AN: Hey guys, sorry this took so long to update. Here's the chapter! More will come very soon.
Disclaimer: The song belongs to Rentrer En Soi. Hetalia belongs to Hidekez Himaruya.
Ima mune ni te wo atete
Negau senritsu ga togirenu you ni
Kurushiku nagai yoru sae
Mo matataku hoshi ni tokekomu you ni
With the new rule in place, the meetings after were very uneventful, much to Ludwig's liking. No one wanted to get caught and be humiliated in front of everyone. Alfred's example had been enough. But eventually… someone had to slip up. It was one of the most unexpected nations.
Kiku sat quietly next to Vash and Yao. He had secretly fit the earphones in only a few seconds ago and he was being sure to give no sign he was listening to music. He had wanted to avoid this, but he had been going a week without any anime or manga. The cliffhangers…Ugh… Withdrawal was setting in and if he had to sit here with nothing occupying his mind, he was sure he would go insane.
This song had a tune similar to many anime openings and helped stop his restlessness.
Ludwig was still talking and hadn't seemed to notice his withdrawal from the speech. That was well enough in its own. Kiku did not want to sing in front of everyone.
tsutaete... todokete... kanata ni tadayou sora yo
terashite... mienai... nemuri tsudzukeru nani ka wo
The music sped up and he found himself tapping his foot with the beat, though that was still the only external sign he showed.
azayaka ni hoshi e hanatta rasen no you mai agare
rinkaku wo ushinatta boku no "yume" "genjitsu" ni kaeru you ni
There was a long break in the words, allowing him to tune back in to the world around him for a moment. To his relief, no one was calling his name; he hadn't been caught. Ludwig was still talking about whatever subject he was now on, though some of the nations had started talking, interrupting him.
The words picked up again.
nozomi wo ushinatta hibi mo chikai ga kowareta yoru mo
gensou ni umoreta ai mo matataku hoshi ni iyasareru you na
As the music paused, he heard a voice to his right call. "Kiku."
The Japanese man froze, only now realizing as his mouth had stopped working that he had been mouthing with the song.
Slowly, his eyes turned to see the other nations staring at him and Ludwig rubbing his temples with a disapproving look.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice?" He asked, seeming to hold back a sigh.
Kiku averted his eyes, biting his lip like he was some child caught with a cookie after dinner. "My apologies." He whispered. He just didn't want to sing… don't make him sing…
"You know the rules, Kiku."
Wincing, he slowly nodded. Reluctantly, he laid his phone on the table, making it as time consuming as possible. He removed the earplugs.
Most of the nations were watching in silence, probably wondering what song could possibly have gotten him caught. Alfred, however, was looking away, knowing how embarrassing the experience was.
Sighing, Kiku pressed play. Ludwig hadn't said he had to start from the beginning after all.
karen ni utsushita hoshi e sasageru kono kokoro
terasare furisosogun kirameki ni michibikareru
Kiku closed his eyes, trying to will himself invisible. The meeting room was entirely silent. Why had he had to get caught at the chorus?
azayaka ni inori tsudzukerurasen no you mai agare
sou ima kara aruki daseru hazu "mirai" ni deaeru made
There was another long break that seemed to go on forever. He tried to pretend he was somewhere else.
tsutaete... todokete... kanata ni tadayou sora yo
terashite... mienai... nemuri tsudzukeru nanika wo
azayaka ni hoshi e hanatta rasen no you mai agare
rinkaku wo ushinatta boku no "yume" "genjitsu" ni kaeru you ni
azayaka ni inori tsudzukeru rasen no you mai agare
sou ima kara aruki daseru hazu "mirai" ni deaeru made
The music finally started to fade. When the song was finished, Kiku quickly paused it and put his phone away, still avoiding everyones eyes. The room was still dead silent, until one voice said,
"Good job Kiku."
Looking up, he saw that it was Feliciano. The Italian gave him an encouraging smile and next to him he saw Alfred shoot him a thumbs up.
Releasing a breath, he nodded slowly, glancing at Ludwig. The German caught his eye, thankfully opening his mouth to speak.
"Whose speech was next?"
The nations started to leave the meeting room, all wanting to get home. As they exited, Matthew stayed in his seat and once everyone had gone, he leaned down, peering underneath the table. Kuma was sound asleep next to his feet, snoring lightly.
Carefully, he picked the bear up, not wanting to wake his friend. Behind him, someone tapped his shoulder, making him jump. He whipped his head around; relaxing when he saw it was his brother. "Don't do that."
Alfred smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you bro."
"It's alright." His eyebrows furrowed when he saw Alfred didn't even have his things. "Shouldn't you be getting home?"
He nodded. "Yeah, but… I have something I wanted to ask or… propose I guess."
Matthew sat once more, setting Kuma in his lap. "Okay, what is it?"
"Well… I was wondering, if one of us gets caught, or for me, caught again… can the other sing with them?"
Matthew's eyes narrowed. He thought for a few moments. He knew that if he got caught, and that was a fairly big if unless he went didn't hide it at all, he wouldn't want to sing alone. He knew from Alfred's experience that his brother didn't want to either. "Okay."
Alfred blinked, not expecting an agreement that quickly. "Okay?"
He nodded. "Sure. If you get caught, I'll join you."
AN: If you're curious, the English lyrics can be found here: /songs/view/3530822107858687338/ Thanks for reading!
The song is Hoshiku no rasen by Rentrer en Soi.