***snarky announcer is back***

Ok people, the check cleared so I'm back….

(whispers to someone offstage-What the hell am I doing again?)

(…)

(…)

(You're kidding right?)

(Whispered argument with lots of waving of contracts and mentions of termination)

Whatever…*cough*….Once upon a time there was a woman who really wanted to have a baby but alas. had none to call her own. Not really a hard concept considering there is show called 'I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant' but maybe she was a prude or preferred fish tacos to hot dogs. We'll never know….

(Angry whispering from off stage and pointing to the script)

(Practicably audible roll of eyes from the announcer in response)

Anyway, so this chick goes to a fairy…..ok, not my first knee jerk reaction to do but whatever. She goes to a fairy…..to buy a barleycorn? Am I reading that right?

…

…

What?…Timeout. You go to all the effort to find and talk to a fairy and they just can't give you a baby? You have to buy a make your own kit? Phsst…Rip off.

So Ms. Why-didn't-you-just-adopt?-it-would-seem-less-of-a-hassle pays the fairy 12 shilling….

Ok, anime fans, that is old English currency…oh American fans….hmmmm, that's made up money.

FYI, 12 shillings comes out to about a buck so pretty cheap ass fairy.

The woman planted the barleycorn to water it with…

Look, I'm not reading the rest of this shit. Long story short, barleycorn turns into a tiny freak baby no bigger than a pea, which is ridiculous if you actually stop to think about it. That kid would have been so squashed or lost. I mean, have you ever actually looked after a pea? No, no you haven't. Don't lie to me. No one has cause it's ridiculous.

(Angry whispering involving several rude hand gestures)

In light of my future paycheck or potential lack there of, the pea sized baby managed somehow not being squished like a bug into baby goo to grow up into a beautiful girl with a lovely voice. Her only real problem in life was that she grew no larger than her mother's thumb, which is a pretty damn big problem.

…

…

You know what I'm thinking…

That's right, two words. Full refund.

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Thumbelina lived with her mother in the countryside of a far away kingdom known as Liechtenstein, just the two of them in a pretty little cottage out in the wood. It was a simple life really. Thumbelina kept her mother company while trying to stay helpfully out of her way. She entertained them both with the melodic eloquence of her stunning voice, one that seemed far too big for her miniscule person. It was a source of joy for them both but is also what got the tiny girl into all sorts of trouble as well.

Her mother would carry Thumbelina in her apron's pocket so that the tiny girl could look out onto the wide world such as it was from her viewpoint and warble her song sweetly from her perch.

It was heard by a fat toad who fell in love with it instantly upon hearing its first notes. He followed the pair back to their home and waited until nightfall to carry out his plan. The toad stole Thumbelina from her tiny bed while she was sleeping and carried her off into the night, far away from everything she had ever known.

Though Thumbelina begged the toad to release her and let her return to her mother, the amphibian refused, proposing marriage instead. Of course, Thumbelina declined but the toad was kinda clueless and quite an ass about the entire situation. They argued bitterly about it, the toad beginning to threaten her into compliance. He was much bigger that her, something that he used to his advantage. That bright morning was no exception for the pair, the toad proposing marriage and the tiny girl steadfastly declining. Toad expressed how displeased he was by this as Thumbelina cowered before him, expecting to be struck. The toad had done it before when she had spoken out of turn. The expected blow never came though.

Thumbelina looked up to see what was left of the evil toad dangling out of a white bear's mouth…but not for very long. With the snap of jaws and clicking of sharp teeth, the toad was all gobbled up.

"Ewwwwww, guv. I don't think ya supposed to be eatin' those.", a thing…..animal(?) said. Thumbelina wasn't sure what it actually was. It looked like a confused mixture of bird and bunny in pastel shades of green. It also had a rather abrasive accent that grated on her ears. Thumbelina squeaked in surprise as the bear and the thing's attention focused on her. Thumbelina turned to run away from the odd pair but tripped over her feet instead, face planting wetly into the mud. She sat up, somewhat embarrassed as she wondered if being eaten alive was going to hurt. Instead of being met with teeth though, a wet nose was pressed to her side as the green bunny thing delicately sniffed her over.

"Oi! There's a bird 'ere!", the strange creature chuckled, looking way too pleased with itself. It didn't sound hungry though so Thumbelina was fine with a little nose touching.

"Nein. It's only a midget.", a fluffy yellow bird grumbled in sullen cheeps as it alighted on the bear's head. It hopped down a moment later with a flutter of wings in inspect the muddy girl. Thumbelina reflected that she could have ridden the lemon colored bird. The chick looked kinda grumpy though, so she refrained herself from asking.

"Maple, you're a tiny one, eh. What are you doing here in the middle of this fucken muck hole?", the bear asked, sitting back on its haunches. He too pressed his much larger coal black nose(and rather wet Thumbelina found out) up to her, snuffling about curiously.

"I am…..was suppose to marry Mr. Toad….The one you just ate.", Thumbelina giggled, pushing the invasive nose of tickling away from her. The bear jerked it head back in surprise at that, looking upset.

"See what ya gone and did now, guv?! You've ate up the lass's sweetheart, green legs and all like he was clotted cream and jam. 'Ope your happy!", the bunny lamented, glaring at the bear who had the decency to look very embarrassed. Thumbelina noticed that the yellow bird must of found the entire thing very funny, if his odd continuous cheeps of 'Kesesese' were any indication of laughter. Any further argument was waved off though by former bride.

"That's alright. I didn't want to marry him. He was icky and was going to make me anyway so thank you very much for eating him.", Thumbelina smiled.

"So vhat now faurelin?", the chick asked curiously, his accent noticeably different from his two companions. Thumbelina shook her head in response, shrugging.

"Well…..I don't know.", Thumbelina said hesitantly. She was a mess and her dress was covered thickly with stinking mud. Living with Mr. Toad had not been the cleanest existence for her. All of her clothing, which consisted of the nightgown she had been stolen in, was in total ruin now.

"Don't you have a home to go to, lil bit?", the bear asked curiously. Thumbelina sighed, looking around at her soggy abode. She certainly didn't want to stay here but didn't know where home was either. Thumbelina could only deal with one problem at a time though, so she chose the easiest of them all.

"Would you be so kind as to take me up river a bit where it is a little dryer? I would be very grateful.", she asked hopefully.

"Cor, here we are stretchin' our jaws with you covered in muck!", the bunny said in dismay, setting himself down beside her, "Climb on lovey. We'll do ya right, we will, we will, we will." Thumbelina climbed on, marveling at the softness of the bunny's fur. Said bunny shot a smug look at the bear who answered back with an eye roll. The animals walked, well the white bear walked while the all the others rode him ,much to his dismay and near constant grumbling, along the river in search of a dryer patch of land beside it.

"You didn't answer the question, toots. We can drop you off you know, by paw or by wing.", the bear said kindly, despite his misgivings of being used as a pack mule.

"I do have a home…I just don't know where it is.", Thumbelina sighed. Now that she had a chance to see her surroundings, she had no clue where she was or how far Mr. Toad had taken her. It had been dark when she had been kidnapped and she had been very scared. It was all a horrible blur to her. The bear piped up, interrupting her troubled thoughts.

"Problem solved. You can just come with us and if you find your home, good. If you don't, we'll just find you a new one.", the bear stated firmly, "You can't stay here. Something will eat you.",

"That is very kind of you but how will you do that?", Thumbelina asked, cuddling with the bunny's soft fur, odd color that it was. It was very warm against her chilled skin and soft as down feathers.

"Ve travel with our masters…..", The chick began, the bear snorting at that title.

"More like idiots.", the bear corrected, "We go all over so we'll find you something eventually. Hey, what's your name by the way?". The bear came to a halt by a higher and much dryer part of the waterfront. The slim girl slid down soft sides to land neatly.

"Thumbelina.", the tiny girl said, curtsying. The animals stared down at her with a mixture of odd expressions.

"That's a horrible name.", the bear said flatly. The bird snickered, making the strange 'Kesese" noise again. Thumbelina felt her cheeks grow a little hot under the scrutiny.

"That's a matter o' opinion, guv. Shame on ya both. I'm sure the little bit had grown quite fond o' it by now.", the bunny reprimanded, feeling sorry for the tiny girl though he thought it was a terrible name as well.

"Nein. It's a bad name.", the chick cackled, flapping its wings in amusement. Thumbelina shrugged, disrobing to step into the cool clear waters to start rubbing her skin with finer grains of sand. She splashed about, cleaning engrained grime off of her pale form, reflecting on her title. In truth, it really was unoriginal. Her mother had chosen it for far too obvious reasons.

"That's alright. I've never really liked it myself. What should it be then?", Thumbelina asked, feeling happy to be so clean again as she waded out. She was not looking forward to wearing her filthy clothes once more though.

"Flying Mint Bunny at your service, me lady.", the bunny bowed in a grand manner of sweeping wings and on bended paw, "And I hope you are not considerin' wearing those rags. They are well past their date, they are, they are, they are." Mint scrunched up his nose at the former articles of clothing.

"It is lovely to meet you.", Thumbelina told him, "Unfortunately, I have nothing else to wear.".

"Wait a tic.", Mint said quickly running off to soon return with a spray of pink flowers in his mouth.

"Oh this ought to be good.", the bear groaned, backing away from the magical bunny. The yellow chick followed suit, putting some good distance between them. Thumbelina started to feel a little nervous from all this activity, seeking refuge behind the bear.

"Bollocks to ya both, ya sods!", Mint snapped, as he did a odd little dance around the flowers. They went 'poof' in a puff of smoke to be replaced by a dress in their quake. Leaving her impromptu shield, Thumbelina picked it up to find it was a lovely long sleeved gown with delicate white lace at its cuffs and collar. She put it on quickly to find it was a perfect it for her.

"Oh thank you Mint!", she cooed, the bunny looking very pleased with itself. He preened under the shower of her affection. The bear feigned dry heaving, before getting back to their original subject.

"As you can already see, we can't really help you out there. His name is a fucken description and my name is cursed.", the bear admitted grumpily, "It's Kumajirou if you were wondering." He should have never tried to eat that damn fairy. Kumajirou now had a standing rule now to never try and eat potentially magical creatures ever again.

"Cursed?", Thumbelina asked surprised. The bear didn't see cursed, though his name was alluding her for some reason. She was sure he had just given it to her.

"Long story. Move on.", Kumajirou nodded his head toward the chick.

"Speak for yourselves. My name is awesome.", the bird sniffed haughtily.

"Yeah, until you meet the hoser who gave it to you.", Kumajirou yawned.

"Jealous is unbecoming on you, bären.", the chick said, "My title is Gilbird."

"See not much better there.", Kumajirou said dryly. "The guy who named him is called Gilbert.", he added for Thumbelina's benefit, "Though he kinda dodged a bullet on that one. It could have been Fritz."

"Fritz is a fine name and a noble title!", Gilbird screeched, hopping around angrily.

"Yeah sure it is.", Kumajirou snorted, turning his attention back to the small woman, "What do you want to be called then?" Thumbelina thought for a moment though she already knew the answer.

"Well…..I have always liked the name Lili.", she said hesitantly. The animals nodded back after a moment.

"Then it is very nice to meet you Lili."

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Meanwhile elsewhere…
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Arthur stood on top of a high hill that overlooked a deep valley that nestled a picturesque town worthy of postcards deep within its bosom. It was not what the Englishman was stared at though. He was looking at the towering giant who was currently eating a herd of cows as if they were chips. He wasn't sure what bothered him more, the repulsive sight of cow snacks or the Prussian's grating laughter in the back. In fact everyone's reaction to this was off in Arthur's opinion. The twins were currently playing rock, papers, scissors for some reason with Alfred for the win. Ludwig looked positively giddy about something with Gilbert mirroring his feeling tenfold. Feliciano…well, the Italian was off chasing butterflies with his brother yelling at him which was quite normal actually but at least they were staying out of the way. They were being kept an eye on by Antonio, though no one was feeling too good about that, especially Ludwig. He didn't like how the Spaniard was staring at his Italian. To Arthur's chagrin, Francis and Eduard looked just as confused as he did. Arthur hated sharing anything with the Frenchman even confusion. The giant was eating his way toward the town and the core members of this group were simply looking giddy about it.

"What in the bloody hell is going on?", Arthur snapped finally, his curiosity finally getting the better of him, "And why are you stripping?!" Alfred finished undressing, tossing his shirt to the side along with the rest of his weapons. He grinned as he took off his boots as well, leaving the American in only his pants.

"Don't need them for this.", Alfred answered simply as he started to wrap his hands in thin strips of studded leather, his twin wrapping the arches of his foot and ankles for him.

"And pray tell, what is 'this'?", Arthur asked, not liking the feeling he was getting from all this weird preparation.

"'This' is what we have been waiting for.", Gilbert snickered his ruby eyes never leaving the giant. Arthur's quick reasoning put two and two together.

"You really don't mean to go out there and fight that goliath!?", Arthur sputtered.

"Yup!", Alfred said too happily for the Englishman's liking, " Matthew and I played for it and I won."

"You're barking mad. You all are.", Arthur stared back at him, his eyes wide with worry. He ignored the strange looks he was getting from the core members of the group.

"Az much az I hate to agree with Angleterre on anything….", Francis said slowly, "…he doez make a valid point. How do you ever plan to defeat that? It iz almost 400 meterz tall."

"That ain't too bad.", Alfred grinned, "I thought it was a hell of a lot taller than that personally.".

"Git that's over 1500 feet….", Arthur translated, "And ain't is not a word."

"Is too.", Alfred blew a raspberry in eloquent reply. He was starting to get antsy, his excitement gnawing on him from the inside out.

"You can not go out and fight that thing!", Arthur ignored the wet gesture as he tried to reason with the American who seemed ready for whatever he was planning on doing.

"Why not?", Alfred asked confused. Arthur stared back at him like he had just beamed down from the moon.

"Because you daft fool, you'll get killed!", Arthur growled, spelling it out. To his mutual shock and chagrin, Alfred started to laugh.

"You are just too precious.", Alfred drawled. With that, he took a bounding leap, racing forward down the hill at top break neck speeds before the Englishman could say another word. Arthur started to go after him to find himself being held back by Gilbert.

"What the hell do you think you are doing? You wanna die?", Gilbert snapped, annoyed that the Englishman was fighting him tooth and nail to be let go.

"Do you?! Let me go, you twat! I've got to stop that blasted idiot!", Arthur yelled, squirming out of the Prussian's grip finally. He was stopped again though, this time by Matthew.

"Arthur, it is really alright.", Matthew told him kindly.

"How can you say that!? You just…..Wait, what am I missing?", Arthur asked finally, his mind calming down enough to reason out the odd situation. The twins didn't take their own safely or anyone else's lightly.

"Just the obvious as per usual.", Gilbert snickered. Arthur glared, getting ready to swing again on the Prussian when a firm German hand turned him around. Ludwig pointed to the moving dot that was Alfred racing across the open space toward the giant. Arthur gasped as he realized the American wasn't even really running anymore, his feet barely touching the ground as he used his absurd superstrength to propel himself greatly forward with each step. It almost looked like he was flying.

"We don't know how we got it, but Al and I…..", Matthew told Arthur, his light violet eyes never leaving his twin's form, "…we're really strong."

"I already know that.", Arthur frowned. He had seen plenty of examples of this phenomenon, Alfred being a natural showoff.

"No, you really don't.", Matthew shook his head, "I mean really strong."

There was a crack of thunder that made everyone jump except for the Canadian who had been expecting it. Arthur blinked up at the sky, positive that it was still clear. Another clap of harsh sound made Arthur look over that the giant, who was clutching his head as if in pain. A dot that could have been a flea on him bounced up from somewhere on the leviathan's chest to connect with it's chin sending the giant reeling back. Arthur felt his jaw go slack as he realized the flea was actually Alfred smacking seven shades of shit out of the giant with his bare fists.

"B-but….", Arthur stammered.

"Do you have any idea how annoying it is to have this kind of power?", Matthew said in a offhand tone to no one in particular, "It's like living in a world made of wet cardboard. We have to so careful all of the time. Alfred thinks it's a blessing. I personally think it was meant as a curse." Mostly in awed silence, the group watched as the giant tried to fight back, but it was a losing battle trying to catch something so tiny and agile.

"DON'T YOU DARE KILL HIM AL!", Matthew bellowed across the valley, practically flooring everyone present by the sheer volume coming out of the normally quiet Canadian.

"Maple! I'm going down there.", Matthew threw over his shoulder, racing forward down the hill to join his twin.

"I thought that was the objective though. To kill monsters.", Arthur said dryly.

"Do you want to bury a 365,000 ton corpse? Cause I can think of better ways of spending my time.", Gilbert snorted, his scarlet eyes glued to the diminishing form of his lover, "Though technically, you could if you were out at sea or close enough to a coast. Hmmmmm…"

"Nein. The political ramifications would be too immense.", Ludwig shook his head. A bushy eyebrow was raised at the German in question so he continued, "More than likely some arschloch planted an illegal magic bean making a beanstalk bridge to the sky kingdom of the giants. The being out there is probably some dull witted teenager who was too curious for his own good."

"So what do we do when the twins are done with him then if we aren't going to kill him?", Arthur asked.

"Once he is convinced i.e. smacked around a bit, we will escort him back to the beanstalk in which he will pay us a finder's fee. We will then cut the beanstalk down and then charge the town an exterminator's and removal fee.", Ludwig finished.

"And they will pay that?", Arthur said sardonically.

"Ja. The threat of another giant coming down is a very good incentive and they can live off of the beanstalk for a while.", Ludwig shrugged. He didn't add that most people didn't argue with a group that had a man who's left hook was strong enough to knock out a giant.

"And he's down.", Gilbert informed them though it was unnecessary as the ground shook signaling that the giant was well off of its feet, "That is going to leave one hell of a butt print."

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Arthur was very surprised to find that the giant was actually quite polite and apologetic about the entire ordeal. Having a black eye and busted lip can bring out the best in beings sometimes though. The goliath was escorted back to his beanstalk by the group, the towering sprout touching cloud cover being easy enough to find. After a long lecture from Ludwig, the giant was allowed to leave but not before he gave them a single gold coin.

When Arthur had heard about the fee they were charging the giant, he had not been impressed. He now understood Beilschmidt brother's excitement over the find of the giant. Arthur had not been thinking of things in terms of volume. It was just one gold coin alright but it was also the size of a small house. Arthur could only stared at the sheer amount of gold before him. He was former royalty so he had seen wealth before but this was intense.

The twins unpacked a rope saw to start working the bladed chain through the beanstalk as Ludwig supervised so that they didn't have it fall on the town inadvertently or themselves for the matter. While they did that, Arthur tried to come to terms with their payment. He ultimately came to one realization.

"How in the bloody hell are we going to carry this?", Arthur wondered aloud, barely registering the beanstalk falling until it made the ground tremble. The Englishman man found himself suddenly covered with a lot of sweaty American.

"You're not. Me and Mattie are.", Alfred laughed at the face Arthur was giving him. He poked at red puffed cheeks.

"Get off. You're all manky.", Arthur growled, attempting to shove Alfred off of him and failing as the American latched onto the Englishman.

"I'll pretend 'manky' mean awesome.", Alfred said, pressing kissing onto heated skin.

"Brilliant.", Arthur snapped, "That still doesn't answer how we are going to deal with the bulk of it or store it in a safe place."

"Duh Iggy. Even I know what ta do.", Alfred teased, finally letting his quarry go.

"Pray tell then. What?", Arthur asked, getting an odd feeling he was not going to like the answer.

"You put it in a bank.", Alfred picking up his end of the gold coin as Matthew took the other. The twins tested the weight a bit and played with angles to get familiar with the object. They were going to have to carry it quite a ways after all.

"You don't mean…..", Arthur groaned.

"Ja. We are going to Switzerland."

"Bollocks."

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Lili snuggled within the depths of thick white fur, Kumajirou keeping her very warm from the Swiss cold. The group had been traveling for weeks, navigating though treacherous passes, and soaring walkways. There had been several close calls and some minor setbacks but for the most part, their journey was over as the fortress carved into a mountain's side came into view.

"What is that place?", Lili asked. She didn't have to be as quiet as before since this journey had started. The one she knew as Matthew or Who in Kumajirou's case, was too busy holding his end of the gold coin to pay any attention to his bear or its hitchhiker. Lili had been worried at first when the four other men had joined the group. She had been worried she might be discovered but the overly perverted Frenchman seemed intent on occupying the quiet Estonian's time, who seemed just as intent on ignoring his advances. The Spaniard stayed busy making up new songs for the angry Italian who yelled at him constantly when he wasn't blushing or crying. Lili was sure that the other Italian, the one who smiled a lot, had noticed her but nothing had come of it. She wasn't so sure anymore about him though. Everyone else was far too busy to really pay attention inwardly, so Lili stuck with Mint, Kumajirou, and Gilbird as they all looked for a new home for her. Finding her mother now seemed a daunting and hopeless task the more they traveled. Lili had given the idea up a while back, wishing her mother the best in her heart. She was excited to be out and about finally in the world though and not stuck in her mother's apron pocket or married to a fat toad.

"It's a bank….kinda.", Kumajirou explained, "The idiot's will be able to convert their gold into bars and/or coins here in a secure location."

"No place more secure than here love.", Mint nodded in agreement.

"It's just…well…", Kumajirou wandered around mentally for a good descriptor for the owner of the bank castle.

Everyone took cover as the group was shot at by various types of artillery, the twins using the coin to shield the lot of them.

"The landlord is a complete and utter madarse." Mint finished for the polar bear.

"Arschloch.", Gilbird muttered.

"Yeah, that too.", Kumajirou sighed as Ludwig yelled passwords up at the castle. Gilbert and Arthur liberally added a few of their own.

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After a brief intense exchange, identities were confirmed and the group was admitted into the household. The company were shown to their rooms, everyone promptly settling in for the night. Being shot at will do that to you.

Lili, try as she might, could not get to sleep. She tossed and turned on Kumajirou's belly(her bed) until the polar bear started to grumble at her in his sleep. Sighing, Lili got up to slide nimbly down fluffy sides. It was nighttime, so she reasoned it wouldn't harm anything to take a quick walk.

Unfortunately, Lili didn't count on the castle's cat having the same feeling on the matter.

The tiny girl ran down all too similar hallways in a blind panic. She had barely managed to escape from the tomcat that had grabbed her in its claw. Luckily for her, the old tom hadn't been expected his meal to punch him in the nose and run off screaming.

Lili had gotten away but was now lost and bleeding from various cuts on her body. Her lungs burned from running and her legs felt too weak now to support her, trembling from the effort of just moving forward. She leaned heavily against a wall, looking for the room that held Kumajirou or Mint in it. Everything looked the same to her though, the lids of her eyes growing heavy. Sinking down, Lili collapsed against the wall, breathing shallowly.

"I just wanted to live a little longer…", She murmured to herself.

"Are you alright?"

Lili's green eyes fluttered weakly open to see a strange boy with a bluntly cut chin length bob of blonde hair and bright green eyes looking down at her. Lili promptly passed out without another word.

The tiny girl woke up to find out quite happily that not only was she still alive, she also appeared to be in a small bed just her size. Lili looked around in amazement to see that all the furniture around her was to scale with her size. Lili briefly considered she may have actually died and that she was in heaven until an entire side of the house opened up. Lili dove back under the covers in a vain attempt at hiding.

"I see that you are feeling better."

Lili peeked out from under the covers. The strange boy from before was there, but he made no move to harm her. Lili deemed it safe enough to at least poke her head out from under the blankets.

"Yes…yes I am. Thank you.", she said politely. The boy nodded solemnly. Lili got the distinct impression he was the serious type.

"Are you hungry?", the boy asked somewhat stiffly. He still hadn't looked back at her. Lili glanced down at herself to find she was neatly bandaged up and in a nightgown of all things. She giggled to herself, suddenly realizing what he was so embarrassed about.

"Only if you don't mind. I have already imposed you quite a bit.", Lili told him sweetly. She was amused to see the boy jump and actually look at her this time, his pale cheeks reddening.

"It's fine. I'll be right back.", the boy said far too quickly, before taking off. He soon returned with a cup of soup and a loaf of bread.

"I'm not that hungry.", Lili giggled. She could probably hollow out that loaf and live in it if need be. The boy blushed in answer, carefully taking out things from a drawer and setting them up on a nearby table just beyond where Lili could see. When he was done, the boy offered his open palm to her.

"I can take you over there.", he told her, doing the whole not looking thing again. Lili made him startle in surprise when she jumped into his hand.

"Be careful!", the boy chided, walking overly slow to the table. Lili debated about telling him about her time riding on a polar bear cub or soaring high above on a flying mint bunny. Neither activity was exactly safe. She was distracted though when the setup finally came into view. It was a table and chair complete with silverware and cup. A tiny bowl no bigger than an acorn's cap was placed on the table filled with a drop of soup while a equally tiny plate held a crumb of bread. It was all the right size for her.

Lili looked at in wonder, the awkward shuffling behind her reminding the tiny girl she was not alone. She spun around to face the boy, dropping down in neat curtsey.

"Thank you! I am so grateful!", Lili smiled up at the boy whose cheeks took on a bright shade of scarlet. He mumbled something in answer.

Though she was hungry, Lili looked around the room with interest. Her new vantage point gave her optimal visibility to see a room filled with dollhouses, save for one side which looked like a workshop of some kind to her.

"Did you make all this?", Lili ventured, gesturing about her. The boy nodded back shyly, his green eyes flicking between her and the floor.

"It is a hobby….", the boy said softly.

"What is your name?", Lili asked. The boy managed somehow to turn redder than she thought was humanly possible. Good manners refrained her from commenting on it, though she found it adorable.

"V-vash.", the boy stammered, licking his suddenly too dry lips. Lili's eyes widened in surprise. From the animal's description, she had been expecting a trigger-happy crotchety old man. This Vash barely looked eighteen and that was pushing it.

"It is very nice to meet you Vash. I am Lili. Thank you again for saving me.", Lili curtseyed once more, "I wish there was some way I could repay you."

"Don't worry about that. You should eat.", Vash told her sternly. Lili was surprised by his sudden change in demeanor, but not by too much. He was still madly blushing so it ruined the force of his tone. Lili nodded taking a seat at the table. Vash waited patiently until she was done to ask her more questions.

"Where did you come from?", Vash asked as he cleared the tableware. Lili debated with herself upon answering for a moment before sticking with the truth.

"I came in with those men on the polar bear's back.", she explained. Vash's brow furrowed for a moment as he scowled darkly.

"Those idiots. Why are they making you ride around on a polar bear? That's not safe.", Vash growled. He was going to do terrible thing to those dumb bastards.

"In all fairness, they didn't know.", Lili laughed.

"Ignorance is no excuse.", Vash grumped.

"No but it is a good reason." Lili countered. She didn't feel particularly loyal to the Beilschmidt's company but she did like the animals. They had kept her warm, safe, and fed.

"Why are you even bothering with them?", Vash snorted with obvious distain. Just because he did business with the company didn't mean he had to like or even respect them.

"I have no where else to go. I'm lost and have no home.", Lili shrugged, trying to make light of her situation. She quoted something she heard Alfred say, "Beggars can't be choosers." Vash's being flagged a bit under that glaring oversight of her predicament on his part.

"I really should be getting back. Kuma and Mint will be worried about me.", Lili said, starting to climb down the table leg with practiced ease despite her minor wounds. She yelped in surprise when she was picked up.

"Don't do that! I'll just take you to them.", Vash said quickly, "Be more careful!"

Lili muffled her giggles into her hand as she was carried. She found herself liking this strange boy who made doll furniture for a hobby more and more.

In turn, Vash's own mind was working overtime. It was like his greatest life's wish had suddenly come true. The tiny girl in the palm of his hand was beyond perfect in his opinion in very way possible. Her form was crafted slim and nymph like, her hair was long and the shade of the finest pale gold thread, and her eyes were like two perfect flecks of malachite set in porcelain.

The deciding factor came though when Lili opened her mouth to sing, a joyous sound pouring from it. It was as sweet as any songbird and melodic as any instrument. It wrapped itself around Vash's heart and tied it up in a tight bow.

Vash thought about never seeing or hearing Lili again.

He thought about the company he was returning her too.

He thought about the Prussian.

"Lili…Why don't you stay with me?", Vash found himself asking. Thoughts of Prussians will do that to a person. Lili stopped her song to stare up at the blushing Swiss.

"I think I would like that very much."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO
And they lived happily ever after…..

...

...

...Kinda.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO

The End.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO

MAKE

Alfred and Arthur

Thanks to Alfred's complete sense of misdirection, he and Arthur got lost in fairyland despite all of Alfred's protests that it didn't exist. After numerous misadventures, they were crowned the king and queen of Spades in a small card kingdom. Arthur still refuses to wear a dress though.

Matthew and Gilbert
Matthew went back to his homelands of Canada inadvertently taking a Prussian with him. The two opened a bed and breakfast together in Quebec. Vital regions are claimed regularly.

Antonio and Romano
Went back to Antonio's house. They grow lots of tomatoes there and are generally lazy bastards.

Roderich and Elizabeta
Roderich was never executed for his various crimes against humanity. Before his execution, his last request was not for food but a piano. A Hungarian witch happened to be near by when he was playing his swan song and rescued him. The two were married later on. Roderich was not allowed to eat children anymore and is taking steps to battle his addiction to human flesh.

Ivan and Raivis
Prince Ivan married Raivis despite his many protests. He is still creepy as all hell but really rich so Raivis can afford a lot of good therapy.

Francis and Eduard
Francis and Eduard spent over a year looking for all the gold Francis had convinced very stupid people to bury for centuries as a talking frog. It turned out it was a lot more than he thought, making him a very, very, very rich man. Francis bought a lot of land in the French countryside and opened a vineyard. With his share, Eduard built a library on the premise as well as an alchemist workshop. To two combined their talents and made a rare vintage of champagne together.

Feliciano and Francis
Feliciano became a famous dancer and singer that toured all over Europe. Ludwig became his manager. Feliciano stays busy with side projects as well. Ludwig helps manages those as well.

Rome and Germania
Rome and Germania stayed in Italy deep in the forest. Rumors of a Big Bad Wolf still flourish.

Vash and Lili
Lili and Vash maintained a very complicated relationship.

Denmark and Norway
Denmark eventually kidnapped his prince and made him into a mermaid permanently, dubbing him Norway. The prince was less than pleased by this. He eventually forgave him though after a few centuries.

Berwald, Tino, and Peter
Berwald and Tino hold down the fort in the wood of Sweden, ready to defend against the dark horde that threaten our world. They are together though, so they do not mind it. Peter grew up a bit and went back to England to restart the monarchy there. It's never been the same since.

Kiku and Heracules
Kiku stayed with Heracules, deeming to too unsafe for the sleepy Greek to be left unguarded. He eventually took the oracle back to Japan with him. Heracles likes to sleep underneath the cherry blossoms best, surrounded by all of his cats.

Feliks and Toris
Feliks and Toris were married later that year, uniting their kingdoms. There has never been a more fabulous wedding since or more pink.

Natalia and Katyusha
Natalia did manage to lead a coo de ta until it became obvious she was just doing it so that she could marry her brother. Katyusha still visits her often in prison.