Sitting in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood, the staff of a quaint little hospital were getting ready for another tranquil night. There were a couple of calls for assistance but nothing out of the ordinary. At least that's what they thought until a group of unusual guests had rushed in.
For many of the people there, it was the first time they had come face to face with a countryhuman, let alone admit one into their care. As he was taken to the examination room, the rest of the bunch seemed just as restless as the startled nurses and doctors.
Britain paced around the room nonstop while muttering furiously to himself. France was following by his side, doing her best to comfort him while glancing at the doors every so often. Canada, Australia and New Zealand sat stiffly in the chairs, not wanting to draw their father's attention in any way while America stood facing the corner of the room, staying eerily silent.
(CANADA POV)
It had been a full ten minutes since America had last moved which either meant that he was seriously contemplating something or he was dead. I decided to walk over to see which one it was.
"Hey Ame? Are you okay there?" I squeaked nervously as I placed my hand on his shoulder to turn him around and face me. When I saw his expression, I couldn't help but stumble back.
Yep. He was dead. Totally dead.
"I-I-I," he quivered with a dead-eyed stare, "What the fuck came over me- what the fuck made me think that that was a good idea-"
I grabbed his arm to stop him from turning back to the corner, "Woah woah woah slow down buddy!" Poor America looked as stiff as stone and he continued to quietly mutter incoherently.
"Start from the top. What did you do?" I asked as I guided him to the nearby chairs. When we had rushed out into the night, we had found them at the park with America panicking over an unconscious Russia who was steaming red. After that, we quickly rushed him to the nearest hospital but what came before was unclear.
America hunched forward and buried his face in his hands, "I- I don't know what I was thinking-"
"What? What did you do?!" I practically screamed as a bead of sweat rolled down my face.
"I... "
"You...? Go on... "
He lifted his face and absolute chills ran up my spine. He looked mortified.
"I... KISSED HIM!"
The room went silent and all eyes turned to stare at him. In response, his face turned red and he lit on fire with a 'whoomph'. It was a rather annoying habit of his but it made him extremely easy to tell when he was flustered.
"Are you serious?" Britain demanded as he marched over with a mixture of confusion, fury, and interest displayed on his face, "You... kissed him?
Unfortunately, America had decided to reveal nothing more and continued with his mumbling. Britain returned to his pacing but now had new things to grumble about and the staff, who had overheard, did us a favour and pretended like nothing had happened. This incredibly awkward scene continued for another while.
"So... was it like... a cheek thing or..." New Zealand whispered.
"Naw man. I bet it was french." Aussie sniffled through his giggles which earned him a smack on the head from France.
"Boys, leave him alone," she chided as America sunk deeper into his depression, "If you keep going, he might get a heart attack."
"Well good thing we're in a hospital," Aussie grumbled which earned him another smack.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, Ukraine stepped through the doors and everyone gathered around her. I took her hand and squeezed it, to make sure she knew that it was going to be alright. She gave me a weak smile and sighed.
"The call to Nurse WHO has already been delivered but it's nothing too serious, thankfully. He's just too drained so they've arranged a room for him to stay the night."
After a bit of confirmation, we were given the all clear to go back home.
Ukraine and Belarus decided to stay a bit longer so we said our goodbyes and went back to our house. America made a beeline and zipped into his room as fast as a meteor. The rest of us decided to do the same, agreeing not to talk about the extremely odd night until we were ready. And with that, we turned the lights out and drifted off to sleep in our respective rooms.
(Russia POV)
By the time the clock hit 7 AM, WHO had already screamed herself hoarse and I was probably going to go deaf from receiving her ranting.
"YOU WERE HOSPITALIZED AGAIN! AT THIS RATE I WOULD BELIEVE IT IF YOU SAID YOU HAD TO LIVE IN ONE!"
Strangely, it seemed that not much had changed even after using my Awakening to that degree. All the previous fatigue and numbness was gone as well. Even so, the Nurse fixed a pair of semi permanent restrictor cuffs onto my wrists.
"I should have done this at the start," she fumed.
My sisters were waiting at the front desk to pick me up and we went on our way after thanking the humans. The drive back home was basically silent. Bela didn't even turn on the radio and they both looked like they hadn't slept a wink. Neither seemed like they were in the mood to speak so I decided against a conversation. Instead I began to rewind what had happened before I passed out.
Looking back at it all, I probably could have taken a better approach but the fight was honestly worth the risk. I don't remember the last time I had involved myself so willingly. Nor did I think it would be so exhilarating.
The landscape zoomed by as I started out the window. There was a lot that I had to process yet again but there was still something that boggled my mind.
"AMERICA WHAT THE FUCK?!"
The car jolted a bit as I slammed my head into the empty seat in front of me. Ukraine clutched the back of her seat and Belarus steadied her shaking hand.
"RUSSIA WHAT THE FUCK?!"
"KEEP THE OUTBURSTS TO YOURSELF," Ukraine exclaimed and Belarus grumbled a few not so nice words.
"Speaking of which, what the heck happened last night? What did you two do to land you in the hospital?" Bela pressed.
"Again." Ukraine piped up helpfully.
"Yes, again."
I couldn't bring myself to respond. I couldn't hear their nagging at all because that scene- THAT FUCKING KISS- was the only thing in my head, playing on repeat. I groaned, mortified and my face was burning.
Refusing to speak, I shook my head as I tried to rattle the scene out of my head but all it did was make me dizzy. The warmth still lingered.
After quickly retrieving my homework from my house, we started towards the Academy, about two hours after the first chimes had rang.
"Are you sure you can go to school?" Belarus asked me for the millionth time and my answer stayed the same.
"Hm."
The school grounds were deserted, to be expected because everyone should be in class at this time. We stepped into the Great Hall where AU was speaking with a guest, a familiar face to all of us.
"Wait- isn't that Headmaster UN?" Ukraine whispered, "Is he coming back already?"
As they spoke, he glanced down ever so often and AU nodded a couple times as a response. They seemed to have reached an agreement.
As we got closer, UN stepped back and gently guided another small, slender figure forward. I recognized her as well.
Afghanistan tugged shyly at her newly cut hair. Her bandages were gone and her skin glowed with renewed health. AU smiled warmly at the girl and took her by the hand.
"Welcome back to the Academy. You're safe with us, I promise."
When they spotted us, AU's face lit up.
"Oh great timing you three." UN and AU strolled over to us and a ghostly hand rested on my shoulder.
"I see you are healing nicely," the Power nodded to me, "How are you feeling?"
"I'm doing fine, thank you."
"He got hospitalized again, sir." Ukraine smirked.
"Again?"
"Again."
"I TOLD YOU I'M COMPLETELY FINE," I huffed, slightly embarrassed to be displayed so weakly.
AU spared me from the teasing and gestured to Afghanistan.
"This is Afghanistan, a returning student. Are you familiar with her?" she remarked. The country's eyes darted from the floor, to our faces and back to the floor as if terrified of eye contact.
My sisters shook their heads but introduced themselves but before I could speak, Afghanistan stepped forward first.
"Russia, was it?" she blurted out as she fixed her gaze with mine, her hazel eyes filled with resolve, "I'm sorry about that day. I am in your debt for saving me!"
I was taken by surprise but my sisters just looked confused.
"What are you talking about? Do you know her?"
"What do you mean by 'saved'?"
UN's face twitched slightly and his hand squeezed her shoulder as if saying, 'what did we talk about'. She looked up, confused until her eyes widened. All the courage rushed out of her and she slunk back behind him.
After UN smoothly brushed it off somehow, they were sent on their way.
My sisters disappeared down the hall and we all let out a loud sigh of relief.
"Honestly, I keep forgetting that your trip was kept secret," AU chuckled as she rubbed the girl's shoulder. She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
UN swept his cloak away from his feet and knelt down to Afghanistan's height. He patted her head reassuringly and gave her a comforting smile. "Don't worry, it's alright." He waited until she gave a weak nod before turning back to AU.
"If there are no more questions, I have no further business here. I'll leave her in your capable hands."
She surprisingly had no snarky remark to throw back at him. Only after he had walked out the door did she sigh, "That man really has a way of getting what he wants." She gazed off into the distance with a look of blissful resignation.
"I guess I'll be staying for longer than I thought. Dammit UN... you knew this was going to happen, didn't you," she laughed to herself.
We were seated in the office as AU handed a uniform and an Academy brooch to Afghanistan, who accepted it with gratitude.
"Why don't you wear your uniform?" she remarked and I just shrugged. My response was simple: I don't want to.
Afghanistan was given some time to change into the outfit before AU gave me my task.
"Since you two have already seem to know each other, I would like you to help her around the school a bit. Let her settle in and get comfortable with the others." AU requested.
I must have shown hesitation because AU decided to elaborate, "Well, it's also because you can help keep her on track. You know, with the whole secrecy thing. We could have asked America or Germany but... they are a bit occupied at the moment so I'll be counting on you. Alright?"
Catching the hint that I didn't really have a choice, I nodded and we left the office. At least it would help keep my mind occupied.
I was basically her chaperone for the day. I walked her to class and met up with her after she finished. She seemed very self conscious but was fairly open to me. It did make me feel kind of nice.
"How was class?" I asked.
"It was fine. Though it was strange that people kept asking if I was okay."
"Oh? Did something worrying happen?"
"Well... they said that they saw me walking with you. That's so weird right?"
Second period.
Third period.
Before I knew it, lunch break was here. As we strolled down the stairs, a stream of people rushed into the Dining Hall and another rushed out in a frenzy. As we stood by the door, waiting for a chance to get in, bits and pieces of conversations flew by.
"It's today, right? I heard it's supposed to be super intense today!"
"Hurry or we'll miss the good seats!"
"Did you hear? I'm so excited!"
"Honestly, he doesn't look that tough to me. Wasn't he beaten yesterday?"
Afghanistan looked up at me, "What's going on? Why are people taking food outside? And why does it sound like they're going to watch a show?"
I frowned to myself before it suddenly clicked. Of course, how could I forget?
I cracked my best attempt at a friendly smile (which honestly felt more like a grimace) and did my best to explain, "Sort of. There's going to be a match to see who will go to the tournament and represent our Branch. If you want, we can go see it."
She furrowed her brow and slowly shook her head, "I don't want to see a fight," she mumbled but she did seem at least a bit curious so I tried again to appeal to her- with a slightly different approach.
"Well, it's just to test their strength. It's not to hurt anyone," I promised, "Do you remember America? He'll be out there doing his best so don't you want to at least go see him?"
This seemed to piqued her interest so after making me promise that I was sure no one was going to die, we picked up our lunches and headed out with the crowd of people going towards the Coloso, where the heat of battle was just waiting to ignite.
(FIVE POV)
The descent into the deep blue waters was a slow one but it was only due to all the precautions I had to take. The dive was deep, so if I didn't expand my soul properly, the water pressure would probably crush my base and break off a limb or two.
As the feeble sunlight began to fade, I retrieved my light along with the glowing magatama charm, whose light was growing stronger with every passing meter I descended. That was all I had with me.
I passed by many odd creatures of the deep, but they quickly scattered out of my path. Before I knew it, the charm was glowing so brightly that it began to illuminate the waters below me, revealing a cliff on the seafloor.
This was it. If my intel was correct, what I sought was laying just over the edge and the magatama charm confirmed it. As carefully as I could, I pushed myself just over so that I could just barely see over the side. When I spotted a suitable ledge, I pushed away from the side and sunk deeper into the ink black abyss.
It took a good minute or two as I fumbled around the face of the chasm, trying to find the spot I was supposed to look for. Finally, I began to pry away at the loose rock and my fingers traced around a groove that held a familiar shape. I pressed the teal charm into place where it sent ripples of light through the rock face. Finally, after what seemed like forever, a muffled clunking sound echoed from somewhere beneath me. Like clockwork, the entire seabed began to rumble dangerously and massive chunks began to break away. I quickly pushed away to avoid falling into the depths and clambered over the other side.
"The magatama!" I suddenly remembered and turned in horror to see the pendant slowly sink among the endless rain of debris. With a silent prayer in my head, I kicked off from my safe spot and rocketed towards the glow with my hand extended. I was so close. I was almost there! The satisfying feeling of my fingers wrapping around the smooth jade was only half of it and I did my best to maneuver out of the way before landing on the other side.
Oh man, I thought to myself as I took deep breaths to calm my hammering heart. I rolled onto my back as I listened to the fading rumbles. How long had it been?
Ten minutes?
Fifteen minutes?
I had no time to spare.
All that was left of the seafloor was a protruding column of rock with intricate symbols carved into it. Rusting chains that were three times thicker than me wrapped around the pillar, anchoring it to the unseen floor. As I got closer, the pillar began to crumble from the top until a smaller, more artistically refined boulder sat upon the pedestal. The grooves and swirls that ran all throughout the stone were inlaid with waving strands of crimson seagrass. As I perched upon the pillar, flakes of dust were swept away to reveal the words etched on the rock.
"Three of a kin descended here to claim what had been forgotten."
"Two moved forward. One was left behind as nothing but a memory."
Suddenly, the water around me began to spiral and my vision began to dim. I looked around bewildered until I remembered the key was. Relaxing my body, I willingly slipped into the dark as I clenched the glowing charm as my last source of guiding light.
...
It was another gloomy day, as a trio stood on the edge of the seaside cliff, peering down at the churning waters. The youngest of the three took a step back, shaking her head with uncertainty.
"Are you super duper sure about this?" she asked her siblings who only rolled their eyes. The three of them had planned this day for a long time and they were not going to back down now. This was the last act of desperation to free themselves of the current situation in the nation.
"I'm sure the sword is down there. I can feel its power even from the shore." the eldest muttered to himself, "The shogun is a dictator. He has no sense left in him. He would even go so far as to throw a god's relic into the sea..."
"He knows that the tsurugi will be his undoing," the second eldest motioned to the sea below them, "And that's exactly why we're going to get it."
Of course, the sea was an unforgiving place so it would be impossible for a normal human, no matter how strong or fast, to get to the bottom. So they were technically going to do the impossible.
That is, if they were normal.
Finally, after a bit of preparation, the eldest spread his arms to the sky and suddenly the surroundings around them began to darken. A pale silver aura surrounded them and a light, tingly sensation began to fog their minds.
You see, they had discovered that they had strange abilities that they honed. From what they knew, the outside world called it an "Awakening" and that only a few individuals in the world possessed. It was also said that the shogun had one, which explained how quickly he rose to power.
"I've got us covered," he smiled reassuringly and with a guiding tug, all three of them took a deep breath and jumped. As the waves came rushing towards them, the second child triggered their Awakening and the rush of thundering clouds churned open the water for them to enter.
The winds lifted them just above the churning vortex, spraying them with a salty mist as they declared their will to go through with such a crazy plan.
"This is the only way," they repeated and finally, the youngest stepped forward and clasped their hands. Her form flickered with a glowing bronze light as they all took a deep breath and let themselves be swallowed by the waves...
"This is the only way."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
And we end the chapter on a shitty sketch I scrapped up in 10 minutes.
How long has it been? Oh man I just vanished from existence for a bit huh.
Sorry bout the delay guys. Unfortunately it probably isn't going to be the last time if school continues to kick my teeth in. Anyhoo... I hope you enjoyed and I will DO MY BEST to return next week. Toodaloo~