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PioneeringAuthor, the pioneer with a heart for people and a thousand stories to tell ~+~

Chapter 4

"Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is."

~Jim Morrison

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It was a month into their marriage. Sadly, not much had changed between Belarus and Lithuania. Indeed, Belarus was talking to her husband, but she still loathed him, although she was beginning to respect him. Meanwhile, Lithuania still completely loved her, and continually reached out to her, trying to win her affections. Of course, nothing seemed to be getting through, even with their routine conversations. One day, Lithuania believed that he should give his wife some space. Hence, he went to visit his best, trusted friend, Poland, whom he had not seen since his wedding day a month ago.

Lithuania disclosed to Poland all that had happened to him within the past month… including his nosebleed. When Poland heard about the nosebleed, he couldn't bear it any longer.

"WHAT? She made you bleed? That's it! You, like, have to tell Russia! Maybe you can get out of the contract because she broke it!" Poland declared.

"She didn't make me bleed, the wall did," Lithuania calmly parried.

"Liet, I know you love her and all that, but now is so not the time to try and, like, cover for her, okay? Now is when you totally tell Russia all she did to you! She broke the agreement; she needs to get it!" Poland insisted, his green eyes filling with outrage that his best friend had been harmed already.

"No, Poland! She didn't make me bleed, the wall did!" Lithuania patiently persisted to Poland.

Poland buried his face in his hands, wishing his best friend would see how harmful Belarus truly was.

"Liet! Don't you get it? SHE'S A PSYCHO!" Poland shouted at Lithuania, unable to listen to any more arguments.

At those words, Lithuania stood up, looked down at his friend's frustrated green eyes and replied, "Poland, Belarus is my wife and I will not allow you to insult her in that way."

Aghast, Poland's jaw dropped.

"Liet, she… Belarus… she's crazy, can't you tell? She's been abusing you verbally and even physically for years, not just last month! Remember, like, when she broke your leg? Or the time she broke all your fingers in a few minutes? What more proof of her insanity and anger do you need? " Poland pointed out, gesturing with his hands for emphasis.

"Poland… she did not break my fingers—" Lithuania began, but he was swiftly interrupted by Poland who jumped to his feet and objected, "LIET! DON'T START THAT WITH ME! I know, I know what you're going to say 'that's just how my fingers bent,' or some, like, complete nonsense like that, but we both know that SHE HURT YOU! WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR YOU TO TOTALLY STOP LOVING HER?"

After a few moments in which Lithuania allowed his best friend to calm down, Lithuania quietly answered, "Nothing."

"What?" Poland whispered.

"Nothing will make me stop loving her, Poland… when you love someone, you love them no matter what they do to you… love is something you choose to do, not just feel," Lithuania expounded as he gently put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Poland's frustrated and worried look softened at those words. For the first time, it dawned on Poland how much Lithuania loved that woman. Indeed, Poland always knew that Lithuania loved Belarus, but now he witnessed it on a whole new level; it was like seeing a new part of a flowering field that he never saw before. Although he didn't want his friend to be killed, Poland knew that there was nothing he could do to change Lithuania's mind… so he decided to encourage him instead.

With a sigh, Poland looked at his feet and conceded, "All right… go ahead, love her… I support you; even if you die loving her, I'm totally going to be your friend, okay?"

Lithuania smiled and reassuringly hugged his friend as he answered, "Thanks, Poland! I knew you would understand one day."

As he looked at Poland, Lithuania's smile faded. A month had flown by, and Belarus still didn't love him.

He sank into a chair and commented, "I love Belarus, but she still doesn't love me…"

"Well… it's only month number one, right? You still, like, have eleven months left; you'll totally get her heart by then, right?" Poland suggested, trying to sound cheerful as he spoke.

Lithuania looked at Poland as he combed his long, brown hair away from his face with his fingers.

"Yeah, you're right… I still have eleven months! I can still win her heart!" Lithuania exclaimed, perking up as he considered the coming year.

With that, he noticed a nearby clock and realized that he should be heading home. He left Poland's house feeling better about himself, and still rather blissful about being married to Belarus… even if she did have… problems.

Of course, eleven months was quite a long time to live with a woman who detested him.

P.S. Please do NOT SPOIL my plot in any reviews, thanks!