*face in hands*

I swear to you guys I meant for this to be long but short enough for most people to read in a single sitting for today. I'd apologize but I really like how this turned out anyway so, mleh.

Almost as long as "Magneto" and in about half the time. You guys I'm so disappoint.

I also did not expect to go this long without posting any stories, but, what can you do? *shrug*

Ahem. Anyway, internal mini-crisis aside, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I've been wanting to do a HetaOni verse story, especially inspired/based off that one headcanon: "Japan gradually develops feelings for Prussia during their time in the mansion. Japan didn't notice. Prussia did."

So, just a few extra notes before you guys read (promise i'll be quick):

Order:

The story is not entirely chronological; not entirely, because it starts at two different "tenses" I call it, or parts of the story, and then alternates. (i.e. 1st scene, 26th scene, 2nd scene, 27th scene, etc.) (i don't actually know how many scenes there are, so please don't go counting, you will lose count). The Italics in the beginning are just little blurps to kick off the story.

Italics:

A lot of Italic use in here, though I tried not to go overboard, so:

In-text: used for Japan's thoughts, emphasis on a word or phrase, foreign word, narration in flashbacks

In quotes: used for emphasis on a word or phrase, foreign word, dialogue in a flashback, and also: whispering or talking in low or quiet tones

Characters and Pairings:

This is very much Prussia-and-Japan focused, but I believe a HetaOni story is also an Italy, Italy and Germany, and all-around character development story, so I added more of that, which... is probably why it's so long.

Prussia and Japan is the only honest-to-God actual ship in here. Along with hints of Germany and Italy of course but this is HetaOni story so kind of a given... and that will come out more when I pop out the second chapter from Italy's POV (trust me you guys will like that one, it will explain a lot) in the near future. There is no onesided ItalyxJapan. I know it might look that way - that was intentional. Everything will make sense in Italy's chapter. Anything else you may see, onesided or whatever, you go ahead and keep your goggles tilted that way.

Loose Ends:

There is some stuff that may seem odd; I did put more emphasis on Japan's whole "seeing-things-before-they-happen" situation, which will be explained next chapter. I also took out a lot of dialogue that wasn't absolutely necessary to keep the story going, and some dialogue was shifted around (you'll see), so. You have any other questions, feel free to ask.

This is a two-shot story. Italy's chapter will be posted when I finish writing it. Whether I add another chapter with Prussia's POV is, really, up to me, but if enough readers want it I may post one. But no promises.

Mansion Layout:

I tried my best to keep you guys in the know of where this-and-that is going on. I Googled images for "HetaOni Mansion Layout", assumed those white lines were halls and described those scenes accordingly. I highly recommend keeping those images open in other tabs while you read. The ones that give a view of the entire floor, they're really very convenient.

And finally, Warnings:

Violence, a bit of language, angst, sadness, a bit of gore. This is HetaOni verse, you know what to expect.

Okay, so I think that's just about everything I have to say, so I'll wrap this AN up.

Have a Happy Halloween! And remember, I do not own Axis Powers: Hetalia, HetaOni, or AoOni.

Enjoy!

and time goes on...

Prussia turns to Japan with a crooked grin, proud and relieved and tired and something-else altogether.

And in that grin, in the curve of those lips, is the answer Japan had been searching for…

… and time goes on

…

A heavy sense of foreboding pushes its way to Japan's thoughts, thoughts he tries to disregard as with every step the sense gets stronger — like an old man tries to convince himself he is not dying with every rattling breath he takes.

The comparison does not sit well with him.

…

A heavy sense of foreboding pushes its way to Japan's thoughts, thoughts he tries to disregard as with every step the sense gets stronger — like an old man tries to convince himself he is not dying with every rattling breath he takes.

The comparison does not sit well with him.

"Wassa matter, Japan? Scared?"

Prussia, of course, with a cocky grin so naturally in-place on his face, eyes slanted, mischief lurking in both expression and tone.

"No," he answers, unable to not give a mall smile in return — whether or not he means to be, Prussia is very influential and persuasive; his excitement is contagious.

"No," he repeats, "I am not afraid."

Because he is not. He is not afraid, but he is—wary. He has always relied heavily on his instincts, and the foreboding he's felt since America approached him at the World Meeting is weighing his steps now, and he is becoming increasingly certain that they are being watched.

An animal in the bushes, he's been telling himself the past hour and a half, absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Still, he cannot stop himself from casting a cursory glance around their bleak surroundings.

"You too?"

Japan's head snaps over at the whisper, sees Prussia stretch his arms over his head, casually look around at the field and trees and bushes around them.

When he does not reply, Prussia looks at him, raises his eyebrows, looks around them again, pointedly.

Ah, Japan thinks, remembering Prussia's own time of prime—or, rather, the stories he'd heard, of Prussia's prime in history, as by the time he'd been stepping out of isolation Prussia had been waning; he did recall, though, some of what he'd heard of Prussia's establishment, and birth in the 1500s.

"Yes," he whispers back, suddenly mindful of the foreboding sense only becoming stronger, and Prussia's sharpened gaze.

"Good," Prussia murmurs, stance tensed under the idle swing of his arms as they walk. "I won't have to do everything myself."

Italy, useless at the best of times in his own charming way, and Germany—the younger brother, capable or no.

Japan can understand.

He does not realize he is still staring until Prussia catches his eye, again, raises a single brow crookedly—and when Japan does, realize, he only gives another small smile before turning determinedly forward.

From his peripheral he can see Prussia staring after him for another moment or two, a pondering, almost wary expression on his face, before he, too, turns forward.

Upon Germany's glance back, Japan steps up beside Italy, while Germany automatically falls into step with Prussia.

Once more, Japan feels eyes on him, but, knowing whom they belong to, Japan does not worry.

…

The last to enter, Japan throws all his weight against the door upon stepping foot in the rather tiny room they've all gathered into, conducting a mental headcount.

Ten. All here, then. Good.

Japan lets out a long sigh, allows himself a brief moment to slump against the wall but stands before he can get too comfortable.

"Lock the door!" China yells between breaths before Japan can move any further.

"Oh!" Honestly, he should know better by now; had he not locked the door then...

Prussia...

Dispelling those thoughts, he turns the lock and without thinking walks toward the center, across Prussia and on either side of Italy and Germany, tuning out America's voice.

Thank God... thank God! Oh, dear... for a moment there, I really feared we weren't going to make it.

"Dammit!" Germany. "Even though we're all together here, our situation hasn't gotten any better! Now we're locked up in here and that fucking monster is after our asses!"

Prussia sighs frustratedly, runs a hand through his hair. "West, don't be so pessimistic." He chides in a clipped tone. "What matters is that we're alive. Besides, with so many nations gone, maybe someone will come to rescue us."

Japan blinks, frowns. How odd, I... I feel as though I'm forgetting something important...

A gap.

There is a—gap, in his memory — almost as if it was deliberately removed, picked away; like a word on the tip of the tongue, the more he tries to focus on it, the more it escapes him. This scene is from when one of those clocks broke, he knows that much... in the study...

"Maybe..." Japan tunes back in at Germany's voice. "Maybe escaping, really is impossible... And now... we're probably going to get—eaten, one by one. That's what I would do, if I were that—Thing!"

That's right, Germany said that and Prussia got mad at him, and then...

And then... what?

"That's enough West!" Prussia yells, casting an almost unconscious glance at Japan and his arm. "We only lost one way out! There are still many other ways!"

What is it?! What am I forgetting? Remember, remember! If I don't-

"...Bruder," Germany sighs, "I'm sorry. And thank you... for, what you did earlier. This time, I intend to make it up to you for saving me. I'm sorry I was a burden."

Regret again-

"Germany." Italy pipes up, glancing over his shoulder at the door behind him, opposite the one through which they entered. "But, Germany, it's okay-"

"No. No, if I can't protect my allies when I have the chance, then my training was pointless. At the ver-"

Italy... Italy will say something...

"-really appreciate it."

"What? … Oh, um. Thanks, ve..." Italy turns his head again towards the door behind him, head cocked, as if listening for something...

The door...?

" see," France chatters excitedly, "this is the first time that-"

"Please!" Italy interrupts suddenly, eyes darting to everyone but addressing Germany, Japan, Prussia and France in particular. "Please... if—if you get out, just—keep running. No matter what, don't—don't look back! Don't forget about me, don't—don't blame me, don't cry, and—and time-"

Time... after that line...

After that line!

Japan's head snaps up; at some point, Italy had managed to shuffle closer to the door—

The door!

"Italy!"

The door slams open.

…

"Ve~ it's really here."

"I thought it was just a rumor. I never thought we would actually find it..." Japan muses aloud, stepping closer to the mansion, inspecting the chipped paint

"It has such a desolate feel..." Prussia comments, craning his head. "Not bad."

"I don't think it's very interesting, though."

"Me neither," Japan quickly agrees — if even Germany, more than disbelieving of superstition and the supernatural, is feeling something off, as much a Germany would deny the possibility, then the best course of action would be to leave. "Can't we just look at it from the outside and then go back?"

"Aww~" Italy whines. "After all the the trouble we had to find it? C'mon, let's just go in for a little while!"

And, with just enough time for Japan to note that Italy is surprisingly eager to explore a supposedly haunted mansion, Italy opens the door and — almost defiantly — steps in, door left open after him.

Japan and Prussia share a short, bracing glance, and follow after.

The last to enter, Germany is alarmingly silent as he closes the front door behind him.

"It's cleaner than I thought," Italy hums, bounding across the front room on the balls of his feet. His typical cheer doesn't quite set Japan at ease, but does take from the oppressing feel, some.

"H-hey. Can we go now?"

"What's the matter, West?" Prussia leers, "you scared?"

As if on cue, a loud crash sounds from the far right of the house, beyond the hallway and out of sight — and the timing, more than the sound itself, alerts Japan that the feeling he'd had before, of being watched, has grown since they'd all stepped foot inside, and, as both the oldest and most cautious of the party, he takes it upon himself to investigate.

"L-look, we really should go now"

"Oh, don't be silly," Japan chides — now, absolutely certain something is wrong with the house, as well as determined to see just how much a threat whatever may be there could present, he starts off for the right hallway, alone. "It's not like there are any ghosts or anything," he says as convincingly as he can — the house had been said to be haunted, after all — and turning back to look at them for good measure, he asks, "where's your common sense?"

Not that he can really say better for himself, checking out a mysterious noise alone, without even the faintest idea of the danger or possible consequences — but, having lived the longest of everyone assembled, in this room, he is confident in his ability to hold his own, and Prussia would, certainly, want to keep Italy and Germany in sight, of course.

"Be careful, Japan!" Prussia calls, a current in his voice dispelling any notion Japan had of Prussia's own apprehension waning – it lessons some of the tension in Japan's shoulders, enough for him to turn back once more with a small smile and vague wave, catching a glimpse of Italy staring off in the hall opposite the front door, eyes narrowed in concentration — a rare sight, but not one Japan thinks too much on.

Again, he feels eyes trained on his back, but again, knowing it is Prussia watching him, he is not worried — rather, it puts him strangely at ease.

…

The enemy barely a step away from Italy—America stabbing the monster with an iron pipe—England in the corner halting it with magic.

It all happens so fast Japan can hardly register what is going on.

"Get your weapons!" Prussia roars, drawing his own sword in time with the others readying their various weapons. "Let's all attack together!"

What just happened?

"I'm ready to go any time, aru!"

How did-

"Japan!"

He blinks.

"You still here?" Prussia asks, eyes on him but keeping the Thing's movements within his peripheral. "We need to beat this Thing, and with England knocked out we're already down one."

He blinks. Glances over, at everyone, fighting. The Thing. That almost had Italy. Just like in the false memory. The false memory he forgot. The false memory he forgot—

"Japan!"

He starts.

Prussia is staring only at him now, concernedly, back almost entirely exposed to the enemy, while he is—

While he is—

Japan shakes his head, bites down on the torn skin of his bottom lip reflexively.

"Right," he nods, "attack. Together. Attack together. You do not have to do everything on your own."

Prussia's expression, now, is shocked. Japan cocks his head, confused, but Prussia only closes off, nods toward the Thing.

"We better lend a hand," Prussia murmurs, but there is something—off, something wrong, and Japan wants to ask but-

-it is not his place.

Aside from that, now is most definitely not the time.

"Right," he nods, again, drawing his katana and jumping into battle.

Prussia, he feels, stands there for a moment more, before following after.

...

Thank goodness...

The key he'd received... somehow... after defeating that—that thing... opens, thankfully, to a perfectly normal, standard bedroom with sparse furniture, that thing nowhere in sight and nowhere for it to hide-

"Oh!"

Directly across the room, back to him and shoulders rising in slow, measured breaths, an occasional quake in the frame, navy uniform and all, stands—

Prussia!

With a start, Japan realizes he's been standing in place for at least a minute, lingering in the doorway when at any moment that thing could-

Quickly, Japan glances around what he can see of the house, pausing an extra moment before stepping inside and hurriedly shutting the door. Relieved to have found another of his friends, Japan leans against the door for a brief second, then straightens, takes a step—

… takes a step—

takes a step—

He cannot move.

His body is trembling from effort as he tries to shift forward, but otherwise he is absolutely still. He cannot move. His foot is hovering over the floor, his legs feel impossibly stiff and he's even having some difficulty breathing—his chest is aching, his eyes are stinging, and he feels strangely cold. He cannot move. He is entirely paralyzed, unable to command even his eyes to blink. He cannot move. He feels numb, as if he was sitting in seiza position for too long. He cannot move.

He cannot move.

And then abruptly, he feels a rush, an odd tingling running through his arm, and, of its own accord, his hand lashes out and engages the lock and—

—he stumbles four feet away from the door before he manages to find his balance, turns back to stare at it with a bewildered look.

What on Earth...?

As he stands there, still eyeing the door he realizes that, strangely enough, his chest feels... lighter, than even before he'd entered the house, as if locking that door alone lifted a great weight from his chest and, though the very thought lacks much reason, the foreboding sense from hours ago has abated, and, he has always trusted his instincts...

Shaking his head and disregarding the incident, he turns back to his friend, whose back is still to him, seemingly oblivious to what had just occurred...

And, because he has always trusted his instincts, he approaches Prussia slowly, deliberately scoffing his foot against the wooden flooring.

No response.

Waiting only a moment more, he clears his throat before reaching out his hand to rest on Prussia's shoulder.

"Pruss-"

"Who's there?!"

Clang!

"Prussia!" Japan cries, not faltering his hold on his scabbard — he'd not had time to draw as Prussia's sword had already been in hand — as he tries to keep Prussia's own sword from cutting off another lock of hair, or worse. Had he reacted just a moment later...

"Prussia!" Japan repeats, seeing his friend's eyes are still wide and glazed over. "Calm down, please! It's me!"

Prussia twitches, as if to attack but stopping short before he can. His eyes close, tightly, for a long moment, and when they open, they seem lighter, focused.

"... Japan?" Prussia tries, slowly. At Japan's nod, Prussia's arms slacken, and his entire body seems to deflate with the long sigh he breathes out. "Japan," he repeats, stepping back and sheathing his—Japan cannot help noticing—dull and battle-worn—sword. He runs a hand through his hair with another long sigh—more frustrated this time—and looks up just as Japan replaces his scabbard. "Ah, sorry."

"Are you all right?!" Japan asks, rather than respond to the apology; there are more pressing matters to worry about.

Prussia blinks, as if just coming to. "Th-there was a monster!" He exclaims. "I saw it! A, a stark naked giant the color of rotten scone!"

Ah, so he's seen it too...

Absently, Japan thinks that England wouldn't have liked the comparison.

"It's true!" Prussia insists, misinterpreting his silence for disbelief and taking firm hold of his shoulders. "We all saw it! Me, and West, and Italy too!"

"Yes," Japan answers patiently, "I know."

Prussia holds on a bit longer, searching his eyes, with an expression so intense Japan has to make an effort to not look away, an effort made all the more difficult when he feels his cheeks flushing, though he doesn't understand the reaction.

"Before I knew it," Prussia continues, loosening but not releasing his grip, "I'd wound up here. Those two... I don't know where they went. Am I—making any sense?"

"Yes, quite," Japan answers. "That does make sense. I saw it, too."

"What the hell is that—THING?!" Prussia's fingers dig uncomfortably into Japan's back, possibly even leaving imprints, but he does not comment. "O-oh! And what—what happened to the others?!"

"Please, calm down." Japan implores, concerned with Prussia's swift mood changes, reaching up rather boldly to grip at Prussia's wrists, his cheeks flaring up both at the act and the look Prussia levels at him; he can feel the increasing pounding of his heart on his upper back, where Prussia's fingers are digging in, bruising him, almost breaking skin. "Would you," he clears his throat, tries not to focus on fluttering pulse on his neck, "Would you like me to, bring you, something to drink?"

"Eh?" Prussia blinks. "Well... now that you mention it... I, am a little thirsty. Do you, have water or something?"

"Ah, no, but I can go out and get you some." A brief squeeze on the wrists accompanies his offer. "Would you like me to?"

"Yeah..." Prussia breathes.

Japan makes to move.

"No, wait." Prussia's hands keep him still. "I don't really need it. Nevermind."

Japan blinks, cocks his head, curious to the abrupt change of heart, but doesn't push when Prussia only clears his throat, averts his gaze as he removes his hands from Japan's shoulders.

Face heating once more, Japan takes his cue to remove his own hold on Prussia's wrists.

Prussia's lips thin in a firm line. After a short silence, he asks, "What... what happened to the other two?"

Japan answers dutifully. "Germany is on this same floor. He claimed he was hungry. But... I, haven't found Italy. Do you have any idea where he might be?!"

"What?! Italy's missing?! Do you think he was attacked by that monster?!"

One among many worst-case scenarios Japan hadn't allowed himself to consider; now, more alarmed than before, Japan hesitates. "We can't be 100% certain... but, he's fast and good at running away. I do believe he managed to escape somehow."

"All right!" Prussia claps his hands, once. "Then I'll look for him, too! But first, let's go to where West is." He frowns. "What's he doing, anyway?"

"He said he was too hungry to move. Prussia, do you have anything for him to eat?"

"Something to eat..." Prussia repeats dubiously. "Now that you mention it, I did find some mushrooms while I was running away. Will that do?"

"That should do." Hopefully.

"All right! Then let's..." Prussia trails off, turns to the door.

Japan frowns. "What's the matter?"

"... Don't you... hear the sound of something... getting... closer?"

Once pointed out, the irregular pattern of approaching footsteps and heavy breathing is too easy to pick up.

Japan's blood freezes.

"Hey, say..." Prussia whispers, "if that thing on your waist isn't just for show, pull it out of its sheath. If you don't want to be eaten, that is."

"Agreed."

Even across the room, Japan can feel, just outside the door, an unnatural stillness.

…

So, he wasn't just helplessly hiding in that closet...

Well, aside from the first time, but...

"Awesome!" Prussia cheers; Japan is still gaping in unabashed awe at the size and space and kitchen and beds and tables and shelves spread about in their new safe haven. "What is this place? Did you make it, West?"

"... It's amazing, ve..."

"... much to talk about." Germany is saying, just as England is coming to and Japan is done inspecting the surprisingly vast amount of food in the kitchen-space. "However, our first priority now is to sleep. We had better sleep first and talk later."

"Yeah," Prussia agrees. "If we try to talk now, I won't get anything..."

"Those who don't have any problems, sleep." Germany orders, taking command as usual. "There is also no need to keep watch. I've already experimented it countless times."

"Ve, Japan~ Sleep next to me~" Italy coos, stepping lightly on his toes over to Japan and grabbing his hands. "Germany, too!" Italy adds, peering over Japan's shoulders, "I'll sleep in the middle!"

"Yes, of course." Japan agrees, as incapable of not going along with Italy as the next nation, "It's been so long since I lay down a little."

"Don't take an edge-bed, aru!" China's voice sounds, plopping down on the bed Japan had just been about to choose. "I want to sleep next to you, too — it's been centuries, aru!"

Nodding absentmindedly, Japan turns to say something to Italy, stops.

There is an odd look on Italy's face.

It had not escaped Japan's notice, that Italy had had his eyes visibly open since waking from his siesta during the World Meeting just yesterday — yesterday, how could so much have happened in only two days? — but, though not an entirely rare occurrence, nor was it commonplace. Really, the only reason Japan is thinking so hard on this now is because Italy is glaring — Italy, glaring — at someone over his shoulder.

Japan turns around.

"Hm, then I guess I'll sleep next to West." Prussia mutters, meeting Italy's gaze over Japan's shoulder with a steely expression and tight jaw.

Italy, glaring at Prussia... Japan thinks, bewildered, not failing to notice the odd look France shoots the two as he gets into bed himself. When Japan sends China a questioning look of his own, his elder only shakes his head with an exasperated sigh and lays down on his own chosen bed, rolling over and mumbling about his back.

"Ve, Japan~!" Italy chimes, eyes still open but no longer narrowed, expression wide and friendly and welcoming as ever, and Japan wonders if maybe he had merely been seeing things as a result of exhaustion. "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me~!"

"Aren't you going to sleep?" After what had happened not an hour ago...

"I'm making something for us to eat tomorrow when we wake up! It can't be pasta~ but, you'll still like it."

"Is that so?" Japan smiles fondly. "I look forward to it, then. I'll give you a hand later."

"Oh, no, I'm fine on my own!" Italy insists, swinging their arms together. "There isn't that much food anyway, ve!"

And with that and a quick kiss on either of his cheeks, Italy sends another glare over Japan's shoulder, spins on his heel and skips over to the kitchen.

Blinking, Japan turns slowly to Germany, who appears as confused as he feels.

"Has he ever...?"

"Not until just now," Japan answers to Germany's unfinished question. He frowns. "I thought that was something he tried to encourage only you to do."

"Japan."

He turns at the sound of his name, sees Prussia sitting cross-legged on one of the beds closest to the wall. His eyes are still trained on where Italy had stood, eyes narrowed and brows furrowed in a contemplative manner. After a long stretch of silence, Prussia meets his gaze.

"We need to talk. Later."

Not really understanding, but with no reason to refuse, Japan nods, and wonders if perhaps Prussia is going to explain what'd happened after that Thing targeting Italy had vanished, when Prussia had shouted at nothing.

But, even if he doesn't, Japan tells himself, you will respect his wish for privacy. It was likely nothing.

And, even if it was, it is not your place.

"I understand," he says.

It is not my place.

…

"HO-ly shit!" Prussia finishes the shout in a whisper, stepping back with a flinch.

Silence. The door stills. Japan swallows tightly, muscles tight, hands clamped on the hilt of his katana. He can hear Prussia beside him breathing shallowly and shifting anxiously.

They wait.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!BANG!BANG!BANG!BANG!BANG!BANG!

BANG!

"... … … Is... is it gone?" Prussia whispers after a long silence, still staring apprehensively at the door. Japan can barely hear him over the pounding in his ears and the sound of his own forcibly-composed breathing. He does not answer; silence reigns for another minute or two between them as they listen for any sign of movement coming from outside the door.

"I faced it earlier," Japan informs in an undertone. "A few times, actually."

"Holy SHIT!" Prussia takes one of his arms, turning it this way and that, just noticing the few minor injuries he'd accumulated — a few scratches, several bruises, rips in his uniform, bits of his sleeves missing. Prussia's eyes are wide and his expression looks almost vulnerable when he looks up, gaze locking on the tear in Japan's bottom lip — where Japan had, embarrassingly enough, bitten down several times to ground himself in the battle, so he wouldn't succumb himself to shock or fear when one of the—thing's giant hands or teeth got too close for comfort.

"It disappeared every time it was weakened considerably," Japan continues lowly, numbly, as an excuse to not linger on his train of thought.

"... Most of the sleeve on your upper arm here... it was ripped off?"

"Bitten," Japan corrects before he can stop himself. Horrified, he clamps his jaw shut as Prussia's gapes open, mouthing "bitten" once, pale skin turning a sickly green tint.

Japan's skin tingles with the brush of Prussia's thumb on his exposed arm, but Prussia only glances down and, judging by the hardening of his eyes, catches sight of the thin, jagged line of raised skin, half-hidden by the pink flush blooming from the injury-out.

That had been a particularly close call.

"... It disappeared every time it was weakened considerably," Japan repeats, desperately hoping to change the course of conversation.

Thankfully, Prussia takes the hint.

"... Are you saying," Prussia mutters reluctantly, giving Japan a hard look, clearly saying he won't let the incident go, "that it might have disappeared?"

"I cannot say for certain, but it is a possibility; we haven't heard another sound from outside the room, and I would imagine it would get rather impatient and move on, than wait in front of a locked door with—for all it knows—nothing to offer.

Prussia's eyes wander back to Japan's arm, where the thing's teeth had, fortunately, only pinched a short length — had not even broken skin, but could have, just as easily as it had bitten off almost a quarter of his sleeve. But, thankfully, Prussia doesn't bring it up. Instead he says, "Let's go get West so we can look for Italy."

Japan nods, keeping his weapon in hand as they reach the door, unlock and, carefully, open it.

It was waiting for them.

It was waiting—

Steeling himself, Japan bites down mercilessly on his already-torn and bleeding lip.

"HOLY SH —"

And attacks first.

…

"You told America."

Japan blinks. "I'm sorry?"

"You should be." Prussia leans forward, too-close, in this small corner they claimed of the new safe-room, long after Prussia had slept for perhaps an hour or two. He had said earlier he'd wanted to talk, and now, with the night getting late and the other nations bustling about and fighting over space in the bathrooms, now, is the most opportune chance for a talk with little chance of being overheard; in all honesty, Japan has been rather anxious for this coming "talk"—and he can no longer pretend to not know why—but, he can't imagine why Prussia would want to talk to him about America.

"All that complaining," Prussia begins, lowly, "all that complaining, about feeling helpless because you can't do anything alone. But you had no qualms about telling America, right?"

Ah.

"So, why him?"

Japan looks up.

Prussia is leaning against the other wall, appearing more relaxed with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle, as opposed to Japan seated in seiza position; they are both sitting close enough to the space where both walls meet that, where they to turn directly toward one another, Japan notes with a pleased spike in his chest, their faces would hardly be a few inches apart—

"Japan."

Japan's eyes jump up, gaze fixed back on Prussia's eyes as they should be, rather than his lips, as they too-obviously were...

But Prussia doesn't seem perturbed or even annoyed. His lips are quirked in their signature crooked grin, a knowing look in his eyes, and he almost seems to be radiating a pleased air. "Why tell America, instead of me first, Japan?" He repeats, slowly.

Ah, right.

Japan's eyes briefly drift to the commotion in front of the bathroom. When he turns back, Prussia looks expectant.

The truth, he decides.

As if there was another choice.

"Because... I was... selfish."

His eyes are trained on the floor now, but he can still feel Prussia's heavy gaze on him.

"I was selfish..." he continues when he doesn't receive a response, "because... I know that America likes to play the "hero", so I convinced myself..." he hesitates. "I... convinced myself, after America prompted me, that if America knew, too... he would make everything work out."

"... America approached you?" Prussia asks, finally.

"Yes," Japan confirms. "He said he could tell I looked troubled, and wanted to help."

"Typical," Prussia mutters under his breath. Japan smiles.

"So, what?" Prussia sighs, leaning more of his weight on the wall behind him. "You told him because he asked first?"

"I told you only after you asked," Japan points out, smiling again at the scoff he receives in return.

"... Only because he asked you first, right?"

Japan blinks. "Yes." He repeats.

"So is there, uh... anything between... you and... him?"

Japan's eyes grow wide with alarm. "A-are you ill?" He asks, stopping short of reaching for Prussia's forehead. When his friend only shakes his head, Japan relaxes against his own wall. "Why would you think like that? He may as well be a child in comparison to me."

Prussia blinks flatly. "What about Italy?"

Japan frowns at the question. "That isn't even funny," he chides. "We both know he and your brother..." he gestures vaguely.

"Even if they don't realize it themselves," Prussia finishes, sighing again. Still, he looks Japan directly in the eye and asks, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Japan insists, genuinely concerned as he forgets his earlier reservations, reaching out his hand to test his friend's temperature.

Prussia grabs his wrist before he could get close enough.

"Anyone else?" Prussia's voice is uncharacteristically quiet. "Are you involved with anyone else?"

"In this room?" Japan asks, feeling rather lost on the conversation.

"In the world."

Still frowning, Japan shakes his head in answer. Prussia's gaze is no less intent.

"Anyone you want to be involved with? In the world?"

Japan hesitates, words caught in his throat—Did Prussia know? Was he angry? Would that explain where this whole conversation had gone? What should he say?

What should he say?

He says nothing, in the end. Prussia grins once more, wider than he had earlier, thumb stroking the tender underside of the wrist he had caught and is still holding, and only then does Japan register the full-bloomed bruise from the day before. And when Japan tries to speak but can only open and close his mouth wordlessly, face burning with embarrassment and some shame, Prussia's expression unexpectedly softens, and he looks more genuine than mocking than Japan can remember.

"Twelve-thirty," Prussia breathes over the back of Japan's hand, held surprisingly close to his mouth, a hair's breadth from his lips. "Everyone should be asleep by then."

Intending to ask why, all Japan can manage is a wordless questioning hum, trying to understand but afraid of getting his hopes too high.

"Twelve-thirty." Prussia repeats. "Just by the door. So—don't fall asleep on me."

With that and a swift brush of his thumb against the torn skin of Japan's bottom lip, Prussia returns to the bed he'd slept in earlier, leaving Japan with only half-coherent thoughts on the conversation and what Prussia had just implied. Dazed, he raises his fingertips to the torn skin of his lip-

-he is being watched.

Italy is standing a little ways away from the other nations, who have all more or less washed up, staring vacantly at—almost through—him, wringing his hands and chewing on the corner of his upper lip, occasionally sending frantic glances at Germany, who is speaking with England on some matter, as if afraid to have Germany yelling at him again for some reason or other; he looks... guilty.

For what? Japan wonders, rising to his feet to wash up.

By the time Japan gets into bed, China is already asleep again, and Italy is kicking his legs from his perch on the edge of his bed, like any other night Japan had spent with him.

"Buona notte, everyone!" Italy chirps while Germany stands to turn off the lights; he is met with some replies by the few nations still awake.

Twelve-thirty...

The hands on Japan's watch, dimly visible as they glow in the dark, read a little after a quarter past eleven.

Twelve-thirty...

Rolling over to his right side, facing China, he unstraps the watch from his wrist, watches all three hands circle around the face.

Twelve-thirty...

And time goes on...

…

"Fuck! Faster!"

The grip on Japan's wrist tightens as he pumps his legs faster; they ache, he can barely breathe, his chest is burning, his heart is throbbing painfully at their pace, his mouth is dry and he is certain his wrist is bruising—he has lost most feeling in his hand and he may or may not have imagined a pop from the joint—but he does not stop. He cannot stop—if he does...

Prussia pulls on Japan's wrist to the door across the one they'd just left—open, because taking the time to close it would have surely meant their death—and through that narrow hall to the next bedroom, still on the side of the floor opposite Germany; to involve him, especially now when he is not his usual self...

No.

No, he will not think such thoughts. He cannot.

"This way!" Prussia hisses, pulling Japan to the far corner, behind the television set and coffee table; this door swings closed automatically behind them.

Cornered.

They're cornered.

"Prussia." Japan objects, taking a step away only to be shushed and yanked back to Prussia's side. He huffs.

How could Prussia think this is a good idea?

"Trust me?" Prussia asks as the approaching THUMP-THUMP footfalls of that thing become louder. Prussia's face is morbidly serious when Japan glances over, eyes dark and focused.

Japan nods.

The door swings—no, it is thrown open, hard enough so it hits the wall and a hole is pierced through from the doorknob, but this Japan only registers dimly, faced with the more pressing matter of the thing running straight for them.

"Now!" Prussia yells, shoving Japan into motion with his hand still on Japan's wrist, Japan in front as he has been since their retreat only a few harried minutes ago despite Prussia having more stamina and a much more logical choice.

Just as they make a sharp turn around the thing when it crashes into the wall, unable to stop suddenly due to its momentum, it turns and makes a wild, blind swing at them, missing by a wide margin though Prussia still tenses and Japan's heart races even faster from the power and intent put into that swing; had it made its mark they surely would have been brought to the floor-

With eons of practice from overwhelmingly annoying family members, Japan disregards the thought and clears his mind, unwilling to go any further into what-ifs and worst-case scenarios.

They're halfway through the narrow hall again, when he hears Prussia "whoa!" behind him and the hand on his wrist is no longer there. Turning his head as quickly as he slows his steps, Japan sees Prussia stumble and catch himself in a crouch with the hand that had just been wrapped around his throbbing wrist.

The door swings open again.

Japan doesn't move. Not until Prussia picks himself back up and catches up to him in quick, long strides, reclaims his wrist and pulls him again, leading this time.

"What did you think you were doing?" Prussia forces out in a single breath as they run out the second door. Japan doesn't answer, only leads to the stairs and descends the steps quickly as he can, Prussia following a half-step behind.

"Here," Japan needlessly whispers, turning the left corner sharply, key already in hand when they get to the first door they come across.

Tucked away at the far upper-left corner of the library behind the bookcase, they spare a moment to catch their breath. The thing is taking its time.

Japan brushes a few stray locks away from his face, rubs the back of his hand across a cheek absentmindedly, as if to wipe away the pink flush from running short-of-breath. His breathing is till a touch labored when he checks on his friend.

"... Is there something on my face?" Japan asks, a bit sardonically; Prussia's face is also flushed, but there is something—something, off, with the way his eyes focus on Japan; his pupils are dilated, his irises look darker, and his gaze feels... intense, somehow.

The monster is just about to round the corner.

Not daring to make a noise, Japan waves a hand hurriedly in Prussia's face until he returns back from wherever his mind wandered, just in time for the thing's tremoring footsteps to come to an abrupt halt.

Japan listens carefully, but there is nothing. Nothing up to the wall directly across them.

Licking his lips, Japan holds up his hand to Prussia, signaling to wait, and peers over the bookcase shielding them from the rest of the library. He steps carefully out of his cover, peering the aisle between the two rows of bookcases. Nothing.

Nothing around the table, either, when he looks. Prussia is trailing behind him by now, frowning.

Nothing in the hall straight across the door.

Vanished without a trace.

"I don't get it," Prussia grumbles under his breath, gripping the elbow of Japan's sleeve and casting occasional glances over his shoulder. "One second it was just about to see us, the next—gone!" He shakes his head as they climb up to the second floor. "Next thing you know-"

"As forewarning I want you to know, that if you jinx us I will absolutely never forgive you." Japan interrupts mildly, voice surprisingly even considering the frantic pounding of his heart.

Immediately Prussia scans their surroundings four times over before pushing Japan's shoulder a touch too rough. "D-d-don't say things like that, Japan!" He laughs nervously. "N-not that it's anything the, uh, The Awesome Me can't handle, haha!"

"Mm." Japan hums with a nod, opting to humor him as usual.

"... Hey, Japan." Prussia says, just as Japan's hand closes around the doorknob. He turns around, cocks his head when Prussia stares up at the ceiling.

"Sorry," Prussia says after a moment.

Japan frowns. "For what?"

"Sorry you had to..." Prussia's eyes wander to his exposed arm, "to attack that thing first. We would've been dead otherwise. And that you had to go this long fighting that Thing by yourself, and got hurt... Just. Sorry you had to do it alone."

Japan blinks, pleasantly surprised and a little flattered at the apology. A bit self-consciously, he replies, "No need to apologize unnecessarily; we should focus on escaping."

He opens the door before Prussia can say another word.

"Come in."

…

At the precise moment the second hand bypasses the twelve Japan sits up and swings his legs over the edge, sheets pulled off his person with a faint ruffle.

Three beds away, Prussia pauses as he does, frozen in the exact same position.

He sees this with eyes well-adjusted to the pitch darkness of the room after staring at his watch just shy of forty-five minutes, just as he sees when Prussia slides off his bed and starts for the stairs, right shoulder rolling in could-be invitation.

Japan follows.

"... What did you want to talk about?" Japan asks eventually; he is not one to take initiative, and Prussia had been the one to call this conversation, but after a long, anxious silence where Prussia seemed content to not speak, Japan figured he had no choice.

It seems darker, here, Japan muses to himself, than in our haven, though neither place has access to any form of natural light.

"Us."

Japan starts at the word, not expecting such a quick response after a pervasive silence. Then, frowning, he repeats, "'Us?'"

"Yeah..." Prussia breathes; similar to how he had just the day before when Japan had offered to leave the bedroom to get him water, Japan distantly notes. "Us."

He sounds like he's getting closer.

Japan's heart rate spikes.

There is little space already—really, it is only luck that Prussia is not as broad as his brother and that Japan is, admittedly, rather small—but they had somehow managed without contact thus far. Now, in the unseeing darkness, just the brush of Prussia's feet against his own is enough to send blood rushing to his face. There is a bit of fumbling, Prussia's hands blindly patting at him until making contact with his shoulders, then one hand traveling down and gripping at the sleeve of his arm, and Japan has an inkling that he knows where this conversation will go.

"I'm sorry I couldn't prevent this,"

"It's not your fault," Japan answers, likewise in a whisper.

He shivers when Prussia's hand trails lower down his arm, down to his bruised wrist, thumbs the tender mark with care. "I'm sorry for this, too."

Head tilted down, Prussia's breath hits just beside his mouth.

"It couldn't be helped." Japan manages, if a bit uneven.

Slowly, Prussia pushes his sleeve up as far as it will go—all the way to his shoulder, as it were—before tracing the raised jagged line on his arm, up and down and back up again.

The touch makes him shiver.

"... Japan," Prussia, breathes, slowly. "You're not involved with anyone, right?"

"Yes, I am not." Keeping still is nearly impossible.

"... You never answered, earlier," Prussia shifts a bit closer, thumb rubbing from unblemished to blemished to unblemished skin, mindful to not press too hard, "if there is anyone you want to be involved with."

The back of Japan's neck prickles, sensing Prussia's eyes on him, even in blind darkness. Prussia's touch is still uncharacteristically soft, gentle. His breath is directly hitting Japan's lips, now, and there is little space between them.

"There is one." Japan begins, and stops.

Prussia, impatient as ever, hardly waits three seconds before demanding "who?"

"You know him," Japan answers cryptically, shifting a bit closer to Prussia himself, reaching for the still-gloved hand on his bare arm, fingering a short length of the leather material before rolling down his sleeve. "Rather well, I would imagine."

"... Fuck, it's France isn't it?" Prussia grumbles, stepping back.

"What?" Japan answers incredulously, vaguely repulsed. "No."

"Spain?!"

"No!"

"Well?!"

With an exasperated sigh, Japan takes a half-step toward Prussia, searches blindly as Prussia had before for his hands.

"... Not my brother either, right?"

"Of course not." Japan answers, trite. Finding Prussia's hands, he leads one on either side of his bruised wrist, rests his free hand on top.

"Not Austria either, before you ask." Japan adds, shuffling closer awkwardly with all four hands between them, tilting his head up.

"If I had to describe him with one word — or, rather, if he were to describe himself," Japan breathes, intentionally low so Prussia will lean down to hear better; he does. "He would use the word, 'awesome'."

The word rolls awkwardly from his lips, but Prussia, leaning in even closer than before, hardly seems to mind.

…

"This is the fortress where Germany resides."

"Coming from Mr. Isolation himself," Prussia mumbles under his breath, grinning widely when he catches the flat look Japan levels him. "Yeah, France told me all about it."

Japan idly thinks he may need to have words with France when they next meet.

"It's pretty solid." Prussia remarks, eyeing the iron door with a hint of admiration before knocking loudly in quick succession. "Hey West!" He yells. TANGTANGTANGTANG!"Japan told me you were hungry." TANGTANGTANG! "D'you want some mushrooms?" TANGTANGTANG! "Ow!"

"Is that you, Bruder?" Germany's muffled voice calls from behind the door, as Prussia shakes out his hand, blowing on his reddened knuckles. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! But I have bad news! Italy is still missing! And we have to help a—mochi?" Prussia glances over at Japan for confirmation; Japan nods. "Yeah, that."

"Hmm. All right. I'm done here, so we can go now."

The iron door creaks open slowly as Germany steps out, brushing dust off his immaculate uniform and closing the door securely behind him.

"... I don't really get what we're supposed to do, but let's go to the fourth floor!" Prussia exclaims, opting to lead the way.

"Can we come back here once in a while?" Germany blurts out. Japan and Prussia halt, share a concerned glance. Japan turns slowly, raking his mind on what to say.

"I don't mind, but..." opting to be blunt, "Do you actually like narrow spaces?"

"Well, you could say that I'm... used to them." Germany answers vaguely, though Japan hasn't the slightest idea what that could mean. "There's a lot of room, though."

"Oh." Japan replies, not sure what else he could say, so he nods toward the door and leads the way up.

"... Well?" Japan prompts, after watching Germany struggle to pull the mochi—which, as Japan had noticed earlier, has a blonde ahoge, and is wearing a small pair of wire-rimmed glasses in front of its blue eyes, giving off an America-esque air—out of the wall for a minute.

"It's stuck pretty deep," Prussia drawls from his designated spot against the bookcase, making no move to help. "Can you do it, West?"

Germany sighs, planting one foot down and pulling with the rest of his weight; he looks strained.

Japan wanders closer, frowning not at lack of progress, but questioning how a mochi could be so stuck Germany would have trouble pulling it out—a personified mochi at that, with odd human characteristics and looks to be on the edge of saying something incredibly important.

Japan blinks. And cradles his head in his hands, rubbing two fingers against his temples.

The stress and shock must be catching up.

"Sorry," Germany grunts. "I can't do it with my bare hands. Maybe if I had some kind of tools..."

For Germany to even need a tool... Japan would have also asked America, if America was available — though, America had arrived roughly three hours earlier with others; Japan had received that text from China, after all. However, Japan hadn't seen any of the others since he, Prussia, Italy and Germany had arrived... had they already left? But, the front door will not open, nor will any of the windows... but... if they had not left, but cannot be found...

Japan shakes his head. He is thinking too hard.

What had they been talking about? Ah, yes—tools.

"A tool..." Japan muses. "Well, it is a big house," he allows, "I'll take a look around."

"Yeah, I would be really thankful if you could find something useful.'

"I'll go, too," Prussia volunteers. "Where to first?"

"We won't get much done if we go together," Japan points out.

Prussia's lips thin, glancing at the still-bared injury on Japan's arm. "I guess we'll have to split up again to look for it." He says, tone flat.

They both turn at hearing another large intake of breath, see Germany brace himself and pull harder than any of his other attempts thus far.

"Ngggggghhhh!"

"Awesome face," Prussia leers.

"Well, then, I'll be going ahead," Japan cuts in, heading for the door. "I'll come back as soon as I find anything good."

"Y'know, I haven't looked around very much. Might as well do some exploring!"

Japan nods, not looking back as he crosses the hall into the door on the left side of the fourth floor.

His face is flushed.

…

And, in the oppressing darkness, crowded in the small space before the steps just behind the iron door, he and Prussia share a kiss—hurried and desperate and hungry—while everyone upstairs still sleeps. Pushed together already by the narrow walls on either side of them, Japan feels almost suffocated when Prussia's hands reach up blindly, searching, before settling on either side of his neck, cradling his head — a brush of thumb against ear steals another short breath from him — so gently, as if he is delicate or fragile though they both know that is not the case, and his own hands reach up to the wrists of the hands that pull him minutely closer, settle, on those wrists but do not grip them — he is not delicate and neither is Prussia, but something about this new, budding... connection between them, is.

"When we get out of here..." Prussia whispers, hoarsely, forehead resting on Japan's, as they both gasp quietly as they can for breath, just a moment after pulling away—and Japan, unable to give voice to all the words he wants to say—aching chest and trembling jaw and pulsing thuds behind his eyes rendering him speechless—Japan only nods quickly, twice or thrice, the movement felt by their shared contact.

Japan can sense it, then, when Prussia opens his eyes, as if he can look straight through this unseeing darkness to Japan, and so Japan opens his eyes, too, and isn't sure whether he really sees or is only imagining, speckles of black-tinted red where Prussia's eyes should be...

When Prussia moves forward, again, Japan lets himself be swallowed up into the next kiss, closing his eyes and somehow sensing Prussia had closed his own, as well.

More than ever in the past however-long since they have been trapped — in the mansion, with that Thing —Japan is determined to escape with everyone else, fully intact.

And time goes on.

…

That had been the second time...

Trailing behind him, Italy is uncharacteristically silent, allowing Japan to briefly divulge in his thoughts.

The room he'd entered immediately upon parting from Prussia and Germany had had a lever and three options: Up to Heaven, Middle to Earth, and Down to Hell.

Thinking the answer to be abhorrently obvious, he'd grabbed the lever with the intent to push it up.

His muscles had frozen.

He was hit again with temporary paralysis, until his hand, once again, without his consent nearly threw the lever to the bottom level — and, strangely enough, he saw a vision of red spilled all over the floor and walls, felt an intense bout of phantom pain that almost had him doubling over, with a glimpse of the lever pulled up.

But, I had pulled it down...

Immediately, his vision had cleared.

And the lever had broken.

Unsure how to take this incident, Japan had decided to ignore it completely as if it had never occurred. Then, a loud shifting from behind had him spin on his heel.

A box moved, on its own accord, shifting with a loud scriiiiich from the friction of wood on wood. Then, the box stopped, a hole large enough for a person to fit inside resting where the box once had.

When Japan had jumped through and landed in a piano room, he was hit at once with a sense of resignation and defeat, and mental alarms ringing the place to be one of danger.

Hesitating, over these strange feelings and compulsions he'd been having since entering this mansion, Japan had strode over to the piano, curiously played a few keys before stepping back quickly. Feeling as if something was coming, Japan had made for the nearest door he'd found, opened and closed it with as little noise as possible.

Another library, he'd realized, noting the numerous bookshelves, all stuffed full, as he'd walked down the aisle.

And there he'd met with Italy. Italy, who'd seemed remarkably relieved to see him for the most part okay, but hadn't thought to ask after Germany or Prussia until just before they left the library, and seemed entirely too-composed considering their situation when they lingered a bit longer than Japan thought necessary.

"Aren't you hurt or anything?" Italy had asked, staring directly at long rip of his arm sleeve, though the wound was not visible from the angle they'd stood at, as if he knew what it was. When Japan had insisted he was okay, Italy had narrowed his eyes and changed the subject.

"Were you playing a song on the piano?" Italy asks as they ascend the stairs.

"Ah, yes," Japan answers. "Insanity."

Italy hums. "I don't think it'd be a good idea to play so much on the piano, ve." He says in a low, soft voice. "I didn't see any ears on the monster, but I'm sure it could've heard."

Japan stops short, hand on the banister, turns.

Italy blinks, and the darkened expression on his face fades with the appearance of his usual vapid smile.

"But, it sounded very very nice, ve!"

Slowly, Japan nods, convincing himself that he is tired and that is the only reason why Italy's smile looks more crooked and awkward and ill-fitting than usual.

"This is where Prussia and Germany are," Japan informs as he opens the door. They step inside.

"AAAAAAHHHHH! The Thing! Japan, the Thing! The Thing!"

Japan feels a slight wave of guilt for feeling so reassured by Italy's frightened screaming; near the far corner where Germany had been attempting to pull out the mochi, Prussia had returned and they are both fighting the Thing that resides in the mansion.

Japan's heart leaps into gallops when the swing it made only barely misses the brothers turning to glance at them.

Prussia tisks. "You came too soon, Japan! Take Italy with you and run!" He shouts at the same time that Germany yells, "Italy! You're all right!"

"G-Germany, ve~ your face looks weird..."

Japan frowns, glancing at Italy then Germany, not understanding the comment.

"Me and West will take care of this!" Prussia shouts, louder. "Just go, quickly!"

Japan turns to him, face blank. Prussia had jumped just out of the Thing's reach, letting Germany cover him as he stares Japan down, eyes hard and determined and pleading.

"Japan!" Prussia tries again, voice hoarse and sounding desperate.

The Thing tries to move toward Prussia, but Germany is effective in distracting it further, attacking mercilessly.

They won't last long alone — Japan can see that much.

"My, my..." Japan steps toward the fight, a hand gingerly reaching up to his ear. "I must be losing my hearing in my old age. I can't hear you at all."

"Wha...?!" Prussia's eyes widen, comically if not for their situation. "Hey, Italy!"

"Oh, um..." Italy fumbles, glancing over at Japan; Japan turns his head, expression carefully neutral, neither encouraging Italy to stay nor imploring him to run.

"I suddenly got deaf, too!" Italy calls back, flopping his arms uselessly and skipping to Japan's side.

Prussia has to sprint to defend the next attack from the Thing; Germany had turned at the sound of Italy's voice, visibly and uncharacteristically frightened. "Italy! You-!"

"Isn't this nostalgic?" Japan smiles, hand on the hilt of his katana. "Once again I draw my sword in the name of Axis."

"Now that you mention it~" Italy thumbs through the bible in his hand, smiling, "We've been in peace for a while now, so I'd completely forgotten about it~"

"Italy... Japan..."

"It is my honorable duty to fight along with you." Japan glances over. "Lets go, Italy."

"Y-Yeah!"

There is a pleasantly surprised smile on Italy's face, contrasting the stark terror on both German brothers'.

But, while there has yet to be any teeth in play in this battle so far, Japan cannot carelessly let his friends fight when he still has some fight within himself. He bites his lip.

They attack.

…

"Well. Everyone has rested," Germany begins, as if this is just another World Meeting, "so can we begin our conference now?"

Prussia's thoughts seem to run along the same track, judging by the crooked grin his lips wear, and his expression lacks the usual mocking edge—it's softer, nostalgic, if Japan had to put a word to it.

Caught up in staring, he starts when Prussia catches his eye, expression shifting to something much more intense, that Japan can't not look away, trying to ignore the blush staining his cheeks; he tunes in to the conversation, to distract himself from Prussia's smug leer, just in time to catch the stricken look on Italy's face, and the tail-end of China's distracted compliment.

"... Hehe! Thanks!" Italy chirps, turning away from Japan.

Japan frowns at the exchange — Italy, never one to go against even the smaller customs of his culture, did not usually accept compliments from nations he was not very close with, until recently, apparently — but says nothing, seeing no point in making something out of nothing.

Something bumps against his right foot.

Alarmed, thinking they will now have to worry about rats of all things, Japan turns in his seat, meets Prussia's eyes mid-stand.

"You okay?" Prussia mouths.

Taken aback by the genuine concern over such a little matter, Japan plops noiselessly back in his seat before nodding slowly.

Prussia keeps his gaze, eyes searching. Doesn't look away until he's seemingly satisfied Japan is telling the truth, and then with a smile.

"You think Tony and that Thing look alike?" America repeats doubtfully. "I don't think so, though... Anyway, I definitely have nothing to do with it."

"Yeah? Then, if we are to believe you," Prussia leans forward, "we're in even bigger trouble."

Japan agrees; not that he'd had any doubts before, but having total confirmation that the Thing won't hesitate to kill or—or eat them, is, well, it proves they truly cannot allow themselves to hold back.

Prussia's foot bumps against his, again.

"... You don't blame me?" America asks, turning to look directly at him.

Japan blinks. "What?"

"I thought you'd blame me more. I'm rather disappointed. But it's okay for you to get mad at me now." America relents, eyeing Japan's arm; Japan had revealed the wound to him, yesterday in the cave, to stress the danger those things could cause, but that, apparently, had spread along with the plan to save Italy, given all the other nations avoiding contact and trying not to stare.

"America..."

China, who's been hovering over him even more since the incident in the cave, sighs when it is clear Japan cannot say anymore. "Is that really what you think, aru?"

America's "family", and even quote-unquote "sworn rival", take over the task of consoling and reassuring America he is at no fault; China, after catching Japan's eye from across the table, glances over at Prussia with raised brows.

Japan gives his elder an unimpressed stare.

"... Hey!" Italy cuts in, sitting up on his knees.

"What?" Germany prompts when Italy does not continue.

"Ve. Um, well... Can you listen to me? There's something I—want to tell you."

"S-sure," Japan stutters, pleasantly surprised; he and America had just been discussing this earlier! "Go ahead."

"Then, can you all come with me to the basement? If we're not there—I can't talk."

"The basement?" Prussia repeats, slowly, mirroring everyone's disbelief. "Can't you just talk here?"

"It's really important," Italy insists, "so... please, I..." Italy straightens, squares his jaw — looking so defiant and out-of-character that he visibly resembles his brother even more. "I feel I'll only be able to talk if we're there." Italy finishes, eyes hard and determined.

Japan doesn't know what to make of this new side of his friend.

"Hmph. I see." Germany consents well aware of Italy's persistence. "Then let's all head down there. But before that, I also have somewhere I want to go."

"Where?" England asks, already standing and patting down his clothes.

"The cave with the burnt ropes. I saw something lying on the ground, but I couldn't pick it up at the time."

"All right," Japan agrees. "Let's all go together, then."

"Yeah!" Italy smiles — and it still looks a little off — and sits back, all at once relaxed and returned to his old self. "Grazie..."

…

As the Thing disappears, defeated, Prussia and Germany run over to him and Italy; Italy meets Germany halfway with an enthusiastic hug and cheery greetings.

"Are you hurt?" Japan asks serenely when Prussia stops just out of arm's reach, sheathing his katana; Prussia looks torn between hitting him and palming his own face.

"The hell?!" Prussia yells, choosing nonexistent option three and gripping Japan's shoulders, shaking once. "You totally ignored what I said!"

"I thought the two of us could do something about it..." Germany interrupts, looking between them both with suppressed amusement Japan doesn't understand. "Sorry. You really helped" He looks between Japan and Italy to make clear he's addressing them both. "Are you okay, too?"

Japan shifts to keep the wound on his bared arm out of sight; Germany notices but does not comment.

"Yep!" Italy steps back, spreading his arms to either side, palms turned-down. "But I'm so relieved now! You two ran away really fast, so I'd been wondering what had happened to you."

"I am really glad that everyone is all right," Japan adds. "Now, what are we going to do from here?"

"Yeah. The Thing could show up here again, so we should move to a room that is safe as possible." Prussia shifts and only then does Japan realize he'd grabbed Prussia's wrists again; flushing, he lets go without a word. "Besides, if the four of us stick together, it won't be so scary."

"You're right," Germany agrees. "Then we should search for a room that looks as safe as possible. And let's not split up, of course."

Italy salutes with his left hand. "Roger, Captain!"

…

"What's the matter, Germany?"

"Nothing..." Germany answers vaguely, crouching. "I mean, well, I just... wanted to remove the... obstacle from yesterday.

"I see," Japan nods. "That's a good idea. Someone else could trip over it and get hurt."

"Yes, exactly... but... it's odd." Germany stands, dusting off his shoulders. "I can't find a single vine or stone."

Silence.

"Whaaat?!" America screeches, flailing. "What the hell, it's like a horror movie! Stop saying those things!"

"Well, it is dark here, da. Did you look properly?"

"I'm sure it was right here." Germany insists. "But there's nothing. No obstacle. There is no stone, no vine, nothing. One could even think there was never anything to begin with."

Italy's subconscious jig-in-place slows, eyes widening and face paling when he looks up from where he'd been looking around the rocky surface.

"Euh," France shudders, "it's like someone tripped you and wouldn't let you move."

"A-actually..." Germany stutters, tentatively, "I only assumed it was a vine, but now that I think about it... well... it felt like... someone had grabbed my ankle..."

A long silence as they all process this.

"Eeeeeeek!" America shrieks. "Stop, stop! Let's stop talking about this! There's nothing here! Can't we just leave it at that?!"

"Grabbed... it's like... a hand sprang up from the earth and grabbed your ankle, da~"

"And tried to drag you into the earth..." France adds, ominously.

To think Germany could have been...

"S-stop!" Germany interjects before anyone could contribute to France's remark. "It could have just been my imagination! Anyway! There's nothing out of the ordinary here! Let's leave it at that."

"I-indeed!" Japan agrees, glancing over at Prussia; his already-pale skin looks to be tinted with gray, though Japan hopes that is only due to the effect of the dim lighting, and his face wears the same stricken look Italy sometimes has looking at them...

Japan shuffles closer to Prussia. "Now, let's go to the place where Italy will talk to us."

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry!" Italy straightens. "Um, the cell where Prussia and the others got in. That's where I want us to go."

Japan nods. "Understood. Now, let's just forget about this incident and go to the other room."

"Right..." Germany murmurs, throwing Japan a glance before returning his stare to Italy—who appears to be looking for something on the ground.

"Come on," Japan coaxes when everyone else has left, respecting Germany's want for privacy.

Prussia doesn't so much as blink.

Biting back a sigh, Japan casts a furtive glance around, and, seeing no one but them four, reaches out for Prussia's hand to pull him along with the others.

Reluctantly, Prussia follows, but when they reach the door, Prussia's fingers twine with his.

"When we get out of here..." Prussia whispers, again, just as he had last night, and just as last night, Japan can only nod, while they stand in the door to the cell room.

…

"We can't get too careless, but I think we're safe here, for now," Prussia says, sitting in the chair farthest from the door and nearest the fireplace. "We have the key, and the door is firmly locked from inside."

"It's only temporary, but it should do for one night, I suppose..." Japan concedes.

"One night is good enough for me, ve. I'm really tired from running around..."

"You're right," Germany mutters, leaning against the wall and studying the sheet of paper they'd picked up earlier. "We ran a lot for one day. It makes me feel like having some beer..."

"I'm a little cold, too, ve... I wonder if it's because of this house?"

"If I'm not mistaken, we found some matches." Japan sits opposite Prussia and facing the furnace, looking at Germany expectantly. "There's also enough firewood for one night, so we can warm up."

"Hm. I'll do it, then." Germany offers, pulling a small box from his breast pocket.

Italy skips around the table to switch off the lights at the first crackle of flames before Japan can get up to do so himself, and resettles by the hearth.

"Ooh! That's nice, huh?" Prussia comments, settling more comfortably in his chair; he's just close enough to the fireplace that streaks of flickering orange highlight his hair and crests fall where they will as far as the flames' light can reach, bring out the darkened ruby hue of his eyes though his face is cast in shadows.

"Yes." Japan clears his throat. "I feel much better now that we have some light. And now I'm not alone, either."

"Yeah, but it was really scary at first, ve~! Even though Germany was the first to run away, it was me that monster chased after!"

"... Yeah, you're right," Prussia sits up. "I remember thinking 'No, not my precious little Italy!' and then both the monster and Italy disappeared! And West had vanished, too."

"I hate supernatural things!" Germany argues. "B-besides, it's not like I just ran and hid-" He meets Japan's eye, and though Japan did not intend to comment, Germany heaves a sigh of defeat. "Well, nevermind now. As long as we're all okay it doesn't matter."

"Yes, exactly," Japan agrees. "Besides, rather than think about how we acted in the past, we should discuss what to do from now on."

"Yeah, I searched the house for a way out, but there really isn't any! Everything is locked... It's horrible!" Italy whines.

"I see. We can only conclude that that monster has really made us prisoners ere. Though, having no way out is what really bothers me..." Germany trails off.

"Indeed... I really wish I could go home," Japan sighs. "I've been waiting for several games that will be released soon..."

"Priorities..." Prussia mumbles; Japan ignores him.

"I wanna go home, too, ve! I can't eat pasta or pizza like this!"

"Um, hey, you keep talking about a way out..." Prussia speaks up, "If all the exits are locked, why don't we just make one ourselves? Didn't you do that when you were prisoners of war, too? It's time to put that into practice now!"

"Ah, yes, that does bring back memories, too... I miss those time when I kept trying to commit seppuku." Japan muses aloud.

Prussia sends him a weird look, and Germany pinches the bridge of his nose at the memory, but Italy only laughs nervously before adding, "You know, Germany worked hard to make a way out for us, ve. But this time, I'll do everything I can, too!"

"All right, all right." Germany rubs his forehead, likely to draw attention away from the flush on his cheeks, the only proof he'd heard the typical bout of praise from Italy. "So the plan for tomorrow is to make a way out, we can't forget about that."

"Right." Japan glances at his watch. "Well, now I don't know what time it is," he frowns, turning his arm out to show the spinning fluorescent hands on his watch, "but let's sleep here tonight."

"My watch broke when I wasn't looking, too, ve!"

"Wait, won't it be dangerous if we all go to sleep?" Germany points out. "I think one of us should stay up to keep watch."

Japan hums. "You definitely have a point... So, shall we play janken to decide fairly who will keep watch tonight?"

"Jan-ke?" Italy repeats, "What are the rules?"

"Well, er... it's a very simple game. You play by showing three types of hand-signs..." Japan begins, ignoring Prussia's tired complaints,

"Ah, it's a little like 'La Morra'!" Italy claps. "Okay, I got it, Japan! Let's do it!"

"Let's go, then." They situate in a four-person circle. "Jan... ken..."

"... Haaaaaaaaaahhhhh..."

"Are you certain you would not like me to take over?" Japan offers quickly before Germany can snap at his brother. Again.

"Oh, no, no. The Awesome Me is just fine." When Japan still visibly hesitates to get into the pull-out mattress they'd found, Prussia's self-pitying expression shifts into an easy grin. "Seriously though, I'm okay."

"Japan, don't let my bruder get to you," Germany grumbles tiredly from his place on the bed, nearest the door.

"Perhaps... I should stay up with him, too?" Japan suggests, wringing his hands. Prussia had complained so much earlier, perhaps he isn't fit to keep watch...

"Then we would only have two able fighters as opposed to three." Germany answers, refusing to stir as he orders, "Get into bed, Japan."

"Ve. Besides, Japan," Italy reaches his free hand out from beneath the blanket, wiggling his fingers in sleepy invitation; the other is linked around Germany's arm. "I'll get cold on this side if you don't come over here."

"I'll see you in the morning," Prussia offers, still grinning from his chosen seat. Staring into Prussia's eyes longer than strictly necessary, Japan gives a jerky nod.

"Oyasuminasai." Japan mumbles, climbing into the unoccupied space beside Italy.

"'Night." Prussia calls to them.

He isn't there in the morning.

…

"Pŭlŭshì, aru?"

Japan narrows his eyes, but China only grins wider and rocks back on his heels.

"Before I say anything, I have a favor to ask of you, ve," Italy says when he and Germany walk into the room. "You see, there's a box inside the cell, isn't there?"

"Yeah. That one, right? What about it, aru?"

"Can you open it for me? I can't open it, and I want to see what's inside."

"Then I, the hero, will open it!"

… How did Italy know the box was in here? It hadn't been in there yesterday, that he remembers, and the only time he'd hadn't been at Italy's side in the past day had been when he, England and America had found the cave, and at the new safe room — but, Italy had been in the safe room the whole time...

"Huh? What the hell?!" America shakes the box. "It won't open at all!" He yells. France and China laugh behind him.

"You're pathetic," England sighs, walking into the cell; Prussia strolls casually behind, brushes his arm against Japan's as he passes. "Give me that." England demands, holding out his hand.

"Maybe it's locked?" Russia suggests, joining the crowd with Canada following.

"Let me try," Germany suggests, making to go in.

"Germany."

Germany turns around. Noting the look in Italy's eye, Japan enters the cell last.

America, Russia and Prussia are passing the box around between them, taking turns trying to open it while keeping it away from England. Japan sighs at their antics, but doesn't move when Prussia ducks behind him.

CLANG

Italy backs away from the cell door, expression closed-off. Germany follows his movements with wide, bewildered eyes.

Japan edges closer to the bars. "Italy?"

"Aren't you going to say it?!" Italy yells at America, who's been relentlessly silent thus far, despite how much Italy's been to get him to talk. "Fine, then. You see, I'm the one who told him the rumors about this place. I'm the one who told America about this place. And then America immediately went to ask everyone to come check it out."

"Th-then..." Japan stutters, grabbing the cell bars to anchor himself.

"... Right. It wasn't America who started it. Because I told him. That's why you're all here now. I just... happened to hear the rumors about this place. And I can't..." Italy swallows. "I can't let you guys gang up on me and ruin my plans, so..." He walks toward the door. "Just stay there for a while, okay?" He chirps.

More nations step closer to the cell bars, yelling for explanations and yelling to be let out. Italy doesn't seem to notice.

"You were all really helpful, ve! Well, I'll be going now. Thank you for finding this for me, Germany~ You, too, America; thanks for everything!"

"... You really should have learnt to smile a little more naturally." America calls, tone even, above the other voices.

Italy stops.

"Did you forget everything we said earlier today?" America continues. "The one who laid out the rails... yeah, it was you. But I chose to run on them. I could have chosen not to, but I chose to get on those rails. No one thinks it's your fault."

"Italy! Please, open the door!" Japan cries, pressing closer against the bars when Italy still hasn't made a move. "You don't have to do this alone! We can all—all together—get out of here-!"

Italy shakes his head, slowly. "... No. We can't."

"Italy!" Germany roars, throwing himself at the door and holding on.

"I'll tell you one more thing, ve. The Thing is after me. That's why, no matter how many of us are gathered together, it will target me and attack me first. That's why I tried to keep close to the doors as much as possible... though, it was a little pointless."

Indeed, he would sometimes step a little away from us... Japan himself had noticed; Italy had shuffled nearer to the door just before he was attacked and America stepped in, and before that, a party of four searching for a safe place to rest, Italy would often step back almost as if by habit, and—hadn't Italy himself said the monster chased after him when they'd first arrived at the mansion? Italy... had been staring down the front hall from the moment they'd walked in...

How long has he known?!

"This ends here. I'll make this the last time." Italy hesitates before reaching for the doorknob. "... If I come back... give me a good scolding."

He leaves.

If?!

"ITALY!" Germany shakes the door furiously, to no avail. "ITALY! OPEN THIS DOOR! ITALY!"

…

"Ve, maybe he had to go to the bathroom?"

"He would have had to wander out alone..."

"And take the key with him," Germany adds, picking up something in the right corner nearest door, "which he did not."

"... Ve, maybe he got hungry?"

Germany doesn't bother repeating himself, only shaking the hand holding the discarded key toward Italy, gaze distant.

"... Ve, maybe he got thirsty?"

"Italy," Japan murmurs, putting a hand atop Italy's before Germany snaps. Again.

"The reason aside," Germany continues from where he'd left off, shooting Japan a grateful glance, "where would he go?"

"It's already been over a half hour by now since we've woke up, surely," Japan adds, looking down at his watch distastefully; the hands are still spinning, alternating from counter-clockwise to clockwise. "Anywhere he would have gone, he should have come back by now."

Germany pales. They'd woken up to find Prussia gone, but decided to wait, more hopeful than certain he'd be back soon, but...

"Maybe... we really should look for him?" Japan suggests, gingerly as he can. Germany stiffens, but after a moment nods. "Italy?"

Italy doesn't respond, skimming through his Bible, opening and closing the book seemingly at random from his perch on the edge of the bed, legs crossed at the ankles. His boots are tied, Japan notes, confused; Italy had long-since gotten into the habit of struggling to untie his shoelaces before removing them, well aware someone else would tie them for him in the morning should he need to wear them — usually Romano, unless Italy was visiting either Germany or Japan overnight. Italy hadn't called for either of them to tie his shoelaces as per usual, though...

He must have been too tired to untie them last night.

"... Italy?" Japan repeats, catching his friend's thoughtful frown.

"Hm?" Italy looks up, chewing the corner of his upper lip.

"... Do you think we should look for Prussia?" Japan asks, concerned; Italy isn't usually this inattentive...

Italy blinks, returns to his Bible, thumbing through a few pages wordlessly before he looks up again. "Yeah! Maybe we'll run into him! Then we can give a good scolding!"

Japan nods, slowly, turning to see Germany picking up the things they'd brought with them from the World Meeting — Japan's duffel and whatever Germany and Italy had brought along — for lack of anything better to do, he's sure.

Nowhere.

The blood trail they'd found outside the door led nowhere.

"How could the trail just end here...?" Japan mutters to himself, keeping a composed face despite the panic welling up in his chest; Germany is already pacing and running his fingers needlessly through his hair.

The wound still bared on his arm tingles oddly, and Japan tries really, really hard not to think about that.

Italy is thumbing through his Bible again, for no reason Japan can understand as he doesn't appear to be praying or anything of the sort (though Japan himself is hardly an expert in Christian religion), and he appears a bit more worried than earlier.

Italy slams his book shut.

Germany jumps, turns. "Italy..." He begins in a threatening tone, as he is wont to do when he is in a mood.

"Ve..." Italy whispers, pushing against the wall. Eyes trained over Japan's shoulder. "Did you two hear something?"

They pause. Nothing.

"Italy," Japan begins, not sure what to say or where to go from there, but knowing he should say something before Germany, incapable of his usual endless well of patience as of now, could get a word in. As it is, he doesn't have to say anything.

The door behind him swings almost silently open.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Italy shrieks, and whatever he's throwing pelts Japan's back, shoulders and legs; a fruit?

Germany is long ahead of them, attacking the Thing as soon as it had appeared. Japan bites down on his lip at the vague disgust at the mess on the back of his uniform and draws.

"Ve~ Sorry, Japan..."

"I understand, you only aimed wrong," Japan assures patiently, throwing the stained clothes into the fireplace. "Fortunately, I had an extra set of clothes..." He trails off, unbuttoning and pulling on his spare uniform jacket.

"That's right! You were going to stay over at Germany's place after the meeting, right?" Italy chirps. "Ve~ I was going to ask you if I could come, too..."

"Japan." Comes Germany's voice, quiet but with strength behind it. He is staring at the raised skin on Japan's bared arm; the other he has already pulled into the sleeve. Stone-blue eyes study the skin intently before raising to make eye contact. "Where did you get that wound?" He asks in a no-nonsense tone.

Japan is silent, staring back to confirm Germany does not want an easy lie to swallow. His friend doesn't look away.

Japan pulls his bared arm into the sleeve, drawing Germany's eyes to the purpling bruise on the wrist of that same arm, lifts that same hand to his mouth and bites down on between the knuckles of his thumb, just hard enough to visibly raise the skin from the short distance between the three of them, not wanting to upset Italy by saying aloud—

"It bit you?!" Italy cries. Behind him, Germany's skin pales and develops a green tint. "Are you okay?!"

"Ah, yes, I'm fine; it just happened yesterday." Japan assures. Germany is gathering all their things into his arms again; Japan takes the chance to strike a match and set fire to his ruined clothes, as they are unserviceable now and smell awful.

"What about the bruise on your wrist?" Italy asks as they follow Germany's measured steps out the door and down the hall.

"Ah... you see, yesterday, Prussia and I..." Japan pauses, trying to put into words what he wants to say without frightening his friends further as they all step into a new room.

Italy's gaze sharpens with incredible intensity.

"We were running away, and he'd grabbed my wrist and didn't let go until we were safe."

The tension in Italy's shoulders disappears with long, almost-silent breath that may or may not have been a relieved sigh. Japan frowns, confused. Then, he looks around the room.

Oh goodness, Japan thinks, mildly exasperated upon seeing the iron door, he cannot come back here every time the situation goes wrong.

"Do you think my brother..." Germany pauses, back behind them still. He gestures vaguely and, even lower, adds, "... your arm..."

"Of course not." Japan immediately stresses. "Your brother can take care of himself."

"So can you," Germany points out. Japan's lips thin.

"I got this wound before I reunited with you three. I was careless and underestimated the enemy. Your brother won't make that mistake."

"... So he already knew..." Germany mutters to himself.

"Prussia's definitely all right." Italy pipes up. "I... wouldn't let something like that-" He purses his lips.

"Italy...?"

"I should have relieved him... but, this isn't the time to talk, ve! Let's look for him!"

"Let me handle it, then." Japan offers, noting Germany's glances to the back of the room; his hand is already on the doorknob. "I'm in good shape, so I'll do everything in my power to find him. You two can stand by and wait."

"But—it's dangerous going out alone!" Italy yells, throwing open the door, looking across the hallway, peeking down the stairs. "... He's gone..."

Japan waits until Italy backs away into the room and remains for a few seconds before dropping down from the ceiling. And tries to push down the well of worry and panic that began surfacing when his friends appeared reassured.

Well, then. On with the search.

…

"Italy!" Japan's call is impossible to distinguish between the others' yells for Italy to return. They all quiet when they realize he won't.

Germany is sitting in the corner beside the door, head in hands. A position of defeat Japan had rarely seen coming from his friend, one that still, as it had any other time, sends a cold shiver down his spine.

"He took something..." Germany mutters when everyone else has fallen silent. "This metal piece I found in the cave. That must have been what he was looking for. I gave it to him just before he pushed me in here. It must have been important."

"... A metal piece?" France repeats, alarmed. "Was it... sharp?"

Germany's head raises, face tired and posture still carelessly slumped. "Yes, why...?"

France remains still for another, impossibly long second, before he jumps to his feet.

"France..." England starts, raising his hand. Prussia only watches silently, when France draws his sword and races for the cell bars.

Unsurprisingly, it is Canada who first understands the reason behind France's actions. His gasp draws everyone's attention, save France, but he only turns to look at America with wide, horrified eyes.

"No!" America yells, stumbling to his feet. "Italy would never do that!" But he races for the bars anyway and tries to bend them with all his might.

Would never do... what? Metal piece... sharp... metal... sharp metal...

The implication hits him and Germany simultaneously, and they both jump back to their feet.

"ITALY!"

Japan is the last to give up. Germany is hunched in the corner facing the door, looking entirely too horrified and close to resigned for Japan's comfort.

"It's no use!" Japan pants, stumbling back and plopping down against the wall with the others, "My sword can't cut the bars."

France sighs. "I apologize, I... overreacted. I'm certain he would not... I just... got carried away, jumped to the worst-case scenario..."

Prussia, pressed next to Japan, knocks his shoulder companionably to France's on his other side.

"We still have to get to him, though, aru..."

"We can't just use brute strength..." Russia sighs, looking at his reddened hands; he, like America and a few others, had tried bending or shaking the metal, to no avail. "Too bad. I don't know what he was going to do, but we have to go after him quickly."

"But we can't get out unless someone opens it from the outside," Canada points out.

"'Someone,'" England repeats, mockingly, "Everyone is in here! You all walked right into this fucking trap!"

"You did, too, you know," America grumbles irritably. "... What are we going to do? If no one shows up-"

The door slams carelessly shut and in walks Spain, in full expensive matador regalia, humming a song under his breath. He looks at them with his usual smile, blinks, then starts.

"Whoa!" He exclaims, surprised, "Wh-what is this?! What are you all doing?!"

"Someone showed up..." China points out flatly, sounding almost robotic, eyes wide.

"Huh? What?! A zoo?! A World Zoo?! Do not touch or feed the nations?!"

"I can't believe..." France cradles his head in his hands. "Is this for real?"

"Oh, I just remembered!" Spain smiles, "By the way, don't you guys have a ladder, or something? Roma-"

"SPAIN!" Germany roars, shaking the cell door, "OPEN THIS CELLLLLLLL!"

"Ah! Wh-what? What do you mean? I mean, didn't Ita come this way?"

"We'll explain the situation later!" Japan yells, losing his patience, "Just open this cell, first! Please!"

"That idiot..." Romano grumbles from his perch above the outside entrance to the cave, occasionally picking bits of long grass; just as the other three times he's been here, Japan feels a desperate longing for the fresh air and sunlight awaiting their escape. "I didn't know he could be that stupid."

"... All we told you is that Italy locked us up and left us on our own..." France says, bewildered.

"Yeah, I don't really get it either..." Spain hums, "but it looks like he shares some memories with Ita."

"What does that mean?" Canada asks, adopting the same expression and tone he's used solving riddles in the mansion.

"Spain!" Romano calls down, "Did you find something to get me down there?!"

"Oh... I forgot..."

Romano gives Spain a glare of notable worth.

Japan shakes his head. "We don't have time for that. First, we'll go after Italy, so France can stay here with-"

"I can't wait!" Romano fumes. "Enough of this! Stand back!"

"Er... wait a minute..." Spain mumbles, needlessly as Romano continues climbing down what remained of the burnt rope ladder. "Ro-"

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"

"-maaaaaaaaaaa!" Spain exclaims as they all scramble about, arms stretched out.

Romano grunts when he falls into Prussia's arms; they all heave a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay, Italy's brother?" Prussia asks, setting Romano down.

"Y-yeah..." Romano stutters, hands thrown out for balance. "I think so..."

"Nice catch!" America grins, giving Prussia a thumbs-up.

"Let's split up into two groups to look for him," Canada suggests, "We'll start in the basement."

"O-okay." Romano sways. "We'll go after... Veneziano... too."

He stumbles into the wall.

"... Are you feeling dizzy?" England asks, "You're going the wrong way."

"I'M FINE!" Romano insists, stumbling his way out the cave, hand on the wall for assistance. Japan, Prussia and Germany quickly follow him, assuring the others the four of them will be fine.

Romano's walk turns even by the time they reach the first floor. And he walks, Japan notices, as if he already knows the mansion's layout by heart, turning corners and opening doors without a hint of hesitation.

"You said he took a metal piece from you?" He asks, opening another door and scanning the room quickly before closing it.

"Yes," Germany hesitates, still as confused as Japan with Romano's indifferent behavior toward him; while civil to Japan and mildly irritated by Prussia, Germany would usually never fail to throw Romano into a rage simply by standing in near vicinity and breathing.

"He must be looking for the others, then..." Romano mumbles to himself, stopping in front of a door and spinning on his heel. "We're going to the second floor."

Germany opens his mouth, closes it. Prussia notices.

"We haven't finished checking out this floor, Italy's brother."

"He's on the second floor," Romano insists, climbing the stairs. "I can feel it."

Left with no other choice, they follow.

Romano appears to be chewing his tongue when they reach the landing, scrutinizing the doors. "... This way," he leads, just as he has so far, striding down the hall with confident steps and opening the door opposite to the room with the fireplace.

"Eeeeeek!" Romano trembles stiffly in place.

"What the hell?!" Prussia roars.

Japan can feel his face pale.

While the ceilings to the other floors are absurdly high, it hadn't escaped Japan's notice that the second floor ceilings, though still rather high up, hang low in comparison; perhaps not on any other floors it wouldn't have to, but the Thing they see before them has to hunch and bend over slightly just to fit in the room without crashing its head. And this Thing... has almost a third of its usual height added onto it, the shoulders are much more broad, the back stronger, hands twice as large...

The Thing stumbles, and it weighs so much more that Japan thinks the entire floor must be shaking. It leans toward one side, as if it is about to fall, and a hint of auburn peeks out. Japan feels his numb lips move.

"Italy...?"

"Italy!"

And then, slowly, the Thing flickers into nonexistence.

And, in the center of the room, panting and doubled over, stands Italy.

"Hehe..." he chuckles weakly; a trickle of blood runs out of the corner of his lips. His eyes look unfocused and his pupils are almost impossible to place when he looks up. His clothes are horrendously torn, though, thankfully, there are no wide rips or flushed lengths of raised skin. His skin is too pale, no doubt from blood loss; there are tiny crimson puddles scattered near where Italy is standing—trembling, upon closer inspection—from the cuts in his shoulders, on his chest, his thigh, calves, arms, a shallow one on his face...

"You found me." Italy wheezes. He stumbles, and his eyes widen. "Oh."

Romano sprints forward and barely catches Italy before he falls.

"It's you, Germany..." Italy mumbles as they all crowd around him. "Romano, even though I told you not to..."

Japan hurriedly accepts the pillow from the bed in the room Prussia offers him, resting it and Italy's head on his lap; he takes a mental account of the visible injuries, brushes the blood-soaked hair out of his friend's sweaty face, tries to tune out Romano's worried shouting.

"Italy! Can you move?" Prussia snaps to keep Italy's attention. "Just take slow breaths!"

"There's still time!" Japan yells, fingers pressed to the pulse on Italy's neck, other hand resting between Italy's lips to keep track of his breathing. "I'll stop the bleeding now, so bring me some bandages!"

"Fuck, just use this!" Prussia runs back, ripping long shreds from the sheet of the same bed, keeping Italy's head raised so Japan can wrap and tie the makeshift bandages tightly; they still soak with blood too quickly, and Japan has to remind himself that head wound bleed heavily to keep his hands from shaking, before working on Italy's chest.

Germany is still painfully silent, Romano is still shouting, and Italy is still struggling to speak no matter how much Japan tries to distractedly shush him.

They all still when Italy sighs, eyes closing.

As one, Japan and Prussia's hands dart to Italy's lips.

"Oh, thank God." Prussia sighs, removing his hand immediately; Japan keeps his there and returns the other to Italy's weak pulse. "He's still breathing. I was so scared..."

"Let's go back to our safe place at once." Japan orders. Romano and Germany still look out of sorts... "Prussia, please call the others back. Germany, you can carry Italy." Japan shifts his friend to Germany's outstretched arms. "Romano, you can help me take care of his injuries."

"Yeah..." Romano ruffles his hair, sighing. "Sorry."

"Did Italy..." Prussia hesitates by the door, staring where the Thing stood earlier. "Did Italy actually beat that monster all on his own?"

"He's severely injured!" Germany yells, sobering up. "Hurry up!"

Japan can hear Prussia stomping down the stairs while he and Romano pick up what remains of the ripped sheet, ambling toward Germany.

He'll be okay

…

Japan frowns, rounding the corner slowly.

He's checked every open room in the second, third and fourth floor, knocked on the locked doors, and gone through the left half of the first floor...

And still, he cannot find Prussia.

A noise reaches his ears, from the kitchen, he realizes, heading straight for the hall.

"What a... troublesome... place, aru! I... have no strength left..."

Japan's eyes narrow.

"Er," England stumbles back, trips and falls on his feet; the Thing can nearly reach him now, and China is leaning on the wall hardly a foot away. "Wait a sec-"

His katana slides almost too easily into the Thing's skull, Japan observes with a hint of satisfaction as he jumps off its head and lands protectively in front of China and England; the Thing stumbles back several steps before regaining its balance, eyes focusing intently—almost hungry—on Japan.

He swallows tightly.

"I won't let you lay a hand on my friends."

"EH!" England yells behind him, "J-Japan?"

"Now everyone is together," Japan notes, without removing his gaze from the Thing slowly approaching him. "However, I'll ask you to wait a little before we can talk."

Japan takes a moment to scan their injuries. "It really did a number on you, didn't it? Allow me to pay it back in kind for injuries you sustained. This is quite a convenient opponent for me to unleash my wrath on!"

"Can you get up, England?" Japan asks, sheathing his sword.

"Y-Yeah," England stands, dusts off his clothes. "Anyway, Japan, have you fought that monster before? It wasn't the first time... was it?"

Japan blinks. "What? What are you talking about? You have fought it before, too, haven't you? You got here first, after all."

"We haven't been here for even an hour, aru." China pushes himself off the wall. "And you... weren't even supposed to be here yet."

"... There are things we need to talk about." Japan concedes. "First of all, let's go to the second floor. I know of a safe room there."

"W-wait a minute, aru! What about this, then?!" China blocks Japan's way, shoving a bundle of something white and red and burnt in Japan's face. "What's with these clothes of yours?! They're covered in blood!"

"Oh. Those are the clothes I threw into the fireplace." Japan blinks. "Why do you have them?"

"I found them when I went to that room!" China yells, then, tone gentle, "Aren't you... hurt...?"

"Um, that's... tomato."

China blinks, face flushing. "... Huh?"

"I'm fine; I'm not hurt at all." Japan doesn't meet his elder's eyes. "Now, let's join Germany and Italy and I'll explain the situation to you."

TangTangTang. "Germany, if you're ready, let's go." Japan calls, while Italy greets the other nations in the hall. "They can't wait."

The door swings open.

"Understood."

"Ve~ Are you okay now? Do you want to go in there again?"

"No, it's okay. And I probably won't come back, here. Or rather, I hope I won't."

"Really? I hope so." Japan turns, ignoring the flat look Germany levels at him. "Now, let's hurry up. We can't take our time here. We need to talk to them as soon as possible."

"You... haven't found my brother, have you...?"

Japan stills, back turned to everyone else in the room. "... No."

"I-it'll be okay! Cheer up, Germany! If you're like that, we'll never find Prussia!"

"... You're right. Sorry."

"Come on," Japan ignores the apology; there are more pressing matters at hand. "They're waiting for us."

Japan sits down in the same seat he'd claimed the night before. "Sorry for making you wait. Now, without further ado, I'll explain our situation."

All the nations, save Germany and Italy who settle by the fireplace, sit around the table.

"Eventually, while we didn't know the true nature of that thing, we all got together again and spent the night this room, with a sense of security because we had the key to it." Japan continues, having already summarized the events of the day before.

"Th-that really is odd..." Canada stammers quietly. "I mean, we-oh, I'm sorry. Please go on."

"We've run out of firewood!" Italy, who'd been glancing over at the mantle every few seconds in the middle of skimming through his Bible, announces loudly before turning to Germany. "Can I burn this wooden box?"

"Yes, let's burn anything that can be used as fuel."

The flames jump momentarily when the box is thrown in. Japan waits for the fire to settle. "We decided that one of us should keep watch and Prussia kindly took up this duty, but... maybe because of our sense of security, the three of us, fell into a deep sleep..."

Germany takes one of the last seats at the table. "When we woke up... Prussia was gone. There were bloodstains in the hallway, so we followed the trail, but... eventually..."

"The trail ended..." Russia finishes, understandingly.

"We tried looking for him, ve," Italy adds, stepping toe-to-foot over to the last available seat; the one Prussia had sat in last night, as it were. "But, we didn't want to lose anybody else, so Germany and I stood by. And then, Japan found you guys, right?"

"Yes," Japan nods. "And that's what happened to us. But... I thought for sure that America and France would be here, too?"

"Yeah," England jumps in, "the six of us came here on America's suggestion and split up into two groups. China, France and I went to check out the second floor, while America, Russia and Canada looked around the first floor."

"We had a bad feeling while we were on the second floor, so Opium and I went to check out the third and fourth floor. When we finished looking and came back down to the second floor, France was gone and I found Japan's burnt clothes in this room, and I wondered what had happened, aru..."

"We came back down to the first floor and found Russia and Canada fighting that Thing." England continues. "And that bastard disappeared the first chance it got. A-Actually doesn't it... resemble a friend of America's?"

Germany and Italy glance over at Japan, but he only looks down at the table and tries not to think of the implication that comes with that question.

"That's right! I noticed it the moment I saw it, aru! That's definitely it! Um..." China snaps his fingers impatiently. "It's name... was..."

"T-Tommy?" England guesses. "Wasn't it?"

But... that Thing... America's friend is way too small to even try to attack, let alone bite—

"You're mistaken." Canada speaks up. England blinks.

"Huh?"

"... That's not Tony." Canada insists. "I live close to America and I've met Tony several times. I... suppose, they do look alike." Canada shakes his head. "But even so... he would never attack America."

"Attack—What? It had attacked him, aru?!"

"It was only one hit. America was thrown against the wall, but he was still conscious somehow and began shooting at it. It had no effect at all, though... I'd thought maybe it wasn't Tony but a different alien friend maybe, but when it suddenly attacked America and America seemed to fight back for real..."

"We had no idea what to do. He was getting cornered, and when we tried to do something about it, he yelled at us to get away, da."

A movement from the corner of Japan's eye makes him start, but it is only Italy standing silently from the chair and walking over to the mantle, studying the fire. Japan tunes out the conversation, when Italy breaks apart the box he'd thrown in the fire with the poker by the grate, concerned his friend may burn himself.

"—In other words, three people are missing, da. I think we should help them as soon as possible. America has nothing to do with it, so we can't feel safe: rather, we should expect the worst."

"Oh!" Italy gasps.

Germany stands. "What's wrong?"

"there's something inside the wooden box, ve! Just a second. Um..."

"Be careful..."

"Uh-huh. Oops-ow! Hot!"

clink

"Hmm?" Italy crouches down. "Oh! It's a key! A key to some room!"

"We've got a new breach, aru!"

"Finding a way out was our priority... but, first we have to think of a way to rescue our friends." Japan stands. "If we are thorough in our search, I'm sure we'll find them. Those three are also tenacious people. They've go to be somewhere..."

"Let's hurry then," England smooths out wrinkles from his clothes. "I don't want anyone dropping out."

"Well, then, we'll split up into three groups, since we have so much to do... and no one should go alone... Now, about our unsynchronized watches...

BANGBANGBANG

"Eek! J-Japan!" Italy squeaks.

"... So, it found us. This room is no longer safe... My group will be in charge of dealing with the Thing. Germany, Italy," Japan looks over his shoulder, "you will search for the room to open with the key."

"I'll fight with Japan, aru!" China insists, hovering over Japan's shoulder.

"Can I join you?" Russia stands. "I really have to thank it for all the trouble~"

"There's a room I want to investigate with Canada," England stands, "Italy if you make any progress, go to the piano room. We can all meet there."

"Okay!" Italy chirps, then frowns worriedly. "B-be careful, Japan."

"Thank you." Japan nods.

The door opens.

"I thought it was locked!" Someone hisses.

"Well then, everyone..." Japan draws. "Good luck."

"It's... weird that it disappears like that, aru. We can't tell whether we won or not..."

"Well, at least it won't pollute the environment?" Japan opts to be positive. China gives him a weird look and sighs, shaking his head.

"Not quite~" Russia chimes, gliding past them to the cabinets in the corner. "Maybe this will never end and it'll keep appearing. It's getting really tiring..."

"You're not hurt, are you?" China pokes, swaying from side to side.

"No, your backup was perfect. Thank you very much for your help."

"Oh, by the way, why were those clothes smeared with tomato, aru? I thought it was blood." China shoots off; he must have been waiting for an opportunity to ask.

"Well you see, some time after we started searching, we encountered that creature... Italy was taken by surprise and began throwing tomatoes at it, but missed and hit me instead. After we defeat it, the smell was really bothering me, so I threw it into the fireplace."

Japan blinks rapidly, rubbing at his temples to soothe away the sudden ache. When he looks up, China's eyes are shut and he's rubbing at his forehead.

"Oh..." China's expression clears. "If I remember correctly, you had a change because you were going to stay at Germany's place, right, aru?'

"Ah."

"What is the matter, Russia?"

"Um, there was this clock that was moving like crazy..." Russia smiles sheepishly. "I'm sorry, the tick-tock was too loud, so I broke it with my pipe."

"A clock?" Japan blinks.

"I'm sorry if it was some kind of clue," Russia continues when Japan and China walk toward him, "but it really was so loud..."

"A clock... Now that you mention it, we can't tell what time it is in this place. Our watches are all out of synchrony."

"They're really strange, aru. Even though we came here ahead of Japan's group, they've been here longer... By the way my watch says 11:42."

"Huh? But... mine is showing the same time as yours, da."

"What? That wasn't supposed to-Oh! I-it's 11:42 on mine, too! But it was 6:00 just a moment ago..."

"Maybe... because I broke the clock?" Russia asks.

"That's possible. At least in this room the time is right, aru. Maybe we can get the flow of time back to normal if we break the clocks!"

"Then we'll break the clocks in every single room we get in." Japan determines. "If we do that, maybe... maybe..." he frowns. "Maybe... we can help... France and... America... right?"

China and Russia share a look, but before Japan can ask, a phone begins to ring.

"It's mine, da..." Russia answers, sets his cell speaker. "... Who is it?"

… ping!

"It's a bug, aru!"

"I've never heard of a 'phone bug'..." Japan frowns. "What we heard was a piano."

"A piano..." Russia echoes thoughtfully. "Anyway, we have nothing to else to do here, so let's meet with the others."

Japan nods. "If all goes well, Germany and Italy should also be able to join us there. Let's put everything in order here and hurry."

Hurry... so we can help... France and America...

And, unbidden an image comes to mind—a crooked grin and the end of a pale, straight nose. A phantom pain makes Japan's heart clench and chest ache terribly.

Who...? Japan frowns, rubbing at the skin over his heart, blinking away the sting of his tears.

Who... am I forgetting?

…

"He's covered in injuries..." Germany mutters from his perch on the edge of his bed, watching Italy's deep, even breathing. To his left, Romano kneels between the two beds, hand wrapped around Italy's in a loose clutch.

"He fought alone." France points out from behind Japan. Sitting on China's bed, when Japan looks back, glancing between him and Prussia sitting next to him, on his bed. "It's only natural."

Canada sits down on the bed across Germany's. "I heard that it was much bigger than before, but... he wasn't surprised at all, was he?"

"You mean he already knew?" Russia asks. "Or..."

China pushes himself off the wall. "We should think... that he's already seen it many times over."

"I agree," Japan adds quietly. "That would explain his emotional strength and why he has gotten used to fighting. I don't think it's something he had from the very beginning."

"It feels like..." America begins, pacing the aisle between beds, "something that had... accumulated and then finally took shape. But, we can't really be sure. We have to hear it from his own mouth."

"What can we do then?" Prussia snorts, leaning back, hands on the mattress bracing him. His left falls on top of Japan's right. "We can't just demand that he tells us everything as soon as he wakes up. Do you really think he would tell us just like that?"

And thus began the argument on whether or not to interrogate Italy.

"Romano, you know something, don't you?" America asks after a while. "Can't you tell us?"

Spain blinks. "Roma?"

"... I do know." Romano admits, eyes unwavering from his and Italy's joined hands. "I don't know everything, but... I do know more than you do."

"Then..."

Japan bumps his foot against Prussia's, shakes his head minutely.

"But, knowing the truth, I also understand my brother's decision... I can't just tell you something he's so desperate to hide."

"But this isn't only about him!" England yells. "Other people's lives are at stake! What are we supposed to do now?!"

"... Sorry." Romano mutters. "I don't know, either."

"Go easy on him." Spain urges, seating himself at the foot of Italy's bed. "I don't know what to do, either, but you're being too harsh on Romano. Give him a break."

"Potato Head," Romano begins matter-of-fact, no venom behind the words. "What do you think? Should we interrogate him, or wait for him to talk when he's ready? I want your opinion."

They all turn to Germany expectantly.

He says nothing.

"Germany?" Japan prompts. Germany looks up at him. Blinks.

"I..."

Japan raises his brows imploringly.

"I... I... just want him to wake up first. More than interrogate him or wait for him to speak up... more than anything, I want him to wake up. And then, if he wants to talk, I will listen, and if he doesn't want to talk, I won't ask him anything. I think we should try trusting him."

Japan smiles, gives a minute nod of approval.

"... Yeah." Prussia agrees, bumping his foot against Japan's; he must have seen the exchange. "Even Italy has learnt a thing or two, right? When he wakes up, his opinion will be important."

"Indeed," Japan nods. "Let's wait for him to wake up."

Germany blinks. Straightens. "Oh. W-wait!"

Japan blinks. "What-?"

"He's going to wake up." Romano announces, standing up, still clutching Italy's hand.

Italy's eyes open.

"Oh, he's awake..."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm so relieved." Japan sighs, standing and reaching for Italy's free hand. "Italy, do you know where you are?"

Italy eyes blink, twice, thrice, before looking up at him. They look vacant, unfocused.

"H-hey... Veneziano?"

"What's wrong?"

"Italy?" Prussia reaches over Japan, snaps. Italy's eyes blink immediately—no delayed reaction. "What's the matter?"

"... are..."

He sounds hoarse.

Germany stands as well, reaching out a tentative hand on Italy's shoulder, waits for Italy's eyes to focus on him before speaking.

"I'm sorry, Italy. I couldn't hear you. Can you say that again?"

"Who... are... you?"

…

"-and by breaking the clocks, we adjust the time... so it is imperative that we do this. We have broken clocks on the 2nd and 1st floor. Now, only this floor and the one above are left." Japan finishes.

"We found this weird scrap of paper," Italy pipes up, waving the paper in question around. "And then we found a safe inside a room in the kitchen."

"A safe?" Canada repeats. "Maybe the numbers on the keyboard... could be some kind of hint?"

Japan blinks, unsure where the jump from the numbers on the keyboard to the safe happened, and so quickly, but does not object; it is sound thinking, after all, that this mansion would have more riddles to solve.

"Yeah, then we can open the safe and make some progress." Russia agrees. "First of all... shouldn't we take a look at the scrap of paper Italy found?"

"It's a perfect match to the other!" England exclaims, fitting together the scrap Italy had found today as well as the one from last night like so.

RINGRINGRING

"Agh!" England jumps, nearly dropping both scraps. "Ah, my cell..."

"Again? Russia's also rang earlier, aru..."

"Same here!" Italy raises his hand. "We heard a piano!"

"A piano...?" England repeats. "Well, anyway, I'll answer it."

"Set it on speaker," Japan suggests. England nods.

… ping!

"... It really was a piano." Japan mutters, turning with everyone to face the vacant bench at the piano they presumably heard. He shakes his head. "But it was a different note from the one that Russia heard... Italy, did you also hear a different note?"

Italy hesitates. Nods. "Yeah, it was different."

"Only one note. That's the only thing in common..." England hums. "But there's no doubt that they're a big hint. We should solve this one-by-one."

Japan nods, holding his hand out for the papers. "Yes. If we do that, we'll soon be able to meet—France and America. Though they'll probably get mad at us for taking so long."

Italy blinks. "Eh? What?"

"What are you talking about?" England asks.

"Er..." Japan hesitates. "Did I—say something wrong?"

"... Russia," China pauses.

"Yes, I know. It's okay, da."

"E-Excuse me?"

"You did say 'something wrong,'" England explains. "was it on purpose? Not that I care to correct you, but... poor Prussia.

Immediately, the pain in his chest flares.

Prussia

"Just. Sorry you had to do it alone."

"The hell?! You totally ignored what I said!"

"Priorities..."

"Oh, no, no. The Awesome Me is just fine."

"Seriously though, I'm okay."

"I'll see you in the morning."

How could he forget?

And, as this new—no, not new... he knows that, somehow, it is not new just, newly recognized—emotion rises from his chest, in the span of this endless second, Japan feels even more determined to find Prussia.

He does not know what this feeling is, however. But. Now is not the time. That feeling—there will be a better time to search for the meaning.

"Yeah, why did you say France and America, Japan?" He hears oddly, as if from a filter, before the voice abruptly clears. "The ones we have to save are Prussia and France, right? Why did you say America, ve?"

"What?!" Canada exclaims.

"C-come on now, what's wrong with you?" England laughs nervously. "We're here to save America, aren't we? Neither France nor Prussia came to this place."

No, Prussia was here...

"No, wait a minute," Japan interrupts. "We-well, America said at the meeting place that he wanted to come... And I said... I'd come with him... so I came here with America..."

Wait...

"Wait-Japan, what's wrong with you, ve? The three of us came with Prussia, remember?"

"Wassa matter, Japan? Scared?"

"America didn't come, and France got separated from the others, ve..."

China frowns. "You guys..."

"What on Earth is going on...?"

"Japan," China calls, beckoning. Japan walks to him. "Do you remember fighting with me and Russia, aru?"

"I am not that forgetful yet, you know."

"You two are so old~" Russia teases behind them. China and Japan sigh.

"You failed to mention Prussia at that time, too. I thought you had simply forgotten, but you've been acting odd since then..."

Japan wonders if he has something on his face, then, when China gives him another weird look and raises a brow, but lets him walk away without comment.

"A-am I wrong?" Italy asks, looking up from his Bible. "But you came with us, didn't you?"

"... Maybe, correcting time caused some sort of disturbance?" Germany suggests.

Correcting time...

"Following the pattern so far," Japan mumbles to himself, "it should be here." He opens the top drawer. "Ah, I knew it would be more. This is still worrying me... I think I should break it as soon as possible."

crash

"There... one more..."

He opens his eyes.

"Here! It's here!" America exclaims, flapping his arms from his place between Japan and England. "Just like the rumors said!"

"Hey, America keep it down a little, will you?"

"I'm not doing anything wrong! Right, Japan?"

Yes, yes, that's right! It really was America and England who came here with me. We said that, and then we came in and then...

No...

He opens his eyes.

"Is this it?" Prussia asks in a no-nonsense tone. His eyes are squinted against the bright light of the sun hitting them. "Are West and Italy really in this place?"

"Haa... Indeed." Japan sighs.

Prussia turns to him, blinks, flashes a crooked grin. "... You're thinking, 'this sucks,' aren't you?" Japan flushes.

"I-I'm not!"

No, that's not it. The one who came here with me was... Prussia! We decided to come and pick up Italy and Germany, so... No. This isn't it. This memory is wrong...

He opens his eyes.

"So, this is the haunted mansion America told us about?" France asks.

"That's right, aru!" China bounces on his toes in childish glee. "Let's hide before they get here and give them a fright!"

"China..." Japan stops, not even sure where to begin. "Even if they didn't do the same to get back at you... and even if it weren't this mansion you should be a little more reasonable."

"It's now or never, aru!" China insists. "You guys, get ready! He's coming this way with Italy!"

France scoffs. "Wouldn't it be nicer if we just made something to eat together?" France mutters under his breath so China won't overhear.

"Definitely..."

This one is wrong, too... No, maybe it isn't wrong, but... No, it's wrong. This isn't what happened.

He opens his eyes.

"It clearly looks like something is about to come out of it, though..." Japan comments.

"That's true~" Russia chimes. "Are they really in this place?"

"You go ahead and go in, Russia." Prussia swings an arm companionably around Japan's shoulder. "Me and Japan are just gonna chill here and wait for you."

"Aww, you're so mean!" Russia whines. "Come on, if the three of us go, I'm sure we can give the others a scare!"

"Erm, aren't you forgetting someone?" Comes a voice behind them. Japan glances over his shoulder, smiles.

"Russia, Prussia," Japan twists out of Prussia's arm, pushing aside the vague sense of loss he feels, "you two please feel free to go ahead. Canada and I will be waiting here while we have some tea."

And Germany got quite a scare... But Germany came with England and-no, this is wrong, too. This isn't me...

He opens his eyes.

"Ve~ it's really here."

"I thought it was just a rumor. I never thought we would actually find it..." Japan muses aloud, stepping closer to the mansion, inspecting the chipped paint

"It has such a desolate feel..." Prussia comments, craning his head. "Not bad."

Oh... This memory...

"You too?"

"Good. I won't have to do everything myself."

This is the one.

Inner-crisis abated, Japan turns back to the others, sees them talking about something preferably productive and cooperating with one another.

"That's why I'm saying that this piece of paper might be a hint to some kind of hidden passage!" Germany shouts, clearly annoyed to have repeated himself at all.

Or not. Japan sighs, turning to nearest nation. "Now the priority is deciphering the password?"

"Pretty much~" Russia confirms. "It looks like everyone decided that the other problem was too difficult and that we should first solve this, open the safe to find out what's inside... And then give it some careful thought."

"Wait. Then someone's phone should have rung one more time, aru! Shouldn't we wait for it-"

"How can our phones even get calls if we're out of range?!" England throws his hands up. "Besides, we don't even know who has been calling us. Should we blindly trust the hints they give us?"

"I'm getting a little hungry..." Italy whines, pulling on Germany's sleeve.

"What are you looking like that for? Toughen up. Be strong."

RINGRINGRING

"... There it is. Germany, if you please."

"Y-yes, understood." Germany nods to Canada, sets his phone on speaker.

… ping!

"... It was a piano, after all."

"Now, let's put the notes we heard together!" Russia smiles. "The note I heard was Sol."

England straightens. "The note I got was Re."

"The note we just heard was Si."

They all turn to Germany's left.

"... Italy?" Japan prompts when his friend doesn't speak up.

"Oh, sorry Japan. Um. The note I got was La."

"So the notes we heard were Sol, Re, Si and La." England counts off.

"Let's take a look at the keyboard, ve!"

They crowd around the piano.

"Hmmm..." Russia hums.

"Oh! I've got it!" Canada exclaims, taking the scraps of paper from Germany's hands. "I think I know how to solve this! It's a very simple password. You see, first the notes we played were these four..." He fingers each key.

"You're right." Japan nods. "There are even numbers on the key." A blue 4, red 2, yellow 5 and green 9.

"Now," Canada continues, "when you look at the piece of paper Germany and Italy found..." He fits the scraps together. "It's like this. It matches the colors of the numbers on the keyboard. So if we match the numbers with their respective colors... it's a perfect match!"

"Amazing, aru!" China gapes.

"5294." Germany figures. "Well, then, let's head to the safe."

"... It's a key." Japan says needlessly holding the safe door open. The tag on it says "Study".

It opens up to a white-walled black-floored room.

"Nothing here..." Germany mutters. Japan searches around, then, remembering they'd found a matchbox under a table, tries the white desk in the far corner.

"There's a switch, here." He announces, pushing it.

The bookshelf in the opposite corner shuffles over, revealing another door. They open it.

"Another key." Japan observes, picking up the key in the corner within the cell while Italy all but throws himself against the door and engages the lock. Japan turns to Italy with a concerned frown, but seeing the wary, frightened way Italy eyes the door, he has an idea what happened.

He draws.

"Get ready," he murmurs, pocketing the key.

When they do, he takes a deep breath and bites his lip.

Opens the door.

…

"How is he, aru?"

Japan, fidgeting by the bathroom door, starts at the question. China only looks at him evenly, though, so he sighs, slumps against the wall. "He's in the bath right now. Romano is looking after him..."

"Do you, think he has amnesia?" Canada suggests, frowning sadly.

"No," England shakes his head. "It looked like something a little different..."

"It is similar to what I was like, when we had just broken a clock..." Japan adds. That gets nods of understanding and "oh"s all around.

"Hm?" Prussia straightens. "What do you mean?"

"When they would break a clock, they would get a lot of strange memories and they get all mixed up, though Japan seemed to have the worst." France looks at him. "Oui?"

Japan nods, figuring America and France must have been told sometime when he had been in the cave with Prussia, Italy and Germany. "That's right. Italy got so many memories that they pushed him to the limit, both physically and mentally. He got saturated with them. If any more memories pour in... he will only reject them."

"Reject?" China echoes, confused. "Reject what?"

"The memories themselves." America explains. "That's how it usually is. But Italy is still tired somehow and... the line probably turned into dots."

"You mean his memories are all scattered about?" Germany summarizes. "So, if he tries thinking about them, they will return in time?"

"Yes." Japan confirms. "The proof is that he immediately... if, tentatively... called my name."

"'Tentatively?'" Spain blinks. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well..."

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Romano mutters, entering first and keeping the door open for his brother.

"Uh, no, that was pretty quick." America waves. "Are you feeling a little better now, Italy?"

"... Yes, sir." Italy answers in a small voice, carefully avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the room. "I am sorry about that. My head feels a lot better and I am fine now."

Japan and Prussia share a bewildered glance. "'Sir'?" Prussia repeats. "Italy, you know who I am, don't you?"

"I do." Italy nods. He casts a guarded look between them before continuing. "He is Mr. Japan. You are Mr. Prussia." Then, as if to prove he knows everyone else in the room, he turns to Prussia's other side. "And he is..." He stops.

His eyes widen.

"Hol-"

"Veneziano," Romano whispers, a hand on his brother's shoulder. Italy turns to Romano, blinks, turns back with sad eyes and smile.

"Er... Mr... Germany."

"Italy...?" Germany seems to be struggling to not step closer.

"Huh? Doesn't it kinda feel..." Spain pauses, turns to France, "as if he's talking like when he was a kid?"

Romano bristles. "Well, his memories are kind of jumbled and he's a little confused." He snaps. "He still needs some time, okay?"

"Yes, of course," Russia nods. "Take your time."

"Y-yes sir, I'm sorry, ve."

Japan frowns, concerned. "And you stay with him, Romano." He adds, unnecessarily.

"Uh, w-wait! I've been thinking, and maybe..." Romano looks away. "I think, maybe, I should tell you, after all."

"Er, while I appreciate the sentiment..." England puts up his hands, "we shouldn't have told you to talk without consulting Italy's feelings..."

"Oui. If there's really no other way, then we'll ask you again."

"There are a lot of other things we have to solve." Canada points out. "Maybe he'll remember something while we're having a meeting. We can wait."

"B-but." Italy protests. Germany shakes his head.

"It's all right. If there's no other way, we'll ask you. Until then, be at ease."

"... Okay." Italy nods, and, skittish, grabs onto Romano's sleeve as they return to the beds.

"He's so... worn-out." France murmurs.

"Da. He probably pushed himself too hard already. He must have kept telling himself that he could try harder and harder to protect us."

"... Let's think about what would be the best course of action." Japan suggests.

"Yeah. Um, Germany, that metal piece you gave Italy..." America trails off.

"Ah," Germany nods, "Italy dropped it... in that room, incidentally, and now I have it again."

"Judging by the way he acted... it must have been something necessary to escape." Canada analyzes. "Even though it looks like an ordinary metal piece..."

"Maybe it's some sort of key?" Spain pipes up.

"But..." France gives his friend and odd look, "keys are usually shaped like this," he draws the shape in the air.

"Yeah, that's the point! The keyhole is hidden!" Spain ends in a whisper.

Prussia frowns. "But there was no other keyhole where this metal piece could fit."

"We must have missed it, aru." China shrugs. "Weren't there any places that made you feel uneasy?"

The piano room, Japan thinks immediately

"There were a lot..." England hums. "I've forgotten some of them..."

"Then we'll just have to search the house again." America shrugs.

"Understood." Japan nods. "Let's split up into two groups; one to stand by, the other to search around."

"I'm fine with either one, but..." England looks off towards the beds. "Italy must be hungry, so... maybe I should cook something for him."

"England!" Japan cries with false enthusiasm, holding on tightly to England's hands; he ignores Prussia's weak snicker behind him. "Let's search together! By all means!"

"What?" England blinks. "But the food-"

"I'll stay, aru!" China yells, catching on. "France, you can stay, too!"

"Oh! Oui, of course! So now the kitchen is full, you see?" France wave his hand in a shooing motion. "You can search with the others!"

"I'll stay, too." Prussia mutters. Japan turns to look at him with a hurt frown, letting go of England's hands. Prussia shakes his head with a small smile. "I'm not feeling very well..."

France hums thoughtfully.

"Does anyone else have a preference?" America asks. Everyone else shakes their head. "Then, Russia, Canada, Japan, and England will do the search with me. The others will standby."

Canada nods, says something, though Japan doesn't catch it. Prussia offers him another small smile before turning to walk, almost stiffly, lacking the usual confident stride, to the beds.

"Japan, aru," China murmurs, bumping a hand against his shoulders, smiling gently when Japan turns. "They're waiting, aru." China nods to where the rest of the assembled search party are huddled by the stairs. Behind him, France's grin is almost feline.

"... Right," Japan nods, following the other four, glancing back once toward the beds.

He'll be okay

...

"Oh you're back, aru!" China calls when Japan returns alone to the study. "Are you okay? Sorry you had to go through that..."

"No," Japan shakes his head. "On the contrary, I'm the one who should apologize for asking you to deal with that monster. I actually managed to escape easily."

"I wish it had been me instead, though..." Italy trails off, staring at Japan's arm; the wound has been hidden since Japan had put on his spare set of clothes, but either having it hidden or having told Germany and Italy how he'd earned the injury, or both, has made the two of them hyperaware of it. "But, you're really fast, too, Japan~"

"You did very well," Canada agrees. "And we found the clock!"

"The key we just found goes to the basement, da?" Russia confirms, reading the tag on it before returning it to Germany. "Before we go, though, we have to settle this memory confusion."

"Each of you has three minutes. If you have something to say, raise your hand."

"Er... I don't think it's just me, but..." England starts, glancing at Germany arm half-raised before dropping it. "Didn't you notice anything when you broke the clocks?"

"... You noticed it, too, aru? Then it wasn't just my imagination..."

"You mean we all get false memories when we break a clock, da?"

"R-really?" Germany stutters.

Italy is silent.

"We all remember how this all started, right?" England frowns. "At the meeting place?"

"Right." Japan nods. "America heard the rumors of this mansion and wanted to see it. He took you four, plus France."

"And we invited you, too, Japan aru..." China twists the ponytail over his shoulder. "You didn't want to go, though, so I sent you a message when we got here and you replied from the meeting place."

"Italy saw the text and began saying he wanted to go as well," Germany adds, "so the three of us came here, along with my brother."

"But then, I also have other memories." England frowns. "I remember coming here with America and Japan, and it was China who got separated from us, not France."

"Maybe we're just confused because we have so many memories, they get all mixed up, ve!" Italy exclaims. "That just means that from now on, whenever we break a clock, we'll get a lot of false memories, but we shouldn't believe any of them!"

"If we invite confusion..." Japan trails off. "Right. I think we must discard those fake memories without believing them."

"So we have to prepare for those memories every time we break a clock. What a bother, aru!"

"Right, then," Germany frowns, "I'll break this clock. Don't forget who you came with or what's happened so far."

"Y-yeah, if we don't break the clocks, time won't go back to normal..." England adds.

"All right, then."

The glass face of the clock is stomped in.

"... Oh."

He opens his eyes.

Directly across the room, back to him and shoulders rising in slow, measured breaths, an occasional quake in the frame, navy uniform and all, stands—

Prussia!

With a start, Japan realizes he's been standing in place for at least a minute, lingering in the doorway when at any moment that thing could-

Quickly, Japan glances around what he can see of the house, pausing an extra moment before stepping inside and hurriedly shutting the door. Relieved to have found another of his friends, Japan leans against the door for a brief second, then straightens, takes a step forward, two, before rushing over to his friend.

This is... a memory from when I first reunited with Prussia, but... I feel as though I'm forgetting something... Something... is missing.

"Pruss-"

"Who's there?!"

Clang!

"Prussia!" Japan cries, not faltering his hold on his scabbard — he'd not had time to draw as Prussia's sword had already been in hand — as he tries to keep Prussia's own sword from cutting off another lock of hair, or worse. Had he reacted just a moment later...

"Prussia!" Japan repeats, seeing his friend's eyes are still wide and glazed over. "Calm down, please! It's me!"

Prussia twitches, as if to attack but stopping short before he can. His eyes close, tightly, for a long moment, and when they open, they seem lighter, focused.

"... Japan?" Prussia tries, slowly. At Japan's nod, Prussia's arms slacken, and his entire body seems to deflate with the long sigh he breathes out. "Japan," he repeats, stepping back and sheathing his—Japan cannot help noticing—dull and battle-worn—sword. He runs a hand through his hair with another long sigh—more frustrated this time—and looks up just as Japan replaces his scabbard. "Ah, sorry."

Something... something is different. I reunited with Prussia and then went to see Germany...

"... Don't you... hear the sound of something... getting... closer?"

Once pointed out, the irregular pattern of approaching footsteps and heavy breathing is too easy to pick up.

Japan's blood freezes.

The door slams open.

It came in?! I see... The lock...

The Thing races toward them, impossibly fast.

"Watch out!"

Prussia races toward it while Japan fumbles helplessly to unsheathe his katana.

BAM

Oh!

"PRUSSIA!"

"Son of a-"

Prussia manages to stab it once, deep in the forehead. It flickers out of existence.

Japan's sword drops from his hands, unused.

"Ow..." Prussia grunts, falling to his knees. "This is bad..."

He falls face-first.

"Prussia!" Japan cries, haphazardly pulling the sheets from one of the beds next to him; he isn't sure which one, left or right; the world is disoriented; something falls from the bed; he almost trips over it; his throat hurts.

He's wrapped torn shreds of the white sheet around most of the deep cuts and scratches on Prussia's chest and stomach and arms and a particular terrifying shallow incision on the junction between neck and shoulder before he realizes he didn't trip over the object that had jumped off the bed; one of his hands is wrapped around a bleeding scrape on Prussia's left bicep, the other cupping the side of Prussia's face trying to keep his attention; he feels light-headed.

Wasn't Prussia lying face-down earlier?

Three parallel cuts accompanied by a line of flushed pink on Prussia's outer leg catches his attention; he moves the hand around Prussia's right bicep to the leg wound; his hands are dripping red paint, he can feel it under his fingernails, between the webbing of his fingers; it smells like copper; he returns his hand to Prussia's left bicep so he won't have to worry about removing anymore skin on the left thigh than has already been scraped off; he can taste the copper smell on his tongue.

Prussia coughs strongly, and Japan helps him when he tries to turn on his side. He spits out blood.

"H-hold on!" Japan yells when Prussia slumps back on his back groaning weakly. "I'll stop the bleeding with some sheets!"

He looks up at the beds waiting for his legs to respond; they don't; it was a pillow he'd almost tripped over; his breathing is uneven.

"No, it's okay..." Prussia pants. "I'm a nation... I won't die..." His eyes close for a terribly long second. "Ah... but, I'm not... a nation anymore, am I?" He takes a rattling breath. "I told you that..."

He did. He did tell me that. Years and years ago. There was a wall. Right? Maybe it was torn down.

"S-stop it!" His eyes trickle salty water; he can taste it on his torn lips; his eyes sting; Prussia's breathing is like a dying old man's; but he's not dying; right?

Right?

"I'll call Germany! Please, this isn't the time for jokes!"

He was joking? No, of course he was; Prussia always jokes; Germany's always said Prussia would be joking even in death; Prussia must be joking, he's grinning with bloodied lips; how can he be joking at a time like this?

"Are..." Prussia licks his chapped lips; Japan shushes him; he ignores him. "Are... West... and Ita... all right?" His voice is weak.

His voice is so, so weak.

Japan takes a deep, almost even breath. Opens his eyes. Blinks away the remaining tears.

"... Yes," He breathes when he is certain he can keep his voice even. "They've both already left the mansion." He moves the hand on Prussia's bicep down to Prussia's hand. It stains red with the blood from Japan's hand. "We'll go home, too." His voice shakes. He twines their fingers. His face feels unbearable warm. "Germany and Italy are waiting for us."

"Kesese!" It sounds more serpentine than usual. "Yeah... We'll all go to your house..." Prussia's dulling eyes move down from his to his similarly bleeding lips. "And go to..." His lashes flutter. "The hot springs..."

The newly-recognized feeling he's had for the past few hours around Prussia pulses something painful in his chest and behind his eyes and his throat feels dry and aching and his eyes feel sore and his lips tingle.

And at once he knows what this feeling is.

He knows what this is.

He knows.

He knows too late.

Because I... forgot to lock the door... Prussia had to... But... I... I did lock the door... That strange, involuntary sensation... And Prussia is alive... This memory... it must be fake. I know which one is true. He wouldn't die in a place like this.

He wouldn't.

He opens his eyes.

He is standing toward the center of a small room, across Prussia and on either side of Italy and Germany.

"Dammit!" Germany roars. "Even though we're all together here, our situation hasn't gotten any better! Now we're locked up in here and that fucking monster is after our asses!"

This... Nothing like this has happened yet... We haven't even been in this room before...

Prussia sighs frustratedly, runs a hand through his hair. "West, don't be so pessimistic." He chides in a clipped tone. "Someone will eventually notice that some nations are gone, even if it's only a few, and they'll come to help..."

"W-We're being eaten, one by one. That's what I would do, if I were that—Thing!"

"That's enough West!" Prussia yells. "There are still many other ways to get out of here!"

Germany sighs. "... Sorry. I can't... think like that, but... I feel as though I'm in a battlefield. Though if it were one, I could keep myself together and protect you... I want to change this."

"You can't help it." Japan speaks up, tiredly. "You hate this kind of thing."

"... Germany." Italy calls.

"Hm?"

"It's okay; you will be okay. You'll be able to get out this time. And if you get out, run straight ahead." Italy's voice wavers. "Promise me." He shuffles backwards, slowly, eyes trained on Germany. "Promise me, that you won't look back, no matter what happens, and get time-"

Time? What is Italy talking about?

The door behind Italy slams open.

The Thing...

"Italy!"

"Italy!"

Italy is going to—

"Promise me, Germany."

Going to—

"ITALYYYY!"

I-I can't look—

He opens his eyes.

…

"We're back, Italy..." Japan calls as they ascend the stairs. China looks up from the cutting board in the kitchen and looks at him searchingly.

"Oh, you're back." Italy blinks. "Hello, er... Japan!"

"Italy..." Japan sighs, runs his fingers through his hair. "Thank God... You seem to be doing a little better. As does your memory."

"Yeah. Sorry for all the trouble, ve. I still don't remember everything, but..." Italy looks down and away, rocking on the balls of his feet. "Things are falling into place. I talked a lot with my brother... so I've started to remember things little by little."

"Oh, you're back, aru!" China exclaims after a short pause, reaching back to untie an apron he found somewhere. "The food will be ready in a moment, so you can sit down and wait."

"Thank you." Japan nods. "Italy, do you have a moment?"

Italy blinks. "Yeah, sure."

Japan leads him to the chairs near the bathroom door.

"You see, I've been holding on to a letter addressed to you." Japan explains, pulling out a half-folded sheet of paper from his pocket. "Read it out loud, please."

"For me?" Italy blinks.

"Yes. Do you remember what happened in this mansion?"

Italy frowns. "... Yeah, maybe about, half of it, I guess. But I'm, still a little scared..."

"All the more reason for you to read it." Japan sets the paper on Italy's lap. "I haven't read it myself," not that he could, given Italy's terrible penmanship; as far as he knows, only Germany, Romano and Italy himself can decipher it, "but I'm sure you'll find it helpful."

"It's my... handwriting..." Italy clears his throat softly, scoots almost shyly closer to Japan. "'To the me who lives at some point in time... and who isn't alone...'" He begins, just loud enough for them two to hear.

"... And then..." Italy blinks his eyes. "... A-and then..." He whispers.

"... Italy."

Italy lifts his eyes slowly to Japan. "What?"

"I've been thinking all this time, wondering what we're going to do now..." Japan smiles encouragingly. "What do you want to do?"

"Er... investigate someplace, or..."

"No, no," Japan shakes his head. "I meant once we get out of here. I've talked about this with Russia," wonder of wonders, "about how we should have a party at my house, or something like that."

"At your house?" Italy blinks. Grins. "That sounds like fun!"

"I'll surely have to work 'til late, so everyone should arrive late at night. I'm sure we'd all be tired, so I think we should sleep soon afterwords on that day." Japan begins, settling more comfortably in his seat. " I have a kitchen garden. I could get up earlier than usual the following morning and go there to pick vegetables."

"Hey! That's a nice idea!" America cuts in, clearly done pretending to have not listened in, as the other nations gathered suspiciously near in a wordless huddle likely have been. "I'll try to get up early and help you, too!"

Japan chuckles. "Thank you." He turns back to Italy. "When we come back from the garden, we will make breakfast."

"That's my cue, aru!" China plops down beside him. "America can go wake up everyone else still sleeping!"

"Yes." Japan nods. "And then... well... maybe we could all go out somewhere?"

"Yeah!" Prussia joins them, grinning, giving Japan a significant look. "Let's go to the—watcha call it—the amusement park or something!"

For a long, breathless moment, Japan cannot speak, blown by the implied proposition of a date.

"Well," France drawls, as China silently stands. "I suppose I can refrain from hitting on everyone at least for that occasion."

"I'm sure a day or two won't be enough." Japan adds, trying not to watch, for fear of drawing attention, France nudging Prussia to sit beside him. "We could—go shopping."

"Yes!" England settles between France and America. "I suppose I'll take a look at the suits."

"I want some clothes to wear while I'm at Japan's place." Russia adds, gliding towards them. "What was it called, again? Yukata, da? We can all buy one!"

"I can hardly wait." Japan smiles. "And when we go back to my house, we'll all have a banquet."

"With lots and lots of food from all over the world," Canada grins, joining them. "Let's see, what should we make...?"

"Um, well," Italy stutters, "I'll make... pasta, and pizza..."

"I'll contribute with beer and wurst." Germany adds, predictably.

"And then we can all sleep together in a huddle!" Spain cheers.

"Then, I'll lay out the futons in the other room." Japan offers. "And you can all go to sleep whenever you like."

"Sounds interesting," Romano remarks, sitting on Italy's other side. "Hmm... what should we bring as a gift? Maybe we should send it beforehand, don't you think, Veneziano?" He asks, bumping his arm against Italy's.

"Yeah!" Italy nods. "We'll bring the best ingredients—lots of them!"

"It'll be fun." Japan says. "Really fun. That's why, Italy..."

"Yeah?" Italy turns to him, grinning.

"That's why we all have to escape. With everyone who is here. Without losing a single person."

Italy grin shrinks to a small, thoughtful smile. "... Yeah." He nods. "Yeah." He bows his head, hunches his shoulders.

"Italy?" Japan calls, concerned. "Why are you looking down? Do you still feel unwell?"

"No." Italy shakes his head. "I'm fine... There's something I... want to tell you-"

RINGRINGRING

"Ahhhhh! Dammit!" Spain yells, running to Romano and gripping his shoulders. "What are we going to do, Romano?!"

"W-what the hell are you going on about, bastard?!"

"I... forgot to tell Austria and the others... that we found Ita..."

The unimpressed look Romano gives Spain is reminiscent of the one Japan levels at China.

"Euh, quoi, is he coming, too?" France whines, blinks. "Wait, 'the others'? You mean..."

"Just about everyone who came to the World Meeting." Romano explains.

"And since we fixed the time quite a bit, our phones also work at least a little, da?"

"Good timing, too, aru! I'm sure we'll be able to hear their angry voices even from here!"

"All right!" America cheers. "We'll all watch Spain get an earful of it!"

"Oh, God." Spain pouts. "Romano, can't you answer it instead?"

"Just answer it, already." Romano rubs his temples.

Spain sighs, and then again, louder, when Romano reaches over to set the phone on speaker.

"Haha!" France laughs, looking out one of the second-floor windows. "This again..."

He moves when Prussia and Japan wander over, and Japan's breath catches when he sees how many nations have gathered outside.

"Nooo! Keep talking!" Prussia yells back at the phone. "Hey, Italy! Come take a look outside!" He pulls Japan back by the elbow.

Italy looks outside.

After a silent moment, "Japan?"

"Yes?"

"... I'm..." Italy turns his head back, smiles. "I'm all un-alone."

Japan and the others smile back.

"Guys..." Italy looks down. "Sorry for making you wait."

"Veneziano..." Romano murmurs.

"I'll tell you everything I remember."

Germany steps closer. "Italy..."

"I'll tell you everything from the very beginning, so this could take a while..." Italy pauses, turns to face them all directly. "Still, I want you to listen."

"I've been waiting to hear that, Italy!" Prussia cheers.

"Please, do tell." Japan smiles. "We want to know the extent of it."

"Thank you, ve. Let's see..." Italy rolls his eyes back in thought, rocking on his heels. "It all began shortly before the world meeting...

"I happened to overhear some rumors... and that's when the clock hands began to move..."

…

A hand is waving in front of his face.

"Japan?! Ve, Japan, are you okay?"

"Italy!"

Italy staggers back a step or two, hands awkwardly patting Japan's back. Japan keeps his arms wrapped firmly around his friend, tightening his hold when the mental image of—

"Ow!" Italy winces. "Wh-what's the matter?"

A hand shakes his shoulder. "Japan! Do you remember what we said about the clocks?!"

Japan blinks. "... Oh... I-I'm sorry." He lets go, steps back. "I'm fine. I remember."

"... You get a lot more memories than the rest of us," China murmurs with a soft frown, "and they are more intense, too."

"Are you all right?" England frets. "Do you need to rest a little?"

"No, I am fine." Japan insists, surreptitiously wiping the corners of his eyes. "You all... seem to be fine."

"Nothing happened to me," Germany admits. "To tell the truth, I haven't seen any confusing memories or anything like that even once so far... Maybe I've been exempted?"

"... When we go through it, it's a feeling similar to waking up from a dream." England explains. "When we wake up, we have trouble separating dream from reality, but as soon as we calm down, our good judgment comes back."

"Um..." Japan hesitates, "Didn't you... see any rooms other than all the ones we've been in so far?"

The other nations glance at each other before shaking their heads.

"Did something happen to make you worry?" Italy asks, frowning.

"... No."

It's only because I'm confused... Yes, that has to be it.

"Okay, are your watches all right?" England asks; they all nod. "Then, let's go to the basement."

It's like seeing many movies and being shown so many things that you end up not knowing what is real. But—if, by chance, that room does exist... that means... Italy...

"Japan?"

He blinks. Italy is frowning at him worriedly again, probably having felt Japan's stare on him. "Italy?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?"

"Are you..." Japan hesitates. "Are you, hurt somewhere?"

Italy's eyes widen, blink quickly. "... No." He shakes his head, smiling. "I'm not hurt at all."

"I see." Japan shakes his head. "I'm sorry for asking such a strange question..."

"I know this isn't really important..." China cuts in, stretching, "but I just wish I could rest somewhere without having to worry, aru."

"Yeah," Canada agrees. "I'm so tired, I just wish I could lay down for a bit."

We have to be careful... We thought we were being deceived by those memories, but... maybe...

Japan frowns.

They could be... a message from someone?

"... Hey, Japan?" Italy asks as Japan pockets the newest key they receive; "Cell Door" is on the tag. Everyone else has already trickled out of the room.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Haven't you been... brooding about something for a while?"

Japan looks at Italy in surprise.

"... Have I?"

Italy's gaze doesn't waver; his eyes are sharp and knowing, more intense than Japan has ever seen them.

"Are you hung up about something? You've been odd since we broke that clock."

"No, I'm fine." Japan blinks. "What about you, though? You're shaking a little."

"What, really?" Italy laughs—nervously—and noticeably stiffens. "Isn't if just your imagination? Um, l-listen... if you saw anything, it was all a lie. You shouldn't think about it."

Japan frowns. Italy is one of his closest friends...

"... Shouldn't I—think about the confusion being a hint? I was just trying to rethink some ideas-"

"NO!"

Japan flinches. "... Italy?"

"Just—forget it! Forget it right now!" Italy snaps. "Don't even think those strange things!"

Japan watches, alarmed and more than a little hurt, as Italy storms out of the room.

Shaking his head with a mournful sigh, Japan exits that room, continues to the door next to the one they'd entered from, stops.

"A fork..." He mutters to himself, looking back and forth; a door across him and a hall to his left. He goes to the door, opens it.

Stops.

His blood runs cold.

This is...

He's seeing it from a different angle, but, he's certain...

This room...

His hand, still on the doorknob, shakes with the rest of his body.

This room is where I just saw...

"Japan, aru!"

Japan starts.

"There you are, aru!" China exclaims, grabbing his wrist. "I got worried when I saw you didn't come with Italy, though he looked upset..." China trails off with a frown, studies him with narrowed eyes. "Are you okay?"

"... Yes."

China doesn't look convinced, but he nods with a disappointed expression. "Then, let's meet up with the others." He says, leading Japan towards the side hall.

"Where were you, Japan?" England asks when they walk in. He and the others are searching the walls, with the exception of Italy flicking casually through his Bible. A long table, chairs and a couch occupy the middle space of the room.

China halts at the question. Frowns. "He was in that other room... the door across the one we just exited."

The other nations stop.

"That's right..." Canada frowns. "There was that door..."

"I saw it, but I didn't really register it..." England adds.

"Same here~" Russia chimes. "I somehow felt... like I was drawn to this room."

"You too, aru?!"

Germany is silent.

"Look here!" Italy calls. "There's a ripped patch in the wallpaper here! I think it's a door!"

They follow.

"There really is a hidden door..." Japan murmurs when the wallpaper is all torn off. "Let's proceed with care."

creeeeeaaaaaaaak

"Then," Germany grunts, sliding the unlocked cell door aside; they all walk through. "Which way should we go?"

There are two doors—one on the left, the other on the right—either set past a short hallway. They pause.

"Right." Comes the unanimous answer.

Germany nods, leads the way.

The door is unlocked.

Japan follows right behind Germany, and frowns when his friends stops. A movement from the corner of his eye draws his attention.

His eyes widen. Lock with likewise-widened red.

"You!" He shouts in surprise.

"Japan, it's you!" America's typical loud voice echoes off the walls, catching the others' attention judging by the rush of footsteps behind him. "What are you doing here?!"

Japan blinks.

Tell me he's joking.

"We're the ones who should be asking you that!" England yells, unintentionally shoving Japan rather roughly aside; Japan murmurs a quiet "thank you" when Germany steadies him, frowning. "We were wor-wondering where you were! What the hell have you been doing?!"

"Anyway, could you please open this door for us?" France gets up from his cross-legged position; the other two do as well. "We can't open it from here, you see~"

"Ah, yes, of course." Japan stutters, trying not to appear too eager as he reaches the cell door, feeling a little flustered at the heavy gaze he feels following him, knowing whose eyes they are. He pauses. "I'll open it right now." He mumbles unnecessarily.

"Phew~ Thanks!" America removes his leather jacket and fans himself with a hand. "This was a good place to take refuge in, but then we couldn't get out and we've been waiting for you guys to get here!"

"This is the only time we're doing you this favor, aru!" China huffs, flipping his hair.

"Oh, well..." Germany sighs. "Anyway, Prussia," Japan and Prussia start, turning to look away from each other to Germany; to his credit, he only raises a brow without pausing mid-speak. "What were you doing here, again?"

"You guys wouldn't wake up!" Prussia yells, a little too loud. "I had a really hard time after that! It's a miracle I'm still alive!"

"Prussia," Japan pauses. Hesitates. "You were gone when we woke up. Was it-" he rushes, almost running his words together, when he sees Prussia open his mouth to speak, "-because you encountered that Thing?"

"Oh, that." Prussia blinks. "When I was having fun keeping watch, someone suddenly began to pound on the door. When I opened it," he turns to his side with a glare, "it was him."

"His face was a masterpiece," France sighs delicately, eyes closed and hand resting lightly on his chest, giving no sign to the scrutiny he'd curiously leveled at Japan just a moment ago. "But he came out swinging at me and I got a little injured..."

France pushes his arm pointedly in Prussia's face with the barest hint of a pout. His forearm is wrapped over with material from his uniform, and his ridiculous cloak is suspiciously missing.

"Aw, come on, I said I was sorry!" Prussia knocks the arm out of his face. "It was just a flesh wound, anyway!"

"Anyway," France continues, "while you three snored away, we were exchanging some information, when suddenly-"

"-that monster came out of fucking nowhere!" Prussia interrupts. "I wasn't ready to fight and my sword wasn't sharp enough and we got injured. We were in big trouble! Waking you guys up would only make things worse, though, so we fought in the hallway. We were at a disadvantage, so we ran away to the first floor."

"And then, before we knew it, that monster was ahead of us, attacking America. We were going to sneak away behind its back, but then America waved his hands and said 'Hey~! Over here~!' with a huge grin... So we got dragged into it."

"I couldn't fight it alone!" America argues, settling against the wall next to Japan. "What's the problem?! I just thought we'd have three-times more chances to beat it-"

"So," Prussia yells over America, "since we weren't ready to fight, we couldn't fight, and we ran away to this place. We took refuge in that cell," He nods his head back, "but then, we couldn't open it from the inside, so we had no choice but to wait for you guys to find us."

"... We need to explain to them what is going on." Canada orders. "Why don't we split up into two groups?"

"Indeed," Japan nods. "Their injuries aren't that severe, either." He hesitates. "I'll keep looking around the basement."

America turns toward him abruptly.

"England and I will stay to lecture America." Canada decides in a menacing tone.

"I have some things to tell them, too." Germany agrees.

"Then I'm coming with Japan!" America yells.

"Weren't you listening, aru?! We're going to explain to you what's going on, so you have to stay!"

"Aww, do I have to?" America whines. "Japan can explain to me—can't you, Japan?"

It had to be the slowest to understand... Japan thinks, catching the look America gives him—but. His eyes look guarded, and knowing, though in a different way Italy's had, earlier—

"Very well," Japan agrees. "I would be glad to do it." The same gaze from before rests heavy on him again, but he keeps his eyes averted. "Well, we'll go and look around. We'll see you later."

"I'm coming with you, too!" Italy pipes up.

Japan is already shaking his head before Italy is finished speaking. "No, we'll be fine." He insists in a tone that brooks no argument. "We'll just look around and we'll be right back. Canada, England," he adds, catching their dissatisfied looks, "I'll lecture him on your behalf."

Canada nods. "Give him a good earful."

"No, wait." England pushes himself off the wall. "I'm coming with you. There's something that has been bothering me."

Japan blinks, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. If England comes, too, how is he supposed to tell America? "Er, but..."

"It's just something I want to check out." England assures, hands brought up defensively. "Please."

"I see." Japan nods. "You may come along, then." He allows, carefully ignoring Italy's defeated posture and hurt expression. "We'll be back in about 15 minutes. See you later."

"Japan..." Italy calls, just before they leave.

He turns around.

"... Be back soon, okay?"

Japan nods, and without further ado, leads America and England out of the room.

The heavy gaze watches him until the door swings shut.

…

"Be careful!" Prussia calls back when Austria decides to hang up.

"Well, now..." Italy chews the corner of his upper lip, seemingly okay with remaining in the second floor hall. "Er... well... Where should I start? What do you want to hear?"

"Well, um... this—isn't the first time we... came here, is it?" Japan asks.

"Ah, I was also wondering about that," Russia adds. "America said that we've gone through this several times."

"... Yeah," Italy nods. "We've gone through this several times, ever since we came here from the World Meeting."

"I knew it..." America murmurs thoughtfully. "So, what happened the very first time?"

"How this started. Okay." Italy breathes, as if winded. "Before the World Meeting, I sneaked away from Germany's training and arrived at an unknown city somewhere. When I was there, I happened to hear rumors about this place. I thought it sounded interesting, and I told America about it."

"Yeah, no difference so far," America nods.

"Oh, but... the very first time, I came here with nine of you."

"Which is everyone except me and Spain," Romano adds. "This really is the first time we both are here."

Italy nods absently. "We were just going to have fun. We were going to go home soon. We opened the door and came in, but... as you know, there was that monster inside. We all ran in different directions and I got lost from everyone, and I was so scared I had no idea what happened... I wanted to find someone as quickly as possible...

"After walking around a lot, I found Japan. I was really happy, but..." Italy swallows, carefully averts his eyes from where Japan and Prussia stand side-by-side. "Japan had... Japan had just bee beaten by the enemy. Until then, I had completely forgotten that Japan had come along. There was a gap," Japan's eyes narrow, "as if something wrong with my memory... China, Russia, France... America, Canada and England... they were all killed one-by-one...

"By the time I'd finally been able to escape... Prussia and Germany... were also killed... and I was the only one still alive."

"You were... alone..." France murmurs.

"I was... supposed to get out, but, I felt so hopeless. I just—wandered around without knowing what to do, and before I knew it, I was in the library. That's when I found this book."

His Bible?

"That's the Bible you've been carrying all along, isn't it, aru?" China echoes Japan's thoughts.

"Yeah, it kind of looks like a Bible, but this is actually a journal. When I opened it, it had the name of its previous owner written on it."

"It read 'Ryuuzu no Ko', doesn't it?" Japan pipes up, remembering the memory he and America had when the clock broke in that search party with England, Russia and Canada.

Italy casts his eyes down. "Everyone had died right before my eyes, ad I was all alone. By the, I wasn't really thinking straight anymore. That's where my memories get a little fuzzy. I was going to throw this book away, too... But... that monster found me, ad I unconsciously ran away with the book still in my hands, and at last... I got out...

"I was alone..."

Italy shakes his head, sighs deeply, composing himself. "The next thing I knew, I was back in the World Meeting Hall. I had the journal in my hand... and I knew I'd gone back I time. And then I became the owner of this journal. The proof that I turned in Ryuuzu is that it was written on the previous journal that he was the only one who could go back in time."

"So, you made a pact with it. It made time go back so that it could eat you..." China summarizes.

Japan's blood is still frozen from hearing Italy recount his interaction with that Thing, but at China's voice he visibly flinches.

So it could eat him...

He rubs self-consciously at the wound under his sleeve.

"The second time, I didn't want to come back here, and I tried to stop America. But it was too late; you were already headed here..." Italy wrings his hands. "In the end, no matter how many times I go back in time, I can't go back before I told America about this house. The ten of us always come here. Even if the groups change. Always.

"So, that's what the memories of coming here with different people are all about. We kept coming here in various patterns. But, I the second time loop, I couldn't save England, China, or America, and I survived again."

Japan blinks. "What?!"

"So, once again..."

"Stop, stop!" America waves his arms frantically. Italy blinks out of his thoughts. "Hold on. In the second time loop, er... I did survive, didn't I?" He asks looking at Japan. Japan nods.

"What?" Italy frowns.

"Yes, it is just as America said. We saw it when we broke the clock searching with England and the others not long ago," Japan adds, more for Prussia's benefit. "It is difficult for me to say it, but... Italy, you were the only one who..." He clears his throat. "In that room right behind you."

Italy takes a quick glance back at the door, recognizing it as the one Japan, Romano, Germany and Prussia had found him in. "I'm the only one who died? What?" Italy shakes his head. "That's impossible..."

"Maybe you're just confused due to going through that too many times?" England suggests.

"The second time wasn't the same as the first time, but I still remember it perfectly." Italy insists, sounding increasingly frustrated. "Besides, if I died, who made time go back?"

"Ah, yes, Italy is the only one who can go back in time." Russia nods. "That wouldn't fit... or would it?" He cocks his head, a finger to his chin, glancing between America and Japan.

"But we saw it when we broke that clock!" Japan repeats. "Even Italy in the memory said in all certainty that it was the second time."

"I did?" Italy frowns. "There were definite several past times I opened up to you like I just did now, but... the second time... Where was that clock?"

"Remember that box in the cell? The clock was in there, with the letter for you." America answers.

"There was something in that box?!" Italy asks incredulously.

"It looks like I'm the one who sealed it," England adds, "my past-self to be exact."

"Ah, we get the gist of it, though!" Canada waves his hands in front of him almost defensively.

"To sum it up, we died the first time around, and Italy went back in time, oui?" France confirms. "And Italy is the only one who can keep going back until all of us get out."

No, I'm sure I saw a past in which Italy lost his life. If that past is real... then, who on Earth went back in time...?

Prussia's foot bumps against his.

"Japan? Ve, you're frowning..."

"Italy," Japan ignores the comment, "how do you go back in time?"

"Er, well, there's a clock somewhere in this house. A really huge one." Italy nods. "All I have to do is rewind it."

"Somewhere", he says...

"Is that big clock in a different place each time?" Japan asks.

"Yeah, that's right. The first time around..." Italy looks to the side. "It... moved, so that I could escape, but whenever someone... fell, I would go after it and it would be in a different place. Sadly," he sighs, "it's the one sure way to escape."

"You mean... for everyone... right?" Japan confirms. "Surely you're including yourself in that?"

"Oh..." Italy blinks. "Well..."

Japan puts his fist to his mouth in thought, blinks up. "... Italy, do you remember the question I asked you earlier?"

"Question...?" Italy echoes.

"I asked you if you were... hurt, somewhere."

"Oh." Italy nods. "Yeah, I remember."

"... I'll rephrase my question, Italy." Japan waits for Italy's confused nod to go on. "Is there somewhere you want to be?"

"... Japan..."

"Please answer, Italy."

"I... All this time," Italy chokes. "I, wanted, to be with you guys, all of you... All of me—hurt, but, I couldn't stop trying, and yet, I couldn't find a way to make it stop, either. But, maybe, I can tell you now? A-Actually, I wanted to be with you, too, I, wanted to escape, with all of you..."

"Yes," Japan nods. "So do I."

"Ve... Japan..." Italy rubs sheepishly at his eyes.

"Ack! Japan," Prussia exclaims, startling Japan and Italy out of their spell. He wraps an arm around Japan's shoulders and pulls him into an almost one-armed embrace. "You made little Italy cry!"

"Prussia," Germany scolds, pinching the bridge of his nose, voice suspiciously congested. "This is a serious conversation."

"Anyway!" America yells, trying to cheer up the mood. "We'll all live and escape together! The last time you had to rely on that clock was literally the last time! Okay?"

"Yes," England nods, giving Italy the same patiently fond look the other nations reserve for him alone. "No objections."

Japan smiles softly, lets the small talk and encouragements wash over him. Then, frowning, he straightens.

He tenses.

"Well, everyone," he drawls, reaching up to squeeze Prussia's hand once before pulling away. "It looks like our discussion will have to end here; we have a visitor." Almost lazily, he turns his head.

The other follow his line of sight.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Spain shouts, arms wrapped around Romano's shoulders; Romano, for his part, winces and holds a hand up to his ear. "WHAT'S THAT THING?! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"HEY! STOP SCREAMING IN MY EAR!"

The library door, within some nations' arm's reach, clicks and swings open, and a large grey head slides out, round black eyes, like the other pair across the hall, watching silently, making no move to attack.

So there is more than one, Japan concludes as Spain continues screaming, rather than one continually dying and returning to life.

"See, now that is a natural reaction," France points out almost enviously, eyeing the monster nearest him as they all do, drawing his sword with slow movements. "I suppose we've been through this so may times that we've gotten unconsciously used to it."

"That's how it is when you see it for the first time!" Prussia yells, stepping protectively in front of Japan, pointedly ignoring the annoyed look it earns him. "Stop worrying about it and fight!"

"Everyone, take your weapons." Japan adds, trying not to stare dubiously at Spain's ridiculously large axe as he draws. "We shall definitely do away with them."

He licks reflexively at the torn skin of his lip.

And attacks.

…

"There's something about this room that's bothering me..." England mutters as they pass by the couch; scraps of torn wallpaper rest on the table. "I'll check it out later," he adds when Japan and America stop.

"Very well," Japan nods agreeably. "Now, let's hurry."

The three of them cross a narrow one-path cave; at the end, they round a short corner.

The end of a rope ladder drags on the rocky surface of the cave floor; the other end is held in place by two visibly wooden pegs above the cave surface, where the cave's rocky wall shifts to dirt to long blades of evergreen grass. The rope ladder rests flatly against the wall, worn, but the fibers appear taut and strong.

They have a way out.

"This rope ladder..." Japan trails off.

"We've got it! England yells excitedly. "I can even see outside, ah, smell it, too! We can finally get out!"

"Thank God..." Japan sighs heavy with relief. "Let's call the others here!"

"Yeah!" England nods, running off.

Japan hesitates. "Well, let's go."

"Hold on, Japan," America murmurs, grabbing Japan's wrist before he can leave; he tries not to wince. "I haven't asked why you brought me along yet."

"Oh?" Japan turns his head with a pleased smile. "You've grown sharper."

"I've been 'reading the atmosphere' a lot today." America says, studying his expression with a critical eye. "Thanks to that, I got what you were saying earlier at once."

"Have you? Then..." Japan removes America's hand off his tender wrist, turns around. "I think I'll have a nice talk with you alone."

"Hmm, just don't make me bored." America leans back, crossing his arms. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"You still have strength left, don't you?"

"Yeah, I'm still a lot stronger than you guys." America nods.

"In that case..." Japan pauses, "Why don't you try being a hero?"

"Wow, now that's an interesting idea!" America straightens, pleased to be offered such a mission. "Tell me more!"

"A small room," Japan begins, chest heavy with fear of being dismissed as he had by Italy. "With two doors directly across each other. I saw it in one of the fake memories we get when we break a clock, before I even found the room, just before we got here." He stops.

"Okaaayyy..." America prompts, gestures with a hand to continue.

"I saw—I saw Italy..." Japan stops again, frustrated. Sighs. Fiddles with the hem of his sleeve. "Those monsters... you only got, hit, from it?"

"Yeah..." America nods, frowning. "It swung its arms and swiped its hands a lot, and moved like it wanted to grab me. Stumbled if it tried to kick."

"... They do more..." Japan reveals, unbuttoning his jacket, hanging it over the crook of his uninjured arm, and turns so the bite wound is visible.

America blinks. "What is-?" He looks up, waits for Japan's nod to lean in, peering at the raised pale line with narrowed eyes, pressing his glasses closer to his face. "What are those—indents? What is that?"

"... It was barely a pinch, though it still hurt," Japan murmurs. "Had I moved even a fraction of a second later, its teeth would have surely done considerably more damage."

"... Teeth?" America repeats, voice weak.

"Teeth," Japan confirms with a nod.

America steps back, straightens, clasps his hands and holds them to his mouth. "Okay..." He sighs shakily. "Okay... So you—and you saw Italy, in a fake memory, in a small room, before you even found the room..." America's head shoots up. "Italy... in the memory—was he—?"

Japan keeps his lips pressed close and makes a clinking noise. America shudders.

"And that—that bruise on your wrist?"

Japan looks down, inspects it in the little natural light that trickles down to the cave, and, for no discernible reason, presses his purpling wrist to his lips, face softening. He pulls on his jacket, chest lighter and stomach fluttering curiously.

"Do not concern yourself with that," he orders in a gentle tone when America watches him, an odd look on his face. He turns and walks back in the direction they'd entered from.

"Hey, you two!" England calls when they re-enter the sitting room via hidden door. "What took you so long?!"

Japan blinks. "Did something happen?" He smooths down his sleeve self-consciously, notices from his peripheral America tense at the movement.

"You can say that!" England grins. "Next time, I won't be such a burden anymore!"

"What, you were a burden before?" America asks, weakly. "Well, if you say so."

"Now I can easily stop that guy. Though only for a few seconds. Well... about two seconds..." England trails off.

Japan stares intently at England, certain his expression is one akin to near worship to have so unexpectedly found such a savior.

"Wh-what?" England smiles nervously. "If I can replenish it a little more, it can be longer-"

"Ah, no—I didn't mean like that," Japan raises his hands palms-ups and waves them to show England he had the wrong idea. "Er, how can I put this?"

"Oh! Isn't that a clock?" America points. "Look, on the shelf!"

Japan sighs, pinching his nose in a very Germany-esque gesture as America continues prodding at England.

"Hmmph! I'll break it, then!" England relents. "Just don't come crying to me later!"

crackle

He opens his eyes.

Italy closes the door to the cave behind him. Japan, Prussia and Germany are already ahead of him.

"Aah, we can finally escape!" Prussia sighs, lifting his arms over his head and arching his back. "At long last..."

He turns to Japan beside him, and just before Japan can turn away to hide his flushed face, grins, crooked and just a touch wicked.

"Yeah..." Italy trails off, looking back over his shoulder with a worried frown, grasping for his Bible and flipping through the pages haphazardly.

Germany sighs. "You're all too slow," he complains. Japan and Prussia immediately look away from each other and to him; Italy barely glances up from the pages he's skimming. "I'll go ahead."

"I wish the other nations had come, too..." Japan trails off, glancing back at the door and shuffling absently closer to Prussia. "But, they really seem to like adventures..."

Italy's head shoots up, blinking as if trying to remember something.

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

Germany.

"Germany!" Italy runs off.

"What happened?" Prussia calls, hands cupped over his mouth. "Did you fall over?"

"Let's go," Japan urges, sensing something is wrong.

The rope ladder is burnt more than halfway from the bottom-up.

Their only way out...

The Thing turns around toward them.

"J-Japan! Run, quickly!" Germany yells.

"Oh, God... Why?!" Italy cries, clutching at his face; Japan distantly notes that Italy's posture is an eerie resemblance to the famous painting, The Scream. "America and the others!"

"What are you standing there for?!" Prussia roars, grabbing both Germany and Italy by the bicep and pulling them away. At the sound of his voice, Japan starts, unfrozen, and he can see, that something in the look of that Thing's eyes, from when it had first seen them, to this very second, has changed... it looks... hungry.

Its eyes seem to darken.

"Japan!" Prussia calls.

Japan follows.

"Dammit!" Germany huffs, running. "Just when we'd finally found an exit!"

They all make it out of the cave. Except Germany.

Unnoticed, he falls, tries to stand again but can't, pinned down to the surface somehow.

The monster stalks toward him.

"Dammit..." Germany huffs, closing his eyes, resigned. "Is this it...?"

… Is this one of the possibilities of what may happen from now on? Am I glimpsing an even that might take place, after all? No, I can't just worry about it; I have to do something. Maybe, if I let Prussia know what happened—

They almost make it out of the cave. Italy manages to get through the door before Japan can glance back, notice Germany fallen over.

"Prussia! Wait!" He screams, hard of breath. "Germany tripped over a rock!"

"West!" Prussia spins impressively on his heel, doubles back to his brother.

"Just go!" Germany yells, pushing up on his arms. "Don't come back—Shit! My foot is caught in a vine-"

"What the hell?!" Prussia cries, fumbles around in the limited to find where Germany's foot is snagged. "Why can't things ever go right for us?! Just when we were finally going to get out!"

"Prussia! Stop it!" Germany snaps. "Just run!"

"EVERYONE ELSE DIED!" Prussia snaps back. The fight leaves Germany, and Japan, caught up to them with a hand against the wall, stops, blood running cold. "We're the only ones who are alive!" Prussia lets out a hiss of breath between clenched teeth, looks to Germany, looks to Japan. "You three go back." He orders steely. Something in his tearing eyes screams an apology to Japan. "It's just too much."

The monster, having approached them unnoticed, is almost upon Germany. Until Prussia charges toward it.

Prussia falls.

If I call him to a halt, the others will lose their lives, too... Whether we are countries or people has no relevance in this place. I can't forget that. I-I feel so helpless! If I... If I did something before—I can't let Germany fall over in the first place. I have to do something before that can happen. If I do that, I'm sure it will be all right!

The Thing turns around toward them.

Here! If I do something here—

Japan draws; within a second he is upon the monster, gaining the upper hand.

This is the best case scenario so far!

With a single, well-timed backhand, Japan is thrown back, hits the wall with a grunt and slides down, back scraping even through his clothes from the rough friction.

"Japan!" Scream Germany and Prussia.

It's no good... Besides, the more memories I get, the stronger the enemy becomes... Anymore of this—

"I knew it..." Italy sobs. "Japan... Germany... Prussia." He turns to each in turn. "I'm sorry. Looks like we couldn't make it again..." He steps back toe-heel-toe in reverse march slowly, almost hauntingly. "It's gotten stronger than in the beginning... I, can't do this alone..."

"I-Italy?" Prussia freezes from where he's helped Japan stand.

"Come on!" Germany holds out his hand, daring to stride toward Italy while the Thing watches them blankly. "Just run-"

"I'm sorry," Italy whispers. "I made a mistake yet again..."

"You idiot!" Germany roars.

Germany jumps in front of Italy in hopes of sparing him when the Thing lunges.

It takes them both.

Eyes widened in horror, Japan and Prussia wince in tandem.

… I... would still lose my friends in that case... What can I do...? We might as well not come here at all. But, if we do that, I'm sure you will show me yet another future—isn't that right? You'll only tell me about the worst-case scenario. No matter what choice I make, I'll end up losing someone! What can I do? What's the best thing I can do...?

He opens his eyes.

…

"Well, now, let's go back." Japan suggests as he wipes the blood off his katana before sheathing it. "We're all tired," he adds, eyeing Prussia's quaking shoulders concernedly, "Let's call it a day..."

"That's right, aru! Let's go to sleep!"

"... I'm sorry," Italy mutters when they are all seated at one table in their safe room. "I guess I lost more memories than I thought."

"No, that was good enough." Japan insists. "The rest is our job.

"Still..." England frowns, "don't you feel kind of weird to think that you could die?"

"As if we were the same as humans, you mean?" France asks.

To have died so many times over... and nothing like the countries of old...

"Oh! I know!" America waves his hand in the air. "Let's form an alliance! A testimony to our new bond, without any relation to the Allies or the Axis or even the neutral nations, but to all of us who are here!"

An alliance...

Japan smiles, seconding Prussia's approval.

"Erm..." America pauses, pen poised above paper. "We can keep it simple!"

"Believe in one another. Help one another. Rely on one another. Also, escape all together." Germany rattles off. "That's all."

"There! Now we just have to sign it."

"Oh, c-can you wait a moment, please?"

"What is it, aru?" China turns to Russia.

"Sorry, I'm really going to put a wet blanket on this, but..." Russia thins his lips, frowns worriedly. "We're nations, and we're arbitrarily going to form an alliance with so many other nation... It doesn't feel right—I mean, we don't know who might get their hands on it. We'll leave it in a strange place where God-knows-who might see it..."

"So, we really can't make an alliance..." Italy slumps.

"I-I'm sorry," Russia stutters with uncharacteristic remorse. "I'd want to form an alliance, too, if I could! But, we have to think of the nation we bear on our shoulders..."

"If... if possible," France mutters, "I also want to form an alliance, and stay like this..."

"To be human, even if only in this place..." Japan puts his fist to his mouth, frowning. I have an idea. Let's form an alliance — not as nations, but as humans!"

"As humans?" Prussia straightens from his seat directly across Japan. "What do you mean?"

"Let's sign this paper..." Japan begins, eyes cast down before blinking up, "as the humans we are now. In other words, we could come up with human names to call ourselves and sign them."

"A human name, not Romano... Hmm, sounds good. What do you think, Veneziano?"

"Yeah, I approve!" Italy hops in his seat. "If we do that we can all form an alliance!"

Japan stares off in thought, registering some names here and there, thinking of something simple he can use.

A foot bumps pointedly against his.

"Gilbert Beilschmitd!" Prussia proclaims, grinning crookedly. "How's that? Pretty awesome, huh?"

"Then I am..." Japan pauses, the last to sign. "Honda Kiku."

"All right, everyone signed!" America cheers, taking back the paper and inspecting it. "That makes this vow absolute! Right, Kiku?"

"What?" Japan turns blankly to his right. "Oh-are you talking to me? Er... Indeed! We must all abide by it, Arthur!"

America slumps. "... No, my name is Alfred... Arthur is England."

"0-oh! I-I'm sorry!" Japan instantly apologizes, ignoring the mocking feline grin across him. "My memory these days..." He sighs, resting his hand against his forehead.

"Germany was Lutz?" Italy guesses, "Louis?"

"Lutz!" Prussia snorts. "That's hilarious! It makes him sound like a completely different guy! Right, Lutz?"

"Can you please stop smirking and taunting me?!" Germany sighs, pinches the bridge of his nose.

"All right, everyone, be quiet, please!" Japan yells over them before they can all get out of hand. "Stop calling each other's names for fun. Now, looking over the document closely-"

"What is it now?!" England groans. "It's fine, isn't it? Your name is almost the same as your nation name!"

"Be quiet, Alfred!" Japan snaps.

Prussia cackles loudly, crying tears of mirth. "That's the second time he got your name wrong! Ow," He groans, doubled over. "My stomach hurts!"

Japan flushes red and murmurs an apology to America and England.

"Ow! Ugh..."

"Bruder?" Germany stands. "What's wrong?"

"Hm? Oh..." Prussia looks up. Meets Japan's eyes briefly. "Nothing. I'll go take a bath. I—guess I'm a little tired."

Germany nods, turns back to Italy. Japan and France share a concerned glance around America and England.

And then there is chaos.

"Prussia! Prussia!" Japan knocks insistingly on the bathroom door, giving no concern whether Prussia is even in a decent state at the moment.

"Y-yeah?! What do you want?!" Prussia calls back, voice weak. Muffled by the door, Japan is sure.

"I'm sorry, you have to come back quickly! The others are-" He stops short. Thins his lips.

"What's wrong?!"

"Quickly, please!" Japan urges. "I can't handle this on my own! Please!"

"H-hold on!" The muffled rush of tap water and a brief rustle sounds a bit farther away. "I'm coming!"

Japan nods, though he knows Prussia cannot see him, takes a few steps back.

Prussia steps out, the hair framing his face plastered to his skin and dripping wet. He opens his mouth to speak.

"Bullshit!" Comes Romano's yell across the room. "Why does it have to be you?! You're fucking kidding me!"

"Th-that's why I'm saying I should be with Germany..." Italy protests weakly.

Prussia blinks wide-eyed, clearly wondering what he'd just walked into. Japan sighs.

"I'm sorry for calling you back. As you can see," Japan rubs at his temples. "I cannot handle this one..."

"I'm telling you, mine is open~" France announces to everyone, hands cupped around his hands. He is ignored.

"... Japan," Prussia turns to him, "What are they talking about?"

"Maybe... we should pair up with our... family? Canada suggests tentatively.

Japan pushes the heels of his hands into his eyes.

Tell me China did not hear that.

"Well, I could do with just a blanket." Spain yells over everyone. "I could lay it over the table and sleep there. It'd make a perfect cot!"

"Huh?" Prussia blinks. "Cot...?"

"Yes," Japan nods. "since it's already bedtime, we began to prepare the beds, but then we realized there weren't enough of them for everyone..." He sighs. "So we began to debate over what we should do."

"Oh... Well, those West-made beds are pretty comfortable." Prussia nods sagely, arms crossed. Then, turning to Japan with a wicked grin, "So, you were worried everyone was going to fight over them? Is that it?"

Japan narrows his eyes, staring at Prussia, unimpressed.

"It wouldn't be so hard if the smaller nations slept together, da? For example," Russia turns to Japan's elder with his usual chilling smile, "China and Japan..."

"Stop leaning over and peeking at me, aru!" China fumes, thankfully more concerned with that than what Russia was saying. "You're so dam lewd!"

"All right, all right!" As with any other time, everyone gives their attention to Germany when he shouts. "Tomorrow, I'll make more beds first thing in the morning! Can't you endure this at least for one night?!"

"Oh! Then I want a double bed! Romano," Italy grabs his brother's hands endearingly, "let's sleep together! I've been through a lot of loops, so it's been ages since I last saw you!"

Romano heaves a heavy sigh in acquiescence, mild scowl unwavering.

"How unusual of you to give in, Romano~" France teases.

"That's why I'll sleep with Germany tonight!" Italy continues. "Then you can have the bed all for yourself! Oh," he frowns, "but Spain-"

"Wait a minute! Why do I have to sleep with you?!" Germany protests.

He seemed fine enough the first night we were here, Japan remembers bemusedly.

"Um... I'll sleep on the floor," Japan volunteers, tired enough to sleep on the stairs if need be. "If I lay down on a blanket, it'll be just like a futon..."

Prussia grabs his sensitive wrist, shakes his head with a displeased frown. "Can't we all just sleep on the floor?" He asks in a rhetoric, no-nonsense tone.

The other nations turn to look at him dubiously.

"Haha... It's just like a training camp." Japan laughs softly, situated between China and Romano; the three of them, plus Italy, have had to scoot over a few times to accommodate Germany and Prussia's more broad figures, considering the beds pushed against the walls.

"Huh. He's asleep." Romano turns from his right side to his back; Italy is indeed breathing deep and evenly when Japan checks over Romano's head.

"He must be tired," France murmurs. "He's finally got some relief. Let him sleep."

"Was he awake even when I was keeping watch?" Prussia wonders aloud, no sign of accusation in his tone. Japan blinks.

"Prussia's definitely all right. I... wouldn't let something like that-"

"I should have relieved him..."

"Probably," Germany answers. "It must have been necessary I order to survive. Come to think of it, even when Japan and I woke up..."

"He was awake." Japan finishes. "To think, that he was aware of that monster because he had known from the very beginning..."

"He occasionally appeared to be reading the Bible-ah, journal," Canada adds. "Do you think he's written about everything he's gone through so far?"

"Maybe," Russia agrees. "Maybe he'll let us read it now?"

"We could ask him tomorrow," England allows. "All right, enough chatting for today! I'm going to sleep!"

"Yeah..." China sighs, drifting off immediately.

"Oh, dear," Japan sighs, shaking his head fondly. He turns on his side, shifts deeper into the blanket.

"... Kiku."

Japan starts. "Y-yes?"

"... I'll see you in the morning."

Japan blinks, smiles into his pillow. "Yes, you will," he replies breathily, falling into a light doze.

…

"Oh, you found an exit?" Russia repeats when they return to the cell room.

"Yeah! We can finally escape!" England enthuses. "Come on, let's get out of here."

"Now that we have an exit secured, I wanna explore a little!" America whines. "All I"ve seen was the basement; I wanna see the upstairs, too!"

"Germany, you go ahead with the others." Canada suggests, turning to give America an exasperated look. "When America is like this, nothing can stop him."

"Well, we do have to make sure the rope isn't rotten..." Germany points out. "We'll go ahead and see if there isn't any problem."

"I'm splitting up for a while, too, aru!" China announces. "I found some Chinese medicine that I wanted; I'll go get it!"

"Japan!" Prussia calls, just as Japan makes to follow Germany out. "Stay back; I want to have a word with you." Almost pointedly, "The others can wait in the other room."

China, who had not yet made out the door, turns back curiously, takes a glance at Japan, a glance at Prussia and back, and gives Japan an encouragingly cheerful grin before stepping out.

Japan blinks. "Very well," he agrees as Germany urges a reluctant Italy out the door.

"So," Prussia crosses his arms, leans casually against the cell bars, "what's been eating you?"

"What do you mean?" Japan asks, bewildered.

Prussia smacks a hand against his face and groans. "Sorry, bad choice of words," he apologizes behind his palm. "I meant," he straightens, "I haven't been through it yet, but... you see things, don't you? When you break the clocks?" Japan hesitates. "C'mon, spit it out."

"... I'm sorry," Japan looks off to the side. "I was trying not to show it."

"You weren't looking too good earlier, when you first came in," Prussia drawls. Japan looks at him in surprise. "You came back even worse, though. You can tell me the details later," he shrugs, likely sensing the situation to be urgent. "Just tell me the most important things now."

Japan opens, closes his mouth. "I... I'm not sure what it means, but... from now on, if I make a choice, I'll lose someone... and, if I follow a different path to save them, I'll lose someone else..."

Japan swallows, blinks up at Prussia; his friend remains still studying him with a calculating eye.

"I tried," he continues, "several options. But, it was no use... The more I tried, the stronger the Thing became. I can't—do this, alone anymore-"

"You can't defeat it on your own?" Prussia repeats, eyeing the wound under his sleeve. "Then how did you defeat it until now?"

"When it was necessary to fight... I defeated it, with Germany and Italy..." Japan lifts his eyes to Prussia's, "and alongside you." He blinks. "I also fought alongside Russia and China..."

"Huh! Why'd did you stop there?!"

"I-I'm sorry?"

Prussia runs his fingers through his hair with a sigh, pushes himself off the cell bars, and edges closer. "You tried several options, right?" Prussia repeats looking intensely at Japan. "But, did you talk to anyone about it before you tried them? Do you really think, you can come up with a solution all on your own... when this fight involves so many people?"

Japan blinks once, twice. "Oh..." he whispers, tone subdued.

"You should have said something before!" Prussia exclaims, as if he's surprised Japan hadn't. "But," he grins, "I'm glad you told me! Kesese! Now no one will have to die!"

"What?" Japan blinks, thrown off by Prussia's instant bout of optimism as he strides closer with his usual self-confidence. "Wait a m-Prussia!"

"What?" Prussia whines leaning more heavily against Japan's shoulder. Japan staggers back against the weight. "I'm sleepy! I spent all night keeping watch." Then, as if he hadn't just been suggesting using Japan's shoulder as a pillow, he straightens and makes for the door.

"Listen!" Japan calls before Prussia can turn the knob, yelling loudly, strangely flustered. "If-If we go to that place, Germany will-Ah, I mean, you would be risking your own life, too... and even Italy-"

"State your opinion precisely and concisely." Prussia yells over him. "You think too much! That's why, you're forgetting something simple!" he says, poking Japan in the center of his forehead with a finger.

"... Something simple." Japan repeats, breathless somehow.

"First, you remember one thing!" Prussia's grins softens some, but still holds its superior edge. "When you're that worried about stuff, you should tell people. You have to let us work together and give yourself some breathing space." The finger, pushing Japan's head back-and-forth in an almost-nodding motion, disappears. And then, a gloved thumb strokes tenderly, once, at the torn skin on Japan's bottom lip.

"I'll give you points if you remember one more thing," Prussia says.

He turns, leaves the room, and Japan to his thoughts.

… Since I've glimpsed so many possibilities, Japan thinks, mind whirling and trying to keep everything together, stroking absently where Prussia's thumb had, I'm sure the Thing has gotten stronger. With an enemy that grows progressively stronger...

What can I do?

…

"... Well, then," Japan digresses, looking down at the fallen mochi with more than a little sympathy; where it had been stuck, a lock panel has been revealed, into a shape that would precisely fit the shard they have. "Shall we insert the metal piece?"

The twelve of them have all gathered into the fourth-floor room. They wander over to Japan absently, eager to see what would happen.

Japan looks over to America, waits for him to insert the metal piece he's holding in his hand. "America, please stop staring at the mochi and come help me."

"It radiates such an aura of intelligence!" America cheers. "Do you want some withered (raw) cabbage?"

Japan sighs, plucks the piece from America's hand and inserts it into the lock panel.

"This place feels weird," Prussia murmurs under his breath. "Be careful."

Numbers drawn on the floor with blood in a mimicry of a clock; the hall outside decorated with incredibly large hand prints similarly stained with blood, fading out in some splotches...

The fifth room, miraculously added somehow with the unlocking of the wall panel, seems much more morbid than interesting, now.

"Oh! Wait!" Italy calls before they can go through the newly-opened door, riddle solved. "I didn't tell you the answer for this room, but I can't be so carefree from now on. In the next room, there'll be a key hanging on the wall... That's the key to the front door. As soon as we get it, you have to run. A monster will come after us, so just run to the front door."

The key to the front door...

"When we get out of here..."

They all come to a petrified stop when they see the filled cell.

There are many more of those monsters. In different forms.

"L-Let's just go ahead," Italy urges softly, head down as he walks past. They all follow, fast enough to surround him but slow enough to stare in horrified awe: a few of the regular giants they see; one or two of the much taller, broader and stronger ones like the one that had almost gotten to Italy pace the perimeter; several that consist of only a head that melds into two legs are scampering around almost faster than Japan can follow, eerily reminding him of a cockroach; and a few disembodied heads float around, appearing to lack a mouth entirely and has odd segments of skin protruding from the back of its head like a splatter of paint. Most of the things either ignore or don't see them, but a few turn around and crane their heads, watching.

They all sigh with relief when they get through the door.

Like the last room, blood-drawn numbers decorate the floor, this time in a seemingly random pattern scattered all across. In the far corner, another monster lurks, taller than the regular monsters they've seen, eyes large and small and squinting and round placed all over its vaguely triangular mass of body.

"Behind that thing!" Italy whispers excitedly. "The key is on that wall!"

Its eyes focus on them, but makes no move.

"Isn't it going to... attack us?" Russia asks, hesitantly.

"It will if you get close to it, but it's incredibly slow. We can get away from this one just by walking." Italy moves out of their protective huddle and walks quickly toward the Thing. "I'll get it!"

"Hey!" Germany yells. "You're going by yourself again-"

Italy crosses the middle of the room before the Thing slithers away from the wall.

There is nothing behind it.

Italy's eyes widen, and his pupils shrink into indiscernible pinpricks. "Oh, God..." He steps back, shaking. "Why?!" he cries, grabbing at his head. "It was always... It was always there before! I'm sure... this is the right place... Wh-what am I going to do...?""

The Thing continues to slide closer to Italy, unnoticed by him.

They all race forward, America and Russia reaching the Thing first and attacking it mercilessly.

The room shakes.

"Wh-what is it this time?!" Prussia complains.

"Shit!" Romano curses, "Up there!"

They look up.

A hoard of monsters drop down instantaneously from the ceiling.

Only five minutes later and Japan can see this isn't going to end well.

"Let's at least surround Italy, aru!" China pants, jumping back as another disembodied head flickers out of existence. "They're all going after him!"

Japan had noticed that, too, but had rather vainly hoped that having the nations scattered farther away would have kept all those Things distracted.

"Oh, come on!" Germany takes Italy under his shoulder. "Italy, just get down!"

"Make me disappear!" Italy yells.

"Veneziano!"

"Italy's journal!" Japan gasps.

A large black vortex originates from nowhere, spread-out across the room and then condensing toward Italy.

They can't get closer to Italy without letting those Things have at him.

"Italy!"

"G-Germany! My journal!"

"Let go of it! Italy! The journal—Ah, dammit! You always-"

A bright light flashes.

And then Japan hears nothing but the sounds of battle.

…

Italy closes the door to the cave behind him. Japan, Prussia and Germany are already ahead of him.

"Aah, we can finally escape!" Prussia sighs, lifting his arms over his head and arching his back. "At long last..."

"... Yeah..." Japan trails off, still deep in thought.

Something simple...

The rustle of pages turning sounds behind him.

Germany sighs. "You're all too slow," he complains. Japan's head shoots up, blinking out of his daze; from his peripheral he catches Prussia looking quickly away from him to Germany. Italy barely glances up from the pages he's skimming. "I'll just go ahead."

"Oh!" Japan gasps, jerking his hand out. "Germa-"

Too late to stop him now, Japan laments, dropping his arm. So much for telling them all what he saw in the memory...

There's no time left. I can't call out to him, nor can I physically stop him... and I'm sure our enemy is stronger too...

A thought occurs to him, just as he falls in step with Italy behind Prussia's leisurely strides.

Wait a minute. Our enemy is definitely stronger. Whenever I glimpsed a memory, its strength and speed had increased greatly. But it wasn't... just the enemy...

"Aaaaaaahhhhh!"

Germany.

"Germany!" Italy runs off.

"What happened?" Prussia calls, hands cupped over his mouth. "Did you fall over?"

"Let's go," Japan urges, knowing what is wrong.

The rope ladder is burnt more than halfway from the bottom-up.

"... There it is." Japan whispers, frowning. He stills.

The Thing turns around toward them.

"J-Japan! Run, quickly!" Germany yells, backpedaling.

"Let's go, quickly!" Italy urges. "I'm worried about the others!"

Japan's eyes focus on the Thing with shrewd intensity.

"Hahah!" Prussia laughs to himself. "I see, now. This is what he meant..."

"Come on!" Germany urges "Just run-"

"All together! That's it! If we run, we can still make it!" Italy cries, pulling at Japan.

Our enemy may be tough, but I'm still faster. I can't do this alone...

However...

Something in the look of that Thing's eyes, from when it had first seen them, to this very second, has changed... it looks... hungry.

Its eyes seem to darken.

"Japan!" Prussia calls.

Japan follows.

They almost make it out of the cave.

… Now.

Japan slides to a stop, hitting his shoulder into the wall, just as Germany is mid-fall.

"Prussia! Wait!" He screams. "Germany tripped over a rock!"

"West!" Prussia spins impressively on his heel and doubles back to his brother.

"Shit!" Germany curses. "Not in this place—Go!" He yells, trying to jerk his leg free. "I can't get this vine off!"

Italy makes a high, whimpering sound. "Germany!" He runs to Germany's side.

Japan follows at a slower pace, rubbing at the flaring pain in his bicep.

"Japan!" Prussia yells, charging at the monster, holding it off. "Have you got your answer yet?!"

"Prussia!" Germany struggles even harder to free himself. "Why?!"

"Hey, West!" Prussia calls back. "Is this really the time to wipe the floor?!"

"I'm sorry." Italy mutters, falling to his shaking knees. "Are you okay, Germany?" He asks, feeling around desperately for the vine around Germany's leg with the limited light that reaches them.

Ahh, I see... My mistake was to solve everything on my own. And the reason why we kept being defeated was my narrow-mindedness... I didn't observe anyone but the enemy.

Japan sucks in a deep breath and sprints to Prussia's side.

…

Japan doesn't even bother to resist the temptation to rub his temples.

"So, why on Earth are you two in my group again?"

Either he can handle individually, but, at the same time...

"C'mon, it'll be fun!" Prussia enthuses, grabbing Japan's hands and pulling them down to his sides. "There's nothing wrong with working with some new faces once in a while!"

"New faces..."?

"We'll be the Little Brother Search Party!" Prussia continues.

"I do feel... out of place..." Romano mutters self-consciously, "but, whatever. And we are definitely NOT using that name."

"But then, with America missing as well, wouldn't it have made more sense for you to go with England instead of-" Japan shakes his head, sighs.. "Oh, nevermind."

Well, Japan supposes, he can see the sense in them three grouping; Germany and Italy missing, as their closest friend, Japan has interacted much with both their respective elder brothers, and gets along with them well enough. Romano, Japan hasn't seen interact much with others aside from Netherlands and Belgium, and especially Spain and Italy. Not to mention, he and Prussia...

As if sensing his thoughts, Prussia grins, wide and inviting when Japan looks up at him.

"Shall we go, then?" Japan asks, turning his flushed face away. "It won't be a problem if we end up on the same floor as the others."

"... Sure." Romano agrees, giving Japan and Prussia both a level, knowing look before taking lead.

"Hm?" Romano steps back, frowning. "Hey..."

Japan looks up from the wall he'd been inspecting. "What's wrong, Romano?"

"It sounded different when I knocked here..." Romano explains, walking to the left a few paces, knocks his way across the wall to the right.

thudthudthudthudTHUDTHUDTHUD

"So it does!" Japan agrees, joining Romano's side, Prussia a step behind him.

Since the phone call he'd received from South Korea shortly after he and everyone else had realized Germany, Italy and America were missing, along with the journal, his mood had been brought up — both by the call itself made by a "family member" he'd grown somewhat distant with, and with the news of an annexe within the mansion. Everyone left had been split into groups and each group given a particular floor to search for it — and Romano may have just found it.

"... It's not solid." Prussia confirms, comparing how various parts of the wall feel and sound. "There's clearly something here. Why don't we tear the wallpaper off?"

"We can't do it with our bare hands," Japan points out, "nor our swords. If only we had something to cut it with..."

"Don't you have anything like a shard?" Romano asks incredulously. "Glass, for example... or something like that?"

"Oh, now that you mention it..." Japan searches through his duffel. "I found this broken plate piece. Will it do?"

"Oh! I think so," Prussia says when Japan removes the remnant of the china plate he'd found in the kitchen the first day they'd been here — only relatively three days ago — as Japan zips his duffel shut. "Let me see," Prussia insists, though he takes the shard from Japan's hand anyway, ignoring the flat look it earns him.

Ribbons of olive-green wallpaper fall.

"A door..." Romano breathes disbelievingly.

"You did well in noticing that it sounded different," Japan commends. "There was also a door like this in the basement... Is this... the entrance to the annexe we heard of?"

"This is where Veneziano is..." Romano turns to him, face carefully blank. "Right?"

"Yes, definitely." Japan assures; the rest of the house searched, Italy couldn't be anywhere else...

"And your brother, too, of course," Japan adds, looking back to Prussia's scowl.

"Huh?!" Prussia starts. "Wh-whatever! I'm not worried about him at all!"

"Me neither, you bastard!" Romano yells at Japan. "I-I-I'm not worried about my stupid little brother at all!"

"Yes, yes," Japan sighs, holding his hands up defensively. "Don't let your guard down," he adds, tone serious, "you're too nervous..."

A bright light hits their eyes.

By the time they lower their arms and look over to their left — where the light originated from — Germany, Italy and America have appeared, right where they look.

"A-America?!" Japan stutters, catching the tight expression on his friend's face, the pale complexion and quaking frame.

"West! What the hell, you really came back!"

"Are you hurt, Veneziano?!"

They both stand back, Japan notices, probably because Germany and Italy, like America, look dazed and more than a little horrified.

"America!" Italy shouts abruptly, snapping out of his daze just as soon as America bows his head and makes odd noises that sound suspiciously, Japan fears, like stifled screams.

"America..." Germany mutters, softly, turning like Italy to eye America with sympathy.

"SSSH... SHIIIT!"

And then, to Japan's horror and bewilderment, America turns and punches the wall next to him, once, with all his strength. His knuckles bleed when he slides down what remains of the wall.

"... Japan, I remembered a few more things." Italy begins as America chocks out keening sobs.

"Y-yes?" Japan stutters, keeping his eyes solely on Italy.

"There was someone else who could make time go back." Italy licks his lips. His eyes are still wide and glazed over. He blinks quickly and more often than need be.

"What, really?!" Prussia exclaims.

"It's England." Italy's voice quakes. "It was him..."

Japan doesn't even know where to begin.

…

"This is my answer!" Japan cries, drawing his katana. "The enemy is stronger, but so are we! If we all join forces, we can defeat it!"

"Hah." Prussia glances over from the corner of his eye. "Well done!" He commends as the Thing makes a broad sweep.

"You idiots!" Germany roars from behind them. "Why did you come back?!"

"You want to know why I came back?!" Prussia calls over his shoulder. "Because..." he turns back to the Thing, "I can't think of a reason why I wouldn't help my little brother!"

The Thing finally gets close enough for Japan and Prussia to attack without starting off at a disadvantage.

And so they do.

...

"You did well in teleporting us!" Japan sighs deeply, clasping his hands together thankfully. "We were in great danger! It was by a hair's breadth!"

And indeed it was.

After getting the story from Germany, Italy and America — sent to the second time loop by the journal and magically returned by that past England — Prussia, Romano and Japan urged them to return to their safe room. Japan and the other two would explore the alleged annexe, convinced the three of them could handle any possible Things they might come across.

Until Prussia sword broke, and the gun Romano was using malfunctioned.

The last sight Japan saw was a gaping jaw and several large, crooked teeth.

And then a bright light.

And somehow, he, Prussia and Romano were in the safe room, on their hands and knees panting from exhaustion and fright but mostly disbelief that they weren't dead.

Prussia's hand blindly grabbed at his and entwined their fingers, squeezing hard. Japan didn't even make a move to protest the act in front of the others.

"We also found these things..." Japan adds, displaying the odd shining lumps they'd found in cupped hands.

Physical represents of bits of England's magic, they turned out to be.

"What happened to your sword?" France asks, when Prussia unsheathes what remained of his weapon.

"Well, it broke." Prussia sulks. "It must've been from using it all the time in battle..."

And not taking proper care of it, Japan adds distractedly in his head, rubbing absentmindedly at his sleeve and taking deep, even breaths.

"What am I gonna do now?" Prussia continues, "I can't fight barehanded, not against that Thing."

"Oh!" Romano snaps his fingers. "That reminds me, my bullets weren't coming out, either! Potato—oh," Romano deflates. "Right, he's in the bath..."

"Ah-hah, so that was really West's?" Prussia laughs. "Let me see it. I'll fix it for you."

Japan frowns. "When did you have time to borrow Germany's gun, Romano?"

"When I first got here and you two," Romano gives them each level narrow-eyed looks, "were busy whispering sweet-nothings to each other behind us."

Japan blinks. He and Prussia had, after catching up to Romano with Germany to search for Italy, fallen back for a brief moment, just enough to exchange a few significant words—

Japan shakes his head, sighing and trying to will his blush away. "Why don't we take a break before deciding what to do from now on?"

He ignores the looks China and France give him and Prussia.

Everything is looking up...

...

Yes! It recoiled! Japan inwardly cheers, light-hearted and light-headed with unbearable glee as the Thing tries to get back to its feet from the far wall.

"Let's just get out of here!" Prussia orders, glancing back and sighing with relief when he sees Germany is already standing. "We can't physically defeat it." He explains as he and Japan run back to them, swords sheathed.

"Italy? You looks pale," Germany frowns. "Are you all right?"

"Eheheh. I'm fine." Italy insists, eyeing the Thing; it's still struggling to pick itself up. "C'mon," he urges when Japan and Prussia catch up to them, "let's go back."

Thank God! I can't feel completely relieved, but, this is still something!

...

Japan stumbles to a stop, Germany and Prussia behind him, searching what he can of the large room of the annexe. England had teleported himself to the Thing that had nearly ea—killed—America, as well as to reclaim America's fallen glasses, and America and Italy had both run after him, both much quicker than Japan, Germany and Prussia, and it was an unbearably rash thing to do, but—

England had defeated the Thing, alone.

"That was really rash." America says, "But, at least we can finally explore the room without worry!"

"Oh?" Japan blinks. "Why is that?"

"Because the enemy loitering around here is gone..." America answers slowly, deliberately, as if Japan isn't understanding a crucial point.

Japan blinks, slowly. "The enemy...?" He repeats. "How do you know it was the only one?"

"Uh..."

Japan's eyes widen, a chill creeping up his spine.

"Wait, where's Italy?" Germany glances around again. "He should have come after you..."

"He went to look for my glasses in that room..." America trails off, looking off to the room on the far right.

booong

They all turn toward the room America indicated.

"That noise!" Prussia pauses. "It came from that room—"

He, Japan and Germany meet eyes, and Japan knows they've all come to the same conclusion.

"ITALY!"

Japan and Prussia are barely a step behind Germany.

The door gives no resistance.

Japan comes to a halt half a step away from Italy's head; Germany drops to his knees at Italy's side.

Japan can't breathe.

"Japan," Prussia stresses, pushing Japan impatiently aside to check Italy's status.

"B-Bruder," Germany stutters. "Italy—is Italy—?"

Prussia winces.

Germany leans closer over Italy, shoulders shaking.

"Germany," Japan gasps, too scared to ask but needing to know, "Italy... is he...?"

"Italy's heart..." No. "isn't..." No... "beating..."

No!

"Italy!" Japan cries, squeezing Prussia's hand in his own. He's never seen Germany so pale or helpless or stone-faced or resigned or broken, since—since before Japan had found Italy the first time or when Italy was almost killed when they'd escaped that cave or Italy locked them all up in the cell or Italy shared the whole truth to them or Italy asked the journal make him disappear or just earlier when Italy revealed he didn't remember what the "Axis Powers" was and that he could tie his shoelaces.

He can't do this to us. To Germany.

"ITALY!" Japan cries, and cries, and cries.

Japan stands on one side of Italy's bed, Germany on the other. Prussia is leaning against the headboard of the bed opposite Italy's. Opposite the bed Italy is resting in.

"Resting..." He thinks mockingly to himself.

"So," France murmurs hoarsely, "it's stopped completely?"

And it kills Japan to admit it, acknowledge it to be true, but he does.

Italy can't turn back the clock, for obvious reasons...

Blind, from magic overuse, what magic England has left is limited and nowhere near enough to turn back time himself...

"So, we can't go back in time..." Prussia summarizes, barely more composed than Japan himself is. "But c'mon, we can't just escape without Italy... Right, West?"

He's avoiding looking at Japan entirely, just as Japan is with him.

Japan can't allow himself to indulge in such comfort when Italy is... and, Germany...

"West." Prussia stresses impatiently, when Germany doesn't respond.

Germany looks over at Prussia.

"Were you listening?" Prussia asks.

"Uh, no..." Germany admits. "Sorry..."

"... Pull yourself together." Prussia demands, voice hard. "This is a very important meeting to decide our future. You have to bear with it."

Germany doesn't respond.

Japan, still blinking his eyes quickly as he has been since laying Italy down, casts his gaze up. "Germany..."

The room feels much more empty, now; Russia and China have gone somewhere, from what Japan had overheard, the others are gathered on the other side of the room, leaving him, Germany and Prussia were they have been, and having been sent to the past with no magic circle to return to, now... Spain and Romano...

"Now that Italy is like this," Japan mutters through numb lips, "Romano must also be..."

"Brother Dearest has Spain," Prussia interrupts, "so he should be fine... Shit." He sighs. Runs a hand through his hair. "I wish I had a sword..."

Japan blinks, reaching for the duffel at his feet, unzipping it and pulling something out. "A sword?"

"Huh?" Prussia starts, life coming back to his eyes. "You have a spare sword?!"

"Yes..." Japan holds it out, feeling life coming back to his own eyes as he looks up. "You can borrow it, but only if you promise to take good care of it, all right?"

"Yeah! I will, I will!" Prussia takes it with a long sigh and short smile. "If it's a sword from your place..."

"Here you go, then," Japan nods. "My Excalibur... the Poster Sword."

Prussia's form loosens and his expression softens, and they stare at each other for a long moment.

"Out of curiosity," Prussia blinks, "what if it broke? What would you do?"

"If it broke" as compared to "If I broke it", huh? Japan thinks with wry amusement.

"I might lose control to the point I can no longer distinguish between reality and fiction," Japan sighs regretfully, returning to his perch at Italy's side.

Prussia stares blankly at him.

"After all, that is a limited edition," Japan finishes.

"No, that's—not what I meant..." Prussia holds it back out. "You know what? I don't want it anymore."

Japan shakes his head with a fond smile.

"So, what are we going to do?" Germany asks them, awareness finally returning to his eyes. "What should we focus on from now on?"

"Well..." Japan frowns.

"We haven't decided it; we're in a deadlock, remember?" Prussia reminds them. "Actually, West... what do you want to do?"

"I..." Germany trails off.

"We have so much to do, and yet, I have no idea where to start." Japan slumps. "What should be... our priorities?"

"To put it simply, it should be 'to escape' or 'Spain and Romano,' right?" Germany answers. "Italy... is..."

Japan lowers his gaze.

And blinks.

"Italy's face got dirty when he fell..." Japan notes aloud. "I think I have a handkerchief..."

He swipes the dirt off Italy's face.

His eyes widen. "What?"

"What's wrong?" Germany demands. Prussia's gaze lies familiarly heavy on Japan.

Japan ignores them.

"I-Italy?" Japan breathes, disbelieving but mostly hopeful.

"Hey!" Prussia strides forward to snap his fingers in Japan's face. "What's wrong?!"

"Italy!" Japan holds onto Italy's hands, knowing his grip would be—is, is—painfully tight. "Italy!"

"J-Japan?" Germany stutters, concerned.

Prussia's eyes blink, widen in almost-understanding.

And he strides forward, hand settling over one of Italy's hands, and Japan's bruised wrist.

…

And, as they run, catching up to Russia and France and China and Canada and England and America, at some point in-between, there happens to be one second—one single second—when Prussia grabs onto Japan's already-bruised wrist, and when he looks, Prussia turns to Japan with a crooked grin, proud and relieved and tired and something-else altogether.

And in that grin, in the curve of those lips, is—the flushing, the blushing, the stutters, the weight in his chest, his heart, the long stares, the constant fretting, the defiance, the need for contact, the assurances, the openness, the trust, the always-available advice, the support, everything—the answer Japan had been searching for…

… and time goes on.

*sniffles* Yeah, that last scene with Italy and the—that always gets to me, too.

So, I really hope you guy like! This was a lot of fun to write, even if it meant sacrificing more sleep than should really be sacrificed to get it out on time... I really enjoyed it, so I hope you did, too!

And, if you really really liked this story, please do tune in next year, for I shall have more HetaOni for next October, and I'm already super excited for it.

If HetaOni does end up getting put off hiatus and continuing, well, first off let me know because I am always the last to know these things; second, I will add on to this story, but it may take some time, considering...

And don't forget to tune in for Chapter 2 for Italy's POV! Like I said before, it will explain the loose ends and explain a LOT. Promise you guys will like it! And it should be out mid-November at the latest.

Mm, I think I've said everything I need to, so. Stay safe and have a happy Halloween, 'kay?

If you have any questions, comments, concerns, constructive criticism, etc., please review or send a message and I'll get back to you when I can!

Ja Ne =D!