What is... "Home?" (Hetalia Fanfic, W.A. '13 Finalist)

Chapter 75~!

That night, after turning in, I lay in my hammock and tried not to shift around to much for fear of falling for the billionth time. The sound of the waves were comforting, somehow, and I was lulled to sleep by their gentle shush... shush... shush...

I opened my eyes and found myself staring at the clear, starry sky. Righting myself, I almost screamed. I was floating over the water! "How in the hell did I get here?" When I realized a couple things, my breath came a little easier to me. One: I wasn't falling. Two: I was partially see-through, like a ghost. Three: There was a large ship coming right at me.

"Ah! Large ship coming right at me!" I yelled, trying to move out of its path. It took a little experimentation, but I managed to figure out how to move around as a ghost-y sort of person; I had to lean into the direction I wanted to go. With that figured out, I moved toward the ship and peeked through the wooden pegs that lined the railing on one side. On board was a group of men, laughing and drinking lazily as they stood "watch".

"Why am I here?" I asked myself softly. "What's on this ship?"

Suddenly a figure came up from belowdeck and stretched his arms above his head. The moonlight reflected off his otherwordly glasses and almost blinded me as he looked my way. I ducked my head and rubbed my eyes to clear away the spots floating in them. Footsteps came closer, making me stiffen and peek up cautiously as the man came closer. No, not man... Boy!

"Mattie?" I whispered, my eyes lighting up. He leaned his arms against the railing just beside my head and looked down forlornly at the dark water below, sighing to himself.

"Nothing's helping..." he said quietly. "I can't go to sleep like this."

'What's bugging him?'

"Mattie... Why'd you get uuup?" a familiar, squeaky voice said as the owner poked her small white head from out from his pocket.

Canada chuckled and patted Ko's head. "You have a thing for crawling into people's pockets, eh?"

"Yeeeahhh..." she sighed before snuggling back into the warmth and hiding herself from view.

Canada looked back over the water, the small smile that had been there disappearing quickly. An ocean breeze ruffled his hair and made him close his eyes. The faintest trace of a smile graced his lips for a mere moment and then vanished.

'He's really sad...' I thought as I floated up and put my transparent arms around his neck, hugging him closely. I felt him gasp and look around, but I knew he couldn't see me.

"Melina..." he whispered, putting a hand over where my arm touched his neck. "Are you alright, wherever you are?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm fine for the moment. I miss you, Mattie. I miss you a lot."

To me my voice was clear as day, but I could only hazard a guess that my voice sounded like a message carried on the breeze to his ears. That's what I imagined it sounded like if I judged his reaction. His eyes widened and he straightened, looking around himself in all directions.

I let go of him and sat on the railing as he shook his head, one hand pressed gently to his temple. "I'm too tired to be thinking straight, I must be hearing things..."

"No, I'm right here," I told him gently, though he didn't hear me that time. "And I'm okay, really. You don't have to worry as much right now..."

"Damn, this is all my fault," he grumbled, leaning his forearms against the railing once more. "If I'd only stayed with her, we might not be in this mess..."

I shook my head and hugged him again, resting my ghost-y head against his shoulder. "Stop beating yourself up over this, please. Mattie, this isn't your fault in the least."

He shook his head. "But it is. I left you alone and look what's happened."

"They could have killed you, or even both of us,"I pointed out, surprised he was answering. 'Does he think I'm his conscience or something? That would be funny...'

"Funny, that's what Kadi said, too," he said. "Still, I feel awful that you've been taken like that. Are you alright?"

"Yes," I repeated. "I'm right here."

A small smile flickered across his lips, and he leaned into my spectrous touch. "God, I'd better not be going insane right now."

I giggled. "Nope, I'm just a ghost right now."

"Oi, Mathieu! Come on over 'ere and 'ave a drink with us!" one of the men drinking under the lamplight called. Matthew spun around, surprised.

"M-Me?" he stammered.

"Yeah, come on! Have a little fun, eh?" a second guy called, this one's accent being British.

"O-Okay," he said, going over to sit by them and accepting a drink. He took a sip and spat it out promptly, eliciting laughter from his companions. I watched him with a smile, and then my eyes opened once more.

I sat up straight, managing not to fall out of my hammock. I put my head in my hands and moaned. "I'm back on the ship... Dam-mit."

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Apologies for the shortness, my brain is getting fried from staring at a computer screen for so long...

WUVS to those who know the drill and follow it! XD