Chapter Two:
Help
Meanwhile, Italy was at his house chatting with Germany. The two were conversing about the spaghetti that Italy had made for dinner. The two had just finished their meal, matter of fact, and the delicious pasta happened to have sausages in it which Germany enjoyed immensely. Italy casually asked Germany if he would like to make some cake together sometime. At this remark, Germany gasped and tried to hide his surprise…his secret hobby was indeed baking cakes. How could Italy have known?
Noticing his surprise at the question, Italy giggled nervously and asked what was wrong. The only answer he got was Germany clearing his throat and shaking his head to change the subject. “Uh…nothing. It has been nice, Italy, but I must go.”
“Aww…” Italy said disappointedly. “Okay then…have a nice-a day, Germany! Bye-bye!” standing up, he skipped over to the door and opened it for Germany. His friend stood up and walked over to it; but as soon as he stepped outside, he stopped. Italy peeked out of the door to see what was up, and soon noticed Japan running toward the house.
Sticks and leaves clung to his hair and he had two mud stains on his uniform. His face was red as were his eyes, as if he had run the whole way there and been crying. He stopped a few feet in front of Germany and began to pant heavily, leaning forward and grabbing onto his legs for support. He was shaking; and shaking bad.
Italy gasped and ran outside next to Germany, who didn’t say anything. He squatted down and looked Japan in the eyes with a worried expression. “Japan! What’s going on? What’s the matter? Why did you run all the way here? Why do you look so sad?” bombarded Italy. But Japan only let out three words:
“Poochi…Gone…Help…” and then he fell forwards, Italy catching him in his arms.
“Ah! Japan, oh no! Germany, get some water!” shouted Italy, getting to his feet and struggling to raise Japan as well. He grunted as he managed to swing the fainted country over his shoulder and stumble inside to a couch. He laid Japan on it and knelt down next to him. Germany was shocked that Japan had blacked out on the spot; but ran into Italy’s kitchen and returned with a wet washcloth. He, too, knelt down next to Japan and dabbed his face gently with the washcloth.
“Come on, Japan…” he said softly, “Wake up…” he then examined Japan’s hair and uniform and blinked in bewilderment. “He’s a mess...”
Italy ran to the back of the couch and leaned up to Japan’s chest. “He’s got a heartbeat…he should wake up, right, Germany?” The German nodded and kept dabbing Japan’s face. Eventually he opened both eyes very slightly and looked around. Hs vision was very blurred and he didn’t know where he was. He didn’t even remember what had happened to him. But as his vision gradually cleared, he could see Germany staring at him expectantly and Italy grinning.
“Japan! Grazie goodness! We were so worried about you!” exclaimed Italy. “Are you alright?”
Japan didn’t answer, for he was too weak at the moment to speak. His eyes were wide open, though, and he began to notice the moist feeling on his face. Very shakily, he reached his hand up to his face and let out a deep breath. “What…?” was the only word he could mutter.
“It’s okay, Japan. Italy and I are right here. You just lay here und rest. I’ll phone a medic.” Germany told Japan comfortingly, standing up and walking over to Italy’s rotary phone. He dialed the number and asked the doctor if he could come by Italy’s and take a look at Japan. The doctor immediately agreed and hung up.
“Can you tell us what happened?” said Germany, returning to the couch. “Zee doctor is on his way.”
Japan grunted and shook his head. “I…do not need…doctor…” he suddenly inhaled sharply and coughed. He then closed his eyes tightly and winced, scaring Italy out of his skin.
“Japan, si! You do need a doctor!” snapped Italy. “You’re as red in the face as a tomato is and I won’t stop worrying until you get all better!” grabbing the washcloth, Italy ran back into the kitchen to get it wet again. He came back a few moments later and placed it on Japan’s forehead, noticing how hot he was.
“Ah! See? You’re burning up! You must have caught something at the conference earlier today!” with his arms on his hips, Italy looked at Germany. “What do you think?”
“I don’t think he caught somezing at zee World Meeting, Italy. It would surely not take effect zis quickly.” Turning to the Italian with a concerned facial expression, Germany sighed. “Remember how he ran here so quickly? His house is over four miles away in zee forest…” frowning, Germany took a wild guess that he had run the whole way.
Italy let out an “Eep!” and gasped. “What in the world could be so urgent?”
Germany gently placed his hand on Japan’s and proceeded to ask Japan if he remembered anything. There were a few moments of silence before Japan coughed again. He replied with a very tired and frail “Yes.” And Japan told in detail of his dream and then Poochi’s disappearance. He then said he thought Italy and Germany would be able to help. He was so worried about Poochi, however, he ran the whole way to Italy’s house as fast as he could through the dense forest without stopping.
Biting his lip, Germany shook his head and frowned. “I do not believe zat dream had anything to do with your dog’s appearance. I do, however, know zat you and Poochi have been together for thousands of years. Vhy would he suddenly go missing today?”
“That is what puzzles me…” answered Japan, sitting up slowly and groaning in pain. “I…I do not know what…happened…to him…but if I do not get…him back…I will simply d-d--”
“Don’t say that!” shouted Italy with a slight sob. “You will be just fine, Japan! And we will find Poochi, too! Trust me and Germany, okay dokey? We’ll go find Poochi for-a you!”
“…But I want to find my dog…I want to help you search…I know him the best…and I know that he will not…reveal himself…to just anyone…he needs me. I came to ask…you…two…to help me.” Breathing in another sharp breath, Japan swung his legs over the side of the couch and tried to stand up.
“Japan!” shouted Germany, pushing his friend back down. “You know you are too exhausted to search now! Listen to me, you will sleep here for zee night and have zee doctor tell you whether you will be ready or not to search anytime soon! I may not be a medic but I can tell you right now you are not leaving zis couch until zee doctor comes to look at you.” The blond tossed his head and stood straight, glaring at Japan with his frosty blue eyes.
As if on cue, there was suddenly a knock at Italy’s front door. The Italian stood up quickly and ran to the door. He let in a tall, somewhat husky looking man with a briefcase. Germany immediately stood up and stepped away from the couch; allowing the doctor to sit down beside Japan, take his blood pressure and temperature, and ask him how many fingers he was holding up, what color was his hair, etc…
When the doctor was ready to leave, Italy ran over and asked to know how Japan was doing.
“Well,” said the doctor in an English accent. “His blood pressure is slightly above average and his temperature a little high. I suggest you keep an eye on him through the night and make sure he gets plenty of rest. He shouldn’t to any stressing activities until tomorrow, at least.” The doctor then nodded to Italy and headed to the door. “Good day, gentlemen. And I hope you feel better soon, Japan. It’s never good to see a nation sick.”
“Arigato…” came the slow reply. And the doctor left.
Germany went over to Italy’s couch and sat on the arm of it. He stared at Japan for a few seconds before telling him he must stay at Italy’s for the night and they’d see what happened with his health. At first Japan shook his head in defiance, but slowly considered the idea and sighed.
“I suppose that would be the best course of action. If Italy wouldn’t mind, that is.” Japan then looked over to Italy, who nodded cheerfully.
“Vee! Of course you can stay, Japan! You’re always welcome here!” Italy patted Japan on his head and smiled. “I hope you feel better so we can look for Poochi. I hope he’s ok.”
Germany shrugged and stood up. “Most likely. He can handle himself fine on his own, I think. Well, I must be going. I suppose I will come back tomorrow and help you search for your dog.” He looked at Japan and closed his eyes. “I hope you find him. I know how much you care about him.”
“You would feel the same if you lost one of your dogs.” Said Italy, nodding. “And I would too! I love your puppies!”
Germany cleared his throat and nodded slowly. “Yes. Zat’s true. Anyway, I shall return tomorrow around ten A.M., sound good?”
Italy grinned and saluted Germany. “Aye-aye, captain! We’ll be waiting!” and then Germany left.
Italy walked over to the arm of the couch and sat down. “Um, Japan? Maybe you ought to get some rest.” He smiled and opened his brown eyes. “You’ll feel better. Then we can look for Poochi!” closing his eyes, Italy turned off the lamp across the room. “Want me to read you a bedtime story?”
“A bedtime story?” asked Japan, blinking. “…How old are you again?”
“Oh, somewhere over a thousand years. I lost count.” Replied the cheerful boy with a giggle. “But I always read a bedtime story before I go to sleep! Ooh, how about ‘The Silly Sheep’, Japan? It’s-a my favorite story!” Italy then grabbed the book and rushed over to the couch. “Okay! Here we go!”
“Once there was a silly little lamb that lived in a great big meadow with a lot of other sheep. Baa!” Italy made the sound effect sound as sheep-like as possible. And in the process received a “look” from Japan. Giggling, he returned to the story and read on. When the story was finished, Italy stood up and asked Japan if he liked it.
“It was rather nice, in fact.” Japan smiled a little and looked up at Italy. “Arigato for being so generous to me, Italia. And thank you for volunteering to help find Poochi.” He said, frowning at the mention of his dog’s name.
“Ah, it’s no problemo! …Would you like a goodnight kiss?”
Japan’s eyes widened and he coughed awkwardly. “Um…no thank you.” He said very slowly. His friend smiled and nodded, giving Japan a thumbs-up.
“Okey dokey! Well, if you need anything and I mean anything at all, just ask your friend Italy! Goodnight! Sweet dreams!” Italy then walked into his bedroom and changed into his jammies (which happened to be red fleecy pants and a red shirt), and climbed into bed. He lay there for a few minutes and wondered about Japan…if he would be alright. He concluded that his friend would be fine. He was practical and sensible; and knew how to take care of himself. Pondering these thoughts, Italy drifted off to sleep and dreamed of pasta.
At about midnight, Japan woke up and looked around. It took a few moments to remember where he was. The sofa cushions were somewhat uncomfortable to Japan; as he was used to sleeping on a very lightly cushioned cot each night with only a sheet covering him. Instead, tonight, he had very squishy cushions and a multitude of pillows under his head. He also had a very colorful, yet heavy quilt spread over his whole body. It was red, green, and white. The color’s of Italy’s flag. It also had what looked like spaghetti and meatballs spread out at random places on the quilt. Japan couldn’t read in the dark, but he was quite sure that the quilt had the word “PASTA!” printed on it.
Sighing, Japan realized he was parched. He kicked the quilt off of him and stood up. He had no trouble walking so he stepped into the kitchen and silently walked over to the sink. He got a glass and turned the switch on the faucet and water poured into the glass. He drank it quickly and wiped his face with his sleeve; returning to the couch.
Suddenly, he stopped. Was that a sound from outside? Yes! It was barking! Poochi’s barking! Japan stood frozen in shock for several seconds, not sure what to do. Wake Italy or go searching in the darkness by himself. After a minute, he decided that his dog might be gone if he took an excessive amount of time to get outside. He darted to the door and swung it open. The barking could still be heard, and it sounded very close. Japan ran toward it as fast as he could.
As a few minutes passed, however, Japan noticed the barking sounded…off. It almost had an echo to it. And the sound never seemed to get any closer or farther away no matter how fast Japan ran.
Little did he know it was purely his imagination. He was hearing things. He kept running, his heart pounding with every step. He called Poochi’s name a few times, but he never showed up.
Noticing he was tired, Japan only picked up his pace. He was sweating, and even starting to cough. His throat burned and his lungs felt stressed. Now was the time when Japan started to hallucinate. He saw a little cream colored object several feet in front of him.
He shouted Poochi’s name, but before he could take another step, he tripped over a root which jutted out from the ground. He tripped, and before he could even cry out, thumped onto the ground and blacked out.
~~~
Hungary awoke the next morning early. Sun shone in through her bedroom window and she sighed tiredly. Rubbing her eyes, the female country sat up in bed and looked around. Gazing to the right, she looked in her mirror and sighed a little...another new day.
She had light brown hair and green eyes. Residing with Austria, she was his close friend and housekeeper, as well. She kept an eye on things around the house, cleaned, and smacked every intruder or burglar she saw with her secret weapon: her frying pan. She was headstrong and tomboyish; and always aiming to please Sir Austria. The girl stretched and jumped out of bed. She ran into the bathroom and got dressed quickly, coming back out in her black and orange folklore dress. She put on some shoes and walked out into the main parlor; where Austria sat in a chair reading a book.
She walked up to him and curtsied politely. He greeted her with a warm smile and asked her if she slept well. She replied with a cheerful “Yes, sir.” and proceeded to ask Austria what her tasks were for the day.
“Well, I thought you deserved a break, Hungary.” Replied Austria, shaking his head and setting his book down. “You really do work too hard. When Italy was little you took care of him and Holy Rome…” pausing, Austria took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “And since then you’ve been doing all the chores around here. You deserve a break, my friend...”
Hungary blinked in surprise but smiled. “Well, alright. Whatever you wish, sir.”
“I was thinking,” continued Austria, putting his glasses back on and looking at Hungary. “That perhaps you would like to take a little walk with me. Just to get out of the house for a little while and admire nature. Does that sound good to you?”
Hungary giggled and blushed slightly. “Oh, of course! I’d love to go! Just let me change into something more comfortable.” She then returned to her room and got on her favorite uniform: a green shirt and green pants with a brown belt. It also had a very pretty forest green beret to match. Hungary then returned to Austria and waited patiently while he strapped on boots, put on a blue jacket and opened the door for his friend, a smile coming across his lips.
She stepped out into the cool morning and sighed. “What a nice day.” She said, looking at Austria. “Are you ready to go?”
“Yes, I am.” Austria replied kindly. He walked down the stairs and the two began to walk down a dirt road. They struck up a conversation about the compositions that Austria had been working on lately. He simply loved to play the piano; it was his hobby. He was a very calm sort who loved music and books...even though very strict at times; Austria was usually content when Hungary was around. The two did go well together...
As the two walked on, chatting lightly, Hungary began to notice a very peculiar shape on the horizon. Frowning, she kept on at the same pace but became very curious as to what the object might be. Austria began to notice Hungary’s concern and followed her gaze to the…thing.
As the two got closer, they noticed it was lying in a pile of mud. Hungary gasped, realizing it was indeed a person. She had suspected so but didn’t want to say anything. She darted ahead of Austria and fell on her knees in front of the person in the mud.
“Japan!?” she shrieked, grabbing Japan and pulling him out of the mud pile.
Austria soon ran up to Hungary and gasped at what he saw. He, too, got on his knees and helped Hungary lay Japan on dry ground and examine him closely. The two noticed he was still breathing.
He was hardly even recognizable. There were mud stains on most of his uniform and half of his face was covered in dirt. His jet black hair was tangled and several strands of it hung down over his face. His face had dirt on it and he had a cut on his cheek.
Hungary shook him and brushed his hair out of his face. “Japan!” she called. “Wake up! Please wake up…oh dear, what happened...?” she muttered, grabbing a handkerchief and gently wiping his face.
Austria felt Japan’s forehead and noticed he had a fever. He whipped off his jacket and used it to clean the dirt that was on the country’s clothes. A few moments later, Japan opened his eyes and looked up at Austria and Hungary. He moaned and reached his hand up to his forehead slowly, looking almost sick. The two rescuer countries looked on with a sense of hope that he was awake now, although they were both afraid he was going to black out again.
“Japan...are you alright? What happened? Did someone hurt you? Tell me who! I’ll smack them with my pan!” asked Hungary with great concern, pulling a frying pan out of practically nowhere, raising it high to emphasize her point.
Japan looked back up at her. “W-where is Poochi?”
Hungary blinked. “Poochi? Um… isn’t that your dog?”
“Yes he is. I was at Italy’s house for…for the night and I heard him barking…he went missing yesterday, you see. A-and I went to Italy’s to find help but I was told to stay in…bed…” Japan slowly sat up and looked around, rather dazed.
Hungary and Austria sat stunned for a moment. The two were processing what Japan had told them when they spotted a figure running up the path. It was Italy, and the expression on his face told the two that he was extremely frightened and upset. When he laid eyes on Japan, he let out a cry and ran straight into Japan, knocking him over in a hug.
“Japan! Japan!! Oh, grazie goodness, I was so worried about you! You’re a mess! Look at you! The doctor said you weren’t supposed to leave the couch or do anything! Please don’t ever do that again, I was so worried!” Italy squeezed Japan tight and started to cry softly. All Japan could do was sit there in shock, for he hated to be hugged (even touched for that matter; he had his personal space boundary.)
Soon, Germany came running up the path and saw Japan. He grunted and knelt down beside Italy. He gave a relieved sigh and shook his head. “Japan…thank the nations you’re alright…what happened?”
Japan didn’t say a word, he was still in shock from Italy’s hug and he was tempted to shove Italy off him. But he didn’t; knowing that he was very fragile at the moment and was seriously upset about the whole ordeal. Austria, instead, relayed the story to Germany.
When he was finished, Germany shook his head in shock. “Japan... What were you thinking!?” he then looked up at Japan with angry blue eyes. He spoke in a very harsh tone. “YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED! NEVER, EVER--”
“Germany!” shouted Italy, whipping around to face him. “He was just so worried about Poochi! Please don’t blame him! Please just be glad he’s a-okay! Okay?” he said with tear-stained cheeks. “I take responsibility! I should have known he had left!” with another sob, Italy wiped his face with his arm.
Germany trembled and tried to hide the obvious worriment that he was feeling. His feelings were mixed with joy, relief, and anger. He didn’t quite know what to make of it. Italy’s outburst had shocked him too because Italy almost never yelled at Germany. It was always vice versa.
Germany opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again. After a minute, Austria placed his hand on Japan’s shoulder.
“Japan, listen.” He said with a smile. “If you feel better in a few hours we will all go look for your dog. But don’t push yourself too hard, please.” Austria nodded. “We will find Poochi, I promise.”
Japan sat in silence for a moment considering this idea. He wanted to find Poochi and find him now; but his common sense told him he must rest for a few hours and then look. Tossing his feelings aside, Japan nodded wearily. Italy helped him up and the five returned to Austria’s mansion. When Italy saw it, he smiled with glee and raced up the front steps onto the porch and twirled around.
“Ah! This is where I grew up~!” he swung open the doors and looked inside the main room. Nostalgia clouded his mind and he remembered his childhood…it was hard and painful with many disappointments and changes; but it had many good times as well.
Italy rushed over to Austria’s piano and sat down. He began to play “Chopsticks” on it, which made Germany grimace. Austria, on the other hand, smiled and walked over to Italy, sitting down next to him and playing along. Hungary soon began to tap her foot to the music and started humming the tune as she waltzed into the kitchen.
Japan sat down on the couch and leaned back. He closed his eyes and listened as the melody continued at a steady rhythm. Germany sat down on the couch next to Japan and shook his head in annoyance. The song wasn’t his favorite; but with all the times Italy had either hummed or whistled it aloud during training, Germany had managed to memorize it. He could even hum his own adaptation of it. …Except when he hit the high notes his voice was...awkward.
Italy suddenly stopped playing on the piano keys and looked over at Austria. “Hey, do you have a guitar I can borrow, Austria?” Austria nodded and motioned to a closet. Italy skipped over and pulled out a guitar. It was rather dusty and it looked old; but Italy soon began strumming it and playing a tune Germany knew all too well…
“Germany, Germany, Germany~ Germany is a really, really nice place! Even though I’m your prisoner you give me food! And it doesn’t suck like English food. Sausages and cheeses—they always taste so good! It’d be heaven for a dog…yeah, that’s Germany!” Italy giggled and twirled around, continuing the song. Germany, however, scowled and sat back, pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a sigh.
“Tell me, how is it you Germans are so robust? You're crushing me with your intimidation. My fragility causes me to openly weep out of fear; your women terrify me. Is it the norm to drink a barrel of beer and then bust it on somebody's head? Please don't come to my place in large mobs--German tourists are scary!” pausing, Italy looked at Germany for a reaction. None except for the annoyance that was on his face so often. Shrugging, Italy continued.
“Even the girls that are from Germany are more rugged than I am! Yahoo~!” and the Italian strummed the guitar one last time and took a bow. The only one who clapped was Hungary, who peeked her head out of the kitchen and applauded Italy. He took a bow and returned to the couch. A few minutes later, Hungary emerged from the kitchen with a tray of soup and motioned that the Axis boys were to come to the table and eat. “Eat up!” she said cheerfully. “There’s plenty for seconds, too!” She then walked over to the side of the room and stood next to Austria.
Italy gulped down his soup like a mad man, while Germany took a more polite approach. Japan, however, sat at the table for a few minutes without eating anything, as he’d lost his appetite. To be polite to Hungary, in spite of his absent want for food, he ate the soup anyway. After a few spoonfuls he found it to be quite delicious and thus ate the rest. When the trio were done, Italy asked for seconds while Japan stood up and wandered around the room aimlessly, thinking.
Austria quickly noticed and walked up to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Japan,” he said soothingly, “Don’t worry. We’ll find Poochi soon enough. In fact, as soon as Italy is done eating, we’ll go look for him, alright?”
Japan smiled slightly. “Alright. Arigato, Austria.”
