Sherry, Larry, and the rest of the gang to start the final battle.
Thanks for reading! Have a Happy Holidays and a wonderful start of winter break!