The strident wail of an alarm clock jarred Greece awake from his pleasant slumber. Glaring in resentment at the device daring to interrupt his peace, he reached to shut it off.

That was when he remembered: he didn't own an alarm clock. His skin wasn't ever that pale before either. Nor was his arm so thin.

A light bulb flickered on in his head. But there was someone he knew that had such a physique and wouldn't mind being woken up through outside assistance.

The rattling of a cell phone on the mats next to the mass of blankets he slept on was the next thing his gaunt limb reached for. He read the caller ID: Girisha-san.

Just the person he wanted to talk to. He pressed "send" and placed the phone against his cheek. "Yassou," he said lazily into the receiver.

"G-girisha-san? Are you there?"

The first thing that he had encountered all day that belonged in his possession: that deep voice was, in no way, shape, or form, Japan's.

"Yes," he kept his reply simple. Just from those few words, he could perceive Japan's anxiety and fear interred in his attempts at keeping an even, placid voice.

"I know this will sound quite out of the blue, but…does it appear to you that you might not be viewing the world through your own eyes, anymore?"

Greece rose to his feet, stretching his back, before replying. "Well, yes, I would believe so. I don't have pale skin, black hair and brown eyes." He peered at his reflection in a window, a ghostly outline of Japan meeting his gaze.

" Good…It seems that we have somehow swapped bodies. And we have a World Meeting in a few hours."

A World Meeting? Heracles felt his heart sink in displeasure. Sure, he wouldn't pretend that he didn't enjoy viewing the world through the eyes of his close friend, but with a world meeting on the horizon, now wasn't the best time to be in another's shoes - literally.

"Do you think we could skip? I'm sure if we explained things to our bosses, they would cook up some excuse as to why we can't attend," Heracles mused aloud. He knew his boss may not believe that his consciousness had been relocated into another nation's body, but what with his economy, a bad cold wouldn't be a challenge to fake….

"Heracles-san, your leader may be a bit more lenient, but I'm the one hosting this World Conference, so I can't miss it- I mean, you can't miss it, technically. In addition, wouldn't the other nations see it…suspicious if both of us were absent at the same time?"

Kiku did bring up valid points. Heracles tapped the phone, pondering, before he replied. "Alright, so that means we will have to act like each other in front of anybody else."

The other line remained silent for a minute. "That would be logical, yes." His voice seemed impassive, but Greece could hear the uncertainty in his sentence.

"Don't worry too much. I can stay awake throughout the whole meeting if I put my mind to it." He walked over to a dresser, where he assumed Japan's clothing would be stored. "What sort of clothes were you thinking of wearing today?" he inquired nonchalantly.

"Ah… Well, a suit, a tie, and dress shoes would be suitable. The shoes are kept the front of my home. Where do you keep your attire, Greece-san?"

"My shirts, pants and everything are in the closet while my underwear and socks are in my nightstand."

Greece could almost feel the heat that must be radiating from Japan's cheeks the moment he named his "unmentionables". A smirk wrought his face at the realization that he would be going through Japan's undergarments as well.

"And would a flannel shirt, dress pants and tie work with you?" Quivers in Japan's voice gave away his prevalent embarrassment.

"I don't own any ties. I find them too constraining."

"I see….Well, I'll try to be there early, so if we need to talk, we can without any other nation overhearing us. See you then, Greece-san."

"See you." Greece swiftly hung up his own line and placed the cellular device on the dresser. Before he began to rummage through Japan's drawers for the appropriate attire, he admired his dim reflection in the window.

He had on a white yukata of sorts tied loosely by a black obi. His raven-tinted hair was a tad bit tousled, his sleepwear slid open to reveal his collarbone, a body part rarely seen by any other person.

Oh, how purely adorable he looked! Greece adored Japan like this - heck, he adored the nation 24/7 - and so wished he could privately lay eyes on the man in this state more often. Greece had only seen Japan in this getup once, when the Asian had allowed for him to spend the night before catching a flight back home. Greece often reminisced about that night: lying in the same bed with Kiku, arms coiled lightly around his waist, the aroma of cherry blossoms filling his nostrils as he buried his nose amongst the roots of Japan's hair…

"Nihon-san! Are you ready yet? The nations will be arriving for the World Meeting soon!"

In a flash, Greece returned the waking world, lurching forward to gather the clothes he'd need. He paused, shirt and pants in hand, pondering if he should attempt to take a shower beforehand…..It wasn't the best decision in the scope of hygiene to decline, but he could be sure Japan wouldn't approve of him peeping at him in the nude (as much as Greece pined to do so)

After fishing out an appropriate tie, he opening the adjacent drawer, he lips quirking at the sight of various undergarments folded meticulously within the wooden shelf. Most of the boxers were of a plain white, which wasn't a tremendous surprise, but his eyes were soon fastened to a patch of blue cloth peeking out from under the mass of white. He pulled the underwear out, his heart spluttering to see a cat-print design gracing a blue background. Without another thought, Greece tossed on the garment along with the rest of the outfit. After all, it's not like anyone would see the boxers during the World Meeting.

He speedily dressed himself without further delay, but paused when he reached the tie. Because he never wore the garment, Greece was quite out of practice with how to properly wear the item. He decided to wait until Japan arrived, whereupon he could ask for help with that step.

With his appearance presentable, Greece, slid out of Japan's bedroom and walked to the front room, where his shoes lie, waiting to be worn. As he slipped the dress shoes on, the doorbell sounded through the house. Greece peeked through a nearby window, spotting himself (or Japan, for the time being) standing at the door. Within a few moments, Greece had the door open and Japan inside the abode. As his friend took up a seat on the couch, Greece contemplated how surreal it felt to be laying his eyes upon himself without having the aid of a mirror. For one thing, Japan had clothed himself quite appropriately, even remembering how he liked having his flannel shirt unbuttoned halfway. Then again, Japan was one for noticing detail. For another, the expression he wore seemed so authentic, the half-lidded eyes, the lazy smirk of a smile on his sun-kissed lips, that he couldn't seem to tell if there was a mirror between the two of them or not.

"You haven't put on a tie yet."

Greece shook himself from his brief stupor and turned his attention to the piece of cloth in his hand. "I don't know how to put on one…" he admitted, searching Japan for a response.

Japan blinked, not showing any prevailing emotion. "Would you like help with it, then?"

With a nod of affirmation, Greece handed the tie to the Japanese (or Greek as of current status) male, who fixed the attire with practiced fingers. As soon as the tie was in place, Greece made a motion to at least loosen the cloth a bit, but Japan swatted his hand away with ninja-like speed.

"I need to look as professional as possible. Loosening the tie, therefore, will not work," the oriental man explained.

"Hm." Greece didn't really think such meticulous care was needed in his attire, but he understood Japan's concern. "So…we're going to the meeting now?"

"I guess so." They had never been great conversationalist; however, both men could determine any prevalent concern or emotion within the silences that often lingered between them. For now, the atmosphere only seemed permeated with the anxiety they shared and Greece could only hope no one else would be keen enough to notice this new aura when seated around the conference table.

Author's Note: And that is chapter two, my dear readers. Only one more before the end.

As always, thanks for reading.

~AnimeOtakuFreak1029