Chapter 10—General Winter

Romano was the first to notice my distress. "Felice? You okay?" His question drew the attention of the others. Romano then sighed as he wrapped his arms around me. "Idiota. They won't reject you for that..." He said softly.

"B-but... they'll be sickened by me! I know it! I'm a murderer, after all! The blood of millions of humans! On my hands!" I cried out, making the other nations flinch back in surprise. The surprise turned to horrified shock as my words registered.

You're not just talking about your Powers, are you?

What do you think?

"Itary-kun? What do you mean?" Japan asked gently, not sure whether or not to believe my words given my current state of mind.

"Don't listen to him." Romano said softly, though everyone heard him.

"Idiota..." He said to me. "It's not your fault. You can't control it... you can't stop it. You'd be dead right now if you didn't have that power..."

"But... I'm sorry fratello, you're right... I... I just..." I sighed, not wanting to sound ungrateful, but at the same time the guilt was nearly overwhelming. Romano's face also shone with guilt.

"I'm so sorry, Felice... I only did what I had to... I regret nothing." He said firmly.

"I know, Vino... I'm not mad at you... I never have been. I'm grateful for my life, really I am!" I said, not wanting him to get the wrong idea. "But... it's hard sometimes, you know? The guilt never goes away..." I looked at my hands. For a moment, they dripped with an endless amount of blood. What sickened me the most was that the blood belonged to not only humans, but children and my friends, too. "The blood is still there..." In more ways than one....

At least the Time-Shards are gone?

Sure. But the hallucinations aren't.

They're alive, though. That's what counts.

Romano wrapped his hands gently around mine, and kissed them. "But you've also saved many lives with these hands. Surely, that counts for something?"

The next memory finally popped up, as the travel scenes that'd been showing finally teetered off to show the four of them—Asher now grey around the muzzle—in another house.

"We'd been living in this house for about 2 years or so by this point. We're 45 in this memory." Romano explained.

There was a thick layer of snow outside, covering the forest in a blanket of untouched white. Many of the nations sighed as they were reminded of older, simpler times.

Lovino, Feliciano, Asher, and Emma were huddled up together around a fire. They all looked thin and tired.

"Momma? I'm hungry... Can Vino and I go hunt?" Feliciano asked.

"Hunt? You hunted?" Canada asked, mildly surprised.

"Si... Vino and I had started learning how to hunt when we were 30. We were quite good at it, too... Momma was too old by this point to hunt, and the cold hurt her joints... She was aging so quickly..." I sighed, but shook my head. "This winter was particularly harsh. We had little-to-no food, and the village didn't take too kindly to us. They didn't have a good harvest that year, so they weren't too generous with donations. We were also low on money, so it was bad all the way around." I concluded.

"Alright, but be careful. Be home before dark, a storm's supposed to roll in tonight. See if you can catch something, but don't push past dark." Emma warned, as Feliciano and Lovino grabbed their bows and arrows, specially made for their size.

"We will, momma!" Feliciano and Lovino called back in sync.

"Asher!" Lovino called with a sharp whistle. Asher dashed over, and stood beside the twins, ready for a good hunting trip.

The scene faded into the next. It had obviously been a few hours since they'd left, but the twins were crouching in some nearby bushes. Feliciano stealthily, smoothly, and silently scampered up a nearby tree. He and Lovino readied their arrows, and took aim. Their target was a nearby buck. It looked healthy and large enough to feed the family for a few weeks, if they rationed it right.

As if some silent signal passed between the twins, they both fired, tagging the buck in one go. Once their meal-to-be was secured, Lovino and Feliciano tied it to a strip of wood that they'd prepared. They then tied it to Asher, who proceeded to pull it—and the deer—home.

That was when it all went wrong. The storm had come hours earlier than expected. The three were caught in the middle of it. The nations followed the twins as they finally navigated their way back. Romano kept looking at Feliciano.

After what seemed like hours, Lovino led Asher into the house with their kill. The nations let out sighs of relief, but Romano and I only tensed further, anxiety welling up within us both.

"Momma! We're back! We brought deer!" Vino said.

"Itary-kun..." Japan started slowly, as they watched as Emma came to greet him. "Where are you...?" His question made the nations freeze.

"Vino, where's your brother?" Emma asked urgently. Lovino whirled around, expecting his twin to be right behind him.

'Did you see it this time, Fratello?' I asked him through our mental Link.

'Yeah... you tripped... I never even heard you shout.' He replied solemnly.

"F-Felice!" He cried, running back out the door, and into the horrific blizzard.

"VINO! COME BACK!" Emma cried as she attempted to follow him out into the storm. She couldn't even make it more than a few feet outside the house, before her joints locked up. Asher nudged her back inside, before following after his alpha.

"I'll come home soon, mom! I'm going to go find him!" Lovino called back, not slowing down his pace.

The nations watched with rising panic as Lovino trudged through one of the worst blizzards they'd seen. Even Russia would've been hard-pressed to go out in that storm.

"FELICE!" Lovino called, his voice lost to the winds. "FELICIANO! VENEZIANO ITALY IF YOU DON'T COME OUT HERE RIGHT NOW! I SWEAR! I'LL... I'll... I DON'T KNOW WHAT YET, BUT YOU WON'T LIKE IT! PLEASE... FELICIANO CHIGI VARGAS!" He cried, as he continued trudging through the deepening snow.

Sometimes, he'd fall into a particularly deep patch of snow, and sink in up to his shoulders or neck. He was shivering badly, and some of the nations were afraid he might collapse in the snow, and die from exposure. They were more worried about me. After all, unlike my brother, I was able to die from this sort of thing.

Lovino kept going, though. Retracing his path as best he could, but even he kept getting turned around in the sea of white. He could hardly see his own hand in front of his face.

Suddenly, a loud sharp bark from Asher made Lovino turn. "W-what is it-t, Asher?" He stuttered, too cold to speak straight. Asher only barked again, and dug at a spot in the snow. Lovino's eyes widened, as he fell to his knees and started digging desperately.

At last, he found a hand. The nations froze. It was my hand. Feliciano's hand.

Lovino pulled a frighteningly pale Feliciano from the snow. He wasn't shivering, nor was he conscious, but he was breathing—barely. Asher barked, again, before running a few steps ahead and back, wanting Lovino to follow him. Lovino dragged his brother as best he could after Asher, who kept barking, rushing ahead, and then rushing back.

Eventually, Lovino found himself in a cave. It was damp and cold, but it was out of the storm. He sighed as he dragged Feliciano in. He then got a good look at his brother, and so did the other nations. It seemed surreal. Feliciano was a pale grayish color, and was no doubt on his way to severe frostbite. He was, thankfully, breathing, but his breaths were shallow and slow. Hypothermia.

"F-fuck... I-I need t-t-t-to... G-g-get him... warm, somehow..." Lovino said, before he pulled open his brother's jacket, and opened his own. He brought Feliciano into a hug, trying to use some of his body heat to warm him. Asher joined in, too, his fur likely warmer than bare human skin—once you got past the snow.

Despite his best efforts, it didn't seem to be working. "No... You can't leave me like this, Felice! I won't let you!" Lovino cried.

China and Japan stared. They kept looking from Feliciano to me. "How did you survive, aru?!" China asked suddenly. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad your alive, but..."

"What China-san means, Itary-kun, is that... by all means you should be dead... The state you're in, in this memory, is mere minutes from death's door. Without proper, modern medical treatments now you're going to die..." Japan said, unable to see how I could've lived.

"In a way... I think I did die... I sacrificed something great, but it was well worth it." I said, turning back to the memory.

"Wait, you were mortal to illness, not cold." France puzzled.

"I am thinking that cold is close enough to kill him, дa?" Russia looked at me, and I nodded.

"Just watch." Romano said, cutting off the others' questions.

Lovino started sobbing, holding his brother close. He knew there was nothing more he could do. That his brother was as good as dead.

"How I hate my job..." A wizened old voice echoed through the cavern. Russia's eyes widened in recognition, as did Canada's. They also realized just how dire the situation was if he was there.

"W-who's there?!" Lovino demanded, tightening his grip on Feliciano. An old man with a white beard and white hair with skin as pale as snow, and eyes like blue ice, stood at the entrance of the cavern. He was dressed in a dark blue coat and scarf with a hat atop his head and a cape billowing in the blizzard. He didn't seem bothered by the cold, and he actually seemed to meld in with the raging storm behind him.

"I am known as General Winter." He said. The nations gasped.

"No... If he's there..." Canada trailed off.

"He came for me." I said softly.

"Why are you here?!" Lovino demanded. General Winter only pointed towards his brother. "Felice?! No! You can't have him! He's my brother!"

"I'm sorry, child... It pains me, it truly does... but I must... It is the law... A balance must be maintained." He spoke without emotion. It was obvious that he'd spoken the lines many times. "I have come for the one known as Feliciano Vargas. Personification of Northern Italy." He stated.

"No... NO! He's my brother does that mean nothing to you?! YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM FROM ME! OVER MY DEAD BODY!" Lovino snapped out.

"I do not want to kill more than I must..." He said tiredly.

"No! Take me! Leave my brother, and take me for your stupid balance!" Lovino cried. "You need to kill someone, right?! To keep that balance you were talking about?! Then take me!"

I whacked Romano on the back of the head. "OW! The fuck Felice!?"

"Don't you dare try to trade your life for mine!" I glared.

"Damnit... You didn't hold back, either... Ow..." Romano muttered, grasping his head.

Oh, he held back, all right. You're head's still attached. Yang idly commented, though he knew I was the only one who could hear him.

"Nope~"

"I cannot. One life does not equal another. His life is to end today." General Winter spoke again, moving towards the twins. Asher was growling, but he knew not to approach the man—to touch him would be death. The nations shivered, unable to see how Lovino had gotten me out of this alive.

"PLEASE! There must be something I can do! ANYTHING!" Finally, the General stopped.

"Anything...?" He asked.

"Yes! ANYTHING!" Lovino shouted, wild hope shining in his eyes. The General paused to consider something.

"Very well. I will spare your brother's life on one condition... He becomes the new General Winter."

The nations froze, unable to comprehend the statement. They turned to me, and I flinched into my brother.

Hush... It's okay... they won't react like that...

"What? But why him!? I can do it!" Lovino demanded.

"No... He is the one destined to die today. If He becomes the new embodiment of Winter, then he will survive this night. He will become immune to cold and all that comes with it. He will never shiver of cold, nor will he ever contract illnesses of the cold or anything of the like. But be warned. He will become sensitive to heat. He will have to learn how to control his powers and emotions. If he has a large enough lapse in control, he could ice-over the entire world." The nations shivered at the thought. "But more than that, he will become winter and all that it entails. Winter is not always pretty. He will kill. Many. Whatever winter kills, he kills." General Winter said. Something clicked for the nations. What I'd said earlier, about how I'm a murderer, and how I've killed millions.

"Oh, Italien..." Germany sighed sadly. But none looked more sorrowful than Russia.

"Италия... I am thinking that you are a good person with lots of warm happy smiles. You are no killer..." I mentally scoffed at Russia's words.

No killer?! Yang laughed.

Uhh... mafia, anyone?

"And you are being a bright sunshine to us all. You are good person. You are not bad." Russia sent me a small, warm, smile.

Despite the inaccuracies in his words, I sent him one, too. "It's okay, Russia. You're a good friend, you know that?"

"I am... friend?" He looked at me in shock.

"Si." I grinned. I knew just how much such a simple meant to him.

"Alright... If it'll save my brother... he might hate me forever, but at least he'll be alive to hate me..." Lovino said.

"Are you sure? There will be no turning back from here on out." General Winter said.

"Yes. But one question... Why? Surely, others have pleaded as I have? Why have you given only me this chance?"

"Because you and your brother are not human. Humans could not handle my powers. They would die. As for why I'm making this deal in the first place... I've been around for billions of years... I'm old and tired. I am worn... I wish for nothing more than Eternal Slumber... By handing over my powers to someone else, I can pass the gauntlet on, and finally sleep." He said, a wistful smile on his face. "I will stay only long enough to teach him to use his powers. Three Winters. That is all." He said.

He stayed a hell of a lot longer than that. I mentally snorted.

Isn't he still around?

Yep. Enjoying his vacation.

"Are you ready?" General Winter asked, kneeling down next to the twins.

"Si." Lovino said, laying Feliciano on the cold ground. General Winter placed his hands on either side of Feliciano's temples. He closed his eyes, and concentrated. An icy-blue white glow started enveloping the two. Feliciano's face scrunched up in pain, but color started returning to his skin. He made no sound.

At last, General Winter stood, holding Feliciano in his arms. "It is done." He said. He looked lighter, happier than before. As if some great burden had suddenly been lifted.

"Is he alright?!" Lovino demanded.

"He is fine. He will live, young one." The General said as he started walking out of the cave. The blizzard seemed to part for him. Lovino and Asher followed close behind, staying in the bubble of protection that calmed the storm.

At long last, they made it to the house. The General turned to Lovino. "When he wakes, he will be confused and disorientated." He pulled out a necklace. It was a beautiful snowflake made of ice on an ice chain. "This will not melt. Have him wear it at all times. It will keep him sane until his training is finished." The General said, fastening it around Feliciano's neck. Instantly, Feliciano's face, which had still been scrunched up in pain, relaxed.

"Sane...?" France asked, but his voice was ignored in favor of watching the memory unfold.

"Head inside. Our training will commence in three days. Have him meet me in the clearing nearby at sunrise. Don't be late." He warned, as he vanished back into the blizzard.

Asher and Lovino, who was now carrying Feliciano, walked back into the house, tired, cold, and scared shitless.

"VINO! FELICE!" Emma cried upon seeing her sons. She immediately babied the two boys.

"Momma... I met General Winter today..." Lovino said, making Emma stop.

"Y-you what...?" She knew the legends. To see General Winter meant you—or someone with you—was going to die.

"He came for Felice... I told him he couldn't take my brother. We made a deal. He made Feliciano into the new General Winter. He'll start training him in three days... He said he'll no longer become sick or be killed by snow or cold or anything like that... D-did I do the right thing, momma? What if he hates me when he wakes up? He's Winter now... He's strange even by nation standards! He'll kill millions and blame himself! All because he can't stop the cold from coming with the Winter! What if he can't handle it?! I didn't even ask him! What if he... what if he hates me...?" Lovino looked so sad and scared at the mere thought of his brother hating him.

"Vino, I could never hate you." I said truthfully. Even after That. I could never truly hate him. "A half cannot truly hate that which makes it whole, idiota." I reminded him.

You really are a saint if you can forgive him after what he did to you. Or me, for that matter.

Yeah, well... I've had a lot of time.

Romano smiled, and leaned into me. "I'm the one who's supposed to call you idiota, idiota."

The scene changed again. Lovino was sitting beside Feliciano's bedside once more. The nations realized with a start just how used to seeing this scene they'd become. It scared them a bit, just how easily they accepted seeing Feliciano—me—lying in a bed weak and frail. Again, Yang shifted uneasily in my mind.

What gives? You're restless today.

I can't help it! You're not supposed to be so tiny and fragile and weak!! It's not right! You're strong!

Are... are you... Yang... are you worried about me? I asked him incredulously.

So what if I am?! You're my vessel! Of course I'd be concerned with the durability of our body!

I mentally laughed. You can come out and say it, you know! You're worried~!

N-no I'm not! Wh-who would care about something that happened so long ago?! It's stupid!!

Uh, huh. Just admit it, Tsundere~ You're worried about me~!

NO!

Yang. We share a mind. I can feel your feelings. I laughed internally as he became more and more flustered. I finally decided to let it rest and watch the memory.

Lovino laid with his head in his arms, dozing lightly, as Feliciano started to stir. He cracked open a golden eye, and stared at the ceiling, with a puzzled look on his face. He reached up his right hand and fingered the necklace given to him by General Winter, his puzzled expression only deepening. Finally, he turned to Lovino.

"Vino...?" At the sound of his brother's voice, Lovino's head whipped up.

"Felice! You're okay!" He cried in joy, hugging his brother. Feliciano hugged back, though terribly confused.

"What happened? What's wrong? Did I collapse again?"

"N-no... You were... You almost died in that blizzard... you fell behind after our hunt, and I didn't notice until we got home... I... I found you buried in the snow... Well, Asher found you, I just dug you out, and..." Feliciano waited patiently for his brother to continue. "I managed to drag you to a cave... To wait out the storm. But you were dying... I could feel it... You... you weren't going to make it... Then... then he came... General Winter came for you." Feliciano stiffened.

"He... came? For me...?"

"Si... I... I struck a deal with him... there was no other way! I swear it! I... I understand if you hate me for it, but..."

"Vino? What is it?" Feliciano asked, scared.

"I... The only way he'd spare you is if you became the new General Winter..." Lovino closed his eyes and cringed back, as if expecting an explosion.

"Okay." Feliciano said simply.

"O-okay?! That's it?! I... You're Winter now! You'll be forced to kill people!" Lovino cried.

"I know. I know what Winter does to people, fratello. Hell, I'm usually its victim... I guess not anymore, huh? I wonder if I can still die from exposure?"

"No... you can't. At least that bastard, General Winter, said you couldn't. He said you'll never get cold again, and you'll never get sick from being cold, either."

"Really?! Awesome! We can have awesome snow days, now fratello! Even in Summer~!" Feliciano cheered.

"I don't think you really understand, Veneziano." Lovino said.

"I know." Feliciano said seriously. "I know I don't understand yet. I can't comprehend something I haven't experienced yet. I don't feel very different, though..." Feliciano said, as he held his hand out in front of him.

"That necklace you're wearing dampens your powers, I think." Lovino said. "He said not to take it off until your training is done. Some shit about you going insane, so you'd better listen!"

"I will, fratello... I promise... and grazie, for saving my life."

The scene changed once more, showing the brothers and Asher hiking out to the clearing.

"What's he like, Vino?"

"I've told you! He's big and a bastard!"

"That's not very nice!"

"I don't have to be nice! He almost killed you." Lovino pointed out.

"Indeed I did." General Winter said, appearing before the children without a sound. The twins jumped, as Asher yelped in alarm, also startled.

"Feliciano Vargas, I am General Winter. I will teach you for Three Winters about your new abilities." He said, getting straight to business. Lovino and Asher sat beneath a tree to watch.

"You may have already discovered a few abilities. You can create, control, manipulate, and disperse snow, ice, frost, sleet, and cold." He held up his hand and formed an ice snowflake like Feliciano's necklace.

"Now you try. Concentrate. Imagine the object's appearance in your mind, and will it into being." He said. Feliciano held up his hand, and concentrated. A swirl of icy-blue white energy swirled in his palm before taking shape into a sloppy, but still recognizable snowflake made of ice. It was nowhere near as detailed as General Winter's, but it was a start.

"Good. Now again. You'll do it again and again, until you get it to look as detailed as mine. Then we'll move on."

"General Winter was a harsh teacher." I said, catching the attention of the other nations. "He was strict and no-nonsense, but he was kind once you got to know him. And he never breaks his promise. Ever."

"Da... General Winter can be a very good friend and ally." Russia said.

"Yes... He once promised to never forget me... He hasn't forgotten me once." Canada said happily.

We were treated to a little montage of my training with General Winter. It included both hilarity and embarrassing mess-ups, pranks pulled on Lovino and Asher, and serious training on emotion management and power control. Plus many, many lectures. He talked my ear off, almost literally.

Finally, the day came where my training was finished, and he was to remove my necklace. He snapped his fingers, and the snowflake necklace fell from Feliciano's neck. A shockwave of pure energy emitted from the child, as he doubled over, clutching his head. A snowstorm kicked up around him, encircling him as he cried out in pain.

"THE VOICES!" Feliciano cried.

"Voices...?" America asked, worried.

"The voices of all those touched by winter." I stated, creating a mini blizzard in the palm of my hand. "Every life, human or otherwise, touched by my snow, is touched by me. I can see them, hear them, feel them. It's like the connection to our people. From the old man shoveling snow from his driveway to the little boy freezing to death in the woods. Every nation. Every being. I feel them all. At the time, Vino and I weren't connected to our nation. We didn't know about the connection between a nation and their people yet. We hadn't experienced it. This was my first taste, and I didn't particularly like it. Then again, it's probably something akin to joining with your nation in the middle of a large disaster, minus the pain. I could hear hundreds of thousands of people crying out in the cold. Dying. I was only 8 emotionally, you understand. I didn't know how to handle it. Sometimes, I still don't." I admitted.

"They aren't your fault." Japan said, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Ja... You may be winter, but winter has to come at some time. Without death there would be no life." Prussia said.

"Funny; General Winter told me the same thing." I told him.

"Feliciano!" Lovino cried out, trying to run to his brother.

"No." General Winter stopped him from reaching Feliciano. "He must overcome this himself, if he is to truly become the embodiment of winter."

"But! He's in pain!" Lovino said, unable to stand there and watch his brother suffer.

"He must overcome this himself." General Winter repeated.

"V-Vino!" Feliciano ground out through gritted teeth. "H-he's right! L-Let me h-handle t-this!" Lovino stood back, not happy in the least with his brother's decision.

After almost an hour of struggling, Feliciano straightened up. "I..." he started, before his eyes glowed white as snow, and power poured out of his every pore. "I AM WINTER!" He cried, raw power lacing his voice. With that cry, another shockwave of energy was released, and the storm calmed.

"Well done! You have become one with your power." General Winter said, pride shining in his eyes.

"I... I can still hear them... Are they the people touched by winter?" Feliciano asked, visibly disturbed by the voices suddenly appearing in his mind.

"Yes. They'll follow you until the day you die. I, myself, can still hear them." He said.

"I see... I suppose I'd better get used to them then..." Feliciano said solemnly; his eyes had nearly lost that innocent sparkle. It was still there, but it had dulled, saddening the nations.

"Vino~ Look!" Feliciano said, creating a snow bunny in front of him, and animating it so it moved like a real rabbit. "I can make you some pets that don't eat your food, now!" He teased.

"OI!" Lovino started to chase Feliciano around the clearing, starting a major snowball fight. It was hilarious and lighthearted and full of fun, and even General Winter joined in at some point. Feliciano and the General created snow people to join in the war, and it became a frenzy of snow flying everywhere.

"YOU ARE ON ZE AWESOME PRUSSIA'S AWESOME TEAM!" Prussia cried out, causing a few nations to chuckle. The lighter atmosphere was greatly appreciated, after all the pain and sorrow that we'd witnessed so far.

"Ve~"

"Chigi."

"Hey, dude! California's in a bit of a drought right now, d'ya think that you could—"

"Sorry America," I cut him off. "It doesn't work that way. I have to keep the balance. The last time I let it get outta whack, I almost set off another ice-age." The nations shivered at the thought. "I'm that powerful. I am the sole embodiment of winter, after all. If I don't keep a firm hold on my emotions, then I could cause some serious environmental issues. And before you say anything, Global Warming has nothing to do with me as a season. Or Summer, for that matter." I state, adding a sidelong glance to Romano.

"Aw man!"

"But I wouldn't be breaking any rules or boundaries if I... made us a little snow-day when we get back~" I say, gesturing to the snowball fight in the memory. Even General Winter was having a blast.

"I was thinking we could invite General Winter to come too, дa?" Russia asked.

"Ve~ Sure! I haven't seen him for a few decades~ It'd be nice!" I smiled, enjoying the thought.

"Just don't push yourself." Romano mumbled to me.

"Si..." I muttered back, before turning to the others. "Grazie... For not abandoning me." I said, mentally wincing at my choice in words.

"Abandon you?! Why would we do something like that?!" Germany asked.

I ask myself the same question.

"Well... I've killed millions of people... humans... even children from every nation. Including yours. Every year. Hypothermia, cold exposure, any number of things. Even suffocation via snow! I... I've taken so many lives, and I... I thought you'd hate me for it..." I said, looking at my hands. I can still see the blood...

It's on my hands, too... Not just yours. Don't worry... I've gotcha.

You always do. I mentally smiled at him.

"Itary-kun." Japan said, placing his hands over mine. I looked up, startled. He smiled at me gently. "It isn't your fault. Like we said, your season must come regardless. To have life, there must be death. We may not like it, but it's necessary. It's not your fault. You can't help it."

"I... I once tried to stop it." I said quietly. "I tried to stop winter from coming... I held it back for 3 weeks. I nearly died because of it. The rebound nearly caused an ice-age, and I vowed to never hold it back for so long again."

"Would you happen to have had anything to do with that recent cold-snap in Slovenia?" Canada asked delicately. I flinched.

"Yes. I... I was very sick and in a stressful situation." I admitted. "I had a temporary lapse on my power control. Luckily, I was able to regain control..." Thanks again for that help, Yang.

Anytime.

"It wasn't your fault." Romano said.

"That explains the heavy snowfall in southern Utah..." America muttered to himself. "And the sudden sub-zero temps in different areas of my nation."

"Wait! You were sick, aru?! Recently, aru?! I thought you said you were better now, aru!" China said, making the other nations' eyes widen in realization.

"Si. Nation or not, though my immune system is much better now, I can still get sick. Just last month I caught a nasty bout of the flu that had me stuck in bed for days! It was such a pain." I said.

"So you weren't at the meetings...?" Japan trailed off.

"Si... I was in the hospital for a while. I was pretty sick a few months back, and I... well... I nearly died again. But anyways, that's still a ways up. It's not overly important, so I'm not sure if it'll even show up in the memories. We're still only just finishing up our childhood, and then... Oh, Dio! Our teenage years!" I paled rapidly.

"Oh crap!" Romano also followed my lead and started paling. The nations didn't quite know what to do.

"What's so bad about it?" America asked. We just looked at each other.

"Japan? Remember what I told you in World War Two...?" He looked at me puzzled, for a moment, before his eyes widened.

"Oh... So it happened then?" He asked, now understanding part of why I was so nervous.

"Si..." The other nations just looked between Romano, Japan, and me.

"I suppose we'll just have to wait until the memories come, oui?" France finally said, giving me a comforting look. Yeah... Still on my shit list, Francie~! I thought back snidely as I gave him a gentle smile. Sometimes, I wonder what the others would say if they knew what I was thinking.

I turned back to the memory, watching as our past selves played in the snow. Momma had come out and joined us, now. It was all of us. Vino, Asher, Momma, General Winter and myself... We were all playing together in the snow, laughing and having an absolute blast. I smiled, reaching for Vino's hand. We watched together in contentment one of the last happy memories we had together with our mother. This day was forever ingrained in our minds, and we would treasure it always.

Perhaps, I thought to myself, something good did come from this spell after all? I get to experience these happy times again with my new eidetic memory... I'll never forget, now. Never. Grazie.

A/N

Hey! How's life going for everybody? Sorry it's taken so long to update. Life's been a bitch lately for me. But things are lookin' up. ^^ But that also means life will be getting busy. Regardless, keep an eye out for updates. For those of you who read my other stories, they will be updated within the next few days. I'm updating this story at the same time as HetaOni: Italy's Story, so if you haven't checked that out yet, go look! >:D

Words: 5,484

Pages: 11

Edited: 03/05/2019