♡Forbidden Love♡

Prologue

Switzerland took Liechtenstein's hand and pulled her gently through the crowded streets. He looked back over his shoulder to see how she was keeping up, and found her stumbling along a little. Switzerland stopped until she was able to get her feet under her securely. She looked up at him.

"Sorry for make you wait, Bruder." She smiled at him innocently.

He only nodded and continued onward, only this time walking a little slower, so that Liechtenstein would have no problem following him. Although he still maintained a tight grip on her hand. Switzerland glanced back at her once more - then his gaze fell on their clasped hands. Her hand is so delicate, he thought, his face heating up a little. I shouldn't think about things like that, he scolded himself mentally. She's my little sister. He shook his head to clear it.

"Bruder, are you all right?" He heard Liechtenstein soft, sweet voice from behind him. "You're shaking your head very hard."

Switzerland looked over his shoulder, into Liechtenstein's concerned face. He hated to see her like this, worried about him. "I'm fine." He said, looking back forward. "Let's focus on getting back home."

Unseen to Switzerland, Liechtenstein bowed her blonde head and nodded.

When they arrived back at Switzerland's house, he and Liechtenstein unpacked the groceries that they had been buying. They went about it with a silent contentment, as this was a usual routine. If a stranger had been looking inside the window at that time, they might have thought that the two were close siblings, or perhaps even a young couple. When everything had been placed in its rightful place, Switzerland excused himself and left through the back door.

He walked along the red cobblestone path that led to the worn bench that he and Liechtenstein often sat on to enjoy the day. He sank onto the warm wood with a soft sigh. He leaned forward until his chin rested on the backs of his hands. Why has everything become so complicated lately? He wondered, raising his eyes to slowly take in the beautiful garden. I always knew that I had deep feelings for Liechtenstein, but lately they've come to the surface more and more often. He sighed once again, but this time louder and longer.

He sat in this position for a few more minutes, wishing that he knew exactly how he felt about his little sister. Then he rose to his feet and walked into his large, well-kept garden.

Liechtenstein peeked out from behind the sunflower-yellow curtains. She hadn't left the kitchen, but instead was watching her big brother secretly. I wonder what Bruder is going through, she thought concerned. He's always taken care of everything, including me. I wish I could help him.

Then she saw him walk into the garden with heavy steps. Liechtenstein decided that she would do something nice for him, to help him with whatever he was going through. With that determined resolve in mind, she decided to cook dinner tonight. Usually Switzerland cooked, which made Liechtenstein feel bad every time. She was the only "woman" in the house, and yet Switzerland did all the jobs that she was supposed to do.

Lifting an apron off of the clothing hooks that hung in the kitchen, she pulled it around herself, tying the strings tightly into a knot in the back. She didn't have to tie her hair back, as it was already extremely short. She'd cut it in order to look more like her big brother. Next, Liechtenstein opened the cupboard that held all of the cookbooks and recipes for the delicious food that Switzerland cooked. To reach the books she had to stand on the very tips of her tiptoes, but she managed in the end. For the next five minutes Liechtenstein just sat at the kitchen counter, leafing through the books and papers. Finally she found a recipe that seemed easy enough to make.

She looked at the ingredients list and busied herself around the kitchen, looking for the various food products. When everything was arranged neatly in front of her, her gaze slid down to the procedure. Focused, she followed them step-by-step, until at last she was able to slide the dish into the oven. "There!" She said at last, setting the timer. "Everything done. Now I just have to wait, and then Bruder and I will be able to have dinner together." She smiled happily.

However, in the meantime Liechtenstein didn't know what to do. She couldn't merely sit by the oven, watching the timer hand tick by slowly. So she decided to step outside for a little fresh air. In her hurry, she forgot to open the window, to be able to hear the timer when it went off.

Liechtenstein walked down the very same path that Switzerland had that same day. However, instead of entering the garden, she stopped at the bench. How did this tradition come to be? She wondered. We always came to this place. It's our favorite place in the entire world.

Just as Switzerland had done, she sat down on the bench, gingerly. She placed her small hands in her lap, one over the other. The young girl sat with her back straight, and looked out onto the horizon. A dim, golden disk slowly travelled across the azure blue sky, now tinged with a deep red. Slowly she disk began to creep over the edge of the earth. Finally it disappeared completely, leaving the garden in a deep and yet comforting, darkness.

Liechtenstein sprang up from the bench when she smelt smoke. Oh no! She thought. I didn't take the dinner out of the oven!

She hastened inside, where she found Switzerland scraping the charred remains of what should have been a delicious dinner into the garbage can. He looked up when he saw her walk in. Liechtenstein hoped to see some expression of anger on his face, but it was calm. She walked towards him and bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, Bruder." She said, her eyes fixed on the ground. "I had wanted to make dinner for you, but I did not watch the time. Please forgive me."

Switzerland looked at her for a long time. Then he placed two fingers under her chin and lifted her face so that it looked into his. "It's all right," He said evenly. "If you wanted to learn to cook, why did you not ask me?"

While Liechtenstein looked at him, her eyes began to fill with tears. "Bruder..." She wrapped her arms around his waist.

Switzerland stood still. He didn't know what to do - people did not often hug him. Then he awkwardly placed his hands around Liechtenstein and held her close. Finally, he pushed her away.

"I need to prepare dinner." He said, trying to shake off the funny yet happy feeling that he'd gotten from hugging Liechtenstein. "Would you like to watch me?"

She smiled that happy smile of hers that warmed Switzerland's heart, and nodded.