Italy's hands morphed into ridged claws. "Dammit...!"

He looked at his hands, still remembering the blood that stained his hands...

"Wait...!"

Italy opened the pen and cut along the underside of his finger with the small spring. The blood dribbled down his hands, Italy rubbed his hands together, recreating the day he...

Well, Germany had mostly healed. No use worrying about it.

In blood, he wrote. Large, red, scary letters contrasted on white. Blood dripped onto the paper, staining it scarlet.

I FINALLY REALIZED THAT I WAS ON THE BURRIAL GROUNDS OF THE TRIBES OF AMERICA. IT WAS A PLACE TO HONOR ANCESTORS THAT WERE MURDERED AND KEPT LOCKED UP... ALMOST LIKE WHAT I WAS DOING, I GUESS...?

The Italian looked at the tomb stones. Yahi, Timucua, Yana...

"The original American people... Huh..."

Beothuck, Illini...

Italy kneed in front of these graves. "Well, you seemed to have a hard enough time living with America, huh?"

"Found you!"

Italy looked up, seeing Japan and Germany.

Facing their hard stares, he turned away, standing. "I don't regret anything."

"You talk like you're going to die."

Italy turned around, holding his arms out. He smiled dreamily, blood staining him perfectly. "I'm not? How generous!" Italy, however fake his smile was, began to grow red with anger. "Kill me! I mean, it's a perfect punishment, no? I die, you're free to frolic through life with no care, no memory of a never ceasing hellish nightmare."

Italy buried his pitifully smiling face in his hands.

Japan walked to the distressed Italy, resting a hand on his shoulder.

However, such a kind and odd gesture from the Asian nation was slapped off.

"Get away from me!"

The nation began to sob out a strained sound. "Leave me alone... Leave in pace... Lasciami in pace... Lasciami in pace...!"

Italy felt a heavier pair of hands fall on his shoulders. His eyes looked blankly at the hand, traveled up bandaged arms and into a familiar face. Looking up into blue eyes, he became lost in a cloud of the past. A past long before he knew Germany, long before WW1.

"Holy... Holy Roman Empire?"

Germany was confused. "No... I'm Germany."

"Ger...Ma...Ny?" Italy mused over the name. He looked to the ground as if it would give him all of the answers he desperately longed for. "Oh yes... I seem to have been stuck in the past."

"Germany! Japan!"

Another voice approached, as well as the sound of pounding feet.

A group of Italians lead the group, including Romano, Vatican City, Seborgia, San Morino, Abruzzo, Aosta Valley, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Marche, Molise, Piedmont, Sardinia, Sicily, Tuscany, Südtirol, Umbria, and Veneto.

All of the people Italy trusted most.

They surrounded Italy, not a trace of remorse.

And they captured him.

He gave in with little of a struggle.

Italy sucked on his bleeding finger, hissing at the stinging. He'd never leave unless someone came to save him, prepared to become strong once again with him.

Italy smiled, realizing something.

"You will always need a person to lean on... one just as deep in as you."

A plan formed in his head once more. It was complex and could go many different ways, but for this plan to work, he would need...

Four months later, Italy heard his metal door groan open. In the door way was the only person minimally effected by Italy's reign. Well, since he didn't exist as a nation...

"Prussia?"

Behind him was a tiny, sickly girl with long blond hair and red eyes. She was a new country that had died before Italy's reign, being a state of Germany, but recently took pieces of land that Italy had given up in apology and was reborn.

The two looked at the fallen kingdom who sat there, blood all over his hands.

"Why are you here? With Wendland?"

"Kesesese!" Prussia's annoying laugh sounded, making little Wendland giggle. "Ve're here for you!"

Wendland smiled. "Yes, Herr Italy. Ve zon't feel zat you should be kept away as a punishment for you doing the same zing to you since zey zought it vas unfair."

Prussia grinned at the girl's slightly confusing statement. "Ve want to be powerful. So come with ze awesome me and little awesome! Ve can restore you to your former glory."

Italy stared at the two, standing and walking to them. First, he kissed Prussia on the cheeks (Making him blush profusely) before leaning down to do the same to the child (Who giggled, returning the favor). "We do want to be powerful." He said, talking about the three. "So, shall we go and begin a quest for power?"

And the three left.

Questing for power.

The power they once had.