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

14. The Fangirl's Ascension

MW: So it's been nearly three months since I last updated. Yeah, so much for getting this done by the end of March. This time, my excuses range everywhere from visiting my future college, to writing my 30 page thesis paper, to preparing for AP tests. But now I am back, armed with this huge-as-heck chapter. It's the longest chapter I have ever written. I had to break my own chapter limit in order to fit everything, and that's only after I moved the last scene of it to the epilogue.

I got news and crap in the bottom A/N, so make sure you catch it. Special shout out to Krinos Bara, Angelic Fluffle, greydragon987, misher, Lyasa, MastermindKakashi, Le-awesome-me, NotSilentAnymore, HimekoUchia, Isuckatreviewing, and sharkpedofromverpets for reviewing the previous chapter. I read and cherished them all through my three month long hiatus.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Summary: -

Warnings: Foul language, some violence and gore.

---

~Chapter 14~

The Fangirl's Ascension

"Flirting with madness was one thing; when madness started flirting back, it was time to call the whole thing off."

-Rohinton Mistry, Indian-born Canadian Writer

---

The Fangirl: Saturday

"Get out of here!" The brother at my side screamed. Sweat gleamed on his forehead. "Go now before-"

"Are you alright?" Jerry's feet pounded down the stairs as he dashed to our sides. Somehow, the worry lay upon his face made the thumping of my heart calm to an even level. I took deep breaths, unlacing Larry's arm from around my shoulders. Larry immediately stumbled forwards, at first looking as though he was going to hug Jerry before pulling the twin behind him. The unbroken arm extended in front of us like a protective wall. My tongue lay dead in my mouth as he narrowed his already sharp eyes, looking ready to murder the three men invading our home.

Jerry nudged my shoulder, his hair seeming to spike up like a cat's in fear. "Sherry, what's going on?" he repeated, tugging on my shirt like a child. "Are we being robbed?"

"We don't want to rob you," Austria said from his place at the foyer. "All we want-""

"I didn't say you could talk!" Larry barked. I winced as his booming voice beat against my eardrums.

America rolled his eyes. "Do you really think you have any say right now?" he huffed. "There's three of us and one of you. Andyour arm is broken."

"Do you really think that's going to stop me from killing you all?" he demanded. His seething air pressed painfully against my skin. I couldn't let him continue on like this, especially when all this was my fault. My fault for letting myself get sucked into Hetalia.My fault for not realizing Larry had gone there sooner. Completely my fault.

Hesitantly, as if the wrong move would cause the ground around me to collapse, I placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, tensing like a feral animal ready to fight for its own survival. "It's two against three," I said.

Austria, Denmark, and America looked at me with disbelief. I think they knew how squeamish I was. I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow knew that I broke down the last time I was in Hetalia.But their incredulous glances were not what unnerved me.

Larry was the one who turned his glare on me, eyes blazing as he jerked his head back towards me. "No, it's not," he growled. "Sherry, you don't know what's going on here-"

"Yes I do!" He blinked, his fierce expression breaking away. A swell of emotions pressed rose in my chest as my mouth started working on its own accord. "I've been in Hetalia,Lar! It's a real place and I've been there." Something cracked on his face. It was an emotion of some sort, one that I could not identify but seemed to sew him together nonetheless. But those threads were snapping with every word I said, tearing him apart at the seams.

A lump formed on my throat. I wanted to hate myself for yelling at him, for destroying his false sense of reality, but I couldn't. The truth was that I was relieved. Six long years of compressing what had happened- pretending that it never happened, that none of it ever mattered to me-was over. Some part of me was free. Free because Larry had gone through the same shit as me.

It made me feel awful, but the levity far outweighed the guilt.

Sniffling away the remains of my tears, I felt my throat unclog. "I didn't think that you or anyone would believe me if I told them, so I kept it a secret. I didn't know that you went there too, at least not until now. I was there with Sadiq and Seychelles and Ari-"

"Stop lying to me!" Larry shouted. I clamped my mouth shut. Since when could he have glared at me like that? Like I was the villain? I wanted to slap it away, but his rising voice only made a new wave of tears prick the corners of my eyes. I felt them fall down my face in silent rivulets. "That tricked worked on me once, but it won't work on me again!"

"What trick?" I demanded.

"What the heck are you two talking about?" Jerry asked, hands tightening around my forearm.

Larry threw his hand into the air. "You know the trick, Agatha! Stop pretending to be Sherry and just tell me what you want. It's not going to work on me again!"

I gaped at him. "What the fuck are you going on about?" My brain shot back to Sadiq and the last words he ever said to me: Goodbye, Agatha.That name kept on popping up, but I couldn't piece together what it all meant. Was I Agatha? Was that what the universe was trying to tell me? If I was, then why would Larry hate me?

I pressed my lips. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know how I could ever help him, not when his chest was heaving with a kind of fury I had never seen. Larry was like a completely different person. This was all like a dream.

A small gasp left me as the idea settled in my head. I looked over his face again, met with his hateful sneer. "Do you think this is all just a dream?" I asked.

Larry's lips curled into a sneer. "What do you think?" he spat.

I grimaced. "I'll take it as a yes." I glanced at the kitchen, checking to make sure that the path was safe. I uncurled Jerry's hands from my arm and, well aware that everyone was staring at me, I walked to the island where I had left the pot of coffee. I found a mug in the cabinet and poured Larry a mug.

"What are you doing?" America asked, leaning against the staircase's railing. He blew a bored puff of air through his lips.

"You can't taste anything in dreams," I recited, returning to Larry's side. I held up the mug out towards him. "So if you can taste this, you'll know that I'm me and this is all real."

Larry glared at it, but I could tell that his stance was loosening. Behind the cracks of his visage I saw the brother who was amused that I had chosen the mug with little kittens painted on the sides—my Christmas gift to Dad from a few years back. It was still in pristine condition, Dad having never been home to use it. No one could remember if it had ever been used before. I brought it a little closer to his face. "You can't taste anything in dreams," I repeated.

He finally took it, a frown painting his face, and downed the whole cup. His eyes bulged when the bitter taste consumed his mouth to confirm that, yes, this was not a dream. Wincing, he handed me back the mug and dragged his sleeve over his mouth. He hissed when his broken arm bounced limply against his hip. He glared at his feet. "I bet you figured out a way to make me taste things here," he grumbled. His lips formed the slightest trace of a pout.

I felt a smile dawn on my face. "Now you're just being stubborn."

"Ahem." We looked at Austria as he coughed into his fist. "I'm sorry for interrupting the rather touching moment," he said, "but we really must get a move on."

Larry pushed me behind him again, but I didn't have the chance to object again. "What do you even want from us?" he barked.

Austria hardly blinked. "We want your help."

I scrunched my brows together. "Help?" I echoed as Larry tensed at the idea. "With what?"

Despite the stiffness of his refine shoulders, Austria shrugged. "I am not at liberty to explain."

Larry raised his knife a little higher. "Then who is?"

"I am."

Stella was at the door.

---

The Fangirl: The Room

I took my hand off the white table.

Sayaka was on the ground with Larry, clad in the same white suit that covered my body. Her hair was black bursting with color, her skin the same shade as the walls. I could feel how shaken my brother was—his instability vibrated through the air and grated along the skin of my arms. I knew that I should be rushing to his side for support, if only to make sure that he didn't do anything rash, but I couldn't unplug my feet from the ground. Not when Bella was before me, not when she stood across from me, face elegant in all white. Blond hair was piled on the top of her head, the wisps that fought free resembled a halo.

She was as beautiful as I remembered, though she had tanned in the sun. I remembered her telling me that she still played soccer at Oxford and I wondered how she was able to tan when England was known for being overcast all day, every day. That puzzle was easy to think about—logically, Bella would have a tan since she was such an athlete. Logically, one could not tan when there was no sun. You could use logic to solve the riddle, as long as you showed your work. A third of a point will be deducted for every wrong answer. You have three tries to get it right. Complete in thirty minutes.

I could do that. I could have stood there with hands shielding my gaping mouth all day. I could have spent days just standing and thinking. But instead, I had a different riddle—illogically, Bella was standing before me in the Room. Illogically, she has been Hidekaz the entire time, tricking me the entire time. Try to use logic to solve this riddle, but you will find that you can't. Logic cannot solve lunacy. Some puzzles were meant to remain unsolved and resting in the very box you first brought it home in. Those are the puzzles in which you look at the front picture and dream of piecing together, only to forget it in the back of the closet.

I combed through every memory I had of her, hoping that one of them was an explanation. Bella had to have dropped me some sort of hint, some kind of nudge and wink. Bella Moon was my best friend. If she was some sort of all powerful being with the ability to tear my life apart with the snap of the fingers, then she would have told me. That's what friends do.

Unless she was never my friend in the first place.

"I have no idea who the hell that is," Sadiq muttered, his voice somehow squeezing through the cracks of my concentration. A couple of others muttered their agreements, but I couldn't focus on anything they said.

Bella Moon could have been nothing but a cheap ploy to drag me and my brothers into this mess of a world. She could have been a mask that Hidekaz wore to trick us all to further his plans. This entire time he could have been playing me for the idiot I am. But I couldn't think of a reason why he would go through so much trouble just for Larry, Jerry and I. We were three young adults. I worked in animation and they were newly graduated from high school. There was never some kind of prophecy prescribed to us at birth, dooming us to be the pawns of his plans. All I was and all I ever will be is just some girl who watched an anime, liked a pairing, and hated the wrong character. What was so wrong with that?

"How?" I whipped my head towards Larry again, just in time to see him push Sayaka away like she was poison. She made no attempts to retaliate, only sat in silence as his composure cracked away bit by bit. "I-i-i… how?" He shook his head. "How—this isn't funny, Himaruya!" I winced as his voice rose to a shout. "Stop pretending to be her! Face me like a man, damn it!"

Sayaka's face remained ever stoic, but something in her expression softened. "I'm not pretending," she said, gentle. She reached out a hand.

Larry stared at it with wide eyes. He made an inhuman noise before slapping it away. "Stop it! It's not funny! None of this is funny!"

"No one's laughing," she said.

Something in my head must have been tuned to Sadiq's voice since it once again summoned my attention back to my ensemble of Hetalia friends. "Seriously, what the flying fuck is going on?" he shouted, throwing his arms through the air. Antonio passed him an annoyed look as Seychelles and Ari struggled to restrain his hands. I scanned the rest of their faces. Everyone from Lars to Liechtenstein to France had thick, confused creases carved into their foreheads. England and Antonio were the only ones who looked unswayed by the turn of events.

Of course Denmark, America, and Austria had various levels of interest for our newfound predicament—anywhere from eager concern to disinterested annoyance. They were Himaruya's henchmen, so I guessed that Himaruya must have told them the truth.

I finally looked at Jerry.

He had started rising to his feet when Larry pulled that trick, but paused midway. He stayed like that now, bent at the middle as he switched his gaze between Larry and I. Of course he looked concerned for Larry's breakdown, but there was something mixed in there. In the swirl of emotions filling his blue irises was guilt. Massive guilt. As if he knew.

I swore.

He knew. He knew it all along.

I unhinged my jaw, about to ask him how when Larry cried out, "Stop messing with me!" I shot back to him, to find him still on the ground. His head shaking was on max now, his glasses ready to fly off his nose. Slowly, he crawled away from her as his tone grew more frantic. "I get that you're trying to fuck me up, but this isn't funny! Stop being Sayaka!"

I watched Sayaka press her lips. "I'm not lying, Larry," she said, almost pleading. "Don't you remember what happened at your house? I explained everything. Don't you remember?"

"No!"

"Please try."

I found my hand locking onto the back of my chair, gripping it tightly and my mind tuned away from this place.

---

Larry gaped at Stella for a long moment, not quite comprehending her words. I couldn't understand what she meant either, but I didn't have enough time to feel the pounding in my chest or the growing feeling of unease dripping down my back. Larry left our side, dashing across the living room to the girl at the doorway. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, switching his knife to the hand of his bad arm before cupping the sides of her face. His touch was tender, as though her cheeks were as fragile as glass. It was hard to believe that seconds earlier he had been bulwarking Jerry and me from America and the rest. "Go home, right now."

For a brief moment, I wondered how I was supposed to protect Jerry from a big strong guy like America. I may have been boasting about how tough I was seconds ago, but there was no way a noodle-armed girl like me was going to be able to go up against a weight lifter like him. Jerry seemed to be thinking along the same lines, though he apparently was not all that worried about the whole 'America is canonly the strongest nation' thing. I didn't even think he believed this all himself, not when he took Larry's place in standing before me with his arms stretched out.

Poor kid had no idea what he was going to get himself into, but I had no chance of warning him.

No, Larry's voice was cutting through the uncomfortably tense air of my house.

"Look, I know that this all looks bad, Sayaka, but I need you to leave right now. Pretend you never saw any of this. I'll call you when this is all over, but for now I need you to go home—"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Larry, you aren't listening to me," she said.

"No, you're not listening to me," he returned. He glanced over his shoulder, making sure America was still at the staircase and Denmark and Austria were still on opposite sides of the room. "It's dangerous. I don't know why you're here right now—"

"Well, first off you called me and asked if we could hang out." She seemed ready to roll her eyes again, but her infinite amount of patience helped her restrain herself. "Secondly, I need to explain to you what's actually going on here…"

He hushed her. "You don't know what's going on," he insisted. "I swear that'll tell you everything later. Just trust me."

Stella placed her hand over the hand he held on her cheek. "I need you to trust me then," she stated. When he began to open his mouth again, she silenced him with a hard look. "Trust and listen to me for once in your life, Larry."

He pressed his lips, hesitant. A part of him seemed lost, as though he knew what she was about to say next but didn't want to admit it to himself. Hell, I didn't want to face the truth either. She had said that she was Himaruya, but maybe all of that was just her being caught up in the moment. I just didn't want to acknowledge the possibility. I wanted to close my eyes and fall asleep on the couch again and pretend that all of this never happened. I wanted to wake up to be fifteen years old and ignorant to the existence of an actual Hetalia.

Stella's look somehow harden, but not with anything malicious or hateful. A cold sense of seriousness was plastered across her features, one so full of certainty that I could feel it prick hair on my arms from the other side of the room. "I am Himaruya," she said.

I felt something within me shatter.

Larry started to open his mouth, but she placed a finger on his lips. "You need to let me finish," she said. He dared to glare at her. Stella frowned, conviction strengthening. "Yes, I am Himaruya. Yes, I have been tricking you behind your back for a long time but it's for a good reason."

He shook his head. "I don't believe it—"

"Well you better believe it, Larry," America interjected. He leaned against the staircase rails, arms draped over the edge like fine silk. "Your girlfriend is no other than the master of our fine universe!"

"I don't need you to help me, Bud," Stella snapped, sounding too much like his mother.

He held his hands up in the air in defeat. "Yeesh. Sorry, Hima-pops."

She didn't reply, leaving Austria to send him the disapproving look. "Don't call her that," he scolded, hands held behind his back like the priss he was. "Would you please stop being so rude all of the time?"

America shrugged. "Not possible. I don't got no manners in me, right Mathias?"

Denmark nodded eagerly. "He's completely barbaric."

"Absolutely atrocious."

"You really must treat him better, Erwin—"

"Would you two shut up!" Larry's voice seemed to rattle every window in the house, scraping against the walls of my ear drums. He twisted around to glare at the two blonds, face red with fury. I heard Jerry take a sharp breath, watching with anticipation as Stella's small glare cut into Larry's back. My own blood ran hot at the sight, though I wasn't sure if it was from Larry's outburst or the fact that Stella was even in the room. "Would everyone please stop playing this joke on me?" he demanded, a sneer curling his lips. "I get it—you have to trick me with all of this bullshit. I don't give a shit anymore, just start telling me the truth. What's really going on here?"

Stella reached out a hand. "Larry—"

He jerked around, the knife somehow switching to his good hand and lodging itself in the spot under her chin. Stella paused, but didn't even bother to flinch, not even when the blade hovered a hair's width above the surface of her skin. Jerry's shoulders tensed as she gave Larry a disappointed look. "I can explain," she said, too even for the situation at hand. "You just have to calm down and let me."

"Tell me right now," he spat.

Her eyes flickered to the nearby couch. "You might want to take a seat," she said. "It's a long story and it's a shocking one."

He didn't move.

Jerry looked between their standoff, the taut bodies of the three countries, and myself. His eyes were large with worry, yet no amount of hesitance showed on his face when he said, "I can make pancakes."

---

My hand slipped from the back of my chair.

I blinked a few times, feeling my vision jolt back into focus as a roaring noise stuck my ears. "I need to remember anything!" That was Larry, screaming at the top of his lungs as he held out his knife. For a moment, I believed myself to be back at my living room witnessing Sayaka's reveal at the front door. But the whiteness consuming my sight was not from unadjusted eyes but the colorless walls at each of my sides. Larry was an orange figure standing stark against it. The blood staining his shirt and pants only made the contrast more noticeable. My stomach churned, but I couldn't linger too long on it. Not with Larry screaming like a maniac. "You've done nothing but lie to me! Why should I believe anything you tell me?" Tears slipped down the sides of his cheeks.

I gaped at him, unsure of what to say or do. Why was he crying? Larry was the kind of guy who yelled when he was upset, not cry. The only times I had ever seen him cry was when Grandpa Harry died.

For a moment, I let myself believe that what Larry had been screaming was nothing but an act. He did remember everything Sayaka had told us that day. He was starting to remember everything, he just didn't want to believe it.

"You tricked me," Larry said, stuck somewhere between a scream and a sob. "Why you? Why, out of everyone in the whole fucking universe, did it have to be you? I thought I…" He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.

Sayaka held up her hands. "Do you remember everything?"

He didn't say anything, but something in the hopelessness gleaming in his eyes told me he did.

I frowned. Flashes of the past were coming back to me, but not everything. I felt as though it was at the tips of my fingers, hovering right in my reach if I only knew how to grasp it. He might have remembered the moment he laid eyes on Sayaka, but I was still behind. Why? Every other time I had a flashback it was because I saw my actual reflection. What was I supposed to do now that I was in my own body? Touch Seychelles's reflection?

"He finally remembers!" Bella exclaimed from somewhere behind me. I saw her mirror image, the one in the wall across from me, throw her hands into the air. "Hallelujah!"

I stared at the reflective wall for a moment longer before it dawned on me. Everything that I had to remember was right at the tips of my fingers, literally. I looked down at the chair and table and saw myself staring back. I had been touching my own reflection without realizing it. That was why I had only been getting itty bits and pieces. I reached for the edge of my chair again. I only needed to touch it long enough to get the full story…

"What do you even want from me now?" he asked. "You got your man already—" He gestured towards Jerry, causing his twin to flinch with guilt. "—you were supposed to leave Sherry and I alone! Why did you bring us here?"

Sayaka shook her head. "I didn't bring you here."

"Then who did?"

Bella coughed, raising a hand into the air. "That was all completely my fault," she said with a shit-eating smile. Larry glared at her, though she hardly seemed fazed. A vibrant look covered his face as she stepped back towards Antonio, never faltering as she wrapped her strong arm around his shoulders. "Antonio and I agreed that my darling sister had to uphold her end of the bargain." I searched for any sign of guilt on the Spaniard's face. I only saw his eyes shift with discomfort. "I mean—we did agree to having the fangirl, the fanboy, and the hater be one of the judges. Right, Fandom?"

Sayaka ground her teeth. "Right."

Bella hummed a happy note. "So I think we should get started with that whole final selection thing we talked about and get everything over with already." She huffed as she fanned herself in that completely melodramatic way that was so Bella. "Seriously, this took more time than I thought it would."

I stared at my best friend, trying to figure out what the flying fuck she was going on about? Fangirls and fanboys? Final selections? Was she even speaking English anymore? Yet—besides the puzzled faces of Sadiq, Ari, and Lars—everyone else seemed to understand. The very mention of the final selection made Sayaka edgy, but she was quick to hide it behind a cool visage. Releasing a deep sigh, she let her shoulders fall. "Fine. I guess you're right about something." She turned back towards Larry, watching him tense in the anticipation of an attack. "But we can't do anything until I'm completely myself again." She held out her hand, asking, "May I have my glasses back, please?"

He gaped at her, uncomprehending for a long moment. He lifted a shaky hand up to his face, patting the frames of his glasses.

His mouth tightened into a snarl. "No!"

"Just give him the darn thing already," Bella said, earning another refusal.

Sayaka sighed. "Larry, please don't do this—"

"If you get these, you win," he shouted. He found his knife again, pointing the sharp tip at her. "And I'm not going to let you win."

She pressed her lips as if there was an argument inside her head. She seemed to listen to it for a breath's length of time before simply shaking them away. "Bud—" America's head shot towards her, eager like a well-trained puppy. "—please get those glasses for me. And please don't hurt my boyfriend."

Larry frowned. "I'm not your—" His words turned into a yelp as he rolled away from America's reach. Swearing, he scrambled to his feet, careful to keep the fated glasses on his nose while holding himself in a fighting stance. "I'm not going to give them to you without a fight," Larry spat.

America raised his fists like a boxer, bouncing his weight from foot to foot. "Don't be dumb, man," he replied. "Just because Hima-pops said to not hurt you doesn't mean I can't get them from you."

Larry grinned, about to give some snappy reply when a new shout echoed through the room. I turned my head just in time to see Antonio recoil from Seychelles's expert punch. He stumbled away from Bella, giving Liechtenstein the opportunity to kick the girl square in the gut. Bella fell to the ground, yelping as her hands scrapped against the smooth floors.

Liechtenstein went in for another strike right as Antonio recovered and grabbed Seychelles. He threw the girl into her blond friend like a rag doll, sending both tumbling to the ground. "Seychelles!" I screamed, feeling a wave a panic crash over me.

Antonio dusted his hands, looking satisfied until Sadiq dashed right towards him. Antonio's arm stretched behind him, fingers spread as the handle of his large axe appeared out of mid-air. He swung it at Sadiq and the Turk jumped over the blade with no problem. When he landed, he ran past Antonio and to the one girl standing with no defenses.

Sayaka had less than a second to realize what was happening before Sadiq grabbed the collar of her suit. She squeaked, fingers clawing at his grip as he lifted her into the air. "I can't believe I used to be afraid of you," he sneered. "You're just a little kid."

I stared at Sadiq, horrified, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. I was used to seeing some trace of regret or worry in his face. That was who Sadiq was—a man covered with spikes yet filled with kindness. Sadiq is supposed to be a good person. That was what I had to learn about him, it was part of my character arc—not everyone was what they seemed. Sadiq was not as cruel as he seemed.

And yet.

And yet his eyes blazed with cold fury, like he was the unstoppable hurricane bearing disaster onto the city. The creases around his eyes were not worry lines, but war scars. His hands were wrapped around Sayaka's neck and he looked like he could snap it easily. The glint in his eyes told me he wanted to, that it was what he was about to do.

I opened my mouth, ready to shout for him to stop when a white hand ripped Sayaka from his grasp. She fell to the ground, coughing as America stepped between her and her attacker. "If you want my dad, you're going to have to go through me first!" he shouted.

Sayaka rubbed her hand over her neck, switching her gaze towards Larry. He stood dumb in his spot, his eyes flickering between each of the new fights breaking out amongst us. Distracted, he made no effort to hide the confusion and fright on his face. A pang of pity pierced my chest. The tremors inflicting his legs were not from anger, but from fear. My baby brother was terrified. However, the instant he saw Sayaka's gaze on him, he hid behind a scowl. Her frown thickened. "Erwin, get my glasses," she ordered, never breaking eye contact. She watched Larry's eyes widen as he returned to his fighting stance, blade now aimed at the slowly approaching Austrian.

Larry's eyes suddenly shifted towards Sayaka. A baleful look overcame his face as he suddenly threw his knife. She gasped as a bleeding line appeared on her cheek. The knife embedded itself into the ground. I covered my mouth, the beating of my heart consuming my ears. Did Larry really just turn on Sayaka? I knew why he did, but to see him actually do it…

"Larry, are you nuts?" Jerry demanded as he shot from his post at the table. Erwin and Larry were just starting their fist fight when Jerry joined them, trying to broker peace between the two. I heard him insisting that everything could be solved without violence, but no one listened to him.

"Sherry, get under the table!" Ari's sure hand clamped onto my shoulder right as Larry struck Jerry in the face. I felt a cry rise up my throat as Ari pulled me onto my knees, drawing me under the table's protection. "Are you alright?" Ari asked. "Does your chest still hurt?"

I swallowed. I was a player, not a pawn. I had to keep it together if I wanted to get Larry and Jerry out of here fine.

But they aren't going to be fine after this, a voice in my head chimed.

I told it to stop being such a wimp before ripping my eyes from my brothers. "No, it's fine now," I said, speaking with shallow breaths. When I turned to look at Ari's worried face, I noticed that Lars and Denmark were huddled under the table with us. They held their bony knees to their chest, the two giants trying to take up less space for us smaller folks. Yet, they took up so much space that Prussia had to kneel next to me in the open. His red eyes blazed with confusion combined with the conviction to stop the violence unfolding before him. I admired it, yet could not help but to ask "What are you three doing here?"

Denmark flashed a grin. "We're in the same boat here," he said.

"All I wanted is for Mathias to be safe," Lars continued. "And since he is, I don't need to take a stance in either fight."

Mathias bobbed his head eagerly. "And I only did all of this to keep Lars alive, and since he is…"

"And I have no idea what the hell is going on," Prussia said. He bit his thin lips, wincing at a fight. "But if it's going to end things on my terms, then I'm all for it."

Ari nodded. "Good, we can use the help."

"Help with what?" I asked.

Ari looked back at the fights. America and Sadiq were steadily getting more violent, the blond throwing my friend against the wall with a sickening thud. Seychelles and Liechtenstein were doing tag-team, taking turns going against Bella and her Spanish minion. Larry was still able to keep his glasses from Austria's reach while Jerry stay on the ground, still shocked that his brother actually hit him again.

An emptiness consumed my gut. Larry seemed like he had been getting better. He seemed like he regretted being such a jerk to Jerry for all these years. He was doing so well, but now he was back where he started: bitter and full of rage. All because his girlfriend was Himaruya. Did she really mean so much to him, or did Jerry mean less to him than any of us realized? Did Larry know how valueless Jerry really was in his life, or did he not see what he was doing right now?

Ari's voice broke through my thoughts. "Do you remember how I got involved in all of this?" he asked me. I nodded even though I didn't. Luckily, he explained it to Denmark and Lars. "Back at the school, in one of the time loops Sherry had going on there, Himaruya tweaked with my head. He technically didn't do much, but I remember hearing a female voice during it."

"I heard the same kind of thing too when Himaruya was in control," Prussia said.

I made a sound of realization. "Sayaka. Why didn't you tell anybody?" I asked.

Ari shrugged. "I learned a long time ago to never reveal how much you actually know."

A crease dug into the space between Lars's brows. "And I'm going to guess right now that you faked that panic attack earlier," he said.

The Icelandic teen couldn't resist a smug look. "Yup."

Lars continued to frown as he pulled a new cigarette from his pocket. "Something tells me you had this all figured out long ago," he said, searching for his lighter.

"I've had a few months to think this over. Plus, everyone conveniently forgot about my head being tweaked in the first place, so no one suspected anything."

Denmark nodded, blue eyes large with wonder. "Amazing," he breathed. "Norge would be proud of you, little man." Ari scowled, but he didn't seem to notice. "Do you have a plan?"

Ari dropped his anger as he thought it over for a moment. England shouted something incoherent, but none of us turned around to see what was wrong. "I think I do, but I need to know for sure what the deal between Himaruya, Hidekaz—whatever their names really are—before I can know for sure."

Denmark shrugged. "I'm actually not sure what's the dealio is," he said. "Himaruya was careful to keep me in the dark. If Jerry ever brought it up, Himaruya would find a way to distract him."

"So Jerry and Larry both know what's going on?" Ari looked at me. "And what about you?" he asked.

All three pairs of eyes trained on me, hopeful for my answer. Sweat pricked the back of my neck. I suddenly felt more uncomfortable in this stupid white suit than normal. "I think I do, but it's kind of locked away in my memories right now and I could remember it if I wanted, I just haven't gotten the chance to flashback with all of this shit going down…"

"We'll protect you," Lars said. "Just go ahead and do it." Ari nodded his agreement as Denmark exclaimed his.

Only Prussia gave a different response. "Make sure you figure out what the hell that selection thing is," he said. "I don't know what it is, but it sounds really unawesome."

Biting my lip, I looked down at my reflection on the ground. I looked like a mess: my hair was frizzed in every which direction while dark shadows dusted the space beneath my eyes. Still, I pressed my hands onto my reflection and felt myself fall away from this reality and into my past…

---

Somehow, we were at the table. We three Sues huddled at one end, three plates of blueberry pancakes before us. On the opposite end sat Stella, America, Austria, and Denmark. America and Denmark were the only ones eating with any real enthusiasm. They cut away at their stack, adding more to their mouthfuls as they begged Jerry to make more. Austria ate more respectively, though the look in his eye told me that he was only doing it to be polite. Jerry ate because he had nothing else to do with his hands.

I poked my fork at the fluffy saucers, wishing I could just push my food to the two blonds with appetites. I wasn't hungry, but I didn't feel full either. I was numbed, unable to think properly with my brother's girlfriend sitting across from me, looking at me with respectful eyes. Something about her lack of malice made me want to scream. All of this would be so much easier to deal with if she had an ounce of evil within her. But she was Sayaka "Stella" Hoshi, the girl my brother fawned over for over three years. She was a part of the family, even more so than Dad. I couldn't believe she was at the center of this all.

Larry seemed like he was having a better time dealing with this than I was. His face was drawn as he chewed the pancakes mechanically, as if to prove that he was less scared than he really was. He sat between Jerry and I like a mother hen, ready to spring to either of our aides if any of Stella's henchmen even so much as looked at us wrong. If it came down to that, I couldn't hope for too much protection. I sat on the side with the broken arm and had to be careful to not so much as breathe on it wrongly. I vaguely wondered if I should get him to the hospital, else he might damage it even more. Hell, he might faint from blood loss. His eyes were distant enough to fool me into thinking he was about to keel over dead at any second.

Stella's fork awkwardly poked at her meal, despite not having taken as much as a bite of it. She anxiously shifted in her chair, observing Larry with careful eyes. When their gazes met, she coughed and finally spoke. "So… what do you want to know?"

Larry's mouth tightened. "Everything."

She sighed. "That's a lot…" she waited for him to show any sign of mercy, but when he only continued to glare, she sat a little straighter in her seat. Looking all business, she folded her hands on her lap. "Then I guess we'll start at the beginning," she said. "I am the human personification of the Hetalia fandom. Bella is the personification of the Hetalia canon."

I nearly choked. "My Bella?"

She gave me a solemn nod. "My step-sister. Truth be told, all three of you are meant to be personifications. Sherry, you are the insane fangirl." Her words shook inside of me, causing me to open and close my mouth like an idiot.

I was a what? A personification? And not just any personification, but of the insane fangirl? My hands wormed their way into my curls. I pulled at my hair, anchoring my elbows in the table as I tried to process it. I couldn't believe it. I was not a personification. Things like that only happen in lame self-interest fanfiction. I was completely, utterly, unimpressively normal.

Yet, there was Stella, nodding at Jerry as she continued her stupid explanation. Sayaka nodded at Jerry. "And you are the less impulsive, sane fan: the fanboy."

His eyes widen. "But how?" he started to ask. He was ignored.

"And Larry-" My brother raised his chin, bracing himself for the blow about to come. Stella hesitated for a sliver of a second, but whatever thought she had out of her head disappeared and she pressed onwards. "You are the hater. The flamer. Everything anti-Hetalia."

I watched his face carefully, waiting to see the same unnerved feeling that plagued Jerry and I strike him. But he remained steady, only frowning a bit more when he took a calculated bite of his pancakes. He chewed slowly, long enough for America to grumble about wasting time, before finally swallowing. "I didn't sign up for that," he said, skeptical, as if to dare Stella to prove it. "I don't think any of us did."

"You never had the choice," Stella replied. "None of us do. This entire universe is just some strange writer's satirical interpretation of what goes on in the Hetalia fandom—"

What.

"Hold it!" I hadn't realized that I was the one shouting until I bolted to my feet, my chair screeching on the wood floor as my butt pushed it away. "Are you telling me that this is nothing more than some weirdo's fanfiction?" I demanded. "You have to be shitting me!"

Larry jumped to his feet as well, banging his hand on the table top. "Tell me the truth, Sayaka—what is going on here?" he shouted.

"Don't talk to my father like that," Austria snapped. He looked ready to say more, but Stella shot him a scolding glare.

"I'm not lying," Stella said, calm.

I could practically see the same flames burning my bones jump off Larry's skin. "Do you think I'm an idiot?" he screamed. "There's no way my entire life has been nothing more than a freaking fanfiction!"

"I'm not trying to invalidate your existence." She almost sounded like she was pleading, but whatever emotion wormed its way into her voice was hidden behind her stoic face. "The lives you all have lived so far are as real as anyone's. Everybody in both this world and the Hetalia world has free will and has lived lives completely independent to what's going on right here."

"Then what are you trying to tell me?"

Stella—no, Sayaka—took a deep breath. "I'm trying to say that you three are different. Your lives have strings attached to them, just like Bella and I. The five of us were meant to come together the way we have. Sherry, you were meant to be Bella's best friend. Larry, you and I were meant to fall in love with each other." Larry's hand turned into a fist. "And Jerry has always meant to be nothing more than an acquaintance of me and my sister. It's the way this world works."

His knuckles were white with pressure now. I watched the tremors creep up his arm before trickling down the length of his body like water. I didn't understand how he could have been filled to the brim with anger while all of my anger was draining away into empty shock. I didn't know what to think or say. I was dumb and could only open and close my mouth like a hungry goldfish. My lips only sealed back together when an unhuman growl leaked from Larry's throat. "So nothing we had was real?"

Sayaka shook her head. "Far from it. It's the most real thing on this planet."

"But if you're Himaruya, then you've had to have hated me back there. You've threaten my life—my siblings' lives—and you love me? You hate me, Sayaka. You've hurt me so many times—"

"I'm an actress, Larry. All of that was just me putting on an act. I had to play the role if I was going to win. It was just acting."

He bowed his head, allowing his bangs to hide his face. From my angle, I saw a line of tears start from the corner of his eyes and bleed down the side of his cheek. He sniffled. "You're an actress," he said. "You could have been pretending to love me."

Sayaka was silent.

I didn't know what that was supposed to mean.

Jerry cleared his throat. Every pair of eyes trained on him, thankful for him to break the uneasy air. He fidgeted under our gazes, fingering his silverware on the table. He cleared his throat again. "But what does this have to do with you people attacking us and invading our house?" he asked.

I breathed a sigh of relief. Feeling myself ease back into my chair, I tried not to notice the way Larry slinked into the spot next to me, but his quivering form was shaking the table like an earthquake. Austria shot him a dirty look until Denmark ended it with an elbow to the gut.

Sayaka pressed her lips, pulling her thoughts together. "The Canon—Bella—and I have not been on good terms as of late. There's a balance that has to be maintained between her and me—the balance of fandom and canon. She's too oppressive and insists that my presence has caused the entire Hetalia universe to lose all of its rules. I don't want to say that she's right, but allowing her back in even the slightest could lead not only to hundreds of years of personal histories to be rewritten and the potential loss of free will, but also the breaking of thousands of friendships and romances."

My eyes widened as my brain connect two and two together. "That's why there's so many crack pairings," I said.

I saw the smallest of smiles twitch the corner of her lips. "That's right. Bella wants to get rid of all of them and restore the universe back to the default. I need to prevent that, but she insists that everyone would like it better if she was in control, not me. So we made a deal. Fifteen Hetalia characters plus the three of you will decide which of us is better."

Fifteen Hetalia characters? I tried counting in my head the countries I had befriended, but only Seychelles and Sadiq seemed like they could be a part of all of this. They were the only ones that made contracts with Himaruya… Sayaka. Bile rose up my throat.

They made contracts with Sayaka.

I eyed Larry, trying to see some ounce of emotion from behind his curtain of hair. If he fell into Hetalia as well, then maybe there were others who made deals. Hell, maybe a few made contracts with Bella instead of the girl sitting across from me. The girl's hands stayed perfectly folded on her lap as she continued, "We gave each other six years to get people to switch to our side." She looked down. "Obviously, things got nasty very quickly."

"That's the understatement of the century," Larry scoffed. His voice was so small that I almost couldn't believe that he was the one who said it.

"I didn't mean for everything to happen this way," she said, pleading. "Please believe me."

He raised his face high enough to show the dangerous glint in his eyes. I felt myself inching away. I only ever saw that glint when he was beyond furious, when he was teetering on the edge of composure and outright war. "You're the Fandom," he sneered. "Even if this is all true, you have a bias. You're probably just trying to make yourself sound better just to get the three of us on your side."

"Do you want everyone's freedoms to be taken away?" she demanded. "You need to be on my side if you value free will!"

"I do value it!" Larry was back to shouting, but his need to cry made his voice cracked. Every word, every slight movement of his mouth seemed to hurt him, but he gritted his teeth and forced himself to talk. "Nothing in my life has been predetermined by fate, or whatever the frack you called it. I'm not your representation. I have free will. And I will never join you. Not you, not your sister, not anyone. I'm out."

A broken expression broke through Sayaka's stoicism, but it was quickly hidden behind a new emotionless mask. Her hands shook as she strained to maintain her composure. "I get it. You're mad and confused. If you ever change your mind, you can always join me." She turned her focus on me. "Sherry?"

I gawked at her, unsure why she was addressing me. Then I noticed how her three henchmen were giving me expecting looks as well, and I realized that she wanted my stance. I fumbled with my words. I still didn't know what to think about this, not when everything inside of me seemed to be numbed. I wanted to ask her why she did all the things she did—tying me up in the bell tower, taking over Estonia's body, harassing Sadiq—but when I opened my mouth, Larry cut me off. "Sherry's staying here with me." His good hand found mine under the table and he gave it a firm squeeze.

I felt myself relax. He was right—I could never go back to Hetalia, not when life was finally starting to go my way. I was going to intern with Disney. After that, the whole world of animation will be at the tips of my fingers. I couldn't throw it all away, risk becoming more of an emotional wreck than I already was, just for some cause I could hardly comprehend.

"I'll go." I jumped in my seat, gasping as I looked at Jerry. His brows were stitched together as he gave Sayaka a determined look. For a long moment, no one moved. None of us could believe he, out of every person in the universe, was willing to go into Hetalia.

"No you're not." Larry stood and, taking his good hand from mine, squeezed Jerry's shoulder. "Look, you don't know what you're getting yourself into. Stay here where it's safe."

"I don't need protection," Jerry said. I didn't know what I was expecting, but the coolness of his tone was not it. "They need help, Larry, and I don't mind doing it. I can handle it." I stared at him, trying to remember if I had ever known him to be so determined to do anything. A whipped dog like him shouldn't be capable of such resolve.

Larry blew a puff of air through his nose, but managed to quell his anger nonetheless. "This isn't about you needing protection," he snapped. "It's about you making stupid-ass decisions. Trust me—I've been there before. I know what it's like to want to change something. But I've been to Hetalia. I know what it's like. It's terrible. It'll ruin you, Jerry. If you go, you'll come home as screwed up as Sherry and I. Right, Sher?"

All eyes trained on me and I felt sweat prick the back of my neck. I saw a desperate glint cross Jerry's eyes, begging me to take his side in this. I was tempted to tell him to go off with Sayaka, but my more sensible side plunged me back to reality. I remembered that for every great time I had wandering the grand halls of Gauken Hetalia, I was faced with a danger that scarred me forever. I would never give up my days with Sadiq and Ari and Seychelles for the world, but—as their smiling portraits on my bedroom wall reminded me—I wanted nothing more than to forget about them. Erase them from my brain and maybe, just maybe, I could forget about that showdown in the Room. The blood licking Sadiq's skin, the screams Seychelles tried to protect me from. I would give up everything just to never be plagued by nightmares ever again.

And Jerry? I didn't want that for him.

I didn't want to always be looking over his shoulder, praying that no one can smell the damage on your back. I didn't want him to join our little midnight club, armed with a cooking manual and a silent understanding to never talk about what's wrong. I didn't want to return home someday and realized that the shine in his eyes were gone, replaced with the worn visage of Sadiq Adnan.

I wanted him to stay him.

Closing my eyes, I nodded. "Please stay here." I didn't need to look to know that Jerry felt betrayed. I could feel his hurt look on my skin, nibbling through the layers like a bug.

"Don't let them dictate what you want to do." My eyelids shot open as I whipped an accusing glare at Sayaka. She balanced her head on her bent arm, looking slightly bored. All air left me. Before, she never looked like anything besides Larry's cute girlfriend. Now she couldn't look any more similar to Himaruya.

She was Himaruya. He was there in the slight curve of her lips, the high and mighty air buzzing around her head, the untouchable quality of her skin. Every ounce of warmth drained down my body until it disappeared completely. I gripped the edge of the table, suffocating. I didn't want him here. I wanted him out. He had to get out out out out out out out out out out out out out out out out out out—

"If you want to join me," she said, "you can. I'll draw you up a contract right now. I'll even give you something in return. Name it and you'll have it."

"Shut up!" Larry's hand tightened until his knuckles were a dead shade of white. Jerry winced. "Listen to me. You don't want to do this, Jerry. Use your head for once in your life and refuse her offer. You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I promise I won't make you do anything you wouldn't want to do," Sayaka said.

"I said shut up!"

Jerry closed his eyes, trying to block out the noise. "I'll do it."

Larry slapped him with a deafening sound. His twin's head jerked back as a red spot appeared on his cheek and a smidge of blood at the corner of his nose. He didn't seem to notice. "No you won't! You're staying here!"

Jerry cradled his face in his hands. He strained to ignore his brother, giving Sayaka his hard glare. "If I do this, you have to promise to never ever bother Sherry and Jerry again. Leave them out of your whole Hetalia crap and let them live peaceful lives. Never talk or approach them again. Same goes to your companions."

Larry looked at Sayaka, his chest heaving with pants, waiting to see what she was going to say. Even America, Denmark, and Austria gave her curious looks as she tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You can't seriously be considering it," Austria said. "Do that and you'll leave them as open prey for the Canon."

"I know," she replied tersely.

"I don't think Hima-pops's got a choice," America said. "We need at least one of them on our side." He cracked a large grin. "Besides, Larry's bro seems pretty chill." He winked, never losing his Western charm. Denmark said something similar, flashing two thumbs up.

Sayaka clapped her hands together. "Alright," she announced. "I accept your terms, Jerry Sue." Larry tensed, simmering as she pulled a folded piece of paper from her shorts pocket. "Just sign this. Anyone have a pen?"

"You're not signing that," Larry growled, reaching for the contract. Jerry, being the Sue boy with two fully operational arms, easily held it out of his reach.

"I have one," Denmark said. His fingers dove into his gelled hair and pulled out a ballpoint pen. "Here." He tossed it at Jerry.

Jerry caught it and started to unfold his contract.

Larry grabbed his arm. "If you sign that, you're dead to me."

Everything froze.

Larry glared down at him, eyes narrowed, body shaking. He looked like he was either ready to explode or break down into pitiful tears. Truthfully, I didn't know which one would be worst. I didn't even know what to say to mitigate the growing tension between us. It was like we were all connected by a single string that was growing tauter by the breath. The wrong word would break the tie with no hopes of repair. The wrong step could bring Jerry home or send him away.

Jerry stared at his contract for a long moment. He took a deep breath. "Let go of me," he said, calm as ever. "I need to do this."

Larry didn't move.

"Please let go."

If anything, his grip seemed to tighten.

Jerry bit his lips. Without warning, he kicked out a leg, his heel striking Larry's broken arm. Larry screamed and released him, stumbling back as he placed a hand on the pained limb. I didn't remember what I started saying, but whatever it was, it died half-way as Jerry's final words reached my ears: "I don't need someone as toxic as you in my life anyways." I froze, feeling my whole world crash down around me as he signed his name at the bottom and slipped it back to Sayaka.

He never looked at his twin.

His twin? Laeey was fighting to stay standing, though with the chains of shock wrapped around him, he might not last any longer.

Sayaka smiled, deftly folding the contract and placing it back in her pocket. "Thank you, Jerry Sue. It's a pleasure to do business with you."

Jerry tried to smile but his mouth refused to work. His eyelids sagged downwards before finally closing his eyes. He suddenly fell forward, his forehead banging onto the table. I jumped to my feet, rushing to his side. I cupped both sides of his face, smacking his cheeks as I whispered, "C'mon Jerry, wake up."

He didn't. He was probably asleep before he even hit the table.

I knelt next to him, supporting his limp body on my shoulder. My hand found his back and I rubbed soothing circles into his spine. I wanted to whisper reassurances into his ear, remind him that I was right here for him, but my lips refused to work. Instead, I stayed dumbly at his side. Worry gnawed on my insides, but beyond that I felt nothing. I was afraid of breaking down and leaving alone Larry in the dust.

Larry.

He stood solid like a statue, caught in the misty grips of shock. I saw blood leak down the sides of his broken arm, pooling at the tips of his fingers before dripping onto the wood floors. He didn't seem to notice, but I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

"I think it's time me for us to make our exits now." I lifted my head, giving Sayaka a dirty look as she rose to her feet. America, Denmark, and Austria followed her lead, their chairs screeching against the floors as they stood. The Himaruya was gone from her face, yet I couldn't stop feeling his eternal coldness when she passed me a gentle smile. "And like I promised, I'll leave you two alone." Sayaka gave a graceful wave. "Goodbye. If I ever see you two again, may it be in the Hetalia universe."

I looked up at Larry, but he didn't seem like he was capable of answering, so I did the speaking for him. "Why there?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Jerry should learn to read the fine print."

Anger festered inside my chest, threatening to eat away my heart. She tricked him. After everything that has happened, she dared to leave a loophole? She dared to even think about tricking my little brother? "Get out of my house," I sneered, but they were doing that anyways.

One by one, they exited the way they came: through the front door. "See you around, Larry!" America called before finally disappearing through the doorway. He closed the door behind him, leaving us alone with a loud click.

For a long moment, no one moved.

"Fuck!" I flinched, expecting Larry to strike the nearest object. Instead, he collapsed into his chair, breaking into loud sobs. He hid his face behind his hand, shaking as he cursed himself for his stupidity.

I wanted to join him, but I knew that I had to be the one who kept everything together. Wasn't that the typical burden of the oldest child? Without a word, I lifted Jerry up and dragged him to the couch. I laid him down at the same place I had slept on barely an hour earlier. I fluffed his pillow, pulled off his sneakers, and did everything I could to make him more comfortable. I set to work clearing away our dishes.

I tried to ignore Larry's sobbing as I poured the left over coffee from the cat mug. The strong scent covered my hands, but when I placed them under my nose, they smelled like blood…

---

"Okay, I'm done with this!" My eyes shot open as the ground slipped away from my fingers. Surprised shouts filled the air as everything and everyone who was not Sayaka or Bella levitated into the air. I screamed, trying to find some sort of leverage as my back banged against the also floating table.

What the fuck was going on? What did I miss?

I jumped my eyes around the room, taking in the sight of fights ending with the loss of gravity. England held Seychelles's hand as they rose, both trying to anchor the other. Denmark smacked into the ceiling first, barely able to shout a warning before Lars crashed into him. I watched Prussia try to swim towards Liechtenstein—and she back to him—but ultimately float away from each other. Only the henchmen and their bosses stayed on the ground unaffected.

The table I was stuck under eventually reached the ceiling and I found my back pinned against the cold surface. I tried to push off it, but the force was stringer as gravity. Whatever I did sent me falling back onto the ceiling with no hopes of ever reaching the floor ever again. I couldn't even lift a leg without an invisible hand forcing it back down. A dead frog stapled to a middle schooler's dissection tray had more mobility than me. I craned my neck towards the ground, feeling pain lace the spinal joints as I saw Sayaka and Bella walking towards each other as their posse of Hetalia servants straightened their clothes and generally recovered from their fights. I watched them, waiting to see what they were going to do when I noticed movement at the corner of my eye.

I turned my head, surprised to see Ari's hands gripping the leg of the table as he pulled himself closer to me. Ari held its leg, pulling himself closer to me. "What did you see?" he shouted, barely rising above the racket.

Before I could answer, a new voice cut through the air. "Jerry!" A bruised and beaten Larry was floating towards the ceiling, grinding his teeth together as he stretched his hand out towards his twin. Jerry's arms flailed around as he tried to steady himself. "Come here!"

"I'm trying!" Jerry cried back as he spun in a circle. Larry frowned and kicked his legs, trying to swim closer.

Ari's hand touched my arm. "Sherry, I need to know what's going on now."

I forced my focus away from them, trying to piece together what my memories had told me. All of this was a stupid fight between Fandom and Canon, only this time there was going to be some sort of winner. A winner decided by us. "It's that popularity contest Hidekaz told us about," I explained. "Except it's not the entire population of the universe, just fifteen plus me and my bros. Whoever is more popular will rule over everything, which is really not good since they should be splitting the job and doing it together."

His oddly colored eyes stared at me for a long moment as he registered what I was saying. He frowned. "Was there ever a time they specifically agreed to this?" he asked.

Before I could answer, Larry's voice reached my ears again. "Stop!" My attention snapped away from him again, just in time to see Jerry, now united with his twin, rip the glasses from Larry's face. He tossed them down at Sayaka, who caught them easily enough. Larry snarled, pushing Jerry away from him. "Are you insane? Why the frack would you—" He turned towards Bella and Antonio as he smacked against the ceiling. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Get those away from her! Didn't you want to keep them away from her?"

Bella shrugged while a pained expression crossed Antonio's face. "Yeah, back when she needed to get people on her side," she said. "But now it's too late for her to do anything like that now."

Larry's mouth hanged off his face like a broken door. His near-sighted eyes stayed wide open as he tried to comprehend what he was being told. Jerry started spewing apologies—something about wanting things to end now—but he was ignored. I watched Larry swallow, knowing that he was reaching the same conclusion as everyone else: we were at the endgame now. There was no preventing it. Now the only thing we could do was wait for it to be over.

I pressed my lips. I wanted to go home and forget everything, but I couldn't leave everything in such a mess. I couldn't leave Sadiq and the rest behind to deal with whatever the outcome was going to be. If I was the fangirl, then I was going to be the good kind. Sayaka started ceremoniously putting back on her glasses, giving me enough time to turn back to Ari. "Please tell me your plan is going to work," I said.

"I think it will," he said, lifting the back of his head off the ceiling. "You're just going to need some help."

I felt my heart stop working. "Me?"

"Unless someone else has a watch like yours, you're the only one who can go back in time and make sure that all of this never happens."

"And unless I get energy from another person, I'm going to faint once I try to," I completed.

The smallest of smiles appeared on his face. "You're catching on," he said, sounding a little proud. "You'll have to figure out how to do that since I'm just about out of ideas. Go back in time and convince those two to not do all of this. Think you can do it?"

I really didn't. Knowing me, I would probably find a way to royally screw all of this up but I had no other choice. I had to be the one to convince two all-power goddesses to stop bickering and start agreeing. I gulped. This was going to be impossible for anyone to do, not just me. "We'll just have to see," I replied right as gravity returned back to normal.

We all fell to the ground, the air lashing around us as the mirror floor showed us our screaming faces.

But we never splattered.

Instead, an invisible force moved us like toys, arranging us around the room. I stretched my hand out, fingers spread in hopes of linking them with Ari's. He ground his teeth and reached out his arm. Somehow our hands found the other and, for a short moment, we were safe. Then the force ripped us away, sending Ari to the other side of the room and me to the ground. That invisible hand placed me on my feet gently. I felt myself lift a leg, ready to run back to his side, when Ari's sharp glare stopped me. Don't ruin the plan, he seemed to be telling me. I gulped, resigning myself to my task. This was something I was going to have to do alone, it seems. My head started swimming with every gone-wrong scenario possible—what if I messed up? What if going in the pass does nothing? What if someone got hurt before I could do anything?

I shook them away. No. I had to have a little faith in this, in myself. I'll worry about the 'what if's when I had the time.

I kicked my head away from the subject right as I realized that everyone was being arranged in a certain formation. Every Hetalia character who was not a henchmen—minus England, who seemed very confused as to why he was being placed to the side where Antonio stood—were placed in a large circle, with spaces allocated for missing people. I scanned the faces: Sadiq, Seychelles, Ari, Liechtenstein, Prussia, Lars, and Denmark. Something told me that they were the first part of the ever destined fifteen. I swore I knew I shouldn't have been surprised that I was so close to so many of them, but half of the group was already here. So was the missing eight?

Next, I noticed that inside the large circle was a triangle made by me, Larry, and Jerry. I didn't know if there was a significance to where we stood exactly, but we were spread so far apart that I couldn't talk to them without raising my voice. So instead of speaking, I took a chance to just watch how Jerry jerked his head around like a scared and lost child while Larry tensed and flinched at everything like a frightened animal. He held his arm close to his chest as if it hurt him. I wanted to run to them both and hug the fears away, but I hand to stay in place.

The last ring of the formation was not a shape like the other two. Instead, it was simply Sayaka and Bella standing in the middle of the empty space, treating it like their stage. Each one checked the other's work, occasionally adjusting the person they deemed to not be in the correct place. The more brash Hetalia characters (read: Sadiq and Lars) never stopped shouting to know what the flying fuck they were doing and why don't you just fight me like a man. "Now isn't the time for fighting," Bella said, a light smile plastered on her face. She whisked a finger through the air and an annoyed Liechtenstein was moved a few centimeters to the right. "We're going to settle this like civilized people, right Sher-bear?"

I wanted to groan. Why did she have to bring me into everything? Why couldn't she go back to ignoring me for her new and infinitely more wonderful Oxford friends? "Sure, Bel-Chell," I drawled. "Whatever the fuck you say."

"Don't swear, Sherry," she chided.

"I don't really give a fuck—"

Sayaka clapped her hands. "Patience, everyone!" she said, unaware of Bella and me. "We're nearly ready to begin. We're just missing a few people…" She snapped her fingers. Bella dropped our argument, snapping her fingers as well. The spaces between the members of the circle seemed to gleam for a moment, but I couldn't tell for sure. It was so faint that I probably only imagined it.

Either way, eight more people appeared.

I scanned each person, a new sense of worry filling my gut as I recognized each one all too well: Russia, Switzerland, France, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Poland, Ukraine. All of these people—I have either interacted with them or heard Larry talked about them at some point of time. I pressed my lips, anxious. Bella and Sayaka really did have this all planned. Everyone here has been relevant from day one, we just hadn't realized it. It was like some kind of prophecy or something.

Or Bella and Sayaka really had more control over my own life than I realized.

So much for free will.

"What the hell is going on?" Belarus asked carefully. Her brows scrunched together as she scanned the room, taking in each person's face. She did not linger too long on mine, but I knew that she recognized me anyways.

"Turkey!" Poland waved an arm through the air. "You're, like, here!" Sadiq said nothing in reply, his face washed of all color as he looked uncomfortably to the side.

France placed his hands on the sides of his cheeks, his eyes lighting with joy when he spotted England standing in the corner. "My little bunny! Are you alright?" He tried to leave his spot, but Bella immediately stopped him.

"Nobody move, please. We're on a tight schedule," she said. Numerous voices rose in objection, but the pretty smile of her lips never faltered. Looking like the Greek idol of perfection, she spun in a circle to face each person as she talked. "Once you people chillax a bit, I'll explain what's going on and we can all go home, so please—"

Sayaka sighed and snapped her fingers. Every country's mouth closed. Many of them yelled behind their closed lips, fingers trying to peeling them apart again. "Shut up and let my sister talk," she ordered, folding her arms over her chest. A lock of her colorful hair fell loose from its spot behind her ear and it covered half of her face. She made no move to put it back, only observed her chess pieces from behind the hair curtain.

Bella launched into her explanation, going into detail about fandoms and canons. Both she and her sister were trained on the task, interrupting each other just to make sure that the most unbiased story was told. Austria, America, and Antonio were absorbed with the duty of guarding their bosses from their post in the corner, ready to spring to life the moment their safeties were in danger.

No one was paying attention to me, I realized. If I was going to go back in time, now was my chance. I pulled out my pocket watch, happy to feel its cold metal against my sweaty palms. Taking a deep breath, I clicked it open. The smooth, alabaster face greeted me. I was about to turn back the knob when I noticed the third hand. Before, when I first noticed its existence in France and England's car, the slim hand hovered over the number two. Now it laid dangerously close to the twelve, just minutes before hitting midnight.

I stared at it, a sense of dread cascading down on me. There was no cycles here, but there were instances of pain. I had the distinct feeling that I knew what was being measured. I closed my eyes, feeling my resolve strength. I had to fix everything before Sadiq screwed up and caused that agonizing feeling in my chest. If that hand ever reached midnight, I didn't want to know what was going to happen to me.

"What are you doing?" I jumped in my spot, freezing up when I saw that it was Bella standing in front of me. Her chocolate-colored eyes glanced up and down between my face and the clock's. Her perfectly shaped eyebrows quirked in questioning.

Without thinking, I hid the clock behind my back. I forced a large smile on my face as I commanded myself to calm down. Behind all that talk about being the creator of this world, she was still my friend. She was still the girl who played soccer and skyped until midnight with me. She and I spent too much of our childhoods attending parties and sleepovers with linked hands. There was no reason for me to be feeling as terrified as I was. Yet, my stomach bubbled with a disgusting feeling as the first lie that popped into my head popped out of my mouth. "Just checking the time, Bel-Chell. Gotta get home in time to say hi to my dad."

She gave me a thoughtful look. "He is coming home today, isn't he?" A part of me relaxed. If she could still remember that, then maybe there was still some kind of a friendship left between us. "I'll make sure you and the twins get home before he does," she said. More of the knots in my back unraveled. I released a breath I never realized I was holding. I might just get out of this okay.

Of course, she then held out her hand. "Your contract with me is pretty much up already," she said. "Why dontcha give me that watch before I forget."

I froze again.

She… did Bella really figure me out? Was I really so fucking obvious? I searched her face for any sign of an answer, but she was nothing but sweet. Still, it wasn't the kind of genuine sweet that I was used to seeing on her. She was forcing it, though I couldn't tell why. I couldn't tell if she was trying to protect me or her interests. I couldn't tell anything about her anymore.

With reluctance, I handed her back the pocket watch because, really, what else was I supposed to do? Her soccer toned-muscles could easily take me in a fight, along with Antonio. If she had not realized my plan, then refusing to give up the watch was going to make her suspicious. My hand was forced on this one whether I liked it or not.

Bella smiled at me again as she shoved it into her own pocket before turning back to her countries. I wondered if I could somehow wrestle it away from her just as I caught Ari's eyes. I knew he understood why I had to do it, but he still had a panicked look on his face. His purple eyes demanded to know what we were going to do without that watch. I sent him back a look told him I had a plan. Apparently, my facial lies were as good as my verbal lies since he only gave me one last odd look before returning his attention to the two women. I swallowed, feeling my mouth quiver. The plan wasn't a complete lost, I told myself. I just needed to get that watch back.

But how the hell was I going to do that?

"…So now that you all understand what is going on—" I looked back at Sayaka as she addressed everyone in the geometric arrangement. Apprehension pulled taut the strings in every person's back as she spoke. "—you can now make your choice between me and my sister." She made a vague gesture with her hand, summoning a chair to sit on. She eased herself into it, saying, "there's no order. Anyone who has their answer can speak up at any moment they chose."

"I think I liked you better when you were a hard-ass," Sadiq growled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sayaka raised a brow. I saw the hints of a smile twitch the corner of her mouth, but her discipline prevented it from coming. "Then why don't you go first, Sadiq?" she said. She gave him a ghost of a smirk. "I order you to."

Sadiq glared. Lips pressed into a tight line, he sent her a challenging look. "Neither," he said. "I don't like either of you jackasses. I won't support either of you."

Bella hummed a note. "Actually, you can't do that," she said, an idle finger twirling a strand of blond hair. "I don't know if you realized this, but that little contract I had Antonio make with Sherry stated that whenever you did something against his orders, she will feel an intense pain in her chest." Color drained from his face as he whipped his head towards me, staring wide-eyed. His mouth made a small O. Bella feigned surprise. "You didn't know that?" she asked. "Well, that's awkward. Especially since you don't want to know what was going to happen when her watch hit midnight."

She leaned against the back of Sayaka's chair, ignoring her sister's protests as she continued her speech. "So here's the deal: you want to be neutral, but you can't since—"

She pointed at Antonio. On cue, he straightened his back and cleared his throat. "Turkey, I order you to side with the Canon."

Bella pointed the attention back at herself. "Disobeying will mean that you're going to hurt Sherry."

Hot anger burst in my chest. "That's a bitch move to make!" I shouted. Immediately, I felt all eyes on me. Some accused me of being reckless, others brave. Ari in particular sent me a hard look, ordering me with his eyes to stay calm and stick to the plan. But how the hell was I supposed to stick to the plan when my best friend was pulling petty tricks like that?

Bella sent me a gentle look, but it lacked any real sympathy. "First of all, don't swear," she started. "Second, it wasn't a… 'witch' move. I wouldn't have made that deal if I thought Sadiq was going to let you down."

"How do you know that?" Sadiq snarled. He flashed his teeth like a feral animal.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I know because I'm the Canon. So are you going to risk Sherry's safety or are you going to side with me?"

For a moment, I wasn't sure what he was going to choose. I wanted him to stand his ground, flip those two the middle finger, but I was scared of what would happen at midnight. I mentally kicked myself, wishing that I had taken the time to read the contract Antonio made me sign, if only to know what I had gotten myself into. I looked at Antonio, hoping to finally see some kind of guilt on his face. He seemed uncomfortable, but not guilty. For the most part, he seemed okay with how everything was going to turn out.

I never wanted to hit someone so hard before in my life.

Various thoughts and emotions showed themselves on Sadiq's face, giving me the portrait of a man ready to rebel and a man ready to surrender. I couldn't feel the air in my lungs. I must have stopped breathing since when Sadiq bowed his head in defeat, I had no air to gasp with. "Canon, then." His shoulders shook. "I'll go with the Canon."

Bella looked down at her sister. "That's one point for me," she gloated.

Sayaka crossed her arms over her chest. "It's only one." She gestured towards Germany. "Tall and handsome there made a deal with me. He was going to help me with my plans and, in return, I was going to make everything in his life better for him, right?"

It took Germany a second to realize he was being spoken to, but once he did, he nodded. "I can't change my past. It's painful, but all that heterophobia or unrequited love made me the person I am now." He spoke like the professional military man he was, though his eyes never lost their sense of longing as they trained on France. I cursed myself for never thinking about his suicidal past and his counterfeited love for the Frenchman. I should have fixed that while I had the chance.

"So you're going to side with her?" Bella asked.

"I believe so."

She shrugged at Sayaka again. "One to one. Enjoy our tie while it lasts."

Sayaka sighed. "You're too confident," she said. "We won't know who will have the victory until the end."

Bella snorted. "And you're confident you have people who want to go with you?"

"She has me." I flinched as Seychelles raised her arm into the air, brown eyes set with that look of determination I used to fear.

My ex-best friend looked at her skeptically. "You? I thought you hated my sister."

"I hate you both," she replied, "but I need to keep my memories of everything if I want to get revenge on both of you."

"Same here." Switzerland made an objecting noise, causing his sister to add, "It's not fair that we've been used by you two over and over again just to solve a petty argument. Because of you so many people have been placed in situations that they should never have been." She glanced at Larry, but he was too absorbed in her words to realize what she was implying. "So I'll vote to keep my memories of this if I could only be able to decide my own path in the future and set things right myself."

Sayaka gave her a gracious look, though anyone could hear the smirk she concealed. "Three to one."

"Well I don't want you to have to deal with this, Liechtenstein," Switzerland said.

"I don't need you to protect me!"

"Yes you do, especially when you're making stupid decisions like this." We could see the resolve on his face when he said, "I want things set back to how they're supposed to be. I'm voting for blondie there. It's the right thing to do."

"You're an idiot, Vash," Sadiq muttered.

The blond's green eyes shot to him, glaring daggers as his mouth started to move. Ukraine cut him off before he could even start. "I also agree with Switzerland," she said, holding her hands close to hey chest. "It's the right thing to do."

"But I like my life," Russia interjected. He nodded towards Sayaka. "Fandom."

I counted the votes in my head. Sayaka had a slight lead, but we were only half way through the Hetalia characters. Anyone could still take the contest. I swallowed. I had to find a way to get my watch back soon.

Russia turned towards his younger sister, gracing her with one of his childish smiles. "And who are you going to vote for, Belarus?" he asked.

I felt my interest pique as Belarus scowled. Who in the world would she vote for? I could easily see her going for either side. A wave of uneasiness passed over me as I waited to see which Belarus I had today: the distantly understanding or coldly bitter? Steely blue eyes stabbed at Sayaka and Bella as she thought it over. Her fingers brushed the side of the hidden dagger beneath her skirt. "I'm joining Seychelles and Liechtenstein's club," she said.

"So Fandom?" Sayaka asked.

She made a sour face. "Yes."

Bella turned her attention towards Prussia. "Are you going to join them too?" she asked. "I mean, you were madly in love with Liechtenstein at one point of time. Don't you want to support her?"

The albino did not hesitate to shake his head. "No, I support her," he said. "I get why she wants to do this, but this isn't something I can let my feelings decide. I love her. How could I not love someone so awesome? But I can't forgive you—" He pointed at Sayaka. "—for tricking us and using my body for all those centuries. I can't ever forgive you and when I get my hands on you—"

"So you're voting for me?" Bella asked.

He scowled, mad that his speech was interrupted. Still he played it off with a slight shrug. "Sure."

France cleared his throat. "May I ask my husband something very quickly?" he asked, forever a true gentleman. "It will help me greatly with my decision." The sisters exchanged a mutual glance before nodding their approvals. France thanked them with a slight bow, a handsome look on his face when he focused on England. "My little bunny, did you choose to be this lovely lady's vessel?"

England released a long breath. He didn't seem guilty, but there was an air of exhaustion lying in the air around him. "She asked me and I agreed."

"Why?"

He took another bracing breath. "She told me about the rules our universe used to exist in. I don't like chaos. I like rules and how everything has its proper place in the world. Right now, the world as we know it is in the wrong order. People are getting hurt. I felt as though I should aide her in any way I can."

France bobbed his head as he processed the speech. "So you were not forced or blackmailed?"

England's face turned pink. "What the bloody hell do you think I am? Incompetent?"

He smiled, a humored sparkle at the corner of his eyes. He must have been so happy to see his little bunny back to his old self. "Thank you." A solemn look painted his stubble face as he turned back to the women. "I will support my little bunny in everything he does," he said. "Therefore, I will vote for the Canon."

We were back at our tie. I scanned the remaining faces: Ari, Italy, Poland, Lars, and Mathias. Five men left, then I could only presume me and my brothers would be next. I didn't know who I could ever vote for, if it ever came to that. I swore in my head. I needed to get my watch back, but there was no way I could take it from Bella without tipping her off to my intentions. I wished that there was a way I could go back in time without it. Hell, I wished Sadiq still had his pocket watch. But I was the only one who made a contract. No one else would have one.

"I'll, like, vote for you there." Poland pointed at Sayaka. "Not that I, like, agree with you or anything but that other chick totes has some serious blackmail on my babe and I don't like it."

I moved to look at Sadiq, wanting to see how he was going to react, when my eyes lay on Jerry. His hand was buried deep in the pockets of his white slacks, obviously fiddling with whatever was in there. He has a pocket watch, I realized. I wanted to smack myself. Of course he did! He also made a contract. If I could only get my hands on his…

I tried to get his attention, first by staring at him until his skin prickled and he looked at me. Naturally, he was too focused on the events unfolding before him to feel it. I then tried to wave my hand at him in a way that was small enough to avoid Sayaka and Bell's notice but still noticeable enough for him to look at me. But instead of getting his attention, I found the eyes of Lars staring straight at me. I bit my lip. He and Mathias had been part of the coalition who wanted to end things on our terms.

A swell of hope burst in me.

I could trust him.

I pointed to my pocket, pantomiming pulling out a watch. A line appeared between his brows and he pointed to Jerry. He as a watch? He seemed to be asking me. I nodded and pretended to receive the watch from him. His brow quirked. And you need to get his watch? I nodded one last time and he sent me back a smirk. Sure thing.

I pressed a finger to my mouth. Do it quietly.

He waved me off, but I knew he got the gist of it. He looked between Jerry and the two dominating women for a long moment. I saw his plan hatch on his face as his green eyes gleamed with mischief. "Hey, Italy." The poor, shaking Italian turned towards him, his face drawn in a pout. "Who are you going to vote for?" Lars asked. "I mean, Germany's going with the Fandom. Are you going to follow his vote?"

Italy brightened up as Ari realized what we were trying to do. "I—"

"But remember," Ari interjected, "voting for the Fandom would mean voting for someone against the rules. That's a pretty dangerous thing to do."

Sayaka and Bella exchanged looks of confusion, their visages twisted with confusion. I saw the argument play on their faces—was this some ploy to trick them or actual pleads for their cases? Neither of them knew, but neither wanted to stop them in case it leads to Italy voting for their side.

Italy seemed to recalculate his decision, but just as he was opening his mouth to choose, Lars spoke up again. "Extremely dangerous, but it can't be as dangerous as Germany getting mad at you for not following his example." Poor Italy's eyes welled with tears as distressed noises left him.

Germany cleared his throat. "Wait, Ital—" Belarus (bless her soul) jumped onto his back, muffling his mouth with her hand. She made urging looks towards Lars and Mathias, demanding for them to do whatever they were going to do before Germany ruined everything.

I felt every muscle in my body turn to stone as Lars nudged Mathias and the blond made his mood. Brushing his fly-away bangs out of his face, he crept towards Jerry and whispered our plan into his ear. I watched my brother flinch at the words, his arm digging deeper into his pocket as he glanced towards me. Behind his glasses were the eyes of a man too tired with all that has happened. He didn't want to change the outcome as long as the three of us could go home in peace. After all, his plan was to make sure that Larry and I never had to deal with Hetalia again, but looked how that turned out—his older brother stuck in the swirls of shock and frustration and his sister thinking that she could change the universe with a far too risky plan. He was at as much of a loss as Larry was. He didn't think whatever plan I had was going to fix anything.

The only question that remained was if he was going to keep silent and let us keep our chance or spoil everything for all of us.

He didn't get the choice.

"Shi—" Belarus hit the ground with a loud thump, rolling away from the giant who had tossed her aside. A knife fell loose from her hand and skidded across the mirror floor. Bella lifted a foot and caught it under the heel of her white oxfords.

Germany wiped a hand over his mouth, lightly panting as he pointed towards Lars. "I won't be mad at you for whatever side you vote for!" He yelled at Italy. I didn't see how the petit man reacted since everyone's eyes were following the direction of the finger. A pair of brown eyes landed on Mathias and Jerry.

For a moment, all that anyone could do was stand in stunned silence.

"What are you doing?" Bella demanded.

Mathias reacted. "Sorry, but—" He shot a hand into Jerry's pocket. He pushed the boy aside, his hand wrapped safely around the pocket watch. "—we need this. Sherry!" He raised his arm, ready to pitch it to me.

He froze.

Every Hetalia character froze, leaving my siblings and I to teeter off balance as Bella and Sayaka rolled their eyes. "Did everyone forget that we could do that?" Sayaka demanded, shaking her head in disappointment. "You're making this harder than it has to be."

"Yeah." Bella looked at me with an equal mix of curiosity and humor. It was terrifying. "Though why would he toss it at you?" she asked me. "Do you have some kind of plan going on?"

My mouth was dry and my tongue sat in my mouth like butchered meat. I gaped at them, every muscle tensing in my body as I felt myself shrink back from their expectant gazes. What was she going to do to me? Bella wouldn't hurt me but, then again, this wasn't Bella. "Well, you see—"

Bella shrieked as she was thrown to the ground. Antonio shouted something as he left his post in the corner. Larry kicked my ex-best friend aside before swooping to the ground to grab the knife that had been hidden under her foot. Some of the Hetalia characters broke free from their freezing bonds, gasping for air as they stumbled back into motion. Mathias was still frozen.

Lars, free from his bond, made to grab the watch from him when he realized that Antonio was heading towards him. With a curled lip, he turned to face the Spaniard and lash a kicked leg at his stomach. Behind them, Austria and America were running to protect Sayaka before Larry did anything to her as well. But while Larry did turn around to confront her, he wasn't the one who did anything.

Prussia grabbed her by the hair and jerked her head back and forth as she screamed in pain. Once he saw the rest of the countries loosen from their holds, he released her with one last unnatural twist of the neck. He strained a grin, sweat gleaming on his brow. "Larry, your girlfriend is a bitch," he said.

Larry shrugged and tried not to look uncomfortable.

"Sherry!" I looked up right as Mathias tossed me the watch. I caught it in my hands, feeling its cold surface in the hollows of my palms.

I felt a warm hand wrapped around my wrist. "Let's go," Sadiq yelled, pulling me towards the door. I stumbled as my feet slipped along the floor. I craned my neck to look behind myself. Austria and America were rushing onto Prussia and Larry, intending to fight them both. Belarus appeared behind Larry, pulling him out of the fray and pushing herself in. He sent one last glance at Jerry before sprinting to join us. "Sherry, you better have some sort of plan up your sleeve," he shouted, "or so help me—"

A particular thud echoed through the air. I saw Lars on the ground, but I couldn't see if he was okay or not. Too many people shielded him from my view but from what I could see, he wasn't moving. Mathias forgot about everything else in the world to kneel by his side and talk him out of unconsciousness. Antonio's eyes met mine as he processed what was going on. They drifted from me to Sadiq. The first regretful look I had seen finally crossed his face as his hands cupped the area around his mouth. "Sadiq, I order you to stop them from escaping and get that watch back!"

Sadiq stopped and I knocked into his back. "What are you doing?" Larry demanded.

Sadiq shook his head. "I…" His hands that were so warm before were suddenly very, very cold.

I touched his shoulder, realizing what was going to have to happen. "I'll be fine," I told him. "I…" I swallowed, trying to quell my dread. "I can handle the pain." It was a blatant lie, so obvious that even Larry could see it written all over my face. I remembered how the pain caused me to drown in delirium and vomit and I felt my skin crawl at the thought. Still, I forced a smile on my face and try to feign acceptance for my fate.

I watched as my mentor, my friend stared down at me with helpless eyes. In the peripheral of my vision I saw Antonio dashed for us. "What will happen when you hit midnight?" he asked.

"I don't know." I tried not to sound like the thought bugged me, but I wasn't convincing.

"Can you two hurry it up?" Larry demanded.

Sadiq bowed his head, a small tremor shaking his shoulders. He lifted it again, revealing a fierce gaze. "France! Seychelles! Liechtenstein!" Said people looked at him as he sent them a smart smirk. "Try to stop me, jackasses."

Larry grabbed my hand and dragged me away. I felt Sadiq's hand brush against the back of my jacket before Liechtenstein came down on him like a raging storm. My feet hit the floor in loud crashes, each hit in sync with the rapid heartbeat in my temples. Larry did not relent as we ran closer and closer to the one door in the room. I couldn't believe it when the floor beneath of didn't elongate nor the door suddenly shrunk to a mouse's side. Larry wrapped his hand around the knob and he swore when his sweat made it hard to turn.

I checked behind us again, just to see Sadiq throwing Seychelles into the Liechtenstein and Frenchman. Antonio was practically at his heels, just about ready to past him and spring upon Larry and me. Sadiq looked between me and him before mouthing out one last word: Goodbye, Sherry.

I didn't get the chance to say anything before he whipped around and met Antonio with a fist.

Pain shot through my chest.

I screamed as all strength left my legs.

Somehow, I was on the ground, coughing, trembling, nauseous, hearing the final ticks of my clock sounding in the background.

"Shit, Sherry. Get up." Larry's hands were on my shoulders, forcing me to my feet once again. He ushered me through the doorway—out of the white and into the black. We walked a few steps before he let go and took away all of my support. I fell onto my knees again, breathing in and out in and out and yet suffocating in the ribcage that made up my torso.

I heard Larry turn around and shut the door to the Room once more. The light of the room disappeared and we were left in the blackness of the Void. Larry stood still for a solid moment, as if waiting for someone to kick the door back open. He sighed and hooked his knife through the belt loop of his blood stain jeans. "You alright?" he asked me.

Vomit felt ready to pour out of my mouth, yet Larry was looking at me as though he wanted a reply. I tried to tell him that I felt terrible, but the first syllable opened my lip-barrier just enough for me to puke. Larry swore, rushing to my side. I squatted next to me, his calloused hand rubbing circles into my back. Through the haze of the bone splitting agony, I noticed how strange my orange vomit looked against the black ground and walls and ceiling and air—

"Sherry, are you alright?"

Was he repeating himself? I think he was. I shook my head, making television static consume my vision. I remembered thinking that the pain was always relieved whenever I screamed, so maybe I should scream right now—

"Sherry!" Larry slapped my face. It didn't hurt, but it made me look at him again. He looked so different without his glasses. I starting thinking that Larry had never been here, that it has been Dad guiding me this entire time. "Can you go through with whatever the hell you're doing?"

I felt the tears around my eyes. "Dad…"

Dad slapped me again. "Focus! Can you do it?"

I shook my head and something jumped up my throat. I coughed and flacks of crimson splattered onto the orange. What an interesting combination…

He cupped the sides of my cheeks, forcing me to look him in the eye. "Tell me what I have to do," someone who looked like a strange morph between Dad and Larry said. Or maybe it was Jerry. Why would Jerry be here? He was back home, asleep and safe in his bed. "What do I need to do with the watch?"

A bang sounded behind me.

My vision skipped like a scratched DVD.

Larry was gone from the scene, somehow back at the door, leaning his weight against the invisible board. "Fuck! Sherry, pull yourself together! Do it now!"

A new brand of pain sliced down my sternum.

I screamed.

Holy

What

What was I supposed to do?

What was this watch supposed to do?

Why was Larry yelling at me?

Where was this pain coming from?

A square of white appeared right next to Larry's face. A pair of green eyes was next and, when they met mine, they vanished again. I heard someone scream in the background, but I wasn't sure who. She had a nice voice, though.

The small white square turned into a large rectangular one. Larry stepped away from it, drawing his weapon as he stood between me and the owner of the green eyes.

I needed to go back in time, I realized. My conversation with Ari floated back to me. I needed to go back. I needed to take the watch and turn back time and make sure that none of this ever happened. That was what this watch was supposed to do. Grinding my teeth to the bone, clicked open the pocket watch once again. "I need an energy source," I said, voice hoarse. "Larry, I need—"

"Use me," he said, before turning back to the orbs of green. "Antonio, I'm not afraid to hurt you. Step back and let us go."

"Please don' make me do this," Antonio replied.

My hands shook so much that it looked like I was faking my trepidation. I fumbled with the watch. My vision flickered again and I saw that the watch was out of my pocket and now swimming in the pool of my vomit. I grabbed it as I coughed another spout of blood into the crook of my arm. I wiped the vomit and blood off the beautiful white face on my white slacks, uncovering the intricate numbers. "How do I do that?" I think I asked it, but it didn't sound like me. Maybe I wasn't here at all but still asleep on the couch. That would be nice.

I waited for Larry to response, but he didn't.

I looked for him again. It took a moment to find him on the ground, Antonio on top of him, his own knife pressed against his neck. "Do it now!" he shouted as he fought against Antonio's hold.

"How do I use you?" I asked again.

Antonio looked at me. His eyes widen when he saw the pocket watch. He started to rise, but Larry grabbed him by the shirt and flipped their positions. "I don't know! Use your head!"

I wanted to tell him that I didn't have a good head, that all of my thoughts were hitting me fast like cars on a highway, yet they dragged along like honey stuck in a plastic bear bottle. I started to cry—half from the pain, half from the realization that I wanted Larry. I wanted him to hug me and tell me that what I was doing was going to be right. I needed his reassurances.

"Sherry!"

More pain ripped through me as my vision became spotted. A still sane part of my head warned me that I was running out of time, that I would soon fall unconscious and America would have to run my head under a bathtub faucet to wake me up again. My attention jumped everywhere from the scene playing out on the rectangular white block on the black wall to the struggles of my brother against Antonio to the awful reek of my own puke.

I wanted to scream, but my voice never came.

"Sherry, do it now!"

My hand found the knob on watch. I closed my eyes and tried to make my thoughts as clear as possible.

I wanted to sleep.

No. I want to go back in time.

I turned started to turn it back.

Take me to the beginning, to when Bella and Sayaka made this agreement.

Use Larry's energy if that's what you have to do but please

Please take me back.

Please, please, please…

---

MW: I was literally editing this while backstage during the rehearsal for my show, so please forgive me if I made any mistakes. This chapter was the hardest one for me to write. It was very hard to reconcile the conclusion to the series' allegorical meaning with an exciting final battle. There was also a hell of a lot of characters in this chapter, so if I skimmed over someone please tell me and I'll try to fix it in the epilogue. Overall, I'm just not sure what the quality of this even is. I think it's okay, but I had way too many thing to do this chapter. Remind me to never do that again.

In other news, I've decided to delay starting a new Hetalia fanfiction. Kidnapped by Straight Men has been getting way more attention than I thought I would, so I figured that I should start putting some actual effort into finishing it. Plus I'm going to be starting college in the fall, getting a summer job, and starting a long-term fic for another fandom. I'm not sure if I can handle the commitment of another giant Hetalia story right now. Hopefully, I can clear my plate and one day write it.

My URL for my writing blog as also changed! I am no longer known as aphwriter on tumblr. For now, you can find me at miamaroo on said website. The link is in my profile.

And lastly, Larry won his category in the awards thing I mentioned last chapter. Thank you to everyone who voted for him. I'm really touched and I can only hope that I can continue to write characters that you all enjoy.

No Notes

Next Chapter: The end.

Thank you everybody for reading! Sorry for the long wait. I'll try to next the next chapter out very soon. See you then!