Kaede's Hetalia Thread

[Maus_17]

A-are ya kidding?! that sounds great and I completely agree! *spins* yay! :3 *squirms excitedly* I'm sure you'll do all of them just fine- you're an amazing writer! X3

[Kaede]

Cool and in the meantime I will write a PruCan

One that will make you all cry.

[Maus_17]

OH MY GOSH XD IMA EXPLODE..

[Kaede]

Isn't exploding harmful to your health? I don't want you to get hurt.

Next comes a BTT story which will be long and have its own thread.

You can still request though, I'm cool with that.

By the way, dear reader, you are going to cry. Be prepared.

This takes place when Hitler was ruling over Germany and he wanted Prussia gone. Because I wanted it to be slightly historical.

"West!" Prussia gasped in pain. "Stop!"

"I can't," Germany said, grinding his heel into Prussia's back. Prussia lay on the ground, on his stomach, with his hands tied behind him. "You deserve this. You no longer deserve to be a country." Germany pointed his gun at Prussia's head. "As much as I want to acknowledge you as my brother, you are the source of German militarism."

Prussia screamed when Germany used every bit of force he had to shove his heel into Prussia's back and shove Prussia's ribs into the solid dirt.

"Silence!" Germany roared. "Not another word!"

"The awesome me will never listen to you!" Prussia growled. "Nor will I listen to your dummkopf of a boss! I don't deserve this!"

Germany put the gun right up to Prussia's head as he leaned on Prussia's back in the same spot as before, where Prussia had likely broken a rib or two. "I have to do this to create a unified German state. I have to get rid of you."

Suddenly there was a loud BANG and Prussia blacked out.

No one expected him to ever wake up, and Germany left him there in the dirt.

No one expected him to be picked up by a young blond Canadian either, but he was. He was carried to the Canadian's house, and the bullet was removed carefully. "You're not dead yet," the Canadian, whose name was Matthew Williams, whispered. "The Allies haven't declared you not to be a country yet. You can't die." A tear rolled down Matthew's cheek. "Please, Gilbert Beilschmidt, wake up. I know Prussia might not, but I hope Gilbert does."

Prussia spent three days unconscious in Matthew's bed. Matthew would constantly make sure he wasn't bleeding too much, especially since the wound was to his head. He would give Prussia water and food whenever possible, but it was nearly impossible to have him swallow it. He would also check for a pulse every few hours to make sure, and it was always there. Prussia might have been abolished by the Nazis, but until he was abolished by the Allies, the pulse wouldn't fade.

When three days passed, Prussia started to wake up. Matthew knew he wasn't quite back to normal yet, especially since he had been wounded and unconscious for several days. Matthew waited for him to adjust to his surroundings before he said anything.

"Are you all right?"

He was thrilled that Gilbert had awoken, but he didn't want to startle him.

"I feel... completely... unawesome..." Prussia coughed, turning his head to the side. Blood spattered onto the pillow he lay on. He closed his eyes and relaxed on the bed, knowing Matthew would keep him safe. "My ribs... hurt..." he muttered. "Can't... breathe... without pain..." he coughed again, wincing.

"I'm so sorry..." Matthew apologized. "I wish I could have been there to help you sooner. Do you think your ribs are broken?"

Prussia nodded weakly and coughed. "M-mattie...? You know... how countries... get sick... when their... economies... decline...?" Matthew nodded. "It must be... worse... when they've been... abolished... by their... family... right?"

Matthew's heart sank. "Yes, I suppose it would. Do you feel sick, then?" He didn't want to hear the answer that he knew he would get.

Prussia's answer was a coughing fit, which indubitably hurt his ribs beyond belief, as he clutched them tightly and tried to hold them in place so it might hurt less. It didn't work, and both cringed.

"Do you think I could take you to a hospital?" Canada asks.

"They can't... do anything," Prussia says. "Besides... there's no doubt... I'm dying..."

"Is there any way I can help you?" Matthew pleaded. "I can get you medicine, food, water, bandages, anything really."

Prussia shook his head weakly and coughed up a bit more blood. Matthew could do nothing but worry and wipe the blood away. He wished there was something more he could do, but he didn't know what he could do.

He only got worse. The next day he was suffering the same coughing fits and rib pain as before along with sneezing. "HwaCHUU! HRUSHUU!" Each time he contracted forward, he screamed in pain as his ribs were crushed. Perhaps if he stifled it would hurt less? He wasn't exactly used to it. "Etchh! HptSCHH!" These hurt just as much, if not more than the previous ones, as he still contracted forwards. Matthew couldn't bear to see him in so much pain. He would rather suffer the same pain himself if he could relieve Gilbert - if not Prussia - of the burden.

But... he could! Matthew ran off without a word the second he realized it.

Minutes after Matthew left, Gilbert realized his chest no longer hurt and he no longer felt sick. He sat up. Wait. He sat up? On his own? What was going on?

He got up, wondering where Matthew had gone. He walked around the house and eventually found him unconscious in the basement. There was a book that Gilbert assumed he had been reading. It looked like a magic book. The name Arthur Kirkland was scribbled in the front page. The page Matthew had open was titled How To Remove Pain From One Being And Place It Upon Another.

Now, Gilbert wasn't the best with English, having spoken German all his life. But even after being shot in the head, it was obvious to Gilbert what Matthew had done.

Was he even unconscious? Gilbert pressed two fingers to Matthew's neck to check for a pulse.

If it was there, Gilbert couldn't feel it. And he doubted it was there. "Nein..." he muttered, not bothered to translate anything into English anymore. "Unmöglich!" he screamed. He opened the book again and tried to perform the spell, but nothing was accomplished. It was too late. Prussia had died and taken Matthew with him. Canada still lived; so did Gilbert.

Gilbert sat next to Matthew's corpse and sobbed for countless hours into the middle of the night.

"Gilbert..." Matthew whispered. "Can't you see me?"

But Gilbert saw no trace of the young blond Canadian. Matthew tried to comfort Gilbert but the man he gave his life to couldn't see him or hear him. Matthew looked down. He couldn't really see more than a faint outline of himself either. He had become a ghost.

Matthew walked forward curiously and hugged Gilbert. Shocked, Gilbert hugged back. "Mattie? Is that you?"

"Yes!" Matthew exclaimed. "It's me!"

And yet...

Gilbert didn't hear a single word of it.

[Maus_17]

...*explodes with sobs* U-UWAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

POOR GILLY AND MATTIE AND AAAAUUGH...

(B-but it was written so well~! <3))

[Kaede]

I always see the pictures with Prussia dead or dying and Germany's standing beside him and crying and they annoy me because everyone completely forgets that it was Germany who killed Prussia in the first place.

This also explains why Canada is invisible and Prussia is alive.

I wrote a headcanon about it and then turned it into a story because why not?

I might start the BTT tomorrow. And my friends are bugging me about a Nordic one which I am scared about as well, so I'll probably write too sooner or later. They want Sweden and Finland. I want Norway. I want there to be locks and chains and clueless Danish people involved.

But I also need to roleplay them all first. The rule is that I can write for any country I've roleplayed. Of course I usually only roleplay countries I think I can roleplay but then I tried Grandpa Rome and it was amazing and fun and I love Grandpa Rome. The same applies with Romania. I hope it applies for Spain and the Nordics. So in other words, the more time I get to try other characters, the more characters you get to pick from and the better the story will end up.

Is everyone cool with everything being a sickfic? Or do you want me to write some allergies too?

[Maus_17]

Sick fics make my heart melt. Always. And oh my gosh you know.. I've never really thought about that- and this head canon is mind blowing! I totally see where you're coming from with the whole RP thing though- I've tried out grandpa Rome a few times, and yeah- he's pretty cool. XD

:3 *rolls around happily* you're just awesome!

[Kaede]

I appreciate the compliments. But I am curious. Do people not want to comment to me? Or do people not read this thread? I mean, there are no rules saying that Maus_17 is the only one allowed to talk to me or anything. Am I scary? I mean you can spam me with requests and I would have no problem with that considering I like to know what people want to see me write and I like having ideas...

Should I pause this thread for a while and focus on the BTT story or should I keep this one going with more requests in between each BTT installment, making you wait longer to read each part but giving you more to read? Any preferences? Requests? Pairings? Constructive criticism? Please?

[SpookyBoi]

Oh your doing a great job I just think people don't think to comment.

Edited July 25, 2014 by Spamanolover96

[Kaede]

Thanks. But I like when people comment-

oh and by the way i don't think i'll ever be able to finish the romania comic because it is hard to do and please don't hate me for it and it would be easier if I could just draw it but i can't let other people find it i'm really sorry

[SpookyBoi]

They'll comment more and more as you go along.

[Kaede]

Yay!

Okay now I will start the BTT fic because it turns out that I can only write when it's past 8 PM and I'm starting to get tired. If it's before then. it turns out really terrible and that is why the Virtual Regions fic sucks so much. It sucks five meters. So I'll start it now and roleplay Spain tomorrow. Because I also put that off and roleplayed Russia today and made people become one.

[Maus_17]

Should I pause this thread for a while and focus on the BTT story or should I keep this one going with more requests in between each BTT installment, making you wait longer to read each part but giving you more to read? Any preferences? Requests? Pairings? Constructive criticism? Please?

Honestly I think people are either just shy, or they haven't found this thread yet. Don't worry about it, I'm sure a lot of people will find it and gain confidence and start commenting a lot more. :3 you're not scary! And umm... As for the above questions, you can do whichever is more convenient to you, honestly, cause I don't think anyone really minds. I do prefer the one where you take longer between BTT installments but give us more to read. WAUGH that sounds demanding.. Sorry!

Roleplaying Russia is fun. XD

[Kaede]

I don't mind at all if you're demanding-

It's a lot easier for me that way. Then I know what you want instead of having to look for your subtle hints or not getting answers at all.

And I don't think you were demanding at all, really.

Any requests for oneshots that I can squeeze in between BTT installments?

[Maus_17]

O-oh! Thank you! You're so nice. >\\\<

[Kaede]

I was cursed with writer's block.

You'll have to give me some time for the BTT

So in the meantime here's some "quality literature".

I am ashamed of myself for writing this. I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt me.

The second the other Nordics left the house, Iceland immediately approached the fridge. He knew this obsession of his was strange, and he knew he would be made fun of if anyone ever found out. But he couldn't help it. Fridge always acted so sweet to him. She was quiet and cool and didn't interrupt him. She didn't waste anything and was very helpful.

Iceland warmly embraced Fridge. He knew they were perfect together. He knew Fridge loved him more than anything. She lit up every time Iceland opened her door, and she gave everyone else a cold shoulder.

He brought Fridge up to his room. He turned off the lights, lit some scented candles, and played her some romantic music. Fridge was very polite and didn't say a word as he played.

"I love you, Fridge," Iceland whispered, kissing his love. He had kissed Fridge many times before, and each had given the other their first kiss. It was almost a habit now. "I love you so much." He got down on one knee. "Fridge, will you marry me?"

Fridge was speechless.

Like usual.

She was even more speechless this time; I'm sure of it.

Iceland smiled. "You don't have to decide right now," he said. "Take your time." He kissed Fridge again, even more passionately than before. Soon they were on Iceland's bed, and he couldn't help but remove his clothing. Fridge wasn't wearing any clothing in the first place, so there was no need for her to remove anything.

"I want to be inside you!" Iceland moaned between kisses. Soon he was.

"Little brother? Iceland? Where on earth are you?"

Soon, Norway had opened the fridge, which had somehow appeared in Iceland's room. "Why are you in a fridge? And why are you naked?" He pulled his little brother out of the fridge.

Iceland was shivering. He hugged Norway for warmth and sneezed into his brother's shoulder. "Hpptshhii! Hkkschhii!"

"I love you, little brother," Norway said. "But sometimes, you're a complete idiot."

[JQLovesSneezes]

HAHAAHAHA! This was so funny! I love it! XD

[Not_Telling]

I was cursed with writer's block.

You'll have to give me some time for the BTT

So in the meantime here's some "quality literature".

I am ashamed of myself for writing this. I'm so sorry. Please don't hurt me.

The second the other Nordics left the house, Iceland immediately approached the fridge. He knew this obsession of his was strange, and he knew he would be made fun of if anyone ever found out. But he couldn't help it. Fridge always acted so sweet to him. She was quiet and cool and didn't interrupt him. She didn't waste anything and was very helpful.

Iceland warmly embraced Fridge. He knew they were perfect together. He knew Fridge loved him more than anything. She lit up every time Iceland opened her door, and she gave everyone else a cold shoulder.

He brought Fridge up to his room. He turned off the lights, lit some scented candles, and played her some romantic music. Fridge was very polite and didn't say a word as he played.

"I love you, Fridge," Iceland whispered, kissing his love. He had kissed Fridge many times before, and each had given the other their first kiss. It was almost a habit now. "I love you so much." He got down on one knee. "Fridge, will you marry me?"

Fridge was speechless.

Like usual.

She was even more speechless this time; I'm sure of it.

Iceland smiled. "You don't have to decide right now," he said. "Take your time." He kissed Fridge again, even more passionately than before. Soon they were on Iceland's bed, and he couldn't help but remove his clothing. Fridge wasn't wearing any clothing in the first place, so there was no need for her to remove anything.

"I want to be inside you!" Iceland moaned between kisses. Soon he was.

"Little brother? Iceland? Where on earth are you?"

Soon, Norway had opened the fridge, which had somehow appeared in Iceland's room. "Why are you in a fridge? And why are you naked?" He pulled his little brother out of the fridge.

Iceland was shivering. He hugged Norway for warmth and sneezed into his brother's shoulder. "Hpptshhii! Hkkschhii!"

"I love you, little brother," Norway said. "But sometimes, you're a complete idiot."

:lol:

Oh my god I died that was hilarious!!!!!

[Kaede]

Am I allowed to do a 2P Hetalia one? I have an idea but I don't know whether you like 2P Hetalia or not. It would likely be the 2P FACE family and either chibi 1P Canada or chibi 1P America. Let me know whether that sounds interesting to you and which chibi nation you prefer.

[Maus_17]

YUS. 2P is awesome! :3 2P!Romano and Italy are always a blast but that's just me. XD

[Kaede]

I'll get started on that. I think I'll use chibi Canada just because I'm more used to roleplaying him. I think I'll add in the Italies as well, but I don't know very many 2P countries other than the FACE family and the Italies. I could also do 2P Prussia, but he's mute so it would be hard to incorporate him. It should be up soon.

[Kaede]

So I decided to post this now because it's going to end up very very very very long and I spent a long time on it and it's already longer than all the other stories I've posted here. This is NOT the end of this story. It is simply a place in which I've decided is a good one to take a break before I finish.

There's swearing. And also human names because second players confuse me.

"I think we should take the one that looks like me."

"I don't see why. Mine needs to be rid of this world and converted into ours. I don't think their world can survive with mine."

"Mine would cooperate better. He's vulnerable and weak and he'd easily follow our directions."

"You're stepping on my foot, fucker."

"Allen! Swear jar!"

The clink of a coin being dropped into a jar was the only sound in the complete darkness for a second before James and Allen began to argue once more.

"Mine would listen better."

"Mine is stupid enough to listen."

"Yeah. He's stupid. Why should we take him? Mine wouldn't even be noticed if we take him."

"Stop arguing, poppets. I don't see the point of this. I want to take Canada. He's cuter."

"I am not cute, Oliver."

"I meant your first player. Can you see anything?"

"I can't see a damn thing. It's fucking dark in here."

"James, swear jar."

Clink.

"We're going to have to just pick one up at random. We can't tell the difference, especially in the dark. James, go grab the first one you see. Tie them up with these and carry them back here so I can give them the potion."

"If you poison them, Allen or I will die. Remember that." James walked ahead as Allen and Oliver stayed behind silently. James grabbed one of the two first players in the room and brought them back.

"Why couldn't I have done it?"

"Poppet, you can do it next time."

"Don't fucking pat my head, Oliver."

"Swear jar."

Clink. The three- well, four if you count the first player they nabbed- went back into the mirror that took them to the first player's world, and traveled back to their own world.

"Yes! We got Canada!" Oliver exclaimed as they were lit up with a violet light in a universe similar to but much more unsettling than the normal world. While the second players were used to it, the first players would be terrified in this realm. It was the kind of place where one would expect flames to jump out of the walls and spiders to crawl from one's eyes. It was the kind of place where murderers reside. Oliver put a flask up to the lips of the sleeping Canadian.

"You'd better not poison this version of me," James scowled, crossing his arms.

"I won't," Oliver replied as he tipped James' first player's head back and forced him to drink the liquid. "I'm just making him small, that's all. We need to raise him as a second player so that we can use him against the other first players. It's more convenient if we can use them against themselves, isn't it? This should also erase any previous memories this Canada had before the age of fou-"

"Oliver," Allen interrupted.

"Let me finish. He'll end up being four years old, but they'll grow quickly. He'll be back to his normal age- nineteen, correct? in fifteen days because he'll grow a year every da-"

"Oliver. Listen to me. You shrunk them both."

Oliver pauses for a second and looks down at the two Canadians. "Oh. Well that's no good." He picked up the younger James. "We might as well each raise one. I trust you can handle the other on your own?"

When Allen nodded and picks up the first player, Oliver waved a goodbye silently. He didn't notice Allen flipping him off the second he turned away. "Goodbye poppet!" he called sweetly.

Allen turned to the innocent violet eyes staring up at him questioningly. "All right, you little fucker. Let's go home." He put a paring knife in the small country's hand so that he would get used to it.

"Who are you?" the first player asked. "Where are we going?"

"You're too curious for your own good. Don't ask questions. But I suppose I'll tell you." America smiled darkly, showing his missing tooth. "Call me Allen. I'd tell you to call me America, but there are two. The other one is evil. I'm your big brother, and I'm taking you home."

"Who am I?"

Allen paused for a second. "You're Canada, but there are two... I'm going to call you Matthew." Because you're cute and I wanted to give you a cute name, a voice in his head wanted to say, though he didn't say it. He scowled at the voice.

He expected Canada to ask another question, but Matthew was silent and cuddling up to Allen. It was almost cute enough for Allen to say something. After being raised by Oliver, however, he had learned to easily pretend nothing is cute, especially since he didn't want to show weakness in a household of second players, and especially because Oliver had decided to make himself the cutest and most easily cuddle-able man in the second player universe.

Before Allen got home with Matthew in his arms, said Canadian was asleep. Allen sighed, holding Matthew tightly. He would never admit it, but he really did like the little guy. He enjoyed the warmth he felt while hugging his little brother- no, his colony! But as he put Matthew down in bed, he realized that the hug may have been a little too warm.

Oh well. Matthew would just have to get used to the harsh reality that was the second player world. Though Allen was a bit concerned, he knew it would be better if Matthew got over the illness by himself. Why should he take care of Matthew if it would take up the precious few days he had to teach Matthew to be a killer and give him the notion that it would be normal there?

5

When Matthew woke up the next day in an unfamiliar bed, he immediately got up and curiously looked around to find out where he was and why. He found Allen in the kitchen of the strange house making food. Allen soon shoved a plate into Matthew's hands. "Eat," he commanded.

Matthew picked at the unfamiliar food, but he was really not hungry. He also didn't know what it is, which didn't make it any more appetizing to him.

"We're going to do some training today," Allen said, not sure whether Matthew was denying the food because he had lost his appetite or because Allen only ate vegan foods. "You know the knife I gave you yesterday? You're going to use it against me. You'll try to hurt me, and if you don't, I'll hurt you. Got it?"

Matthew's eyes widened in fear. The last thing he wanted was to hurt someone. He dropped the plate and tried to run off, but the doors were all locked.

Allen sighed. "It's just a paring knife. You can't do much damage to me anyway." As Matthew's expression softened, Allen smiled. "Are you ready, little brother?"

At the end of the day, Matthew lay in bed whimpering. Allen had been covered in blood when they had stopped training because Matthew had been too scared to stop. Matthew was also scared because it was getting harder to breathe as the day progressed, and now, despite all the blood, he could not smell blood at all. He was too scared to tell Allen, who he knew will hurt him if he says anything.

6

Matthew didn't want to get out of bed the next morning, but Allen forced him to nevertheless. "All right you little fucker. Remember what you did yesterday? You're going to do it again, but this time I'm going to fight back. And you're going to do it with this." He handed Matthew a hockey stick. "Beat me with it." Allen took out a baseball bat. "And I'll beat you back if you can't block me in time."

The response was a yawn. Matthew wasn't paying attention, and he soon flopped back in bed. "I don't wanna," he replied, noticing that his voice sounded weird because he couldn't breathe through his nose.

"Can't say I don't like your stubbornness, but you're doing it whether you like it or not," Allen said, crossing his arms to hide the concern he feels when he hears how congested Matthew was.

Matthew went to bed that night covered in blood and bruises. He knew Allen was in the same state. But he didn't completely hate it. In fact, he silently admitted to himself that he may have liked the pain a little bit, so long as it wasn't too much. Of course, it wasn't out loud. He hadn't been talking much that day because it made his throat hurt on top of all the other pain. Besides, he didn't want to talk to Allen. Why does he hate me? Why does he want me to fight him? he asked himself continuously. He stayed up until who knows how late at night thinking about it. He thought Allen was asleep, so he didn't continue to try to stop himself from showing any signs of illness, though he did try to keep the volume down.

"Hpptschh! Hattschh!"

Allen never hated Matthew. His heart clenched in worry when he heard Matthew sneeze late at night and it took every last bit of willpower he had not to make sure Matthew was okay.

7

Matthew ate the vegan food that Allen made for breakfast reluctantly. He didn't really like the taste, but he had hardly eaten anything in the past two years that had passed as days.

"Today you're going to do the same thing you did with me yesterday. But your opponent won't be me. And neither of you will have a weapon." Allen smirked as Matthew shot him a confused look. "You'll be fighting this little guy." He gestured over to a mammoth of a white bear standing outside in the snow that had appeared overnight.

Matthew's eyes widened in fear of the beast. There was no way that he would be able to fight it and survive. Was he more terrified of the bear or of Allen? He wasn't sure. But the look in Allen's eye seemed to say that Matthew would be beaten if he refused the challenge. Though Allen would never do that (at least not to Matthew), he was used to making himself seem intimidating to others. "O-okay," Matthew chokes out with a hoarse voice.

He's shoved outside into the snow and the beast towered over him. Matthew thought of running. He thought he might be able to escape. But he had a better idea that might work as well. For the first four years of his life before he had a big brother, he lived by himself in the Canadian wilderness. He let his instincts take over. He lay on the ground until the bear thought he was dead and backed off a bit. He then slowly stood up, making sure not to make any sudden movements. He took a deep breath, approaching the bear and trying not to show any fear. His face was mere inches away from the beast, and he reached one hand out slowly, behind the bear's head, and used it to stroke through its fur and scratch behind its ears.

Matthew noticed the bear's nose start twitching as it smelled Matthew to be able to identify his scent and know him as a friend. Matthew cracked a smile and allowed the bear to do as it pleased, especially since it wasn't hurting him. He only started to panic when his own nose started twitching the same way. The last thing he wanted was to scare the bear. He knelt down to at least make himself smaller, buried his face into his sleeve, and attempted to muffle a sneeze that still was loud enough to terrify the bear.

"Haa-ktschuu!"

It attacked out of fear, and Matthew fell unconscious in the snow.

[Slash2347]

ohhh no poor Matthew .-.

[Not_Telling]

ohhhhhhhhh my. that is...very VERY nice. Wow. Amazing. Wonderful. I love it.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT OMGGGGGGGG~

[Kaede]

I procrastinated. I'm not sure whether to laugh at the fact that I made you wait more than two months to read it or sigh at the fact that it took me more than two months to write it. Please don't be mad.

...Ahaha you thought he was dead...

8

It took a while for Matthew to wake up, but when he did he was cuddling up to the bear that had attacked him the last night. Matthew could swear it looked apologetic. Matthew was freezing cold, but the bear's fur helped with warmth. He stayed there for a while, half-asleep, before getting up and trying Allen's door. It was locked, but there was a note taped to the outside of it. Matthew attempted to read it, though his English reading skills weren't the best, and Allen hadn't taught him.

Your challenge for today is to find food, water, and shelter by yourself while avoiding other second players. You're not getting back in here until tonight. Especially since you didn't fight Kumajirou, you little fucker.

Matthew smiled. Kumajirou. That was the name of his old friend from the other world, wasn't it? He missed his little bear, and he was happy that he had befriended this one. Maybe Kumajirou would help him find food and water and provide him with warmth. He hoped so.

"Kuma?" Matthew asked, gently awakening the bear. It awoke in fear, backing away from Matthew rather than being friendly and warm like he had hoped. Matthew knew he wasn't being very scary, though he had grown a year. Perhaps there was something behind him.

As he looked behind him, he immediately dropped to the ground to avoid the knife that was headed to his back.

If he ran away, he knew Allen wouldn't let him inside to warm up.

There were two men. One looked dark and was wielding a knife. The other was blond and was obviously trying to look fashionable. The fashionable one was trying to hold the dark one back from Matthew. The obvious choice for Matthew was to hide behind the fashionable one, of course. So that was exactly what he did.

It seemed to work. The fashionable one found him cute and took him home despite the dark one complaining and wanting to kill him.

9

The next morning, the door was open to Allen's house. Matthew went inside in his obviously superior clothing and started mockingly scolding Allen for looking tacky and boring.

Allen sighed. "Flavio? You asked Flavio for help?"

Matthew nodded. "Si. They let me inside and gave me pasta." He very nearly said and I had to pretend I wasn't sick because they had knives, but he realized he had to do that with Allen as well.

Allen grabbed the bright pink scarf Matthew was wearing and yanked it towards him. "Then why the fuck did you come back?"

Whimpering, Matthew slipped the scarf off and started coughing harshly. "B-because you're my big brother... you fucker..." he added.

"You're acting like a little kid. Are you nine? Or are you five?" Allen growls. "Why the hell are you whimpering? And you should have been able to stay outside like that by yourself. Without help. You should have fought them off with whatever tiny punches your tiny arms could manage."

"You think I'm so insignificant, don't you!?" Matthew screams, irritating his throat. "You're always better than me, eh? Yet you think I can do everything on my own. Maybe I need help once in a while without you telling me how horrid I am!"

Allen's heart sunk as Matthew started sneezing again. It was obvious he was trying to hide it.

"Httschh! Ptsshh! Ngtshuu!"

"...Go to bed, fucker."

10

Though Matthew wasn't exactly happy to have Allen find out, he was happy to be able to sleep for a day. Today, though he felt no better than before, he decided it would be best if he listened to what Allen told him to do. He was Matthew's big brother after all, and didn't he know what was best? Was he not trying to prepare Matthew for the world?

Matthew almost felt guilty for spending a year of his life in bed. Without a complaint and without Allen waking him up in the morning, he got up and started playing with the knives he found in the kitchen like he knew Luciano, Flavio, and Allen all did. He remembered the pain he had felt when he was fighting Allen, and recreated it on his arm as a punishment. He knew Allen wouldn't mind.

He made breakfast himself and went outside to talk to Kuma and ask him if he would practice fighting like he knew Allen wanted him to, though he knew the bear couldn't speak back. He didn't mind talking to Kuma, and the bear never minded listening. He was pretty sure Kuma was able to understand him as well, or at least his body language.

Soon both Matthew and Kumajirou were exhausted from fighting and splattered with blood. But Matthew knew he couldn't go back to bed; no, he had to continue fighting like he knew he was supposed to. But since Kumajirou was already injured enough, he decided to try to throw his knife at any passing birds or squirrels that he could.

It wasn't very successful, though, and after a day Matthew spent trying to do as Allen asked and Allen spent trying to figure out where Matthew was, he returned home, looking even worse than the day before.

11

"What would you like me to do today, Master?" Matthew sarcastically asked the next morning. He hadn't yet bothered to change his clothes or brush his hair or anything of the sort. To be completely honest, he was too tired to. He had only gotten continually worse over the time that he had stayed in the second player world, but he had gotten better and better at disguising it. He had used the fact that people didn't notice him very often to his advantage. But he had also realized something. Perhaps it was the sinister atmosphere and the murder that had made him sick in the first place. He had never been rude or hurtful before he had come to the second player world because he didn't like how it made him feel, and now he was forced headfirst into it.

He knew he couldn't go back home, of course. He had nearly forgotten what the first player world was like. He knew- or at least, he thought- that Allen would be crushed if he left, and he honestly felt the same way. Allen was- as far as he knew- his big brother. And his big brother had passed down several aspects of his character.

Such as swearing. And sarcasm.

Oliver would be so pleased.

But Matthew had awoken before Allen had for the second day in a row, and Matthew spent the rest of the day training with Kuma, like he knew- or hoped- Allen wanted him to.

He was starting to have severe doubts about this strange world.

12

Matthew was beginning to wonder if he could go home. He wondered what his family was doing and whether they were worried about him. Matthew saw no reason for them to worry, of course. He simply wanted to know what was happening and who they were. He hardly remembered who they were or what they were like, but he had a distinct feeling that someone close to him looked like Allen.

He awoke earlier than usual that day, so of course Allen was still asleep. He muffled a hoarse coughing fit into his sleeve when he left the house, and started searching the land for some way to travel back to his home.

Perhaps Flavio might know? Matthew considered going to ask him, but he remembered Flavio's temperamental brother and reconsidered. Matthew tried asking Kuma instead, but Kuma didn't seem to understand his question. Matthew was a little scared to ask anyone else, as he knew most of them might try to kill him.

Matthew was stuck. He spent the whole day trying to find a way back and couldn't ask anyone for help. He felt like a failure. His family would either disown him or worry themselves sick.

And he had no idea which.

He didn't realize that perhaps Allen had spent the day worrying himself sick for the third day in a row.

13 ~ 14 ~ 15 ~ 16 ~ 17

Matthew decided he wouldn't go back. He didn't need to, and he didn't want to. Allen had scarred him both physically and mentally. There was still a gash on his shoulder that hadn't yet healed. Not to mention that it this world was making him sick- or at least, that's what he had decided. And that was plenty for him.

Matthew then decided that he would spend as much time as he needed to find out how to get home. If that meant talking to other second players, so be it. If that meant fighting them, that's fine.

He spent four years of his life, and four days of normal time, looking for some way out. He had asked various second players and been injured in various ways, just for asking. He had started off confident that he would be able to go home, and on the fourth day, he was feeling drained. He had quickly learned he couldn't get out, and everyone else was making it obvious.

He spent the fifth day trying to avoid everyone. He knew they were only out to hurt him, and now that he was older, he knew some of them might even go so far as to force him into sex. He wanted his wounds to heal, at least just a little bit, and he felt nauseous and dizzy. He went into the forest with Kuma, and lived there for a day. He hoped the snow there would please Kuma and soothe the pain of his gashes, and it only accomplished the former. His stomach was covered in blood, and the poison that one of the second players had given him wasn't helping the pain any. Not to mention that he was horribly congested from having to hide his illness from everyone he met.

He realized he only had one choice left.

To ask Allen for help. To go home.

18

Hesitantly, Matthew knocked on Allen's front door. The moment it was opened, Matthew was embraced in a tearful, worried, and completely unexpected hug.

Which hurt his stomach to no end. Matthew had no choice but to shove Allen away.

Allen viewed Matthew as his child, and if your child had left without a word for four days and come back covered in injuries, no matter how heartless you may be, you would be in tears as well. As soon as Allen saw the blood, he ran off to find bandages. When he had fought Matthew before, he hadn't hurt him nearly as much as this.

Matthew sighed, annoyed. All he had wanted was to know how to get out. He hardly even cared about the injuries. He knew he had dealt out a good number of blows to those who had hurt him as well.

Allen took Matthew's shirt off and threw it out. He knew the blood stains would never come out and that it was torn beyond repair thanks to various knives. Once he cleaned the wounds, he wrapped bandages around Matthew's stomach. He remembered doing the same thing for James a long while ago. Once he was done, he gave Matthew a plaid shirt that once belonged to James. He missed his brother, though he wouldn't admit it, and wondered if Oliver would be able to bring James back to his old self with the help of his magic. But he doubted any kind of magic would bring James' memories back, especially since the potion was used to take them away.

"Matt, we're going to visit the other Canada tomorrow," he says, holding tears back.

Matthew was holding tears back as well. It had been a while since Allen had used his real name rather than "fucker".

19

After being bandaged and given clean clothes, Matthew was starting to feel a lot better. Perhaps it wasn't the world that made him- maybe it was that he was allergic to evil. Allen was no longer acting evil. He was acting like a brother or father. He gave Matthew food, which Matthew hadn't had for many days prior. Matthew was almost forgetting that he had another family.

Matthew obliged to Allen's request and went with him to see the other Canada. He had hardly any recollection of James or the man with pink hair. Matthew decided to take a pair of Allen's sunglasses in order to make himself look cool. Since his hair had grown, he also tied it back. Perhaps now he looked like a real second player, rather than an outsider. He didn't want them to hurt him any more.

When Allen and Matthew arrived, Oliver nearly dropped his plate of cupcakes in shock. It appeared as though Allen had cloned James. And the moment Allen saw the real James, he nearly strangled Oliver.

"You turned the actual second player into a first player!" he growled, pinning Oliver up against the wall, seeing that James looked and acted more like Matthew than like James.

"Yes poppet! And isn't he so much cuter this way?" Oliver chokes out. "You turned cute little first player Canada into a second player!" he points out, running low on air.

Matthew and James had already left the house to escape the conflict and to meet each other. Both rolled their eyes. The last thing they heard from the house was

"You insolent fucker!"

"Swear jar."

Clink.