Determi-Nation

Chapter V: The War

The dark skies were the first thing he noticed when he finally got out. Alone. With the absence of his now-dead friends. It was painful, but he kept running down the courtyard, until he reached a large black gate. Unfortunately for him, though, it was locked. He gripped his journal tighter as an ominous presence made itself known.

He turned around.

"I won the game, didn't I? I'm the winner! You can't get to me."

Honey brown eyes were wide with an insane glint.

"My friends... are dead because of me. If only I hadn't... No... They're dead because of you! You killed them all!"

A small chuckle escalated into a maniacal laugh.

"How about I make a deal with you, huh? You like that, right? Let me save my friends.. If I win, you'll let us go and if I lose..."

The book held tightly in his chest began to glow.

"Take us back... Take us back!"

...

Italy woke up with a start, breathing heavily. He swung his legs over the bed, trying to get the oxygen into his lungs. Coughing, his mind was reeling at what he just saw in his dream. He tried to get himself to calm down, but he could not.

"Italy."

His breath quickened, and his chest began to feel uncomfortably trapped. Shivering, he clutched the bedsheets tightly. The room was starting to spin, his vision blurring. He could feel himself swaying left and right.

"Italy, snap out of it! Take a deep breath, and slowly let it out."

A familiar voice called out to him. A childlike ghostly form could be seen out of the corner of his eyes, as small hands awkwardly pat his back in an attempt to calm him down. Slowly, but surely, he was able to breathe a little more easier than before. He felt something cold touched his cheeks. Gingerly, he raised a hand there.

They were tears.

"That's it. Better now?"

The nation nodded, feeling numb. The hands on his back retreated, as Chara sat down next to him, legs dangling. A vision flashed through his mind. He saw a lonely statue, being drenched in rain. A small child, accompanied by a similar sized monster, carried an umbrella over their head, standing next to it before placing the unbrella in the statue's hands. Soon after, a song began playing.

The soothing sound of the music box comforted him, as the auburn haired Italian was brought back to the present. The child spirit was humming the same tune, a rare genuine smile on her lips.

"I always like that song, you know? Music were scarce from where I came from, so any songs, anything at all.. I'll always find myself memorising them, trying to treasure the beauty of it."

"What did you show me?" Italy mumbled out, his voice hoarse.

"A memory, of course." Her smile widened. "It appears that my tactic worked, but it also confirmed something for me."

He looked at her, honey-brown orbs questioning. She gazed downwards, fiddling with her sweater. "However, that is a story for another day. Right now, I'm curious... What was that?"

"You saw that?"

"Indeed." She nodded, looking thoughtful. "A mansion in the woods is what I saw, with you running. But from what? What is it?"