Chapter 9: Saving a Brother

"A miracle, aru?" China asked, awed. The nations kept staring between Romano and I and our younger selves in shock.

"Maybe I should convert to Catholicism?" Someone muttered, but I couldn't tell who it was through my sniffles.

"Lovi... I didn't realize that..." I trailed off, Romano also staring in shock.

"So this was when you first accessed it... So young, too. I couldn't do that for a few more centuries, at least." He muttered to me.

"Do what, if I may?" Japan asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

"Ah... It'll come up later. We won't be able to explain it well right now, so please just be patient." I said, a teasing smile on my face. The others sighed in reluctant acceptance. Though I really don't think it'll actually come up, but now, at least, they won't ask about it.

What was that, anyways?! You really expect me to believe that you're an angel or a saint or some bullshit like that?

What, you don't believe me? We've met a literal demon, after all.

I know you.

Fair enough. It was an early manifestation of my raw Magick.

But I thought you didn't have the Old Magick until...?

Oh, I had it. I just had no idea how to use it. If I didn't have it, I probably wouldn't have been able to use those Ryuuzu spells.

I see... So you can't explain that because...

Exactly.

"But... I thought I was the only nation-Angel..." England muttered to himself in disappointment.

The memory sped up to morning. Lovino was just waking up. "Huh...? Feliciano...?" He asked, his voice already sounding stronger.

"V-Vino?! You're okay?! How do you feel?! Are you sore?! Do I need to go get mom?! Are you weak?! Headache?! Water! You're probably thirsty! I need to get you some water! Where's the water?! Fuck!" Feliciano started freaking out, running around the room. Neither twin noticed Emma peeking in through the door to their room.

"Feliciano!" Lovino finally cried out, making Feliciano freeze mid-step, a comical expression of anxiety and confusion on his face.

"Yes, Lovi?" He asked innocently.

"I'm fine. I don't know what the hell's going on, but I'm fine." He assured his frantic little brother.

"But... maybe the bite wasn't that bad? You're sure you're fine...? You're really fine...?" Feliciano slowly walked over to the bed, tears ready to stream down his face again.

"I'm sure... I felt like death warmed over yesterday... I'm perfectly fine now. I don't know why... Maybe some miracle..." Lovino trailed off as he found himself with an armful of Feliciano.

"I'M SO GLAD!! You're Alive! Thank God!" Feliciano cried out, beyond relieved. He was shaking. "Don't you ever, EVER, scare me like that, again, okay?! EVER! I don't want to lose you... never... Okay...?" Feliciano said, refusing to let go of his brother as they snuggled under the covers together.

"Never... I promise." Lovino stated. I hid my half-wince half-scoff. You don't know it, Fratello... But at some point, you've broken every promise you've made to me...

Someone's in a mood.

You're a mood.

...What?

I don't know, actually. It seemed like a good retort.

It didn't even sound good in your head.

Shut up, you! I mentally glared at him.

I spotted Emma in the doorframe, tears streaming silently down her aging face. "Thank you, God..." She whispered under her breath. I blinked in surprise. I knew she wasn't overly religious. She'd hardly mentioned God before, and soon after this memory, she'd start teaching us a bit of religion. But she'd never been the kind to get on her knees and pray. I knew she loved us both to death, and that she'd do anything to protect us. Did she hear my prayer all those years ago? All those eons? My first prayer? Did she witness my Magick?

The scene faded into another one. Lovino looked much better, but was still in bed.

"Oi! I'm better now, so why can't I just go to town with Feliciano?" Lovino demanded, looking frustrated.

"Vino, you still need another day of rest. Momma said so!" Feliciano shot back, giving his brother a mini-glare to keep him in place. "Momma just needs me to run to the market and grab us some stuff for dinner. I'll be fine, Vino. Don't worry so much."

"Famous last words." America said quietly, feeling like something bad was about to happen. Canada sighed at his brother's antics, but let it slide. He'd actually been rather quiet recently.

"Fine. Not like I have much of a choice. Bedridden like this. Fucking annoying is what it is. How do you stand it?!" Lovino complained, as Feliciano whacked him on the back of his head.

"OW! What was that for?!" Lovino demanded.

"No cursing!" Feliciano said firmly, as Lovino blinked in disbelief.

"Wh... What? Since when?!"

"Since Mom's around." Feliciano whispered, gesturing to their mother's humming in the kitchen.

"Okay... But why can't she go to the market? She knows how the bullies are..."

"I already asked her. The dinner she started... She thought she had all the ingredients, but she doesn't. If she leaves it now, it'll be ruined by the time she gets back. I'm going because I'm not only faster, but the pot needs to be watched constantly." Feliciano explained.

"Still, man... After seeing what those kids were like before, I'm surprised that your mom let you go back..." America trailed off.

"I actually offered... I knew that we couldn't afford to waste food. She was going to have me watch the pot while she went to town, but I wasn't confident enough in my own cooking abilities yet to watch it. I could only make what I would later call pasta, at this point." I explained.

"You invented pasta?!" Germany's eyebrows raised in shock.

"Si~ Well, modern Italian pasta. Noodles actually came from China; I just made it into something that you recognize today as pasta. Why do you think I love it so much?! In all honesty, it reminds me of mama... Plus, momma made the best pasta~" I trail off dreamily at the thought of Momma's Pasta... So good~!

Wish I could've tried it.

I'm sure you would've loved it.

"Alright... Just be careful... I won't be there for you if you get into trouble, what with me being in bed like this, so please don't go getting into trouble..." Lovino trailed off nervously.

"Ve~ Fratello, I'll be fine~!" Feliciano said.

"Chigi. I expect you back before dark. If you're not back by then, then I'm coming to find you."

"Of course you are. Ti voglio bene, fratellone." Feliciano said from the door.

"Ti voglio bene, fratellino. Be careful."

"Always." With that, Feliciano ran out the door, and headed down the road to town.

The nations followed Feliciano as he entered the town. "Ve... Looking at the sun, it seems like I'll have an hour or so before sunset... That should be enough time to get the food for momma~ She's making some of her special stew to help Lovi get better~ Yay~!" Feliciano said to himself, as he hummed a little tune.

About a half-hour later, he was walking back through town, a basket in his arms as he carried the necessary ingredients home.

"Hey! It's the little demon!" A young voice cried. An 8-year-old boy came out of the shadows. It was one of the same kids that tormented Feliciano and his brother in the earlier memory. There were about 8-10 other children there, too. Their ages ranged from about 6 to roughly 12.

Feliciano froze, fear flashing across his face. The nations also stiffened.

"Where's your devil of a brother?! Huh?"

"I heard he died. Bitten by a snake, wasn't he?"

"No! I heard he somehow survived! He must be the devil, if he lived through a snake bite! After all, a snake wouldn't kill its master!" Another child said.

"So if his brother's a devil, then he must be one, too!" A young boy said.

"Yeah! That's right! Stay away from him, before he burns us in Hell!"

"No!" Another child cried out, a disturbing smile on his face. "Look... This one's scared of us. We have more on our side... Let's just get rid of it while we can!"

The children started surrounding Feliciano, and the nations had a flashback to Marks and his gang. They watched in horror as the children ganged up on Feliciano, using sticks and rocks as weapons to beat the helpless nation. Feliciano curled in on himself to minimize the damage; the groceries lay forgotten on the side of the road.

The nations watched in revulsion and shock as the children mercilessly drew blood with sticks and stones and flesh and nails, each one hitting and kicking the young Feliciano. I could feel Yang bristle in anger, and it made me smile slightly to feel his protectiveness for me. He cried out in pain, but for the most part, bit his lip and bore it.

"Hey!" One of the older children cried out, taking out something from his pocket. The nations froze. Feliciano's eyes widened in fear as he, too, recognized the object. His pupils dilated as his fight-or-flight instincts truly took hold.

The child held a knife. And it scared Feliciano shitless. Two of the older children grabbed Feliciano from behind, and hauled him up to a semi-standing position. He tried his best to curl in on himself, but to no avail. His strength was spent, and his body was beyond listening to him. He could only stare in horror as the boy ran at him, knife positioned for his heart. He closed his eyes, preparing himself for the blow. It never came.

He opened his eyes to see his brother, Lovino, on top of the knife-wielding child, breathing hard, showing that he'd run the distance from the house.

"AH! It's true! He is a demon!" A child cried, pointing at Lovino.

Lovino, for his part, looked livid. His green eyes shone red in the torchlight as he bent back the wrist of the knife-wielding child. There was an audible crack as the boy howled in pain. Lovino grinned and took the knife, stepping off the boy.

For a moment, with his glowing red eyes—courtesy of the torchlight—as he held that knife, he truly looked every part the demon the children claimed him to be. He took the knife firmly in his hands, and with hardly a grunt, snapped it in two.

Tossing the broken metal to the ground, he leveled a terrifying glare at the children. "Leave. Now. Before I decide to send you to hell to meet the real devil for daring to mess with my fratellino." He growled.

The children scrambled, fear evident in their eyes, leaving a bloody and beaten little boy for his brother to deal with.

Lovino turned to Feliciano once the kids were gone. He nearly had a panic attack when he saw just how badly injured his little brother was.

"O-Oi! Fratellino! You alright?! What did they do to you?!" Lovino cried out in worry and panic, hoisting his nearly deadweight brother up, and pulling his arm around his shoulder.

"I... It's nothing I haven't had to deal with before, Vino... G-grazie for saving me, again... I... I'm such a hopeless idiot! I'm always being rescued by you... Why can't I fight? Even just once! I want to be the one to protect you, fratello..." Feliciano cried tears of frustration and pain. He was beyond disappointed with himself for his weakness, his unwillingness to fight.

"Because I'm the fratellone, the older brother. I'm supposed to protect you. Not the other way around. But I suppose I could spar with you if it bothers you that much... That way if someone else tries to bully you, you'll actually be able to defend yourself until I show up." Lovino said. Feliciano grinned brightly.

"Really?! You mean it, fratello?! You'll teach me to fight?!"

"Si... I don't really know how to fight myself, but... Aw fuck!" He cried as he looked at the remains of what was supposed to be their dinner. "It's stomped to dust! Now what're we going to bring home?! We can't afford to buy more!" He complained. Feliciano looked sadly at the ground.

"Ve..." He muttered sadly. "I'm sorry... If I'd been better at protecting it..."

"Don't. It wasn't your fault. It was theirs. Nobody else's." Lovino said.

The twins stumbled through the door, both out of breath. Emma was waiting with the medical kit ready once more, and smiled sadly at her boys. "Honestly, what am I going to do with you two? When Vino just ran off yelling 'my fratellino's in trouble! I know it! He needs me!' I didn't know what to think. Now you two come back a mess. I suppose we're due for another move?"

"We sorta might've accidentally on purpose scared the crap out of every child in the village?" Feliciano said timidly. Emma blinked, but said nothing.

"And... I maybe sorta kinda might've accidentally jumped on top of the mayor's son and broken his wrist..." At Emma's look, he explained. "But he was about to stab Felice with a knife! I swear!"

"It's true, momma! He took out a knife and was about to stab me. I would've died if Vino hadn't have arrived when he did." Feliciano said quickly.

"I'm not mad. I'm very proud of you standing up for your brother, Vino." Emma said with a sigh, before she smiled. "Now you two have had a busy day. We'll move as soon as Feli's wounds are healed, so we'll start packing tomorrow. But for now, head to sleep, my little angels." She said with a smile, kissing them both on the foreheads. "I'll bring you some dinner when it's ready."

The boys paused at their door, listening. They heard Emma heave a heavy sigh. "I'm getting old... I'm already 74... How much longer will I be able to protect them? They're still only children... They're not ready to be on their own yet... But I'm already so old and worn and tired... I just need to make sure they'll be able to take care of themselves and each other before I go... That's all. Please... whatever power is out there... Don't take me before they're ready."

The twins silently closed their bedroom door, and crawled into bed together. They looked at each other with blank expressions; eerily similar to the ones they had when they first told their mother that Feliciano wasn't supposed to exist.

The nations shivered, not used to seeing them look so vacant. It just seemed wrong. I smiled at them softly, trying to make them just a little more comfortable.

With a nod to one another, and no words exchanged, the twins climbed out of bed, and sat on their knees. They spoke in perfect unison.

"Please don't take our mother yet. We still need her. Please watch over us and guide us; keep us safe and sound." Lovino stopped there, but Feliciano continued, his brother looking at him in surprise. "If she must be taken from us, as we know must be done some day, please give us the power to grant her wish. Please... I want to be able to protect Lovino like he can protect me."

The nations said nothing as they watched the twins crawl back into bed, and hold each other in a gentle hug, each one taking comfort in the other's presence. The memory faded.

"Dude, you really weren't liked by those kids." America said, avoiding the touching and very private scene they'd just witnessed.

"That's an understatement..." I muttered.

"Why? Those children from the other villages may not have liked you much, but these ones seemed to really hate you." Canada pointed out.

"Our nation presence was starting to filter through." Romano said, turning to the nations with a serious expression. "We didn't realize it at the time, though. We felt different to the children—as they were much more aware of these things than the adults—but they didn't know why. They only knew we were different, and naturally became afraid. Humans fear what they cannot understand. This has been proven to us many, many, many times over the past two millennia. The thing is, our Nation Presence back then was warped... Different, due to our premature birth. It didn't give out a sense of comfort or safety like usual, but just... strangeness." He finished.

"Romano." Spain stated seriously, grabbing my brother by his shoulders, and looking him straight in the eye. "Don't you ever scare me like that again, okay?" He brought his charge into a hug, tears streaming silently down his face.

"O-oi... Tomato Bastard...." Romano said quietly, before hugging him back. I smiled sadly, wishing that I, too, could find comfort in someone. Everyone here was nice, and all, but Germany was too stoic for me to hug him like that, and so was Japan... How nice it would be if Hungary or Austria were here to give me comfort...? I thought to myself. Hungary was my mother figure after our mother had passed... And Austria was like the father I'd never known. Christopher and Emma would always be my true, real, parents, but Hungary and Austria came very, very close.

No. I thought again, I wouldn't want them to see this... It's bad enough that the others are watching them, but for my adoptive parents to see it too?! That'd just be... no... Besides, the Mansion's in here, somewhere, I'm willing to bet... It was a pretty big part of my life, after all. I'd be shocked if it wasn't in here. Even Romano doesn't know about the Mansion, though...

Well, I should hope not. If he did know, then we would've violated the Contract somehow, which is not an option.

Yeah, no joke.

Still... You had a shitty childhood.

Thought you've already gone through all my memories?

I have. But it's still different to watch them like this. Unlike you, I don't have an eidetic memory.

I shivered as I realized what was coming up. We watched Emma, Feliciano and Lovino set out on the road once more. I hope they don't hate me. I looked down at my hands, practically envisioning the blood dripping. After all... the next memory will show me for the murderer I truly am... All those people I've killed... That I still kill... Millions from every nation... I hope they don't push me away, but even I hate myself.

"Lo siento..." I whispered, as the next memory finally started to play.

A/N: Sorry it's been so long. I've been going through a lot lately, and I've found myself in a pretty deep depression for reasons that I don't fully understand, myself. I'm looking for a job, living with my dying mother, and trying to stop self-harm with only one person as support in a completely different state. I apologize to those of you waiting for an update for some of my other stories. I'm updating this one because the chapter was already written and I felt the need to explain where I've been. Don't be too shocked if my stories don't update for a month or two, but I won't let them go for 6 months without updating again. Haha. ^_^; yeah... Anyhow, I'll try to update at least this story every month at least until I'm caught up to where I'm writing.

Until then, I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Please look forward to the next update, and don't forget to vote for the poll on my ff.net profile page. ^_^

Pages: 6

Words: 2,901/3,117

Edited: 03/05/2019