It's been awhile since I've written anything. I wanted to try something new, so hope you guys enjoy this!
Loosely based on 'Never Let Me Go'. I've only seen the film, and have yet to read the book.
Well, without further ado, on wards!

P.S. THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CONFUSION. It will eventually be EnglandxCanada.

Terror flows from virtue.

I never really understood what that meant. I still don't understand it now. They are just words; but words said by a man who did much damage.
It could be damage, or it could have been virtuous, depending on your outlook.
One can't really pin down what is truly right or wrong anymore.
Maybe it was never black and white- just an endless grey of different opinions of right and wrong.
I don't think we truly understood our purpose, or why we were born, or why we were needed; between the formalities of our existence to the emotions we felt, none of it ever did make sense.
But it doesn't matter now - all I can feel is the warmth in my hand - a warmth that is rapidly disappearing.

I don't want to let you go.

Hetalian Academy, October 1st, 1918

"I mean if I was out there, I'd tear the enemies apart! Pew pew! Pew pew!"
Matthew rolled his eyes as his best friend talked animatedly beside him. Idly playing with the grass they sat on, he nodded once in awhile to acknowledge his friend's ramblings.
"And you can be right beside me as we venture out of the trenches, charging across no-man's land! The hero with his sidekick! We'd win the war in no time!"
"Alfred, how are we supposed to charge through no-man's land with all that barbed wire?" His friend, Alfred, gave him a look as if his question was silly.
"We'd find a way! No one can stop the hero! So what do you say, Mattie? You'll be my sidekick right? Just you and me!" Matthew sighed, a small smile crept on to his lips.

"Oh course, Alfred."

When we are scattered
Afar and asunder
Parted are those
That are singing today
When we look back
And forgetfully wonder
What we were like
When we were not astray
Oh how the old days
Together all united
Days of fresh air
In the rain and sun
How we rejoiced
As we struggled and panted
Peace throughout the land
Hetalian Academy lives on

"Good morning students."
"Good morning Headmaster."
"It has come to my attention that a few strengthening tablets have been discovered in our plumbing system." A wave of soft whispering arose from the student body. With a stern look from the Headmaster, the noise died down and it was silent again.
"I know that some of you on occasion suffer from side effects from your strengthening tablets. Nausea, fever, muscle cramps - And have been discarding them into the toilets of our school." The Headmaster scanned the crowd in front of her, trying to spot anyone with a guilty conscience.
"Children of Hetalian Academy are special. It is vital that you take these tablets to strengthen your health. It may seem to be doing harm to your bodies, but it is only temporary. In the long run, you will all grow up to be strong, healthy individuals. It is for your own good. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes Headmaster."

"Do you see her there, next to the Headmaster?" Matthew turned to where Alfred was pointing. "Must be a new teacher. It's been ages since we had a new one."
The woman was petite- she seemed like a kind woman. She did look a little haggard, thought Matthew. Maybe the war was worse than what they had been told?
"She's so tiny!" Whispered Yao.
"Must be because of the war." Replied Kiku. Alfred turned to his friends with a determined look on his face.
" If I was out there, I'd make sure every single one of the allies had enough to eat!" His friends giggled at his enthusiasm.
"Of course, Alfred."
A cry of rage reached their ears. They all turned to the source of the sound.
"Hah! It's that Arthur again." laughed Alfred.
"They've insulted his eyebrows again, haven't they?" Said Yao, a grin on his face.
"If only he learned to stop over-reacting like that. His eyebrows aren't as interesting to them as his temper tantrums."
Ignoring what Alfred said, Matthew continued to look at the enraged boy. After a moment of contemplation, he got up, and started to head towards Arthur.
"Hey Mattie where are you going?"
But the question was left unanswered, as Matthew walked silently away from his friends. He reached the upset boy, and gently placed a hand on the other's shoulder.
SMACK!
Matthew stood, silent and expressionless, as realization dawned on Arthur's face. His face flushed in embarrassment, and after stuttering out something incoherent, he ran away from Matthew.

He missed the look of concern on Matthew's face.

"I saw you approach Arthur."
Matthew look up from book to see the new teacher smiling at him. She made a gesture as if to ask him if she could sit down, and he nodded. Removing his feet from the chair next to him, he sat up straight as the teacher sat down.
"It was a kind gesture."
"Th-thank you, Miss…?"
"I'm Miss Emily."
"Thank you Miss Emily. I… just think that everyone deserves a chance." Miss Emily beamed at him.
"What wise words! You are quite mature for your age." Matthew looked at her, surprised.
"R-really? I just thought that it was common sense…" Miss Emily laughed.
"Ah, if only the others were more like you. Children can be quite cruel." A moment of silence fell between them.
"I was wondering…" Matthew looked up when she began to speak again. "How often do you have to consume those strength tablets?"
"Every time before a meal, you should know that Miss Emily. Didn't you take them as a child?" Matthew didn't miss the surprised look on his teacher's face.
"Ah, er, yes. We did."

Matthew blinked. Something seemed wrong.

Violet eyes scanned the cafeteria. They first stopped upon a group of familiar friends, but soon searched again before landing on a lone figure, hunched over a book.
Mustering up his courage, Matthew walked with purpose, before placing his tray down in front of Arthur, startling the boy out of his book as Matthew sat down in front of him.
"Good Afternoon, Arthur." Wide green eyes stared back at him. Then, a furious look appeared on Arthur's face.
"Are you here to tease me? I've had enough of Alfred I don't need his sidekick bothering me t-"
"Oh! The Picture of Dorian Gray!" Matthew ignored Arthur's bewilderment as he reached for the other's book.
"You… You've read this book?"
"More times that I can count! It's one of my favourites." Matthew flipped a few pages in. "Those who find ugly meanings…" He peeks at Arthur before continuing. "in beautiful things…" His gaze returns back to the book. "Are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault." He his gaze flickers back to Arthur, who's face has flushed to a deep crimson. "I like that line."
"I… I never thought I'd find someone else who read the same things that I do, at our age."
"I may hang out with Alfred, but we are total opposites. He immerses himself in comic books while I enjoy reading about how I 'must be cruel to be kind'."
"Hamlet!"
"Yes!" Both boys grinned at each other. They conversed excitedly about book they've read, books they planned to read, and the hour passed rapidly until the bell rang.

"I guess I'll see you around, Matthew."
"Yeah, see you around!"
They parted, and neither of them could rid of the smiles on their faces.

"What is that?"
"I think it's a chicken."
"Nah, it must be a squirell!"
"But it has wings!"
"It's… It's something I made up! Go away all of you!" The other students sniggered as they returned to their seats, leaving the angry boy to get back to his drawing. Matthew timidly walked up to Arthur, before peering over his shoulder to look at his artwork.
"It's cute."
"Oh sod off." Matthew grinned.
"No, I really mean it! It's a flying bunny, right?" A small smile crept on to Arthur's face.
"Well, at least someone got it right."
"People just have no imaginations. Ignore them."
"Thank you, Matthew. Uh.." He looks back down on to his drawing.
"Green." Arthur looked back up. "You should paint him green,"
"Green?"
"Like your eyes." Arthur turned red.
"O-oh.." An awkward silence fell between the two.
"You know… I like your eyebrows. They give your face character."
"… Oh sod off." Matthew laughed.
"Your welcome." And with that, Matthew went back to his seat to return to his own artwork.

Arthur couldn't stop smiling for the rest of the day.

"Kiku and Yao are dating."
"Really?" Alfred grinned at his roommate.
"Yeah! I saw them flirting behind the Greenhouse today!" And then Alfred lowered his voice, and whispered "And then… They kissed!" Matthew's eyes widened.
"Really? Don't you think… They're too young to date? Plus, they're both boys."
"Aw come on Mattie, you're the one that reads those silly books. Love is love right?" Matthew rolled his eyes.
"I highly doubt people can truly be in love at twelve-"
"But don't' you like Arthur?" Matthew snapped his gaze to Alfred.
"Wh-What?"
"You hang with him all the time now. And you spend all your time reading those silly books with him."
"Our books aren't silly." He huffed. "And Arthur is a boy. I've read enough to know that it's not accepted in our society. Besides, he's not my type." They went silent for a few minutes.
"You know Mattie… Arthur's changed."
"Changed how?"
"I don't' know.. Just… Different. He seems to be more friendly after he's met you."
"I'm going to sleep."
"Aww, Mattie! I'm not done gossiping with you!" He was met with silence. With a sigh, Alfred turns in his bed and lets himself drift to sleep.

But Matthew was still wide awake.

November 11th, 1918

With the end of the war that plagued Europe, Our Headmaster had given us a rare treat- to venture into the city to buy anything we wanted, using the money we earned from accomplishing little things back in the Academy. Much of it is a blur to me now, but I remember two things.

One. Arthur used all of his money to buy me a white teddy bear.

Two. To this day, that bear still brings me comfort.

"From what I've gathered during my stay here… Is that someone of you know, while some of you don't know." Miss Emily paced nervously in front of the classroom. She halts, then turns sullenly towards the class.
"I think you all deserve to know. As human beings, you deserve the truth,"
There was a deafening silence.
"When people grow up, they have goals- they have dreams. Some may become astronauts. Some may become doctors, or lawyers. Some may become artists, or writers, or even a famous athlete.
"But… None of you will ever become any of those." Her hands shook as she clasped them tightly together. She closed her eyes.
"You all represent nations. Your duty is to carry the history, the people, the politics, everything as if you were a personification of that country. You are all vital in symbolizing the unity, or destruction, of the world."
None of the children spoke.
"In your eighteenth year, you will meet with the current representative. He, or she, will teach you everything that they know. The history, the culture, everything. All that you have learned in all those history lessons through your life will help you as you narrow down to your own specific country.
"And finally, in your fortieth year, you will complete. The next representative, who you will teach when the time comes, will become the new representative."
No one spoke a word. Miss Emily looked around the room.
"I-"
"Miss Emily." Everyone turned to Matthew.

"Thank you."

Matthew couldn't believe his eyes.
He didn't want to believe it.
Earlier, he had wanted to venture around the school grounds to search for a new reading spot. The library had grown quite loud these days, so he opted to read outdoors.
He never expected to see Arthur.
Arthur kissing with Alfred.
He pinched himself.
It hurt.
This was real.

His grip tightened around the teddy bear in his arms.

August 15th, 1924

I never could have guessed that Alfred would fancy Arthur. Maybe all of that teasing was just to hide his crush.

Through the years I wished for them to separate. They were total opposites- it baffled me as to why they were together. But Arthur looked so happy with him.

They never did separate.

In our eighteenth year, we were brought in groups of four up to the cottages, where our mentors were waiting for us. Whether it was luck or unluckiness, I was in a group with Arthur and Alfred, who were assigned to be England and America. The other boy, Francis was his name, was France.

And I became what was to be known as Canada, though not quite yet.

Upon arriving at the cottages we were greeted with the current representatives of that time. The older Matthew (who told me to call him Canada) looked just like me. He had a friendly smile.

Sometimes I still wonder how many of his smiles were genuine.

"What was war really like? And don't give me the watered-down version that exists in my textbooks." Canada looked over at Matthew, a gleam in his eye.
"You're very straight to the point. I like that."
"Don't dodge the question."
Canada sighed, before turning fully to his student. "You really want to know?"
"Yes. I want to be prepared because I might find myself in a war, if the impending tensions in Europe are anything to count on."
"You're very rational, did anyone tell you that?"
"You're changing the subject again."
Canada leaned back. He looked out the window, where the rain left wet scars across the glass.
"It has changed greatly from the novels you read. Trench warfare is a terrible thing. Tanks, machine guns, grenades- shrapnel is not a pleasant thing."
"It seems a lot better to me than a bunch of gentlemen marching across a field in bright, silly uniforms in neat little rows." Canada looked back at Matthew.
"Yes, warfare has improved greatly. Wars are now faster, fiercer, more deadly." A look of annoyance flashed in his features. "But you are asking me about what war really is like. Then I shall enlighten you. In those textbooks you read they tell you how clever we are, how smart of Arthur Curry to come up with his plan at Vimy Ridge. We captured Vimy when none of the other Allies could. It placed us, Canada, on to the world stage. We became known as a nation. But what was it really like to be there? What was it like to run amongst the debris, bombs flying over your head, wondering if you've ran too far ahead and if you'd get blown to bits? What was it like to see men, men like you and me, have their bodies ripped apart by shrapnel and to have their blood splatter across your face? In a book all they mention is the strategic victory we had that day. In a book, they never mention the sacrifices that were made to make that victory. That is the truth of war. We only hear about how it affects us as a whole- the victories, the losses, it's all very vague. But the horror stories, the personal stories, they're all overshadowed and skipped over in such books. Tell me this Matthew; if you saw someone die in front of you, could you walk away like nothing happened?"
Matthew fidgeted. He didn't know how to reply.
"And here you are, uncomfortable with even the prospect of seeing someone die. You must begin connecting the facts you hear with the personal feelings that they bring. You are to represent your nation as a whole- your purpose is not to only hold statistics."
"So I must connect the two. But I must also feel indifferent." Canada looked at him sympathetically.
"It is what it means to be a nation."

What it means to be a nation.

Chapter 2 will be coming soon. This will be either a two-shot or a three-shot. R&R!