(AU POV)
"Um, ma'am? Aren't you the famous fate-reader that people call the Matchmaker?" a young girl came up to me and asked as I took a lunchtime stroll through the open courtyard, "I was hoping to ask you to read my potential lover... to see if I have a chance... maybe."
I watched as the girl went from red, to pink, then to white, then back to red. Ah, it is always so adorable when people admit their deepest desires and it is half the reason I do what I do. Of course I couldn't say no so I took her to a more isolated place where she could spill whatever she was hiding.
"Alright, should I give you a few suggestions or do you have a specific person in mind?" I started as I whipped out a small notepad. She chose the latter option so I asked her to tell me about that crush.
"He has wonderful deep blue eyes- I think- and beautiful ivory hair. He walks with grace and his smile lights up the world. Not just his looks but he's kind, funny, smart- I think- and he's super-"
"Oh," I politely eased her out of her depictions, "Does he have a name?" But at this point, I had a pretty good idea who she was talking about.
"Oh, it's... it's America... y'know, the extremely famous star?"
"Ah yes! I know who you're talking about," I nodded as I forced a smile. Honestly, I didn't need to read her to tell that she didn't know anything about him besides the fact that he was rich and famous. Of course, this human girl had been raised on Aliaterra all her life, so it was no wonder that she didn't know that America was a country personified. He was just as normal as she was. Minus the flashy fire and all that but still.
There was a strict rule that kept humans from dating countries but even if their weren't... I don't think she would stand a chance if she knew what her 'knight in shining armor' was really like.
So I put on the usual routine, closed my eyes for a few moments, wondered what I was going to have for dinner, opened my eyes and gave her the news.
"Oh dear... I don't see much of a potential between you and America, that is often the case with people riddled with fame."
"Oh! Oh no!" she gasped, as if shocked to hear my verdict but honestly, anyone with half a brain could see this would never work. Unfortunately, people are a bit dumb when it comes to love and this was just the case.
"Then is there something I can do to win his affection?" she begged, almost desperate, "Please, I've never opened up like this before! That's how much I love him-"
"Tell me, what is his full name? What is his favorite pastime? Who are his parents? I'm sorry but this love you have, I can see it is insincere."
She took a few steps back before collapsing to the ground. Man, the melodrama. She reacted as if I had stabbed her in the chest, which I did figuratively but c'mon.
With a deep breath to calm myself, I activated my Awakening for real this time and gazed into the net that fate had woven for her. I picked out and followed the most prominent threads as they headed to... yes this would do. The pencil reacted to my findings and scribbled down a few names and I blinked to end my study.
"I know it's hard to hear what I have told you. I admit, I might have been a bit harsh but I think it is what you needed to hear," I acknowledged as I extended list of names to her, "Let's just say, if you truly want America to be happy, it is best if you forgot about him and moved on to find the one truly for you."
I helped the young girl up and she wiped away her tears as a new light of reason filled her eyes. She quickly thanked me and rushed away. It made me happy, perhaps even happier than when a match is made. If a person is able to overcome heartbreak, they come back stronger, wiser, better. Perhaps this is the joy of teaching, watching your students grow.
"Wow. America is quite the heartbreaker huh," that obnoxious fool of a man noted.
"Oh please, Ame probably doesn't even know she exists. Do you know how many people ask for him, even down at my office at the African Branch?"
"Too many?"
"TOO MANY!" I huffed as I finished blowing steam. In truth, I found it a bit fascinating how similar everyone would describe that Superpower; not a flaw in sight and I had to admit, I was impressed how well he presented himself in public. Well, that is until recently.
"He's frightening, don't you agree?" he said exactly what I was thinking, "America hides his colors so well that I can barely tell if he's acting. No wonder no one's been able to read him."
I glanced at my watch and pulled Five back into the building, "Yeah but not anymore," I smiled to myself, "His mask has been slipping recently and I'm pretty sure it's the same reason why I had to break so many hopes and dreams.
After all, his heart belongs to Russia."
And right on cue, the crystal chimes rang, signaling the end of the lunch hour as we closed the Academy doors behind us.
(AMERICA POV)
I fiddled with the edge of my shirt as I sat patiently on the small black stool. Nurse WHO's eyes flew across the pages of my father's old diary and with every passing second, her face turned paler and paler.
"And you're saying that this is what might be happening to Russia right now?" she muttered as she put the book down, "If that is the case, it is probably of our best interest to contact the Powers about this-"
"NO!" I blurt out, surprising the both of us. I took a deep breath before I tried again, "No, I don't want UN or anyone else to know of this. Knowing him, he'd probably chain Russia in a confinement cell in the deepest hole he could dig. Please nurse, just tell me how to help him. Not just as a partner, but as a friend!"
The woman gazed at me with hesitancy in her eyes but eventually gave in.
"Oh alright. I'll keep it a secret for now but if it gets worse, I'll have no choice."
"I won't forget this! Thank you-" but before I could go any further, she put up a hand to stop me.
"The thing is, I can't do much to fix this because it isn't a normal injury. It's a Consequence that comes from overusing one's Awakening. But even I must admit that this one is unusually serious, leading me to wonder exactly how this ability was triggered."
"So what do we do then?" I practically screamed.
"In truth, there is nothing to be done. Russia is a strong boy and is fighting the Consequence with every passing second," she stated and held up a finger before I could interrupt again, "The best we can do is to prevent any other misfortunes from halting his progress. Make sure he doesn't provoke any further reactions by using his abilities and he will slowly return to normal."
I had come in expecting that answer but it didn't make it any better. The nurse seemed to have sensed my distress so she offered me a peppermint, like the wonderful woman she was. I immediately popped the swirled candy into my mouth and was immediately hit with a strong blast of aromatic fire. The burning sensation travelled through my senses and ended with a burst of chilling sweetness to relieve the stinging heat. For some reason, an idea popped into my head and I turned back to WHO.
"Hey nurse, I was thinking... if Russia's Consequence deals with the loss of emotions, couldn't we just help him remember how to feel again? Like if someone feels cold, just give them a blanket to warm up again."
She gazed at me thoughtfully, "In theory, yes but I'm pretty sure you would need to give him a very strong reason to feel. I'm sure you aren't the first one who thought of trying that but look how things turned out."
"But if you asked me, I suggest you stay away from him for a while," she finished somberly. I turned to her with a look of confusion. Why should I stay away when he obviously needed help? She answered by sliding a small device my way and I peered intently at it. It looked like a heart monitor thingie where the lines fluctuate up and down. Except when I got closer, the line dipped so suddenly like a roller coaster and slowly edged its way back up when I moved away.
"This device is a special tool that releases a steady stream of energy that can resonate with others. Normally, the line runs smoothly in the middle when no energy is being leaked," she explained as she pulled out a chart, "These were Russia's readings from this morning when it tracked his energy output. You see, the line goes above this line which means he is outputting more energy than usual."
Finally, she pointed to a giant spike on the graph that shot out of the page, "And then this happened. And guess why he suddenly lost a ton of energy?"
"Because he began to move?" I shrugged.
"Wrong. It's because you came into the room."
That last sentence felt like a punch to the gut and I edged back a bit as I stared at my hands in horror.
"With that reaction, I'm guessing you didn't realize this, but Russia wasn't the only one who was changed during that incident. Something in you has stirred that is hungry for power and until we figure everything out, I suggest you two stay apart lest another tragedy occurs."
(NOBODY POV)
The Coloso was decorated with lively banners and cleaned to house literally the entire school. People flooded into the seats, chattering excitedly about how they could finally see the famed Superstar properly fight in a match of Awakenings.
AU stood on the tallest platform, gazing proudly at her last minute ornamentation, and then sighed as Five stumbled out with a giant wheel pinned with all kinds of contraptions that would make America's life harder. Five met AU's judgmental stare with a baby faced and innocent smile.
"What? I said we could spin a wheel and no one objected," he reasoned but the Acting Headmaster just rolled her eyes and ignored him.
Down under the shadows of the marble arches, America stood against a pillar as he stared at the ground. He could hear the excitement and cheers in the air as they anticipated his performance but his mood was nowhere as sunny as those around him. But who could blame him, after being told that he was what was basically poison to his dear partner whom he probably had feelings for.
To put on a good show, to entertain, to be the light of joy and to be without a care in the world. That was who he was made to be.
But lately, he couldn't seem to fasten that facade over his true self and he knew it was only a matter of time before he would slip and fall again.
Russia sat on the outer walls of the Coloso with his legs dangling precariously over the edge, just like how his partner once did. Perhaps it was the mood of the jovial audience or it was because he was interested in how much America had improved during his absence, the Russian trained his gaze onto the center of the floor. He was unwilling to miss a single moment but something in the back of his mind was telling him to look away.
With a final wave of cheers, America bolted out of the shadows and took center stage, waving merrily at everyone. AU took hold of the microphone and her voice thundered over the students.
"WELCOME ONE, WELCOME ALL! THIS IS AN EXCITING EVENT, I KNOW BUT LISTEN CAREFULLY FOR TODAY WILL BE A DAY TO REMEMBER!"
"WHETHER IT BE FAME, GLORY OR MORE," Five continued, "ONLY THOSE WHO CAN SHINE BRIGHTER THAN THE REST WILL BE SEEN. SO NOW, WE GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO SHINE ON A STAGE WHERE ALL WILL WATCH! A TICKET TO THE FINAL TOURNAMENT WHERE LEGENDS ARE BORN!"
"ONLY FIVE PER BRANCH, ONLY TWO BRANCHES MAY SURVIVE. TEN COUNTRIES WILL TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT BUT TO GET THERE, YOU MUST PASS THIS TRIAL FIRST! A CHANCE TO GAUGE YOUR ABILITIES AND A CHANCE TO SEE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE NUMBER ONE. HOW WILL YOU FARE AGAINST OUR REIGNING CHAMPION?"
"Only one way to find out!" Onyx cackled into the mic, "Wait for the next chapter...
IN PART 3: THE RANKINGS!"
Welp, this will bring a close to our second installment in the AWAKENING Trilogy and...
Hell, I don't know what to say!
Thank you all for sticking with me up till now! I know I'm repeating myself when I say this but I truly mean it. I appreciate every single one of you!
Now before I go, I shall let you choose the next backstory chapter: (the one with the most comments wins?)
A: The Story Before the Tempest (pt.2 Regrets of a Tsesarevich)
B: Agent 15 (How America and Five Met)
C: Frozen in Time (Russia's Childhood)
D: No need for backstories, GET ON WITH THE FIGHT NOW!
See you all next week! Hopefully.
The Discovery
The Training
The Rankings