Note from Insanity: Well here is my first Hetalia story. I thought I'd fail at this but I guess it didn't turn out so bad in the end.

I'd really like to thank Madness. She's been such a great friend and beta. I don't think it would have sounded as good if it weren't for her awesome translating skills in French and Spanish (I've lost touch with my French…).

Another Note: My boyfriend and I are currently debating whether I can write a heterosexual pairing. I claimed I can. He says I can't because I love yaoi too much. Well, a pairing in this will prove I can! Ladies and gentlemen, Feliciano is a girl and is now named Feliciana.

What It's Like

Prologue

Ivan Braginski, age 14, was sitting up in his bed. He was home from school with the flu. His big sister, age 18, was in the kitchen last he knew. His mother was in her home office doing work. Ever since she had Natalya, now age 12, she had discovered her children had an odd condition. When one was sick, they were all sick.

Katyusha, the eldest, had somehow managed not to become bedridden. So, whilst her mother worked, she took care of her siblings. Natalya usually just coughed and sneezed, had the occasional vomit and was over exhausted. Ivan managed to vomit up anything he consumed, had hallucinations from the numerous headaches and the high fever and refused to sleep.

"Brother?" It was Katyusha. She walked into his room with a bowl of soup and a bottle of what looked to be medicine. Good thing she was training to be a doctor or else he would have freaked. She set them aside and placed her cold palm against his forehead.

"Still very warm…oh brother, must you always be so sick?" She joked as she carded her fingers through his hair. He managed a small smile before coughing. "Don't speak, little one."

Sitting on the edge of the bed she poured some of the medicine into his soup. She knew he hated taking any form of medicine whether it was a capsule, a liquid or a shot. He had a fear ever since their father scared him when they took Katyusha to the hospital. She took a spoonful from the soup and held it to his lips. He shook his head.

"Brother, please? You need to get better; you can't keep missing school like this." Katyusha lightly scolded. She noticed his violet eyes grew sad. "Oh no, don't you even dare, Ivan Kalinin Braginski."

He knew if he tried really hard to pull the sad eyes his sister wouldn't make him take the medicine. So he continued his attempts. He added sniffling as an added effect. Katyusha playfully batted him across the head. Ivan pouted.

"Brother, take one bite and I'll leave you alone. I have to go and check on Natalya and mom anyway." Katyusha was pleased when her brother gave in. As she put the spoon back she noticed his pout.

"Oh don't give me that, it's not that bad. It could be a whole lot worse." She smiled as she leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Now, rest little one. I'll be back momentarily so we can change you out of those grimy clothes, da~?"

He nodded his head; speaking hurt his throat. She smiled and walked out the door, closing it gently. He turned as best as he could and tried to fall asleep.

Moments passed and Katyusha wasn't back. Ivan was still awake. Sleep had eluded him once again. He waited and waited and waited. His patience was wearing thin. He was about to scream until he heard the door open. When he turned he saw Natalya standing there crying. He tilted his head.

"Natasha…what's…wrong?" His voice was broken and hard to understand. His sister pointed to the downstairs. Ivan became confused so he rose from his bed and started limping towards the door. He followed Natalya over the railing.

There was screaming. Lots of screaming

Ivan heard his father's voice and became concerned. His father was a scary man and even more intimidating when yelling. He also heard his mother and sister's voices. He made his way down the stairs as fast as he could. By the time he reached the foot of the staircase he heard a pain filled cry.

"Kat..." He urged his muscles to carry him faster. Finally he made it to his mother's office and saw his father towering over his mother and sister. His mother was holding Katyusha in her arms. The girl was holding her face in her hands, tears cascading down her cheeks. Blood seeped out from between her fingers. Ivan felt a heat rise in his chest. Whether it was his illness or his anger, he didn't care. Nobody hit his sister, not even his father. He tore open the door.

"Оставьте их в покое! (1)" Ivan screamed. His father turned with such a vicious expression that made Ivan want to run away. But he didn't waver. His father wasn't man enough to be the man of this house. So it was up to Ivan to protect his family.

"So, the little boy thinks he can fight his old man, da?" His father growled out. The malicious smile was still in place. Ivan just nodded his head. He wouldn't waste his words on this pathetic piece of flesh.

"You're not even man enough to protect your mother and sister!" He barked out a laugh. Ivan's violet eyes narrowed, they seemed to darken. He took his chance and ran at the man. He went to punch him but he was knocked back into a bookcase.

"Vanya! Nikolai, leave him alone! He's not well!" His mother tried to reason with his father. But there was no room for negotiating with him. There was no reasoning with a monster.

"Silence you bitch! You're the reason he's against me!" He raised his hand. Ivan's eyes widened. No one hit his mother. He grabbed the fire poker and rose to his feet. He silently walked up behind his father.

"До свидания, отец. (2)" Ivan drove the tool into the back of his father's skull. Katyusha and his mother just stared. He had truly killed someone. The young boy fell to his knees and broke into sobs but not over the man lying on the floor in a pool of his own blood.

Ivanna didn't know what to do. This was her husband and yet, this was also her son. She rose to her feet and walked over. Slowly she wrapped her arms around Ivan, holding him close. Her little boy wasn't a murderer. He wouldn't even harm a small bug. When he was younger, only being as high as Ivanna's knees, he had cried over a dead sunflower.

"It's alright…my little sunflower, it's alright." She ran her fingers through his hair, whispering comforting words. Katyusha walked over and held onto him as well.

Little did they know, this would be the last time they would ever hold little Ivan.

Ivan was put on trial. His mother and sisters tried to save him but in the end he was institutionalized. For safety reasons the family was not allowed to see him. The little Russian boy cried and begged for his life. He pleaded for his mother to help him. Ivanna watched as they dragged her son away.

Three years have passed.

/

Gilbert Beilschmidt was grinning like a mad man. He was sitting in the computer lab during his favorite class. No one could understand what was so exciting about psychology. It was about how the brain worked and all the diseases or dysfunctions, but Gilbert found fascinating. He even informed his brother he was going to be the most awesome psychologist ever.

"Mr. Beilschmidt, will you stay after school for a bit? There's someone who wants to meet with you and I." That was his psychology teacher, Mr. Berwald. His last name was difficult to pronounce.

"Can do since I'm that awesome, Mr. Berwald!" He grinned as he leaned back against his chair. The teacher shook his head as he returned to help the rest of his students.

"Hey! Over here, amigo!" Gilbert turned and saw his two best friends, Antonio and Francis. "What did Mr. Berwald want?"

"He needs me to stay after to meet with someone." Gilbert answered as he turned back to his screen. It was a bunch of psychological terms, definitions and charts. It all interested him. He wanted to help people with mental problems.

"Well, Antonio and I heard that someone from the asylum is here." Francis said as he smiled flirtatiously at his Prussian friend. "Maybe he's here to take you away, oue?"

Gilbert scowled as he punched Francis on the shoulder with a smirk. He was too awesome to be a mental patient. Antonio shook his head and grinned.

"Could it have something to do with that kid that killed his papá a few years back, no crees?" Gilbert and Francis turned to their Spaniard friend. "You didn't hear about that?"

"What do you know about him?" Gilbert pressed on.

"Well, I don't know all the details… Una familia de cinco, creo. El padre, la madre, dos hijas y el crio (3). The father was abusive and would beat up his wife and kids, so the kid tried to protect his familia by killing his father. He was then put on trial and ended up in the asylum… that same one that's a few miles away from school, actually."Antonio finished his tale with a shudder. Gilbert and Francis were absolutely enthralled in the story he weaved for them.

"I'm sorry amigos but that's all I know. If Gilbert is meeting with someone from that asylum maybe you could find out more." The albino nodded his head. He would make it his mission to find out about that incident.

/

Gilbert packed up his bag and heaved it onto his shoulders. Today was their last day of school for their Christmas vacation. Alfred Jones wouldn't shut up about it. He claimed he was going to be heading to the airport to pick up Arthur, his boyfriend of two years. They met over summer vacation but Arthur was going to college in England. Matthew, Alfred's little brother, would be going to Francis' house. They'd been dating for a little over a year now. Alfred still protested his hatred for it.

As he walked out of the room and towards his teachers' office he began to think about his own love life. He had been single for a while now. Ever since his girlfriend left him for some sophisticated asshole he had been depressed. She claimed he was too eccentric for her tastes.

"Eccentric she calls me…yet she's the one wielding the fucking frying pan." He muttered under his breath. As he looked up he noticed Antonio and Francis waiting for him. "Weren't you guys supposed to be gone by now? I thought Romano was coming in from Italy tonight. I know Ludwig wouldn't shut up about Feliciana. And weren't you supposed to meet Mattie at your house tonight, Francis?"

"Ludwig is going to pick up Romano for me since he's going to get Feliciana." Antonio said with a grin.

"As for Mathieu, he's been informed of me being late. So no need to worry, mon ami, we're here to back you up." Francis said with his best smile. Gilbert grinned and nodded as they continued their venture towards the office.

/

Gilbert was nervous. Sitting in the office with him, his friends and the teacher was indeed someone from the asylum down the street. He was also indeed on the hunt for the albino.

"So, your teacher told me you're interested in psychology, Gilbert." The man asked with a smile. The albino just nodded his head silently. "Well, I've talked it over with your teacher and I've arranged for you to work at the asylum for the duration of your vacation. If you're still into it, we'll considering giving you a permanent job."

"I'll be able to help people?" Gilbert's eyes widened. His friends wanted to laugh at his expression, it was so priceless.

"Well, not as a psychologist. You'd have to have a degree for that. But you would sit with our patients and talk to them, take care of them." The man explained. Gilbert thought about it for a moment. "If the patients improve by having you around then well, you must be doing something right."

"Alright, I'll do it!" The Prussian grinned as he held his hand out. The man smiled and shook it.

/

"Gil, are you sure you want to do this? I mean, I know you're excited but still." Antonio said with a small smile.

"Of course I'm sure! So stop worrying! Tell you what. Be at my house before I get out of work and I'll prove how awesome it is!" Gilbert said with a proud smirk.

"Alright, just be careful, oui?" Francis said as he placed a firm but gentle grip on Gilbert's shoulder. The albino nodded and made his way up towards the front door of his house. He heard giggling and laughing. Feliciana must be here already.

He so couldn't wait to tell his brother.

End Chapter I

Translations:

1. Leave them alone!

2. Goodbye, father.

3. A family of five, I think. The father, the mother, two daughters and the boy.