A Little Bit Of Prairie: Hetalia FanFic

Mother Murder.

Valkyrie.

Natalie had pulled the trigger without a second thought. I had just woken up when I saw her on top of him, her hair black and eyes piercing red. Without warning she pulled the trigger. Oliver had gone still on the ground, blood rapidly pooling around his head. Jae was backing away, eyes wide and fixated on Natalie's hunched figure. Her hair had turned back to its regular color by then. Suddenly she began to laugh. Her head was thrown back like a scene straight out of When The Higarashi Cry as the sound cut through the silence of the forest. I dragged myself to my feet and I saw Russia doing the same.

"Natalie...." I gasped, "...what are you...doing?" Her laughter stopped and she suddenly looked very afraid. Her eyes landed on Oliver, then Jae, then her bloody hands. She fell to her knees, covering her face as her shoulders shook.

"This is impossible...." Jae whispered, "No...no you weren't supposed to fight back!" I glared at him and stumbled in his direction.

"How could you expect her NOT to fight back when you keep attacking her!?" I hissed. He backed away until he hit a tree, "Do you expect not to get cut when you run your hand along the edge of a knife?"

"This has nothing to do with knives! It has everything to do with HER!" Jae shouted, pointing at Natalie. He pushed me aside and tried to attack her. His katana was raised high above his head. I moved to stop him, but my foot caught on a root and I fell flat on my face. I prepared for Natalie's scream of pain and the splatter of blood-

But it never came.

In fact, the only sound was a strange noise, like a ball bouncing against a wall but with this electronic tinge to it. I looked up to see Natalie with her hand in front of her. Jae backed up and tried to attack her again, I saw what had made that strange noise. As Jae tried to bring the katana down on her head a blue hexagon of pure energy stopped it. Then the katana bounced back, making Jae do the same. Russia picked up Jae by the back of his shirt and tossed him into a tree. There was a sickening crack as his back slammed against a branch and he slumped down, blood running down his forehead. Natalie stared off into space before her eyes glazed over and she fell. The only person quick enough (or awake enough) to catch her was Russia. I quickly noted the way he held her close. My mind roamed the various memory banks in my mind for possible reasons and I found one.

Russian Revolution: 1917.

The Executions of The Romanovs.

I'd read about it in one of Natalie's earliest dairies. She and Russia had been in a relationship for ten years by then and was currently visiting the royal family while they were in captivity. Had she not have had close ties with the country himself this feat wouldn't have been possible. She described that the night was quiet...but she had an ominous feeling. The next entry had a bloody thumbprint on it and clear signs of tears. This is what it had said.

"Diary,

Last night, around midnight, oh it was horrible.....poor Anastasia...poor Alexi...why the children? The tzar I can understand but why his wife? Why his kids? They shot them! They bayoneted them and tried to get me too! If Russia hadn't been so quick thinking I would be in the trance right now and Alfred would be furious with both Russia and me.

I can never tell anyone about this....

I feel that Russia and I shouldn't be seeing each other anymore....but how can I tell him I have no experience with this! Maybe I should ask Alfred for advice...but then he'd find out!

What can I do? I feel like my whole world is falling apart! And this isn't even my own state! Or...country in this case....

I'm so sorry Anastasia....I wanted to protect you....but I was a coward and only stood by while you were murdered right in front of me...

I WILL NEVER BE THE BYSTANDER AGAIN.

~Natalie.

Now everything Russia was doing to protect her made sense. The protecting her from everything, the way he cared about her, it all stemmed from that one time when they'd been a couple. I'm sure that he was absolutely livid when Japan took her from him....but I also think he couldn't bring himself to fight her. That's why he just stood by when the other nations were attacking her after Hiroshima.

The same reasons Alfred couldn't attack her, were the same for Russia.

"Do you still love her?" I asked suddenly. He looked at me confused for a second before it hit him and he looked down at her sleeping figure.

"I guess I do." He shrugged.

"You know she doesn't blame you for what happened right? She couldn't bring herself to hate anyone back then. It just wasn't possible for her." I sat down next to him and looked up at the treetops, "She used to be so innocent and cute, barely even able to hold up a gun....."

"Despite the fact that her childhood was the civil war." Russia laughed.

"Yeah....doesn't really make much sense does it? I mean she was born into the bloodiest conflict in American history. Families verses families. Brother's verses brothers. Man against woman." I chuckled and closed my eyes, reaching out to Natalie's In Between. I found myself in that gazebo again, but this time it was just white with golden waves of grain around it. Natalie was peacefully sitting at the table, in that same dress and sipping tea.

"Natalie!" I raced forward towards her. She set the cup down and stood, letting me embrace her.

"Valkyrie!" She wrapped her arms around me, her head buried in my shoulder, "I'm scared...what's happening to me?" 

"You're getting stronger." I soothed. 

"I feel like I'm going insane." She whispered, "I shot him without feeling anything....I sent him into the trance without a second thought. Does that make me no better than-" 

"Natalie." I pushed her off and grabbed her shoulders, trying to shake some sense into her, "You were only defending yourself." 

"But I attacked first!" Her eyes were wide and I could feel the energy of this place change. 

"You only attacked because they had attacked us. If you hadn't then you would be the one with a hole in your head! Please snap out of this mindset Natalie nothing you are doing is your fault!" I once again hugged her tightly, "The only person to blame is Emeilia! She's the one who set this in motion and now it's up to you to stop it!" 

"Valkyrie.....I brought her here.." Natalie pulled away and picked up a book on the table that I hadn't noticed earlier, "I was stupid enough to listen to a voice in my head that pretty much turned out to be her and now Kiku is in the trance and Alfred is hurt and I'm stuck in Aokigahara again where-" She suddenly froze. 

"Natalie, what is it? What's wrong!?" I took her shoulders again. She just stood there, staring, until she staggered back. Her feet tripped over themselves and she knocked over one of the chairs, "What's wrong!?" As I helped her to her feet her eyes turned dark and stormy. 

"I remember."