Where Thou Art, That Is Home (Hetalia Fanfic, Part 2)

Chapter 144~!

Kadi's POV~

I watched with growing anxiety as Alice was trained by China on her second day. She was showing slight improvement, but it wasn't exactly a huge step up. We only had a few weeks of time left for her to prepare for the pre-determined battle... If she wasn't strong enough to defeat it, that means the world will change forever.

Countries will be lost.

Others will be born out of blood and gunfire.

Innocent lives will be taken.

'That's too much responsibility riding on one person's shoulders' I thought as I turned off my viewing screen and set it down on the tabletop. "I wish I could stop this from happening..."

'But you've been wishing that for eons, and all you've been able to do is stand by and watch as so many Vindicators have fallen.'

My thoughts wandered to China, and how this was affecting him as well. He knew almost as well as I did just what was going on, and what could happen to Alice if she failed. Something of a similar nature had happened to him in the past, after all.

But that was a story for him to tell, not me.

"Ama, Ama, why are you awake?" Cassiopeia asked as she came up and tugged on my pajama pants leg. I looked down at her and smiled.

"I couldn't sleep, honey," I replied, picking her up and sitting her in my lap. "Why are you still up?"

"I saw the light was on," she said, only bearing the slightest trace of a toddler lisp. "Wanted to see."

"Well, let's go back to bed," I suggested, and she nodded. I held her hand as I walked her to her bedroom, the one she shared with her twin, Andromeda, but when I went to my own bedroom I turned and she was standing there behind me with a stuffed animal clutched to her chest.

"Cassie, you need to go to bed in your own room," I said to her.

She shook her head and clung to my leg. "No, Ama. No."

"Why not?" I sighed, keeping my voice down.

"Because you're sad."

That answer made me freeze for a few seconds, and I looked down at her with surprise in my dark green eyes. "Uhm..."

"I just... You seem sad, Ama. Please don't be sad."

She hugged my leg tighter, but let go when I crouched down to give her a proper, meaningful embrace. Her bright red hair was in a messy bedhead shock, but she still looked so adorable and she was so sweet. "Oh, Cassiopeia, you're too smart for your own good," I joked, kissing her forehead.

"Are you still sad?" she asked as if hoping my answer would be negatory.

"No, I'm not sad," I replied. "Thank you, sweetheart. Now, time to go to your own bed and sleep."

"M'kay~" she sang as she kissed my cheek, told me "Good night", and airplaned her way to her room. Her stuffed animal, a purple cat she called "Elephant", was dangling from her hand by a paw.

I stood up and sniffed, wiping at my eyes to keep the tears at bay. After being alive for so long, I could still cry at such small things... But while what had just happened might have been small to some, it was something I'd hold close to my heart for as long as possible.

The door didn't creak when I went in silently and crawled under the covers next to Allistor. He was warm, as well as fast asleep, and I curled up against him with my arms around his middle. I just wanted to sleep knowing he was there...

(A/N: Time zones... Damn those time zones... That's how it can be the middle of the night for Kadi and midday for Alice and the Asian nations)

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