Holy freaking hockey stick covered in maple syrup, 231 reviews! X3 I love all of you so much, words can't even describe how grateful I am to you! XD

ICCY KISSES FOOR: emz and bellz, Art and Soul, InsanityAintOptional, Scarlet daydreamer, CelticGirl7, teenbooks4eva, chipsivanna, Athesia, el18m, caset290, crumbthief, Myrna Maeve, TheRoxelShow, xXRedPokerGirlxX, blackstar778, and hetaliaforever123.

Okay, so, can some one tell me WHEN THE HECK DID THIS GET SO LONG AND DRAMITIC, BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T KNOW, AND I REALLY DIDN'T PLAN THAT! DX XD

I'm serious, I didn't think I'd continue this past twenty chapters...Ah, well.

Yeah, so my "new" laptop is old, and it doesn't have spell check. GOOD: No more annoying red lines! BAD: More spelling mistakes! I'm sorry!

Count your blessings, Mem. At least you have this new old computer.

Okay, I'm going to surprise you all at the end of this chapter. Eeeeviiillll suuurprrriiiiseee... If any of you read this, you are forewarned! Mwahahahahah! :D

Issa's POV

My eyes open when the first rays of sunlight streams through the window. It was morning. That meant that I only had today to save Zack and Renae.

Joy.

I shove my glasses on my face and look around. I am in Austria's living room. I slept on the couch last night. On the couch parallel to mine, Lauren is still sprawled across it, her brown hair falling over her face, a few strands blowing up every time she exhaled. As I watch her in a completely non-stalkerish way, she mumbles, "I know, Mum, sorry...goodnight." She was dreaming, most likely of her home back in England.

Lauren, why did you kill yourself? What could you possibly gain by doing so? You had so much to live for...

I sigh, remembering how I had tried to kill myself yesterday. I had a reason to, though. The world would benefit because of my death.

Can she ever go back to her normal life back home?

Can I?

I stretch on the couch, hearing my elbows crack as I did so. Slumping back, I think of some plans with the variables we already had that didn't include me.

Maybe we could do a sneak attack...

Maybe a full-on attack...

We could let Russia have his way for once. Let him make Germany one with him...

What about Belarus? If Russia could pursuade her, she could go all psyco on his potato-loving rear.

I sigh, admitting my momentary defeat. I couldn't think of anything right now, but maybe later...Or someone else will think of something...

I just want them to be safe...

Suddenly, Lauren's head jerks up. "Where's the cannon?" She asks groggily. I laugh at the Harry Potter reference. "Just me, 'member?"

"Ah. Yes. When you see Flying Mint Bunny, tell him not to forget out tea-time is at four-thirty..." Lauren mumbles, pulling the blanket over her head. I giggle, placing my hand over my mouth to stifle the noise. "Yeah, I'll tell him," I choke out through my laughter.

"Good...Dimah's invited..." She slurs. I think she is sleep-talking now. "C'mere. I wanna...tell ya somethin'..."

I crawl off the couch and walk over to hers. "'Kay, I'm here. What is it?"

Lauren's hand emerges from under the blanket, pulling me even closer so she could whisper in my ear. "Dimah's kinda cute...Think I like 'im..."

I laugh, pulling away. "Very nice. I'm happy for you."

"Can you tell him that?"

"No," I say with a smile. "That requires knowing how to speak Russian."

"D'ya like...that-...that one kid with the eyebrows or that- that other dude?"

I sigh, exasperated and amused at the same time. Why couldn't she drop the matter, even when she was asleep?

"I'm not here right now, please leave a message at the sound of the beep. *beep!*" I say, hoping this would confuse her sleeping mind. It does.

"Mmkay, hi Issa! Bye Issa!" Lauren chirps, withdrawing her hand.

I sigh, leaning against the couch. Suddenly, Lauren groans. "Why is it so bright?" She complains.

"You awake for real now?"

"Nngh...Yes...I talked in my sleep?" She mumbles, shifting a bit under the blanket.

"Yep. You made a Harry Potter reference. Then told me to remind Flying Mint Bunny about your tea-time at four-thirty, and then you said that Dimah was invited," I inform. "Remember any of that?"

"Nope. I never do. "

"Hm. Well, I hope you and Dimah have a happy life together," I tease in a whisper, grinning at her. Lauren facepalms. "Told you that, did I?"

"Juuuust a little!"

"Ah, well. Not like you can tell him anyways," Lauren says while stretching. "Wh-what time is it?" She asks through a yawn.

"I dunno. Seven-ish?" I guess. "People should be down soon."

Almost as soon as I said that, I heard footsteps. England ambles in, yawning and wincing slightly because of the whip gashes on his chest, which had been stiched up yesterday. He had changed into a clean white tee-shirt and a pair of red and blue checked pajama pants that had probably belonged to Austria at some point in time. His golden-blonde hair was even more touseled from sleep.

"Hey, England. You look better today," I comment. He jumps, not noticing that we were awake until I spoke. He looks at his attire and blushes. "Oh, good morning, girls, I'm sorry you have to see me like this!"

"It's okay!" Lauren smiles. "We're wearing PJ's too."

It was true; Hungary had found some of her old pajamas from when she was a kid and let us borrow them. I had put Zack's black sweatshirt over them. She had enough to fit all the boys, too. We hadn't found Josie yet, so we assumed that she hid in a room again. I don't blame her. Losing a sibling was hard, especially if it was a twin.

I miss Zack, too..

"So, you're my country," Lauren says, eyeing England's eyebrows but thankfully staying quiet about them. "I never got the chance to talk to you yesterday."

"Oh, yes, that's right. So, just for the record book, I am England, but my human name is Arthur Kirkland. As I think you already know..." He says politely then trailing off into awkwardness.

Oh, Iggy. You truly are adorable. X3 love you, Iggy-kun!
"So, want me to make breakfast?" I ask, standing up and walking toward the kitchen without an answer.

"I don't think I'm the one to answer that, Issa. Oh, that reminds me," England says, turning back to Lauren. "You saved me from insanity and I don't know your name."

Lauren stands up. "I'm Lauren. And just so you know, the only thing keeping me from fangirl-glomping you is the fact that you're hurt," she says unblushingly as she settles with feeling his hair.

"...Oh... I now believe in this anime you talked about, Issa," he calls, untangling Lauren's hands from his hair. He has the classic, 'What the heck just happened?' expression on his face as he turns away. I can see Lauren silently fangirl-giggling behind his back.

Austria wakes up soon, and I get permission to use his kitchen. I make French toast, but I call them 'Breakfast pasteries' for England's sake. A few minutes after I put the first one on the griddle, America stumbles in, still half-asleep, muttering, "I smell food..."

I laugh and give him the first one. He almost falls asleep when he's eating them, but England slapped him on the head to keep him awake, from which he received a quiet, meek, "Owwie..."

"So, Issa," England starts while I'm cooking. "What happened since I...left?"

"Uh..." I say as I think, most of my attention on keeping the food from burning. "...I found out whose blood triggers the bomb...Does that count?"

"Yes! Whose blood? N-not-" he dropped his voice so the groggy man behind couldn't hear him. "-Not America's, right?"

I smile at the British man's secret caring for his younger brother. "No. It's Italy's. Which is bad, considering how attached he is to Germany. Don't worry," I add as England's emerald eyes widened. "he's here. Took a while, though."

England sighs with relief. "So, when did you learn Japanese? And why can't you seem to speak English anymore?"

"Um..." I say as I flip over a piece of toast. "A day or two ago, I don't really remember...and it's Japan's fault...His stupid translator gun broke before he could switch me back...Never thought he'd do this...then again, I didn't think Germany would, either...There's something wrong with them..."

"Kind of like Dark Japan," Lauren supplied as she claimed some toast. "Maybe there's a Dark Germany, too. Like, they took over Light Japan and Light Germany...I don't think there ever would be a Dark Italy."

"I think there might be...Like the Italian Empire...Or was that just Rome?..." I wonder aloud.

"Ah, yes," England says as a look of remembrance crosses over his face. "I remember that. Gave me quite a bit of trouble. It was a good thing they didn't go out on the sea, or my pirates would have been crushed, with their fighting tactics." (Not historiclly accurate, just FYI. :3)

I almost laughed. England was glad that ITALY didn't attack him? I just can't imagine that...

Canada and France appear next, followed with Hungary, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Russia, Dimah and his sisters, Harvey, and Josh, who was still limping. Still no sign of Josie, I think to escape the awkward tension that came when Josh walked in.

Josh hugged me when I gave him his food. "What did I do wrong? You keep ignoring me, and I don't even know what I'm doing to cause that."

Immediately, guilt washed through me. Sometimes I hated myself. Josh didn't deserve to be deserted, but I had already chosen Zack...I just couldn't make up my mind...

I gently pry myself from Josh's embrace to go check on the French toast.

It didn't burn. That was always a plus, right?

Right. When your friend/ potential boyfriend and sister were kidnapped, you had another friend/ potential boyfriend who thought of you as his girlfriend, your new best friend had killed herself and was somehow still alive, the fate of the whole world rested in your bloodstream, literally, and you were stressed beyond relief, not burning food just made everything better.

"Nyaaah, Issa, I'm going to poke you!" Lauren sang as she pokes me in the arm. "You look down," she pointed out.

"Hm? Oh, I'm fine. Don't worry," I say, smiling and poking her back.

Lauren waits until I have my hands free before dragging me into a corner where we could talk freely. "Issa, you aren't planning on giving yourself up, are you?" she asks seriously.

"What? No, that's crazy! Why would I do that?" I laugh. Such a fake laugh. I wasn't going to actually make the same stupid mistake twice, but I laughed to make it seem like I wasn't weighed down by everything on my mind.

"Truth, please. I need to know that you won't do it," Lauren demands, hands on her hips.

"That was truth."

Lauren's eyes narrowed. "Please, I'm telling the truth! I've made that mistake before, and I don't plan on doing it again," I cry, drawing an invisible 'X' over my heart to prove my point. Lauren glares at me for a moment, trying to decide if I was lying or not. Then, she nods and pulls me into a hug. "I swear, Issa, if I find out you gave yourself up, I'm going to go to Germany, steal you, Zack, and your sister, and personally extract every last drop of blood from you, and that's a promise," she threatens as she releases me.

Within minutes, Lauren was back to her usual, bubbly self. "Isn't Switzerland so cute?" she whispered to me, bouncing on her toes while watching said nation shoot targets outside. I giggle. "Calm down, girl. He's too old for you." This sends Lauren into gales of laughter.

Suddenly, there's a commotion outside. I could see Switzerland's green-clad figure run to the edge of the evergreens that started the forest in the background, followed closely by the pink of Liechtenstein's dress. "Hey..." I mumble, tugging on Lauren's sleeve. "Something's wrong..."

Lauren nods, pulling on her snow boots while I do the same. We run outside, the snow crunching under our feet.

We make it to the row of pine trees, our breath fogging around us. Our tracks mingled with Switzerland's and Liechtenstein's, but Switzerland's went further, into the woods. Liechtenstein stood anxiously, and she jumped when she saw me. "Oh, no, Issa, you need to go back in and hide!" she whispered urgently, flapping her arms at me. "What? Why?" I ask.

Liechtenstein casts a scared look at the woods behind her, then turns to me again. "Brother thinks he saw Mr. Germany, Mr. Japan, and Mr. Italy back there."

"But that's not right!" Lauren exclaims. "Italy's inside; I just saw him a few seconds ago!"

She nods, her purple ribbon bouncing with her movement. "That's what's so suspicious! Please, go back inside! What if it really is Mr. Germany?" She begs me.

I nod, backing away a few steps before running back inside. I really didn't want to be in here; I wanted to make Germany pay, but some part of me knew that there was only a slim chance of suceeding.

Without taking off my boots, I shut the door after Lauren and high-tail it to the window, my cheeks red from the cold. I could just barely see Switzerland's outline wrestling a person out into the open. Two other figures followed, trying to make Switzerland let go of their companion.

Switzerland whips out his pistol, pointing it at the person with blonde hair tucked into a green cap. In answer, the person wearing a blue coat unsheaths a sword and pulls Liechtenstein close, holding it to her throat. I notice that the person seems uncomfortable with her so close. The red-haired person drew a gun and pointed it at Switzerland. They all went still at the same time. No one moved.

Except for me.

"Switzerland!" I call as I run out the door again, Lauren trying in vain to hold me back. "Stop!"

Switzerland doesn't turn, or even give a sign that he heard me, but the red-head pointed the gun towards me. I put my hands up over my head to show that I'm unarmed.

"Go back inside," Switzerland growls. "Now!"

"No! Take a look at them! This isn't Germany, this is a girl!" I protest, walking slowly forward, all too aware of the gun pointed at my chest. The girl's cap had fallen in the snow, letting long, blonde hair tumble around her shoulders. Beneath a lumpy winter coat, her slim frame was obviously female. Switzerland grunts, noticing this for the first time. "I'll let her go when you release my sister," he barks at the person with the blue coat. The person had a black scarf wrapped around their face ninja-style, but large, intelligent brown eyes peered suspiciously at us. The red-haired boy makes eye contact with the scarf person. They both look at their trembling friend, and their eyes flicker to the pistol aimed at her head. Slowly, the sword comes down and Liechtenstein runs, clutching Switzerland's coat sleeve. With everyone's weapons finally down, I walk slightly closer to the odd trio, who were silently checking up on their comrade.

"Issa," Lauren growls. "I am going to bloody kill you unless you get back here. Right. Now."

I look at her with pleading eyes. "Please, Lauren. I just thought of something!"

She snarls, unpleased with my decision, but makes no move to stop me as I cautiously advance.

I look at the group. "Is everyone alright?"

They stare at me.

"My name is Issa," I awkwardly continue. "That trigger-happy dude over there is Vash, his little sister Lilli, and my friend Lauren. Who are you?"

The girl with the blonde hair stands up. "Sydney," she says.

"What're you doing, Syd?" the red-head gasps in an Italian accent, pulling on her sleeve.

"She stopped Guns. I say we trust her," she contradicts, jerking her coat out of his grasp. "That's Alesso, but he'll kill you if you call him anything other than Alex," Sydney says, meaning the red-head. "And the quiet one is Rin." Rin bows respectfully. I notice that her eyes follow the scar on my cheek.

"So, may I ask why you came here?" I inquire, mimicking Rin's bow.

"No," Alex snaps, finally placing his gun in its holster; it had been held loosely at his side before.

"Shut up, Alex, she's helping!"

"How d'ya know she's helping? She could be one of his spies!" Alex glares at Sydney, his voice lowering in anger.

"She's not! She could've let Guns kill me if she was a spy!" Sydney whispers back.

"Um, if it's any help to you guys," I call over their hushed arguing. "I'm not a spy."

"See? Saying you're not a spy just proves you are one!" Alex almost yells, pointing an accusing finger at me.

"Are you a spy?" I ask, looking at him.

He scoffs. "Of course not!"

I nod in triumph. "Okay. You're a spy."

Alex sputters indignantly. "Wha-? No, I'm not! I just told you that!"

"I just told you I'm not either," I reply.

Alex glowers at me in defeat but remains silent.

"It's a long story," Sydney says in answer to my question.

"Do you guys want to come in and warm up?" I offer. "No, I won't try and kill you, and I'll make sure no one else does."

Alex grumbles, "Are you freaking kidding me?" Sydney slaps him on the back of his head, much like I've seen England do to America. "Yes, that would be nice," she says to me.

Switzerland looks at me in shock. "Issa, what are you doing?"

"Making a plan," I say vaugly, leading the three into the house. Lauren stares at me. "It's okay," I promise her.

The three put their snow-soaked coats by the fire. Rin finally takes her scarf off, revealing chin-length, jet-black hair and a kind face, although she nervously skitters away if we get too close. Alex, his red hair wet, keeps his hand on his gun, almost as an empty threat. Sydney, however, seems to have completely gained our trust, grinning and leaning back on the couch. She had tied her wet hair up into a ponytail.

"So...What's with, uh, Vash, you called him?" she asks.

"Oh. For one thing, he loves his guns a bit too much. I think he attacked you guys because he thought you were someone else," I explain.

"Did you notice anything...weird about him?"

"No, not really. Why, did you?" I ask.

She nods. "And his sister. Are-...Are us three really the only ones who can sense them?"

This question brings me up short. "Them?"

"Syd, you'd better shut up," Alex warns in a low voice. "They could be bounty hunters, just like him."

"But how can they be bounty hunters if there's two here?"

"Two what?" I inturrupt.

"Okay, you're going to think this is really crazy, but-" Alex cut angrily into Sydney's explanation. "Sydney, don't tell them any more."

"What if I tell you the crazy, messed-up story that brought me here?" I ask. "How I got this?" I add, running my finger gently over my cut.

They exchange silent glares, almost as if they're arguing in their heads. Finally, Sydney says, "Yes."

"Okay, so this started about a week ago, at my school in Washington D.C.. Me and a boy named Josh were kidnapped and taken to Germany by...Well, there's no easy way around this. We were kidnapped by nations."

Sydney, Alex and Rin all visibly pale. "N-nations? Y-you know about them?" Alex chokes out, his surly attitude dropped.

I nod. "Is that what you mean when you say you could sense them? You can sense a nation?"

Sydney hesitates, then nods. "Yeah."

"So, they cut my hair to make me look like America. Oh, right, 'they' meaning Germany, Japan, and Italy. Then, they wen't out and took a girl from China, a boy from France, and another boy from Russia who all look like the countries they're from. Following me? I know this is pretty hard to understand," I say, awkwardly scratching the back of my head.

"Course we are," Alex mutters. "We're not stupid."

"N-no, I didn't mean it like that, it's just, if it's this hard to explain, then I must not be doing a very good job retelling, 's'all," I say.

"No, of course you didn't. Alex here-" Sydney whacked him on the head yet again. "- is just being rude. Please, continue."

So, I explain, and I go into detail about how Germany cut me because I could see that it interested them, Alex included.

"...and then, that's where we met. The end," I conclude. They were all staring at me, their jaws slack. Then, Alex asked in a way that wasn't his own, "There are really that many nations here in one place?"

"Yep. Like I said, Germany kind of caused this all."

"I can feel them...I thought it was so strong only because Guns touched me..." Sydney says softly in wonder. "You had called him Switzerland, right? And you said that I wasn't Germany."

"Yes, Vash is Switzerland and Lilli is Liechtenstein. At first glance, we thought you guys were the Axis."

"So, I look like Italy?" Alex thought aloud. "He's one sexy beast, then."

"Alex!" Sydney cries, smacking him on the head again.

Alex glares at her. "You know, I'm going to have a bruise there someday."

"Whatever," Sydney says while rolling her eyes, which, I noticed, were the exact shade of Germany's. "Oh, right. Our story."

Sydney cleared her throat and begins to talk. "So, ever since we were born, we were best friends. We were drawn closer together by the people who mocked us. Stupid people, really. So, anyway, they were like that because one day, we had all felt the same shock run through us at once, but it's not like a static electricity shock because it hurt us until this man with a ponytail walked away. So, word of that got out, and when we were in sixth grade, this man came and abducted us. He told us that we were going to help him find the nations. So, we traveled a lot, and he used us like metal detectors, almost. He'd get all excited when we reacted, and he'd follow some man or woman after tying us to the nearest secluded pole, and then he'd come back and vent his anger out on us when they vanished. 'Venting', meaning he'd cut us or beat us up, or even burn us when he was really angry." Sydney explains while rolling up the sleeves of her black turtleneck to reveal a plethora of cuts, bruises, and shiny red burn marks. "That's why we kinda keep staring at your scar. The man- he never told us his name, and he used so many fake ones that we lost track- said there was one other who could sense them. She escaped, but he'd swear he'd find her because of the cut he left on her face."

I was in shock for a few seconds. Who would do such a thing? They all look so worn, the way a person could only look after years of abuse and starvation.

"Okay, let me tell you this," I say as I lean forward. "I'm going to make sure that this man is found and brought to justice. This place is really secluded and out of the way that only the nations know how to return here, unless they know what the front of the house looks like. Would you like to stay here while he's being hunted?"

Now it was their turn to be speechless. Then, Rin spoke for the first time in a soft, innocent voice, "Y-you would do that for us?"

"Absolutely. But, you might be uncomfortable with so many nations here at once."

Alex whispers something in Sydney's ear. She casts a glance at me and Lauren, and then at her battered arm, and then at Rin and Alex. They nod. "Yes!" she exclaims, her voice lowering to a whisper in shock and relief.

They all look so happy to be free. Rin is on the verge of joyous tears. Sydney jumps onto the seat between me and Lauren and throws her arms around both of us. Even Alex grins like a mad man.

Suddenly, they pause and shudder as one. "They're close..." Sydney says.

"I sense Maple, Hamburgers, Tea, and Roses," Alex comments, closing his eyes.

"Sunflower, Pasta, Piano, Guns, Ribbon, and Frying Pan are close, as well," Rin quietly supplies. "Panda is far, but getting closer."

"You named all the countries?" I ask.

"Yes. When one gets close, something about them kinda bounces back to us. Like, the first time it happened, we all just wanted to cuddle a panda, for some strange reason. Even Alex."

"That's so cool! Which one is strongest right now?" Lauren asks excitedly.

"Um...Maple," Sydney says.

Almost as if he was cued, Canada walked in. He is wearing his red maple leaf hoodie and blue jeans, the bottoms of which tucked into tan boots.

"Woah..." Lauren says, her mouth agape. Canada jumps, suddenly aware of all the eyes on him. "Wh-what did I do?" he stutters, uncomfortable.

"Nothing," I say quickly to avoid questions.

Canada turns around and walks away in the direction he came, throwing careful looks at Sydney, Alex, and Rin. When he's gone, the trio relaxes.

"Does it hurt?" I ask, curious.

"It's kind of like something's heating you gradually, and the parts of you that aren't warm yet turn freezing cold. It's not very pleasant, but it doesn't hurt that bad," Alex explains. "I'm sorry I treated you the way I did earlier. It's just, sometimes, you've gotta be paranoid or you'll die."

"It's alright," I brush off. "I can kinda relate. When I was kidnapped, I didn't accept food the whole time I was there. They've drugged me once, and I'd rather not let them do it again."

"I've been drugged once," Lauren says. "at the dentist. It was the only way they could check my teeth."

We all crack up laughing at Lauren's remark. For a moment, we were all best friends, not a care in the world.

It felt good to have someone to call a friend.

No. No, Issa. Don't get attached to people. They'll be targeted. Anyone close to you will be.

"Hey," I ask on a sudden whim. "Have you felt anything that has to do with either beer or wurst?"

"Oh, you mean Potato-head?" Sydney inquires.

"Yeah."

"I think I felt him when we got closer to here. Sushi was with him. But, as we got closer, they got farther."

Lauren looks at me in panic. "Germany and Japan were here? Wh-what for?"

Suddenly, something clicks. There was someone missing from last night to right now. Someone who was close to Zack.

"Josie," I say in disbelief. "What?" Lauren asks, but I'm up and tearing through the house, searching for the missing girl.

I run- literally- into America as I search. "Issa?" he asks. "What's wrong?"

"Have you seen Josie anywhere lately?" I ask urgently.

"No, why?"

I don't waste time explaining; I just run, looking in each room.

I turn a corner and run into someone who mutters, "Ow!" and falls over, knocking me on top of them.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Josh!" I cry, rolling off of him.

He winces, clutching his shoulder wound; I think I might've just caused it to start bleeding again.

I gasp, kneeling next to him and pulling his shirt away so I could see if it was.

It was.

"You're bleeding!" I shriek, almost like a little child.

"Hm?" he asks, then notices the blood seeping through the white shirt. "Oh. I'm bleeding." He smiles at my shocked expression, adding, "I'm okay, if that's what you're worried about."

I suddenly feel tears prick the corner of my eyes. I'd been holding them back for so long, only adding more pressure onto my shoulders. Wiping at them furiously, I ask him, "Have you seen Josie?"

"Josie? No, why? What's wrong? Aw, never mind, I won't be able to understand. But I'm here for you, alright?" He says, one hand cupping my face, the other stroking my hair. I close my eyes and put one of my hands over his, accepting his comfort. His forehead presses against mine, our noses touching. Josh's breath smells of cinnamon toothpaste.

What was wrong with me? I ch-chose Zack! B-but-...But Josh...

I-...I can't...

I don't want to make either of them hurt...

Everything stressing me floats across my closed eyelids, haunting me even further.

Germany...

Zack...

Renae...

Josie...

Josh...

Lauren...

Sydney...

Alex...

Rin...

I picture a flash of orange and white light enveloping my nation friends. When it fades, no one, nothing, is there. Germany emerges from the dying smoke, leering at me.

That's what would happen if he got a hold of mine and Italy's blood. But I wouldn't, couldn't let that happen.

It seems like there's no way out of it, though...

Blood splatters across my mind.

My blood.

No, I wasn't going to kill myself. That was definetely out of the picture.

But...

"A blood transfusion..." I murmur, pulling back.

"What?" Josh asks.

I stand up in excitement. "A blood transfusion!" I exclaim.

"I don't understand you, but you're happy. That's good!"

I nod, smile brightly, and run back down the corrider. I sprint to the hospital room, and England stands there from having just come out.

"England, England, England, England!" I yell, bouncing on my toes in front him.

"What, what, what, what?" He asks, alarmed slightly at my intensity.

"Blood transfusion!" I shout, grinning.

"Wh-what?"

"I could get a blood transfusion, England! We could change my blood type!" I explain, talking rapidly.

"Issa, it's not that simple...What if your body rejects the new blood?" England asks, placing a calming hand on my shoulder.

"Have you ever tried it with my blood type before? We don't know what my body will accept, therefore, it could be anything!" I contradict.

"Exactly! By the time we find out which type is the best replacement, you could already be dead!"

"It's the only plan, England! Do you have a safer way? Besides, if I die, Germany still doesn't have any blood to take!"

"So you're willing to die for this," England accuses, his eyes narrowing.

"This is war, England! Sacrifices have to be made, and the one who started this should be the first to go!"

"You didn't cause all of this," England says kindly.

"Yes, I did. Inadvertantly, I started this," I argue, anger and shame flaring up inside me.

"You can't control what your blood type is, Love, nor the actions of another..."

"You know what?" I say, embarrassment replacing all other current emotions. "Forget I said that, okay? It was a stupid idea..."

"Issa," England calls, grabbing my arm as I try to leave. "You aren't planning on-"

I cut him off. "No, no, of course not. Yeah, last time that happened, it didn't turn out so good..."

"Good," he says, pulling me gingerly in a hug. I gently return the embrace, being careful not to disturb the wounds on his chest.

The ones that I had caused...

So much pain, I think as I walk away. Too much. This is a war over the blood of one shy freshman, someone whom should not be recognized as a threat.

Maybe someone whom should not be recognized at all.

Maybe I was better off alone.

No one to get attached to.

No one to hurt.

While I walk, lost in my thoughts, I bump into yet another person. Looking them in the face, a smile takes over my features, and I exclaim their name in joy..

XXXXXXXXXX

Alex's POV

I watch as Issa suddenly stands and flies out of the room.

"So...She does this often?" I ask Lauren.

Lauren sighs. "Think so. I've only been here since yesterday, myself."

"Oh, yeah? Who's hunting you?"

Sydney's hand slaps the back of my head.

Again.

Glaring at her in annoyance, I ask, "Are you going to do that after everything I say?"

"Only if it's rude or if it bugs me," she replies, hitting me yet again.

"No one's hunting me," Lauren says, fiddling with the yellow scarf around her neck. "I just stopped Issa from doing...something bad."

Suddenly, my body went cold, but my feet began to sweat. Slowly, the heat travels up my legs while my arms shiver. I feel the need to cuddle a big, fluffy panda bear.

"Panda's here," I announce, but Sydney and Rin already know. The door is knocked on, and Lauren jumps up to answer it.

The person at the door seems stunned by Lauren, and the way she can fluently speak Chinese. When they enter, it looks like there are two copies of one person. They are both reletively short with twinkling hazel eyes and black ponytails. But, looking closer, I notice that the smaller one is female, and shaking liberally. This girl, though, doesn't make us react. The strongest sense in the room is still Panda, but Piano and Frying Pan are getting closer. She was human.

The heating sensation reaches the part where my whole body was warm, but the cycle starts over, leaving my ankles at a freezing temprature. But this time, it goes faster and faster as more and more nations pour in the room.

I feel myself really wanting a hamburger, but I want to put maple syrup on it, too. Then, scones and tea seem like a good thing, but then I get a craving for pasta. Suddenly, I don't want food. I want to hit someone with a frying pan and frolic through sunflowers and roses while playing the piano. But then, I want to shoot the piano with a ribbon in my hair, all while snuggling a panda.

This was weird.

I'd get used to the hotness for a moment, but then I would be assulted by the frigid air. My reaction is so violent that it changes every few seconds. I am shivering, then sweating, then shivering again, and I can feel Sydney and Rin on either sides of me having the same uncomfortable sensation.

"Ooookay, let's get you guys away from here..." I hear Lauren say. Her voice is muffled by the roar of the pounding blood in my ears, but her hand guides us on our feet. She leads us out of that room. As we get farther and farther away, the cycle slows down, eventually stopping.

"Feel better?" Lauren asks. We all nod. "That must be hard," she remarks. "Not being able to hug them. They're fun to make uncomfortable. England gets so easily flustered."

"So, was that Pasta? Oh, I mean Italy?" Sydney asks, looking at my profile.

"Yep. He's kind of..." Lauren trails off looking for the right word. "spacey."

"Complete opposite of Alex," she mumbles. "He notices everything."

"While you're here, letting every detail slip past," I tease, fake glaring. She sticks her tounge out at me.

We're always like this. Being tortured just made you that much closer to the people around you.

"So, how long have you guys been running?" Lauren asks.

"Um...about three weeks," I supply. It's hard to keep track of time when you're trying to escape from a fate that seems inevitable.

"Where have you been sleeping?"

"Alleyways, forests, places like that. Can't really be out in the open for too long. You'd be caught really quick."

"When's the last time you've slept?" the brunette girl asks, concern laced in her British accent.

"We took turns. I think Rin's been up longest," Sydney says, wrapping her arm around said girl.

Rin did look rather tired; she had purple circles around her eyes, yet we'd never heard her complain once. When we ask her why she always offers to take the watch, the answer is always the same. "I want to make sure you two are safe. I care about you." Whenever we would put our foot down and make her get some rest, she would make us promise that we would be there when she woke up.

I think Rin had been abused the worst; the man didn't hurt her physically as often as he hurt her emotionally. He'd mock her; her small frame, the way she got happy over the little things, her willingness to protect Syd and me. He'd tell her she would never be able to protect us both, and to prove his point, he'd beat us right in front of her. We'd try to be brave for her, try to not cry out, but that's when he would pull out his lighter. Rin would be besides herself, thrashing against her bonds. Or, on some days, she couldn't take it. She'd go limp, her hands clamped over her ears to block our screams, tears streaming down her face, whispering, or sometimes shouting, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

As far as I knew, Rin only had one scar, from her shoulder to her heart. It was meant to be her demise, but the man was drunk that night, and the cut wasn't as deep as he had expected. I remember using my sleeve as a bandage, trying desperately to staunch the flow of blood. Rin had passed out, but amazingly, she was still alive the next morning. Syd and I took extra beatings in order to compensate for Rin's.

Lauren looks at us and seems at a loss for words. She rough a door, and clears her throat and says, "C'mere. You guys need some rest."

None of us want to, but we would rather go with the hospitality before it turned into hostility. She leads us to a door, and the sterile smell of a hospital surprises us.

"Wha-?" I mumble.

"You think I was going to let you guys go without medical help after the way you've been treated?" Lauren asks over her shoulder with a smile as she pulls out burn cream and bandages.

Now we are at a loss for words. "Thank you...Thank you so much," we all seem to repeat to her. She waves off our thanks, saying, "It's no problem, don't worry!"

With new bandages, Lauren leads us to a different room. "Do you guys want seperate rooms?"

Rin immediately jumps and clings to both of us. "No thanks," Syd explains for Rin's reaction.

"Okay! I think I'm going to share this room with Issa tonight, if you need either of us," she says, pointing to the room next to ours. "I'm pretty sure that there's stuff in there that you might need, like clothes and such. Now, I'm going to go look for Issa and kill her for running away like that. Bye!" And with that, the bubbly girl runs off, searching for her friend.

"That was odd," I remark, opening the door.

The room took my breath away! It was huge; three king size beds face each other, a graceful canopy over each one. Three handsome dressers stood by each bed. The walls were a deep, yet elegant crimson with turquoise curtains over the windows to complement the paint choice.

"Woah..." we all say in unison. That happens often; it was as if we had the same brain.

I laugh in disbelief and collapse into one of the beds. "Is this awesome or what?"

"It's amazing!" Syd exclaims.

"The design is beautiful..." Rin murmurs, fingering the bed post's curvy shape.

"Hey, Rin-Rin," Syd calls, using the special nickname for her. "You should go to sleep."

Rin looks at me and Sydney, then her eyes flicker to the bed. It was tempting for her.

"You will stay?" she asks. That was the only condition on which she would rest. The fact that we were still there, safe.

We nod, taking one of her hands each, guiding her to the bed. She lies down, reluctant and willing at the same time. Finally, she closes her eyes, and is asleep almost instantly. I push Rin's black hair out of her face and kiss her on the forehead, the way I always do.

There wasn't anything romantic about our relationship, however. Sydney and Rin are my best friends, and I would die for them, as they would for me.

I turn to Sydney. "Well, we survived another day," I say, same as every night since we were kidnapped.

"There's always tomorrow," she replies, smiling at our inside joke. She jumps on the bed next to Rin's. "I'm going to sleep. You think we can trust them to not murder us?"

"Yeah. This isn't a place for the countries if it's a bounty hunter's hoise," I reply, settling on the bed across from theirs. "Night, Syd."

"Night, Allie." I can hear the smirk in her voice all the way over here. She knows that I hate that name, and she does it to annoy me.

"Not getting to me tonight, Syd. Nice try," I say half-heartedly, refusing to let her get on my nerves. She doesn't respond, having already been claimed by sleep.

I can feel my eyelids begin to droop lower and lower. I take one last look at the room around me.

It's finally over. We're free, once and for all.

My eyes close and I drift willingly into a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zack's POV TIME WARP! WHHHOOOSSSSH! So, this would be around this morning, or sometime around then. ^_^

I open my eyes to the sound of the door opening. In the dark, I can't tell who it is, or where they are. I put my hand protectively on Renae's shoulder, where she is still fitfully sleeping. "H-hello?" I call, the cold seeping past my clothes, chilling my voice.

There is no response, but a few clicks resound around the cell. A flash of light envelopes me, and I can't see the darkness around me for a few seconds.

I was suddenly in a white room, and words circle around me. With a pop, they turn into Japanese characters. The white room crumbles, and I am back in the dark cellar. Someone was unlocking the chains around my limbs.

The bodiless hand pulls me to my feet, keeping a firm grasp on me so I can't escape. "Hey, stop!" I cry, fighting against the unseen person. What got me was the fact that I didn't say that in English.

I just said that in Japanese.

"Wha-? What did you do?" I yell at the person. A calm voice replies, "Later."

"What about Renae? She's sick, I can't just leave her!"

The person is silent for a minute. "...She will be fine. I will see to it."

A harsh, maniac laugh escapes me. "Why? You want her to be well when you murder her?"

"Please calm down."

"'Calm down'? How do I know that you're not leading me to my death right now?"

"You don't."

"Exactly. I'm staying here." I say, my stubborn side making an appearance.

"Don't you want to see your sister?" the person asks slyly.

"J-Josie?" I whisper. Then I lunge, reaching for the neck. "What did you do to my sister, you *beep*?"

Before my fingers could wrap themselves around his throat, he spun, using my momentum to knock me on the floor. "I suggest you stay calm."

"Suggest all you want, but I swear, if you hurt Josie-" the man cut off my threat. "Your temper is not apprieciated. I am more tolerable than Ludwig of your foolish anger. You are warned."

Renae's voice is suddenly heard, still pained. "Z-Zack? Are you okay?"

I crouch next to her. "I'm fine, Renae, but I need to go. Will you be okay here for a few minutes?"

"Z-Zack, you aren't speaking English...What's wrong?"

"It's okay, Renae," I say gently, stroking her hair out of her face like I would to Issa. Turning in the direction of the man, I ask, "Do I have to leave her alone?"

"Yes. Only you."

"I can't explain to her where I'm going," I point out.

"She will be fine," the man replies, pulling on the back of my shirt. "Come now."

I hug Renae. "I'll be back, okay? Don't worry."

She hugs me back, trembling. "Wh-where are you g-going?"

I sigh, and direct my next line to the unseen man. "Come on, dude. She's scared."

He doesn't answer, but jerks me away with unexpected strength. "Zack!" Renae cries in panic, putting strain on her already-sore throat.

The door is slammed shut, cutting off her terrified shrieks. I blink at the light. It hurts my eyes after spending so long in the dark.

The man is a reletively short man with jet-black hair and a crisp white military uniform. He has a traditional Japanese sword hanging in a sheath on his belt, the name of which escaping me. He marches me through endless hallways and up a couple staircases. He pushes me almost gently through a door.

This is the roof, I think. It's cut in half, a bar marking a ten-foot gap between the ledge I am on and the one with two figures. I recognize both of them.

"JOSIE!" I scream over the wind, running to the bar. Across the gap, I see Ludwig- or Germany, I think Issa called him- press a blade to my twin's throat. "NO! DON'T! PLEASE!" I beg, leaning on the bar.

Germany smirks across the way. "You don't like this?" he asks is mock surprise. I see beads of red start on Josie's neck. "Then, I suggest you do what I say."

Josie stares at me with wide eyes. "Don't do it Zack," she warns. Germany, in answer, forces her head back farther by her hair, exposing the thin cut even more. Little drops of my twin's blood roll down her neck, dribbling on the grey sweatshirt that she always wore.

"What do you want?" I ask, fighting to be heard over the wind that ruffled my hair.

"I want you to betray your girlfriend."

END OF BOOK ONE

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! I DID warn you!

Yeah, I'm just really really really busy, and I need to be studying like, nonstop from now on, and I thought, 'Hm, this is long enough to end now!'

Don't worry, because I promise, promise, promise, cross my heart and hope to die that I won't drop this forever!

So, instead of kisses, how about some questions?

1) How would you react if this whole thing happened to you?

2) Do you have someone that you would die for? Would you betray this person if someone else important was in danger?

3) Do you like the new OCs?

RANDOM QUESTION: Do you like turtles?

4) Who's your favorite character?

5) What do you think the name of the next book should be?

Okay, I know you're all really mad at me, but please don't kill me! O^O;

Again, I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE that this is not not NOT the end! And the minute that I can start this again, I will! I PROMISE PROMISE PROMISE PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! :^:

So, I might get a couple of minutes free time, so if this shows up again and it still says complete, it's because I just re-did a chapter, and I probably won't forget to put which chapter I re-did!

I love you all so much, please don't abandon me because I ended it here! X.X

I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU I LOVE YOU! DON'T HATE ME! O^O;