DISCLAIMER! I don't own Hetalia or anything else you may recognize! AU! –Inspired by a case from the show 'Cold Case'. –

~.~.~.

The girl walked the corridors as she looked down at the map in her hands and placed the key in its holder in her jacket pocket. Yes, she'd seen it, the things they were saying about her, but she didn't care. She wasn't here to make friends, she was here to practice. After all, she'd been granted permission by the school itself to be here. Ignoring them, she followed the map. Someone stepped in front of her, blocking her way, but without taking her eyes off the map, she sidestepped whoever it was and made a sharp left down another corridor. She was almost there.

When she reached her destination she stood in front of the door and smiled. She folded the map and put it away before taking out the key. She opened the door and went inside, mindful of locking the door. There, she saw it, the grand piano. It was beautiful, kind of dusty but still elegant-looking. "I guess I'll start by seeing how badly it needs tuning," she said and put the folder she was carrying down on the seat next to her.

~.~.~.

It had been a lot of trouble having to tune the piano, and she'd had to go back to her car, but it was definitely worth it. She didn't have too much time to practice the pieces she had to, but at least she knew she'd have the opportunity later since she wouldn't have to go through this process again.

She was walking down a corridor carrying her folder and the bag with her items. She was dusty from being in the storage room. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone in the corridors, it was a while after school. As she walked she ran into the director. She smiled at the older lady.

"Hello, Director Harrison," she greeted with a smile.

The Director smiled at her, but she looked surprised. "What happened?"

The girl looked down at herself before giving a sheepish smile. "Oh, I just had to tune and adjust some things on the piano. It seems like it hasn't been used in a while, but that's understandable."

"I'm sorry I hadn't thought of that."

"Don't worry, I was the one who came to you for this favor. It's quite all right though, no need to apologize for it," the girl told the other woman with a smile.

"If you say so," the Director said before she looked behind her. "Oh, look, here are some of our students," she said with a smile.

The girl turned and stepped to the side. "I should be going Director Harrison. I'm expected at home soon. Thank you for allowing me here," she said and inclined her head.

"Wouldn't you like to meet some of our students?" the Director asked.

"I think it might be an uncomfortable meeting for them," she said quietly but it was too late, they were already there. There were three of them. Two of them looked alike, the only differences she could tell were few. One had blue eyes and the other something like blue-purple eyes. They both had blond hair but the one with the blue eyes had a stubborn-looking cowlick while the other had a curious-looking curl and had his hair a little longer. The third was very different from them. He had snow white hair, very pale skin, and red eyes.

"It'll be fine," the Director said. She smiled at the newcomers and began signing even as she spoke. "Everyone, this is Annabella Kirkland, she'll be here for some time. Annabella, this is Alfred Jones, Matthew Williams, and Gilbert Beilschmidt," she introduced.

Alfred signed as he mouthed, "You a hearing person?"

She blinked and before the Director could translate she said, "Yes, I am." She answered clearly, making sure it would be easier for him to lip-read. She'd had practice, all was good.

The Director seemed surprised. "You know ASL?" she asked as she signed.

The girl looked at her. "Um, yes. I prefer not to use it though, it seems rude," she said.

"At least you know your place," the albino, Gilbert, signed.

"Gilbert!" the Director exclaimed.

"No, Director, he's right. I have no place in a community in which I am not wanted in. I'm here for a reason, I wouldn't impose otherwise," she said, again making sure to speak clearly.

"You've seen what people are saying then?" the other blond, Matthew, said looking a little guilty.

"Yes, but I don't mind. It's not the first time it's happened. It's not like I'm here to make friends," she said and shrugged.

"It's not just that you're not wanted, it's that you don't belong. There's no place for people like you," Alfred said.

"Alfred!" the Director said.

She gave him a dull look before she smirked. "I know. I have no place in your community… just like you don't have a place in mine," she said.

"Annabella!"

"Director Harrison, I'm sorry, but I have to go. Excuse me," she said with another inclination of her head before she left.

~.~.~.

The next two days were uneventful. She saw the three around, but didn't make anything of it. She ignored them, and they ignored her. She practiced her pieces for hours, and then she would go home. She had seen them after school hanging around, but didn't interact with them. Sometimes, she saw Matthew or Alfred glance at her. Sometimes Gilbert. But that was it. No other interaction.

On the third day, she was leaving when she detected movement from the corner of her eye. She turned her head and stopped when she saw Alfred walking toward her. "Hey," he greeted with a little smile.

She nodded at him. "Hello. Can I help you?" she asked.

"Hey, I… I'm sorry about what I said the other day," he said.

She looked at him and blinked. "Did someone ask you to apologize? Because you don't have to," she stated bluntly.

He looked at her surprised. "No. Nobody sent me. I decided to do this myself," he answered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, well… I suppose I'm sorry for what I said, too."

"But you were right."

"Well, in that case, you were right too. And either way, it wasn't my place to say so," she told him.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, if you're not here for classes, then why are you here?" he asked with a smile.

She watched him a moment and averted her gaze, but she made sure he could still read her lips. "I don't want to answer that," was all she said.

For a moment he didn't do anything. Then he smiled, but it wasn't as bright as it had been before. "Right, yeah, I get it." They were still a moment. "You know, you speak clearly, it's easy to read lip-read you," he told her.

"Thanks, I've had practice," she answered shortly. Before he could ask she said, "I'm sorry, but I have to go home now. Goodbye."

"Right, sure. Maybe we can talk another time. Well, not really talk but…" he didn't finish and gave her a sheepish grin.

Her lips quirked and she gave him a slight nod. "Technically, ASL is a language, so yes, I believe it would be talking," she answered and with a wave she left.

~.~.~.

The next day nothing happened. He waved at her in the morning when he was with Matthew and Gilbert, and she sent a nod his way, but she left a little before school ended. The day after that, she found a pleasant surprise. She was coming out of the storage room and had just turned the corridor when she saw Alfred. He was with Matthew and Gilbert. She had planned in greeting them and going on her way, but apparently Alfred had another idea. He stopped and he smiled at her. "Hey, how are you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine. You?"

"I'm alright. Can't complain, really. Is everything okay? I didn't see you yesterday," he answered.

She shrugged. "I left early, that's all."

"Why do you come here anyway?" Gilbert signed suddenly.

She watched him a moment. "Because I have permission to do so. Anyway, I have to go," she said and stepped to the side. But then she turned around when they greeted someone behind her. She stopped in her tracks and stared. He stared back.

"Anna?" he mouthed slowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

Her eyes were wide and she couldn't manage more than a whisper, so she was a tiny bit glad they couldn't hear her. "Denmark?" He only nodded. "Denmark! I'm so glad to see you! It's been so long!" she exclaimed after a moment, beaming at him and squeezing her hands into fists at her sides to contain her excitement.

"Anna, I'm glad to see you too!" he was signing so fast, showing his own excitement. "Don't I even get a hug?"

"Really?" she asked and he just opened his arms. She grinned and threw herself at him. They shared a strong, heartfelt hug. "Wow, it's been like, two years. I can't believe I get to see you again," she said with a real smile when they let go of each other.

"I know! I kept seeing people talk about that 'hearing girl that comes everyday' but I didn't get to see you until this morning. I wanted to say hi but you were already gone. I'm glad to have caught you now. How's your brother and Kiku?" he asked with a smile.

Denmark was one of the people she felt comfortable with using ASL. She'd known him for a while after all. So, she started signing to him. "Arthur's fine. Same old grumpy but thoughtful person. Kiku's doing well too. They're as close as ever. Just a few days ago they came back from a trip to Canada. I wanted to go with them, I love going to Canada, but I couldn't go 'cause I had a bit of a project to finish. How are you nowadays, Mathias?" she asked him with a smile.

"I'm doing alright. Nothing special. But you have to meet my friends. They're all foreign exchange students from Norway, Iceland, Finland, and Sweden. I'll introduce them to you sometime," he explained.

She gave him a lopsided smile. "And together, you're the Nordics!" she joked but then she spoke saying, "That sounds cool, but I don't think they'll like me much. Nobody here really does unless they're trying to get information from me." She shrugged.

"Aw, come on Anna! My friends are pretty cool about that stuff. I'm sure they'll like you. They're not like me when we first met, if that's what you're thinking," was what he told her.

"I don't think anyone can be as mean as you when we first met. But the past is the past, and we're pretty cool with each other now. I am really glad to see you, though. I'm sure Kiku and Arthur will be glad to know I saw you."

"So, what's up with you these days? School? Work?" he queried.

She smiled. "I graduated last year with Arthur. I'm taking some classes online, and since I'm such a nerdy techy, I do some um… technical jobs," she answered.

He grinned at her. "You've always been so smart It's kind of scary," he told her and she laughed but then made a face at him. "You still play?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I still give concerts and whatnot," she said and shrugged.

"Get me a video of your last concert, yeah?" he asked.

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't know why you want it, it's not really of any use to you," she said. She wouldn't say, 'because you can't hear it' because that would be mean.

He laughed. "Hasn't Kiku ever told you?"

She shrugged. "Well, he says he doesn't need to hear it. My facial expressions apparently give a good rendering of what I'm playing," she answered and she blushed lightly.

"See? That's why I like watching. So, when's your next one?"

"Soon. My piano had some irreparable damage though," she admitted regrettably.

"Ah, dude, that sucks! So, how are you practicing?"

"It's why I'm here. There's an old piano in a storage room, so the Director let me use it. Though I had to tune it the first day, which was harsh. Either way, this is a pretty good place, since I'm not really bothering anyone with my playing," she said and beamed.

"I'm sure you'll do well. Don't forget to visit. I'm not Kiku, but come on," he said with a wink.

She smiled. "Maybe I'll drop by while you guys are on vacation," she said. "For now, it'll be a while before I stop coming though. I hope to see you often," she added.

"Same here. Take care."

"You too, you. It was fun seeing and talking to you again, Mathias," she said with a smile and they shared another hug. When they pulled away, she spoke to Alfred, Gilbert, and Matthew, who were surprised she actually knew someone in their school. "And now you know why I'm here, so I hope you're happy." She did not smile, and she inclined her head at them in farewell.

~.~.~.

They watched her leave for a moment before Alfred and the others rounded on Mathias. "What the hell man? You actually know her?!" Gilbert asked a little agitated. Alfred though, seemed rather subdued for his usual hyperactive nature.

Mathias shrugged. "Sure. I've known her for a couple of years actually. I met her at the school I used to go to. They have a friend there," he explained.

"It must be Kiku, right?" Matthew asked meekly.

"Yup, Kiku is deaf and mute, and they've been friends since childhood I think. The three, with her brother," he answered.

"What's up with 'Denmark' anyway?" Gilbert queried.

Again, Mathias shrugged. "It took a while for me to give her my name. So she told me she'd call me 'Denmark', you know, since I was born there and all. It kind of stuck though, so she'll still call me that."

"What are you doing here?" was all Alfred asked. His look was unreadable.

"Oh, right. Francis asked me to tell Gilbert that he wanted to see him," Mathias explained.

"Since when do you run errands for Francis?" Alfred asked him.

Mathias, as did Matthew, gave him a strange look. That wasn't like Alfred. Well, they would have expected him to ask something like that in a more… playful way, not looking almost annoyed. Still, Mathias only shrugged. "Bored, nothing better to do, really. Plus, I was looking for Lukas. Good of me to have done so, otherwise I don't think I would've been able to talk to Anna," he said with a grin.

"Well, you're done, you can go now," was all he replied with a slight frown.

Matthew was genuinely surprised. "Alfred, what's wrong? You look kind of angry," he said worriedly.

"Nothing. I'm fine," he answered before he turned around and left.

"Keh, what's his problem?" Gilbert queried, but then he shrugged. "Whatever, I'm going to go see what that Frenchy wants," he announced before he walked away too.

"What's wrong with Alfred?" Mathias asked confused.

Matthew bit his lower lip worriedly. "I don't know. It might have to do with Miss Kirkland though," he tried. It would make sense. He seemed to become like that when Mathias and Annabella started conversing, even though he didn't say anything. "I should go see. Goodbye Mathias. I'm glad you got to see your friend again," he told the other before he left in the direction Alfred had.

Mathias only shrugged and stood there a moment before a stupid grin lit up his face. Yes, he really had seen her. It had been a long time. Maybe next time he'll ask for her number, to stay in touch. And with that thought, he walked off in search of his Norwegian friend.

~.~.~.