Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia
Colossal pillars, adorned with thin, pastel cream-colored sheets, towered beautifully across the ceiling—the tiny cracks and splits providing enough evidence of the church's unspecified age. Paintings of religious figures and icons along with the assets of floral themes can be found hanging throughout the walls. At the end of the narrow passages, past the marble statues were miniature holy water fountains meant for individuals interested in receiving blessings. In addition to this, there are also confessional booths and a mass of candles found in front of the said marble statues.
Situated at the end of the aisle with an elevated platform was the main altar where two silhouettes—Dae Yeung standing motionless on the right side of the altar and with the priest at the center—currently and quietly remain.
"Congratulations, sir," The priest began, initiating the conversation. "Today is your special day."
Dae produced a crooked smile. "Thank you and yes, it is." He answered simply.
Clearing his throat, the priest continued in a gruff voice, "So, this bride you are marrying…what's she like?"
"Hah, aren't you the chatterbox?" Dae commented sharply, his silvery eyes narrowed as he inspected the latter from head to toe. "Hmm, and fairly young at that."
The priest chuckled in an attempt to lighten the mood between them. "You know, you technically didn't answer the question, dud—" Realizing what he was about to say, the priest curled one of his hands into a ball of fist and released a fake cough. After that, he quickly reinforcing his statement with, "Ah, what I meant to say was—"
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to complete the rest of his statement as the large doors burst wide open, eliciting the two men to stop what they were doing and to immediately straighten himself in which they stood.
"Oho, this is so cool~"
The high-pitched feminine voice, however, caught them both off-guard. Peeking over his shoulder, Dae's facial features became grim as he stared at the approaching figures. In front of him was his bride, gracefully striding down the aisle and ever so dignified.
On the down side, she was not alone.
Witnessing this, the priest tried to restrain himself from laughing boisterously at the sight. Maintaining a poker face, he informally asked, "Whoa, hey! You never mentioned that you were marrying more than one!" He cried, patting the groom playfully on the back. "Man, you are one, slick dog!"
Dae sends him a deadly glare, causing the priest to freeze and zip his mouth shut. Reverting his attention back to the sisters, he took matters into his own hands. "This is a pleasant surprise."
Halting in her tracks, Xiao Mei beamed. "Oh, hey there, Sun-Dae!" She replied, bursting into a fit of giggles over her lousy joke.
All Lien could do was shake her head. "Mei, lower your voice, please…" She persists, already embarrassed by her sister's idiotic entrance. Peeling her eyes away to avoid their intimidating stares, Lien took this opportunity to speculate her surroundings.
Her vision of an ideal wedding wasn't close as to what she hoped to be. Taking it in, she could tell—in spite of her veil posing as a disadvantage as it screened some of her sights, Dae didn't seem to bother making much of an effort in decorating the church at all.
It was dreary and mundane, as nothing in the area seemed to make her feel any different, excluding the wedding dress that she was wearing. Her lips curved into a frown.
Then again, what was to be expected aside from getting married?
And then another thought occurred to her.
Lien was walking down the aisle all by herself.
Sure, she had her sister to provide company for her but…
As much as Lien had always dreamt about her father being the one to walk her down the aisle, she knew that a fantasy like that wouldn't happen. And yet, she secretly wished for it to come true. Even if her late parent was no longer around, the best that she could do was to imagine him there, spiritually with her.
Such a mere thought soothed her.
If she wanted to push even further, Lien would have badly wanted for Yao Wang, her mentor and maybe even Mister Bonnefoy—the two people who she considered to be father figures in the course of her life to both have the honor to walk her down the aisle in a proper fashion. Yao would be present on her right while Mister Bonnefoy on the opposite side—linking their arms with hers with smiles featured on their proud faces…
Raising her head a little more, Lien's mind kept wandering elsewhere.
There was also a lack of individuals within the church—nobody else but her younger sister Xiao Mei and the priest would be here to witness her exchanging vows. With that in mind, Lien closed her eyes and pictured a 'what if'.
In her world, the long, wooden pews would no longer be empty. It would be filled, instead with the members of Star Fest (and maybe even a few of World gig people she befriended) with her mother seated in the very front row.
For bride maids…Katyusha, Natalya, and Bel would be her personal options.
Maid of honor…definitely her sister, Xiao Mei.
For best man…probably Kiku due to their history together.
Fluttering her eyes open, Lien's amber eyes flickered to the right and in a startling turn, a certain trumpeter was manifested. Her facial features softened.
Oh yeah, that's right…he would be there too.
But what kind of role would he partake?
The best man was already taken. Lien crinkled her eyebrows. 'I don't think he'll mind if he's the groom…'
Such an assumption caused Lien to suddenly pause, her mouth parting slightly.
Wait, did she just…?
"Huh? Sis, you alright?"
The color of crimson red started to spread in her cheeks. Did she just picture Alfred as someone she'll marry?
Collecting herself, Lien firmly nodded. "Y-yes, I am." With her head held high, she marched forward. Due to her curiosity, Lien let her field of vision travel back toward the groom.
The lock of sandy blonde hair, warm sky blue eyes and a silly smile that she had sworn she had seen a minute ago were instantly replaced with black coal hair, cold silvery orbs, and a wicked grin.
Dae Yeung—a person completely opposite to the likes of Alfred F. Jones.
She wrung her hands together in a folded knot. That's right: Lien was getting married to Dae, not Alfred. And yet, why does it sicken her?
Once she managed to ascend past the elevated platform and whatnot, a pair of hands forcedly pulled hers into a tight grip.
…And just like that, her dream world was shattered.
"You look really lovely, Lien." Dae complimented her.
Lien quietly bobbed her head out of respect. "Thank you, Dae." She replied in monotone. "You look…great."
Something nudged her on the shoulder, prompting Lien to slightly switch her focus over to her sibling. "What is it, Mei?"
Ever so cautiously, Xiao Mei brought a hand up and leaned in close to her sibling's ear, softly whispering, "You look a bit tense." She noted. "If it makes you feel better, just remember that you can always try to divorce—"
"I believe that won't be necessary."
Both sisters turned frozen as they proceeded to face the older man once more.
"Wait, you heard?" Xiao Mei exclaimed after a short moment of silence. "But I was quiet!"
Dae simply smirked. "Body language betrays the mind." He explained philosophically. "And like I said, issuing divorce is not necessary."
Unfazed by his declaration, Lien spoke up, "I do have the rights to impose it."
Hearing this, Dae raised a mocking eyebrow. "Oh, do you?" He continued. "Tell me, how does your poor status in our homeland provide you anything?" He paused for a moment before saying, "Silly girl, you don't have the luxury to afford it nor gain any support."
Xiao Mei crossed her arms and scoffed. "Sis can always enforce it here in the States—"
Dae raised an eyebrow. "The States?" He repeated before emitting a laugh.
The siblings, including the priest, watched the groom intently in fear.
Shortly after his laughter ceased, Dae pressed on. "I would have to disagree. Didn't you arrive here about what, half a year ago? Just because you are currently living in the States, doesn't mean you'll have authority to enlist an issue of divorce. You aren't even an official citizen anyway." Heaving a sigh, he decided to change the topic of their conversation. "What's with this fuss about divorce, hmm? Don't you know that once we're done here, we'll be going straight back home, to lovely Vietnam?"
Lien faltered slightly before putting her ambitious mask back on. "What about my family?"
"Don't you worry because," Dae began, breaking his hand away from their mass of intertwined hands. "Once we're finished with this, they'll be none of our concern." Raising his arm, he gently let his fingers trace the outline of Lien's wedding veil, "But like I said over and over, everything will be alright. In the next few years, we might not even be alone anymore."
In response, Lien's shoulders became tensed, completely taken aback. There was so much information for her to take in in less than thirty seconds. But what did he mean about the two of them no longer being alone anymore? Her eyes slowly widened, becoming aware of what that meant. Did Dae just imply to her the possibility of them having children?
Taking a step back, Lien cried with tension in her voice, "You never elaborated enough about this! Why now?"
Slanting his head to the side, Dae stared back at her with a listless expression. Withdrawing his hand, a playful grin formed on his lips. "You never asked."
Xiao Mei gasped. "This is insane! Why all this to just pay a lousy debt?"
"Don't you want to help your bedridden mother?" Dae questioned. Facing his bride, he pressed on. "You chose to do this, didn't you?" When he received a nod, he grinned. "Then I expect you to go along with it."
After a moment of silence, Xiao Mei softly muttered, "But isn't there another way?"
Rubbing his chin, Dae's silvery eyes twinkled with amusement. "Hmm, there's always the option of taking the position as a sex Sla—"
"Okay, okay, enough!" The priest cried aloud, interrupting their conversation midway. "Geez, keep your rated R thoughts in your head! We are in church!"
Lien pressed her lips into a straight, thin line. "Do forgive us…" She trailed off, hanging her head in defeat.
"Huh? Oh, uh…that's alright, ma'am!" The priest assured to her. "No harm was done, am I right?" Gesturing to his leathered big book planted on his right arm, he asked the question, "So, is everything with you two settled?"
As Lien pried her mouth open to refuse—Dae, however, took the liberty to speak first, or rather on their behalf. "Yes, we are ready."
Xiao Mei frowned deeply.
About a year ago, when their mother announced that she was getting married by the first week of May, in pure honesty, she didn't know how to react. She's heard of various stories of parents filing separation and later on, getting themselves remarried. Like most children when they're confronted with some-thing as life changing as this, it was no secret that Xiao Mei was upset. Oh man, and don't get her started with her older sister, Lien who didn't seem to take the idea too easy. In fact, since their mother told them, Xiao Mei remembered how Lien would storm out of the house without any notice of where she may have gone. That one time when there was a thunderstorm was one of the most devastating moments that the poor girl hated to relive again. Thanks to Yao and Kiku, they managed to track down Lien—and found her laid down unconscious under the kiddie slide in a neighboring park, crying in her sleep.
Fiddling nervously with the end of her dress, Xiao Mei groaned to herself. Lien may think that she hardly cries at all (believing that the last time she ever did was when their father passed away) and yet, she would most often find her older sibling to be crying in her sleep. She was miserable and it hurt Xiao Mei. As she hoisted her head back up, she took a sneak peek at Lien.
After so many years of misery, Lien remained strong-willed; the kind of person who'll never back down from a challenge, claiming to do it on her own in fear that if something happened to the people who chose to help her, she would only blame herself. In this case, Lien personally chose to take their mother's place in this marriage. Based on what Dae had notified concerning about the issue of divorce, it resulted into a backfire.
Was her sister's decision to keep a steady ground valid anymore?
"Why don't you sit down for awhile, Mei?" Lien gently asked without bothering to look back. "Standing here for too long might have exhausted you."
"But—" Xiao Mei began.
Motioning her head to her, Lien croaked, "Please?"
Although she couldn't see through the veil, Xiao Mei could tell from the sound of it that Lien was close to her breaking point. The poor woman's tone was pleading and it hurt her—a tone that she rarely heard.
It was a fact that Lien was a strong individual but…
'How long will you have to do this?' Xiao Mei wondered, clenching her fists.
Sensing a disturbance around her sister, Lien softly whispered, "It's alright, I will take care of everything."
For a girl like Xiao Mei who's known to talk excessively, the words that she wanted to express toward her sister were pushed back in her head. Nodding obediently, Xiao Mei departed from her sibling and then seated herself on the front row.
"…We are gathered here to unite these two people in matrimony." The priest started at full volume, reading off from the book in which he held. "Their decision to marry has not been entered into lightly…"
While the priest continued the traditional wedding speech, Lien, on the other hand, didn't bother to listen. 'This is what you chose to do,' She reassured herself, taking a deep breath in to ease her stiff muscles.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Dae, who stared intently at their intertwined hands. Lien let out another sigh of relief. Thank goodness for the veil, he wasn't aware of her anxiety! Closing her eyes tightly, she quietly let the words of the priest sway her.
"The essence of this commitment is the acceptance of each other in entirety, as a lover, companion, and friend."
No, she and Dae weren't any of those…
"It takes a special effort to grow together, survive hard times, and be loving and unselfish."
Wow, neither of those lines fit them well either. Opening her eyes again, as the priest was about to declare the pledges, all of a sudden—voices were heard from nearby.
And much to her surprise, they were all too recognizable.
"Yo, anybody order wedding photographers?"
Without warning, Xiao Mei sprung from her seat and exclaimed, "Oh, oh! Yes, it was I!"
Listening to this, Lien blinked before rolling her eyes. Typical Xiao Mei.
"Care to stop?" Dae asked the priest abruptly.
Once the words from the priest died out, Dae eventually released his grip from Lien and began making his way to where the commotion was being held. "What's the meaning of this?"
Becoming aware that Dae's hands were no longer placed onto hers, Lien moved her hands to pull her veil a bit and past her temple, her amber eyes staring at the uninvited guests.
At the sight of the uninvited guests, Lien's eyes gradually widened. The photographers were garbed in tuxedos with ridiculous-looking fedora hats and sunglasses, adding more to their suspicious behaviors. However, Lien didn't need to check their physical attributes to make sure if her speculation was right or wrong.
"Hey, you the groom?" The taller of the bunch questioned while flicking the tilt of his fedora hat. Receiving a positive answer, he nudged on his partner-in-crime beside him and laughed. "Hear that, bud? This sucker's in for a deal!"
His partner, however, bobbed his head quietly, choosing not to verbally express himself. Of the two of them, he appeared to be the one equipped with the camera as evident from the rather small and bulky bag strapped around his waist.
Dae stared at them blankly, scowling, "I don't have time for this. Why don't you come later?"
The first photographer gasped, "And let you miss out of a deal?"
Hearing this, Dae shook his head in irritation. Waving his hand to turn them down, he started walking away as he said, "Wedding pictures aren't my thing."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN PICTURES AIN'T YOUR THING?" The first photographer cried aloud, stomping his foot against the ground. "WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY IS THE BOMB THESE DAYS!"
His male companion nodded in agreement. "My best friend is correct," He said, keeping his voice leveled and steady. Hoisting his head to properly look at Dae, he then took out his Canon camera from his bag. "Wedding pictures are indeed important as they capture the moment of the—"
Dae groaned. "I get it, I get it!" He cried, getting annoyed. "Okay, how much do I have to pay?"
"TWO HUNDRED PER PIC!"
"I think it's about a hundred…"
Both photographers responded in unison, causing Dae to stare at them in confusion. Thrusting one of his hands into his front pocket, he then pulled out to unveil his wallet. "I'm lost. Which one's correct?"
Meanwhile, Lien and the priest stood in the altar in silence. Moments later, she felt something touch her lightly on the shoulder, evoking her back to reality. Glancing over, she was shocked to discover that it was the priest.
"Ah, forgive me—"
Lien wasn't able to finish her sentence as the next set of words from the priest caught her off-guard.
"Go on, run!"
"W-what?" Lien blurted out, completely at a loss.
Another voice erupted from behind her, causing the poor woman to rotate her body around. "Sis, why are you still doing here?"
Lien blinked. "Mei?"
"Didn't you hear Math? You gotta run!"
Creasing her eyebrows, Lien gawked when she realized whom her younger sister was referring to. "Wait for a—"
"There's no time to wait!" Mathias piped in while refraining from raising his voice. Sneaking a glance back at his friends who were busy distracting the groom, he then outstretched an arm and directed his finger to a near hall. "There's an exit at the end of the right halls."
When Lien didn't budge, Xiao Mei placed her hands onto hers, squeezing them tightly before resorting to pulling her over to the direction that Mathias insisted she take. "Go, go!" Xiao Mei urged frantically.
Lien knitted her eyebrows together, pausing long enough to say, "Okay."
Without a moment to lose, she hurriedly ran from the elevated platform and headed into the narrow halls. And though it appeared that her means of escape was good enough—
"Lien, come back!"
A cold sweat ran down her neck as she heard Dae's faint voice from afar. It wasn't long before another range of voices was also thrown into the mix.
"No, keep running!"
"Run, sis! Run!"
She didn't bother to whip her head back, surrendering herself to the miraculous beat of her feet and the surge of adrenaline—the aggressive pitter-pattering belonging from her white heels thrashing against the marble floors. The more she kept running, the more pain was beginning to engulf on the soles of her feet.
Nonetheless, Lien didn't care. She was free.
Sadly, freedom has a price.
In this case, Lien's escape was backfired when she felt her right wrist being held back, causing her to be flung back with force. To her discouragement, it was Dae again in the flesh.
"Why are you leaving so soon, darling?" He asked, scornfully smiling. "We haven't done our vows yet."
How on earth did he manage to get past her friends?
Clenching her teeth tightly, Lien cried, emphasizing word after word. "I'M NOT GOING BACK!"
"Yes, you are." Dae persisted, shoving her against the wall. Pressing his left hand on the surface of the wall, he leisurely closed in on her personal space, making Lien all the more cornered and preventing her from fleeing.
"We made a deal, didn't we?" Dae mentioned, playing with her veil. "If you don't abide by it, god knows what could happen to your loving mother and pretty sister."
'That's it, this bastard is really asking for a knockout.' Shaping a fist, Lien stretched her arm outward. "You son of a—"
"Ah, ah, ah," Dae said, capturing her punch with his own hand in the nick of time. "We're in a church." Placing his other free hand on top of her fist that Lien was supposed to punch him with, Dae gradually produced a grin. "You are one, feisty woman." He commented, licking his lips. "I like that—"
His words were cut off as Lien tucked her chin, motioning her head forward, almost as if she was giving in and giving up on her escape. Funny, how the tables are about to be turned, as her next move would surely stun him, literally.
Without any warning whatsoever, Lien smashed her head against his, specifically targeting the fragile areas presented on the bone structure of his head—be it the temple or jaw. As a result, her unpredictable performance prompted Dae to stumble backward, staggering him…and Lien as well.
Brushing aside her dizziness, Lien seized this opportunity to run. As she began to leave the scene, once again, she felt something still clinging onto her. She then slowly looked over her shoulder. In spite of how successful her action had appeared to be, Dae's grip was still tightly onto her wrist. With a steely gaze, Dae gave his bride a toothy smirk. "Heh, is that the best you can—"
Out of the blue, an unknown fist was slammed right into Dae's face.
The sound of bare knuckles touching skull made Lien automatically divert from a victim and to a bystander. As soon as Dae had landed onto the marble floor, causing a loud thump to echo to and fro in the walls, Lien paused momentarily still before finally letting out a sigh of relief when she realized that Dae's chest was heaving.
Good, he was still breathing.
"Sorry to make you wait, Lien."
The sound of a masculine voice snapped Lien out of her stupor. Her legs inwardly wobbled in response to the voice, blinking back a few tears that were about to spill on her cheeks. Coming to terms with her wedding veil, Lien was once again thankful for the material to conceal her face. And yet, this didn't prevent her from rotating her body around to meet her savior face-to-face.
No words were exchanged between them, allowing the two individuals to dwell in their own bubble and away from reality for a brief moment. That is until her savior started chuckling, breaking the silence.
"W-what's the matter?" Lien stammered, blushing.
"Nothing, it's just…" Her savior trailed off before flashing a smile. "This reminds me of a part in one of those comic books, you know the one where there's a scene with Superman heroically saving Louise Lane."
Her blush deepened. Folding her arms, Lien replied with, "Just because I'm a damsel and am in distress, doesn't mean that I should easily be categorized in a stereotype, Jones."
Listening to her words, Alfred chuckled. "Yeah, I know." He said before whispering, "But unlike Louise Lane, you, Miss Nguyen are a badass." He then reached out to gently take her hand with his. "Anyway, let's go!"
Looking down at their interlocked hands, Lien bit her bottom lip before looking back up in hesitation. "Where?"
Alfred just shrugged before smiling, "Well, wherever this road takes us!" And from there, he tugged her along toward the exit.
Lien snorted at his cliché comment. "What about the others?"
"They're going to be fine," Alfred called back, squeezing her hand in reassurance as they advanced through the halls. "Trust me!"
Shortly after they arrived before a door, Alfred reached out for the handle and pushed. As soon as he did so, he was greeted with a large crack of lightning in which roamed the thick, gloomy cumulonimbus clouds sprawled across the sky. The rain fell heavily, splattering across the sidewalks and neighborhood haphazardly, cascading like an infinite waterfall.
"Now what?" Lien wondered breathlessly.
"Hahaha…haven't thought this through," Alfred replied, laughing his worries off as he tried to catch his breath.
Narrowing his eyes in order to speculate the surroundings before them, he snapped his fingers. Unclipping the buttons of his blazer, Alfred shifted his shoulders to remove the article of clothing, revealing his long sleeved white uniform shirt. He then began wrapping the clothing on top of Lien's head as a means of protection.
"What about you?" Lien asked with concern.
Tweaking his glasses in place, Alfred simply grinned. "Hey, don't you worry about me!" He replied, his line of vision flickering back to the outside portion of the exit.
"You are going to get sick!" Lien argued, unconvinced.
"What are you talking about? A hero doesn't get sick!" Alfred stated, winking. Placing his hand back with hers, he took a quick glance at her before responding, this voice filled with tension. "Now this is going to sound crazy but you're gonna have to trust me."
And she did.
A clap of lightning rented the air and within mere seconds, the rolling boom of thunder reverberated overhead. The downpour was so heavy that to be caught in it meant being drenched to the skin and that was what Alfred and Lien, unfortunately, had to bear. To Lien, she didn't know how long they've been out in the rain and from the looks of the dark clouds, there was no telling when it was going to light up.
Even so, they kept running, quickening their pace and ignoring the obvious factor that their clothes were getting soaked in the process.
"We're almost there!" Alfred informed to Lien. As he said that, his right foot slipped in a puddle, causing him to tumble downward from the slope. To make things worse, Lien, who had her hands linked with his was forced to join in as well. A few seconds later, their bodies had hit stable ground quite harshly; prompting them to emit groans and moans from the fall.
Opening his eyes, Alfred blinked a few times and looked up.
Noticing how the frames of his glasses were a bit distorted, he raised his hand and motioned his fingers to fix the job. When he attempted to, a blur of white caught his attention. Scrutinizing his eyes, Alfred discovered that his female companion was lying on top of him, letting him get reminded of a certain incident happening about a month ago. Only this time, Alfred took in the initiative to make the first move or in this case, slightly moved up to set a better position for the two of them, at the same time, careful not to harm her. "You okay, Lien?" Alfred began as he shook her shoulders in a gentle manner. When he didn't get a response, a surge of fear swept him. "Lien? Lien!"
For what seemed like a moment of terror for poor Alfred, Lien shifted before raising her head to face him, her wedding veil vanishing with no trace of what could've happened to it. Finally, she spoke, "Alfred?"
Alfred sniffed. Spreading his arms wide, he didn't hesitate to envelop her into a bear hug. "Don't scare me like that!" He cried, embracing her tighter. "You had me worried!"
Lien mustered out a tiny smile though was quick to relent, "I'm fine, dummy." Disarming his clutch on her, she eventually motioned to stand; causing the blazer that was resting on her head to plop down.
Fixing his specs, Alfred kneeled his right knee to provide support for himself as he proceeded to stand. Walking over to Lien, he then dropped his blazer onto her head, prompting her to look back at him in wonder.
"Take it back," Lien said, pulling the blazer off of her and presenting it to him. "You need it more than I do."
"Nah," Alfred reinforced, pushing the article of clothing toward her. "You need it most."
"Alfred!" Lien urged.
Alfred produced a pouty face. Nevertheless, he took the clothing anyway. With one arm, he hoisted the blazer over his head for cover. Lien sighed until she let out a squeak when she felt his other arm suddenly attached to her waist, triggering her to get closer to him.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed his lips split into a wide grin. At the sight, Lien blushed. "Alfred, what are you—" When she tried to get her point straight, Lien was cut off by a finger pressed against her lips.
"Since we can't find any shelter available for us," He addressed with a bright smile. Gesturing to his blazer that he was currently supporting above them, he went on to saying, "We might as well make a shelter of our own, right?" Sneaking a glance over, he tilted his head worriedly when he realized that Lien wasn't paying attention to him at all. In fact, she seemed to be preoccupied with her thoughts at the moment. "Lien?"
Pursing her lips, Lien anxiously crossed her arms and then looked up. "Alfred, can I ask you a question?"
Alfred frowned before nodding. "Fire away."
Choosing her words carefully, Lien took a deep breath and said, "Why did you and the others bother to come rescue me?"
Alfred just stared at her, a nostalgic smile emerging from his lips. "We're aware of how strong and capable you are, Lien." Alfred started explaining, "That's what we—" He paused to shake his head, "no, what I admire most about you. But you must have to understand that you can't do it all alone. It breaks my heart to see that you are struggling by yourself. If you ever need someone, I'm here for you!" When he realized what he blurted out, he quickly reinforced with laughter, "Hahaha, oh but it won't just be me! You have your own friends, your sister and members of Star Fest to back up and support you!"
Scarlet crept onto her cheeks. Lien lowered her head, knotting her hands together. "But…I was horrible to you the other day."
Crouching his knees a little, he then motioned to lightly tap his forehead against hers. And once more, sky blue clashed with its opposing color, amber. "Don't say that, Lien." He assured her, "It's understandable. You're doing it for a relatable cause."
"You could've just let me get married."
Alfred creased his eyebrows. "If you did, would you be happy?"
When Lien went silent, Alfred switched his attention to the glistening item spotted on her collarbone. "So you have kept it."
Lien blinked and looked down to inspect what he was addressing. Touching the metallic surface of the dog tag placed around her neck, she genuinely smiled. "You gave it to me, didn't you?" When she lifted her chin up, she blushed harder. Oh no, their noses were dangerously close.
Much to her relief (and a bit of disappointment) Alfred took a step back away from her, though not too much so his blazer was still protecting them from the rain. Without warning, he drove forward. Lien gulped, shutting her eyes tight in fear that he'd accidentally bump heads with her along the way.
Fortunately, he didn't, although it created a successful opening for Alfred to glide his head through her shoulder and say in her ear, "I love you too."
Lien's eyes widened. Wait, what did he say? "You...what?"
Stepping back, he grinned. "You know that night when we were at the Lantern festival? You said something to me, didn't you?"
Lien creased her eyebrows until realization had hit her, "Y-you still remembered?"
"Hahaha, props to my awesome big bro for teaching me all kinds of languages during my childhood!" Alfred laughed, rubbing his head sheepishly like he always did, "Though I only know the basics."
Blushing, Lien pointed an accusing finger at him. "Y-you...!"
Alfred, on the other hand, winked. "Impressed?"
Lien twisted her head the other way, folding her arms as she did so. "I don't believe you."
"What?" Alfred cried aloud, "You don't believe me?"
Lien bit her lower lip. Did she really? As she turned her head over, her vision was engulfed in darkness. She let out a soft squeak, quickly brushing the item off her face. Taking hold of the item, she became resilient when she discovered it to be only the blazer. Wait, but where was…
Looking around her surroundings, her eyes widened when she noticed the bespectacled young man walking out in the rain. She took a couple of steps forward, crying out his name to alert him, "Alfred!"
Alfred ignored her, increasing her worry over him. It wasn't until he abruptly stopped that her concern for him had amplified. Did her earlier statement offend him? If so, she didn't mean to do it. Her assumption, however, was quickly erased, as her ears perked up to the sound—well, more like the shouts of her companion.
"HEY, WORLD!" Alfred shouted raucously, his hands covering his mouth like a megaphone, "MY NAME IS ALFRED F. JONES, ACE OF WORLD GIG AND I AM IN LOVE WITH LIEN KIM NGUYEN, ACE OF STAR FEST!"
Hearing this, Lien blushed. Oh my god, was he actually doing this?
"YOU HEAR ME, WORLD? I'M IN LOVE WITH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AND HER NAME IS LIEN KIM NGUYEN!" Alfred cried aloud, pumping his fist into the air, "REMEMBER THAT!"
Once he was finished, Lien took this opportunity to catch up to him.
Turning around, Alfred beamed. Putting his hands on his hips, he asked her, "Well? Do you believe me now?"
Rolling her eyes, Lien simply shook her head. "You are such an idiot."
Alfred laughed. "But I'm your idiot, right?"
Lien smiled back in response, motioning to the clothing that she was hiding under. "Just get under here." When he resisted, she brought a hand out to tug his cornflower necktie and pulled him in.
But Alfred had something else in mind.
Without warning, he pulled Lien into a hug, this one much more intimate than the previous ones he gave her.
Lien stiffened, too shocked beyond words, her vision slightly glistening. Instinctively, she flattened her palms against his chest for balance.
Finally, he let go of her, almost reluctantly—until he surprised her again by leaning his head forward. Upon the contact of his lips grazing the skin of the side of her left eye. Lien kept quiet while closing her eyes shut. As he was doing this, the cold surface of the lenses of his specs pressed up against her temple, making Lien shiver from the unintentional contact. Running his fingers through her reddened cheeks, he started doing the same procedure with the other eye.
Furrowing her eyebrows, she put the pieces together before freezing in disbelief.
He was kissing away her tears.
Opening her eyes halfway, Lien got a better angle of her companion. Maybe she was imagining it but she could have sworn that for a split second before he decided to kiss her tears, Alfred lowered his chin a bit further, and from her guess; possibly attempting to kiss her on the lips. Just as he was about to close the mere gap between them, two fingers were placed against Lien's lips, preventing him from advancing any further.
"Someone's getting excited," Lien commented, giggling.
Alfred blinked innocently before smiling, motioning a bit for his temple to touch hers as he laughed with her in the rain.
The sound of a soft click caused the couple to stop laughing. Fixating their attention toward a direction in which they assumed was coming from, they were greeted by a large vehicle about a couple of feet away.
"There's our ride!" Alfred cried, breaking the silence. "Let's go, Lien!"
Taking his wet blazer from the ground, the bespectacled young man tugged her along, racing toward the vehicle through the rain. As they got closer, the right door of the car opened halfway, unveiling—
"Mathias!"
On cue, the Nordic lowered the camera he was holding and smiled. He was no longer garbed in the priest outfit and was back to wearing his handsome tuxedo with the addition of a fedora hat replacing his usual headwear. "Hey!" He greeted back, shifting aside so the other two individuals can enter.
As Lien got inside the jeep, Alfred followed after her. Once they were seated comfortably, Mathias closed the door behind them. Nudging his bespectacled friend sitting next to him, he uttered with a teasing tone, "Smooth, man."
Seconds later, a silver-haired head popped out from the side of the door, "Man, took you guys long enough to notice us!"
Lien blushed. "How long have you been watching?"
"Long enough to take pictures of you two~" Xiao Mei cried from the back seat, containing her excitement as she gripped her electronic device.
Hearing this, Alfred softly whispered to her, "Mind if you send some to me?" As soon as those words escaped from his mouth, something hit him on the shoulder. Peering over, he laughed nervously when he saw Lien.
Rolling her eyes, Lien asked, "What happened to Dae?"
"Oh, that groom of yours?" Mathias wondered, receiving a nod. "He's actually over there in the trunk. Oh, but rest assured! He's still knocked out when we found him in the halls! We also made sure to duct tape his arms and legs together. Even his mouth too!"
A chuckle escaped from the albino's lips. "And it was all planned by the awesome me!" Turning his attention to the front seat, he cried, "See, Kiku? Told you my plan would work!"
Kiku groaned, shaking his head. "Says the person who almost went out of character, almost jeopardizing it."
"Do you think we still have time to perform for the final round?" Lien questioned while she buckled in her seat, changing the topic. "Our orchestra bands must be panicking by now."
"The blushing bride has spoken!" Mathias snickered.
All Alfred could do was laugh wholeheartedly, "Then what are we waiting for?"
Kiku nodded, turning to the driver's seat next to him. "Sadik?"
Looking up at the rear view mirror stationed at the center of the main windows, the masked man smirked when he got thumbs up of approvals amongst the individuals to proceed. Pressing one of his feet onto the pedals, he cried, "Buckle up, kids! It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"
Tapping his left foot repeatedly against the carpet floor, the dark brown haired young man took out his phone from the pocket of his khaki pants. Swiping the button on the phone screen, he groaned upon sighting the time displayed at the center. Thirty more minutes left until this poor excuse of a final round would begin. Groaning, he proceeded to tap the upper right corner of the electronic device to shut it off. Just as he was about to, a text message box appeared in the middle of the screen, gaining his attention. Reading it over, he gulped. "Shit."
"Lovino?"
The sound of the masculine voice made him nearly jolt, almost to the point of actually falling from his seat on the couch. Turning around, the Italian man was met with the presence of his co-workers. "The hell do you guys want from me?"
"Something's bothering you," Bel cried as she planted her hands on Lovino's shoulders. "Come on, come on! You can tell us!"
Lovino blushed. "I-it's really none of your business." He muttered quietly, looking elsewhere.
Positioning his arms on the edges of the couch, Antonio smiled earnestly. "Don't be shy, mi amigo~" He sang, "We don't bite~"
Cautiously removing Bel's hands off his shoulders, Lovino stood up. Pointing his index finger at the female, he cried, "Stop being so nosy!" Then, he averted to the other male. "And you, stop being so damn creepy!" Folding his arms, he cried once more, "For the love of almighty, this ain't any of your—"
"LOVINO!"
Perceiving the call of his name, Lovino clicked his tongue.
Just when he was going to unleash his wrath, someone had the nerve to stop him from blowing off some steam. He didn't bother to turn around as he groaned, having a hunch as to who it could be. "Great, more company."
A pair of arms was suddenly wrapped around his torso, prompting Lovino's left eyebrow to twitch in annoyance.
"Oh, Feliciano!" Bel greeted, clapping her hands merrily.
Antonio grinned, following after his friend's stead. "Hola, other Vargas brother!"
Unfortunately, the two of them weren't able to get a response from the younger twin, as Feliciano himself was whining desperately—in which some pedestrians roaming nearby getting mixed signals of the situation.
Seeing this, Lovino clenched his teeth. "Ugh…Feliciano!" He exclaimed, struggling to get off from his sibling and his clutches. "Get…the hell off!"
"No, you don't understand!" Feliciano pleaded, tightening his hold, "You gotta help me, you gotta!"
Lovino frowned. "The hell is your problem?" He asked, getting irritated. "Don't tell me it involves your poor excuse of a best friend—"
"Feliciano, there you are!" Ludwig cried, approaching the group. Bringing his hands forward, he grabbed hold of his best friend's waist and tickled him. Such a childish action, as absurd as it may seem, allowed Lovino to successfully escape in time. Once Feliciano had landed on the ground on his rear bottom, Ludwig then ruffled his brown hair as he said, "I apologize for his informal behavior."
Bel stifled a giggle. "What are you talking about?" She said matter-of-factly. "He didn't do anything wrong."
"Ah, Senor Beilschmidt!" Antonio began, greeting the newcomer. "Long time no see, eh?"
Ludwig gave a puzzling look before nodding in return. Afterward, he cleared his throat to get their attention. "I'd like to ask you all a question."
Sweeping off the invisible dirt from his khaki pants, Lovino proceeded to fold his arms. "What's up?"
"Do you know if any members of your orchestra band went missing?"
The three friends glanced at one another. Finally, Lovino decided to speak, "Not that we know of."
The sleek blonde haired man frowned. "Is that so?" He muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Then, are you aware that your ace isn't here tonight?"
Hearing this, Bel gasped. "Lien's missing?" She cried.
"That's right, ve~" Feliciano chirped, bobbing his head wildly. "And that's not the only thing either! Our own ace is missing too!"
"Alfred is gone?" Antonio muttered, wringing his hands anxiously. "But why?"
"We don't know the answer to that," Ludwig continued, scratching the back of his neck. "Although they aren't the only ones who disappeared."
Holding his head high, Lovino asked, "Wait, there's more?"
Ludwig nodded. "My fellow brother, Kiku and Mathias." He explained. "And from what I've heard, Xiao Mei and Sadik are nowhere to be found either."
Lovino sighed in exhaustion. "Are you f**king serious?"
In reply to the Italian, Ludwig cocked a questionable eyebrow. "Do I look like the type to be joking around?"
Sighing once more, Lovino twirled his heel and marched onward.
"Lovino, where are you going?" Feliciano sobbed, waving his arms frantically in the air.
"What does it look like I'm doing, dumbass?" Lovino cried over his shoulder, "I'm going to go and search for some answers." As he said that, he gripped onto his phone as he uttered, "And who knows what would happen if that old man shows up."
Switching his attention from his wristwatch and to the entrance of the West Wing, Yao Wang bit his bottom lip in anxiety. With a lot of convincing to the staff, their orchestra band, Star Fest were successfully rescheduled to perform as the second-to-last place out of the twelve other bands that were expected to play tonight. Although it seemed to give the older man a tiny spark of hope, he couldn't stop reminding himself of the words that Xiao Mei had told him.
"Sis is getting married today!"
Biting his lower lip, Yao grimaced. Why didn't any of them bother to notify him? He considered the sisters as a part of his family, regardless if they didn't hold any relations whatsoever. But the thought that they couldn't tell him about their situation was absurd. Most importantly, he was disappointed at his student, Lien. She promised that she was going to come but she didn't.
"Yao?"
"I'm so stupid…" Yao blurted out, bringing both his hands to close in on his face. Lien, his prized student was the ticket to Star Fest's success. And yet…
A hand was suddenly placed on his head, prompting the Conductor to meekly look up.
"Yao, why are you so upset?" Ivan asked worriedly, "Whatever happened to confronting your fear with confidence, da?"
Furrowing his eyebrows, Yao folded his arms. "It's just…"
The Russian frowned, slanting his head a bit to the side. "Yes?"
"Why didn't they tell me? Why didn't she tell me?" Yao cried all of a sudden, his voice seeped in a mixture of rage and discomfort. "I'm hurt, aru. I do not know if I'll be able to get up there onstage anymore." Sighing in defeat, he shrugged as he chuckled lowly. "What's the use in winning? Kirkland's band always had the upper hand! Five consecutive years in a row, they say? Make it six years with this one!"
Ivan turned silent, his frown deepening. No matter how much they'd deny it, it was true—clear as day as what people would say. Clinging to hope would only mean the destruction of their band altogether. And what's more, only the two of them knew of this sacred information out of their entire group. In honesty, it was purely out of fear that if they had announced it sooner, mayhem would be the result.
Star Fest would be ruined.
Too consumed with their thoughts, the two individuals didn't seem to note of a small group of figures coming toward them.
"Yao Wang,"
Creasing his eyebrows, Yao gradually hoisted his head up. His eyes widened. Before him was none other than his rival, Arthur Kirkland. However, he didn't bother to show up on his own. In fact, behind him were a couple of more people, if not—the majority of the members of World gig itself.
Straightening himself, Yao heaved in a deep breath. "Ni hao, Kirkland!" He addressed the gentleman, "Splendid to see you, aru!"
"Pleasant to meet you as well, Yao." Arthur greeted back with a polite smile.
Nodding his head, Yao's eyes flickered over to the other person standing beside Arthur, noticing the presence of the redhead right away. "Are you picking a fight with me?"
"What are you talking about?"
Lifting his arm, Yao pointed toward Allistor, "Why is this man here, aru?"
Hearing this, Allistor quickly put his hands up in defense. "Whoa, there something wrong with me being here?" He wondered, producing an innocent grin.
"You know how much this bastard irritates me, Kirkland," Yao explained, spitting out the latter's name as if it were covered in poison. "So why is he here?"
Ivan, on the other hand, placed a comforting hand on his Conductor's back, "Yao—"
"Enough with the chit-chat and let's talk about why all of us are here." Arthur amended with calm composure. "You are missing your ace, Lien Kim Nguyen, is that correct or not?"
When Yao heard this, he clenched his fists. "If I say yes, will you laugh at me?"
"Are you out of your mind?" Francis cried out of the blue, dramatically pressing his hand on the right corner of his chest. "Do you really think we'd do that?"
"You look like the kind of people who do," Ivan began, stepping in. "Be honest with us, da. In the back of your mind, you'd also think that we'll be doing that to you as well."
Francis gasped, "My, that's plain rude—"
"Yao!" A voice cried out, interrupting the conversation.
The man in question paused in his step, averting his focus from Arthur and to yet another familiar face. From the looks of it, this can't be good.
Once the Italian man managed to catch up to his Conductor, he immediately took hold of the older man's collar as he cried, "We have trouble!"
Yao narrowed his eyes. "Lovino, what—"
"Don't you dare lie to me, bastard!" He huffed, fumbling with his words. "I heard that our ace ain't here with us!"
Yao gulped. Great, his secret fear of his members knowing had been indeed confirmed. "H-how did you know?" He stammered.
"My brother and Ludwig notified me not too long ago," Lovino explained, slowly releasing his grip. "And that's not all that I want to tell you."
Ivan stopped for a moment before asking, "What is it, da?"
Taking out his phone from the pocket of his blazer, Lovino quickly pressed the middle button of the device and hastily showed it in front of his Conductor. "I got a text from my Grandfather," He started explaining, "And he claims that he's going to come to watch our performance."
Listening to his words, Yao smacked his hand against his temple. Oh no, of all the people that could've shown up…why did it have to be him?
"Huh? What the hell are they doing here?" Lovino wondered, glaring at the mass of persons in front of him.
Clearing his throat, Yao withdrew his attention back to his rival. "Kirkland, what exactly are you here for?"
Arthur lowered his chin down, the Conductor stick firmly held in between his gloved hands. "I know how much stress you are going through. Don't fret, I'm in the same boat as you." He explained, "Star Fest is missing Lien Kim Nguyen. But us, World gig is also missing our ace—Alfred F. Jones. In addition to that, your brother and former Star Fest member Kiku Honda, Gilbert Beilschmidt, Mathias Køhler, Xiao Mei Nguyen and Sadik Adnan are missing as well."
Yao's mouth unconsciously opened. Chen had already informed him earlier of Xiao Mei's disappearance but Sadik? And hell, even his brother? Really? Even so, he remained silent, waiting for Arthur's continuation.
"Based on our current standing, we cannot function properly. Our prized aces, our members that are missing… we cannot play without them." Arthur continued, "And so I came here to ask, no—to request something of you and I hope you are more than willing to give me an answer."
"Don't lower your guard, da," Ivan whispered alarmingly in his Conductor's ear, "This could be a trap."
Slightly nodding his head at his right-hand man, Yao focused back at Arthur. "What is it, aru?"
Heaving a deep breath, Arthur said, "I suggest for World gig and Star Fest to unite."
Silence loomed the entire area. Yao grimaced, trying to process the idea for a moment. World gig and Star Fest, two world-renowned groups playing together as one, universal band?
Preposterous!
…Or was it?
"It's not going to work!"
Arthur shrugged, "How will you know it'll fail if it's never been done before?" He pointed out.
Yao took a step back. Damn, he did have a point there. "But we are required to have an ace." He argued, "Who will play for us? Lien and your brother aren't here!"
Arthur pondered for a moment, "I'll take up the offer."
A choir of gasps, curses and 'are you insane?' were heard throughout the lounge room, most notably on the left part of the area.
Witnessing how her older sibling wasn't unfazed by the sudden news, Michelle elbowed him. "Don't tell me you knew all along?"
Francis looked down and smiled. Ruffling her hair affectionately, he said, "Not really, Mon Cher. Let's call it a hunch, yes?"
Folding her arms, Michelle stuck out her tongue cheekily.
Arthur, on the other hand, smiled. "What's with the reaction, everyone?" He asked, raising his voice. "This shouldn't be news for any of you. I used to be the first ace of World gig, you know." He explained. "I may be a bit rusty but I can still play."
Yao eyed him warily, "What exactly do you play?"
"That's for you to find out," Arthur said simply, stretching a hand toward his rival. "So, do we have a deal?"
Author's Note:
Thank you one and all for waiting! I present to you, the eighteenth installment of this fanfiction!
Before we start, I would like to say thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! Oh my, it really went pass 100 reviews! I'm so happy, thank you so much! (clearly all set for the epilogue and a secret bonus!) And what's more, I got so much questions as well! Feel free to ask for more questions and yes, I'll be more than happy to answer down below!
(Oh and one more thing: besides questions, I will now be responding to your comments as well! Drop down below and let me know~)
Anyway, let's get started!
We finally got a glimpse of Lien's wedding and for those who were most gracious of informing about the issue of divorce, I hope this chapter answers for you! Haha, for a long time, I've been pondering about whether or not I should make Gilbert or Mathias the priest but then again, it made much more sense that Gilbert was one of the photographers since he works part-time with his best friends. Along the way, we finally got Lien to get away from Dae and man, isn't she a badass or what? I can never pull something like that off! And long and behold, Alfred's appearance, their interactions in the rain, Lovino/Antonio/Bel/Ludwig/Feliciano/Ivan's reappearances are back (which explains why there are no new appearances, I'm terribly sorry!) Since we got World gig's crisis, here we have Star Fest's crisis!
And now, for the main conflict: World gig and Star Fest uniting? Is that even possible?
More importantly, Arthur's previous role in World gig is resurfaced! But what instrument does he play? (foreshadowed in Ch.12)
Find out more in the next chapter! (^_^)
I also would like to take this time to express my gratitude to all my fans, reviewers and readers out there! I thank you so, so, so very much and from the bottom of my heart!
A special shoutout to a special reviewer, Efeu (your review made me tear up and so, I dedicate this chapter for you sweetie!) I would also like to say thank you so much, dancefloor for the suggested epilogue! Unfortunately, I already have one in mind but that doesn't mean that I would think about yours in terms for consideration! (and if any of you have suggestions as well, don't be shy and comment about it as well!)
Once again, I'm open for more character requests (and reappearances!)
And as usual, your opinions are greatly appreciated!
The next update will be posted later on my profile page-please look forward to it!
P.S. Please listen to 'In the Rain' from Miraculous Ladybug in Ameviet scene! Enjoy!
*I've noticed some recurring questions about Hoa, Lien and Xiao Mei's mother. If any of you have any questions about Alfred, Matthew and Arthur's parents, feel free to talk about it!*
Side Note(s):
**By the way, if you are looking for the answers of the other questions that were submitted, they are posted in chapter 17!**
(Thank you uuuuuu for the question and comment!)
1. OMG! This story reminds me of a unique korean drama mixed with a dramatic anime...please continue on to this story, I'll wait for the next update even if it takes a long time due to your studies...
Haha, really? Whoa, now that I do think about it, you're most definitely right! (;_;) Ahhh, can I just say how wonderful of a person you are? Thank you so much, sweetie! Virtual hug!
2. How old is Yao?
I generally see Yao as around his early thirties (and since Arthur is around his mid twenties, it makes sense!)
(Thank you madison camelia for your question!)
A little question, is the next chapter the final one or do you plan to write more (I hope there will be more chapters)
...Haha, excellent question! Let's see, not really actually but well, I've been planning on ending this fan fiction for a while now but due to so many supports, I decided to extend the deadline for a little bit. The fan fiction will probably be ending around chapter 21-22ndish (including the epilogue). And as for planning to write more, hmm...no spoilers! (^_^)
(Thank you Guest for your comment!)
Hmmm...every time I read this story, I could hear some OSTs of some familiar anime or video games in my head. It depends on what mood does a scene give to the readers though. This story is interesting.
Awww, I'm so glad you are interested in the story! And yes, that often does happen from time to time (regarding OSTs)
(Thank you Yolo for your question!)
Um...since the father of the two sisters passed away, who is Lien's current closest relationship asides from Alfred, is it Xiao Mei since they are almost like twins by image, facial features and how they treat each other or the mother, since she is the only parent left to be safe enough to share a private conversation such as personal problems and etc, or they're both tied?
Ahhh, such a difficult question! But a great one as well! Yes, I would like to say that Xiao Mei and their mother are tied in terms of being the closest to Lien. Lien is always more open toward Xiao Mei and shares secrets with her but when it's something that she doesn't want to tell her sister or is preoccupied at the moment, she would switch it over to her mother instead. If both are preoccupied, back in their house, there's actually a shrine for their father and Lien would talk to him as long as she could.
(Thank you Darecorder for your question!)
Right after the death of her one and only true love, you mentioned on ch.17 that Hoa fell into depression, does it give her a new motivation to try to get any type of job to support, feed and give an education to their (like encouraging them to study to get their dreams come true) children while they were very young and are at school, even if she is still suffering from depression? Or, was Hoa really depressed and upset to do anything and ended up relying on the government to help care for the children?
Whoa, such a difficult, analytical question! Props to you, my friend for getting this one! (^_^) And yes, when her husband passed away, Hoa did fell into depression and yet, it also gave her a motivation to try. She made sure not to show that she was depressed and always smiled and act bubbly like Xiao Mei to conceal her inner feelings (very much like Lien). I mean, she wasn't technically in depression that long. When they decided to go to the States, it was like starting a fresh new life for Hoa and would often depend Yao to help her daughters if she was too busy working. Besides moving to the States to start a new life, she was also aware of her husband's heavy debt and tried to escape it or at least try to get a job and send some money for the debt. When she found out that Yeung did tracked them down and offered a suggestion to complete the heavy debt, Hoa did what she could not to hit depression. It wasn't until Yeung started to abuse her that she fell into depression and her attempt of suiciding was one of the ways of trying to get away. Whew, such a lengthy post! I hope this helps!
(Thank you Guest for your question!)
After the loss of Lien and Mei's father, how did they react to their mother's sudden depression?
Hmm...I think this chapter sort of answered this question but if it didn't, I'll be more than happy to tell you! Both sisters actually teamed up when they found out. And so, both prevented attempts that could possibly end their mother's life. That meant hiding knifes (thus, Lien took on the duty of cooking and Xiao Mei helping her), taking away her credit cards in case her mother decided to drug herself, etc-anything that might help. When their mother decides to go outside, one of them would accompany her (usually Xiao Mei) while the other stays inside the house to look for more things and stash them (usually Lien).
(Thank you naruhina for your question!)
Since Matthew is an American and his last name is Jones, ummm, is Arthur's last name Jones too or Kirkland, which meant he is only a half brother from the mother side acting like a true sibling to them?
Huh, good question! Actually, I want to clear up this idea a bit more. Matthew, Alfred and Arthur are indeed brothers and are biologically related although I wouldn't say that they are all enlisted as Americans either. Their parents came from military and knowing them, they traveled in many countries. You see, when their parents conceived Arthur, they were stationed in England. As for Alfred and Matthew's case, as crazy as it sounds, their parents were separated due to them being in different departments (and when the twins were conceived, they were apparently born between the borderline of the two countries-America and Canada(specifically around in the Niagara falls section). And as for their last names, great question! The three of them all started out as Jones. But since their parents had passed away, at least one of them decided to take on one of their parents names. Matthew took their in mother's last name, Williams while Alfred decided to keep Jones-both as tribute to their late parents. As for Arthur, he felt like he wasn't worthy enough to take on either of them and so, decided to take Kirkland, his mentor's surname, who happens to be Allistor(who was also his temporary homestay parent during his time in England while Francis stayed in the States taking care of his brothers and his own adopted sister).
(Thank you hi for your question!)
Why does Xiao Mei have a different family name? I thought they are siblings. Plus, the mother is still technically married to their late husband and as said in ch. 12, the mother has the same last name as her late husband and Lien. I am not being rude, but it shocked me. Well, you made Matthew and Arthur have the same last name as Alfred and made them Americans as well, right? Also you made Yao or Kiku(one of them) half-chinese and half-Japanese, right? because it is impossible for Yao and Kiku to be blood-related if one of them is Japanese while the other is Chinese, right? Well, since Xiao Mei has a different surname, it is almost impossible for her and Lien to be related, unless Mei is adopted. I know Lien's mother wouldn't commit adultery, because if this actually happened in this story, she and Lien would have a huge strain between their relationship. It is impossible for Mei to concieve her mother's maiden name since she is the second child of the parents of her and Lien. Actually, i don't really mind Taiwan having a different nationality other than Taiwanese in this fanfic because this happened to the FACE family and others sometimes if an author wants to keep 2 nations as humans related.
Whoa, very difficult and analytical question! First, let's start off with Xiao Mei. And to be honest, her different surname was actually incorrect. Her real surname was Nguyen (this is what I get for speed editing back then and forgot to redo my mistakes!). For your question about Matthew, Alfred and Arthur's situation, it's above your question! Hmm, actually now that I do think about it, I don't particularly focus too much on their nationality though I am quite aware of it (compared to the canon version where it's clear as day). But most notably, despite their blood relations, I generally focus and categorize each character not by which nationality but rather, as weird as it may sounds, where and which country they are conceived (and born in). For example, I know a lot of people who's nationalities are filipinos and are currently living here in the United States, however when you ask them, they claim to be filipinos because they were born there. Alfred and Matthew (I know, this idea of mine is crazy), but they were born between the borderlines of America and Canada, Arthur was born in England, Lien in Vietnam, Yao in China and well, even Xiao Mei got conceived and born in Taiwan (due to her and her sister's parents anniversary trip to go overseas). Whatever nationality that you believe the characters are, like between Yao and Kiku-Yao is still technically fully Chinese but in Kiku's case it may not be, it's really not up to me but up to you readers to do it. We all have different opinions on this and I will respect yours because in the end, that's the greatest thing about hetalia: we can let our thoughts get ahead of us because we're all just as passionate in being part of the fandom.