Feliciano smiled politely where he sat, trying very much not to look too awkward. It wasn't really a case of being afraid of a rival group or anything, though a little fear was honestly there. Berwald was just plain intimidating, no matter how often Tino would look over to assure Feliciano the man was actually pretty nice. What made everything a bit awkward was much simpler really, and perhaps in another situation it may have been somewhat comical even. The Italian shifted slightly on the very comfortable chair he'd been offered, glad to be a bit out of the way.

Mikkel, apparently, refused to remain in his bed in the other room when there was a guest here. The man had started, well, not really yelling at Lukas to help him out of bed... but more just sort of... telling him to. Very loudly. He seemed extremely excited at the prospect of getting out of bed, and Feliciano maybe thought he'd been turned into the man's excuse. The look Lukas had shot him almost seemed like he was blaming Feliciano for the cumbersome task of helping the injured man out to the common room.

Lukas really did seem to be struggling to get Mikkel out here. Not only was the injured man bigger than him, but he kept moving about and trying to stand and walk on his own, and in the end it just seemed to be making things worse. "You just can't stay still can you?" Lukas muttered, and Mikkel tossed him a great big smile.

"Of course not, I'm not that kind of guy!" Lukas rolled his eyes slightly and kept trying to support Mikkel out. Feliciano bit his lip, wondering if he should offer to help. Tino couldn't of course... and Berwald seemed as if he preferred to keep his distance from Mikkel for the most part. But... Emil wasn't doing anything. He was in the room with Lukas and Mikkel, watching the Norwegian representative struggle... but he hadn't made any moves to help. Feliciano continued to watch the Icelandic representative, wondering if it was some sort of etiquette not to assist with something like this?

"What?" Emil asked bluntly, having caught the Italian watching him. He didn't seem mad, judging from his face, but his tone of voice was just a tad abrasive. "Do you think I should be doing something?"

"N-No!" Feliciano quickly dropped his gaze to his lap, staring down at the small black diamonds in his hands. His eyes flicked guiltily over to Tino, seated in a chair nearby. The man smiled in a friendly sort of way, and Feliciano smiled back before looking down again. This... this was another awkward issue. He'd been given some salmiakki... and after taking a small sniff of one, and dabbing it on his tongue, he'd been desperately trying to find some way to make them disappear without eating them. He'd thought maybe he could feed them to Hanatamago... but the pup was all too happy to sit in Tino's lap right now.

"Ok!" The sudden, and very loud, arrival of Mikkel in the seat across from him nearly had Feliciano leaping for the ceiling. As it was, he was honestly startled enough that the salmiakki fell from his hands to the floor. On one hand he was happy to be saved... but he hadn't wanted to just waste them. They could still be eaten perhaps... the floor looked clean... but he hadn't wanted to eat them before they'd fallen to the ground. The salmiakki seemed even less appetizing now. He dropped to the floor, scooping them up and shooting Tino an apologetic glance.

"Ve... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to..." Tino just waved it off, leaning forward a bit.

"It's ok, don't worry about it..." Berwald actually came over, strangely attentive to Tino's needs, and took the fallen salmiakki from Feliciano's hands. Tino thanked the Swedish man, before turning an understanding smile to Feliciano with a little shrug. "Not everyone enjoys it, it's ok."

Feeling a bit embarrassed, the Italian just nodded and slid back up into his seat. Mikkel was laughing away, good natured yes, but sort of loud. "A bit clumsy are ya?"

"Ve... I suppose so..." It was probably better to be viewed as clumsy rather than cowardly. Mikkel just nodded away, before moving on to reintroduce everybody. It seemed as if he was the leader of this group... or maybe... the self appointed leader? The Italian couldn't quite figure it out, the dynamics of this group, but at least so far as the Representative of Clan Denmark was concerned... he was top dog. Even while injured.

"Oh! And there's something special about Lukas and Emil!" This statement seemed to have quite an effect on the group of blonds, most starting to grin in some manner (even Berwald's lips quirked up a bit), though Emil just looked flustered and a little red in the cheeks. "It's so cute... hey Emil... you've gotta say it. Do it in front of our guest."

Even Lukas seemed sort of in on whatever this inside joke was, leaning towards the Icelandic youth, face expectant. Emil crossed his arms, looking away like an embarrassed teen. "Stop that..." he muttered, even the tips of his ears red beneath his messy pale hair.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of," Tino added, friendly yet just as insistent as the others.

"'s good t' appreciate y'r family..." Berwald added.

Emil shook his head, locking his eyes on Feliciano as if he'd suddenly found a way out of saying whatever they all seemed to want him to say. "We shouldn't be talking about that in front of an outsider anyway."

Utterly confused, Feliciano cocked his head to the side. "About what?"

Mikkel pointed between Lukas and Emil. "About how little Emil there is Lukas's younger brother!

Emil shot Mikkel a look that could kill... not that the man seemed to notice. Then he looked back at Feliciano, something rather determined in his eyes. "He's lying... of course we're not brothers, that'd be i-impossible... we're from different Clans."

"I'm hurt..." Lukas deadpanned, and Emil looked flushed again, as if worried he'd really upset the other man. The Italian smiled and gave a little shrug.

"Ve... it's not a big deal if you're brothers from different Clans. I met another set of brothers like that, so maybe it happens more than most of us were raised to believe?" This seemed to surprise quite a few people in the room.

"Seriously?" Mikkel asked. Something almost calculating passed behind his energetic eyes. "Who?"

Feliciano shrunk back a little, only now realizing it might not be his place to say. It seemed pretty complicated, whatever had happened in Matthew and Alfred's past. "Umm..." He stalled, worried that he'd be unable to think up an excuse not to say. Tino cleared his throat, stepping in for him.

"Feliciano is on The Journey... so he might not be able to say. We shouldn't press him." The Italian shot the Finnish man a very grateful look.

"You? On the Journey? Can't be alone, you're way too small for that! Who're you allied with?" Mikkel probably hadn't meant that as an insult, so Feliciano tried not to take it as such. Fidgeting a bit, he looked at the floor as he answered.

"I'm allied with Clans Germany and Japan..." It was the truth, still. He'd yet to make any decision about whether or not he'd stop The Journey, which would effectively end his membership in the alliance. The Representative of Denmark gave a low hum in his throat before shaking his head.

"Well, it can't be them... no way are those two Clans related!" Lukas just sighed, annoyed.

"Stop trying to figure it out, you'll hurt yourself." Mikkel gave him a funny smile in return before shrugging.

"So, you've run into a lot of Clans then, huh? Lots of adventure on The Journey, no doubt about that." He gestured to his bandaged body and to Tino's cast covered leg. "Soon as we all heal up, we'll be back out there, too! You better watch out!"

Feliciano paled at the thought of facing these five as enemies, and Tino leaned over to pat his arm. "I'm sure you'll be far ahead of us before I can walk on my own again."

"Hey Tino, don't talk like that! You make it sound like we're gonna lose like that! I'll carry you if I have to!" Mikkel's words seem to provoke Berwald a bit, the Swedish man standing behind Tino's chair and putting a protective hand on his shoulder.

"We're n't doin' anything that c'ld harm m' w'fe..." He declared. Mikkel grinned a competitive grin.

"What, don't think you're strong enough to carry him? Because I could, no problem!" Berwald leaned farther forward over the chair.

"I won't let 'im be hurt." The Italian blinked. Something in the Swedish man's tone... something in what he'd said... made Feliciano question if Berwald wanted Tino to complete The Journey at all. If Berwald knew what was at the end of The Journey... and was honest in his desire to protect Tino... then surely he wouldn't let the man continue on? The way that Berwald seemed to have integrated into life here in the settlement, building furniture and such, almost seemed like the man wished to remain here permanently.

'Or... he's come up with some sort of plan like Ludwig did... so Tino won't have to die...' Thinking about the German, Feliciano realized he should really get back. He hadn't made a choice yet... but he was probably worrying them with his absence.

"Look... let's worry about that l-later... ok?" Obviously worried to be stuck in the middle of this, Tino was trying to diffuse the situation. He sighed and looked over at Feliciano, noticing perhaps the bit of melancholy that'd fallen over him again. "Did you need to go...?"

Before Feliciano could answer, Mikkel cut in. "Not yet! You have to hear about the epic battle that stranded us here! Have you ever run up against the Clanless?" Without pause Mikkel launched into the story. It didn't sound like they'd run into Gilbert's group, but the group they had encountered sounded horrible! Not only did they have guns, but they rode upon these creatures that Mikkel described as 'gigantic wolverines with porcupine spikes and a bad attitude'. One of them had been the cause of Tino's leg injury, the creature catching him by the leg, mauling it and breaking it in several places.

If you listened to Mikkel's version, he sounded like he'd done all the fighting, everyone else's contributions to the fight marginalized, Berwalds significantly so. "That's why I'm so injured, but in the end I won, and here we are now!"

Feliciano clapped a little at the end (it seemed appropriate and the tale really had been exciting). A knocking at the door made him pause rather than commenting, Berwald moving to open it up.

"Ah, excuse me... I'm sorry to bother you so late but I was wondering if perhaps..." Feliciano looked over, recognizing the voice. Barely visible around Berwald was Kiku, who seemed to spot Feliciano at the same time. "A-ah! Feliciano-kun, there you are!" The relief in Kiku's voice made the Italian feel so guilty, and he rushed to his feet, stammering out some hasty goodbyes. He really would have liked to ask each of them why they were going on The Journey, sought out their perspectives, but he wasn't going to make Kiku wait. Besides, the final words Mikkel called after them as they left reminded the Italian that he couldn't treat those five as close confidants.

"See you on the battlefield!"

xoxoxoxoxoxox

"There is no reason to hang your head... Feliciano-kun."

Kiku's voice broke the quiet of the night as they headed back towards their provided room. Feliciano hadn't really realized he was walking like that, head down like a dog with its tail between its legs. He forced a little smile to his lips, a little spring to his step, even though he didn't feel it. The Japanese representative gave him a little smile and shook his head.

"You don't have to smile, not if you don't feel it."

The smile didn't completely fade from his face, but Feliciano nodded. They lapsed back into silence again, the mild ambient sounds of the settlement playing beneath the twin sounds of their steps. Most lights were out, people no doubt sleeping, preparing for yet another day of hard work, of defying the harsh environment the surface was now. Another day of living with two Representatives who'd decided to defy the system set in place. It wasn't as though there was anything technically stopping the Representatives from leaving the Austro-Hungarian settlement to go on The Journey now, was there? But Feliciano stopped that train of thought... because as tired as he was and as much as he didn't want to do it... he needed to really face his situation here. At the very least, Kiku and Ludwig deserved to know.

"Ah... Ludwig..." Was the German man out looking for him as well?

"He'll meet us back at the room soon. It was his idea we split up to search for you when... you took quite a while cleaning up." There was a mildly reproachful tone in Kiku's voice, but the Japanese man's eyes also conveyed a sense of sympathy. He understood Feliciano's feelings, he wasn't condemning his actions.

Feliciano swung his arms at his side slightly, feeling a tightness in one arm that might never go away, but overall focused on an entirely different feeling. He felt weightless on one hand, free and loose and the master of his own fate. Yet on the other he felt lost, adrift in a sea of sand, clutching at grains that wouldn't stick to his fingers. He knew what he wanted... he wanted to go home. He wanted to be back in the Sanctuary, with his brother and his Clan and his easy carefree life. He wanted to complete The Journey... he really wanted to not only give back to his Clan but to prove to them, in some measure, that he wasn't worthless. That he was strong and deserved to be their Representative for reasons beyond blood and Qualities.

But he wanted to live, too. He wanted to live and explore and see even more of the surface. It was scary and terrifying, dangerous and difficult... but it was also really fascinating when he had a chance to really see it. He was curious to know, also, if it would really start to heal. If plants and trees and flowers would really take root again, if the surface could begin to resemble the old pictures and paintings the Clan kept. There was so much of the future he wanted to see really, and while it'd feel good to help a bright future along... it stung to know that to do so would stop him from ever seeing it.

"I really... really... don't want you and Ludwig to die..." Feliciano admitted. He didn't look at Kiku, wasn't sure he wanted to see the other man's reaction. He let out a forlorn sigh, staring up at the sky instead. "But... you're going to complete the Journey no matter what, aren't you? Ve... you've known all along... so of course you wouldn't change your mind now."

As Kiku pondered his response, Feliciano stopped walking. They were very close to the room they'd been given now, but he wasn't exactly ready to go in just yet. The Japanese Representative paused in his walk as well, and Feliciano fixed him with a sober stare. "Will you tell me why? What makes you determined to complete The Journey?"

Nodding, Kiku began to speak. "When I was a very small child, I learned about the Representative, and The Journey. All members of Clan Japan learn of this, of course, but based upon the current date, the elders knew that someone in my generation would begin to show signs of having Qualities. It was very important that we all learn and understand how important the Representative was... and about how much of an honor it would be to become them. To be able to serve the Clan, the elders, in such a selfless manner. To be so devoted to the cause, this was encouraged within us all. To die serving Clan Japan was not something we were raised to fear, and I was honored and humbled when I learned that I was to be given the opportunity to do so."

Feliciano looked down to his feet, pondering this. It wasn't as though he didn't have Clan loyalty, it wasn't as though Clan Italy didn't have a bond that was tight and protective. But it almost seemed as if Kiku had been raised specifically for this... had grown up always considering that one day, he might die for his Clan.

"Though I have no reservations about completing The Journey," Kiku added softly, fetching back Feliciano's gaze. "That is not to say I have never felt scared... have never been afraid of what's to come. I am resolved, however. I will conquer that fear."

Disappointing as it was to accept that Kiku wouldn't be stopping The Journey, it was also a bit impressive. "Ve... I admire you..." He admitted softly, which even in the dark brought enough of a blush to Kiku's face for the Italian to see. It made him laugh a little, seeing determined Kiku unbalanced by kind words like that. Tilting his head towards their destination, Feliciano got them walking again. "I suppose we should get in, before Ludwig worries more."

Thinking about his friends, his allies in this quest, Feliciano made a tiny resolution. While they were staying here at the settlement, he'd really read over the materials sent with him very carefully. He'd... he'd do his best to really understand just what was waiting for them at the end of The Journey. Then... and only then... would he decide if he'd continue on. But what he really wanted to do... despite the offense that Kiku had shown at Ludwig's mention of sacrifice, was find a way to save his allies. Unlike Ludwig, however, the Italian was determined to find a way that would leave no one dead. Perhaps he was being naive again, or perhaps he was simply determined to find a positive solution. Whatever the case, he knew that for any chance of success, he'd really have to start working very very hard.

A/N:

I continue to doubt myself with the Nordics, so you got more bad refs to the anime/manga. They do, however, make their exit from the fic this chapter (despite Denmark's parting words!). They won't even be coming back like the NA bros for the grand finale... so... bye guys! It was fun while it lasted.

Anyhow, thanks for reading! To those who review, many many thanks for your comments.