Paint it Another Colour

Chapter 73

Uh... hi? I might've like, just completely given up on writing last weekend. Like, I started writing on Friday, then Wattpad deleted it. It wasn't that bad, coz I was only going to delete it myself as it was bad, and there wasn't anything on it, but then I just kept on procrastinating until it was sort of, Monday morning? Then, I had no time for a hurried update, and anyway, this one was supposed to be long and important, so I couldn't just do it quickly! I didn't want to apologize in an A/N, because everyone hates them, especially when they're just to tell you there isn't going to be an update, which you've already sort of guessed.
Also, Lord of the Rings references in the last chapter - 7, so congrats if you got that!
There are some in this chapter too, but no where near as many.
So, here I am, a week late! I promise all the other updates will be on time. It's not like I have that many left either! Oh yeah, spoilers, I've nearly finished!
Now, without further hold up, here is the maybe a week late chapter!!!

MiddleEarth4eva

"They're here!"

The looks Vash got from the other nations when he rushed back into the conference room, slammed the doors behind him and screamed 'they're here' would have been priceless if it was a prank, or something he wasn't serious about. Every single face was plastered with horror, shock or fear, all aimed straight at him. After a moment of silence around the looks, Arthur slowly stood up, clutching at the edge of the table for support.

"Now" he said. "There's no need to make claims like that, is there? We're all shaken up at the moment anyway, so that's just unfair, calling us out like that, trying to scare us."

Vash growled at him. "I'm not trying to... you think..." he swallowed his anger and took a deep breath. "I don't make stuff up. Ever." He glanced around the room. "Ludwig, Gilbert, tell them."

Gilbert came over and looped an arm around his shoulders. "This here, my fellow nations, is Vash Zwingli, personification of Switzerland, not one to scare easily, or go far from his gun."

"I swear if you're just going to insult me..." Vash hissed.

"Vash" Gilbert shouted over him. "Who doesn't mess around."

Vash sighed. "Thank you."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't exactly take Gilbert as a trusted source."

Ludwig stood up and narrowed his eyes at Vash. "What do you mean, they're here?"

"You can't seriously..." Arthur stared at him. "He's just trying to spook us. I mean, how on earth could they have gotten in here without any security picking them up, firstly, then, how did they even know where the conference building was? We've been so discrete on every single meeting, making sure that no one knows where it is, and you're suggesting that they just happen to know where the hell it is?"

"I'm not suggesting" Vash glared at him. "I'm telling you."

"Okay then" Arthur folded his arms. "How do you know?"

Vash swallowed. This wasn't going to go down well. "Karim, Imani and Lin are dead."

"What?" Mavuto blinked at the table for a second, drumming his fingers as though he wasn't quite sure he wanted to believe whatever was said. "But..."

"We're not dwelling on the dead at the moment" Zuma muttered. "There's too many to grieve now." Mavuto stared at him, but didn't say anything.

"Right then" Arthur said, breathing shaky. "Well... if they are..." he glanced up at the disbelieving look on Vash's face, and then huffed. "Fine, they're here." He moved to the front of the room and peered around the faces. "Is... is everyone here? If we figure out what to do know, maybe it won't be that bad, and there can't be that many of them... right? How many were there?"