A/N: Sorry for the late update... again. I'm having major writer's block right now. If you guys have any suggestions, you're welcome to share. I love hearing people's thoughts on my stories! I'd like to say thanks to Me1anch0lich0lic and PrivetComrade for staying with me! I have read all reviews and comments and taken them into consideration. Thanks so much and enjoy the chapter. ;D

I realized, lost in my thoughts that I had somewhat lied to Romano on the phone... We'd met before more than once, but I had only thought of the first time. I winced at my own stupidity. I'd been so nervous about him remembering that I brought it up without meaning to. Great job Anya! Ach. I was such an idiot. What did it matter now though? My brothers were after me apparently. Had they found out I had failed to kill Romano? And why would they order the death of another of the Brotherhood anyway? My problem solving skills weren't exactly top notch. So many questions and not a clue to what the answers could be. In a fit of rage, I punched the closest wall... And put a hole in it. Again, great job Anya. Not the worst I'd ever done to the house. but, I'd still have to go to the truoble of fixing it. There was enough on my mind as it was. My irritable mood was enhanced by the fact that I was tired. I just couldn't sleep. Who knew if someone was going to burst in and try to kill me? Paranoid? Yes. Bite me. I deserve to be a little worried after last night. The thing was, I hadn't even sensed the threat. That wasn't like me at all. Maybe my skills were getting worse. Something wasn't right... something had to be going on to get them to be gutsy enough to attack me. And Romano. His branch was the strongest out there, and he was the oldest master. Probably the most skilled too.

When I got to the Masters, I'd find out what was going on. I wasn't going to be waved off and dealt with later! I am Anya Braginski, a Master of the Russian Assassins. Last night screwed up every rule that I'd been taught. Every rule that had been lain down by the first of our Brotherhood. With a sigh I turn and start heading to the kitchen to find something to cook for breakfast. The others would be getting up soon. Elizaveta did enough last night with the Baltics. Such a sweet girl.

Before I make it too far, Romano comes running in, very alert as any assassin should be. "Anya! What happened? I heard a loud bang and- Your hand..." he says in a rush. I lift my hand up and examine it. Blood trickles down my knuckles very slowly. I'd hit that wall harder than I thought. "Oh. Would you look at that?" I say absently. It still doesn't hurt. If it did, I would have looked at it and saw the blood. "What did you do?" he asks me, worried. Numbly, I shrug and look away. It's not very often that I lose my temper, and I hate it when I do. I'm ashamed that I did. I can feel the heavy darkness at the edges of my mind again. They threaten to spill over and send me into one of my crying fits. I steel myself against it. Romano will NOT see me like that.

His lips flatten as he gives me a stern look. "Follow me. We're going to get that cleaned up." Too tired to argue, I nod and follow. He leads me to a bathroom and grabs some paroxide, band-aids, and a wash cloth. "I'm fine. Seriously, I don't know why you're making such a fuss about it. I've done worse," I say in a flat voice. He sighs and motions for me to sit on the toilet. "I don't care if you have. I'm cleaning you up. If it swells, you'll have to go to the doctor," he answers as he begins to dab the wash cloth on my knuckles. It stings a little, but I don't make a sound. He's quite gentle with me... and come to think of it, it's not just at this particular moment. He's been gentle with me from the beginning.

So strange. I liked the way he tried to be careful. It was as if I was a delicate thing. A lady to be protected and waited on. I had not had the opportunity to be a lady very often, and didn't care for it. You had to be tough to be a country. It was a wonder that France and Litchenstein were still around. Thhinking about it, my lovers and friends didn't allow for a delicate demeanor:

Alfred and I had an aggresive relationship.

Gilbert and I didn't really get along either.

Katyusha ran away, Nicholai always attacked me, Kiku was afraid of me as well as my Baltics, and Yao hated me...

Wow. A lot of my relationships were pretty fucked up. Maybe that was why I had been so unhappy in the past? I looked up at Romano's face and smiled. He was a pretty amazing guy. He sees me looking at him and lifts an eyebrow. "What?" His cheeks get a little pink, but he bandages up my hand and stays close. "Nothing. I- Thanks for helping me out. I really appreciate it. A-and I know it might not seem like it, but I'm glad you're here," I say quietly. A bright smile spreads across his face as he helps me up and puts his hand on my cheek. "Qualsiasi cosa per una bella donna. Anything for a beautiful woman," he leans closer to me and whispers, "Il mio unico dolce..."

~~Romano~~

I was so caught up in holding her that I barely realized it when she tangled her fingers in my hair. It stung in a pleasurable sort of way. And the way she was biting her lip... Damn it! She was driving me crazy! We stayed like that for a little while, just looking into each other's eyes. We both heard someone moving around downstairs. Unfortunately, she was the first to pull away... and simply walked out without a word. There was a thick later of ice between her and the world, but I could sense that there was warmth coming from beyond it. If we could figure out what was going on with the other Assassin's and stay alive, then maybe I'd actually be able to show her how she should be treated. Even if she was a hard headed, hot tempered Russian.

A few hours passed by and everyone was now awake. Anya filled Elizaveta and the other three in about what happened while I sat outside. The Russian landscape was very open and hilly. To my surprise, there wasn't any snow on the ground. Green trees were here and there, and the sky was almost as blue as it was back home. All in all, it was nothing like what everyone said it was like. It wasn't barren or scarred. It was very full of life, just like Anya was. Did everyone think she was cruel and scary? I found myself starting to get aggitated at the other countries for not even trying to see how Anya really was. Well... Maybe Ludwig saw her how she really was. They were kind of friends after all. Antonio and Elizaveta seemed to adore her too. Speaking of... I'd have to let Spain know that I had some business with the Brotherhood to take care of. I wasn't going to go into details, and he wouldn't really ask. That's one of the few reasons I didn't mind him. Stretching, I pulled out my phone and dialed him. He answered rigth away. "Lovi? Why are you not home, little one?" he asked teasing me. He thought I had ben in Anya's bed. Typical.

"I have something I have to do. The Brotherhood needs my services. I'm sorry to worry you." The last bit was sarcasm, which he ignored.

"Be careful, fratellino. I don't like when they give you random missions. you always end up getting hurt."

"Toni. It's what I do, and I'm not about to let go of it anytime soon. I was raised to do this, so I shall." It was truth. Since I was old enough to walk, my 'brothers' had trained me to fight. The female assassin's hadn't came to Italy until later in the 1500-1600's. I had learned a great deal from them as well. Antonio's frustrated sigh let me know he wouldn't try to stop me as usual. "I'll let you know what happens. and one last thing..."

"Something tells me I'm not going to like this."

"Anya's going with me."

"What? Romano Lovino Vargas! Why would you do such a stu-"

I cut him off, "She can take care of herself, fratello. Goodbye." He was still yelling as I hung up and turned the phone off. He'd try to call back, and I couldn't have that.

Just as I stood up to go inside, I heard a frustrated yell. Anya. I ran inside and saw her glaring at the phone. "What's wrong?" I asked cautiously.

"Finland! She ALWAYS expects me to drop everything and do something for her! It's not MY fault I can't watch Sealand for her. He's a good kid, but he can pretty much do well enough on his own. Eto glupye, neblagodarnye strany!" With a sigh I walked over to her and but a finger under her chin. She glares at me like I'm the one who upset her.

Gently, I murmur, "Sweetheart, she's not an ungrateful or stupid country. She doesn't understand that you're busy, ok? Calm down." Slowly, she untenses and rests her head against my chest. At this point, I know I'm blushing, and I thank God that she isn't looking at my face! Anya needs me, so as much as I want to, I can't pull away and hide.

"Romano...?"

"Yes?"

"Can we start our mission tomorrow?"

"If you want to, of course. Let's take it easy today."

She nuzzles closer and lets out a deep sigh. I look over to see Elizaveta shooing Estonia and Lithuania outside. It seems she's taking everyone out. And now I'm alone... with Anya. Oh shit, I'm dizzy now. Trying to calm down, I start running my fingers through her silky hair. "your heart is beating really fast... You alright?" she asks, peeking up at me. Smiling, I nod. Of course, she knows better.

~~Anya~~

He's lying. Something's bothering him, and I intend to find out just what it is. I take his hand in mine and pull him to the couch. He's... blushing? What in the world? I look down quickly to make sure noting ebarrassing has happened. Nope, I'm safely and completely in my clothes. Romano looks like Alfred the first time he wanted to- Oh! Suddenly, my face feels really warm. Could that be what was wrong? Had I somehow aroused him without knowing? Oh, this was so embarrassing! I hadn't even noticed! Alfred hasd been so straightforward. Gilbert just wlked into my room without clothes on. I couldn't tell because he was so shy! how stupid was I? Hell, oh hell, did I need to pay attention more.

He interrupted my internal panicking, "Anya, umm... If I'm making you uncomfterable-" I wouldn't let him think it was his fault. "No! I didn't mean to, er, well I shouldn't have-"

At the same time we shouted, "I just like having you close!" I hid my hands in my face and groaned. The awkwardness of the situation had reached an all time high. I'd just told him that I- Wait a second. He said it too! The next thing I know, he had lifted my head up and crushed his lips to mine, rather aggresively. Oh daaaamn~ his lips were so soft! There was a weird knot in my stomach driving me to give him the same aggression back. I'd felt this before and knew I couldn't control it very well. A groan escaped his lips as he pushed me onto my back. I wanted his warmth closer to me now! His lips trailed kisses down my neck. I let out a shaky breath and wrapped my legs around his waist. How could he do this to me so fast? No one had ever got me so worked up.

Not even- One of his fingertips brushed my lower back in just the right spot and made me tense up. It felt absolutely amazing~! He pulled back and looked at me in surprise. "What?" I asked, pretending not to know what had just happened. A grin,equal to Spain's 'come-get-me' smile spread across his face. "You know exactly 'what'," he answered. No way was I giving in just yet. His hands were exploring at the moment and I didn't really want them to stop. "You just moaned. What did I do?" I bit my lower lip and avoided his eyes. He rubbed my thigh patiently. "C'mon, leonessa... Tell me?" The way his language rolled off his tongue made even an Angel's voice seem dull. Especially when he talked in that low tone. I stole and kiss and smirked mischeviously at him, "You'll have to find out yourself~!" He let out a low growl and lifted my shirt up. "Then, I will..." He started by kissing my stomach very lightly. There was no fucking way he didn't have experience with women. Just what did this boy do in his free time? Feeling brave, I slid down enough to where I could reach around him and grab his ass. Which made him jump. Hilarious! On the way down, I'd brushed my hand against an impressive bulge. Oh, how fun~!

Lost in my Italian, I didn't notice the shadow right outside the window...