Black or White 6
England remained in bed today.
He didn't sleep well again and had still regained no more memory other than his dream. If that was a real memory…
Scotland was still in a coma too according to the nurse.
He worried for Scotland.
A coma couldn't be good; even for an immortal. Having a living body but a dead mind.
North Ireland visited in his room by himself today. He looked like he was forcing a smile again. Just like yesterday and the day before.
"How are you, North Ireland?" He asked politely and formally.
He still didn't know or remember anything about this man yet. He felt awkward with him and the other brothers. They felt like strangers. The Irish man sat down.
"Ah. I'm deign br-braw… I'm d-deeing… b-b-bra~…"
North Ireland trailed off as tears suddenly sprung up.
England jolted at the sight. He shuffled in the bed, watching as North Ireland lifted his hands, trying to wipe away the offending tears that came too quickly. Though Arthur considered this man a stranger; he still felt bad for the man when he cried like this. It reminded him of when he woke up and North Ireland cried then too. He just didn't want this man to be sad for some reason.
"What's wrong?" He asked gently.
"A-Alba is still as-asleep!" He sniffed out.
"Well, he was shot in the head. It might take a while for hi~"
"It's taking t-too long!" The man bawled out. "B-big b-b-brother's been shot in tha h-heed before! But he's alway g-git up agen!"
England sat silently, watching the man weep openly. It seemed he had pent up all this sorrow for the past week and it was finally too much to hold in.
He had merely been the trigger.
"I-It normally only t-takes him two or-or three days b-but… He's hasnae moved in a week! Something m-must be wrong!" He cried out, being swept away by his own emotions. "I m-miss him! I w-want him to c-come back! I j-just want b-b-big brother back! A-Alba!" He half screamed the name, and it came out strangled like he was physically in pain.
England reached out his hand to touch North Ireland, who covered his face as he cried for Scotland to wake up again.
However he stopped just before touching the man. He awkwardly withdraw his hand and placed it on his lap. He stared down at his pale hands, unsure of how to react.
He wanted to comfort the poor crying man but didn't know how or if he even could.
Was he allowed to?
"…I'm sorry North… To me he is just another man in hospital… I don't know what to say to you…" He admitted ashamed. North Ireland just cried louder. England frowned upset.
He had spoken the truth.
Scotland was not a brother to him; he just happened to be an unknown man in a coma.
He didn't know what he could do so he just sat there and waited. North Ireland continued with the onslaught of tears.
"A-Alba! C-come back! I-I miss ye!" England glanced at the white wall.
Why was everything so white?…
If it wasn't and he still had his memories, he wouldn't be so useless. He would know what to say and how to say it. He would understand North Ireland because they would share the same lost of a close brother.
England closed his eyes gently.
It was hard.
Not remembering everything was easy. It was so very, very easy.
But it was the trying to understand people who still did remember that was difficult. It was like he only partly belong in their world and memories of him. He felt misplaced when he was with them.
North Ireland sniffed loudly as the salty waterfall continued.
It was very, very hard.
England sighed softly, making up his mind.
"North Ireland… Do you want to go see Scotland with me?…" He asked softly.
It was hard being with people who remembered him but it was very, very hard to watch them cry.
The man nodded, sniffing loudly, still trying to wipe away the salty trails of water. England pushed himself out of bed, before helping North Ireland to his feet. The auburn man was slightly taller but he leaned on England.
The two slowly made themselves towards the ICU and to Scotland's room.
Wale was the only one there. He had his eyes closed and looked eerily similar to a marble statue as he sat there motionless. Dark marks and bags under his eyes, his cheeks seemed tight and he looked generally tired.
His eyes flickered open when he heard the tell-tale sniffing and hiccuping that pointed to North Ireland crying.
His eyebrows scrunched up in worry when he saw North Ireland's state.
His blue-green eyes seemed tired but still scanned for detail as he examined the entering pair. England found it hard to maintain eye contact with him so he glanced to Scotland butt was shocked to see large blooming bruises spreading across his cheek.
The edges were a painful looking red quickly turning to a deep purply-blue towards the centre. He gave a small gasp at the fresh injuries on the still red head. The bed sheets looked ruffled and the IV was in a different position from the last couple of days.
"Ah… I ken… Alba's nae looking so good." Wales agreed with England, despite he not saying anything.
The blonde nodded slightly, leading the auburn haired man to a chair. They both sat down.
"What happened?…" He asked, patting North Ireland on the shoulder, trying to calm him a little.
"Ireland was a tad too stressed and he couldnae handle it…" Wales reached out and touched the red head's arm.
England remembered Ireland being stressed from when he woke up for the first time with amnesia. He had been tensed like he might snap and attack at any moment. The blonde just didn't think that the man would snap and hurt his own brother.
"It seems that Paddy canae handle it anymoore tae…" North Ireland seemed to sniff loudly on cue.
"And you, Wales?"
"I cannae handle this, not even from tha start, but I haff tae… So I will handle this." The quiet man spoke with an awe-inspiring resolve. Wales didn't seem like the strongest here but he was forcing himself to be. He was trying to keep everyone together.
A seemingly impossible task.
Wales stood up, stretching slightly.
"England, I ken you cannae remember us. We are jus strangers ta ya. Fer all ye ken, we could be pretending ta be yer brothers but yer still here." England blinked in surprise. This man appeared to understand his feelings. "Ya probably dinnae understand our feelings but yer still here. England, ye dinnae need ta feel guilty fer having no memory. Dinnae force yourself."
"So you don't want me to come?"
"Nah, we'll always want ya ta come. We're yer brothers. But we will understand if ye dinnae." Wales stood by North Ireland now, taking his hand and beginning to pull him away gently.
England nodded.
"Okay, thank you…"
Wales did not answer him, instead supporting the Irish man's weight as the man buried his head into the shorter man's shoulder.
"Come on, Paddy… Seamus is in the waiting room… Let's grab some tissues and go back ta the hotel…" The two left quietly and quickly.
England sighed. He didn't know if he was going to come back. He wanted to sometimes but other times it had felt too awkward to be here.
He stood to leave when something fluttered across his eye sight.
He froze as he watched the weird creature stop and rest lightly on Scotland's chest. A mostly nude female with tiny sparkling pointed wings like a butterfly's stood bare footed on the man. Her skin was dark, her pointed eyes were completely white and long dark purple hair cascaded down her back like a waterfall. Her skimpy clothes were made of pale yellow leaves.
She looked inhumanly beautiful and completely unearthly.
England gaped at this unknown creature. He remembered his brother mentioning fairies… Could this be one?
"A-Are you a fairy?" She laughed, her voice being surprising loud and booming for such a small creature.
"Yes."
"Why are you here?"
"I come with a warning."
"A w-warning?" He mumbled. He didn't want a warning...
"Keep your eyes on what's nearby you" She spoke, sending strange chills up England's spine. The blonde was unsure about the meaning but it did sound a little like a threat.
"What does that mean?"
"Keep your eyes on what's nearby you."
He sighed. It was clear she was not going to say what that meant. He watched her as she examined the X cut on Scotland's cheek, glancing at the identical cut on the blonde's cheek.
Suddenly she sighed heavily like she was in pain.
"Are you okay?"
"N-no… Too much iron.. Too much steel… I must leave and go back to nature…" England nodded watching her flutter away, slower than her arrival.
"Keep your eyes on what's nearby you." was the last words she spoke before she vanished.
The blonde wondered while the dark skinned fairy grew so weak from being in the room for only a few brief moments.
Iron and its derivatives are very poisonous to fairies… Without nature and surrounded by iron and steel, they weaken and die quickly.
The thought passed through his head.
Apparently this was a fact and had nothing to do with him personally. Hence why he could remember this small tidbit.
He sighed and stood again.
He needed to leave.
As he was walking back to his room, he found himself at cross roads in the corridor.
He had never noticed that the paths were cross roads.
Of course, without looking, the paths were cross roads before.
He glanced down one he had never gone down before. Curious and unwilling to return to his room yet, he wandered down it.
The rooms were mainly supply closets and patient's rooms.
Eventually he came across a very different room. It had no glass walls which defined it from the other rooms that had plenty of glass for nurses to glance through at the patients to check up on them. He glanced around to see if any doctors or nurses were looking at him. When he had confirmed that no one was watching he quickly opened the door and silently slipped in.
The room was lit with sickening artificial over head lighting and contained several black and white TV monitors. It seemed to be the surveillance room. He picked up the remote for one of the screens, the one that he recognised the ICU ward in.
He pressed a button and the camera changed. It showed a patient in one of the ICU rooms.
When he pressed it again, it showed a different room, still in the ICU.
He flicked through the rooms, curious to see if there was a camera in his brother's room.
Eventually he came across the red head.
It was strange he could recognise that crimson colour even in black and white.
It was rather boring, watching him through the TV. He just laid there, completely unmoving. His features were slightly blurred on the screen so it was hard making out any of the Xs or the bruising.
Thinking of the bruising, he wondered how it had happened. He knew that Ireland was the culprit but why did he hit Scotland?
He scanned the black remote n his hands for a rewind button. Eventually finding and clicking, he watched the clock on the screen slowly roll back wards.
He appeared on the screen, the Wales and North Ireland. He and North Ireland soon disappeared again and Ireland was suddenly on the screen.
England paused the screen before selecting play. The people began moving and talking silently.
He unmuted it.
"…~ba still asleep then?…"
"Aye, he's nae waking up fer now." Wales confirmed, glancing at the monitor that still showed the brain dead status. England watched Ireland carefully. He looked very high stung, wringing his hands and seeming unable to sit still.
"Why?" He snapped at Wales who flinched in return.
"I don't ken…"
"He should be awake! It has been too long!" Wales remained silent, watching as Ireland got louder and louder. "It should only be a couple of days! A week is too long!"
He stormed up to the bed before stamping away.
"What the fuck is Alba deeing?" He shouted angrily.
England noticed the flash of fear on Wale's face.
"He's nae doing anyth~"
"Why won't he wake up?"
Ireland stomped over to Scotland again, grabbing him by the collar.
"Wake up!" Wales looked alarmed suddenly at the aggressive action.
"Seamus!" He stood and grabbed Ireland by his elbow and tried pulling him off. However Ireland was much stronger and just batted the shorter man away.
England covered his mouth in shock as he watched the monitor.
Ireland was shaking Scotland violently screaming at him. "Wake up! Alba! Stop faking! WAKE UP!"
"S-Stop! He's not faking!"
"He is! Wake up! Git up ALBA! S-Stupid brother!" Wales was trying to pull Ireland away again. Scotland's IV had fallen out and clear liquid followed, spurting off in different directions.
Ireland spun around and pushed the Welsh man down. He slammed into the floor.
Ireland's fist clenched and it was thrown into Scotland's face. The unconscious red head did not react as the knuckles bashed into him a second or a third time.
"Alba! Wake up! We fucking need ya! Whit sort of lousy brother am ye! Ye meant tah be protecting us! Yet ye cannae dee that!" He screamed at the body. "Wake up! We miss ya! Git up alreedy!"
A couple of nurse and security guards were rushing in now. The nurses were trying to sort out the equipment that was being broken around them. The heart and brain monitor were dislocated and the oxygen mask had been ripped away in anger, snapping the band that had kept it in place.
The guards secured both of Ireland's arms and began to drag him from the room. Ireland was still screaming in rage.
"Wake up! Come back! I just want my b-brother back! I m-miss ye! BIG BROTHER!"
The door to the room slammed shut, shutting out the angry screams.
England blinked at the scene. It was similar to North Ireland but also so different…
He sniffed slightly.
Huh?
He touched his cheek and was surprised to find dampness.
He was crying?
He placed the remote down, just as Wales was helped up by a doctor.
England just left the tiny room, unsure of why he was crying but feeling once again very exhausted for doing very little.
It was the dream again. He was expecting it by now.
Starting once again from where it had blurred last time.
3 robbers attacking him with knifes while he fought back with an umbrella. Despite how great he was at fighting, he was getting hurt. However he still was winning the fight.
England was still mentally wishing that his body had just let them pass though…
The dream wasn't blurring now like last time. He watched Scotland walk lazily from a random ally way.
"Git, why are you here?" England found his body talking to Scotland angrily.
Now that was odd. Weren't the two brothers?
"Oi, tha's nae very kind, treatin' a helping-hand like a villain." Scotland replied with a scowl.
"You are a villain." The blonde quickly retorted, making Scotland grin suddenly. Arthur felt his own body smirk slightly as well.
It confused Arthur. Why were they insulting each other then smiling? There relationship must be very complex. He kind of wished he could remember the dynamics behind it so he could understand the conversation between the two better.
"Weel, at least I'm a kind one." The red head pointed out, walking until he was right by the robbers. The robbers were confused by the red head's appearance and attitude.
"Oi! Is this dope also tryin' ta stop us as well?"
"Crap! We can barely handle this wanker."
"Don't worry! She will be here soon!"
"Yeah, let's jus' distract these fuckers until she comes!" The closest robber to Scotland lunged at the red head, slashing the knife forward. Scotland side-stepped the attack, and used the robber's momentum to push him him farther away. The robber stumbled, almost toppling over to the ground.
"Gawd, yer gitting rusty. Ye actually let these three eejits cut ye up? How weak…" He muttered the last bit dramatically.
"Oh shut up you wanker." England scolded. "If you have time to be criticising me, try helping."
"Tha's why I'm here." Scotland winked cheekily at England who rolled his eyes in return.
Scotland seemed in an unusually very good mood noted England - both bodily and mentally.
The older one laughed slightly.
"OI! Don't ignore us!"
Two knifes dived at Scotland's head from two different directions. The red head blinked in surprise, moving his head away. He had not expected the sudden attack from different directions. Though he had dodged the attack, a shallow X was slashed onto his cheek. Thin trails of blood leaked from the wound.
"Ha! That's what you get for pretending we don't exist and talking so casually!"
"Yeah! Fucking bas~" The robber froze as Scotland turned to glare at him.
It was terrifying, seeing fiery green eyes staring so intensely that it felt like they were trying to burn them with his gaze. England mentally gulped, hoping the red head wouldn't turn on him in the dream.
"Is he trying to s-scare us?… Well, it's not going to wor~!"
A fist slammed into the robber. He fell back. It seems like Scotland's good mood had ended instantly. The punch had restarted the entire fight.
Though this time, Scotland was involved. The fight shifted greatly in England's favour. The knifes were no longer reaching England and Scotland remained uninjured as well.
"These bampots actually managed a daylight robbery?"
"I know. It must be Scotland Yard's fault." Scotland looked irritated at the small jab at him. England mentally smiled suddenly at the joke.
They were winning.
His body was right for trying to stop these men.
It was going to be alri~ !
Three bangs resounded from behind him.
He felt bolts of raging, burning infernos rip through his chest. He tried to scream but his lungs felt too broken. England's body turned to look at Scotland who had stopped fighting and went wide eyed. Those emerald eyes looked full of surprise and pain.
It looked like he had forgotten the fight, too focused on the shock that England had been shot in the chest. The red head took a step towards the staggering blonde.
The robber behind him takes advantage of his distractedness and jumps at him.
England screamed mentally as he watched the man in black run the fine metal blade of the knife across Scotland's throat. The steel dug deeply into the soft flesh, slitting the windpipe and leading to a near instant death.
"Ahh~" Scotland screamed a small, quiet one as his body flopped forward messily and bloody. Blood sprayed from the quick cut, painting the pavement below him. The last thing the red haired man murmured was, "Eng…la…"
"Hah. A knife makes you scream." A female voice spoke behind him. "And your blood sprays out just like your final words." The female's voice mocked the dead Scotland.
England turned his head painfully. His body screamed at him in agony. The metal pellets were still lodged in his body and he was bleeding badly. As he turned, his knees buckled and he was forced onto his knees. He saw a woman now, standing above him, dressed in black like the robbers and holding the gun. She smirked at him.
"Fool."
A final shot went out.
A point blank one to his forehead.
The bullet torn into him, through the skull and into the brain.
England's body suddenly thought, 'Damn… I don't want to die…' He didn't have long to regret it though as his body stopped working and he went brain dead, before he had even hit the ground. The heart beat quickly silenced. Both he and Scotland were dead...
...
Arthur's current mind sat alone in the still body, surround by white. His body and brain had just died. He knew his consciousness should have died too but this was a dream. The physics were different from real life.
His dream self remained awake inside the corpse. He could not see or hear or feel anything thing though.
He was just floating in white light.
Their corpses shall be switched.
Their corpses shall be switched.
Their corpses shall be switched.
Their corpses shall be switched.
The voice were suddenly chattering around him busily. It sounded like there were several people instead of just one like he had previously thought.
As it spoke, the white world which shone so bright that it had to be blessed drained away to a black world that seemed so dark that it must be sacred.
Their bodies have been switched.
(A/N - A long chapter and probably the longest there is ever going to be for this mystery story. It does seem like a lot is being revealed and that certain suggested theories are going to be correct but hopefully the next couple of chapters after this will change that and make it more confusing. Consider this chapter the sane before the mystery.
The British brothers are not known for emotional control. How they break down is quite different. England drinks and becomes depressed. Ireland becomes unreasonably angry and takes his stress out physically on people. North Ireland, sticking true to be the most child like, usually bursts into tears or on rare occasions gets angry. Wales kinda just freezes and zones out from the world; mentally separating himself from everything. Scotland gets himself drunk and into fights.
I bet some people might think this is a lil OOC but I don't think so. Coping with one close family member being basically dead and another one with no memory creates huge balls of stress. I have never been in the family member with a coma or amnesia situation but I have been in the sick and dying family member situation a few times. Depending on your relation to the family member, it can be very stressful and horrible. I've seen people who I was very close with act surprisingly different from the norm when someone dies or is dying.
I'm surprised by how many of my readers also love Amnesia or Pewdiepie. Wow - we have so much in common and I didn't even know it.
Arenarceus once again has my favourite theory! She deviated from the norm theory of just body switching. She suggested things like the robbers/evil organisation using magic to teleport Scotland to Edinburgh. She even suggested the crazy but unique idea that Scotland was a robber! He was just lagging behind the others. She also continued to say Scotland kills England and the brothers switched the bodies to save England's life.
Unfortunately this chapter just burns gaping holes in that theory. I still love her theory so, so much though. Go Arenarceus for your uniqueness - your last theory has been by far the most interesting and coolest one yet.
I got hardly any theories last time. I suspect that might be because I didn't ask for any... So here I go now!
PRETTY PLEASE SEND ME MORE THEORIES ARE WHAT YOU THINK HAS HAPPENED, IS HAPPENING AND IS GOING TO HAPPEN! I love reading them more than regular reviews! You guys always have such awesome thoughts and ideas.
Review please!)