The Russoasian War-2-016

'--Love you.

--America (Hero)'

England's dull green eyes slid over the letter for what seemed like the hundredth time. Each time willing it to tell him more, but like a vault locked under the ocean it with held any information from the desperate Briton.

With trembling, scared hands England gently folded the paper once again and tucked it neatly under a gold picture frame holding America's smiling face.

"Mama?" A tentative voice asked quietly from the door. England quickly wiped the tears from his cheeks and turned around. His eyes instantly met the wide blue bush baby eyes of Maine. Smiling gently the older nation gestured for the young girl to come closer.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" He asked once Maine came over and jumped up on the bed beside where he stood. She stayed silent as she stared at her feet, causing England to frown and sit down beside her as well. "Maine? Honey what's wrong?"

Silence. Such an unusual and distressing thing for the talkative little girl; it worried England. Maine's blue eyes never left the shiny black Sunday dress shoes. Fiddling nervously with the fluffy white hem of her navy blue dress, Maine looked her 'mother' in the eyes then quickly looked away. Vigilantly she picked England's right hand up in her own small childish hands. "Utah and I were talking…" Carefully she traced the long scar that ran across his palm.

Instantaneously the older nation flinched, wanting desperately to pull his hand away, wanting to protect his daughter from the horror's the world had to offer. "About what?" He forced out feebly, though he knew what she was going to say.

"How'd you get these?" she asked, her young voice holding all the naiveté and wonder the world had left, her eyes locked on her captive. England looked down as well and the both watched silently as she traced the white scar from the base of his ring finger to where it disappeared under his half rolled up sleeve.

With child like innocence Maine looked her mother straight in the eye and said, "Pennsylvania said it's because of daddy that you have those."

"NO!" England burst out, startling the young state. Forcing his expression and voice to soften greatly he continued, "I mean, it wasn't your fathers fault. Heaven forbid it wasn't his fault…" he hesitated, then whispered in disgust, "I made a mistake, that's all." He dropped it at that as he changed the subject, "Where's Virginia? He was supposed to help me clean out this old closet today." He said, nudging his head toward the closet door. Though his words were light hearted, the playful tone in his voice was obviously forced, and Maine, being the intelligent state she was frowned.

Sliding off the bed, she folded her arms across her chest and stared at the scared nation. "You can't protect us forever," she stated quietly, shattering England's delicate fantasy that he could, her anger seething just beneath the surface. Her baby blue eyes hardened as her voice grew cold.

The Briton's heart clenched as he watched her age right before his eyes, maturing far beyond her years. She looked so much like America that he found that he couldn't possibly bring himself to lie to her. "I know, honey." He muttered, reaching out for her hand and pulling her closer to him so she leaned against his chest, like she did so many years before when she had night terrors. "I guess I owe you an explanation, don't I?"

"You owe all of us an explanation, England." Turning to the door Maine smiled brightly. Letting go of her mother she jumped at the person who had spoken. Dark forest green eyes glared at England from over the top of Maine's golden hair as he hugged her. "It's time you told us the truth. None of this, 'I made a mistake' shit."

"North!" Maine gasped out at the much older teens choice in words, only to be ignored as another voice spoke up.

"Yeah, North's right," the identical voice stated, though a lot warmer then his brother's. Stopping beside his twin he smiled desolately at his mother, "You've been avoiding it for far long enough. We know we're not the first states. We know about the burn out, and about the acid war."

At this revelation Maine gasped and pushed away from North Carolina. Looking frantically at the three men she demanded, finally looking straight at England, who, in turn finally looked his age. Not physically per say, but he looked worn down and tired. "What does he mean?"

"South Carolina… North Carolina… How long have you known?" England asked slowly, reaching up and rubbing the bridge of his nose, completely ignoring Maine. Which, in turn, made the young state livid.   

"Bloody fucking hell, Mum! Answer me!" She screeched, slipping back into the accent she'd been born with and stamping her foot. England sighed and looked imploringly at the twins.

"Well?"

South Carolina bowed his head as North Carolina growled defensively, "We," he indicated himself and his brother, "Have had a feeling for a good 10 years now…" he stopped and glared defiantly at the ground, "Our suspicions were confirmed just a few days ago."
"We found Virginia in the library. When we asked what he was doing--"

****

"Virginia?" South Carolina asked slowly, brushing his sandy brown hair out of his eyes. The older state froze as if he were caught doing a crime. Slamming the book he'd been reading shut, Virginia spun around and yelled,

"Nothing!" scratching the back of his head he bit his lip and asked slowly, "So… uh… what are you and North doing-- HEY!" His blue eyes widened in fear as North Carolina grabbed the leather bound book Virginia had been holding.

Silence echoed around them as the brown haired state stared at the book. "Virginia…" He stuttered slowly, lowering the book so his twin could see. "Who… is that?" He pointed shakily at a picture that looked exactly like Virginia, but, something was different, he looked, older somehow.

Virginia closed his eyes and muttered, "That… is, was, the first Virginia." He opened his eyes to see both Carolina's staring fixedly at him. Their identical green eyes were shocked and confused. "The Burn out of 2433 killed him, as well as all the other original 50 states."

"And… that means what?" North Carolina demanded, flipping venomously through what appeared to be an old scrap book.

"We're not the first states. Simple as that." Virginia growled harshly, "The original states were found over a thousand years ago in the 18 and 19 hundreds."

"Wait, wait, wait! What? Found?" South Carolina but in, eyes narrowed in concentration as he looked at the pictures held deep within the leather bound book.

The older state bowed his head and whispered, "It sounds strange, I know, but that's only because we aren't true states… we're not true immortals like England and America. We--"

"But we've lived for over a hundred years!" South Carolina yelled, slamming the book shut and throwing it at the ground angrily. His green eyes blazing with cold confusion and defiance.

North Carolina, normally one to back his brother instantly and one to pick a fight, locked his eyes with Virginia's. "It's only because we have true parents. That's why we aren't true states, isn't it? It's because we were born from HIM, from England." He growled. Virginia nodded and, reaching behind South Carolina, pulled out another brown leather bound book.

"Sure, we will live forever, if Russoasia allows us and they don't kill us," He added bitterly, opening the yellowed pages to the one he wanted. "But it's because we're descended from America and England that we'll never be official states." He leaned closer to them and growled resentfully, "We're not states. We're just their immortal clones, the identity confused children of Alfred and Arthur."

No one spook. No one dared to say a word to break the piercing silence echoing around them. Until that is a anguished cry of "Utah! Bring that back!" from outside the library door.

"This… burn out…" North Carolina started, reading the page in the book, "Why-"

"Russia needed something to distract America with." Virginia answered, handing South Carolina another old history journal. "He needed something to keep America out of Britain." He continued, before either Carolina could interrupt. "Naturally, he achieved his goal. The chicken shit president at the time enacted the Isolation from Foreign Affairs Act of 2434." Dropping his voice Virginia growled, "America was force to stay away from everyone. He was, essentially, held prisoner by his own country."

"How," North Carolina bit out slowly, "How did England tie into that?"

Virginia bowed his head and snarled, "He didn't do anything to anyone, yet he suffered the most. At that time the AngloAmerican alliance was the strongest bond between any two countries the world had ever seen. It was the worlds only super nation. Russia wanted to change that." opening another journal he cleared his throat and read, "'My states have disappeared, all of them murdered. The boss doesn't know who launched the attack, he's blaming the United Kingdom, swears England was using me… says they're trying to get back the power they once had. I don't believe that. England would never hurt his kids.'"

"What?" Both states yelled, identical eyes wide, "Mum would never--!"

"I know." Virginia grunted, "Listen to his entry he wrote about 21 years later, 'I got a letter from England today, Canada got it past the guards. First time I've heard from him since 2455. He says he's starting to lose it, says his economy's in shambles and suffering because of the American isolation… I wouldn't know, no news of the outside world has reached me. The world could be going up in flames and I would never know. All I'm certain of is that my own economy's taken a turn fro the worse as well… I miss him. I need him…' Then he just continues to ramble about 'the better days.' The way he talks… he sounded almost close to insanity." Virginia finished solemnly.  

South Carolina bit his lip then said, defeat in his voice, "I still don't get how mum fit into th--"

"Here!" North Carolina suddenly exclaimed, slamming the book he was looking at on the table and glairing down at it, feeling the tell tale warnings that he was about to be sick surfacing. "Why didn't he tell us!" he demeaned, choking back the bile that rose in the back of his throat as he stared at the horrifying picture on the page.

"What is… Oh my god." South Carolina choked out, gagging slightly.

Virginia clenched his fists and bit out, "That's what all of England's scares and burns looked like when America found him, half dead and unconscious in what was once the Buckingham palace, but when he was found, much like today, nothing was left standing. There wasn't anything that could even remotely tell you that you were even in London, let alone England." Slamming his fists on the table he growled, "Russia attacked him while he was isolated from America. He used the acid formula he'd been working on. Tens of millions of thousands of gallons of it was poured on a already strung out England."

"Already strung o--"

"For about 2 years before he dumped the acid, Russia had been attacking via military, wearing the United Kingdoms forces, weakening them so there would be no chance they'd survive the building, plant, and flesh eating acid." Virginia forced out, tears stinging his eyes, "Russia was out to kill him. And if America hadn't gotten there when he did, we wouldn't be here right now. England wouldn't be here right now, and the world would've been Russia's."

North Carolina paced around the table, and his brothers and said distraughtly, "Why though? Why?" Both twins turned toward their brother, who stayed quiet and appeared to be silently debating something with himself. "Well?" North Carolina demanded.

The auburn haired stated looked up wearily at them both and asked softly, "Can you two keep a secret?" The Carolina's exchanged a confused look the turned back to Virginia and nodded slowly. Sighing he dropped his forehead to the table for a fraction of a second then stood up to his full height. "There's a prophesy, almost as old as China himself, that was found around 2065... In it, it said that one day the world would be divided between two, with that divide only one could have the power to save the world."

"I don't--"

"Have the power…" North Carolina started slowly, fitting the pieces together one by one. "It means literally doesn't it? It means a country will give birth to the one to save everyone!" Virginia nodded dejectedly. "But… how did Russia--?" He looked imploringly at his older brother.

"'Once the ruler of the seven seas, never again will he be. A new task is at hand for this one. He alone can have this power to save the world, or condemn it to the fiery pits of hell.'" Virginia recited, then narrowed his eyes in concentration,  "It goes something like that… the words have been lost… America saw to that when they found it, it frightened them… they thought that but getting rid of it they could change it."

In the hallway out side the door the grandfather clock chimed loudly as the three looked at each other. In those fleeting few seconds, they knew, and they knew the others knew it to, their lives, just became a lot me complicated.

*****

'America,

When are you coming home? Please… I need you here… Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Maine know about the Acid war. They know about the prophesy. I don't know what to tell them.

I'm scared… I haven't been feeling right since a week after you left…

It… feels like… like when I was pregnant with the states.

I'm afraid it's finally coming true…

I'm scared to death, Alfred.

--Love you no matter what,
    England'