Where Operation Recurrence is born
A/N: Read the book title. Did you really think I would not focus on the Countryhumans? Prepare for my ultimate skill; going with the flow. Also, thank you so much for 300+ reads. I appreciate it.
Enjoy.
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"Are you sure you checked that region? Maybe you missed something."
"For the last time, dad, I already checked that region. Three times if I may add."
Two men stood in a room, intentionally kept dimly lit by the younger one for a dramatic effect. The older male had protested a little but eventually gave up, knowing it was futile. In the corner of the room stood a notice board which was filled with too many papers and maps with string connecting from one point to another. At the centre, a black and white picture of a certain black female wearing a disguise was pinned. That picture had been taken decades before and was a valuable item to the democratic country.
At the very centre of the room lay two large table with an LCD reflective screen and digitizer, which was the main focus of the two men. Many holographic tabs were open, one particularly large one showing a very detailed geographical map. The technology, the older country thought, had gotten more advanced than before. Yet it failed to fulfil its current and most important task: finding her.
"I don't get it. Didn't she say anything while you talked?" The country, otherwise known as the United States of America asked the other who only sighed in frustration.
"If she said anything else, don't you think I would have mentioned it by now?" The trademark sarcasm only served to make him roll his eyes under his iconic sunglasses.
"Not like what you have mentioned is helping us anyway."
The remark made the older country grip his cane tightly. He knew he was right; the whole situation didn't make a lick of sense. One moment, he was planning to have a face-to-face talk with the female about his son. The next moment, he was searching for the presumably missing woman with said son who clearly was uncomfortable with his presence.
United Kingdom, or Great Britain, looked at the map again. His leg slightly bounced in its spot. Only those who knew him well knew it was an instinctive act to show trepidation. His black framed monocle glimmered, reflecting the light of the holographic screens.
It had been three weeks since ■■■■■■ vanished and no one had a clue on where she was. Of course, they couldn't just announce it to everyone without definitive proof. It would cause an international uproar among the countries, which was laughably ironic that a human like her held so much influence. So, the matter was kept under wraps with the help of America.
So far, only six countries were aware of her disappearance. Namely Britain, America, France, Germany, Japan and Kenya. The last country was the last place she was in since she lived there. Despite searching her house many times, Kenya reported no signs of foul play. The house was locked from inside and the tea she had planned to drink was in her mug, already spoiled by the time they opened the door.
He knew she would be pissed by her invasion of privacy, but what was he meant to do? He wanted to find her. It was totally because he wasn't concerned about her on a personal level. It was simply for international affairs, that's all.
He glanced at America who knew it was the complete opposite but he could care less. His son cared for her as well. That was the common ground that made them work together in America's secret room in his private residence. In a way, she did help bring him closer to America after all.
"What if she got kidnapped when she least expected it?" America pondered out loud as he leaned on his cluttered desk.
"Do you really think ■■■■■■ would willingly put herself in a dangerous situation?"
Silence filled the room as the American gave him a deadpan look.
"Let me correct myself. You think she would even let herself get kidnapped in her own home in the first place?"
"Not really, but what other explanation can we offer? Honestly, I have an idea on who would pull something like that."
Britain shook his head. "If you're thinking North Korea, I highly doubt he would go to such extremes and risk a breach in his nation's security."
"I wasn't meaning him." He said solemnly, the tone of his voice implying something the Englishman would rather forget tenfold.
The atmosphere dropped drastically after that statement. "Don't you dare say what I think you're going to say. That is not even remotely possible; we saw them die."
Britain gritted his teeth, trying to forget the incident. To this day, he felt indescribable anger towards those so-called beings who thought they could control him, his family, the world and her. Were it not for the divine intervention...he didn't even want to think of how their universe would have turned out.
"Clearly we have no clue." The American sighed, his fingers rubbing through his white hair which had some streaks of blue and red. He wasn't that concerned knowing she could handle herself, but he was still concerned for her safety under these mysterious circumstances. Even his father, the level-headed one of the two, was worried sick. When he told Japan, he had to make him promise not to tell anyone. If anyone else from the East found out...If China found out...
"Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down~" The ringtone snapped the two men out of their thoughts. They both went to check their pockets when the song stopped. They check their screens when America lets out a sigh.
"Just Japan." Britain looked down on the table, his eagerness dying down.
Before America could call back, he looked at the Brit in confusion. "Wait. Why did you check your cell phone when the ringtone went off?" The country only sighed in slight annoyance as he remembered.
"■■■■■■ took my mobile phone and put that song as my ringtone. She didn't tell me the reason but she made me promise not to remove it. Now I see why she did so."
"No way. She suggested to me to do the same thing." America chuckled. "I guess it was an attempt of making us bond if we had the same ringtone. ■■■■■■ can be so cool."
Britain smiled at the female's thoughtful gesture. As much as she knew USA would never be close to him as before, she still made an effort to build a rapport between them. She was cool indeed, and much more.
He looked at the map on the screen again, doing a quick scan to check what they could have missed. His left metal prosthetic arm picked up a paper which held a record of her past known locations. It was a pain in the gluteus to keep track of a time traveller who could go to any country she desires. That is where America would come in, with his developed technology and spyware. The Englishman hoped they would find her soon.
"Why was Japan calling you?" America shrugged as he stood up straight, putting his father to shame with his height. A part of him wondered why all of his adoptive children were taller than him but he wasn't vain to be butt-hurt about his stature. All that mattered was the respect he had earned over the years as an empire and monarchy.
Putting his phone to his ear, America waited for Japan to pick up which was instant.
"AMERICA!!!"
He pulled away instantly as the female yelled in his ear. Britain's hold on the record had tightened instinctively as he glared at the phone.
"Youwon'tbelievewhathappenedwhenIwokeupandopenedtheinternetonlytoseethatoneofourfavouriteanimeshasdisappearedoutofthinairand--"
"Whoa whoa whoa! Calm down Nekomi. First of all, why are you using your brother's phone?"
"Because I broke mine, but that doesn't matter!" America sweatdropped when he heard Japan in the background protesting for the return of his phone and his sister shutting him down. "Haven't you checked the news?"
"The news? What news?"
"Japan's sister actually follows current affairs? That's shocking." Britain commented and the taller country ignored him.
"Oh, your dad is there? Hello, Mr. Britain." Nekomi greeted politely and he grunted in response. People tended to forget that she had one of the sharpest ears among all the countryhumans and he was embarrassingly no exception at that moment.
"Ignore him. Now, tell me the news." America rubbed his temple, feeling awkward talking to his friend in his secret room where his adoptive father could hear his conversation.
"Demon Slayer is gone!"
His eyebrow perked up at the mention of one of his favourite new generation animes. "Gone? Gone how?" He asked, feeling his father's blue eyes piercing into his back for giving an animated series more attention than the search for the missing ■■■■■■. Can't a guy take a break once in a while, he thought.
Nekomi, on the other side of the world, held the phone to her ear while scrolling through the Internet on her laptop. Japan, her older brother, had long given up trying to take his phone back and stood by, a slap mark on his cheek.
While he didn't watch anime as much as his sister, he was also puzzled by the sudden vanishing of the famed anime and manga series which gave his country more recognition and revenue.
"I know it's hard to believe but you can check for yourself. Demon Slayer has disappeared. Gone. Vanished into thin air. The manga has disappeared online, the streaming websites show that it doesn't exist and even the numerous content made about the show is gone!"
Confused, America moved to the table and opened a new tab. His father had a disappointed look on his face but he could care less.
To his surprise, the search showed zero results about the anime itself. "Shit, Nekomi, you are right. What do you think happened?" He asked, searching again using its Japanese title with the same results.
"I don't know! Even the numerous fanfics I wrote about the characters online are gone. Months of effort, wasted!" She whined and it took America every cell in his body to not end the call immediately. He did not need Britain to know of the fanfics, some of which he had read in his free time.
"Damn. Sorry about that. What has the creator said about this?"
"That's where it gets weird; he doesn't remember making the manga."
"What?!" He couldn't help but shout. "What do you mean he doesn't remember his own creation?!" Little did he know, his father began to pay attention to the conversation.
"Again, I don't know! He had promised to make a spin-off series of the original manga three weeks ago and now, Demon Slayer is gone and the creator himself is clueless and behaving like an old senile man. No anime, no manga, no reaction videos or fan-games, no fanfics or fanart. NOTHING! The best I can do is make posts about it online but I can't even attach any pictures." Nekomi sounded really distraught, and rightfully so. Even some Japanese managed to break through as she ranted in English.
Britain thought to himself. 'Three weeks ago...that was around the same time ■■■■■■ went missing. Did she do something to cause this?'
"I think I'll call ■■■■■■. She will probably figure this out quickly."
America, Japan and even himself shouted a loud response. "No!"
Nekomi jumped in her seat, startled. "Um, why not?"
"She...uh..."
"Well, you see..."
"She's missing." Japan told her bluntly and she gasped. America heard that and got pissed. "What the hell, Japan?! That was confidential information!"
"Nekomi is my sister and ■■■■■■'s friend. I was going to tell her either way whether you liked it or not." His nonchalance could be heard through the phone and the stars and striped flag was livid.
Britain took the phone from his grasp and placed it on the table. "Calm down, America. It won't hurt if one other person knows, especially one who is simply her friend." Said country only huffed and looked away, crossing his arms in irritation.
"Nekomi, I know you must be worried but right now we have to keep her disappearance a secret else people might take advantage and cause a commotion. But I do have a question. Well, two actually."
America glanced at his father in curiosity. If he was interested in this, then it must be something that caught his attention. "First of all, when did the announcement for this spin-off happen?"
"It was on a Wednesday, three weeks ago."
"OK, and did ■■■■■■ ever watch the animation?"
"Well, not really...but she did know about it well and was not interested in watching with us." Nekomi said, remembering how the brown-skinned lady told her cryptically that what she experienced once would never hit the same again.
'She definitely watched it.' Britain's gut feeling told him, and he would be damned if he ignored it.
He looked at the map, then the picture of the female and finally at his son. "I think the weird phenomenon with this cartoon--"
"Anime is not a cartoon!" Britain was unamused at being interrupted by the fuming Japanese woman from the phone but corrected himself to keep the peace.
"My apologies. This anime might be connected to ■■■■■■'s disappearance. Think about it. The announcement was made on Wednesday, and that was the last time I made contact with her. Then three weeks later, the anime also disappears as if it never existed. You see where I'm going with this?"
There was silence for a moment, then Japan piped up. "You believe that ■■■■■■ going missing and the anime is connected somehow?"
"Yes. I don't know how or why, but we need to get more information about this phenomenon."
The oldest country of the four walked towards the noticeboard and held the picture pinned on it by the edge. His face held a certain longing and nostalgia as he observed her face for the umpteenth time. America nearly gagged at the scene.
Even decades later, his father never truly got over his affection for her when it was clear she didn't reciprocate those feelings like before. However, he thought about it and saw that the theory might be closer to the truth than they currently perceived.
"That might be true, but as you can see, there is nothing about the anime on the Internet. The only way one can prove its existence is through written forms of art, but in hardcopy. Nekomi, are the printed mangas still intact?"
"Thankfully, yes. It seems that only the digital information is gone. The printed manga, written fanfics, art, toys and cosplays are still around. My other worry is the fact Koyoharu Gotouge doesn't remember his creation." Nekomi sighed as she sat back in her chair, the phone on the table next to the laptop.
"So what now?"
The question from the female made them ponder in silence, the gears in their minds turning. Nekomi was concerned about the anime, but not as much as the sudden discovery of her friend being missing for three weeks. That explained why her brother seemed busier than usual and more tired. She couldn't blame him; he did care about her. He claims it's only as a friend but she knew otherwise. How ■■■■■■ got her brother's attention is still a mystery to the younger sibling.
"I have an idea." Said brother managed to get undivided attention just from his few words. "We all team up. Nekomi and I will deal with the whole anime thing and send out rumours of a hacking group that is targeting all Demon Slayer content while we contact the creator." His sister nodded, determined to solve this issue.
"You two will focus on the search for ■■■■■■ and after two weeks, we will meet up and share all that we know. Is that alright with you all?"
"Two questions. Who will be in charge and can we add other people?" The familiar American voice spoke out inquiring from the phone.
"We will discuss the leadership later on. As for adding members, you can add only those that are trustworthy and reliable. Speaking of trustworthy, does China know?"
America's hand tightened into a fist at the Asian country being mentioned. "No. I made sure of it." Everyone could tell that he had some issues with China that involved the female but didn't bother to voice out their thoughts.
"It is settled then. I will talk with France and Kenya about the new developments. America can talk with Germany." Britain walked to the chair that held his coat and put it on.
"Wait! What should we name the team?" Nekomi inquired curiously, seeing this as an adventure waiting to begin.
America pulled his tie loose, getting sick of the suit he wore and was itching for a good night's sleep. "I already had a name in mind."
"Well, what is it?"
"Operation Recurrence."
"We will stick with that. Now if you excuse me, I will take my leave. Enjoy your morning." With that, Britain left the room as America was winding up his conversation with the Japanese siblings. He was exhausted, but he wanted to find her as soon as possible. His son didn't know it, but he had a dream of her. Well, a nightmare if he could be honest.
He was in a forest and saw two figures holding swords. On his right was his beloved friend, sword vanishing in her hand and her left side bleeding. He knew she could handle it, but what worried him was the other figure on the opposite side. He couldn't see his face well, but could tell he was Japanese from the clothing. What sent a chill down his spine was the glowing dots on his face and the monstrous sword which had eyes and blood dripping from it. Her blood.
He had woken up sweating profusely after that awful dream. America had been startled as he saw his father jump in his chair in the room, where he had stubbornly slept on while using his technology to search for ■■■■■■. Britain refused to acknowledge it completely, but that did not quench the increasing concern for her safety.
'■■■■■■, I hope you are well wherever you are.'
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𝙼𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎, 𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚎...
"FUCK!" [Name] yelled as she leaned against a tree, holding her abdomen. "DAMN IT, EVE! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO EAT THAT APPLE?!"
The female suffered the pain of cramps for her periods. Due to the universal shift, she hadn't experienced hers in the past three and a half months. Now, she was yelling loudly in the night. It was so loud and raw that demons roaming the forest intentionally avoided her out of fear.
"Damn...I really hope the countryhumans are doing better than me."
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⟣𝕌ℕ𝕀𝔾𝕌𝕀𝔻𝔼⟢
ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ ɴᴀᴍᴇ: Demon Slayer/(鬼滅の刃)Kimetsu no Yaiba
ʟᴀsᴛ ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ: Countryhumans
ᴜɴɪᴠᴇʀsᴇ ɪɴғᴏ: A popular anime and manga series which follows the story of Kamado Tanjirou and his friends in a world where man-eating demons exist. His main goal is to turn his sister back into a human and kill the demon progenitor, Kibutsuji Muzan
ʏᴇᴀʀ: 1909
ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛs: Mary Pickford makes her screen debut at the age of 16(June 7); 1st US airplane sold commercially, by Glenn Curtiss for $5,000(Jun 16); 1st balloon honeymoon (Roger Burham & Eleanor Waring) (June 20)...more
ᴘʟᴏᴛ ᴇᴠᴇɴᴛꜱ: [Name] meets Kokushibou, the strongest Uppermoon only second to Kibutsuji Muzan himself...more
ᴄᴜʀʀᴇɴᴛ ʟᴏᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ: Japan
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Meiji Secrets
※[Name] has a long history with Great Britain
※Great Britain suffers from unrequited love syndrome
※America and Nekomi read and wrote many fanfics of anime, both general and 18+ rated, respectively
※In this universe, the creator of Demon Slayer is male. In reality, they are nonbinary but thought to be female.
※Britain does have a metal left arm, courtesy of America during his Independence Arc in the 1700's
※Britain did have a vision of the fight and will have more in the future
※Britain saw a glimpse of Kokushibou but doesn't know him since he doesn't watch anime
※Kenya was not colonized by Great Britain, like Ethiopia, but is good friends with him
※[Name] hates her periods since it affects her power usage
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The history that you once knew is not the same in this universe. [Name]'s influence as a time traveler changed key events, such as Kenya's colonisation along with other countries.
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed as much as I did writing.