Disclaimer: Don't own Hetalia

Ni – Ukr – No

Moyi vybachennya –Ukr – My apologies

lyudyna i pryroda – Ukr – man and nature

moda – spirit

syn – Ukr – son

es ist schön - Ger – it's beautiful

Was - Ger – What

Frau, dame – Ger – lady

Chapter 5

Natalya took her coat off, and ignoring discipline, threw it across the room. It didn't have to travel too far before landing on the chair at the corner of her small cell.

Nat sighed, and threw herself in bed. She had a terrible, terrible headache, starting from the middle of her forehead. That Gilbert Beilschmidt…she didn't know what was worse, his incessant yelling of 'I'm awesome!' or the clang of metal against his head which followed. Or Alfred Jones's constant "I'm a hero!" followed by his exasperating laugh.

She needed to find a mechanism to mute all of them. Or just Alfred – Elizabeta was taking care of Gilbert.

Right now, she needed to sleep.

She opened one weary eye, and looked around. With a small smile and a sigh of contentment, she pulled the bedsheet over her.

Home, sweet home.

"Where did she disappear to?"

Matt looked up at Alfred, and shushed him. "Lower your voice. This is a temple."

Alfred crossed his arms and looked around. "I'm not too happy about this."

"You couldn't shut up about how we were never going to get here. Now…well…enjoy yourself."

Alfred blinked at Matt in surprise. "Wow, broski. Didn't know you could get irritated."

"Yeah, well you don't know a lot about me," Matt muttered softly. He couldn't help it. It had been a hellish ride for him, probably all of them. Gilbert couldn't stop talking during the day, and Alfred screamed in his sleep at night. Matt understood why both happened – it was Gilbert's way of dealing with things, and Alfred had undergone serious trauma. All he wanted was sleep, and now, here they were, waiting outside the door of the Head Priestess' room.

Alfred, however, heard him, and immediately sobered up. But before he could say anything, he heard a soft, "Come in" from the other side of the door. He looked at his brother, who got up, and he quickly followed suit. Matt opened the door, and the two of them entered, side by side.

Matt stifled his surprise, while Alfred didn't bother with such niceties. The priestess had silky, short hair, the same wheat-blonde shade as Natalya's. She had large blue eyes which twinkled softly and merrily, as if she had a secret which was starkly obvious, but no one else could see. Behind the twinkle, however, lay ages and ages of wisdom and maturity, nurturing no doubt as to why this woman was the head priestess of the House of Wheels.

But her eyes weren't the only large features she possessed. Her welcoming, warm smile as she ushered them in, and her large…

"Alfred…" Matt whispered as they walked towards the sofas arranged at one corner of the room. "Stop staring."

"I can't help it," he grumbled back, quickly averting his eyes from the Head Priestess's ample bosom. Ample, however, wasn't the word for it – the word 'large' kept swimming before Alfred's eyes, while Matt refused to think at all. Soon, more words like 'enormous', 'huge', 'ginormous' and other synonyms began floating around in Alfred's head, and he had to grit his teeth and keep his eyes to his lap.

"Welcome to our home," came her soft, soothing voice. Matt looked up, and quickly regretted it, while Alfred kept his gaze strictly trained on his lap. "You are Alfred Jones Sr.'s sons, da?"

Their father's name sobered them both, and they looked at the Priestess's face. "I am Katyusha Braginskaya, the Head Priestess here. Thank you, both, for coming here."

She spoke slowly, her tone well-paced, as though she was carefully choosing her words before saying them. Matt remembered how Natalya had mentioned that English wasn't her mother tongue, and her way of talking was similar to Katyusha's, so he inferred that both of them had different native tongues. Still, Natalya's English was quite comprehensive and extensive.

"I hope you have had a safe trip. Natalya is my student. If she has made any errors, I ask for your forgiveness."

"Oh, no, no, that's not necessary!" Matt quickly said, shaking his hands. "It was a tiring journey, and she did the best she could."

"Your rooms are being prepared now. I will just – Come in," she said at the knock on the door. The door opened, and Elizabeta and Gilbert entered. Katyusha smiled at the two of them. "Please join us."

Matt and Alfred turned around. The two of them seemed to have freshened up, and were wearing the same clothes as the rest of the priests and priestesses. Gilbert looked a lot calmer, and so did Eliza. They both bowed to Katyusha, and sat down next to Matt. "Thank you for having us, Ozi Maya. I hope it's no trouble," Eliza said.

"Oh, ni, ni. It is not trouble to have guests. We are honoured."

Alfred looked at Katyusha suspiciously. She looked a bit too much like Natalya, albeit a rounder and more…voluptuous version of the younger woman. But it was that look in her eyes…it seemed as though she could understand all of their pain, and had a solution for all of them. Alfred didn't trust that look, no matter how genuine it seemed to be. How in the name of the Lord God in the Heavens above could she have any idea of what he had gone through? How could any of them in this room even hazard a guess? He couldn't believe in such a trusting look.

She turned to him, and smiled. Alfred, embarrassed on being caught, turned away, his cheeks turning slightly pink.

"You must be the Reserve."

Alfred's head shot around. "Excuse me?"

"Moyi vybacchenya. We have a specific term for that, but its best translation would be Reserve. But first, I must talk to you about this establishment."

"How does it have anything to do with this?" Alfred questioned while Matt tried to shush him in vain.

"It'll explain things better to you," she said with a smile. Alfred distrusted that smile to no end.

"Alfred, keep quiet," Matt whispered, and Alfred's frown deepened. How could these people—disgusted, he just crossed his arms and looked away. To hell with these people.

Katyusha, on the other hand, had the full attention of the others. "We follow the religion of Mani, and call ourselves Manikars. Our religion consists of eight major Houses, and many other minor Houses under the eight major ones. A main House follows one of the eight main disciplines listed in our scriptures. Four disciplines deal only with learning and teaching of our scriptures. The other disciplines involve learning martial arts, along with the scriptures, in order to keep balance. Our House of Wheels is one of them."

"Keep balance of what, exactly?" Elizabeta asked.

"Between man and Nature, lyudyna i pryroda. But while that is our primary duty, our duty also lies in keeping balance between the Nature of this world, and the Nature of the other worlds."

Katyusha slowed down as she spoke now. "In our religion, we believe that there exist a total of twelve worlds, existing and thriving together. You may or may not choose to believe in it. Our duty as priests and priestesses is to maintain the harmony within the universe. And, like us, there exist inhabitants of the other worlds who also wish to maintain harmony. Our ancestors, along with these inhabitants, formed a network which allows us to work together. The number twelve isn't just any number – we do have proof"—

"How is this connected to us in any way?" Alfred grumbled, and Matt elbowed him. Alfred glared at Matt, who slid his glasses higher up and glared back just as ferociously.

"I was just about to tell you," Katyusha said sweetly, not taking any chagrin to Alfred's belligerence. "This network has ensured that we know as much as we can about these other worlds, and of their inhabitants. Some of these inhabitants regularly cross over to other worlds, and sometimes, we also do the same. But there are some inhabitants who are not a part of the network, but are forced to cross over because someone from another world has learnt to summon them. This is the case of your demon, Mr Jones.

"Since the flow of time is different in each world, sometimes the inhabitants described in scriptures as long as two hundred years might still be alive in their world. The demon that was summoned is probably a level three demon, which means it has immense power, making it hard to summon and harder to dismiss. These demons are summoned by drawing their summoning circles – I shall not delve into that. Usually it is drawn on the ground or on an object, and that object is preserved until the demon needs to be dismissed, but in your case, the demon was summoned through the mind."

Katyusha waited for Alfred's response, and saw that she finally had his attention. He frowned, and asked, "What do you mean?"

"Your father kept the image of the demon's summoning circle in his mind, without any other thoughts, and bound it to his mind. It is a feat in itself, to be able to concentrate without distractions for so long. If nothing else, it is commendable. What it means to you, and to us as a whole, is that the demon is still in this world. It is either within you or it is bound to your father's spirit."

"The priestess said something about that," Alfred murmured thoughtfully. When Katyusha looked at Matt curiously, he quickly said, "Miss Natalya told us that either the demon or our father's spirit was locked in Alfred. She guessed it was the latter, but…she didn't say anything about the demon being…bound to our father's spirit."

"It's a logical conclusion based on the studies done by our ancestors. If your father's moda, or spirit, is within you, the demon cannot harm you. But it also cannot leave this world. Since it does not belong here, its presence here, and its absence in its own world causes a disruption. It is this disruption that drew our attention to Fitzgerald, and to your father."

Gilbert looked at Katyusha. "You can sense this disruption?"

Katyusha nodded. "It is a part of our training."

Gilbert fell back in the sofa. "That is so awesome."

There was a knock at the door, and a small girl entered. She conversed with Katyusha in a tongue none of them understood, and when Katyusha replied, she nodded and stood by the door.

"It seems your rooms are ready. Lavender will show you the way. Once Natalya wakes up, we can discuss what we must do at great length. Right now, you must all rest."

"Ummm…ma'am, I wish to speak with you."

Katyusha blinked, and looked at Matt, who had stayed back, while the others had followed the little girl. Her plump face creased as she smiled at him. "Of course, syn."

"My brother, Alfred, please…don't mind him. He's been through a lot, so"—

"Natalya told me about him. I understand."

Do you really? Matt wanted to ask, but didn't want to seem impertinent. But, when he looked into Katyusha's eyes, he couldn't fathom why he felt like she understood exactly what his brother was going through.

"Before you go to sleep, please come to me. I have designed an amulet for him to calm him down. It should be ready by night time."

Matt didn't know how to express his gratitude. He beamed at her. "Thank you so much."

Katyusha smiled warmly. "Would you like a tour of the temple?"

Matt gave her the largest smile he could. "There is nothing I would like more."

Nat woke up, and blinked. In a few moments, she oriented herself, and realised where she was. She yawned sleepily, licked her lips, and opened and closed her mouth several times. She rolled over to the other side, and let her mind reacquaint itself with the incidents of the past.

Finally, completely aware of her surroundings, she turned on her back, and looked at the ceiling. Her mental clock told her it was close to ten at night. If nothing else in this blessed world, Nat completely trusted her sense of timing. It had never let her down.

With a groan, she swung upright, and planted her feet on the ground. Her head was woozy, the effects of skipping two meals straight. She waited for her senses to stop spinning, and continued to sit still as she thought.

She pondered over her conversation with the demon. Johnny Doe had allegedly summoned it with his mind. From her training as a priestess,she was taught that the mind was the manifestation of the spirit in the body, which left the body upon its death and travelled to another body, in order to reap the fruits of its actions in its previous life and achieve its unfulfilled desires.

So, whether the demon resided in Alfred's body, or his father's spirit, the demon was still within this world. On their trip here, Natalya had dismissed the idea of removing Alfred's father's spirit from within Alfred. Removing the cause wouldn't undo the damage, or prevent future damage already set in motion. Alfred would have to learn to communicate with his father's soul, and figure out what the man had done.

Nat got up, and groped around for her coat. The Head Priestess Katyusha would probably not be awake. Nat didn't want to disturb her, either. Nat donned her coat, and quietly stepped out of her room.

Knowledge was power. Realising this, the ancestors of the discipline of the House of Wheels had kept records of all the demons who had ever visited their World, or possessed a power that could threaten their World. Nat knew that there had to be some record of this demon somewhere, and of that lotus flower contract tattoo.

Nat braided her long hair, and wound it in a bun. It would just get in the way. She found her glasses in the inner lining of her coat, and put them on.

She would burn the midnight oil in the Archives.

Gilbert paused for a while, and watched Elizabeta. She sat on the grass, her brown tresses flowing down her back, appearing darker due to the white contrast of her shirt.

It had been her idea to change into the priest's garb, which had turned out to be much more comfortable and cleaner than the change of clothes they had brought with them. Their clothes were in desperate need of cleaning two days before they had reached the temple, and both of them – followed later by Matt and Alfred – had been grateful for a set of clean clothes.

The moonlight was above her head, casting a glow to her brown hair, and creating shadows across her face. He knew she always looked beautiful, but now…

He gulped. She looked ethereal.

She must have sensed him, for she turned around, and smiled at him. "Couldn't sleep?"

He shook his head, both at the question as well as at his turbulent emotions, and walked over to her. "The awesome me does not sleep so early," he said.

"I'm going to ignore that," Eliza muttered as he sat down next to her.

"Huh?"

"Never mind," she sighed, and looked up. "You can actually see the stars here."

Gilbert smiled, and stretched out his legs. "Es ist schön."

"Why would anyone want to sleep through nights like this?" she asked, and turned to him. She could barely conceal her gasp.

His white hair, and his fair skin seemed to be shining as bright as the moon itself, giving him a surreal, godly appearance. His red eyes seemed to burn brighter, intensely against the backdrop of his face, and she couldn't quite fathom whether he was an angel, or the Devil reincarnate.

He tilted his head towards her, and looked at her. "Was?"

She felt her cheeks grow hot. Mustering up her most uninterested look, she said, "You look pale."

Gilbert lifted one eyebrow. "I am pale, frau," he said, irritated. She looked away quickly, confusing him even further. He sighed. This woman managed to confuse him like nothing else.

But when she continued to look away, his irritation waned. "Eliza. What are you thinking about?"

Eliza sighed, and looked at him. "Mathew. Alfred. Especially the second brother," she confessed. She had been thinking about them continually ever since Gilbert told her about the incident that took place in the dungeons, and when she turned away from Gilbert, the gravity of their situation returned back to her.

Gilbert sighed, and lay down on the grass. He turned to Eliza. "Lie down."

"I'd rather no—ooaaah!" she yelped as he yanked her down into the grass next to him. "If the clothes get dirty," he told her, "we can wash them ourselves. Your problem is that you aren't relaxing. Awesome people relax."

"How can you relax"—

"What is getting worried going to do? It's not going to let you sleep," he said, and she closed her eyes. Trust him to hit the hammer on the head.

"What about all this religious…stuff?" Eliza asked. "It's not like we even believe in their religion. Yes, there was something unnatural about what happened in the van that day, and what you saw in the dungeons. But there could be some other explanation that…you know, explains this stuff."

"Do you have it?"

"…N-No."

"Eliza, these people seem to know what's going on. Right now, I'm going to trust them. They have the answers we are looking for. It's the awesome thing to do."

Eliza turned her head to the side. "You just like putting awesome in every other sentence."

"Hey, frau, if it's awesome, it's awesome. It's that simple."

Eliza sighed, and stared at the night sky for a while, letting the silence descend over them both. "What about Alfred?"

"What about him?"

"He seems…dangerous."

Gilbert chuckled mirthlessly. "He is dangerous, dame. But as long as he doesn't do anything, it's fine."

Elizabeta was satisfied with his answer, but her mind just wouldn't calm down. And Gilbert, who'd been there with her from what seemed to be forever, noticed it without even having to look at her. He lay there peacefully next to her, while the nervous energy in her grew by the moment. Finally, with a sigh, he got up, turned towards her and pinched her nose.

"Oww," Elizabeta said in a nasal tone. He towered over her, her view of the moon covered by his face, the moonlight setting his hair ablaze, into a white flame. His smile, the kind, understanding look in his eyes snatched away her breath more effectively than his fingers pinching her nose.

"Oi. Calm down." His fingers eased from on her nose, and his hand rested on her cheek in a gesture so familiar it was absent-mindedly done. "It'll be fine. I know…it's not easy. But I believe it's going to be fine."

Eliza chuckled softly. "When did you become so wise?"

Gilbert broke into a grin. "Wise people are awesome. I'm awesome."

Eliza didn't find it in herself to say anything otherwise. She grazed her fist against his cheek. "Let's go get some sleep." She rose into a sitting posture. "I have a feeling it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

Gilbert rose, and helped Eliza on her feet. "Me too, dame, me too."

Matt couldn't ignore the way Alfred's eyes lit up when he saw Matt at the doorway. "Hey, broski."

Matt walked into the room. Alfred rose from the bed, and made some space for Matt to sit down next to him. Matt sat down, cradling the amulet in his hands.

"Priestess Katyusha made this for you. It's supposed to be a healing amulet," Matt said, handing it to Alfred.

"I'm fine"—

"It'll help you sleep better. It's got a whole lot of things which will calm your body and mind down."

Alfred looked at the amulet quietly, and Matt watched Alfred. Honestly, he didn't know what to do. Alfred was his elder brother, but, sometimes…he didn't know if he was imagining it, or if he was the only one feeling the distance between them. Even though Matt visited Alfred, it was never for long – he would clean Alfred, give him painkillers, and stitch up his wounds. Most of the times, Alfred was unconscious, or just barely conscious. And now, having to be with Alfred, having to deal with all this…Matt didn't know what to do, if anything at all.

"Do you think so?" Alfred asked him.

For as long as Matt had known him, Alfred never asked anyone's opinion. Even in the dungeons, when Alfred was conscious enough to hold a decent conversation, it was always as if the chains, the dungeons, the sentence imposed upon him could never hold him down, could never keep him captive. Before that, even, from whatever Matt remembered, Alfred was always the leader, always the one making decisions, going on adventures, and Matt always followed him. And now…

He sighed inwardly. Now, he needed some sleep so that, for a few hours, this role reversal, these past couple of weeks could seem like a dream.

"Yeah. I saw them finishing it. They had a whole bunch of herbs and all sorts of books. They knew what they were doing."

"Hmm," Alfred murmured. "How do I…?"

"Give," Matt said, and took the amulet from him. He tied it to Alfred's upper right arm. "Too tight?"

"It's fine."

Matt patted the amulet absently, and slid his glasses up his nose. "I'm going to sleep. Good night, Alfred."

"Good night," Alfred mumbled, and dove under the covers as Matt rose. Matt had just gotten to the door when Alfred called out his name.

"What is it?" Matt asked.

"Is it…can you sleep here tonight?"

Matt frowned. "That bed's big enough for one. I'm not going to sleep on top of you."

"No, umm…could you ask them to put out another bed…or mattress, at least? We could both sleep on the ground – it'll be like camping!"

Matt didn't want to bother anyone at this time of the night, but he knew he could probably pick up his own bedding from the adjacent room and plonk it on the ground. But Alfred's request was still baffling him, and the eager look in his eyes baffled him even more. "I'll get my stuff," Matt said, and walked out of the room, a frown on his face. His room was a few paces away, and he quickly reached the door of his own cell.

The rooms were tiny, but adequately furnished. There was a bed against the wall, a good sized window with a table and chair before it, equipped with necessary stationery, a small cupboard to keep clothes and personal belongings, and a plant on the window sill. There was a clock on the wall opposite the bed, and a prop-up calendar on the table. Two entire buildings within the complex housed all the priests and priestesses, along with students and guests in such rooms.

Matt opened the door of his room, and it was completely dark inside. He went it, and was about to switch on the light when the answer hit him.

He's lonely.

Matt's finger paused on the switch. It made a lot more sense now. He switched on the room's lone light, and sighed. Matt had to try to understand his brother better, to understand what he was going through.

Matt gathered the mattress and the sheets from the bed, and heaved it onto one shoulder. He left the room, switching off the light behind him. The mattress wasn't too thick, and Matt hoped he wouldn't wake up with cricks in his neck and with general body ache. He walked into Alfred's room, and saw Alfred had made space by sitting the bed upright instead of horizontal, and placing his mattress in the empty space.

Matt dropped his bedding on the ground. "Do you want me to move that into my room?"

Alfred busied himself by straightening out Matt's bedding. "I don't think so. It'll make a lot of noise if we drop it."

Matt shrugged. "Your wish." They got into bed, and Matt pulled his sheet till his nose. "If that thing falls on you…"

"It'll probably break," Alfred said nonchalantly, and grinned at Matt.

Matt chuckled. "Probably." He turned onto his stomach. "Goodnight, Alfred."

Alfred grinned at him, and turned to his side. "Goodnight, broski. Sleep tight."

Matt raised one hand and pressed it on Alfred's cheek. "If you scream during the night, I'll choke you."

"Well, you can blame it on the amulet not working."

Matt patted Alfred's cheek, and let it slip off. "Yeah, yeah, you're right," he mumbled. "Go to sleep."

"G'night, Matt."

"G'night, Alfie."

And, like that, both of them fell into a deep, undisturbed sleep.

A/T: I'm sorry for not updating earlier. I used up all my internet data, and had to wait for my mum to replenish it for me.

So, the words-meanings are going to be up in front. I don't see the point in putting them at the end. It's not like anyone is going to scroll all the way to the bottom, or if they'll know the meanings are even there. I just feel putting it at the top is less pointless than putting it at the bottom. And some words are my own creation, so...yeah.

I just had to write that scene at the end. Whoever thinks Alfred is ooc...if someone had to live in a prison with a demon inside them, chained to a wall and not allowed to see anyone for seven years, and found themselves amongst people all of a sudden, you can see why such a person would be ooc. I want to put up a good story, so bear with me.

And PruHun happens to be one of my favourite pairings.

Whoever's reading this, give me a shout out as to whom you'd like to see the utterly delicious and darling Mathew Williams with. I have all sorts of crack pairings in my head, but I'd like to know what you'd like to see.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

R. K. Iris.