Looking back (chapter 13 )
The attack of the greatest Malaysian fortress did not exactly happen secretly. In just a few hours, the Malaysian president had issued a declaration of war against the Republic of the Philippines. Because the attack of their largest fleet of warplanes and ships had greatly diminished the firepower of their own army, the Malaysian government pleaded for help from fellow sympathetic ASEAN countries, mainly Vietnam and Thailand. It had been a rule of the ASEAN to not interfere with each other's struggles but with the sudden attack and increase of militarization activities by the Philippines, all of them were under threat of sudden attacks too. Three days after the attack, the Malaysian president formally signed a Triple defense Pact with Thailand and Vietnam. Said pact included that any nation that attacks any of the three would automatically be at war with the two others.
Action was yet to be taken by other ASEAN nations. Brunei had locked herself in her room ever since she had gotten back from the meeting and would not come out for about anything. Singapore, Cambodia and Myanmar were all too afraid to go against any of the larger nations and declared that they will be perpetually neutral. There were rumors of Laos possibly siding with Vietnam if hostilities begin. Indonesia, however, got them all hanging to every bit of news as to which side he'd choose. Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand were preparing for the worst case scenario - Indonesia siding with the Philippines- which wasn't exactly impossible since it was also not a secret that there were talks and emissaries going between the two countries about the possibilities of an alliance.
The next day after her attack on Malaysia, Philippines, still a bit groggy after the long flight to Russia and grumbling about how she would have to do it often after this meeting, stood in front of the huge oak doors which would lead her to a conference room where China and Russia were waiting for her. She turned to her president who was walking behind her and smiled at him. He smiled back warily at her. Philippines tried hard to hold back a laugh. 'He thinks I'd do something evil whenever I smile nowadays.' she thought.
"Let's get inside. Vietnam might attack me any second," she giggled at the mental image of Vietnam attacking her country to no avail in her absence. 'Yeah right! Like I'd leave them any weak openings. I've got more than enough ammo to hold any attack for decades!'. She threw open the doors, her eyes immediately spotting Ivan Braginski and Wang Yao talking with each other by the large window. She walked over to them after paying respects to their bosses and left her president with them.
She touched China's hand to her forehead as a sign of respect for her senior family and shook Ivan's hand as a greeting. "Ma'i, were you okay? Did you get hurt? I heard you attacked Malaysia yesterday-aru."
"I'm glad you made it back to my place, Philippines." Ivan smiled sinisterly, "I was hoping you'd want to stay longer this time?"
She giggled innocently as if she did not catch the underlying meaning in that statement, "Sorry, I can't. You know how things are at my place. I can't leave them unattended or I'll miss out on the fun!"
"How about I speed things up for you so you could get back here quickly, I like it when you're here." Ivan almost looked like he was pouting.
"I'm flattered, but we've talked about this already, Ivan. South East Asia is my job, the weapons are more than enough, I could handle everything else myself." She turned back to China, "Uncle Yao, about your question earlier, I'm okay. I did not even get a scratch. Malaysia did, though, it was quite many."
"Did you see him then -aru?"
"Yes, it was just my luck that he was there at the harbor. So I personally took him out and brought him with me when I left." She looked like a child who just caught a big fish by herself.
"Is he at your house-aru?"
"Yup. I've locked him up. You should have seen the look on his president's face when he demanded I release him back." She giggled.
"Are you holding him hostage? I could take care of him for you. I'm pretty good at disciplining prisoners, don't you think so too?" Ivan suggested happily.
Her smile dropped. "I can handle him just fine. I said no need to interfere. You'd soon get your hands full with the rest of the world, are you sure I do not have to go out of my continent? I mean, it's pretty easy down there once I take out Vietnam and Thailand."
"Well, if you really want to, you could take out New Zealand and Australia, and you could include East Timor and Papua New Guinea, too. Why don't you just take the whole Pacific? Save me some islands though, I've always wanted to have my own private tropical island." Russia suggested.
"I'd gladly give you some! I'll even make sure they're completely uninhabited! Call me if you want to have fun, god knows I could use some right now."
China rolled his eyes. If they weren't talking about war here, you'd think they're just playing a good old game of Risk. Russia and Philippines were just treating conquering other nations as child's play and lives as toys that could be spared. He shuddered at the thought and remembered precisely why he chose to side with them.
"How has talks been with Indonesia-aru?"
"I've just got him, Uncle Yao. Before I went back home yesterday I had a stop-over at his place. He's surely siding with me."
"How did you get him to agree?" Russia asked.
"You're not the only one with great convincing powers, Ivan." She smirked. "I have my ways. I'm his beloved sister, after all. There's nothing he can refuse me, given my predicament. All will end well, I will win this war." She said with such conviction in her voice that China was also assured that she will arise as victorious in the end. He just hoped she never overdid it. He was hoping she didn't have to hurt herself more than she already did.
China knew he was the only one Philippines trusted in the whole world as of now, and maybe Indonesia too. And for that, he'd willingly fight alongside her until the end. It will be their little secret, one that he's willing to keep for the rest of his long life.
He was snapped out of his thoughts by Philippines tugging on his sleeves. She was pouting cutely. "Uncle Yao! Uncle Yao! Hello~ I want to eat Chinese food, and Ivan wants some too. Could we get something to eat now, please?"
China smiled at her and patted her on the head, "Alright, Ma'i. Uncle Yao would cook you some delicious food aru." He held her hand and led her out of the room. She instantly latched on to Ivan and dragged him along with her into the corridors.
"Thanks! I'm famished." She said.
"You've been increasingly happy these past few days, mind sharing what's on your mind?" Russia asked. He loved seeing her happy, but he can't deny he loved that other look on her more…
"Just the idea of South East Asia groveling at my feet makes me so happy and excited I almost want to have them at my mercy right now."
For a split second, China can't believe what he was hearing, but he just shrugged it off as one of Philippines' newly acquired tastes, though he made a mental note to have a talk with Ivan after she leaves.
America tried to drown out the voices of the people in the room. He shouldn't be just sitting there, silent like the dead, trying real hard to wish himself out of the room. He should have been on his feet now, slamming his knuckles on the table, getting everyone's attention, formulating some super cool plan against whatever they were fighting now, but he wasn't doing any of that. His president even looked worried at the loss of his usual over-enthusiastic distraction.
It was just that, these past few weeks, he wasn't able to sleep much. And no, he wasn't taking drugs, nor was he sick, heroes never get sick. Fine, it was about Clara. She wasn't speaking to him anymore, not until that time she practically shouted him out of her hospital room. The only reason he was dragged out of the room was when he stopped struggling when he saw the look on her eyes as she yelled profanities at him. There was too much animosity he could barely stand up straight under the weight of her gaze. There was only one word that echoed trough his mind at that time: Why?
He knew he had failed to be a hero to her. But god knows how desperately he tried to find her, even foregoing important assemblies and exhausting his own country's resources to find a single trace that could lead to her whereabouts. Everyone had seen how devastated he was when after he had tried everything, it only led to one conclusion: She had disappeared from the face of the earth, just like that.
But he never gave up. No one could disappear just like that and for Christ's sake, he's the fucking United States of America, he could spy on people halfway around the globe, surely something like finding another nation shouldn't even pose a problem. He's got the most efficient military resources, FBI, connections, money, everything, so why does everything turn up nothing?!?
Japan had helped. England had even pretended to reluctantly help. And how could he forget how half of Europe was needed to lock down Spain when he heard that his beloved only daughter was kidnapped on an American airport? Good thing Romano was nearby when they broke the news to Spain so nobody got killed but everyone there, namely Arthur, Francis, Alfred and Prussia, got pummeled, especially Alfred. He was hospitalized for two days before he could even force himself to get back to his search. The others took a week before they could even sit on their beds.
He was the first outside nation to know that she had been found after two months of turning up a blank. By then, he was he was at his wit's end. So when he learned that she was safe and recuperating in a hospital already, he let out a relieved sigh and then promptly slept for a whole 24 hours. He needed to look presentable when she sees him, not like some haggard office worker. He had arrived along with a fleet of ships and planes he was planning to give her so she'd have better protection now that she's back in her country and that whoever managed to hide her for two solid months won't get her back as easily. As much as his presence in the country was known to everyone, his visit to the hospital wasn't. He was still wary of Spain's wrath so he took to great lengths in avoiding Clara's father. It was just Alfred's luck that the man wasn't skulking outside his daughter's room with his trusty axe ready to strike any approaching American.
There were many people in the room, mainly her South East Asia family, and when he entered, they silently gave space for him. Vietnam even motioned for her neighbors to give them some time alone but Malaysia, Indonesia and especially Brunei…refused to budge from the room. So only the three of them were in the room, watching Alfred's every move that he almost felt a bit self-conscious.
"Who knows what that depraved idiot might do to my sister?" Malaysia had said but let Alfred near Philippines. Well, Malaysia acknowledges that Alfred really did his best in trying to find his sister. Malaysia pushed Alfred to, except with that thing with Sulu and Basilan, because Brunei was pushing and whining for Malaysia to do something. There's almost about zero things that he could refuse when she starts pouting and pleading with those cute damn lips of hers…Malaysia damned her for being such an airhead…
"I don't want to let her out of my sight yet. Those two months she's missing were like hell to me!" If it had been hell to her, she had made sure to make Malaysia's life then much worse than hers. But she really just wanted him to listen. She'd admit that he looked much better to her when he's irritated than when he puts on that 'suave' attitude when he's flirting with girls.
Alfred just flashed them a big thankful smile before leaning over Clara's bed and giving her a kiss on the forehead as she slept and squeezed her unusually cold hands. His smile dropped a bit when he remembered the only other time that her hands felt deathly cold. "I'm sorry I failed to find you." He whispered near her ear, though he's aware that she's asleep. But maybe, just maybe, he could start apologizing now. "I'd take care of the bad guys so sleep well, Clara."
Brunei tried so hard not to look at her best friend being cuddled by the handsome American. True, she had a slight crush on him once…but that's because he had looked so dashing back in the war and she's just hit puberty then! And she also couldn't deny that the American had always been looking at her best friend, Philippines, lovingly like he was doing now and back then as well. Like she's the most precious person in the world to him, like a lover would to his beloved. But Brunei had always been a fan of Clara's colorful love life so she snaked the camera out of her handbag silently and dared to take a snap shot of the bed where Clara was sleeping. Malaysia narrowed his eyes at her when she erupted into a burst of giggles which she tried hard to muffle by biting her finger. Malaysia and Indonesia were standing outside in the balcony while Brunei was spying at Alfred from the doorway to the balcony.
"What do you think you're doing?" he asked as he snatched the digital camera from Brunei's hands.
"Taking some pictures to put in my scrapbook…as well as gossip material when she's awake. She's got a lot to pay back for worrying me insane." She smirked.
America was half-sitting on the bed near her head, one hand stroking her long black hair while the other held her cold hand. He looked over her sleeping form and winced at the numerous scrapes and bruises peeking at the hem of her clothes, the bandages that were visible through the thin cloth of the hospital gown she was wearing made his blood boil. There were just too much injuries. And what made him furious the most were the lines around her wrists and feet, it was as if she was bound too tightly. America couldn't begin to imagine the horror and pain they had put the sleeping girl beside him in. He'd personally make sure they pay for what they have done.
His grip on her hand must have tightened too much when she was stirred awake suddenly and for a moment she scanned the room until her yes fell on him…he smiled and she screamed.
The three ASEAN nations out on the balcony immediately rushed inside, the door out of the ward burst open to reveal England, who stopped for a second to take in the commotion before throwing aside the white rose bouquet he had brought for his visit and making his way to the bedside.
Clara was hysterical, she was shouting and lashing violently that America found it hard to restrain her from possibly hurting herself. He cursed at the unknown men who did this to her. She must have been having nightmares about her ordeal. He hated the awful lot of them. Whatever the reason may be, they had no right to touch Clara or even put a finger on her.
It took a few more minutes and angry yells from Philippines, Malaysia, England and Brunei before America registered the fact that she wasn't screaming at her captors, she was screaming at America, Alfred, Jones, Al, to get the hell away from her, that's he's disgusting, that he has no right to decide anything for her, and that he dies in a ditch.
"Clara! It's me, Alfred!" he said, trying hard to get close to her amidst the kicks and punches she threw at his advances.
"America, just get the bloody hell away, you're not calming her any!" England said, with his arms hooked under America's own arms, trying to extract the latter from the thrashing girl. Malaysia was in front of Alfred, pushing him away while Indonesia tried his best to calm Philippines down until Brunei had gone back from calling the nurses.
"Alfred, give it up! Maybe some other time, just get out now!" Malaysia ordered, but the American wouldn't budge. The room fell silent suddenly. Clara had switched to looking at Alfred with such open hatred that got America so shaken that he eventually allowed himself to be led out of the room by a grumpy England.
And even as England proceeded to angrily scold him after they had gotten into his car for being a nuisance to a recuperating person and why he just couldn't listen to what he's being told, there was only one thought that crossed his mind and probably blocked out everything the older man has tried to practically shout in his ears: He was hated by Clara. His spirits immediately spiraled to hell.
That was a month ago, and he was forbidden to approach Philippines until they were sure she had completely pulled through her whole ordeal. He heard it took several shots of sedatives before the nurses could pacify the furious nation even after Alfred had left. Seeing him might trigger bad memories that were already etched onto her skin. Because of her sudden aversion to him, people began to suspect that he was the cause of her disappearance, like it was another underhanded trick from the Americans to cause more trouble in the world. But all of those were lies. Alfred had vowed to never ever repeat his mistakes back at the end of the 1800's. He would never hurt her again. No matter what…Even if they find themselves to be on opposites sides of the coin.
He was broken from his thoughts by none other than his president. It was only then that he noticed that everyone in the room had already gone and the two of them were the only ones left.
He apologized for trailing off the minutes of the meeting before gathering his things, shoving them haphazardly in his briefcase and making for the door when his boss called out to him. He paused and turned back.
"Is there something you'd like to tell me about? You've been silent through the whole meeting, that isn't like you. What's wrong, America?" his boss asked, standing near the window looking down on his daughters playing on the swing he had helped build just below on the garden. America walked closer so he could see the kids too.
"I'm sorry. I guess work is catching up on me, but no worries-," he was cut off.
"Forgive me for prying, but is this behavior of yours a result of your visit to the Philippines a month ago? I'm surprised you haven't said a word about her at all. It wasn't easy to get another word out of you when she was missing. How has the girl been faring, Alfred? Is she well already?"
Alfred frowned. Even his busy boss could see that he was unusually upset about something. "She's fine and safe now. I guess that's the end of it."
His boss gave him a worried look, "I know you've heard that the Philippines had attacked Malaysia without warning two days ago and that Malaysia had declared war in retaliation. We still have a standing mutual defense pact with Philippines, Alfred. At the event that anybody attacks her, we are sworn to come to her aid. So far, Philippines had supported you in every war you waged. I am the one who's supposed to make this decision, Alfred, but I want your opinion on this matter. Given all the details of Philippines' current actions, is America still willing to fight on her side?"
"What do you mean? Are you insinuating that I leave her now that I could make good on our agreement?" Alfred frowned.
"We have just gathered conclusive evidence that Russia is plotting to go to war with us within the year. Alfred, Philippines' name is on the list of his potential allies. What prompted the sudden change of heart?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Philippines may have a beef with other South-East Asian nations but that doesn't mean she's siding with that fucking commie."
"Language, Alfred." His boss reprimanded, "Philippines was able to attack Malaysia because Russia and China had supplied her with weapons and vehicles. Her military power had increased a hundred fold, and she immediately used it on people who lived close to her. Haven't you mentioned some time ago that Malaysia was her brother? Did she ever give a reason for her actions?"
"Yes, he is. I think. Whatever reason Clara had for attacking him, I trust her. Malaysia had been pressuring her for a long time, maybe she just snapped. Ah…sorry, I just don't know what's happening to her anymore." His head was starting to ache again.
"I see. I'm curious though, what did she do when she saw you?" he made it sound like it would be his last question before he let Alfred leave so Alfred was pressured to divulge.
Alfred hesitated for a moment, not really wanting other people, besides the one who actually witnessed it, to know what had happened. But heck, it's his boss, and the guy's married, maybe Alfred could get something good out of confessing, "I really have no idea why she screamed and lashed at me. She told me to never show my face ever again. She hates me so much. I was at a loss on how to pacify her anger. When she pushes me away…I just find myself not knowing what to do anymore." He said, failing at trying not to sound pitiful.
There was only a comforting hand on his shoulder. Fuck, even England could give him that.
And then his boss told him what he's going to do. It was one of the rare times that America invited England to get drunk.
"I'm starting to think that you don't like me very much." Russia said as they dined in a table on his front porch.
China had whipped up some wonderful meal and Philippines was already snoozing on the divan he had the servants set up for her next to the table, because the temperature were somewhat warmer outside than in the house so she insisted on sleeping outside. She was so full so she fell asleep as soon as she lied down. So Russia and China were left on the table, having tea.
And I have good reason to, aru." China said casually and sipped his tea. Well, one thing that China made a point to always keep is to be honest with Ivan. Because he's one of the people who usually don't get it unless you say it right to their face.
"Tell me, Yao. I don't like it when you care less for me than I care for you." Ivan said with an innocent smile.
China almost scalded his tongue on his tea. But of course, he somewhat hated it when Ivan could talk so casually about their relationship too. They weren't exactly best friends, and they certainly are not lovers. They somehow just got stuck in between.
"It's just that, you've changed her a lot aru. I'm almost afraid of what she's capable of nowadays. Could you tell me what is the meaning of this?" China managed to give Ivan a stern look which the latter just ignored as always.
"I merely got rid of a probable useful ally for America before she got useful to him. Just the thought of her being with me could Alfred through the roof. Besides, getting her on my side had some merits." Ivan answered. How he wished he could have seen Alfred's face when he learned that he'll be against her.
"Like what aru?" China knew that Philippines had no use for Russia. There just happens to be a reason why she landed herself on the Russian's good side.
"Like…she's my new toy. She's pretty hard to topple down when she gets serious. And the thing I like about her most is that she's tired of people underestimating her. We could expect much from her. This war would be splendid." Ivan said excitedly, taking a sip on his tea as he looked at Philippines' calm sleeping face.
China followed Russia's gaze. "Hm. As long as you don't cross the lines again. I won't forgive you as easily next time aru."
"Depends on whether she sticks to the plan. I'd hate it if her little Pacific theater is boring."
"Don't worry. It would be a good show. Once Vietnam finally gathers the guts to stick her sorry ass out and attack me, everything would work out just fine." Philippines said with her eyes still closed. She was still lying as if she was still asleep so her sudden talk surprised the two nations who were watching her sleep. "I have been thinking, America's boss had been lobbying for limitation of nuclear warheads for a long time now and I bet you've exceeded your production nevertheless because you're just cool like that or whatever, but where do you keep the excess missiles? You can't exactly destroy them since that would be a waste of good money."
"Are you interested in purchasing nuclear weapons, Philippines?" Ivan asked good-heartedly as if they were just talking about toys again.
Philippines opened her eyes and turned on her side so she could face Ivan "Maybe…I don't really have any use for them back in my place…but what the heck, tell me about it." she smirked.
China just went back to his tea. Really, the two of them could use some seriousness in their lives. They are talking so casually about these things again. He knew Ivan for the longest time, and China is glad that Russia had found a friend in Philippines and that his smiles somehow got meaning these days. He wondered if it was Russia who had influenced her or the other way around. Because their attitudes were certainly blending into one another. Yao dared a glance at Russia. It doesn't look like he had found a toy, more like he got a playmate. He then glanced at Philippines. He wondered if her wounds still hurt at night. China thought, I'd find out later.
Later that night, China had no idea what Philippines saw when she walked in front of the mirror and smashed it afterwards in hysterics.