Chapter 38: The First Loop

As I had promised, a half hour after we'd passed through the Front Gates, the Mansion appeared. I did not bother to hide my sneer and glare as I set my sights upon the accursed building.

"Woah, I don't think I've ever see Italy look so terrifying." America gulped, and a few nations took an involuntary step back upon seeing my expression.

Luciano glared, too, but his wasn't quite as hateful as mine. All feelings of wanting to come back vanished the moment I caught sight of the place, and for that, I was grateful.

I ignored the tiny sigh of relief I felt when we stepped inside.

"It's been a long time." Yang spoke casually as he looked around.

"Not long enough." I spat, surprising several of the nations.

"There's not a speck of dust!" Arthur pointed out, running a hand over the railing. "Are you sure this place is abandoned? I don't fancy getting in trouble for breaking and entering."

"The door was unlocked, how's that breaking and entering?" Alfred countered. "Come on, man! Let's have a look around!" He grinned, bouncing in place excitedly.

"Trespassing, then! Oh, I don't know..." Arthur looked around warily. "Something feels off, here. Maybe we should go." But even as he said it, he quietly closed the door behind him.

"Fate sealed." I sighed.

"What was that?" Flavio looked up at me. I just shook my head.

"I'm sure it's nothing. You're just being paranoid." Yao dismissed the Englishman.

"No... I feel a disturbance as well." Kiku spoke up, looking around warily. "Something is wrong. I don't feel right about this."

"Kesesese! You're all wimps!" Gilbert laughed. "Maybe we should split up into groups?"

"Ve~! I wanna be with Japan and Germany!" Feliciano grinned happily.

A sudden crash from the hallway on the right caused the group to jump. "Perhaps someone is here, after all." Francis spoke warily. "Maybe we should go."

"Nonsense. It was likely just the wind." Ludwig dismissed. "But if it bothers you that much, then go have a look yourself." He shrugged.

"How would it be the wind if it came from inside the house?" South Korea gave Germany an odd look.

"Fine. I will." Francis stalked off towards the Kitchen.

"I'd better go with him. Damn frog might hurt himself if there's broken glass." Arthur sighed. Matthew followed, leaving the seven nations in the Entryway.

I tensed, knowing what was about to happen. "Everyone be ready. And please, try not to panic." I shot them a sardonic look.

"Ready? Ready for what?" Prussia asked, but a moment later, a giant monster appeared from the stairs, and I instantly fell into a defensive stance, ready to draw its attention and dash for the stairs. A moment later, I remembered that this was a memory, and straightened up with a light flush.

It was twice as tall as a man, with sickly grey leathery skin stretched taut over bones and muscle. The thing's large eyes were black, like an endless abyss. It stood on two legs, and had a long spiked tail. Two arms extended from its torso, ending in three fingers and a thumb, each equipped with razor sharp black claws. Its head was shaped vaguely like a human, but it had razor sharp teeth that it bared at the nations like some kind of fiend.

In short, it was terrifying, and the nations in the Entryway panicked, as expected. The nations watching the memory froze in fear, staring in shock at the gruesome and horrifying monster.

"Wh-what is that?!" Austria choked out, stumbling backwards and landing on his butt. South Korea looked petrified, and Hungary looked ready to faint.

"I call it a Thing." I answered, unbothered by the sight of the monster after having fought it for so long.

"H-how are you not panicking?!" Romano asked, looking at Luciano, Yang, and myself.

"We've seen all this before." Yang yawned, stretching and popping his shoulders.

The other nations stared at us in disbelief. They were all scared to some degree, whether they showed it or not. Even Russia eyed it warily, suppressing a shudder.

Ludwig suddenly let loose a sudden comically high-pitched scream that sounded distinctly feminine, and that set off an entire chain of reaction as everybody scrambled to get away. It was a scene that the other nations should've laughed at, but their terror killed any humor the scene may have initially held.

Alfred attempted to shoot it, and that caused the Thing to lash out with its tail. It hit Alfred hard, slamming him into the wall, but he luckily missed the spikes. The nations scrambled everywhere, and Matthew picked up a half-conscious Alfred amongst the chaos, which I knew ultimately saved his life.

Feliciano ran up the stairs, and eventually, the Thing was lost, and he was alone in the Third Floor Library. "What was that thing?!" Feli was shaking badly from head to toe. "I've never seen anything like it before! I thought I was going to die!" He shuddered.

The nations around me were starting to calm down, too. "You... you knew it was going to come out..." France looked at me.

"Well, duh. Unlike you, I never forgot this place." I deadpanned. "Didn't I explain that already?" I looked towards Yang and Luciano who both shrugged.

"You... but... why?" Romano stuttered.

"Why what, fratello?" I raised an eyebrow. "You're going to have to be more coherent than that."

"Vino." Luciano cut in. "Perhaps you should wait until after this memory sequence is finished. If you have questions after that, we'll answer what we can." He looked towards the room. "We're probably going to have a break after this sequence is over. And believe me, you'll know when it's over."

"You weren't surprised, either." Flavio looked at his brother.

"What happened to Feli here, happened to me in our world. There was one of these accursed Mansions there, too." Luciano spat, and the venom in his voice made his brother flinch. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you."

Feliciano shakily stood up from his hiding spot behind a bookcase. "I need to find Germany and the others." He decided. "Wait... who came again?" He tilted his head in confusion.

"You forgot?" Prussia blinked.

"So did you." I replied dryly.

The scene blurred again, before showing all ten nations gathered around the table in the Fireplace Room. Everyone was injured to some extent, and several nations had makeshift bandages made from torn pieces of white fabric. Feliciano was tearing up one of his white flags into strips, which he handed to Kiku. He thanked the Italian and started wrapping some of Matthew's injuries.

"So everyone's here, I assume?" Francis asked, and everyone nodded their heads.

"How strange. My magic isn't working here, and it seems our memories are being affected, as well." Arthur spoke up. "Unless I'm the only one who keeps forgetting who's here."

"Nyet... I was also forgetting who came." Ivan agreed. "It is like head was getting all fuzzy."

"Hai. I think our first goal should be to escape. We cannot forget that." Kiku added.

"How can we forget to escape?!" Gilbert looked at the Japanese man in disbelief. "Not like there's anything else to do other than run for our lives."

"My past self has a point." Prussia nodded.

"My magic... I felt like it was being drained somehow..." England muttered to himself.

As the memory nations were sitting around talking, and Feliciano was clinging to Ludwig, terrified, I tensed. "It's coming back." I warned my group, as I recognized where we were in the conversation.

Before anyone could say anything, the Thing burst through the door behind Kiku, snarling. I'd spent so long around these horrid monsters, that I'd picked up on their moods. This one was enjoying the game, the unexpected hunt.

As the nations scrambled again, the memory phased out to show Feliciano wondering around alone, again. I closed my eyes, bowed my head, and took a deep breath.

"Fratello...?" Romano asked, unsure.

I turned my gaze towards Japan. "I'm sorry."

Feliciano entered the Piano Room to find Kiku investigating the bookcase. "Ah! Itary-kun, I'm glad you've found me. I was getting worried. I cannot find anyone."

"Ve~ I'm glad I remembered that you came. I think Germany and Prussia's here, too... I can't really remember..." Feli's brows furrowed in confusion. "This is so weird..." He sighed.

"I agree. I know I am old, but my memory shouldn't be this bad." Kiku chuckled lightly, making Feli give him a smile.

Suddenly, the door that Feliciano had carelessly left cracked was slammed open, and the Thing rushed in. It went after the person closest to its position—Feliciano.

I shuddered as I watched the scene. I'd had countless nightmares where I relieved this very moment, and every single time I woke up crying.

Kiku, realizing that there was no time, gripped the back of Feliciano's shirt, and roughly threw him to the side.

Blood flew through the air as Kiku cried out in pain.

"NO!" China cried out in horror.

"Itai..." Japan rubbed his chest, likely remembering the pain.

"Ja-Japan!!" Feliciano cried out, horrified.

"Itary-kun..." Kiku clenched his jaw as he held his katana before him. "I will... protect you. I promise." He smirked, even as blood stained his white uniform and dribbled down his chin. The Thing swung its mighty tail at Kiku, who barely managed to block it with his sword. It made an odd creaking sound, but held.

He let out a cry as he charged the monster before him. Through sheer instinct and luck, he managed to hit its forehead, making it back up with an irritated hiss as it vanished. His katana gave a cracking sound as the blade shattered, the strain of blocking the hit combined with the stress of slicing through the Thing's thick skin was too much for the trusty blade. Like it's owner, it, too, was finally at the end of its life.

Japan flinched. To a samurai... or a ninja... one's katana was precious and personal. Though I supposed it was fitting that it only died when its wielder did.

"It's like a ghost!" South Korea cried out.

"Perhaps it really is a ghost..." France commented.

Kiku staggered on his feet, falling against the leg of the white piano. His blood started to pool beneath him. It was obvious that the wounds he'd obtained were fatal.

"Itary-kun..." Kiku wheezed out. "Are you okay? You are... unharmed, hai?"

"S-si... I'm fine, but! But Japan!!" Feli had tears running down his face. Dear God, why?! I should've reacted faster! If he hadn't been protecting me, then...

"Huhu... I'm sorry. It looks like this is the end for me." Kiku smiled sadly, his teeth stained red. His breathing was labored, and he looked to be in great pain.

"D-don't say that! Wait just a minute! I'll make bandages out of a flag and stop the bleeding!" Feliciano reached into his bag to pull out his flags, but there was nothing but wooden poles left. No... please! This can't be happening...

"No... no, it's hopeless. There is no time." Kiku argued weakly, his smile became bitter. "Please, just leave me here and go to the others. Fortunately, they've forgotten... that I came here. Please, leave me... " Feliciano shook his head. How could you ask me that, Japan?! After all we've been through... to just leave you to die alone?! Feli's thoughts echoed around the room.

"Of course I can't do that! Just—I'll make bandages right now! Please!" Feli begged, tears streaming down his face.

I could tell that the nations watching were saddened, but they did not understand. They had no way of knowing that we were mortal in that place. They did not know that this... that Japan had truly died here.

"Itary-kun." Kiku said, hissing through clenched teeth as a wave of pain swept through him.

"Wh-what?" Feli hiccupped.

"You don't have your white flags any more, do you? You have already used them all to make bandages for everyone else." Kiku laughed bitterly, his fist weakly clenched around his broken katana.

"No—I-I do! L-look! I just made some! I'll help you right now!" Feliciano sobbed. He looked around desperately for anything that could be used as bandages, but he realized that it was hopeless. However, his denial was strong, and he refused to believe it. "No... No, Japan!! I'll do anything! I'll do anything!! Just hold on a little longer!" His cries made the nations cringe, and I could tell that they were trying to understand why Feliciano was reacting so strongly.

They think he'll come back. I mentally sighed.

"Itary-kun, you are very kind. But even though my eyes are dulled, I know that you are lying." Kiku let his head fall back against the piano, his eyes staring blankly ahead as his hands clenched weakly into bloody fists.

The thick red substance was pooling beneath him. He took a shaky breath and continued. "It is so... frustrating." Tears rolled down Kiku's face, smearing the blood in its path. "Till the end, I wanted us to get out... together." He slumped against the piano leg as his breath left him.

"J-Japan?" Feliciano called out, tentatively shaking the shoulder of the other. There was no response, and the nations watching felt an odd weight settle in their stomachs. "Japan! Please wake up... tell me my gut is wrong... Tell me you're not..." He choked back a terrible sob, before hugging Kiku's body, sobbing into what remained of his friend. "JAPAAAN!" He cried, brokenhearted.

He stayed there, sobbing into Kiku's cooling form until Gilbert stumbled upon the sad scene. He stood in the doorway, a look of shock and horror painted on his features as he processed what he was seeing.

"Why does this always happen to you, Ita?" He whispered softly, a tear rolled down his face.

The scene faded out, as he quietly pulled the distraught Italian away from the murder, and back out into the hallway, closing the door behind them.

For a moment all was still. "I... that cannot be right." Japan shook his head, as if to dispel some imaginary fog.

"He... he should've revived..." Canada shook his head in confusion. "But... that was at least a few hours!! He... he didn't..."

"Maybe... you weren't immortal there?" Flavio tentatively suggested.

"What do you mean?!" China demanded. "There's no way he could've died! Japan's right here, and we're immortal!" He was angry, and I knew it was because he was scared. He then whirled around to face me.

"Explain!" I flinched, having his anger directed towards me brought up very bad memories. I looked down, knowing that explaining would break my Contract.

"Calm down, please!" Japan begged his brother. "You know Itary-kun cannot explain anything right now! Let the memories show us."

"But!"

"Please." Japan looked at his brother, and for a moment, I thought China was going to ignore him.

"Fine." He sighed. "But I'd better get answers soon."

South Korea looked between his two brothers. He didn't want to say anything, but he had the sinking feeling that Flavio's guess was right. Somehow, Japan was still here, but he'd died back there. And South Korea quickly wiped away his tears when he thought nobody was looking.

The scene faded into the Fireplace Room again, and Yao, Francis, and Ivan were covered in blood as they leaned against the wall. Feliciano was watching the scene unfold before him in horror as Gilbert stood next to him, a pained expression on his face.

For a moment, the scene flashed to show the three fighting the Thing while Feliciano stood helplessly in the background, leaning against the wall. His arm was made up in a hastily done sling from an injured shoulder. He had a horrified and pained look on his face.

The scene then returned.

"Sorry. This is where I fall." Yao said, a weak smile on his face.

Ivan gave them a strained grin, his teeth bloody, and his treasured scarf ripped to crimson-stained shreds. "I'm glad we could make... a new breach, at least."

"Come now, Italie, don't cry; just go. If you stay here, that monster is going to show up again." Francis smiled brightly at Feliciano and Gilbert, the expression contrasting greatly with their circumstances.

Prussia and Spain shot France a concerned look, and they shifted closer in an attempt to assure themselves that he was actually alive. The smell of blood made a few of the nations' noses itch, but I was far too used to the smell to let it bother me anymore.

"But..." Feliciano went to argue weakly, but he couldn't find any words. Tears flowed down his cheeks, and a few nations wondered if they'd ever stopped. This is all my fault... Why couldn't I join them and fight? What is wrong with me?!

"Prussia, will you take care of Italie? He's fast on his feet, but it's hard to fight that monster." Francis asked, looking at Gilbert, who nodded grimly.

"I know. I'll watch over him." He answered, a sad smile on his face. "I'll miss you, Old Friend." Francis smiled as his eyes slid closed, and he slumped against the wall, dead.

Canada and England stared. They cared for France deeply in their own ways, and seeing him dead... They could hardly believe what they were seeing.

"France...?" Feliciano asked, his voice small. This can't be happening! Feli's thoughts echoed around the room. First Japan, now France?! NO! If... If I forgive him... will he come back? If I forgive everyone for everything they've ever done to me... will they be okay? Please! Don't leave me!

"Oh, Italie..." France gave me a sad look, and I determinedly ignored it.

"Quickly. Don't let our efforts be in vain. Really, you're so slow on the uptake." Ivan rolled his eyes.

"If you stay here, you're only going to get in the way. Just get away, quickly." Yao argued, waving his hand weakly. He suddenly gave several wet, hacking coughs and blood dribbled down his chin. He panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Let's go, Ita. Let's get out of here." Gilbert said, as he gently grabbed Feliciano's arm. They were both reluctant to go, glancing behind them as they left. The memory faded once more.

When the next scene faded in, Feli and Alfred were facing the Thing again. And Feli looked both terrified and determined. No! This time...! This time I won't hide! There was a quick flash of him and his brother doing their mafia business, and Feli gained a hard look.

"America!" Arthur cried out as he and Matthew rounded the corner. They were in the Lever Room this time. "What the bloody hell are you thinking, facing it alone?!"

"Yeah, Al!" Matthew admonished. "Don't go hogging all the fun!" He smirked darkly. "I still need my revenge for Papa."

"Canada!" France turned towards his son in horror. "Don't you dare!"

Canada, for his part, avoided France's gaze.

The Thing charged Alfred, who unloaded a full clip into the Thing only to find that it wasn't slowed in the slightest. "W-what?! No way!" He cried out, unable to move fast enough to dodge the swipe.

The claw came down, and Feliciano yanked the back of his bomber jacket, ultimately saving his life, though his gun which had been brought up before him as some last-minute form of defense, was nearly sliced in half. It was unusable, now. Alfred had been left without a weapon.

"Shit!" Arthur cursed. "You alive?!"

"Y-Yeah." Alfred stuttered, clutching the injury. It wasn't quite deep enough to be fatal, but it was deep enough to ensure that he was finished in this fight.

"Just leave this to us, yeah?" Matthew grinned.

The fight was fierce, but it wasn't long before Matthew slipped up, and was nailed with the tail in his torso. "No! IMPEDIMENTA!" Arthur cried out desperately.

"You will not take my son!" He cried out, even as he held the spell well past his own limits. "N-now!" He wheezed. Blood spilled from his eyes, and Feliciano, who'd been preventing Alfred from jumping into a fight that would kill him, took one of the wooden poles from the used up flag, and snapped it into two, creating a sharp weapon. He then jammed it into the Thing's forehead—by pure luck—just as the spell wore off, causing it to disappear.

A moment later, Arthur collapsed. Matthew's breathing was labored, and his bear, Kumajiro, nuzzled his owner in worry.

Alfred surveyed the scene with a look of heavy grief. He stood quietly, picking up his brother first and gently tucking him into one of the two beds in the room. He knew... Matthew wasn't going to make it. Neither was Arthur. He took some of the bandages from his own arm injury, flipping it so the clean side was to Arthur's skin, and wrapped it around his eyes, to help with the pain. He then picked up his father figure and tucked him into the other bed.

His legs then gave out on him, and he collapsed to the floor.

"America!" Feliciano cried out in worry.

"I'm okay." He lied.

"A...Al..." Matthew croaked out, draping his arm over Kumajiro to hug him, staining the white fur red. But the little bear didn't care. He nuzzled closer to his owner, tears running down his muzzle.

"Canada..." Kumajiro's voice was subdued and laden with sorrow.

"You remembered my name..." Matthew smiled.

"Canada... Please be okay..."

"Al... You... you're okay, right?"

"Yeah. I'm good, bro." He reached out, taking Matthew's outstretched hand.

"That's... a relief... You, too, Italy?" Arthur spoke up with a quiet voice.

"S-si... I'm not hurt at all..."

"That's good." Alfred grinned. He reached out and took Arthur's hand with his free one.

"Hey, Mattie?" Alfred spoke up suddenly. "Say hi to mom for me... okay?"

"Sure thing, Al..." A small smile flitted across Matthew's face as he finally stilled. Alfred flinched, as if struck, before tears ran down his face.

Their link snapped... Feli thought to himself. That must mean!! He looked at Matthew's still form with something akin to panic. A moment later, Arthur let out his last breath. Alfred's tears fell thicker, but he didn't make a sound.

Kumajiro whispered Matthew's name over and over, trying to get a response, but the little bear knew it was too late.

Alfred sighed, and it was only now that the nations realized how horrible he looked. The left lens of his glasses was badly cracked, and his hair was matted with blood, showing evidence of a concussion. His left shoulder looked injured, but he'd used the fabric from his sling for Arthur's bandages.

Feliciano took in the miserable scene with teary eyes.

"Go." Alfred stated suddenly, making Feliciano flinch back.

"W-what?! Don't tell me you want me to just leave you here!" Feli protested.

"Yeah, I do. We'll be fine, so just get out of here and get us reinforcements or something." Alfred gave him a shallow smirk, unable to bring himself to grin.

"Wait! In the meantime, even you will get hurt beyond help—" Feliciano started, but Alfred cut him off.

"It's fine. Besides... I want to do these two a favor and stay with them." He smiled softly as he rubbed his thumb over the backs of their cooling hands.

"America—" Feli tried again, but Alfred let out a tired sigh. He stared at the other nation with deep blue eyes, many shades darker than their usual sky-blue. The Italian couldn't help but stop mid-sentence.

"No, that isn't it." He stared at the two lying on either side of him. "They can't hear me any more, so I'll tell you in all honesty..." He looked back at Feliciano, a soft smile on his face, as his eyes burned with grief and determination. "I want to stay with them." His voice rang out with surety. "Till my last moment. Because they're both very important to me."

Canada wasn't sure if he should be angry with his brother, or touched. Neither was England. They settled for a bit of both.

"You idiot. If you're well enough to argue, you're well enough to run." England said softly to America, gently flicking his head.

"Ow!" America whispered, but he looked at the two with a bit of guilt and sorrow.

"Yeah. What would make you think that I'd want you to die with me? Al, please don't sacrifice yourself like that! Think of your kids!"

America winced. He'd completely forgotten about his kids! How could he?! What kind of father was he?! He knew it probably had something to do with the strangeness of this place, but he couldn't help the guilt that welled up inside him.

"It wasn't your fault." I said. "That you forgot them. The Mansion has a way of making you forget whatever you left behind outside of these walls. Even I forgot my own twin brother." I admitted. "Though you don't forget everything... over time, you'll forget the important people you left behind."

"You... forgot me?" Romano asked, both hurt and terrified. What kind of place could make him forget his other half?!

"Please don't take it personally..." I sent my brother an apologetic look.

"I... I'm not mad. I'm hurt, but not mad."

"And because you're going to... protect me—" Feliciano bit back a sob, drawing the Nations' attention once more. Why?! Why can't I fight?! This isn't like me...

"Haha! Yeah. Even though I can't even move any more. But I'm not making a mistake. And I regret nothing." Alfred smiled brightly at Feli, even as he paused to cough up blood, the action reopening several wounds on his torso. He winced in pain, but didn't cry out. "Go for it. I wish you luck."

The scene faded out, leaving the nations with a sour taste in their mouths.

"So... we really are mortal here." France sighed, and a heavy weight settled around the room.

"But how is that possible?" China breathed.

"I... don't know." England said. "It shouldn't be."

"If we died... permanently... then how are we still alive?" Japan asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"You can thank this idiot here for that." Yang spoke up, gesturing to me. "And the 2Ps can thank that idiot for their being alive." He then pointed to Luciano, who caught sight of something out of the corner of his eye.

"Oi. You assholes were looking in without telling me?!" Luciano glared, and several 2Ps materialized non-corporeally.

"Well, we didn't think you'd appreciate us crashing the party, Dearie." Oliver (2P England) chirped happily.

"And you never thought to mention this place to us?" Kuro (2P Japan) glared, his hand resting on his katana.

"I couldn't, or were you not paying attention when Arthur was talking about magical contracts?" Luciano spat back.

"I'm sure we fared better than the 1Ps, though." Jason (2P America) idly noted, leaning on his nail-filled baseball bat. "Look, it's a bit tiring to materialize like this, so I'm just going to go back to watching from my 1P until break time." He gave a two-fingered salute before flipping us off and vanishing, the rest of the non-corporeal 2Ps followed suit, though they were still watching the entire scene unfold.

"Great. Now we've got them to deal with, too." England cursed, before twitching in irritation. "Oliver. Shut the hell up." He muttered aloud, causing me to snort.

"He's not too good at mental conversations, is he?" I noted amusedly to Luciano.

"Nope."

"You were that bad at one point, too, Ying." Yang noted with a chuckle.

"I haven't been that bad since the reunification!" I defended.

The next scene came in to show Ludwig and Gilbert, badly wounded, sitting against a wall in a small square room. Feliciano stood there, staring at them in disbelief and horror.

"We got the key." Gilbert grinned, missing teeth formed gaps in his bloodstained smile. Feliciano shook his head violently, biting his lip in an effort to stem his sobs.

"Hey, stop crying. We risked our lives and went through so much trouble to get it back. You should be happier." Ludwig smirked. In his hand lay a bright silver key. With great effort, he threw it at Feliciano, who caught it on reflex.

"That's the Key to the Front Door." I explained, wiping away some stray tears that fell. Though the memory still hurt me, I'd seen them die far too many times to break down again.

"Why did you lie to me...? You said you were only going to take a look around..." Feliciano sobbed, biting his lip hard enough to draw blood.

"Ah, yes. Well... it's probably for the same reason you didn't tell us that everyone else is dead." Ludwig shot Feliciano a reprimanding glare, like he would when Feli messed up the German's spotless kitchen. Feliciano flinched, and cried harder.

"You knew—?!" Feli looked between the two in dawning horror. They weren't supposed to know... I... I didn't tell them because I didn't want to lose them, too! Surely, they understand that!

"In truth, I lied to myself." I spoke up. "I didn't tell you because I was too scared to admit it aloud. I still held out hope that it was a mistake. And to admit it aloud would make it real." I sighed, turning to Germany and Prussia. "I'm sorry I lied, Captain." I gave him a small, sad smile.

"Nein. I'm sorry for leaving you behind, Italien." Germany shook his head.

"Yeah, Ita. That wasn't fair of me." Prussia agreed.

"Like you had a choice." I scoffed. "Your injuries were far too severe. You two were going to die even if I had the means to treat you." They flinched at my harsh tone.

"Still. We should've been more careful..."

"What's done is done." I interrupted Germany. "This is the past."

Gilbert had a terrible coughing fit. His hand fell away from his mouth, coated in bright red blood. Ludwig looked at his brother with grim acceptance.

"Hahah! Well... now, West, why don't we take a little rest? I'm really tired." Gilbert wheezed, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You're right, Prussia. You can go ahead; I'll catch up with you." Ludwig smiled, giving a dry chuckle before coughing a bit himself.

"Why?! No! I can't do this any more! I'm staying with you!!" Feli cried, shaking his head slowly as the tears streamed thicker.

"Anyone who... disobeys... will run... ten laps..." Ludwig panted. No... Please... I promised him... I swore to Acel that I'd look after his brother! I can't fail him again! Feliciano's thoughts made Prussia and Germany wince.

"...Look... if you don't... hurry up... he'll keep adding even more." Gilbert gasped out through his coughs, an apologetic expression on his face. There was also a hidden excitement in his eyes. He's happy. Feliciano thought to himself in despair. He's sad that he's leaving me, but he's happy that he gets to see his little brother again... Holy Rome...

"Fine! I'll run!! I'll run ten laps! I'll run as many laps as you want! But I'll run away! And then Germany..." Feliciano choked out through sobs. "...will have to run... to catch me..."

Feliciano looked at the two desperately. Gilbert's chest rose one last time before he died with a smile on his face, his eyes half-closed. No...

"Prussi—" Feli cut himself off when he saw Ludwig slump against the wall as he, too, finally died.

"Ger...ma...ny..." Feliciano whispered brokenly as he processed what this meant. No! He'd already lost Holy Rome... And now he'd lost his best friend, too?! NO! Holy Rome... I'm sorry! I'M SO SORRY! "GERMANY!!!"

His scream echoed around the room, causing the nations to wince, and Romano to flinch badly. Even some of the 2Ps flinched, though we couldn't see it.

"You were the... last one." Flavio stared in shock.

"Yeah. I was." I chuckled bitterly. "I was the only one who survived. Ironic, no?" I gave them a dark smirk. "The last survivor is the guy who's only redeeming feature is his fast feet." I couldn't help but laugh darkly at my own joke, startling a few nations.

"D-don't say that! That's not your only redeeming feature!" Romano admonished, but I shook my head.

"You'll understand when you see more." Yang cut in.

"Oh, Ita..." Hungary looked caught between the desire to pull me into a bone-crushing hug, and the desire to simply cry. Austria's face was pinched, and I knew he was pained by what we were seeing. He may have been a hard-ass, but he did care about me.

The scene didn't fade, as the nations expected it to. Feliciano slowly backed away from the two, his head shaking in denial. "No... It... can't be..." He ran out of the Basement that the two had died in, his thoughts racing loudly for the nations to hear.

I have the fucking key! I have it and they all die?! How could they leave me?! How dare they leave me?! Didn't they promise to protect me?! How can they do that when they're all DEAD?!

They flinched. "We're sorry, Italie, but—"

"It's okay, France." I cut him off. "I understand. You wanted to protect me, and ensure that your deaths were not in vain. They weren't. But I was angry. I was angry at everyone and everything. I felt like it was all my fault."

"But you know it's not, right?" Canada spoke up.

"I'm the one who heard those rumors." I pointed out. "If I hadn't been so naïve and pushy about this, it never would've happened."

"Just let it rest right now." Luciano advised, seeing that there were several nations who weren't ready to drop the topic. "We've been trying to get it through his thick skull for a long while. Don't try to convince him until you've seen everything."

Yang scoffed. "Like you're one to talk!" He sent Luciano a look. "You blame yourself for this mess as much as Ying does!" Luciano had the decency to flush and look away.

"L-Luci...?" Flavio's eyes widened in realization. "Were... were you the only survivor, too?!" Though he didn't answer, his expression said it all.

The other 2Ps, though they weren't visible to us, stared at one another in shock. Luciano wasn't the kind to display or admit his own emotions so openly, and to know that he blamed himself for their deaths was a shocking admittance for them.

Feliciano ran into the kitchen/living room area. His face was set into a furious glare, as he overturned the couch, cutting it with a sloppy arc using a short sword the nations hadn't noticed before. But his anger wasn't quelled, and he smashed his fist into the nearby television. Blood trickled from his knuckles, and he gave a satisfied smirk. That's better. His eyes shone with grief and pain and rage.

He dashed over to the cabinet, smashing everything he could grab. Bowls, glasses, plates, everything was shattered against the floor.

"It's all gone..." He spoke softly as he found nothing more to smash. "Just like my friends." Suddenly overtaken by despair, he sank to his knees, the shards of glass and ceramic cutting into the skin on his knees and the palms of his hands. He looked for a long moment at his own blood in a sort of morbid detached fascination, before he clenched his fists in anger. He started punching the shards into the floor—and his knuckles.

Several nations winced, and Austria in particular rubbed his hands. I knew they didn't expect me to break down so badly. And in all honesty, I felt myself wince a bit as I watched my past self. So young, so... fragile.

I deserve the pain! I deserve the hurt! I should die! I let my friends die! Just like I let Holy Rome die! I did nothing to help them! I ran away! A coward like me doesn't deserve to live! I'll only cause more death! Feliciano's thoughts cut like a knife, making several of my friends cry.

"Why would you think that about yourself?" Flavio asked me in sorrow. "You're a wonderful person, Feli."

"I was in a dark place, Lavi. I... I was overcome with grief and pain. I wasn't myself." My voice was calm and steady. "Remember. This was a long time ago for me."

"It couldn't have been that long..." America frowned, thinking about the timeframe his own slowly creeping memories placed this event at.

Without warning, the Thing burst into the Kitchen, and Feliciano froze in fear. He barely dodged a swipe of the Thing's claws, as he spun around it, heading out the door back into the hallway. He quickly swung a right, as he ran into the Library. Without a moment of hesitation, he slammed the door shut, locking it tight.

He stumbled forward numbly. Why?! Why am I too afraid to die?! It was my cowardice that killed my friends, and now that same cowardice keeps me from joining them! I'm pathetic! I sob and cry and I can't even avenge them! I can't even die to apologize to them!

His anger abruptly returned, and he started knocking over bookshelves, tearing pages out of books, and destroying anything he could. He picked up a small reddish-brown book that looked like a bible. He was about to start mindlessly ripping out the pages when the Thing broke down the door.

"It can break them down?!" England gulped.

"VE?! But–! I-it couldn't do that before!?" Feliciano cried out. He instinctively dodged the swipe, and dashed out again. I don't care where I go, but I just want to get away from here. There are too many memories... Too much pain...

He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and before he realized it, he was outside. There was a horrendous thunderstorm raging, and the rain was so cold it was nearly hail. Feliciano didn't seem to notice, though, as the rain washed over his knuckles and knees, bleeding the puddle beneath him a pinkish color.

"I... got out. I'm the only one who survived, the only one who got out..." He took several numb steps forward as he stared in disbelief. He looked incredibly detached.

"I... shouldn't have been able to get out..." He turned slowly to look back at the Mansion. "What the hell? This doesn't make any sense. Out of everyone, I'm the only one left? What the hell?! What the hell?!" He yelled furiously at the building, as if expecting an answer.

Suddenly, the Thing came out of the Front Door. "It came out?!" Feliciano gasped in shock, scrambling back for a moment before he took off running again. The nations egged him on, telling him to run faster. But suddenly, Feliciano stopped, inches from the Front Gate.

"What are you doing?!" Germany yelled in worry. I didn't answer him. I just gave him a sad smile, and shook my head.

"STOP!!" Feliciano suddenly cried, whipping around to face the Thing. Surprisingly enough, it listened.

"I won, right? You couldn't catch me; you lost!" Feliciano sneered, reveling in the Thing's defeat. It stared blankly at the furious nation. "The moment I get out of here, you'll lose! There's nothing you can do from that distance!" Feliciano gave a demented grin as the Thing made a frustrated noise. "When I get out of here, this place won't be the same as before, you know! As a nation, I will destroy this place! Doesn't that make you frustrated? Huh? I'm your last trophy, after all." He teased it, eliciting a roar of frustration, as its tail whipped from side to side.

The Nations shifted uncomfortably. Feliciano's eyes shone with an insane light, and they knew that he'd snapped somehow. "You lost to the guy whose only redeeming feature is his fast feet!" He snarled, his grin gone. In its place was a terrifying glare.

Flavio and Romano shared a look of realization, my earlier words coming back to them.

I caught a faint whisper on the wind, my eyes widened in realization as I recognized the voice.

"... contract..." The nations didn't catch it, but I did. And so did Luciano.

"So... he was the one who..."

"Si... It would seem so." I looked up at the window of what I knew to be the Fifth Floor Office. A human's silhouette could barely be made out, but bright blue eyes shone out malevolently.

Feliciano suddenly looked down at the book he'd taken from the Library by mistake. At first he looked confused, as if he was trying to figure out a puzzle, but an abrupt realization dawned on him. He stared at the ground, his bangs shadowing his expression as thunder roared in the background.

".........back..." He muttered. Lightning illuminated his face, giving him an almost sinister look. "Take us back!" He shouted, whipping his head up to full-on glare at the Thing with all the hatred he could muster. A wild, crazed grin found its way onto his features, as he spread out his arms in a defenseless position.

The sudden change in Feliciano bothered the Nations more than I knew they were willing to admit. Even some of the 2Ps were unnerved by Feli's expression.

"You can take us back in this warped space, can't you?" He challenged. "If you do that, why don't you eat me first? If you can catch me, that is." Feliciano gave a hysterical, deranged laugh as his demented smile spread even wider.

"Back? What are you talking about?" France gave me a confused look. In fact, nobody seemed to realize what Feliciano was getting at.

The Thing just stood there, shifting from foot to foot as if contemplating the situation. Feliciano seemed to have had enough. "GO BACK!!!" He screamed, and a bright white light surrounded him, drowning out the world.

A/N: So here's the First Loop. Did it make you cry? Have flashbacks to the game? I tried to stay as true to the original dialogue of the game as I could, seeing as that's 'already happened', but I have also taken creative license and edited parts to suit my story. Also, I did it to prevent any copyright infringement. ^^ And we also get the 2Ps~! :D Who was expecting that??

If you've played my Hetalia RPG, Between Two Worlds, you'll recognize these 2Ps and their names and personalities.

Next chapter is a Break Room chapter, just so you guys know. There will be no memories in the next chapter. (but the one after that is Loop 2, so look forward to it!)

Obviously, I'll start skipping through loops here soon. I'm not going to detail hundreds of loops (even more, but if you haven't read my HetaOni fic, I don't want to spoil the numbers.)

I will not type out the entirety of the Game in here. Not only would it be too tedious, but boring as well. I'll hit on the important parts, and skip through others.

The Chapters are getting longer, it seems! At least, this one was. There's a video at the top of the chapter (on Wattpad) and a link down below (For Fanfiction.net readers, replace "(dot)" with "." And remove the spaces. This video is the song Kagerou Daze (Also known as Heat Haze Days). I've recorded myself singing some lyrics I wrote for HetaOni. Wow, that was amazing English/grammar. -_-

Also, the song quality isn't the best, as I had to record it sitting in my car with the mic on my headphones. XD So please keep that in mind.

https://youtu.be/Qgnqp0-sGSk

https:// youtu(dot)be/ Qgnqp0-sGSk

Words: 5,329/7,014

Pages: 11/14

Posted: 01/25/2019

Edited: 03/14/2019