Chapter 17: Amarantha

"So, I imagine everyone's tired." England started awkwardly.

"I'm tired, but not 'go to bed' tired, ya know?" America shrugged as he flopped down on the couch.

"I know what you mean. I think it's because we've been standing for so long." China gratefully sat down in one of the plush armchairs, his bones creaking and popping as he settled.

"You're starting to sound old, again." Japan warned, a playful smirk on his face.

"Oh, don't you start! Even though you're only half my age, you're still one of the oldest countries here." China protested.

"Just because I am also old, does not mean that you are not still old." Japan chuckled softly before heading towards the kitchen. "I'll go make us some tea."

"Coffee..." America groaned, half-melting into a pile of mush from lack of caffeine.

"Uh... your brother's melting. Is that normal?" Prussia asked Canada.

"When he hasn't had his coffee? Yeah." Canada sighed. "Come on, Al. Don't melt completely. I'll make you your afternoon coffee."

"Really?!" America sprung up, solidifying suddenly. "Aw, man! You're the best!" He grinned.

"Yeah, yeah." Canada grumbled as he followed Japan to the kitchen.

Half an hour later (and several cups of coffee for America) showed the nations gathered around the living room area talking amongst themselves about everything but the memories.

I turned towards my brother. "You know, it'll probably have her next, right?" Romano's shoulders slumped.

"I know. I'm sort of excited to see her again, but..."

"You're terrified of the pain, aren't you? I feel the same way with... Holy Rome." I admitted, looking down.

"I'm sorry." Romano reached out and squeezed my hand in comfort. "I'll get through my part so I can support you in yours." He smiled softly.

"What luck we have, eh? Not only have we both loved and lost, but we can't even keep those moments and memories private." I sighed, leaning back in my chair. The ceiling suddenly became the most interesting thing. I started picking out different pictures in the texture. "I don't suppose we could just sit it out or something?" I smiled bitterly. "There are some memories I don't even want you to see."

"Really? Well, I suppose that makes sense. A lot of things have happened without either of us there for the other. But... you wouldn't keep anything big from me, would you?" He raised a concerned eyebrow.

"Not unless I had to."

"So that's a yes, then." He sighed. "You have a really bad habit of hiding things that you feel will hurt others."

"So I care about you. Is that really so wrong?" I shrugged, tapping out a mindless rhythm on the arm of my chair.

"No it isn't. But not trusting me to help you is. What if you got hurt? I don't know what I'd do with myself if something happened to you because you were too damn stubborn to share it with me." He crossed his arms. I closed my eyes, not wanting to meet his gaze at the moment.

"Then it'd be my fault. Not yours." Because it was my fault. And it always will be.

Oi...

It's true.

No, it's Adelchi's fault.

"Idiota. At least promise me that if you can, you'll tell me going forward, okay?" Romano didn't like it. I knew he didn't. But it was the most he could do at that time.

"All right. If I can, I'll tell you going forward, unless I really can handle it myself."

"That's as good as I'm going to get right now, isn't it?" He sighed.

"Yup." I popped the 'p'.

"Honestly, baby brother, you're hopeless." He smiled softly, ruffling my hair, causing me to open my eyes again and bat his hands away in protest.

"Oi~" I complained. He just laughed and poked my nose, making me cross my eyes to watch him. And I'm older than you, so... I didn't voice my thoughts.

"Just remember. You're my little brother, so you're my responsibility. It's my job to protect you." He met my gaze. "So let me do my job once in a while, would'ya?"

"All right, all right. If you insist." I playfully stuck out my tongue.

The rest of the evening (at least we assumed it was evening, as there was really no concept of time in this place) passed by relatively peacefully. China made everyone dinner, and then we all headed off to bed.

I found it rather difficult to sleep, that night. I feel sorry for fratello. Tomorrow's going to be difficult for him.

Don't feel bad for the stupid bastard. I'm shocked you still care after what he did.

Pipe down, Yang. He doesn't even remember That.

Just because he doesn't remember doesn't mean he didn't do it.

I can't hold it against him any longer. Those were special circumstances.

Yet you still can't trust him completely, can you? You're still doubting him in the back of your mind, wondering if he'll do it again.

Shut up. You've been so nice lately, and now you're being a dick again.

Nice? I've been a dick this entire time. You're just used to me by now.

No, I think that us getting out of that place changed you. That finally... after all this time... you're changing. And it's pissing you off. I smirked as he growled. Ooh~ Hit a chord, did I?

Yang didn't bother to respond, leaving me to my thoughts. Eventually, I climbed out of bed without waking my brother and went to the living room. Nobody was awake, so I sat on the couch and pulled out my old Journal from my bag. It was about the size of your average book, and had Celtic-like knots on the cover that ended up forming a cross. It was a dark reddish brown in coloration and looked somewhat like a very thin bible, but I knew better. The darkened coppery stains on the cover were anything but innocent.

I carefully set it back in my bag, deciding now was not the time to tread among those memories. They'd come up sooner or later as it was. No need to go torture myself needlessly.

Instead, I pulled out my sketchbook and a pencil and got to work. I didn't really have anything in mind to begin with, so I just let my mind wander as I drew.

"Ah, that's very good, Itary-kun." Japan's voice startled me quite badly, almost making me ruin my sketch.

"J-Japan? What are you doing up at this hour?" I asked, looking up at the brown-eyed nation behind me.

"At this hour... Have you been up all night? It's nearly five in the morning." His eyes softened in concern.

"Oh. I couldn't really sleep." I admitted. I glanced down at what I'd been drawing. It was Holy Rome. Oh. I shook my head, closing the book and putting it away. Thankfully, Japan didn't comment further on the drawing.

"Will you be okay?"

"I'll be fine. It's not my first sleepless night, and it certainly won't be my last." I chuckled, slinging my bag over my shoulder. "Shall we start breakfast, then?"

"If you're sure." Japan relented, smiling softly.

Breakfast was a quiet affair, mostly because everyone was still waking up. It wasn't too long after, though, that we started the memories again.

"All right, everybody ready?" England asked, looking reluctant. Romano shifted nervously beside me, and I reached out to offer him support. "Then here we go." England muttered a few words under his breath, and the Break Room faded away.

Feliciano and Lovino were walking down a busy street. They seemed older, now, likely around sixteen or seventeen years old. I winced lightly as I recognized this memory. "It's about 254 BC, now. We're 499 years old." I said, making some of the nations blink at the time jump.

"So, I'm guessing we just skipped boring stuff, then?" America asked. Romano nodded.

"Pretty much. This is the next most important event."

The twins were busy talking about something, so Lovino didn't notice until he crashed into a pretty young girl of about fourteen years, sending them both toppling to the ground.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" She said, pushing her long chestnut hair out of her bright green eyes.

"No, no, it was my fault. I should've..." He stopped as he caught her gaze, and he seemed breathless.

Feliciano watched in mild interest, while I held back a chuckle. Romano, on the other hand, looked like a blind man seeing the world for the first time. He couldn't take his eyes off of the girl in the memory.

"I-I'm sorry, where are my manners? My name is Vargas, Lovino Vargas." He quickly held out a hand for the girl and helped her up.

"I'm Amarantha, but I hate my full name. Please call me Amara." She smiled brightly at him.

"I'm sorry, for knocking you down..." He said again, shuffling awkwardly.

"I-it's okay, really." The two just stood there for a few moments before Amara spoke again. "Well, I-I should get going."

"Oh, right. Sorry again." Lovino took a step aside so she could pass, and he couldn't help but stare after her as she continued walking.

"I know that look." Feliciano smirked. "Go on, fratello."

"Wh-what?" Lovino stared at his brother in confusion.

"You like her. Don't try to deny it. Go. If you miss this chance, who knows if you'll ever meet her again?" Feli chuckled as he gently shoved his brother in her direction.

"F-fine. But only because you're making me!" He blushed lightly, before running off after her. Feli watched as the two fell into step beside one another and started talking.

"Ah~ Young love~!" France grinned.

The scene faded out to show the two sitting in a living room. "So? How'd your date with Amara go?" Feli asked as Lovino walked in through the front door.

"It went... well." He smiled softly, a light blush on his cheeks.

"This is a few months after the last memory. They'd been dating that whole time, but didn't admit it until weeks after they'd started." I informed the nations.

"Sounds serious." England observed, feeling bad for Romano. After all, she was only human.

"We were." Romano stared at the scene sadly.

"Hey... um... She wanted to take us both out to eat for our birthday, tomorrow." Lovino grinned.

"Oh, that's nice of her! But go without me." Feliciano smiled.

"What?! But it's our birthday, and she invited you, too!" Lovino argued. "Besides, it's our five hundredth birthday. That's a pretty big one."

"I know, I know. But I want you two to spend it together. We'll spend the next one together, okay? I know how much you like her. She is only human, fratello. You have hundreds of birthdays to spend with me. She won't be here forever, so you should spend as much time with her as you can." Feli said, a smile on his features.

"Are you sure?" Lovino asked, concerned for his brother. "We've never spent a birthday apart."

"I'm sure. Go. Have fun." Feli grinned. "And tell Amara I said hi, okay?"

"Will do." Lovino finally relented, letting the memory fade.

There was a quick montage of the three of them spending time together, showing Amarantha becoming an important figure in both their lives. It showed Lovino and Amara kissing, Feliciano helping her pull pranks on his brother, and a few scenes of the twins continuing their 'business'.

It finally slowed to show the three sitting in Feli and Lovi's house. "Amara... there's something you should know." Lovino started nervously.

"Oh?"

"We... we aren't exactly human."

"I sort of figured." She chuckled.

"Wh-what?" Lovino looked shocked.

"Well, it's been two years, but you two haven't really aged. And don't think I haven't noticed your insane healing abilities. So, what are you?" She asked eagerly, sitting forward.

"We're nations." Feli said, filling in for his shocked brother. "My full name is Veneziano Italy, and his full name is Romano Italy."

"Romano... I'll call you Roma, then." She smiled.

"That's an unusual reaction." Prussia noted, watching as the two explained as best they could what they were.

"Indeed. She took it very well." England agreed. He'd seen his fair share of unsavory reactions.

"Is that why you don't like it when I call you 'Roma'?" Spain asked suddenly, looking at Romano.

"Yeah... That's Amara's nickname for me. Nobody else." He said quietly. Spain winced, but seemed to accept it.

The memory blurred again, this time showing the two on a date with Feliciano sneaking along.

"There's something I want to ask you, Amara..." Lovino started, looking extremely nervous.

"What is it, Roma?" She asked, chuckling lightly. "You look so nervous all of a sudden."

"I... would you..." He took a deep breath and shook his head. "Would you marry me?" He looked her in the eye, red as a tomato. Amarantha stared at him in shock for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

"Oh, Roma. You idiot. Of course." She grinned, laughing as he twirled her in a circle. Lovino's laughter was so carefree that it made the nations blink in surprise. His entire face lit up as he pulled her in for another kiss.

In that moment, Lovino looked so bright and full of hope, laughter, and light. He seemed like a completely different person from the jaded, broody Southern Italy that cussed everyone out every chance he got.

The scene blurred to show Lovino literally skipping through the front door. "SHE SAID YES!!" Lovino shouted joyously.

"So I heard." Feli smirked as he scribbled down something on a piece of paper. "Congratulations."

"Wait, didn't you need her father's permission in those times?" America asked, confused.

"She didn't have any family, really." Romano explained. "She was an orphan for most of her life. Most men in those days wouldn't have asked, but simply would've used her, and made her his wife, but... I wanted to give her the choice." He smiled softly, blinking away the wetness in his eyes.

"I see... She seemed like a very independent woman." America continued, thinking of some of the women he'd come across in his youth.

"Oh, she was a little spitfire, for sure. She wasn't afraid to tell me what she thought, nor was she afraid to correct me if I was wrong. I had several men tell me to keep her in line, and I kindly responded with a fist in their face." He chuckled, remembering some of the fights he'd gotten into in his youth.

"Ah~ My little tomato is all grown up and getting married!" Spain teased, but internally he was heartbroken on Romano's behalf. He knew she was human, and so was now most definitely dead.

The scene blurred again, this time showing the two wrapped in their cloaks once more. "This is about three months after the last memory." I stated softly, glancing at my brother in concern. Romano was stiff as a board, and had paled quite badly. I reached out to him through the link, trying my best to take his mind off the current memory. It was a terrible night for us both.

"So our target is supposed to be here soon, are you ready?" Lovino asked, notching an arrow on his bow.

"I'm always ready, fratello. Now are you ready for the big day tomorrow?" Feliciano smirked, nudging his twin playfully.

"Now's not the time, Felice. You know as well as I do that this is an important mission." Lovino chastised, but they could still hear the happiness and excitement in his voice.

"There he is." Feli pointed to a balding fat man who was casually walking down the dirt road. He had a couple of well-armed men tailing him, presumably his guard. Lovino readied his bow, but before he could fire, a scream filled the night air. In his surprise, he let the arrow fly too soon, embedding itself in the dirt just in front of the now frightened man, who quickly ran away. A failed mission.

But the two instantly sprang into action, running towards the sound of the scream.

Romano closed his eyes and turned his head. Once was bad enough. He wasn't going to watch it again. I didn't blame him. Instead, I pulled him into a hug, allowing him to bury his face into my shirt as I covered his ears. I played Momma's Lullaby through our Link to block out any unnecessary sounds.

The two ran out to a horrific scene of Amarantha on the ground, a knife buried in her gut and two men laughing as she struggled to breathe.

"Amara!" Lovino cried in horror, running to his fiancé. Feliciano let his ice spread as he attacked the two men, who'd just been openly planning on 'having their way' with her.

"Amara? Amara! Stay with me!" Lovino begged as he started to treat her, only to find that the wound was too serious. His limited medical knowledge couldn't save her.

"R-Roma..." She gasped out in pain. "L-listen to me... I want you to know that I love you. Don't you dare blame yourself for this... Promise me..." She coughed badly, and her breathing became raspy and shallow. "Promise me... my beloved husband." The shining light in her bright emerald eyes dimmed, as her breathing became quiet, before it finally stopped.

The nations had been so enraptured in the scene that they didn't realize the two men were already dead until they looked up to find two ice-blades buried deeply in their chests.

Feliciano's head was bowed. Lovino's breath hitched, as he gently shook her. "Amara? Amara?!" He tried desperately to get her to respond, unable to believe that she was gone. "C-come on, wake up!" Tears flowed thickly down his face.

"Amara?! AMARA!!!" His scream filled the night sky, making the nations feel sick. Quite a few of them knew what he was feeling. This was a very private memory. They had the decency to look away from the scene, at least.

I tightened my hold on Romano as he shook, his head still buried in my shoulder. I pretended not to notice the growing wet spot, and gently rubbed his back, humming our mother's lullaby verbally, now. "It'll be okay, fratello. I'm here. You aren't alone. She's at peace, now." I spoke softly, gently rocking him. I caught England's gaze and thankfully, he got the message.

With a quick mutter, we found ourselves back in the Break Room, and I didn't hesitate in bringing my brother upstairs away from the other nations. We would continue with the memories in a little bit, but for now, my brother just needed some peace and quiet. I prayed that I would never hear such devastated sobs come from my twin again.

A/N: Holy crap, guys... A THIRD fucking update! Believe me, I'm as shocked as you. I wrote this in a day, and I'm blown away. So we finally find out who this mysterious Amarantha is~! I'm sorry that I couldn't do her justice.

This was my FIRST EVER attempt at writing romance of any kind. I, myself, have never really had a romantic relationship before, so I'm not entirely sure what it's really like aside from movies and TV. I method-write, meaning everything I describe, I do so by putting myself in my main character's shoes. I close my eyes and think, 'what do I see? What do I smell? How would that situation make me feel?' That's why I can make some of you cry. I try my absolute best to write authentically.

That being said, having never truly experienced romantic feelings, I'm at a loss when writing romance. That's another reason why my stories are never romance. I do apologize if it disappoints anyone. (Hopefully I can do Holy Rome more justice, but somehow I doubt it. -_-)

This next chapter should wrap up the Second Arc of this story (out of, like ten).

ALSO~! An awesome friend of mine, RewriteTheMoon, introduced me to an app called Telegram. My username on there is still SilvermistAnimeLover, and you can text me on that from another country~! :D And it's free!! So please, feel free to message me when you're bored. Just mention that you're one of my readers so I know you're not a wrong number. ^^

Okay, super long Author's Note is now done. XD

Words: 3,025/3,151

Pages: 7

Posted: 12/19/2018

Edited: 03/06/2019