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Not Alone

"...and then he asked if I knew anyone with a crescent moon and 5 stars on their flag. To which I replied...'Do I LoOk LiKe GoOgLe To YoU?!' then I ran as fast as my short legs would take me!" Martial chuckled at Phil's recount of a recent encounter with America. Though it bothered him. Why were Ame and his brothers looking for Singa? "On the bright side, your short legs somehow took you far enough Phil! You eneded up in the ice cream aisle of the supermarket!" Indo teased his friend as he sat on the lower bunk of the bunkbed he shared with Mal. "When the store clerk found out who he was, she kicked him out!" Mal added, waving his controller around in emphasis.

"Oh yeah? What, did you get banned or something Phil?" Martial asked his brother while he schooled Mal in Mario Smash Bros. "We all did Kuya. You,Cam and Thai are the only ones who haven't been banned yet. Singa just got banned a few weeks ago too!" Phil answered as he took the controller away from Mal. "Not to mention the fact that they thought she was 14!" Indo piled on ad he took the controller from Martial. "That reminds me, Thai asked me to head to the supermarket. Hope I don't get banned like you three!" Martial excused himself. "Goodbye Kuya! And good luck!" Phil called to his older brother as he embarked on his quest.

Standing under a willow tree not too far away from the Asean household, Del Pilar smiled softly at Phil's beaming face. He looked so happy. Martial too had a smile so rarely seen on his stoic face. Del's smile widended further when he saw Martial chuckle at something Phil said. He had been standing there for a while now, unmoving and watching his younger brothers.

"It's considered rude to stare Kuya. Though, they also say it's rude to leave without a note," Del turned to see Martial smiling softly up at him. Del mentally cursed himself for not noticing that Martial had left the room. "Well, since I'm supposed to head to the store, I suppose I could force you along," Martial dragged his older brother with him as they made their way to the supermarket downtown.

"So how are things with Phil? Papa Asean still as fussy as ever?" Del asked his brother, trying to break the silence. The two fillipinos were just strolling around the aisles aimlessly,trying to find any of the things on the shopping list. "Not bad. The whole fam is still the same as ever actually. I mean, Phil,Mal and Indo are still monkeys but that's expected." Martial answered as he inspected two different brands of pasta sauce. Putting one back one the shelf, he chucked the other into the shopping cart.

"Singa,Bru and Thai are still pretty close and the same can be said for Myam,Viet, Cam and Laos. Though, Cam and Singa are pretty close too." he rambled on,unaware of the smile slowly creeping on Del's lips. "Papa Asean is pretty chill about it all actually. No matter how many times MalPhilIndo pull their pranks,he doesn't disown them," he continued even as he paid for the groceries. He couldn't deny the sense of pride he had for his family even though many might tease him for it. Meamwhile, Del Pilar's pride for Martial grew even more than it did before.

"Welp! I gotta go! You can carry all this by yourself right?" Del checked with Martial at the aforementioned willow tree. "You're leaving already? But you haven't even seen Phil! He missed you Kuya! And you're just going to leave without even seeing him?" Martial burst out, his voice cracking slightly with emotion. "I'm sorry Martial but our enemies might find us if I stay any longer," Del calmly told his brother. "Besides, you have to protect Phil," an attempt to settle Martial's nerves.

"THE WAR ENDED YEARS AGO!! WHY CAN'T YOU JUST SEE THAT?!" Martial yelled in desperation as he dropped all his bags and grabbed his brother by the shoulders. "I CAN'T PROTECT PHIL ON MY OWN OKAY?! I NEED YOU KUYA,PLEASE!!" Martial begged his brother,tears streamnig down his face. "I'm sorry Martial but I can't. I have to do it to protect you guys." Del removed his brother's hands from his shoulders and stepped away. Turning around, Del Pilar left Martial Law on his knees under a willow tree. And he didn't look back. Even as Martial wiped away his tears, even as he gathered his things, Del never looked back.

"Stay strong they said. It'll be alright they said," Martial muttered as he stabbed,sliced and thrusted his sword into the bark of the willow tree. The sun had set long ago yet he still stood there. His eyes clouded as he recalled how he and Del had bonded over wanting to protect Phil. "Our enemies might find us he said. I have to protect Phil he said." Martial continued,his shoulders shaking from the pain.

He jabbed with his sword and the mighty blade became firmly entrenched in the bark. Martial's eyes widened at the scars he left on the once smooth bark. "THE WAR ENDED YEARS AGO YOU IDIOT!" he yelled to the moon,to the stars,to anyone who would listen. Curling up, Martial fell to the ground,his shoulders shaking with the force of his tears. "I-I c-can't protect him alone..." he sobbed through his tears.

"Martial? What happened?" Martial turned his head slightly and found Asean sitting next to him, eyes filled with that fatherly concern. For a moment, Martial saw his late father, Katipunan and cried even harder. He was never coming back and neither was Del nor Perla. "Oh,Martial..." Martial felt a pair of strong arms wrap around him and his body tightened instinctively.

"I'm here Martial,I'm right here." Asean murmured into the weeping country's ear. "You're not alone," he coaxed,his concern shattering Martial's defence. Finally,he relaxed and held onto Asean like he used to hold onto Kati. "P-Papa..." he sobbed into Asean's shoulder. And there they stayed,even as the sun rose over the horizon, Martial Law stayed curled up in Asean's arms.

As the sun greeted the earth with a heavenly kiss, a single note fluttered on an ornate desk in a study nearby.

Take care of my brothers.
-Del Pilar