Where Winter Meets Summer (Rusame Countryhumans)

A Burden

The sweet melody of a guqin rang in the morning air. China sat on the walls of the great Coloso as he let his fingers dance over the stringed instrument but his attention was pinned to what was happening in the center of the stage.

It was only six in the morning but the atmosphere in the stadium was already burning hot. America wiped away his sweat as he struggled against the limits that held him back. NATO stood nearby to lend his assistance but sleep weighed heavily on his eyelids.

"Don't forget to take a break. You've already been at it for 2 hours," NATO yawned as he slumped against the walls of the stage. America nodded to show that he had heard but he had no intention of stopping anytime soon.

He took a deep breath and held it as he closed his eyes.

"Take only a little and wrap it tightly. Create a mental barrier to hold the energy in place" he repeated to himself and a spark of light ignited his hands. He could feel the fire lashing and squirming for freedom but he grit his teeth and held steady.

NATO lazily raised his arm and a midnight dome crashed through the air. America lurched forward in surprise at the sudden exhaustion and the glow began to crawl up his arms before the mental barrier shattered. The flames burst from his hands and briefly enveloped his body until dissipating into the air, sizzling and laughing as they left.

America flopped forward and pressed his face against the cool stone surface of the floor as he listened to his pounding heart. His breaths were heavy and his body was numb. NATO knelt over him and handed him a wet towel and a bottle of water.

"I told you to rest. In this state, even if you are fully activated, you still wouldn't be able to endure my nullification."

The country hobbled to the seats and lay down face up. He watched as the sky slowly brightened and the clouds floated by. He could hear the distant ringing of the birds and the vibrant sounds of the guqin that China played.

"I must admit, you can play that instrument really well," he rasped and the crimson country simply nodded as he hopped down to join them on the ground.

"Why thank you," China smiled sweetly, "I can't say the same for your training though. Failure after failure, it was sad to watch but I commend you on your vigilance."

Soon, NATO escorted them out of the clearing and back onto the courtyard where they all parted ways.

"America, go back home and clean yourself up. You return to classes today. Same for you, China. Go back to your dorm and get some rest. Both of you."

With a flip of his long, red hair, China strolled back into the grand building with his guqin in hand. America turned the other way, stumbled into the car that was waiting in the driveway and immediately fell asleep on the way back to his home.

...

(Germany POV)

"I'll get back to you later today," I promised as I closed the door of the council room behind me. It was a brand new day but that also meant there were new tasks needed to be dealt with and new errands to run. The first thing on my agenda was to go see Professor EU.