A/N: Had trouble deciding what I wanted to do this chapter. Sorry for the delay! I promise I'm still writing. Just having a bit of trouble at the moment. Thanks for reading and I shall try not to have so many errors!

Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia or any of the Assassin's Creed content. This is purely from my imagination. Please support the official releases.

Romano was asleep in the passenger seat twelve hours into the drive. We were in Rostov-on-Don now and there hadn't been any incident as of yet. I was growing suspicious. Whoever was after us should've made some kind of move. Maybe they were trying to see where I was headed.

I sighed and looked over at the sleeping Italian. He was acting weird. Something about the look in his eyes when he saw Ezio's armor made me want to keep a closer eye on him. I had been entrusted to protect some of the most famous treasures the Brotherhood had. Although, I didn't posess any of the pieces of eden. Hell, I didn't want them.

I had stopped at a gas station to fill up and get some food when Romano woke up. He got out and stretched, looking a bit dazed as I walked out with two drinks, and some snack stuff.

"It's about time you woke up, sladkiy odin. We have another day ahead of us," I said holding out a cinnamon churro.

He raised an eyebrow at the churro but smiled, "Thanks. Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm not so good with road trips. But, your driving is much better than that Tomato bastard's."

He was a little grouchy which was super cute. Alas that moment could not last.

As I opened up my water bottle, I saw a man walk out of the gas station staring at us. He was after us. The way he was walking carefully and keeping us in the corner of his eye at all times. It was obvious that he was going out of his way to keep some distance between us and himself.

I took a drink and tossed my hair to the side. Romano's eyes snapped over to the man and back to me. He knew. A plan popped into my head, but before I even took a breath to talk, Romano walked over to me, wrapped his arms around me and kissed me deeply. It was one of those movie kisses that you could melt into. He was leaning over me, my back arched. I felt him moving and glanced over to see him pointing a handgun at the man who had been watching us.

Of course, he was now diving for cover. Romano was too fast. He fired three shots. Just three. And I heard the dull thump of a body hit asphalt.

I pulled away, jumped in the car and started it. Romano hadn't even looked to aim... How did he make that shot? Impossible! And yet he'd still done it. Then again, I didn't actually see the body for myself. Whoever it was could still be alive.

"Hurry up. If we're fast enough, we can confuse them for a little while," I said as calmly as I could manage. A part of my mind was screaming with anger. I hadn't gotten to kill that fucker. In the near future, I'd have more than enough bodies added to my kill count. The other part of me warned not to get too carried away.

"There's no way we can lose them, Anya."

"I don't need to lose them. I have no doubt they know exactly where I'm heading."

"...Where are you going?"

I smiled devilishly and revved the engine, "Home."

He tilted his head, still puzzled and left it at that. I couldn't just tell him. That would be no fun.

As I drove, I got lost in thoughts about my childhood. More specifically the reason I became an Assassin; the man who watched over me; how I found myself alone.

'Thank you Altair. I miss you.' I thought miserably. I wondered why he had gone away and never came back. If he would've asked for help... Maybe I could've seen him one last time before he diappeared. Of course, he was long dead now. We'd finally found out that he was in his library, thanks to the Italian Assassins.

I woke up to a countryside sunrise and Romano's face glowing from the sunlight. He was humming softly to the radio... This is what I imagined happiness felt like. If ever I died, I would want this to be my last memory.

It'll only make you hurt more. Idiot. Why are you letting him get close to you. You know he'll leave. Pathetic child.

The hissing voice was back, and so was my temporary peace of mind. I sat up and looked around carefully. "You finally figured it out?" I asked.

"Yep. You told me to stay on this highway, and I had a few hours to think, so... Masyaf it is then," he said like it was an ordinary thing.

Maybe to him it was. To me, it was much, much more. It was where I first felt companionship after my family left me. It was where I learned how to be who I was. It was where I'd made my first friend.

Noru.

I gave a little smile and stretched my legs. "That's exactly where we need to go. I think we'll find answers there. Or at least, some help. To be honest, I'm a bit nervous. I kind of... left without permission. I doubt it'll mean anything now though."

He smiled and squeezed my hand, "I'm sure it'll be fine. It's not like they would banish you or something. You're not a traitor." Not to him I wasn't. And as far as I remembered I hadn't done anything to anger my Brotherhood.

We were fast approaching the little village that was now Masyaf. It had been a long time since I'd been there last, but the people that still lived there had been rebuilding a little. I motioned for Romano to stop the car a ways off so we could walk through the village. There weren't any roads for cars. These were simple people. They worked the soil and helped each other out. There was a point in time when the Assassins would help out with the autumn harvest every year. Or, help out in general.

"Wow. This place is kind of run-down," Romano whispered to me.

"No. It's thriving again. It used to be much worse," I whispered back happily. I knew every old street and building, even if it was slightly more modern than it had been. They all had the same basic shape and earthy smell.

"You look happy, Anya. I've never seen you look like that," Romano said softly.

I shrugged it off, "I dunno what you mean."

"You have a sense of wonderment about you. It's like... putting a flower back into the garden where it's seed was planted," he said thoughtfully.

A flower. Flowers were nothing like me. they were beautiful, graceful, and delicate. I was-and still am-

Bloodthirsty, dangerous, angry.

'Oh, you shut up!' I thought angrily to myself.

Then, just like that, we were walking up the long hill to the castle. I was surprised at how empty it looked. I guess we all had to go into hiding since the Templars had gotten stronger. There were a handful of boys wrestling around in the yard. A few girls chasing each other. The only way you could tell what they were was by their precise movements. That, and one of the girls backflipped off of the wall.

They noticed us and stopped playing and smiling. Did they think we were enemies?

One of the older boys scampered off inside. Another shuffled closer and shouted, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"Calm yourself, little one. I am Anya Braginski, master of the Russian Assassins. I have come here to talk to-"

"Me," finished a familliar but more mature voice. I looked over and saw Lukas! I couldn't believe it! He was still here after all these years.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I ran over to him and hugged him tightly. Tina and Berwald stepped out of the shadows as I let go of the bewildered Lukas. Romano stood behind me, staring at the ground with a sullen expression.

"What the hell are YOU TWO doing here?!" I asked Tina.

She giggled and answered, "Keeping an eye on you, of course! Lukas ordered it." She winked and looked at Romano.

Lukas visibly blushed and coughed.

Berwald mumbled, "I'm just here to make sure Tina doesn't get in over her head."

"Damn it Tina!" Lukas interrupted, "Don't make me mad in front of my students! Let's go inside." He was still the same adorable, sweet guy he'd always been. But, he'd grown up even more.

As we walked I looked around the castle. It was way more updated and cozy than I'd ever seen it. It even had electricity! I looked over at Romano who was now glaring at the floor. What had gotten into him? Were there too many people? I reached for his hand and slid my fingers between his. His face softened a little, but he still seemed upset. Come to think of it, he hadn't said a word since we arrived at the castle.

We entered what seemed to be Lukas' office. "This was Master's room wasn't it?" I asked softly. Lukas nodded and closed his eyes.

"Before we get started, let me make something clear: I aksed Tina to keep an eye on you because I knew something was wrong. Berwald... he's not an Assassin, but he's a welcom friend," he paused and glanced at mine and Romano's hands, "Romano, how did you get involved?"

I looked over at the Italian then back at Lukas. I wasn't so sure he wanted to talk at the moment.

"Anya and I were out one evening at a festival and we were attacked. They happened to be Italians. I felt it was my duty to make sure she was safe and to find out if those men where indeed part of the Brotherhood," he responded coldly.

Lukas nodded and turned around.

Tina, hating any silence, started in, "We have eyes everywhere, so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what's happened. I think you two should stay here for a few days and see what we can find out."

Berwald grunted his agreement.

"I had actually planned on it. I have an idea of what to look for. I'll need to search the newest parts of the library and work backwards," I said certainly.

Lukas seemed to perk up a little.

"I'll show you the way. If you're still the same with books as you used to be, you'll not want anyone to bother you while you're reading."

Romano dropped my hand and looked over at Tina, "Is there something I can assist with in the mean time?"

As Lukas and I walked out of the room, I could still hear Tina babbling on and on about how wonderful it would be if they could help train the young recruits.

I stopped at a pair of large wooden doors, waiting for Lukas to open them up. I turned to look at him and get out of his way, but he pushed me against the door and looked into my eyes.

"Teddy Bear, why are you looking at me like that?" he whipsered as he leaned in closer, "If you don't stop, your face will get stuck like that."

I didn't know what to say. He had been my best friend as a child, but I never thought he'd be like this towards me.

"Y-you're still wearing your cross.." I stammered.

He smiled and started to chuckle, "Of course I am, you idiot. Why wouldn't I? You gave it to me after all."

"But..."

He put his forehead against mine and stroked my cheek. His eyes held so much pain, but they were such a beautiful periwinkle. Had my leaving hurt him that bad? He seemed to read my thoughts.

"After you left... I trained as hard as I could so I could leave and go find you. Master Makar kept a close eye on me and then made me master."

We both slumped to the ground and looked at each other.

I held him close to me. "Noru, I'm sorry. I had no idea. I just needed to leave. I-I couldn't put you in danger. I had to fight so hard..." I started to cry.

"Damn it Anya, don't do that. You know I hate it when you cry. You big baby," he said sweetly.

We sat like that for a while, holding each other, before he stood up and offered me his hand. As I stood , he kissed my hand.

"I cannot stand seeing you with him. I'm going to make you fall in love with me, Teddy Bear, as I have with you."

With that, he unlocked the door and left me to my books.