Hungary nearly screamed when the young woman with white hair and pale skin appeared at her door. Those eyes were a mix between pink and blue, gazing at her with the same gaze her father had held.
"Hungary?"
She nodded. "What are you doing here, child?!"
"I'm here for war."
Hungary paused, and then nodded. "Well, then, come inside."
Hungary turned on a radio, and left Maria with a list of frequencies. "These are the right frequencies. Chose a specific time."
"Of course."

At 12:00 AM, GMT, all around the world in the Russian empire, the people rose.
The second war had begun.

The flight was delayed from landing, and when they finally landed, there was chaos. Canada doubted they would have made it out of the airport if not for Kumajirou. She held Isabella's hand and they ran after the polar bear and through the path he created for them.
Canada hurried to Hungary's house and found it had been barricaded. She broke in a window and called out for the nation, looking around in fear.
Finding her on the floor, Madeline rushed to stabilizing her, but Isabella looked around. This place seemed familiar.
Finally Hungary spoke. "They have risen up. It is time for war. Russia is striking back, though, and my people are suffering."
Canada nodded. "Hungary, Maria is missing. Russia has her."
Hungary shook her head, bleeding. "She came here last night. She escaped from him. She's raising the army. They have already taken several Russian soldiers hostage..." Her eyes shut in pain. "But many of my people are dying."
A crash of glass in the front room. Isabella suddenly screamed, and Madeline shouted "DROP AND COVER!"
The grenade exploded in the next room over, and Madeline hurried in, fearing for her daughter. "Isabella!"
She came crawling out from under a table, and nodded. "I'm okay." Though her voice was wobbly.
Hungary came stumbling in. "We have to get out of here." She said. "It will only get worse from here."
Isabella nodded. "Where'd you go in 1956?"
Madeline looked at her daughter, startled, but Hungary nodded, understanding what she meant. "Follow me."

Lithuania had hoped to convince Russia to search for his daughters hen he finally found him, but now he was sitting at a computer, typing a message dictated to him by Russia. He had officially gone insane. Completely insane
Cuba,
We have reason to believe your nation is responsible for inciting these riots in our empire's many territories. As this is the case, our ultimatum is this.
-You allow the Russian government access to all files necessary to conduct the investigation.
-If this investigation shows that your government was involved, you must surrender all territories in Central America to the Russian government.
-Failure to comply with this agreement will be considered an act of war.
Lithuania hit send, knowing that the world was once again about to change for the worst.

Cuba walked into Mexico's room and showed her the message on his computer. She looked at him coolly for a moment and then spoke. "What do I get if I help you?" She asked, even though she knew she didn't have a choice. Cuba was better than Russia.
"Your independence from Cuba. I want every man and woman you can spare, even cartels loyal to you or money. I'll worry about drugs later." He said, and she was startled by that offer.
She looked at him and then nodded. "We have a deal." Next to her sat Gilbird, now looking healthy. Mexico looked at her calmly. "Ready to go back to Maria?"
Gilbird nodded solemnly, accepting their fate.

Maria stood in silence, waiting for her guests.
Madeline came in first, her youngest daughter behind her in chains. Madeline was indignant at that fact. "Take the shackles off her at once, Maria!"
Maria shook her head, and then looked at the girl. "Do you remember this room?" She asked.
Irina said nothing.
"Maria, cut out this nonsense!" Madeline shouted, having to be restrained by two guards.
"Canada, this is a perfect replica of the room where the Allies decided to dissolve me." Maria said, interrupting her rant.
Canada looked around, confused, and then looked at her oldest child. "What has happened to you?"
She ignored Canada again, returning her gaze to the young nation. "Irina, have they begun to talk to you as well? The ghosts of the world?"
Canada stepped forward, but someone grabbed her. She shouted, offended.
"I am not your enemy, sister." The Slavic nation said, quietly so that Canada could not hear.
Prussia laughed. "Oh, you are naïve. They want you to destroy me, don't they?"
"I am not the new Russia, sister. I am the old Russia. He has destroyed himself, and now even he must be reborn. I am the vessel which will take his spirit in, and restore the world. You kill me, and you will regret it. I need you, you need me."
Canada had heard nothing of this exchange, and Irina added something to else. "It's no longer Irina. My name is now Isabella, Isabella Joan."
Prussia chuckled, her eyes flashing red for a second. "Ah, so this is a war where we are allies. Those were always better, were they not?"
Isabella nodded. "They always were."
Prussia shouted a command so that Canada could hear. "You can remove the shackles now. Both of you are invited to dinner."

Canada was offended by the whole affair, and it took her a while to calm down. By then, her dinner was mostly cold. Isabella, meanwhile, had dug in, and so had Maria.
"Madeline, your food is cold." Maria said, noticing her crossed arms and stiff posture.
She looked across the table at Maria. "And when did I go from mutti to Madeline, dearest one?" Her eyes were murderous as she said that.
Maria said nothing at first, but she finally responded. "We will be reborn."
Canada stared, and then shook her head, not understanding. Isabella, looking up, began to explain.
"Mother, I am the nation of Russia. The reason father is still alive is that he is no longer Russia. He is the Russian Empire."
Maria nodded. "He has gone mad. He is not willing to accept his life is reaching the end. He no longer heals like he should. He is growing sick in the mind."
Canada looked at them, and spoke. "If this is true, then why have only you been reborn, Russia?"
"I'm not the only one. There are many more. I can feel them somewhat, through my connection to Russian Empire. But one is in this room with us."
Maria looked at her mother, and suddenly her eyes went completely red. "Did you miss me, Canada?"
Madeline stared at them in shock, and then stood up fast. "I need some time alone..." She said, and turned and ran from the room.
They let her leave, and the red faded from Maria's eyes. "I suspect that was too fast to spring all of that onto her." She said, sinking into her seat.
Isabella nodded, holding her posture steady. "It would have been best to wait, but this is war. There is no time."
Prussia nodded, head in hands. "War never waits."

Canada took a cigarette off a guard and stood on a balcony, smoking. From what she'd asked, this was only a temporary base for keeping prisoners.
She hated the cigarette, but after today's revelations, she needed a buzz, and nicotine ended up being the first thing she could find.
"I'm sorry, Madeline."
She turned to see Maria approaching. She glared and turned away from the nation she had once loved.
"Will you at least talk to me?" Maria said, sounding heartbroken.
She kept silent, upset herself.
"Look, I didn't know until a few days ago. I started having flashbacks, and then I managed to find him while I was meditating."
"You're still two separate people?" Madeline blurted out, and then growled at herself, slamming the cigarette back in her mouth.
She looked at Madeline and then shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I have his memories, and I'm starting the realize a lot of my other skills and interests came from him. It's hard to know where I end and he begins."
Canada put out her cigarette and sighed. "I wanted to raise you, but when he tried to get us to land at Heathrow, I panicked." She said, knowing that she couldn't hold back much longer, and so she just gave up. But Maria gave her an unexpected response.
"It's a good thing you didn't. He knew I was onboard."
Canada looked at her in surprise. "How?!"
"Isabella and I have been talking. She's had dreams of America's death. Russia taunted him, told him his plans for the future of the world. He wants to build an empire, but he wants you for his wife. He let you go to Europe, knowing he could let you find me, and bring you in. From there, he could dispose of me and keep you under his control. But you got Cuba to take me in. I was untouchable in Mexico. And you were right where he could keep an eye on you, to keep you from helping me."
Canada had to sit down in shock. She collected her thoughts, and then took a deep breath before shouting. "He knew the whole time... That MERDE!"
Prussia sat next to her. "Madeline, you did what was best for all of us. You saved me. And now you've saved Russia."
She cried on that balcony, so tired, so confused. Had she only been in this world to play this game of death, to dance with the man she hated most? Was that why she had never starved, even when she wished for death to take her?
A set of arms wrapped around her as they had so long ago, murmuring ich liebe dich over and over as she sobbed.

Cuba arrived after a few days of planning and quickly found the army. Disorganized and short on leaders, but it must be called an army rather than a riot.
Maria and Isabella seemed in charge, and he was surprised. From what he knew, Isabella had little to no instruction on war. But he also felt a slight chill whenever he went near her, so that could mean General Winter was guiding her.
Gilbird rejoiced being back with Maria, who was now calling herself Prussia. She had the Iron Cross at her throat all hours of the day, and was organizing her rag tag group of soldiers into something better. Between operations and general issues, she was making people who had fought in the first war and survived train her soldiers. Those who did well climbed higher, even in the few days that had passed.
When she saw Cuba, she looked up and nodded. "War?"
He nodded. "Mexico's army is on the way, but I brought the air force into Budapest. Hope you don't mind."
She shook her head, and pointed to a map. "Think we could conduct an air strike near Kiev? Most of their troops seem to be gathering there."
He nodded, and then Madeline came into the room. She stopped at seeing Carlos. "Cuba."
"Canada." He said, looking at the woman he admired.
She was exhausted, and seemed older than she should be. He had to stop himself from rushing to her side to comfort her. Maria said nothing, but she stiffened slightly at the sight.
She really is a reincarnation of Prussia. She thinks Canada is still hers.
They coordinated the rest of the attack, and then Cuba stepped outside, waiting for Canada. She emerged a few minutes later, furious.
He went over to her. "What has she done?" He asked, since it was clear Maria had done something to upset her.
"She has cut me out of the war as much as she can! Isabella as well. Neither of them want me fighting. And the way Maria acts... She's Prussia, if Prussia had thought I was weak."
"She seems to have a crush on you." Carlos said as he guided her to a bench where she sat.
Madeline nodded. "She does. Carlos, when this war is done, I want a long vacation far away from both of those girls. I... I still love them, but I need some distance while everything settles." She sighed, looking at the ground as though the asphalt could give her the answers she was missing.
"Do you mind if I join you on that vacation?" He asked after a moment.
She looked at him, and then let the smallest of smiles grow. "Not at all, Carlos. Make it a cruise for two."
For a moment, he saw a glimpse of the old Canada.
And he smiled too.

"Child, your father is on the move. You have to strike him down outside of the original borders of Russia. While he is still within the borders, he can steal your life force to heal himself."
Isabella nodded as she listened, and spoke to her grandmother. "Kievan, will you and the General help me fight him?"
"The General cannot, for Mother Nature has forbidden him. But I can. Fly to Kiev. Belarus's people would strike you down, but Ukraine's will keep you safe. Confront him there."
"I will do as you ask."
Kievan faded away into the night, and Isabella stood, hurriedly shoving things into her backpack. She finally slung it across her shoulders and stepped outside.
"Going somewhere?" Maria was leaning against the side of her tent, Gilbird perched above. She watched Isabella with an amused look. But Isabella did not entertain her with a look of her own. She stared straight ahead while speaking.
"Kiev. I have to kill him."
Maria said nothing for a while, and then smiled. "Can't let my little sister go somewhere without protection. I'm coming with you."
Isabella knew it was pointless to object, and they loaded supplies into a military jet, taking it out onto the runway. Isabella and Maria sat as the pilots, ready for whatever Russia was going to throw at them. Both remembered that they had been pilots before, and they knew they could do it again
The plane took off, and both grinned, their memories of war coming back.
"It always was more fun when we were allies." Isabella said, letting a smile cover her face before taking the controls.

Translations

German
Mutti-mother
Ich liebe dich-I love you

French
Merde-shit/piece of shit