Greetings to you all. I have completed the next chapter. It's long... again...sorry about that. "^^ I swear when I'm planning out these chapters, they always sound much shorter in my head. Hope you enjoy it despite.

Disclaimer: *collapses onto bed* America, you do it. It's 2 A.M and I'm exhausted.

America: KAZE DOESN'T OWN US! *whispers* she doesn't even own a driver's license yet

Kaze: ...Thank you, America. For letting everyone know that.

Random word of the day: Spinebash

June 1st, 1944

I tugged on the front of my tank top, not that it made very much of a difference. Summer had certainly arrived, and this one was probably the hottest out of all the others I had experienced while living here.

...Then again, I'd only been here long enough to see one other summer, so that doesn't really say much, does it?

I was out front trying to get through my regular training and exercise routine, but it was proving to be quite troublesome with the hot sun constantly beating down on me. I walked over to the shade of a tree, reaching behind my head to redo my hair for the third time that morning. It was currently longer than I'd ever had it, reaching almost to my waist, and it was bothering me every chance it got.

'I REALLY need to get this mess cut. I'll even do it myself if I need to. My level of general tolerance just doesn't agree with long hair.'

A mourning dove landed on the ground a short distance away from me. I absently watched the bird as it inspected the earth around it with its beak, then flew off when it found nothing.

I remembered how I used to see those birds all the time from my bedroom window back in my own world. It's funny how you don't notice little common, everyday things like that until they're gone.

I dug my heel into the trunk of the tree, forcing my brain to not head any further down that path of thought. I didn't want to deal with a bout of homesickness at the moment.

"Augh. It's too hot out here right now. Screw it, ditching training one day isn't going to kill me. Think I'll go inside and make some iced te-"

SPLASH

"HOLY $%*&!"

I screeched when a blast of freezing water suddenly assaulted my back. "BWAHAHAHA!" A familiar voice cackled from behind me. I whirled around to face my assaulter, sending him a bone-chilling glare. America stopped laughing upon noticing my scowl, and he backed up a little, one hand raised in surrender while the other continued to hold the garden hose that he'd used to spray me with.

"Aw c'mon dude, it was just a joke, y'know? No need to be like that!" America said nervously. I clicked my tongue. "Oh, my dear nation. You do know what this means, don't you?" I said sweetly as I walked up to him until our bodies were a few centimeters apart. "Er..." He replied questionably. I gestured to him with my finger as if I wanted to tell him a secret, and he leaned down in response. I stood on my toes so my mouth was next to his ear, and whispered, "It means this is WAR."

I then snatched the hose from his grasp and yelled, "TAKE THIS, BUTTMUNCH!" before yanking down the collar of his shirt and spraying the water directly down his bare chest. America let out a rather girly scream as I dropped the hose and ran off.

"OH, IT'S ON!" I heard him yell shortly afterwards. We ran around the yard for a bit, both of us being fairly equal in terms of speed, but he eventually cornered me at the side of the house. America's eyes glinted mischievously as he slowly approached me, water hose back in hand. "Surrender to your fate, for you have messed with the wrong nation!"

I stood with my back against the house, eyes darting around the area as a vague plan formed in my mind. "Oh yea? Y'know what I have to say to that?" I replied tauntingly. America raised a curious brow. "What?" I looked up and put on a mask of shock. "Look, what's that!?" I said, pointing upwards. America whirled around and looked to where I was pointing with a shout of, "Huh? What? Where!?"

Grinning at the success of my oh-so-clever distraction, I picked up a baseball that had been left on the ground and tossed it at him, hitting him on the noggin. "Ouch!" America yelped, dropping the hose in surprise. I then sprinted up to the confused U.S and grabbed the hose in record time, turning around to run with it.

"HEY! NO FAIR! THAT'S TOTALLY CHEATING!" America shouted once he realized what I'd done. "ALL'S FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR!" I yelled back. "GET BACK HERE AND SURRENDER TO THE HERO!" My country replied as he leapt at me.

"GOD BLESS AMERICA!" Was my own reply as I sprayed him before he could touch me. He coughed and sputtered as the water assaulted his face. After a few moments, he was still coughing even though I'd only sprayed him for a second. "H-Hey, are you okay? Did most of it get in your mouth or something?" I asked in concern, walking up to him.

A mere second later, I realized my mistake. A devilish grin stretched across America's face, and he snatched the hose from me. "HAHA! TAKE THIS, RED-HAIRED VILLAIN!" The next thing I knew, an icy waterfall had collapsed over my head. I shrieked as I was soaked from head to foot. America laughed victoriously. "THE HERO TRIUMPHS AGAIN!"

The rush of adrenaline combined with my fresh irritation was responsible for my next action: instead of continuing our little game, I decided to outright tackle him instead. America was surprised at first, but was quick to smile and retaliate. We wrestled playfully on the ground for the next few minutes, like a couple of dogs rough housing just for fun. I knew America was more than capable of pinning me in a second, but he took it easy on me instead.

Finally, I gave up, laying still on the ground while I caught my breath. I held up my hands in the 'time out' gesture. "Alright, I give. I don't have as much stamina as you do." I said. America, barely winded, stood up and grinned brilliantly. "HAHAHA! I hope you learned your lesson, villain! The good guys never lose!" I rolled my eyes. "Why am I the villain? Technically, you attacked me first."

America tilted his head as he looked down at me, making a few blades of grass fall out of his hair. "Because I'm always the hero, of course." He replied simply. I chuckled. "Sure, okay. Shall I throw my fist up and dramatically shout 'curse you' or something?" America laughed. "Nah. Ya learned your lesson, that's enough for today." He held out his hand and helped me up.

America then laughed and pointed at me. "Dude! You've got a bunch of grass and other crap all over you!" I shrugged. "That makes two of us. We should probably go get cleaned up before dinner. Chris said he may come over tonight and join us."

I'd been trying to invite our chaperone friend to dinner with us for months. He was always flattered by the offer, but insisted he had some kind of business to attend to every time I asked. He never went into detail about said business either. But when I'd suggested it a couple of days ago, he suddenly seemed quite interested in the idea.

"Oh yeah, that's right. What are we having, anyway?" America replied. "Um, I hadn't really thought about it. I could make that pasta you liked so much. We haven't had that in a while." America's eyes lit up. "That stuff you learned to make from France? I'm down for that!"

"Yea, I could also throw in those smoked sausages you love. Those were surprisingly pretty good in it." I said thoughtfully. America fist pumped in excitement. "Yeees! Alright, off to the shower I go!"

"Take longer than one minute this time, you're filthy!" I said before he darted into the house. As I made my way up to my room, a calendar with a lot of red markings on it caught my eye. Tomorrow's date was circled with the word 'MEETING' written in large red lettering. 'Ah, that's right. I forgot we have an Allied conference tomorrow.'

My thoughts turned to the anime. 'I can remember two meeting sequences between the Allies that haven't happened yet. Maybe one of them will happen tomorrow.' It had been a while since our last meeting with all six of us (not counting Canada since he rarely attended). The war was steadily reaching that turning point, where it was starting to become clear that the Axis were at a disadvantage. America had been very busy lately, although his bright attitude certainly didn't make it seem that way.

Once I got to my bathroom, I carefully removed Britannia's necklace and set it on the counter. The stone had been looking bluer as of late. I wondered if that meant it would glow soon.

A sigh escaped me at that thought. I would like to say the idea of finally going home brought up a whirlwind of emotions in me…but I couldn't. Lately, my feelings towards this world vs mine had been rather bipolar. Sometimes I longed to go home so much that I subconsciously started talking to the necklace itself, almost as if I was saying a prayer. Other times, I could only feel indifference towards leaving Hetalia. Like I couldn't care less if I went or stayed.

I guess only time would tell if that was a bad thing or not.

...

I stared with suppressed annoyance at my no longer functioning bedroom door as it lay lifelessly on the floor of the hallway. The culprit of this act was waiting very impatiently outside for me to "get my butt in gear," as he'd put it, and join him so we could head to the Allies meeting.

He'd apologized for his "inappropriate" words shortly afterwards, probably because he remembered I was technically a member of the female gender, and in this age, men didn't talk to ladies in such ways.

...How he constantly forgot that I was a girl escaped my understanding, but I had long gotten used to it.

America had grown sick and tired of being the last one to walk into our meetings (often getting scolded by Britain as a result), so today he decided that we HAD to be the first ones there no matter what.

That is why my innocent door is laying here in splinters on the floor. America had burst into my room very early this morning (despite the number of times I've told him not to), and since one regular door can only take so much abnormal strength forcing it open, this time it had been thrown off its hinges, and nearly split in two.

I sighed as I heard the car honk furiously for the third time in what must have been only twenty seconds or so. "Looks like we're going to the hardware store after the meeting today." I mumbled.

I saluted at the door and said, "Thank you for your years of service." Then I left the house quickly before America could decide to drag me out.

For the entire ride, I couldn't decide if America was shaking with impatience, or excitement at the idea of finally being able to chew out everyone else for being late for once.

When we arrived and noticed no other cars in the lot, America whooped in joy. "YES! Finally, the great U.S.A is the country to arrive in first! As it should be, of course!" He said cockily, rubbing his nails on his jacket like he'd made some great achievement. I rolled my eyes, well used to America's strange whims and antics.

"The big question now is, what are we going to do while we wait for everyone else to get here?" I asked half-heartedly while I pulled my hair into a braid, then laid it over my left shoulder. America smirked at my question, then pointed at me with a wink as he answered. "You and I are going to think of ways to shame them for their tardiness, of course!"

He was sparkling heroically, as if in homage to Major Armstrong from the Fullmetal Alchemist series himself. It was quite a fitting look for him, I had to say.

I didn't pay much attention to America's excited ramblings as I thanked Chris for the ride, as I usually did. I was rather tired that morning from the rough night I'd had.

A strange dream had begun to visit me recently. I couldn't decide if it was a good dream, or a bad dream. Nor could I begin to guess what it meant. The main thing I recalled about it was a bright light; a spotlight, to be more exact, that I was always standing under. The rest of the space around me was dark, so dark that nothing could be seen in it. The only light that existed in the dream was the one shining down on me.

But...it wasn't a comforting light at all. It felt more like it was calling unwanted attention to me. It was almost like...like I was a suspect that had committed some crime, and I was being judged for it. By who or what, I didn't know. I only hoped this dream had no real meaning to it.

A yawn escaped me, and I rubbed my face as we walked through the hallways. "Dude, rock on! We are awesomely the first ones here!" America said happily. It would seem that way, since we had yet to run into anyone else since arriving, but I knew otherwise.

"Now when everyone else gets here, we can say-" As had happened in this sequence of the anime, America's fantasy literally appeared above him in the form of a thought bubble. Only this time, I was standing next to him, both of us resembling over-exaggerated, attractive versions of ourselves. I was surprised to see that we were actually animated in his thoughts, but the animation was more Disney-like than Japanese shoujo, which I suppose made sense.

"Hey, aren't you guys running a little late?" Fantasy-America asked in a smooth, velvety voice that I'd never heard come out of his mouth. Fantasy-me laughed cheekily into the back of her hand at Fantasy-America's comment before the thought bubble popped out of existence.

I shuddered and thought, 'That was kind of creepy.'

"Those losers are gonna feel like, completely stupid, yo!" Reality America said excitedly. "Don't hold your breath." I muttered to him as we reached the assigned meeting room. America gasped slightly and hid behind the door; but not before slapping a hand over my mouth, and pulling me into his chest from behind so I would also not be seen.

I lightly glared up at him, because suddenly being pulled into the U.S.A's rock-hard chest wasn't a comfortable experience. But America wasn't paying attention to me; instead, he was staring at Britain with a surprised expression.

"Alright!" I heard Britain say from inside the room. "That should do it!" The UK said this before exiting the room, mumbling something about making a pot of tea. America and I hid behind a nearby curtain until Britain was out of sight.

"Dude!" America exclaimed as we entered the meeting room. On the board were the usual headshot drawings of the Axis. I'd known that Britain was the one that always drew them, but America had just now found out. He stared with furrowed brows at the pictures on the board. Then, his expression morphed into one of determination, and he grabbed a stick of chalk and started scribbling drawings of his own.

I chuckled lightly at my U.S's silly antics. I still did not understand his thought process by any means, but in some strange way, I was glad that I didn't.

Well then, if whoever it concerns remembers this segment of the anime, you already know what happens next, so I'll skip to the fun part.

"What's up with these weird drawings, aru!?" China exclaimed, staring at the blackboard in shock. America's attempt at drawing our allies hadn't turned out very...acceptable (this is the kindest adjective I can think of to use). As someone who liked to draw myself, I had to admit America's sketches looked sloppy and ridiculous.

France gasped indignantly. "Who drew zhis crap? It does not capture my beauty!" Britain was staring at the poorly drawn pictures with a half-irritated, half-exasperated expression. "Yes, and I have a unibrow for some reason..." He remarked. I swallowed my urge to laugh; I had a feeling Britain already knew that America had drawn the pictures.

"I think the ones at the bottom are best..." China observed before Russia cheerfully said, "If that one at the bottom is supposed to be of me, I'll hack it off with my pickax."

"YOU'LL WHAT!?" The other three exclaimed.

America, wanting to defend his work but not wanting to be known as the one who drew them, (isn't that counterproductive?) clenched his fist and put on a strained smile.

"Well, that's just annoying! Why would someone choose to draw us in such a fashion? It's unforgivable really, how someone would choose to express all of our individual characteristics with skilled sketches using well-formed, innovative, cutsey American pop art styles he probably learned in New York City!"

"America, you really need to work on your subtlety." I said before Britain walked up to the U.S and placed a hand on his shoulder. "...So it was you." The UK said plainly.

"You an ass!" China exclaimed, making a short laugh escape me. I had always found that line funny in the series.

America deflated, crossing his arms like an angry toddler. China meanwhile, took the chalk in hand. "That's unacceptable, aru! I will draw all the portrait from now on!"

Everyone watched warily, unsure of what kind of picture the Chinese nation would draw. What he revealed was a shock to everyone but me, because as usual, I knew beforehand.

"China!? You're a GIRL!?" Everyone except Russia and I shouted. I tilted my head at their wording. 'I'm pretty sure in the English dub they said "chick" instead of "girl." But I guess this makes more sense. No one here except America and I would ever use that kind of slang.'

Once everyone had calmed down a bit, and China explained that his portrait was just a common style of art in his country and he was in fact, a man, I stepped up and decided to throw in some art of my own to the mix.

I started drawing without saying anything, utilizing both ends of the chalk, as one end had a slanted tip after being used so much, which made detailing and fine lines easier.

My Allied friends quieted down a few seconds after I'd began sketching, likely curious as to what result my drawing would produce. Thinking back, Britain was the only one that had ever seen my drawing skills.

Once I was done, I stepped away from the blackboard and revealed my pictures of the Allies. "There, does this satisfy everyone?" I asked. They stared at my pictures of them, their expressions mostly unreadable. Then China turned to America and said, "How come your citizen draw so well, but you draw like two-year-old, aru?" America glared at China. "Hey, shaddup! We just have different art styles, that's all!"

"So you 'ave the style of a kindergartener?" France chimed in. "Screw off, French Fry!" The U.S shouted, an angry blush coating his cheeks. "I must ask about the style you chose to draw us in, Jinjer. It's quite interesting, I don't think I've seen anything like it before." Britain inquired, stopping France from saying anything to America in return.

I blinked at Britain's question, at first unsure of what he meant. "Um..." I looked up to my drawings, and for some reason only then realized that I'd drawn everyone according to how they appeared in the manga and anime.

I paled a little. 'Oops...'

"This is...a certain art style from the future. It's the style I'm most used to drawing in, so I guess I drew them this way out of habit." I explained carefully. This way, it wasn't a lie, and I could keep their state of existence in my world a secret.

I still didn't think I was ready to explain that whole mess to them. I didn't have a clue how they would take the idea of being nothing more than fictional characters in my world. I knew they deserved to know, but...I just couldn't bring it up for some reason. Perhaps it was because even I was having difficulty believing that they weren't...real in my home world. After being around all of them for so long, and getting to know each of them in person, I could no longer recall how it felt when they were characters of a show I just so happened to enjoy watching.

Even when I went home, there was no way I'd ever look at them the same. To me, they would always be real people that existed somewhere.

The meeting finally began shortly after that, although I wondered if the blackboard would be used at all, considering it was now covered with drawings. Britain was quick to take the floor, standing at the head of the table instead of sitting down. The UK cleared his throat before speaking. "If I may suggest that we keep today's meeting short and simple."

"Oh? What an odd request from you, Angleterre. Considering you're usually zhe one responsible for our meetings dragging on." France interrupted mockingly. "I don't want to hear that from someone who only knows how to listen to himself talk!" Britain snapped back, making France laugh in response. I raised my hand. "I agree with Britain's suggestion, especially if all we're going to do is argue for ninety-five percent of the meeting, like usual."

The UK unclenched his fists and nodded stiffly at me. "Thank you, Jinjer. Does anyone object?" When we were met with no objections, Britain continued. "Good. Now, I have a proposal which applies to all of us. I've thought long and hard on it. I'll forewarn that it may be a tad risky for us, but if all goes well, we may be able to grasp a large advantage over our enemies. And in a time like this, I believe a few risks may be necessary to-"

"Boo! Quit it with all the words, and get on with it already!" America suddenly interrupted. Britain glared at America, but before his temper had a chance to show itself, I promptly held up a chocolate donut in front of my country's face. Immediately, the U.S's profile changed from annoyed to thrilled as he shoved the sugary pastry in his mouth.

"Now, what do you say to Britain?" I said, indicating towards the UK. America laughed and rubbed the back of his head before saying, "Haha, sorry bro! Go on!" Said tea-loving country cringed when America talked loudly with his mouth still full. I rolled my eyes. "Good enough. We'll work on mannerisms another time."

"Ah, you are so good wizh him, dear Jinjer. I would very much love it if you would feed me sometime~." France sighed, leering at me. I gave him a fake smile. "Sure! How about my boot? China taught me some wicked kicks a few weeks ago." France swooned as if I had just confessed my undying love to him. "I would grovel at your lovely feet any day, mademoiselle!"

"W-Where were you keeping that donut, aru?" China asked me. I could have replied honestly and told him I'd gotten them from the kitchen, and had just been hiding the box beneath the table this whole time in case America acted out…but I decided taking advantage of China's question to tease my fellow Allies would be much more fun.

I leaned forward and put on my best mysterious smirk before saying, "Do you really want to know?" I allowed a hint of suggestiveness to line my tone, and threw in a wink for a just little extra measure.

I saw France nodding rapidly in the corner of my eye. America was too occupied with licking his fingers to notice. Russia tilted his head innocently, Britain coughed in an uncomfortable manner, and China started to wave his hands in denial. "N-Nevermind, aru!"

Laughter burst from my chest at his flustered profile. "I was just going to tell you to look under my feet, and you'd see the box of donuts sitting there. What were you guys thinking?"

China gave me a look of disapproval, trying to maintain his dignified countenance despite his flushed cheeks. I would probably be scolded by him for this later…

Britain had turned his back to us, so who knows what kind of expression he had, France had gone off into whatever sick fantasy land existed in his head, and Russia just smiled and tilted his head like he had no idea what was going on.

I didn't make a habit to tease my fellow Allies very much. However, when you're the only female in a group of men with assorted personalities, it was fun to make the occasional suggestive jab to test their reactions.

"Anyhow, if we could proceed with discussing my proposal..." Britain said, drawing attention back to himself.

His voice was slightly lilted due to the tissue shoved up his nose...

"...I assume we're all aware of our plans to enter Rome soon?" Everyone nodded. Britain then removed the tissue from his nose before continuing. "If you all remember correctly, I was originally going to be the only nation to go to the country myself. However, our advisor-" he gestured to me "-has been so kind as to inform me of...a certain situation that will befall me if I were to be the only one to go."

Britain seemed to be fighting to urge to grimace. "So, I have decided that it's time we all stop sitting around and get out there. If all of us were to show up at once, they wouldn't be expecting it." I raised my hand. "Question. Does 'all of us' include me?"

"Indeed, Jinjer. Your foreknowledge may prove useful. Besides, someone needs to keep him in line." Britain answered, jabbing his thumb towards America. I nodded in acknowledgment while America glared at the UK.

I turned Britain's suggestion over in my head. It wasn't a bad plan. Countries themselves didn't go out into the field quite as often as I used to think they did. In wars and similar predicaments, their roles were, for the most part, more indirect. They sat behind the scenes and planned with their leaders and their allies, such as what we were doing now. According to what America had told me, this method had become more and more widespread as the twentieth century progressed. In the distant past, wars were far more common, so nations would fight on the frontlines just as often as they would stand behind them. However, the modern-day authorities tried to prevent the CP's from going into the fray themselves.

The biggest reason for this was because of a lasting problem that constantly plagued every nation: the effects that they felt from their people. A lot of the countries' bosses didn't want their weaknesses to be shown in front of others, friend or foe. On the battlefield, something like that could secure a failure.

I didn't have a problem going with everyone to...fight, or whatever we ended up doing. What unsettled me the most about Britain's idea was how much of the storyline it would change. If everyone went to Rome and Britain didn't get captured, what kind of effect would it have overall?

"Ai yah, you youngsters always wanting to take the quickest route." China sighed. "Oh, come now, China. We are all tired of war, yes? Why don't we all fight together again? It could be fun, da?" Russia said cheerfully before placing a hand on China's shoulder, making the old nation cringe away.

'Russia has a point...we've only really fought all together once this entire time, at the island a couple of years ago.' I thought.

"Hell yeah, I'm sick of sitting around and listening to a bunch of old guys talk! Let's go!" America shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "You know one of those 'old guys' is your boss, right? Not to mention you're older than all of them combined..." I said. The U.S blinked at me. "Eh? I was talking about these guys!" He replied, gesturing to our allies, who all glared at America in some fashion.

"I do not mind, 'owever, you know I will not be able to stay for very long." France said. "I intend for you to return to your own country, France. After we arrive in Rome, we'll all split off. We'll meet you in your vile land for the Normandy operations." Britain explained.

'Oh...right. June 6th. It's almost D-Day. I…I should be really worried. Wonder why...I'm not nervous at all. Maybe I've just finally gotten used to the way events go in this world.'

Everyone eventually agreed to Britain's plan of action, and the meeting (miraculously) concluded shortly afterwards.

America and I were walking down the halls when I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder. I turned to find Britain standing behind me. "May I speak with you for a moment, Jinjer?" He asked suddenly. I blinked in surprise while America raised his brow, looking none too pleased. "Oh um, sure." I replied, ignoring the fluttery excitement that built up in my chest.

"Good. Follow me, then." I began to follow Britain, but we stopped barely a few steps later once he realized America was walking along with us. Britain narrowed his eyes at the U.S.

"Alone." He said, emphasizing his previous question. He and America stared each other down for a few seconds longer. Then the U.S huffed, and turned away from us. "Fine, fine. I gotcha. I'll be in the car." America said to me before walking off.

Britain led me to the kitchen, and I plopped myself down in a barstool while the UK went over to the stove. A yawn escaped me for the third time that morning, making me rub my tired eyes. I imagined they were likely a bit darker underneath than usual, but with my country rushing me out the door, I never had a moment to even think about covering them with makeup.

"You look a tad unwell. Are you alright, Jinjer?" Britain remarked suddenly. His lush green eyes swept over my face, a slight frown adorning his lips. "Oh, I'm fine. Just didn't get enough sleep last night, that's all." I replied with a small smile. He sighed lightly. "That's no good. Sleep is essential for one's health, you know." He opened one of the cupboards, and retrieved a mug. "Would you fancy some tea, perhaps? That should perk you right up."

"Sure, I'll have some." I replied. I didn't make a habit of drinking tea, but I tended to enjoy it more than coffee. Not that I would EVER tell America that.

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed as Britain prepared our tea. I absently watched him, observing the way his shoulders moved and the shape of the short, golden blonde hairs that brushed the back of his neck. His back suddenly looked...broader for some reason. Had his back always looked that way, or did I just never notice?

I was snapped out of my musings when Britain began setting the tea ware out on a tray, making clinking noises resonate throughout the quiet kitchen. I quickly looked away before he could turn around to realize I was staring at him.

…Again.

'Honestly, Jinjer. Learn to control yourself a little better!'

Britain set the tray down on the island counter I was sitting at. "Care for anything in it? Milk? Sugar?" He asked me. "A dash of both, I guess." At my request, he deftly added both sweeteners to my cup. I was momentarily mesmerized by how quickly Britain's hands moved as he poured in the milk from the saucer, and dropped in a lump of sugar from the bowl at once before stirring the ingredients together with such precision, that the tea formed a perfect whirlpool within the cup, yet not a drop went over the rim.

It was a silly thing to admire, I suppose. He was the nation of England after all, he'd likely done this God knows how many times before.

The UK set my cup of tea with a saucer in front of me. I thanked him before carefully picking up both, and lifting the cup to my lips. The gentle and robust scent of the tea soothed my senses, and awakened my tired mind a little. The first sip was surprisingly heavenly.

That fact must have shown on my face, because a pleased expression crossed Britain's features. "There, you see? Feeling better already, aren't you?" I chuckled. "Well, you definitely know how to make a cup of tea, I'll give you that." He scoffed as if that was the most obvious thing he'd heard in his life. "Naturally, my dear. We of the Great British Empire invented great tea!"

'China would certainly protest if he heard that...'

Britain took a sip from his own cup before speaking. "Now, as to why I brought you here. I needed to speak with you about the first part of this operation, or more specifically, what you'll be doing during it. I didn't want to say it in front of America, because I knew the bloke would protest, given how attached he is to you." I shrugged. "I'm not sure if I'd say 'attached,' but go on. Is there something specific you need me to do?"

"Not necessarily, no. You see, we'll all be splitting off into different areas. I'll show you." Britain pulled out a European map, and laid it out across the counter. He pointed to the edge of France. "As of tomorrow, Frog face will be going here by himself to prepare establishments, resources, and set up camps for the Normandy operations." He pointed to Italy's capital of Rome. "Originally, I was going to go here by myself to perform some last-minute espionage before our troops arrived there, but..."

He looked up at me. "...since you informed me that that route would result in my capture, Russia and China will be stationed there instead." He then pointed to a different part of Italy. "Finally, America and I will be here fighting alongside our incoming troops as they march to Rome. Once they arrive there, we'll conquer the city before we all fly out to France's place as soon as possible." I nodded along to his explanation, and waited until he paused to speak.

"Quick question. Why did you not explain all these details in the meeting?" I asked. Britain raised one of his large eyebrows. "I did explain. Were you not listening?"

"I...might have tuned out sooner than expected, yea. Sorry about that." The UK sighed and rolled his eyes at me. "Well, consider yourself fortunate that I realized that and explained again. But I would suggest that you not make the same mistake again. You are our advisor, and can't afford to be 'tuning out' our important discussions." I rubbed the back of my head and nodded wordlessly to Britain's scolding. Though it pained me to admit, he wasn't exactly wrong…

"Now, what I did not tell the others is your place in all this during the first week or so." Britain rolled the map back up and looked me in the eye. "I want you to stay with Russia and China for the first few days."

I raised a curious brow at his notion. "May I ask why?" Britain tucked the map away in his coat, his eyes shifting to the left as if he was displeased. "I think it would be better if you weren't thrown directly into the battles. Before you think about protesting, I am well aware that you're capable of handling yourself. However, you are still quite inexperienced when it comes to actual dangerous encounters. And being a young woman, there's no predicting what could happen to you out there."

I nodded slowly as he explained. "Additionally, if you were to go with Russia and China to Rome, you could prevent either of them from getting captured in my stead since you already know how it will happen. But the primary reason for this is of course, your safety." He continued as he walked around to my side of the counter. Britain's eyes were serious, yet somehow gentle, as he slowly placed a hand on my arm. "Please understand that this is the safest option for you. Both Russia and China are strong, well capable of protecting you, should you need it. You're an extremely important element to us Allies, and our victory. It would be dire if something were to happen to you."

A warm sensation spread throughout my chest as he gazed at me seriously. The spot on my arm he was touching felt so warm itself, that I was half afraid he'd notice.

'Well geez, Britain. I can't exactly refuse when you look at me like that...' I thought with a small sigh.

"I do understand, and I don't mind the conditions. However, if I may point this out, I'm surprised you're so willing to let me be with Russia for a few days after what happened in January." Britain groaned, running a hand down his face. "It wasn't a quick decision, trust me. However, I wouldn't worry. China will be there with both of you, and he should be able to keep Russia in line, should he try anything. Besides, I don't think even Russia would make any rash decisions whilst staying in enemy territory."

"Then I'll go along with your plan. I would prefer to avoid fighting at all cost. I don't think I'm mentally prepared..." I said. I tried to ignore the way my stomach churned at the thought of blood spattering on the ground, and glorified body parts and innards flying everywhere. That's how I had always imagined a battlefield. Knowing Hetalia, it was likely a whole different event, but a fight was still a fight nonetheless.

Britain nodded, satisfied with my decision. "I appreciate your cooperation. I'll inform Russia and China of this as well." I sipped my tea with a smile. "Thank you for your concern, Britain. It makes me glad to know you thought so much about me for this." He blinked rapidly at my words, his face going red. "I-I never said any of those things! D-Don't go making assumptions so quickly!" Britain sputtered, quickly turning away from me.

I chuckled a bit, but didn't press him any further. The important thing was that I'd gotten the exact reaction from him that I had hoped for. As any avid anime watcher knows, when a tsundere denies something with a stutter and a blush, it meant that your statement hit the nail on the head.

This was the first time that Britain had ever shown any genuine concern for my well-being. This made me glad, because it told me that Britain finally, truly thought of me as a friend. In fact, thinking about it now, I think it was after Britain finally accepted me that I felt like a true member of the Allies. Even if I didn't get as close to every single member as I had to America, as long as the UK thought of me as a fellow Ally, I could feel like a fellow Ally.

Which was strange...I would think China would be the person I'd strive to earn the acceptance of the most. He had been my favorite character before coming here, he was the oldest living nation, and I thoroughly enjoyed being around him. And yet I find myself even more thrilled at the idea of winning Britain's recognition?

I briefly wondered if my respect for Britain ran deeper than I thought.

...

Guilt wasn't an emotion I made a habit of feeling. But as I watched land get farther and farther away as the airplane ascended, I couldn't stop the wretched feeling from building up in my stomach. I hated going behind America's back like that. I hadn't technically lied to him-I never said I wasn't going off with Russia and China, or that I was for sure going with him-but the fact remained that I had to sneak my way around him to get on this plane with Russia and China, and be off to Rome.

However, it's not like I'd had much of a choice. There was no way in hell America would have been on board with letting me stay with Russia for a few days after the large nation practically kidnapped me at the beginning of the year. I didn't blame him. If China wasn't going to be here with us, I would have been quite hesitant myself.

Not that I didn't trust Russia; the thought of being virtually alone with him for a few days was just a bit unnerving was all. When I'd stayed at his home for several days, the Baltics had been there to keep me company in his big house. But amid enemy territory with none of our other friends around, Russia wouldn't be my first pick to accompany me.

I liked the guy well enough, but I wasn't sure if I was ready to trust him with my life quite yet.

Ironically however, I ended up in that sort of situation with him anyway. Let me explain.

After we landed in Rome, I gave Russia and China the rundown on what to watch out for while we were here. I knew if this was at the same time Britain had been captured in the original story, then all the Axis were around somewhere, minus Japan.

We walked through the breathtaking city, ignoring the stares we received. You can imagine how out of place we must have been there in that time period. A red-haired girl wearing men's clothing, being accompanied by a very large man wearing a heavy coat and scarf despite it being summer, and another foreign man who was obviously from the East.

I could imagine the kind of warning bells we were setting off in the Italian's heads when they saw us. We might as well have been wearing sandwich boards that read 'I AM THE ENEMY.'

I found myself wondering what kind of weird logic allowed us to just waltz into the country with ease. If we'd tried this during the WWII in my world, we would have been killed on the spot.

China went off to find us a place to stay, deciding it would be better if only one of us went to attract less attention. Thus, I was left alone with Russia; who, despite it being only one in the afternoon, decided that he wanted to get a drink to pass the time. So, we stopped into a bar while we waited.

I, still not being as accustomed to drinking, decided to abstain from anything alcoholic and got a simple water. You can probably guess what Russia ordered. Thus, as I sat at the bar beside my Russian friend, I sipping my water while he his vodka, I was quickly reminded of exactly the kind of country the Hetalian Italy was.

Even though it was still early in the day, there were several people at the bar with us, most already hammered by the looks of them. It reminded me of something Britain said during this arc when he was disguised as an Italian: I think it was something about getting drunk at noon, and flatulating publicly.

Additionally, there was the trait that the Italians were infamous for: I had barely been in the country for one, stinking hour and I'd already lost count of how many men had hit on me. These flirtatious acts ranged from waterfalls of sweet compliments, to bold declarations, to sleazy sexual innuendos.

How did I know all this, considering I don't speak Italian, you ask? Well, it turns out that Italian men's body language iseasy to read.

Like, really easy.

Plus, I had the handy dandy noteboo- I mean, anime effects to give me the hints I needed.

It was a good thing I couldn't speak Italian, because it offered me a quick save from the many flirtatious Italians that pined for my attention.

'How do women even live in this country? I don't think I could handle being hit on by nearly every man that saw me.' I thought with a sigh. In the States, most men tended to be more polite and tactful, even if they did decide to drop a suggestive wink or two. My habit to dress in male clothing also served as a turn off for most guys back home.

But here, either they somehow didn't notice, or they just didn't care, because it seemed to deter no Italian man. Other than that one fact, the people here seemed nice enough, especially if they were anything like Italy himself (and let's face it, of course they were). I now understood how Germany felt when he visited Italy for the first time. There really wasn't much to dislike about this place, except, for Germany, its tendency to be cowardly and lazy. In my case, it was all the shameless flirts.

However, I hadn't been here for very long, so I probably shouldn't judge it so quickly. I mean, this was the country with one of the most infamous mafias in the world. Surely it couldn't be so one dimensional. I couldn't recall anything in the series that had touched on the Italian mafia, but I did remember that Italy was surprisingly a tough little nation back when he was younger, before he got snatched up by Austria.

I wondered if Italy had some kind of hidden side to him that he rarely showed?

All those musings were tossed from my mind when I stepped outside for some air. Rome certainly was a beautiful city, I dare say the most beautiful I'd seen. There were sculptures, statues, and rich architecture galore. There was no shortage of things to look at, that was for sure.

However, as all peaceful moments in life are, my tranquil air was snatched from me when someone stumbled into my view. The man's chuckling sounded disturbingly familiar. It was only when I caught a glimpse of the side of his face that I finally realized who this man was.

'CRAP! I didn't expect him to be here too! Okay, just need to turn around and-'

Too late. Cherry red eyes caught mine, and time froze as we stared each other down. He squinted at me, as if he couldn't see me very well, while my eyes remained wide like a deer caught in headlights.

"Do I know you from somevhere?" He finally said. The Prussian personification marched up to me and peered directly into my face. I could immediately smell alcohol on his breath, so that explained his strange behavior.

Meanwhile, my brain scrambled for how to reply to him. I'd only met him once a year ago for a brief amount of time, and he was drunk, so odds were that he wouldn't even remember who I was.

After a few seconds, Prussia pulled his face out of my vicinity and rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, it's no use. I svear I've seen you before, just can't remember vhen." I took a small step back from him. "Are you sure it was me? I mean, there are tons of women in the world, it could have been anyone really." I said, trying to evade the Prussian.

He smirked at me. "Ha! Please, frau. You and I share some similarities, you know." I raised a confused brow. "And... what might that be?" His smirk grew. "Ve bozh have rare traits zhat sticks in people's minds! It's a blessing, is it not?"

'Argh...he's got me on that one. Damn this unnaturally red hair. Why can't I look more average!?'

Watching as he glanced around, I noticed that Prussia seemed to be more aware and competent of his surroundings than I thought, which led me to believe he was more borderline tipsy than completely drunk. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing for me or not.

"You're not from here, are you? Your accent is toootally different from most people here. Tell me, vhat brings you to zhis country?" Prussia asked, pulling out a flask from his belt, and frowning when he found it was empty. "Oh, you know. Just another silly invasion attempt. Nothing special." I answered with a casual tone of voice.

Prussia's expression morphed into one of shocked confusion for a brief moment, then he burst into laughter. "KESESESESE! Oh, I see. Don't vant to tell zhis awesome, sinfully handsome Prussian huh? Vell vhatever. Zhat makes hook ups easier, am I right?" He said with a wink as he playfully elbowed me. "Is that so? And what makes you think I want to hook up with you?" I replied, trying to keep my tone level.

I didn't want to accidentally start something out in public, especially on our very first day of being here. It was bad enough I managed to run into Prussia (I swear this world enjoys spiting me for no good reason), the best thing I could do right now was remain calm and pretend like I had never met him before.

'I just need to get back inside where Russia is...'

"Kesesese! Silly frau, of course you do! Zhere isn't a voman alive who VOULDN'T feel lucky to spend a night vizh zhe awesome me, if you know vhat I mean!" Prussia answered boisterously. Before I could think of a reply, his expression suddenly shifted into a curious one. He placed his thumb and forefinger on his chin as if he was thinking about something, and leaned closer to me until our faces were inches apart.

As he scrutinized me, a nervous sweat broke out on the back of my neck. '!#% . Has he suddenly remembered me?' As this thought struck me, I reached behind me for the door handle, ready to turn tail and run to the side of my ally sitting inside.

"You know-" I tensed when Prussia spoke up. "-for a voman vearing men's clozhing, you're actually not zhat bad vhen you get a better look!" And like water flowing out of open gates, my tenseness rushed out of me at his words.

'For the first time, I'm relieved that someone is flirting with me...'

"Haha, you think so? Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." I replied politely. Prussia laughed at my compliment. "Oh, stop it! I bask in the glory of enough compliments as it is." He did a dramatic turn. "But if you really vant to bestow your praise on me, I certainly von't stop you!"

A sweat drop appeared on my head. 'Boy, he doesn't really do "humble" does he?'

"By zhe vay, frau. My handy little flask here is empty, you see. Zhis bar here any good?" He asked, peering up at the sign above the canopy. I shrugged. "Dunno. I didn't drink anything of theirs." Prussia raised a brow. "Vhat kind of person goes into a pub and doesn't get booze? Don't let your foreign customs get in zhe vay of your fun! Zhat's vhat I like about zhis city, not a care in zhe vorld! You could have nozhing but a bottle of beer for breakfast, and no one vould question you!" He said happily, his eyes shining.

"Uh...delightful." I replied unsurely. Prussia chuckled to himself. "Okay, I get it, you're new here and all, so tell you vhat. Good old Gilbert vill go in vizh you, and get you some of zhe good stuff. My treat!" I felt my cheeks warm at his offer, and I quickly tried to decline. "Oh no, you really don't have to spend any of your money on m-"

"You're velcome, don't mention it!" Prussia said with a cheeky grin. I sighed, trying to force the angry blush that had formed on my face away. "Fine, but just one." I grouchily consented, knowing I wasn't going to be able to change his mind.

Prussia blinked in surprise. I guess he hadn't expected me to actually agree to his offer. But of course, he wasn't deterred for long, and an even bigger grin broke out on his face. "Alright! It's a date! Let's go!" He proclaimed before looping his arm around my shoulders.

I looked away from him and groaned quietly. "Should have seen that one coming..." I mumbled before we entered the bar together.

By some bout of strange luck, Prussia somehow didn't recognize the large form of Russia (at least alcohol can be good for some things), and plopped us down just a seat away from him. The Russian on the other hand took notice of us immediately. He raised a curious brow, switching his gaze between me and Prussia. I made a subtle gesture of 'wait just a moment' to him, and mouthed that I would explain later.

Russia grinned in understanding, then turned his attention back to his drink, pretending not to pay us any mind. I admit I was a bit surprised that Russia had just gone along with me – but knowing him, he was probably just curious as to how it would turn out, and would only step in once the situation lost his interest.

The next thing I knew, a huge mug of...something was plopped in front of me, the liquid sloshing over the edge a bit. The middle-aged bartender nodded at me, the cigar in his mouth bobbing up and down as he mumbled something to Prussia in Italian.

'This guy is what I imagine a secret member of the mafia to look like.' I thought. "Alright! Bottoms up, frau! This is zhe best beer zhey've got in this joint according to zhis guy. Let's judge it together, okay? Cheers!" Prussia said this quite loudly before he downed about half his mug in one swig.

I had little interest in drinking so early in the afternoon, especially when I didn't even know what this was. You could say it was beer, sure, but what type of beer? The whole world didn't just drink the exact same beer. I didn't want to drink something too strong for me, and I definitely didn't want to get drunk.

Prussia let out a satisfying sigh as he finished his drink. "Not too bad! Of course, it doesn't hold a candle to our stuff back home, but I guess zhis vill do in zhe meantime." He said before ordering another.

"So, is it a habit of yours to get hammered at one P.M every day, and pick up a random girl off the street to share in your drinking spree?" I asked him while I swirled my drink around in my glass. Prussia laughed at my question. "As often as I have ladies tripping over zhemselves for a chance to have a fling vith zhe awesome Gilbert Beilschmidt, you're actually zhe first girl I've taken out in a vhile. Feel special." Prussia replied with a wink in my direction.

"Nothing about this situation is making me feel special." I answered bluntly. "Kesesese! Playing hard to get, are ve? I like zhat in a voman! It makes the victory much sweeter!" He responded in a light tone before taking another gulp of beer. I rolled my eyes. "You countries and your selective hearing..."

Prussia continued to throw back one mug after the other. I had to admit, the guy could hold his liquor pretty well. Russia continued to observe us from the corner of his eye. He at least, seemed to be taking more care in his own drinking, pouring appropriate amounts of vodka for himself into a glass, and drinking them at a steady pace. I was exceedingly grateful for this. I didn't know what I'd do if my ally decided to get drunk too.

Speaking of drunkenness – Prussia had finally arrived there, and was now singing a song completely off tune in a language I couldn't name, while spinning around on his barstool. Another customer shouted something at him in Italian. In response, Prussia abruptly stopped singing and stood up, looking pissed as all hell.

"WHO SAID VHAT ABOUT MEIN MUTTI!? COME AND SAY THAT TO MEIN FACE, DU ZEIGE!"

"Did you even understand what he said?" I mumbled to myself before Prussia stomped off, likely to start a fight. While he was gone, I moved chairs so I was sitting next to Russia again. "Save me." I whispered as I sat down.

Russia looked at me with his usual smile. "I see you have already found the enemy. Well done, Jinjer." With a shake of my head I replied, "It's more like he found me." I paused to take a sip of my water that I'd left there earlier. "And now he's my date, apparently."

Russia tilted his head, his face slightly shifting into a confused expression. "I am not proud." Was the only thing I said on the subject. Russia shrugged, not seeming to care all that much. Thank goodness. I didn't want to explain how this sudden addition to my romantic history came to be.

"What do you think we should do with him?" I asked, looking back at Prussia, who was stumbling around and throwing his fist clumsily at...a statue. "Hm... that is good question. We could always kill him, da?" I only sighed, well used to my allies' borderline-psychotic quirks.

"Britain told us to cause as little fuss as possible while we're here. Once the troops arrive, we'll have this country under wraps." I felt an amused grin tug at my lips when Prussia laughed, and swung his arm in a friendly manner around the man that had shouted at him. "Besides, he doesn't have much of anything to do with this war anyway. We would gain nothing from a confrontation with him. Except for a few headaches, maybe."

Russia gave me a thoughtful glance. Having the advisor's position always helped when giving my opinion on a serious matter. However, that didn't necessarily mean the rest of my group had to agree with me, or even go along with my plans. So it was pleasing to see Russia actually considering my suggestion, even though I was pretty sure he didn't share my point of view.

Before my Russian ally could reply however, Prussia came back and plopped himself in the seat next to me. As I had predicted, he didn't notice that I had moved seats at all. Instead, he grabbed the glass of beer that had originally been mine, and chugged it. He slammed the mug down on the table after he was finished and broke into a fit of drunken laughter.

"Aaaaa, zhis place is beeeest! This has GOT to be my second- no zhird- or uh...vhat's zhat number? F-Fourt faaaaavorite country!" He raised his empty glass and shouted something in the same strange language as before.

"Also, in this state, do you honestly think he can do anything remotely threatening to us? He'll kill himself of alcohol poisoning before we can get to him at this rate." I whispered to Russia. When I turned back, I nearly jumped out of my seat in shock to find Prussia's face far too close to my own. His cherry red eyes were staring into mine with a glazed, unfocused look. I was half a second away from pushing him as far away from me as possible, when a dopey grin broke out across his face.

"Heh...you have a cute nose." Prussia said, poking my nose with a gloved finger. I sat frozen dumb, having no reply to what had just come out of his mouth.

"Um...thanks?" I finally said back. He continued to stare at me with a weird, distant look in his eye. It felt like he was looking through me rather than at me. "Cute...like Eliza's nose..." He mumbled with a grin.

'...Eliza? Oh! He must be talking about Hungary.'

The Italian man Prussia had been talking to came up to the bar where we were sitting. He gave the Prussian a confused glance. In a rich voice, the man spoke in Italian a phrase that I thought sounded familiar.

However, before I could remember what that was, the man gave the back of Prussia's head a good shove, causing him to fall forward. Prussia must have had amazing reflexes nailed into him (isn't alcohol supposed to slow down reaction times?), because even in his drunken stupor, he managed to catch my shoulder so he wouldn't completely fall off his stool. But his head on the other hand, which was already so close to me, was pushed forward so that his face collided with my own.

Or...more specifically...his nose and lips.

Cheers and whistles broke out among the bar, the Italian man nodding and walking away like he had made some grand accomplishment. Prussia pulled away from me, and it took a good several seconds for my dense brain to register what exactly had just happened. It had all occurred so abruptly, and so quickly; all I remembered of those few moments was the sudden sensation of my nose being bumped into, something warm and heavy on my lips, and feeling teeth through skin.

If I had to imagine what my face looked like in that moment, I can gander it resembled something of a cat that had just seen its reflection in a mirror for the first time.

It seemed Prussia however, had it even worse than me. All the previous dopey happiness had vanished from his expression, and had been replaced with the finest mixture of shock and confusion. It was as if every trace of drunkenness had been drained from him with that simple action.

My theory was further confirmed when Prussia stood up and started walking without a hint of stumble in his step. He moved forward robotically until he'd exited the bar, not turning to give anyone a second glance.

After a few more moments, I turned my head forward again. Blinking slowly and still attempting to process that I'd basically just had an accidental kiss with Prussia of all people, I said, "Well that was...unexpected."

I honestly wasn't sure if it could even be classified as a kiss; our mouths had literally just been slammed together. Though I suppose any form of mouth-on-mouth that didn't include some form of CPR could be labeled, more or less, as a "kiss."

'Eugh. I feel…kinda dirty. Like I should apologize to Hungary for some reason...' I thought. Secretly, I had always liked the idea of Prussia and Hungary being a couple when I was a mere fan of Hetalia. Even back in the what I had dubbed my "erratic fangirl era," I hardly ever got on board with fictional couples that weren't canon in their series, so supporting a non-canon pairing like Prussia and Hungary together was a rare occurrence for me. Still couldn't really say why; I guess I'd just liked the dynamic of their interactions and relationship.

Regardless, it didn't seem like they were canon here anymore than they'd been in the series. Not surprising really, since anime creators always tended to deny fans their romantic fantasies.

...Then again, with the kind of pairings some fans came up with, I guess that wasn't necessarily a bad thing...

Oh yes, I'm sure whoever it concerns is also wondering what my ally Russia's reaction to this whole incident was. Well, when I turned to look, Russia had his face turned away from me, and buried in his right sleeve. It took me a moment to notice his shoulders subtly shaking, which brought me to a very unexpected conclusion.

'Wait a minute, is- is he laughing at me!?'

"Ivan? Are you okay?" I asked warily. Russia turned back to me like nothing had happened. However, I couldn't help but feel like his usual smile had a (sadistically) more amused hint to it. "Hm? Did you say something, comrade Jinjer?"

Oh yea, for some reason he'd been addressing me as "comrade Jinjer" as of late. Couldn't say why.

Anyway, I wisely decided not to press Russia on his unusual reaction any further. I wasn't sure what kind of response I had expected from him anyway. I remembered that kissing was a common greeting in Russia, so he was probably used to seeing it. Maybe he was amused at the fact that two people who came from cultures where you only kissed someone if you liked them had suddenly been forced to accidentally kiss one another.

"Nothing, nothing." I replied to him before I drank some of my water to get the taste of alcohol off my lips.

"There you two are, aru!" A familiar, annoyed voice piped up. Russia and I turned to find our Chinese companion standing behind us. Arms crossed, foot tapping, and eyebrow twitching, he was the poster child of an irritated individual. "I cannot believe this, aru! I leave for half hour, and you two go drinking!? It not even evening yet!" I offered my best condoling smile. "Sorry, Mr. Yao. Won't happen again."

Russia simply laughed, feeling no remorse for his decision. China huffed and whirled around. "Fine, I will forgive you two this time, aru. But please, attempt to show some more maturity! Now come. I have picked a place for us to stay, aru." I quickly got up and followed, not wanting to upset China anymore. "Oh, that is good news. Lead the way, friend Yao~." Russia said cheerfully, making a visible chill run down China's spine. It seemed that even when Russia wasn't being threatening, he still perturbed the Chinese nation.

Really, who could blame him though? Russia stalked the poor guy for years.

"So, what kind of place did you get for us?" I asked, trying to create a more comfortable atmosphere for poor Yao. "Just a simple Inn, aru. I selected it because it had the least amount of people staying there. We need to draw as little attention as possible while we're here."

'As little attention as three people who are obviously foreigners, and obviously on their enemy's side can. Sheesh. Maybe Britain should have picked different members to accompany me on this part of the mission...'

3rd Person P.O.V: Prussia

A white-haired man with striking red eyes, otherwise known as the country of Prussia, was kneeling at the homemade alter he'd thrown together just a few minutes ago. He stared at it with a blank look, as if hoping that the miniature cross and carving of the Lord Jesus would come to life and deliver him the answers he sought.

His younger brother, Germany, then walked in. Germany took one glance at Prussia, then observed the dark atmosphere looming over him like a cloud. Germany didn't even have the will to sigh.

"Okay, tell me what happened, bruder." The younger German spoke in their native language. Prussia didn't acknowledge Germany's words, or even his sudden presence in the room. Germany crossed his burly arms, giving the back of Prussia's head a stern look. "Come on, don't give me that. You only ever pray to Christ when you're feeling guilty about something. So? What did you do this time?"

Finally, Prussia mumbled something incoherent. "I can't hear you, speak up." Germany demanded. "Have I...sinned?" Prussia answered. Though his distant tone suggested he was speaking mostly to himself. A question mark appeared above Germany's head. "Wha- You don't even know if what you did was wrong? What happened to you today?"

Prussia suddenly clutched his head, the gloomy atmosphere around him shaking with anxiousness. "AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH! What do I do!? I've never actually kissed a girl before, it was all lies, lies, lies! Craaaap! I feel like I did something really bad! Waaaaaa..."

As Prussia continued to ramble nervously to himself, Germany was left to gaze at his older brother with a hopeless look on his face.

Jinjer's P.O.V

Over the course of the next few days, China, Russia and I developed a routine of sorts. In the morning, I would go to Yao's room, and he would help me with my martial arts practice and morning exercises (mainly because he didn't have anything better to do). Then we would all go downstairs to the Inn's café for breakfast.

Because we wanted to draw little attention to ourselves, and because we didn't want to risk running into Germany, we were pretty much confined to staying in the safe seclusion of the Inn until the troops arrived. So, we had to get creative when it came to entertaining ourselves.

In my boredom, I wandered to China's room on our third day of being in Rome and asked him to tell me a story. "A... story, aru?" He repeated in confusion. I nodded, sitting down next to him on the floor. "You're the oldest living nation. You must have experienced thousands of grand tales in your time. Tell me one of them." China eyed me disdainfully. "Please tell me a story, master Yao." I tried again.

He nodded, satisfied with my new form of request. "It's not like I have much else to do, so why not, aru?" He closed his eyes and hummed thoughtfully. "Alright. I will tell you about a tiresome man I explored the world with a long time ago, aru. He was called Xeng He." As China told me about his explorer friend, I was reminded of an episode from the anime with China declaring that the world was stupid.

'Oh…you know, I think the guy he's talking about was actually in the series. Briefly, but still there.'

Russia popped into the room at some point, startling China and me. How Russia managed to sneak up on people so easily despite his size was beyond me. "Oh, you are both here. What is it you are doing?" He inquired with a smile, making himself comfortable next to us. "Exchanging stories to pass the time." I replied. China looked at me curiously. "Exchanging? Are you going to tell us a story as well, aru?"

I was caught off guard by his question. "Um...I probably don't have nearly as many fascinating tales as the two of you have." China shook his head. "Silly girl, age does not matter. Everyone's experiences are unique to them, aru. Also, may I add that you are from another world? There must be many things you could tell us."

I blinked at his point, feeling dumb. "Oh...uh, right. Let me think." I pondered what kind of story China and Russia might be interested in hearing. My mind immediately went to Disney, as these were the kinds of stories I usually told America. However, I wasn't sure how the personifications of Russia and China would feel about a famous, American-based movie studio.

So, my thoughts turned to something else near and dear to my heart: anime. I knew China had made a habit of...basically stealing anime from Japan and changing it up just a bit, then claiming it was an original Chinese idea. I didn't know what future Russia's opinion on anime was, however, anime was a very vast form of entertainment. Surely, I could think of one to recount that they would both enjoy...

"Okay, I have one. In a fictional land of fantasy much like the Medieval era, dark and evil beings called Horrors plagued the people. These demon-like monsters were born from the darkness and sin in human hearts. Any person that succumbed to that darkness became these terrible Horrors, whose only goal was to kill, and steal the souls of other humans. As long as humans lived in this world, so would Horrors continue to exist."

I could see I had their attention, which boosted my confidence to continue. "That is why the Makai Knights and Makai Alchemists existed. Their purpose was to fight and exterminate these Horrors in order to keep the world at peace. However, powerful as these knights and alchemists were, there was one rule they were bound to follow that ironically, served as their one weakness: they could not lay a finger of harm on another human. It was this rule that lead one Makai Alchemist, named Mendoza, to become twisted and evil. He didn't understand why they as Makai, the strongest warriors in the land, had to give their lives to protect and serve weak, normal humans. This is where our tale truly begins..."

For hours, we sat in our little circle telling stories like these. Russia and China recounted interesting memories from their pasts, while I told them fictional stories of adventure that I had seen back in my own world.

It was...pretty fun, actually. Compared to the technology era I had lived in, where everyone turned to their phones or some other device for a source of mindless entertainment when they were bored, I found it refreshing to sit down with other people and turn to creative solutions as a cure for our boredom.

I had been without the technology of my world for over two years now, but I guess all the screens, buttons, websites, TV, and games had been so hammered into me over the years, there were still times that I got that feeling something big was missing.

Speaking of games, we did a few of those as well during the quiet evenings. China taught me to play Mahjong, which was challenging, but entertaining. One could say I definitely felt a little smarter after playing it (and actually doing okay, believe it or not) with the 4,000-year-old nation. We also had a long-awaited rematch of Chinese Checkers. Of course, that one was mainly between Russia and China, I was more or less a background decoration during that game, not that I really cared.

China did manage to win back his stolen dignity with the match when he won against Russia. However, right after that Russia "suggested" we now play a game of his. I say it like that because when Russia "suggests" something, it's more like a passive-aggressive demand. One that you don't want to argue with if you value your life.

"We are not playing Russian Roulette, aru!" China quickly replied. Russia laughed and said, "Silly China. That is not was I was going to suggest." Both China and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Unless the both of you are wanting to play Russian Roulette-"

"NO!"

We instead played a game that had recently become popular in Russia called Petrov's Defense. At first I took it to just be chess with a fancy name, but it had some interesting moves and concepts that differed from the classic, black and white strategy game.

Of course, Russia beat both of us. However, I feel I have the right to boast that I did do better against Russia than my Chinese instructor. I guess all those times I played chess with Estonia at Russia's place paid off.

At noon time and night time, China would do most of the cooking for our meals. Though we did venture out onto the streets of Rome twice and tried a couple of Italian restaurants. I'm sure what I'm about to say can be listed in the top ten most obvious statements ever made, but I have to give praise where it's deserved, so I must now say: Italians sure can make a mean plate of pasta.

During the afternoons, from about one to three respectively, we would go out into the city and perform espionage. Despite the fact none of us expected to uncover much of anything, that was technically the task we'd been sent there for, so we had to do it at least a little.

Because Russia and China both stuck out too much to pass off as natives, I was the one tasked with the front-line position. A cute, cream colored dress with a ruffled, knee-length skirt, a collar with a yellow ribbon tied into a bow, and slightly puffy short sleeves was what served as my battle armor. Along with the dress I wore white stockings, brown flats, and white, lacy gloves. A yellow sunhat with artificial flowers sewn into the top was the outfit's cake-topper, its primary usage being to cover my distinct red hair.

I didn't like the outfit much at all, if I were to be honest. It didn't have my kinds of colors, and the stockings did nothing but make me hotter in the summer heat. However, the point of the outfit was to help me blend in with the local girls, and make me unrecognizable to any Axis countries that I'd met before. So the outfit was functionally perfect.

During these hours, I would casually roam the city streets, remaining on the lookout for Germany or some other enemy country, and any suspicious activity going on. China and Russia would discreetly follow, and keep an eye on me from a distance. I understood how China could do such a thing so well, being the birth place of Kung Fu and all, but I never could understand how Russia could hide his large stature, and follow me so subtly.

...On second thought, Russia was basically a stalker so...

As we had suspected, I was able to gather a great, big, whopping load of nothing from doing this – at least for the first few days. It wasn't until the fourth of June, a day before the troops were scheduled to arrive, that I went through a rather...trying experience while on this miniature mission.

I was performing this minor espionage exactly how I had the past few days: strolling through the streets, doing my best to appear to be just another girl in the crowds, and keeping my eyes and ears peeled whilst brushing off men that tried to flirt with me. I'd been walking down a less crowded street for a change in scenery, when my ears suddenly picked up a sound that it had barely heard since coming here: English.

Pausing behind a food stand, I peeked around and saw two men talking to each other in my native language. My eyes widened when I caught on to their conversation topic.

"Will the Allies really be here by tomorrow!?" The shorter man asked in a thick Italian accent. The other man, taller and possessing a burlier build, nodded in response. "I'm sure of it." There was no obvious accent in this man's baritone voice, but I doubted English was his first language either. The Italian grew anxious, clutching his shaking hands together.

I weighed my options. I didn't think I could withdraw anything very significant from these men; they had probably heard the news from a radio broadcast, like most people here likely had by now. However, it was a bit curious that these two could speak English. I had been told to investigate any little thing that may seem suspicious...plus I wanted to make it seem like I'd done SOMETHING during these few days besides just aimless wandering.

Besides, when it came to carefree, womanizing Italian men, drawing information out of them usually wasn't a chore.

"Oh my, English speakers. That's quite rare in this city for a time like this." I made my voice sound a little higher than it actually was, and approached the two men with a sweet smile. The persona I was aiming for when talking with others in my disguise was an innocent, sweet little Italian girl. In this case, she was only going up to these two men she didn't know because she was interested in how they spoke English like her. Living a comfortable, sheltered life in Italy, she didn't come across others that could speak it very often.

I'd practiced this little character in front of a mirror until I thought it was convincing enough. My attempts at acting in the past had always been horrendous, but in this kind of situation, I was left with little choice.

The Italian man's eyes lit up at the sight of me, as was the common occurrence. The other man however, merely looked at me curiously. I managed to keep my surprise at this hidden. I concluded he must have had a girlfriend or something, which stopped him from fawning over me.

"Same goes for yourself, does it not?" He grunted, giving me a quick once over. "My papa is from an English-speaking country. He taught me from a very young age." I replied smoothly.

Because I was so awful at telling lies, I'd formulated a backstory with truth from my own life, which I would give if someone became suspicious of me. It wasn't common that someone from a country like Italy, especially a woman, would speak such fluent English during this time, after all.

"What of the two of you? I am curious to know how it is that you know English." I asked, mimicking the word patterns that I remembered Italy using. "I just-a learned it three months ago! It still-a feels so strange to speak in it, but-a my teacher told me I should practice it often so I can-a get used to it." The Italian explained with a grin. "Oh wow! You only learned it recently, and yet you speak it so well! I'm so impressed!" The Italian man swooned at my exaggerated praise. My cheeks were starting to ache from holding my fake smile, so I tried digging a bit deeper. "So, who taught you?"

"I did." The other man answered gruffly. "O-Oh, really? Amazing!" I cursed inwardly at my falter. There was something about this man that unnerved me. It was almost a... familiar feeling of wariness. I couldn't put my finger on it...

My gut screamed at me to get away from this conversation, and these two men as soon as possible. My mind quickly scrambled for a solution, which was me looking up at the sun and widening my eyes.

"Oh, dear me! I'm terribly late for an appointment of mine. So sorry for rushing off gentlemen, but I have to-"

A gust of wind interrupted my escape. But that, unfortunately, was not the worst thing it did: as if this world had decided to turn against me again for kicks, the sunhat that had been hiding my characteristic red hair was blown off my head.

I reached up and froze when my hand touched the messy bun secured on the top of my head instead of my hat. I looked down the street to see if I could spot where it had landed, and in turn I missed the way the taller man's eyes widened when my hair was revealed.

"Red hair..." My eyes turned back to the two men. The Italian man's gaze on me hadn't changed much; but the tall man's previously stoic face had morphed into a suspicious expression.

My palms started to sweat, and I knew my only option left was to turn tail and run. "Better go fetch that!" I said quickly, and tried to flee – but the tall man grabbed hold of my arm. "Not so fast." I blanched. His grip on me wasn't painful, but it was firm. It was a grip that said, "You try to run, and you'll be in trouble."

His grip set off all kinds of bells in my head. This grip...I knew a grip like this. That's when it finally hit me. Why he wasn't flirting with me, his gruff voice, his body structure-

This guy...this guy wasn't Italian. He was German.

That realization made my heart lurch into my throat. The Italian questioned his German companion, looking between him and me with a confused expression. "She has red hair." The German answered. He certainly seemed to be a man of few words.

Realization dawned in the Italian's eyes. "You- You think this is her?" He asked, shock lacing his tone.

'Mother %&*# ! Now even regular people know about me!? How long has this been going on!?' I thought. I'd no idea just how far my reputation had gone until now. Just who had been spreading these rumors about me? And how did they reach so far?

"She could be. Let's take her to zhe general and find out." The German said. He cast me a stern glace. "Listen closely, because I am only going to say zhis once. You match zhe description of a voman rumored to be an important person of zhe Allies. Ve vill take you to our general, and he vill confirm or deny your identity. If you are not her, ve let you go, and you say nothing. Got it?"

My first response was to break into all the training I'd had with China, and pin this guy to the ground. However, as I took a second look at my situation, I calmed enough to think it out properly. China and Russia were both with me, likely watching this exchange from some hidden place. If I gave them a certain signal, they would both rush to my aid. The problem with that plan was, this was a public street, and there were innocent people walking around. There would no doubt be backlash if we caused a scene where others could see us.

I'm sure this guy was wise enough to not want the same, so there was a chance he would lead me somewhere more secluded, which would be far more ideal for taking them on. I was confident I could do just enough to them on my own to get a chance to escape, but with Russia and China on my side, there was no way we would lose.

After a few seconds that felt more like hours on my part, I nodded to the German. "I understand." I said quietly, acting as docile and vulnerable as I could. The German nodded in satisfaction. "Good." Before he led me away, I made two different signals behind my back to inform my allies of what was going on.

The first simple, one hand signal basically meant, "Wait on me" and following it was the unoriginally named, "Help" signal. This let them know that I was in danger, but to wait on my mark to act.

As I had hoped, the pair led me through a system of back alleyways between apartments. If I wasn't being led to what might have been my doom at that time, I would have taken a moment to appreciate the picturesque area. With the sunlight pouring in between the roofs, clotheslines hung out between windows, and white stone pathways, the alleys looked just like painting.

Once we had gotten a good way in, I raised my hand high and gave the "Attack" signal.

In what might not have even been a second later, China descended from above as if he fell from the skies themselves, and smacked the German over the head with his wok. He dropped without a sound, out like a light.

I quickly stepped away from the fallen German, rubbing my arm. "Wooh! Good one, master Yao. You could not have had more excellent timing." I said with a breathy laugh. But before my comrade could respond, I was suddenly grabbed roughly from behind. An arm was hooked around my shoulders, pinning me to a trembling body, and something cold and hard was pressed against my throat.

A panicked voice started shouting something in rapid Italian, finally allowing me to piece together what had happened. The Italian man, frazzled and shocked from his comrade suddenly being knocked out, had grabbed hold of me; he was now holding me at knifepoint, likely trying to threaten China out of desperation.

I froze up once understanding hit me. I was- my life was being threatened. One quick flick of his wrist, and I would bleed to death. My vision doubled as I looked down at the white stone pathway. A pathway that could soon be stained with my blood-

Blood- like when mom and dad died- blood red- all over, staining everything and-

"Jinjer." I snapped my eyes up, and saw China giving me a stern look. That familiar strict look, the one my Chinese comrade usually sent me when I messed up one too many times during our training, was somehow calming.

It was as if he was saying, "I taught you better than this." Then he gave me a simple nod – but this was no nod of approval. It was a nod that said, "Well, go on." He was expecting something of me.

"You would likely be the first one targeted first on battlefield, aru. This is because you are woman. Thus, people will not expect much from you. This is where you use the Ancient Chinese proverb known as 'taking advantage of stupid people's assumptions,' aru."

"Um, is that really an Ancient Chinese-"

"Point is aru, since you are woman, no one would expect you to fight. Take advantage of that, and strike."

You know, now that I'm recalling this event, it reminds me of a typical anime fight. There's a convenient flashback and everything...

So, in some cheesy, convoluted way that the author has chosen to gloss over and not get into the possible reasons for, because if anime producers can do it, why can't she, I was snapped out of my growing hysteria by my instructor's gaze.

'That's right...this guy grabbed me because he bought the weak, frightened persona I put on. He's not expecting me to fight back at all.'

The man holding me was still speaking in nervous Italian – all traces of English had escaped him, and his hand that held the knife shook. This guy seemed just as scared, if not more, than I was.

I took a quick second to examine his frame: Thin. Lanky arms and legs. Was probably no older than me, judging by his youthful face. A simple target.

I slowly filled my lungs with air, and exhaled through my nose. I knew what to do.

My foot swung over and hooked itself over the Italian's, I grabbed his wrist, and with a swift bend of my back, I flipped him to the ground. Clearly dazed from my unexpected move, I gave him no time to recover and quickly turned him onto his stomach using my foot. I grabbed his other wrist, planted my foot firmly between his shoulder blades, and hoisted him up to let China deal the finishing move.

And that he did, with a flawless roundhouse to the side of the man's cranium. The Italian went limp, and I dropped him. China tucked his arms into his large sleeves, and gave me a small smile. "See? You can do it if you try, aru."

I laughed, relieved and proud that I had pleased my wise, old comrade. "Yes. Thank you, teacher." I said with a smile before bowing.

A groan caught our attention. The German had regained consciousness – how that was possible after such a short time, who knows – and was rubbing the large bump that had formed on his head. He looked up at us, squinting his eyes like he was having trouble seeing. "V-Vhat is-"

BONK

Before he could continue, a large, silver pipe descended on his head, knocking him out cold all over again. "Now you will sleep for long time~." The voice of my other comrade came out of nowhere. "Russia! Where have you been? You left us to fight by ourselves, aru!" China exclaimed, giving the Russian an irritated look.

"I see you are unharmed, comrade Jinjer. That is good, da?" Russia said to me, acting as if he hadn't even heard China. "Uh yes, I'm alright, thanks." I replied. "AI YAH! DON'T IGNORE ME, ARU!" China yelled, angry tick marks dotting his forehead.

Russia held his free hand up, tilting his head with an innocent grin. "So sorry. I had the curiosity about these two, so I asked around to see if I could find out who they were." He knelt beside the Italian, and reached into his coat. "What do you think you're doing, aru? We have enough money, there is no need to steal." China scolded.

But instead of a wallet, Russia pulled a card out of the Italian's coat. "It seems you caught some Axis spies. Well done, comrade Jinjer." He said to me. Looking closer at the card, it seemed to be some kind of military standard ID. "Oh, that's good I guess, aru. Now we at least have something to bring back with us." China remarked, looking at the card with a disinterested expression.

"They recognized me." I said, drawing the two's attention. "They knew who I was. Just how far has word about me spread?" China crossed his arms, looking up thoughtfully. "I knew this would happen sometime soon. I would suspect that most in army ranks have heard rumors of you by now, aru."

A groan escaped me. "Great. Fan-flipping-tastic. That's exactly what I needed to happen." Dry sarcasm laced my voice as I spoke. "Do not worry, the Allies are here to protect you, da?" Russia said cheerily. "And this coming from the one who kidnapped her a few months ago, aru?" China replied, looking at Russia from the corner of his eye.

I chuckled. Despite China's point, Russia's words were somewhat comforting. As long as my fellow Allies were with me, I had a strange feeling I'd pull through somehow or other.

After collecting the German's ID card, we made our way back to the hotel to relax for the rest of the day. That night, China prepared my favorite Chinese dish of Sichuan-style, chili pepper chicken with rice and vegetables for dinner. Over the course of getting to know the eldest nation, I knew that he usually didn't show his consideration in direct, or obvious ways. So, I knew this must be his way of comforting me after the frightening experience I'd gone through.

I didn't consider myself to be a huge lover of food, but when it came to someone like China's cooking, I would happily accept his offering.

The next day, my time with Russia and China came to an end. The troops arrived early in the morning, and so that's when we rose, dressed in our uniforms, and left the Inn. The plan, per what Britain had told me, was to use the cover of the soldiers to leave the city undetected. However, the moment we stepped foot onto the streets, we were met with the sight of white flags hanging from every pole.

...I guess I really should have expected this. Being in Italy. In the world of Hetalia.

The Allies marched through and overtook the city easily, and before I knew it, there was an Allied soldier on every corner of the street. "Well, that escalated quickly." I made this remark mostly to myself as Russia conversed with the various leading figures of the troops. We were supposed to meet up with Britain and America before heading off to France.

According to some of the troops, America and Britain had been with them for the first few days, but something had come up and they'd departed early. Thus, the morning was spent trying to get in communication with one of them to find out why they'd left, and what we were to do next. I was just eager to see America again. After being cooped up in some Inn doing undercover work for several days, I needed to let out some crazy. No better person to do that with than the U.S.A.

When we finally got ahold of them, Britain explained that they'd been needed at the base in France sooner than expected for some important pre-preparations before the D-Day landings. He gave us permission to go ahead and leave. Our work in Rome was finished.

From there, combining the time it took us to leave the country, fly to France, and drive to the base after we landed, it wasn't until the late afternoon when we arrived.

Britain was there to greet us, looking rather annoyed. "How did your time go?" He asked us. "We were able to uncover a couple spies lurking in the city, aru." China reported, handing Britain the ID cards. The UK blinked in surprise as he examined them. "Well...I wasn't actually expecting you to accomplish anything, so I suppose I'll give you all a well done. Anything besides this to report?"

"No. But I would like to request that you never make me go somewhere with this creep again, aru. I swear he snuck into my room at night when I was sleeping!" China complained, wagging his finger accusingly at Russia, who merely grinned and let his dark aura grow. "When trapped among the enemy, it is important to keep your friends close, da?"

"FOR THE LAST DAMN TIME, WE ARE NOT FRIENDS, ARU!" China shouted before quickly walking away from us (or Russia more accurately). The Siberian nation's aura grew more potent, and he briefly regarded Britain and I to say: "Excuse me, comrades. I have something to go do now." With that, he walked off, taking his chilling aura with him.

"Poor China." I said offhandedly. "Indeed." Britain agreed. I regarded the UK, instantly recognizing his "suppressed irritation" look. "Sooo, what's the matter with you? America driving you nuts again?" He groaned before replying. "For once, that big oaf has nothing to do with it. Working with Scotts is always a very trying time for me. That's all." I raised a brow, but didn't question him any further.

'I was going to tell him about the spies recognizing me and get his opinion on the matter, but it looks like he really doesn't need any more stress put on him right now. I can just talk to him about it later.'

"Hey, where is America, anyway? I thought he'd be the first one out here when he heard I was arriving." I asked. With an exasperated roll of his eyes, Britain said, "He's currently resting his injury in the medical tent."

My breath caught. "I-Injury? He got hurt?" The UK nodded. "It happened just a few hours ago. Really, it never ceases to amaze me how much that imbecile manages to-"

"Where is the tent?" I interrupted him quickly, far from being in the mood to listen to one of Britain's "America is a stupid, reckless idiot" rants. He huffed, not appreciating that I'd interrupted him, and answered, "It's the sole green one right over there."

"Thanks, I'll talk more with you later." I said before running in the direction of the medical tent. Worry creeped into my chest as my traitorous mind theorized what kind of terrible event he'd been caught up in, and what the nasty wound must have looked like-

"Jinjer! Hey, you're finally here! 'Bout time!" In a mere instant, all the awful images that had formed in my head collapsed, and the worry was replaced with confusion. America was laying in one of the beds, his foot wrapped up in a cast and propped up. Other than that, he looked completely fine.

"What the hell happened to you?" I asked as I approached his bed. He regarded his cast casually. "Oh, this? It's nothing. Just a battle wound dedicated to a good cause!" Question marks floated above my head. "Uh..."

My eyes were then drawn to a cup of vanilla ice cream sitting in his hands. Everything then slowly fell into place as a certain episode came to my mind. I buried my face in my hands and cursed quietly. "You are going to give me heart disease, or something..."

America blinked at me cluelessly. I sighed and removed my hands. "Only you, America, would break your leg for some ice cream." I shook my head, ignoring the traitorous smile that made its way onto my face. "I swear."

"Yeah dude, ice cream is like, the greatest thing in the universe!" The U.S insisted. "Next time, instead of leaping for it, why don't you just walk up and take it normally? So you don't needlessly break your leg?" I said. America stopped mid-bite, and looked at me with wide eyes. "Oh? Sho rou know awout hat?" He said with the spoon in his mouth.

I only nodded. Then I sat down on the bed next to him, and laid my head on his shoulder. "Hm? Something wrong?" America inquired. "You scared me, dummy. Plus, I missed you." He chuckled while patting my head. "Aw, I know. It's tough without the good ol' U.S.A there by your side to-"

He stopped abruptly. Then an exclamation point appeared above his head. "Hey, WAIT A MINUTE!" Before I had a chance to register what was going on, America grabbed me by the shoulders and looked at me sternly. "Why did you go without me!? Do you know how worried I was all week, knowing you were with that Commie!?" He said while shaking me.

"Okay, okay, geez, I'm sorry! Quit with the shaking already!" I grabbed hold of his wrists to make him stop. "I didn't want to go behind your back like that, honest. But I wouldn't have been very safe where you were going." I let go of him, and held out my arms. "Besides, I'm back in one piece, aren't I?" America averted his eyes from me. "You don't get it, Jin. I don't trust that communist bastard. Not one damn bit."

I slowly lowered my arms. "Why is that?" Of course, I knew why Russia and America were on such bad terms with each other historically speaking, but I wanted to hear it directly from his mouth to see if there were any differences about it in this universe. America raised a confused brow at me. "Uh, because we're enemies."

If I could anime-style fall, I probably would have just then. "That's...kind of glossing over it a little, don't you think?" The U.S looked like he had no idea what I was talking about. I decided to take a semi-risky move and tell him a little something from the future.

"He won't be communist forever, you know." I said quietly. America looked at me with wide eyes. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it shortly after. I sighed a little. "I know I may sound naïve for saying this, but can't you at least try to get along with him while you're on the same side?" America crossed his arms stubbornly. "But...I hate his guts..."

I rubbed a hand against my face. 'Of course this would be Hetalia-America's reason for something like the Cold War...'

...

June 6th came. The day went by in a mostly normal fashion, aside from the fact that it was quieter than usual from the absence of hundreds of soldiers like there usually were at these bases. Once the Allied troops marched in, the camp would be full.

America didn't appear to be any different than usual, going around with his usual upbeat enthusiasm. His leg had somehow healed enough overnight (this guy already had superhuman strength, now he has the regeneration powers of Deadpool?) so he could walk around with only a medical boot on his injured foot.

"How are you feeling, Al?" I asked him at one point. The U.S regarded me with a big smile, and a thumbs up. "Like I'm on top of the world! As usual!"

As I had suspected, D-Day here didn't seem to be at all like it had been in the WWII I knew. I suppose it did make sense. The entirety of Hetalia was made up of cynical gags based on actual historical events. In the world of Hetalia itself, that's just how "reality" worked here. It would likely never make sense to someone like me, who was born and raised in a realistic, gritty world.

I was starting to think that the day would go by just like any other, when-

"General Alfred, Advisor Jinjer!" A soldier ran up to us around ten O'clock, an urgent look in his eye as he saluted. America, as oblivious to the atmosphere as ever, replied, "Hm? What up, yo?" I almost wanted to facepalm at that response.

"What's wrong?" I asked instead, sensing the seriousness from the troop. "General Arthur Kirkland from the British army was mortally wounded last night! I was instructed to inform the two of you, as you both are well acquainted with him!"

My eyes widened, while America just tilted his head. "Eh? What'd he do, did he spill his nasty tea all over himself while it was still hot or something?" The soldier shook his head. "Negative, sir. According to the information I was given, he's suffering from severe head trauma and blood loss. Which put together, have a chance of being fatal."

Fear stung my heart at the soldier's words. Fatal? As in... death? Britain could die? No, that's not right, countries don't just die from severe injuries alone. It may slow them down a bit for a while, but eventually they heal, right!?

"WHAAAAAAA!?" America suddenly yelled out, stumbling as he jumped to his feet. "You're kidding! He can't- that can't be right!" I looked up at America, who looked to be in genuine shock. "I'm sorry, sir. I am not lying to you." The soldier replied solemnly. "Well, how the hell did it happen?" America asked.

"I do not know, sir. All I was informed of, I have already told you." America's fists shook by his sides. His reaction was not making me feel any better.

"Where is he? I wanna see him immediately." The U.S said. "I can take you both to the British base in the jeep, sir." The troop replied. "Then let's go right now! Jinjer, you coming?" America inquired, looking at me. "Yea..." I answered in a dazed voice. I was having trouble comprehending this sudden predicament.

Next thing I knew, we were riding in the military grade jeep. I didn't register the scenery speeding by us, or the wind pounding against my face. The only picture on my mind was that of Britain, the first time I saw him smile, surrounded by all his magical friends.

"America?" I asked, leaning close to my country so only he could hear me. The roaring of the jeep thankfully drowned us out from the soldier. "Yeah, what's up?" He replied loudly. "Britain won't...actually die or anything, will he? You guys can't die just like that, right? I thought it took way more for a country to disappear." America grinned. "Oh, did I scare ya with my little act back there? Yeah, Britain will be totally fine, chill out. I just had to make it seem like I was afraid so he wouldn't get all suspicious." The U.S gave me his trademark smile and thumbs up. "Not to worry dudette, the Hero has it covered!"

I returned America's smile with a troubled frown. "If that's what you think, then why-"

"We're here!" The troop interrupted me, pulling the jeep to a screeching halt. "Oh, thank God! Take us to him!" America said, hopping out of the jeep. I sighed and muttered, "...then why was your hand trembling?"

The British troops had taken an abandoned home and made it into a makeshift hospital. I was not prepared for the sight I was met with when we entered the house.

Britain was lying in a bed behind a privacy curtain. His head was wrapped with bandages, and two IVs, one with fluids and one with blood, were hooked up to him. A sickening sensation struck my stomach at the sight. I thought he'd looked poorly when he got sick that one time...but that was nothing compared to now.

If Britain's weak state wasn't enough to scare the $#!^ out of me, what I saw once we approached his bed certainly did. "AUUUUGGGHHH!" I screamed and clutched America's sleeve at the sight of the freaking Grim Reaper standing at the head of Britain's bed.

'Okay, so I know where we are now! Cheese and crackers, that thing looks so, SO, SO much scarier than it did in the anime!' I thought as I tried to avoid looking at the thing anymore.

"NO, poor Britain!" America exclaimed, kicking off the scene. "Rumor has it you were mortally wounded, is that true!? I blame Germany!" He continued, spitting Germany's name like poison on his tongue. Britain looked up at America weakly. As the UK explained how he was injured while making some kind of weapon alongside several Scotts, I desperately tried to get myself to calm down.

'He's fine...he's not going to die...this scene is funny, remember? You laughed really hard when you first saw it!' Despite my pep talk to myself, I was in no mood to laugh. The show had made it look like Britain was down with a simple cold during this part. But here, it really did look like he was on his death bed. The anime hadn't shown half of the horrible reality of this scene.

"Dude, no way! Come on man, hang in there, please! You can't just die! You still owe me a whole crap ton of money!" America said. Though I remembered it from the scene, I couldn't help but be surprised by the tears glistening in my country's eyes. I'd never seen America cry before.

"America...listen to me...we've spent too much of our time fighting." Britain began to say. His weak, breathy tone almost made me want to cry myself. Weak and vulnerable didn't suit the outspoken, dignified UK. That wasn't a Britain I wanted to see.

"I don't hate you...I know it must have seemed that way." He paused and took in two shaky breaths. "The truth is...I-" The Brit wasn't given a chance to continue, for the Grim Reaper placed its skeletal hand over his mouth.

A moment of tense silence passed through the room. My fists shook. I wanted nothing more than to kick that thing down, make it pay for daring to touch Britain with its death-ridden hands.

"...Britain? You okay?" America asked, seemingly with suppressed fright. The UK's face was pale and appeared to be lifeless as the Reaper removed its hand from his face.

America then began to pat Britain's head. Several times. The Grim Reaper slid next to the U.S in a ghostly manner, making me retreat to the opposite side of the bed to be as far away from it as possible. "Aw, DUDE! Britain is totally dead! Let's go get a drink to celebrate!" America exclaimed happily, casually putting a hand on the Death god's shoulder.

'He's joking, he's joking, he's joking...' I chanted in my head as the Reaper nodded. Britain of course, sat up as if nothing was wrong with him with an indignant breath. "See? I told ya he'd wake up if we did that!" America said to the Reaper, who nodded again in response.

I didn't have the energy, nor the courage to question America on how he knew this Grim Reaper, or when he'd had the time to plan this little joke with it.

Instead, I focused on Britain and the relief that flooded through me to the point that it was overwhelming. The color had returned to his face, he no longer seemed to be so weak, and he was wearing his signature annoyed expression.

For once, I was genuinely appreciative of the crazy, ridiculous Hetalia logic behind this strange event.

As Britain began to chastise America, a certain urge took hold of me. I had gotten better at controlling my spontaneous, unexpected, sometimes-invasive-of-personal-space behavior; but in this one case, I think this particular urge was justified.

"And you, Jinjer, you've yet to say a thing since walking in here. At the very least, one of you c-" Britain's scolding was abruptly cut off when I swung my arms around him, and buried my face into his shoulder. I felt him stiffen at my sudden hug, and heard America make a surprised noise.

I could have stayed like that for hours, but I knew I was probably making Britain very uncomfortable, and America very annoyed. So, I only allowed myself to hold him for a few seconds, then pulled away. Britain's face was frozen in shock, and was the hue of a strawberry. "I'm glad you're okay." I said calmly with a small, relieved smile.

I then walked out of the room, pausing only to say, "I'll be outside." Once exiting, I sat down on the steps of the old house. Resting my chin in my hand, I stared aimlessly out at the rest of encampment. After a few moments of sitting in silence and observing the open plain of France, I quietly sighed and muttered, "Dammit. I was afraid of something like this."

It seemed like I had grown to care for Britain a little more than I should. At first, I'd easily ignored the little signs. I had dismissed them as a silly infatuation brought on from my shallow liking of the characters from the show Hetalia, or a passing crush, perhaps. But as time had gone on, these...feelings didn't go away. In fact, they did the exact opposite.

I tried to pinpoint the exact moment the feelings had started. I suppose that even though our relationship started off rocky, I had to (begrudgingly) admit that something in me had always been attracted to Britain. He was grumpy, cynical, and hot tempered. But he was also mature, respectful, reliable, smart, honest when he wasn't being such a tsundere, but even his tsundere tendencies were pretty adorable, not to mention he was extremely good looking, I mean, it takes a special kind of person to be able to make such an epic pair of eyebrows look so good, and OH MY GOSH STOP JINJER.

...Anyway. As whoever it concerns has likely guessed by now, I had come to realize that I liked Britain. A lot. I figured that the time I spent with him in Birmingham two months ago was when I got my first really big hint. Talking about books, and having dinner with him had been thoroughly enjoyable experiences, and he even kissed my hand before I left. Still I denied, not wanting to drag something like a one-sided romantic interest into my already enormous pile of problems.

But now, after this whole fiasco today, I could deny it no longer. It surprised me when I pondered it more. I had thought about what may happen if I ever found myself liking any of my comrades in a romantic way. I was after all, a young woman surrounded by attractive young men, so it was natural that I would feel romantic inclination towards one of them at some point. But I could honestly say I wasn't expecting Britain to be the only one I ended up feeling that for.

If I would have had to guess, I would say China maybe. He had been my favorite character before coming here. Or perhaps America, since he was the one I spent the most time with.

But, I guess the old saying is true, and the heart wants what it wants. And my heart apparently decided it wanted Britain.

I took a deep breath. This could...actually be a good thing. The first step in getting over these kinds of things was admittance. In other words, the sooner I realized that I was slowly falling for Britain, the sooner I could kick those feelings to the curb.

I wasn't going to stay in this world forever. If I fell in love here, it would bring me nothing but heartache in the end. Yes. Here, love was a pointless endeavor for me.

Not to mention I had a hard time imagining Britain falling in love with anyone, much less myself. So even if I did stay in this world, I would have a snowballs' chance in hell of getting Britain to return my feelings. It would be much better for me if I got over these emotions as soon as possible.

I stretched my arms above my head, feeling like a weight had been lifted from my chest. 'Sorry, love. You're a great feeling and all, but now really isn't the time. Once I go back home, if I find a great guy, then you can come back tenfold and pester me all you want. But I am not falling in love now. And definitely not with the personification of Great Britain.'

To all my darling readers that have begged, and suggested, and longed for romance in Allied with the World since 2014: here you go. Feel grateful, because I originally wasn't going to have Jinjer realize her feelings for England until WAAAAAY later. I'm going to try and make the romance aspect of this story as realistic, but still endearing and fun to read. After experiencing love for myself, I have much better ideas of how to write it than I originally had.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it, and trust me, I've been just as eager to bring in romance as I'm sure a lot of you guys have. So this chapter is kind of a milestone for me.

Reviews and constructive criticism are very appreciated! Nothing motivates an author more than feedback from their readers.

Kaze, Over & Out.