---Chapter XVII 1/2: Disappearance (Part 3)--- 

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"Well, what do we have here? Hello, little poppet!~" 

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///Little!Reader's PoV///


Out of all the people I had to bump into, it just had  to be this one.


"..He..Hello." I replied softly, giving an awkward wave. Trying not to make much eye contact, I started backing away slowly. It'd be bad if I stay near this one for long. I can't have that person finding out I was doing something out of line.


Staring at me with his baby blue eyes, the strawberry blonde haired man hummed. "Hmm~ What's wrong, little poppet? It seems like you're in a hurry to get away. Why is that?" he asked, kneeling down a few steps in front of me.


"W-What? Not...really. I just, uhm, I just like having my own space, mister." I told him, starting to feel uncomfortable being near this dangerous person.


Tilting his head, the British guy looked at me and smiled. "Oh? ...Why is that?"


"I, uhm...Uh--Because I'm not supposed to be talking to strangers!" I tried to reason my way out of it. His eyes widened a bit, giving a look that's somewhat amused.


Holding out his hand in front of me, he spoke, "Oh, well, then... My name is Oliver Kirkland. Nice to meet you, little poppet~"


"Wh-wha..." I looked at him with uncertainty. What is he trying to do? Well, it'd be dangerous if I anger him, I guess... So...?

Taking his hand, I replied, "N-Nice to meet you, too...Mister Oliver..." The man shook my hand and giggled. "Ehehe~ Silly little poppet, no need to call me to add 'mister'." he told me.


"O...Okay, Oliver. Uhm, I'd love to stay and talk with ya s'more...but I need to go now." I explained as I let go of his hand, feeling a little anxious. If I don't get away from him soon, the others will see me...it's not yet time for that! Stepping back, I turned around to try and make my escape from the guy. But even before I got to take my first step, I felt him grab my hand.


"Ah, wait, little poppet! Where do you think you're going?" he asked me rather darkly, sounding a little unhappy about my attempt to leave. "I have told you my name already, but you haven't told me yours."

I tensed up as I heard him say it. Letting him know my name could be like stepping on a landmine, what should I do? Although...he could actually be of help to me for another matter... Sigh. It's here already, so why not say it?


"...(Name)."


Oliver slowly let go of my hand. I still didn't turn around to face him. But I heard him shuffle slightly then spoke, "...Are you...are you the same person as the poppet we sent back home...? Is that...you, (Name)?"


Giving out a shaky breath, I answered him in a low tone. "No. I'm not exactly that person you're thinking of. I'm (Name)...but at the same time...I'm not."


"What do you mean by that, little poppet?"


"I...I can't tell you that yet."


"Why?"


"......"


"Are you...not allowed to?"


"...That's right."


"By who, exactly?"


"......."


"You...can't tell me that, either, huh?"


"...Yep."


There was a long pause between us after the awkward conversation. I can tell he's thinking of a lot more things to ask from me, but I'm running out of time. "Listen, Oliver, I really need to go. Please don't tell anyone that you saw me, or even know of me."


"Huh? But why, little poppet? We're all actually searching for you." he told me, making me turn around. "Wh-What?! Why?" I asked him, my widened eyes filled with fear.

Sighing, he met my gaze. "Because they think that you might have some answers to the many questions running amuck in our minds, little poppet."


"I can't do that yet! If they ever find out about me and cause a ruckus about it, it'll be bad for you, for everyone--and for (Second Name). So please, please bear with this a little while longer." I practically pleaded. I know that it sounds risky to tell him these stuff, but I'm starting to get desperate.


Suddenly, Oliver knelt down and gave me a hug. "Hush now. Calm down, little poppet. I can see that you're serious about this. You look like you're almost going to cry, and I won't allow that!" he told me tenderly. His hug was warm and somewhat protective, but... "Th-Thank you, but I don't really need hugs..."

"Nonsense poppet. Even though I can sense you're more knowledgeable and act tougher than an average little girl--you're still a little girl. It makes me sad to even see how you're probably handling something scarier than one might dare to take.

I don't know what you're going through, but just this time, it's okay to not be so tough. Breathe." Oliver told me as he pat my back as a way of trying to calm me down.


So this is how it feels like. To be protected. To be a real little girl.


Vulnerable, just this once.


Returning the hug, I gripped onto his sweater vest. "Thank you." I whispered. Though the moment was nice, I knew I had to go back. Breaking away from the hug, I spoke, "Well, Ireally need to go now, Oliver."


"Ollie."


"Huh?"


"I want you to call me 'Ollie', little poppet. It's what I allow my friends to call me." he stated sincerely as he stood up and dusted off his clothes. Hearing him say that gave me a really happy feeling. "Alrightie, then. I'll see ya later, Ollie!~" I beamed, waving my hand and turning around to walk down the hall.


"Will you be okay, (Name)?" he called out, concerned laced in his voice. I can tell even without looking, that he's probably frowning right now.


Stopping my track for the moment, I replied, "Yep! Thanks for worrying, but I'll be alright--so don't let that stop you from smiling, 'kay? It's obvious that it's not like you to be down."


"Well, you're quite right about that, little poppet...but I can't help myself from worrying about my new friend." he told me in a saddened tone.


Smiling to myself, I spoke, "Well, tell ya what, why don't I inform you about something that'll cheer ya up?~"


"...What is it?" he asked me curiously.


Chuckling lightly, I answered him, "Go back to your saferoom and you'll find out."


Again, silence enveloped the hall.


In my mind, I knew that he held on to that tiny string of hope that a certain something will happen. Something wonderful. And I knew that he wanted to believe in my words, too.


And so, he ran.


Once I was all alone in the hall, I breathed in deeply. "Now, I really should hurry back now. The game will start too soon if I don't."


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///Third Person PoV///


In the saferoom, were the First Players. Lying on a bed, was Italy, who was currently under cardiac arrest. No one knew how it exactly happened to him. All they knew at the moment was that the Italian was no longer breathing; his heart no longer beating, and...much against the greatest of their wills--was probably no longer living.


They were slightly scattered around the room, but at a position where they could see their comrade, although the latter wouldn't probably go anywhere for the moment. Other than watching over Italy, they were waiting for the Second Players to return to the room.

The 2Ps, along with some of the 1Ps, went out earlier on a search for a certain little girl that they found suspicious. Canada and France, who went on the search, had returned to the saferoom together, since they saw that their friends were rushing Italy back here. The two happened to pass by Lutz and Kuro earlier and informed them about returning to the safe room before they went ahead. The German and Japanese Second Players understood and told them that they'll call Luciano and have the rest of the 2Ps regroup and head back.

Which brings to this point, where they are all just helplessly watching over Italy, waiting anxiously and thinking deeply on what happened...and on what they should do.



Germany and Japan gazed at their fallen comrade silently. Having a gist of the situation, France shrugged and asked, "...So, it's stopped completely?"

"Yes..." Japan answered, pained by the words he had to say.


England clenched his fists. "I'm sorry...I should have kept calm..."


"No...I was too stubborn, too." America added, guilt almost consuming him.


Russia began counting on his fingers as he spoke, "So, England is blind, Italy's heart has stopped... There have been quite a few casualties, huh?" Though he said in a childish tone like he always does, his expression easily describes how troubled he was.

" Japan, haven't you been through a series of battles? I can't tell you to go to sleep, but you should at least sit down." China suggested, his gaze directed toward the Japanese man that sported a tired look in his eyes.


Shaking his head, Japan gave a half-hearted smile. "...No, I'm not...At any rate, now we..."


"Italy is the only one who can go back in time, right? Though I heard something about England being able to do it, too..." Prussia brought up.


England nodded, "Y-yeah..."


"Now that his magic power is next to zero, he can't do anything...even if he made up for it with his life, I don't think it'd be enough." America said, looking directly at England, but knew that the latter wouldn't be able to tell that he was doing so.


Feeling ashamed, the Brit rubbed his elbow awkwardly. "You're right... it wouldn't..."


"So, we can't go back in time... But c'mon, we can't just escape without Italy... Right, West?" Prussia said, turning to his younger brother. Germany, however, didn't respond as he seemed to be lost in his thoughts.


Prussia placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke, "...West."

"What?" Germany asked as he snapped out of it.

Frowning, Prussia made Germany face him. "Were you listening?"

"Uh, no...Sorry..." the younger brother apologised, looking away.


Prussia couldn't help but click his tongue. This was something that was totally not in Germany's usual character. "Pull yourself together. This is a very important meeting to decide our future. You have to bear with it." he scolded, making his younger brother flinch at the raised tone.

"Germany..." Prussia sighed.


Germany clenched his hands until it felt like it had turned whiter. He knew that it was time to think more rationally and not let his emotions overpower him. "Sorry. I'm fine. I've grown up, too. I'm no longer the coward I used to be." he apologised, finally able to meet his brother's gaze. Prussia gave a relieved smile and pat his shoulder.


At that moment, on the other hand, France began looking around the room. It was then that he noticed something. "...Oh?"


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///Spain's PoV. Fusososo~/// 

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"We...come from the future!!" 

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"What? I still have no idea what you're on about." Past England told me. Since the cat was already out of the bag, I had no other choice but to explain what I meant. It'll work out fine right? I mean, after all, Boss Spain is muy impresionante!


-------

The Past England fell silent as I had explained.


Stepping towards him, I continued, "S-So, what I'm trying to say is-"


"...You've gotta be fucking kidding me." Past England swore, raising his voice. This caused me to stop in my tracks and look at him, confused. "...What?" I asked.


Running his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair, Past England gave me a look of total disbelief. "What the hell? Italy has rewound time? And you come from the future, and you want me to send you back!?"


Oh, so he understood what I said, after all? Meeting his gaze, I replied,"Y-Yes! And I think something really bad has happened in our world! That's why I also want you to share some of your power with the England from our world-"


"Enough!!" Past England shouted, causing me to flinch.


With an angered expression, the Brit stepped back. "Maybe this is just another past world to you, but to me, this world is everything!"

"Oh..." I realised, starting to feel guilt.


"And you're telling me to give you my magic, or else it'll go to waste because this world will definitely go into a time loop?" Past England asked me, obviously furious.

I waved my arms and shook my head. "N-no...I never said it'd come to that..." I told him, unable to think of a way to calm him down.


"So, you're telling me to sacrifice this world?!" Past England asked--no, almost felt like he thinks I was daring him to do so. I couldn't think of what to say, making him all the more angrier. He then turned around and began walking away.


Without looking back, he called out. "Thank you so much for telling me how it works! We're in a critical situation, too! We have no time to care about you!"

"England..." I spoke, my tone already sounding desperate.


"I have nothing to do with your damn world!" Past England yelled, storming out of the door.


....I take it back. Boss Spain isn't muy impresionante, after all.

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///Romano's PoV. Chigi!///


"...Oh, God. I guess my explanation was really that bad...I ended up telling him everything because I was sure he would send us back, but... There's no guarantee that all time loops are the same." I heard a familiar voice as I regained consciousness. Fluttering my eyes open, I realised that I was sitting down, leaning against a bookshelf.

Recognising the voice earlier, I adjusted my eyes and saw the Spanish bastardo. "...S...pain..."

"Romano!!" he called out in surprise as he suddenly rushed over to my side, I can see that he looked very troubled.

Frowning, I slowly rubbed my chest, trying to ease the pain I felt. It was slowly fading away, though. "Sorry...Something...suddenly..."

"Is your heart okay?! Can you breath all right?" Spain asked me.

I nodded. "I'm...I'm fine. I don't really get it, but I think I was in an empty place and someone helped me..."

"Well, then...can you stand up?" he asked, offering out his hand. "Uh-huh..." I replied, but shook my head and swatted his hand away. I got up myself, seeing as his arms looked bruised.

"You're hurt...And...What about the monsters?" I inquired, curious about what happened when I was out cold.

Spain beamed and spoke proudly, "Boss Spain killed them all, all on is own!"

"...Spain..." I said in a soft tone.

Tilting his head, Spain gave his carefree smile and spoke, "Hm? What is it?"


"I..."


=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=


Meanwhile, in the current timeloop, a certain blonde haired, soft spoken Canadian hid himself inside the bathroom.


///France's PoV. Ohonhonhon///

Meanwhile, in the current timeloop, everyone's fabulous Big Brother France slowly opened the bathroom door, where I was sure that a certain blonde haired, soft spoken Canadian hid himself in.


"Ooh, there you are. What's up? We're in the middle of a meeting, you know." I told him as I walked inside the bathroom. He wasn't in a cubicle or anything; he was just standing there, holding his polar bear.


Realising that it was his beautiful father-like figure, Canada turned around and spoke in a depressed tone, "France..."

"What's up? You look down." I said, concerned about his behaviour.


Looking down, Canada answered. "...I...I'm the only one who's completely useless."


"Pardon?"

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///Romano's PoV. Chigiii///



"Everyone else has found their own role, and yet, I... I can't help but wonder what I'm doing..." I admitted, feeling awful about how useless I'm being.


Furrowing his brows, Spain looked at me attentively, "Romano..."

"Veneziano has been doing all he can, and the potato head, too, and that English bastard... What am I doing here?! Why did I come here?!" I asked aloud, not to him, but to myself. What's my purpose here?

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///France's PoV. Ohonhonhon///


"I had no idea what America was thinking, and I couldn't do anything useful at all...And then...I thought...maybe you don't need me..." Canada confided, looking like he was almost going to cry.


I took in a deep breath and faced him with a raised eyebrow. "...Do you want to be praised by someone?" I asked.

"What?"

As he met my gaze, I continued, "Do you want someone to tell you what to do and then praise you for doing a great job? If you want to be told what to do, I can think of many things for you to do. If you accomplish them, will that make you happy?"


"...No."

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///Romano's PoV. Chigii///

"That may be the easy way, but...it's not quite what I had in mind, I guess..." I said, feeling like I should have done, or should be doing more than just this.

Spain looked confused. "Huh?"


I fidgeted with the hem of my uniform. "Isn't there anything that no one but me can do? As if I were the only one..."

"Right..."

"B-But I...I want to do something for him now!" I exclaimed.

Smiling, Spain gave me a warm expression. "But don't you remember, Romano? One of the reasons why Ita's heart became lighter was because you came here for him."

"But he told me not to come..." I countered, remembering how Italy sounded really desperate about not wanting us to come to the mansion.

"Aren't you both Italy? It makes me worried that you're risking you life, but I think it's very reassuring that you're here for your brother."

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///France's PoV. Strike!~///


"You solved a lot of problems, didn't you? And you didn't do it because someone told you to do it, did you? It just occurred to you and you opened the path for us. Canada, you were even the one who contacted (Name) just in time to stop us from fighting against the Second Players. If it weren't for you, someone could've gotten badly hurt in that fight, or at worst, someone could've died that time. But no one did, because of your quick thinking. It was because of you that we had gotten through a lot of these obstacles here in this mansion. It was all on your own accord." I elaborated, seeing as he himself didn't quite catch the fact that he had already done so much.

Canada's eyes widened as he began recalling those instances.

"Right? That's why there will definitely be another time when there's something only you can do, a path that only you can make. Don't be impatient. No one will think you're useless or resent you for it." I assured him.

"Something that only I can do, eventually..." Canada raised a hand and looked at it, determination beginning to build up in his eyes.

I smiled at the sight. "I'm telling you, it's okay! You take after me with your silky hair, so I'm sure there'll be something great that no one else but you can do!" I told him, flipping my magnificent hair.


"Hahah...What does that have to do with anything?"

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///Romano's PoV. Kono yaro!///


"You've been helping your little brother so much; compared to you, I'm the one who's that. As much as I so off, I got defeated pretty quickly!" Spain told me, scratching the back of his head.

"Don't flatter yourself..." I pouted, not believing shit about what he said about himself.

Giving a crooked smile, Spain spoke, "Well, I think there must be something that only Boss Spain can do, too, but...I guess I must be the most useless of all."

"...Well, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to come here, so...I guess you're not completely useless." I reminded him, trying to... Nothing. It's not like I was trying to cheer him up or anything.

Raising an eyebrow, Spain asked, "Oh? Really? What did I do?"


"If it weren't for your wit, we wouldn't have assembled everyone and get them to come here, either..."

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

///France's PoV. Ohonhonhon~///


"And even now..." Canada trailed off, smiling but had his eyebrows furrowed.

"Hm?"

Facing me, he spoke, "If it weren't for your advice, I'd probably be doing something stupid. That's why I'm really glad that you're here for me."

"Oh, so I could actually be of help, too?" I asked him.

He nodded."Yes!"

Chuckling lightly, I asked, "Is this proof enough for you, then?"

"What?"


"No one is unneeded. There will definitely come a time when someone is needed for something, like now. You just need to be patient, you know. Even if you feel sad." I told him, giving him a light pat on the head like how I did when he was little.


Canada smiled warmly this time. "...Okay."


Suddenly, a loud American bursted through the door. "Canada!!"


"Whoa! Y-You startled me. What's the matter?" Canada asked his brother.


Placing his hand on his hips, America looked at the him. "What's the- You weren't at the meeting, so I freaked out and started looking for you...So, you were here all along..."

"I-I'm sorry. I just needed to think..." Canada apologised, but looked somewhat elated that they noticed he wasn't around.

America tilted his head and directed his gaze at me. "Huh? You were here, too, France?"

"How cruel of you! I'm also a member who can't be lost when we make our escape, you know!" I told him, playfully giving a dramatic act.

Since I was just beside him, I heard Canada murmur, "He never notices me because I don't stand out, and now..."

"C'mon, let's go! If you're not there to say your sensible opinions, I'll end up doing something reckless again!" America laughed, and motioned his brother to follow after him.

"See? It's your turn to shine." I whispered.

Canada nodded and smiled as he walked out. "...Okay!"

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

///Third Person PoV///

As they walked out of the bathroom, Canada noticed that the rest of their comrades started to scatter around the room again. "Huh? What happened to the meeting?" he asked.

Since England was able to hear him, he replied. "We weren't going anywhere. We're taking a break. Otherwise the way things are, we'd just end up losing our heads."

"Canada wouldn't." America defended.

Happy his brother said that about him, Canada smiled. "Oh...r-right." The Canadian then decided to sit down for a while by the long wooden tables, near America, France, and England.



"What are you going to do about your eyes? You're not going to be like that forever, are you?" America asked the Brit, greatly worried about his condition.

England looked away, not liking how it seemed he was being pitied. "I'm still thinking about it! My sight was taken to make up for the fact that my magic wasn't enough, so..."

"What, so like it's a distrait sort of thing? How lame of you." France picked on him, hiding the fact that he wanted to scold him and at the same time wanting to show sympathy.


Sighing, England shrugged. "I was really rash...And now we have to do something about Spain and Romano."


As they were trying to come up with solutions, China and Russia walked up to them.

Tapping Canada on the shoulder, China spoke, "Excuse me."


"Yes?" Canada replied as he turned around.


Raising his overly long sleeves, China began to explain. "I have some business to take care of in the annex. Russia is coming with me."


This caused France and Canada to subtly look at each other, remembering something that they had discussed about secretly. Canada nodded and urged France to answer them for him. "All right, but what are you going to do?" France asked.


"He wants to solve a riddle. If you're worried, you can come along, you know. We won't mind." Russia reassured them, getting the feeling that they're being somewhat suspected of something.


Shaking his head, England spoke for them, "We still have to figure out what to do about Spain, so we'll leave you to it."


"Xie Xie. We'll be right back, then. Maybe we'll find something new." China gave a small smile as he and Russia headed towards the door.


America let out a shaky breath. "I hope so."


Before Russia could even reach for the doorknob, the door was suddenly opened from the other side. "Ah, it took you all quite a while to regroup here, hm?" the tall Russian said.

"Da. Us Allies are already here, along with Gilen, Andres and Flavio." Nikolai pointed behind him, where Allen and the others were standing by. "The Axis will be here shortly, Kuro informed me."



"Huh? What's holding them up, aru? Did they find the little girl?" China inquired.


Zao sighed as he stepped in the room, followed by the others. "Eh, I doubt it."


Once the Second Players were in the room, France asked, "So, there was really no sign of the little girl?"

"Nah. There were some interesting places that we'll talk about later, but nothin' on the little brat running around." Allen told them, slightly tired and irritable.


Oliver lightly hit Allen's arm. "Allen, that's not a very nice thing to say."

"Oh shut up, old man. I'm tired, okay? Who do you think had to go all over the place because you went off by yourself without warning, huh?" Allen asked, clicking his tongue.

Puffing his cheeks, Oliver looked away. "I-I apologised, didn't I? I didn't notice that I went off track..." he said, fiddling his thumbs.


The redheaded American raised an eyebrow. "How could you possibly not notice that? What were you up to--"


Once again, the saferoom door was slowly opened from the outside, causing everyone in the room to direct their attention to it.


"Well, fiiinaally. What took you so long?" Flavio asked, placing a hand on his hip as he looked at the German and Japanese Second Players walk inside the room.


Kuro simply shrugged. "Place the blame on your brother."

"I will! Where is Luci? That little bastardo...he's not the only one moping here." Flavio said, knowing that his brother was still upset about certain matters.


Lutz smirked. "Oh, he's pretty far from moping."


"Huh?" Flavio couldn't help but be confused.


Stepping inside the room, Luciano walked in, a somewhat content smile on his face.


The fabulous Southern Italian Second Player couldn't help but gasp. "L-Luci! What happened to you?? Why are you smiling in a nonsinister manner??" Flavio asked, geniunely confused and scared at the same time that his brother was acting different.


"Stop being such a bastardo, fratello." Luciano rolled his eyes.


Ah~ There's my fratello." Flavio smiled, giving a sigh of relief. "Well, what is it, then? Something good happened?"


"It's easier to show than to explain." the Northern Italian Second Player replied, stepping away from the door, almost as if he was giving way for someone.


For someone...?


His action made everyone look at the door expectantly. "Did they find the little girl?", they wondered. But as the person stepped in the room, they realised that it wasn't the case. It wasn't the little girl that they were looking for, but it was a girl that they knew all too well.


A girl with (h/l) (h/c) hair and (e/c) coloured eyes. That girl who they thought they had already sent home. That girl that they all held dear.


That girl named (Name).


Everyone in the room, other than the Second Player Axis members, had their eyes grow wide. Was this for real? They felt so happy inside, yet so unsure. It felt like an illusion. A dream. But in the back of their minds, they knew they wanted to see her again. ...And there she was.


As she looked around her and saw familiar faces, the girl couldn't help herself but smile warmly.


Giving an awkward wave, she spoke,





"I'm back."