Hetalia Magica: Chapter 4

Feliciano didn't return to the meeting. Nor did she undo her transformation, although the spear had long since vanished in a swirl of blue magic. She felt numb, not even feeling the grief seed she was clutching so tightly the spike dug into her palm, causing it to bleed. Matthew had attempted to speak with her after they left Vash's house, but had fallen silent after just a couple of words. Neither of them had really wanted to talk, and so they had gone their separate ways. Feliciano knew for a fact that there was no way Matthew had gone back to the meeting either. If the blonde boy was feeling even a fraction of what she was currently too numb to feel, he was going to want to be alone and away from everyone else.

Feliciano had made her way onto the rooftops, easier to wander unnoticed in her transformed state. Soon darkness had begun to fall around the city, and still the tight knot of feelings in her chest was refusing to unravel, keeping the pain tightly coiled up and away from her heart. In a sudden movement, Feliciano allowed herself to plummet back to the ground, saving herself and landing in a crouch at just the last second.

She could have died from that.

Elizabeta had died from something far worse.

Elizabeta had died.

Elizabeta was dead.

The knot was suddenly torn free and Feliciano pitched forward, wailing loudly as she pounded her fists against the ground. Why hadn't she been there sooner? Why hadn't she made her excuses faster? If she hadn't taken so damn long, Elizabeta would still be alive, she was sure of it.

Another question rose in her mind, what was going to happen to Hungary without its representative? What would happen to the people? Feliciano tried to think back to when Grandpa Rome had disappeared, but found her memories fuzzy and was unable to place what had happened to him. His people had become dispersed, either becoming part of other nations, or becoming part of her and Romano. There hadn't been time for a new nation to develop, Feliciano thought listlessly. There was always an overlap between the old country and the new, as the people started to identify themselves with the new nation and left the old one to fade. Elizabeta's people would be forced to flee to other countries.

As much as she thought about it, Feliciano could feel a voice at the back of her mind; she didn't care about the Hungarians. They would live on. Elizabeta was dead. There was no coming back.

Her sobs had subsided a little, her hands raw from pounding the stony ground and tears still flowing from her eyes, but her howls had at least quietened. She slumped in the street, staring up at the cloudy but dry sky. It should be raining. That's what it always did in movies, right? The world wasn't allowed to go on spinning in the same way it always had before. Feliciano couldn't stop the tears, and wanted desperately to run to someone for help.

Ludwig. Ludwig would know what to do. Feliciano could throw herself at the German man, and know that the other would catch her, would protect her and make everything better. But she couldn't, not now. The whole reason Feliciano had become a Puella Magi was to protect Ludwig; to just go crying back to him now, to return to her old, weak self... Feliciano spread her palms open, and her glittering spear appeared in them. The white flag still fluttered at one end, blank and yielding as always. But just hours ago Feliciano had used that very flag to ensnare and destroy a monster. Her fingers ran down the silver shaft delicately, reaching the spearhead. This was her life now, she thought idly. This was the path she had chosen.

Her eyes slipped closed and she leant back against the wall. That was her path. But how was she meant to find her way back to it after today?

"Excuse me, Miss? Would you- you! It's you!" Feliciano's eyes opened at the sound of the voice, and went wide eyed as Ludwig stumbled across the road towards her, blue eyes matching his own in width, disbelief evident on his face. Feliciano automatically rubbed at her face with her palms, trying to remove the evidence of her crying. Ludwig, however, had already noticed and was crouching beside her, peering worriedly into her face. Feliciano could feel herself turn red, and tried to look away.

"What's wrong?" Ludwig asked softly, and Feliciano almost burst into fresh tears. "Please tell me." He paused, seeming to have an internal conflict before pressing on, "...you were there, weren't you? When Feliciano and I were trapped in that strange place?" Feliciano just stared at him blankly, unsure of how to answer. Ludwig's expression told her that he was already certain of his answer, and nothing she said would dissuade him.

"I...yes," she admitted in a small voice, averting her gaze from him but rubbing at her eyes again. Ludwig frowned slightly.

"Then, why did Feliciano assure me he hadn't seen anyone?" Ludwig asked, seeming to be more thinking out loud than to the girl before him. He was still crouched in what must have been an uncomfortable position, but showed no signs of standing up or leaving.

"I... I asked him not to," Feliciano said quickly, the wobble in her voice obscuring her accent slightly. "I didn't want anyone finding me, so I...asked him not to say anything," she improvised quickly. She didn't want Ludwig to be mad at her. Or rather, her as she normally was. "I've got to go..." she blurted, standing swiftly and sending the spear in her lap toppling to the ground. She bent down to grab it, only to find her own arm grabbed instead, frantically.

"No, wait!" Ludwig said, blushing, and bending to pick up the spear for her. "I'm not sure it's legal to carry this around you know..." he muttered, faintly disapproving behind the blush. "But I...before you go, I have one last question."

"Which is..." Feliciano asked, suddenly feeling very tired. Who are you? What's your name? Can I see you again? Feliciano's mind supplied a dozen responses typical of meetings such as this in romantic films and plays. Hearing any one of them come from Ludwig, directed at her female self made her heart clench uncomfortably, and wish she was anywhere else.

"Have you seen Feliciano anywhere around recently?"

Amber eyes went wide with surprise, and Feliciano spun to gape at Ludwig, who stared back with steady blue eyes. "We were supposed to be in a meeting together," the german explained, "he was there, but had to leave for a moment. Only, he never came back. So I came out looking for him, I want to make sure he's ok."

Feliciano almost broke into fresh tears, a wobbly smile spread over her face. He cared. He wanted to make sure she was ok. "I haven't seen him," she said, carefully, "but at this time, he's probably back home, right? Or wherever it is you're staying?"

Ludwig looked displeased that she didn't have a better answer, but nodded his head. "I will check back at the hotel, and start searching again if he isn't there," the blonde man uttered. "Good grief, he's always making me run around after him."

Feliciano smiled a little again, before grasping Ludwig's hand in her own. "I'm certain that he would be very, very happy to hear that you care about him," she babbled, squeezing his hands tightly. "Really, really happy..." she repeated, "even if... he doesn't mean to make you run around after him...and he doesn't want to cause you trouble... I'm sure he's very thankful." she ducked her head down, trying to hide the expression on her face. Ludwig was silent, her words echoing around in his head.

Feliciano pulled her hands free quickly, moving down the alleyway. "I'm sure you'll find him soon," she smiled. "And... I'm sure we'll meet again soon too!" and with that she disappeared into the darkness, leaving a startled Ludwig behind.

Unbeknownst to both of them, the entire encounter had been viewed by a figure sitting on a tall building. Long, boot-encased legs swung precariously over its edge, and smoke-like hair billowed behind the figure. Kyubey trotted up to them, although he stopped at a reasonable distance, knowing better than to get too close to this particular Puella Magi.

"I was wondering when you would get involved," the creature admitted to the girl. "You seemed determined not to before." A sound that was almost a growl came from the figure before him, an angry snarl that confirmed Kyubey's choice to stay back.

"That was before Elizabeta died," the girl snapped at him. "I was content with just trying to pick off the witches before she got to them, reducing the danger. I had no idea a familiar was going to evolve like that!" she snarled, slamming a hand against the ledge she sat on. "I have to get involved now. I can't let Feliciano fight alone. And I won't let the boy make a contract either, no matter how much you want to."

Kyubey seemed unconcerned. "It is entirely up to Matthew whether he wishes to contract or not. His power, depending on the wish, may end up being far greater than anything I can measure." The white, cat-like creature paused for a second, before continuing. "His becoming a Puella Magi would certainly make your job easier you know."

"Even so..." the girl muttered angrily, standing up and tying a mask across her face, obscuring her eyes. "I refuse to let you contract with anyone else. I won't let you subject anyone else, human or nation, to this life." And with that she disappeared from the building, and into the night.

"That being said... I'm unsure of whether he will still desire to contract after what he witnessed today." Kyubey let out what might have been a sigh. "Such a waste of talent." The small creature turned back the way it had come, bounding off into the darkness. "Then again, there are many others who may wish to make contracts. And you," he addressed the girl who was long gone, "can't save them all."

Lili hadn't moved from her spot on the floor for what seemed like an eternity in itself. Her mind couldn't comprehend what had happened, and its implications. Her brother had been injured. Elizabeta had died. And that girl - who was that girl anyway? Lili knew she was familiar. Why hadn't she shown up earlier and saved Elizabeta? Watching her defeat the monster had been such a relief at the time, knowing that the danger was over... but at what cost? Had the girl deliberately let Elizabeta die?

Lili tried to distance herself from such thoughts, hurrying around the house to find medical equipment to deal with both Vash's injured arm and his head. She located the box quickly, hurrying back to her brother's side. There was no way she was going to be able to move Vash from the floor, he was too big and heavy for her to manage alone, and she didn't want to call for help from anyone. She made the best job of it that she could, focusing intently as she checked his head where it had been hit, relieved to only find a bump and no signs of concussion. She then moved on to cleaning and bandaging his arm, sighing in relief as she found it not as deep as she had first feared. The amount of blood had been disproportionate to the wound.

But still... she thought, tears pricking at her eyes as she ran cool fingers over the red, raw skin, it was her fault that he had been injured at all. If she hadn't immediately called for help, and made Vash come running as she knew he would, he could have stayed safe. She may have still been trapped, but her precious brother wouldn't have been injured, and she would have still been saved. Yet even then... Elizabeta still would have died protecting her. She was useless, Lili suddenly realised, the tears dripping from her eyes. She just sat back and expected to be rescued and looked after, allowing people to be hurt and killed for her. She was a terrible person.

It was as these thoughts filled her mind that Vash started to stir, his sister's tears dripping onto his face.

"Lili...?" he questioned blearily, wincing as he felt pain in both his head and his arm. "Lili, are you ok?

"... Hm? Oh, I... um... I was just... worried about you, big brother..." Lili stuttered, jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of vash's voice. Her crying suddenly increased, and she threw her arms about the other blonde joyfully. "I was so worried about you brother!" she cried. Vash could do nothing but pat her gingerly on the back, wincing again as he moved too suddenly, his head giving an unpleasant twinge.

"What happened?" he asked, blinking at the window, shocked to see it was already night. Wait, what time is it? What happened about the meeting?"

"I don't know, I've been here with you all day..." Lili said nervously, fluttering around Vash a little as he pushed himself up, resolutely ignoring the pain in his head and arm. "Brother, you shouldn't move around so much, you're hurt..."

"You were calling for help," Vash suddenly exclaimed, glancing over to her with sharp eyes. I came in here because I heard you call out. What happened?"

Lili faltered, her hands dropping down and disappearing in the folds of her dress. "I... uhh... nothing happened, big brother," she lied, desperately. She didn't want to have to explain what had happened to him. If he didn't remember then it was better, at least she would be the only one who had to remember the experience. She had to at least protect him in this very small way.

"No, Lili, I definitely heard you call out!" Vash protested angrily. "You have to tell me what's wrong," he continued, reaching out to her with one hand. "How am I supposed to protect you if-"

"Nothing is wrong big brother!" Lili cried out loudly, jumping to her feet and running from the room, muffling her sobs as best she could as she ran. She didn't stop until she reached the gardens, find a secluded spot between the side of the house and the wall that surrounded it. She barely noticed that it had started raining, the sudden shower plastering her hair against her head, and leaving her dress heavy and plastered to her skin.

She sobbed into her arms, curling up as tightly as she could. She had made so many mistakes, so many wrong turns in just a single day, and it had brought her whole world crumbling down. People had suffered and died because of her mistakes, and she couldn't stand it.

"I have to do something..." she whispered through her sobs. "But what can I do?"

"You could become a Puella Magi!"

Lili sat up at the sound of another voice, glancing around anxiously for its source. "H-Hello...?" she called out, nervously, as she wiped her tears away. "Who's there?!"

From behind a rose bush Kyubey's head emerged, followed by the rest of his body. He bounded forward, coming to sit just before Liechtenstein. The young girl stared at him, already too desensitized from the events of the day to even be bothered by the strange appearance of the creature before her. "Who are you?" she asked quietly, shyly. "What are you doing here?"

"My name is Kyubey!" he told her. "I'm here to explain to you what happened earlier today, if you wish for an explanation."

Lili's eyes widened before filling with tears again. It seemed far too raw, too painful, to talk about it. But... there was something she had to know. "That... that girl... the one who defeated the monster..." she started slowly, "Why... why didn't she save Elizabeta? Why didn't she come sooner?"

Kyubey sighed, sounding regretful. "Those who fight witches like the one you saw today are known as Puella Magi. They rarely work together, and the rewards for defeating witches are so great that... they often fight over territory, and will even allow others to be killed if it gives them the advantage in the area."

Lili bit back her gasp, she had been right! That girl had let Elizabeta die, how could she!

"It's a shame," Kyubey said sadly. "If only I had been there, you might have been able to do something to change her fate."

"M...me?" Lili asked hesitantly, sure she had misheard the creature. "What could I have done?"

"Those girls become Puella Magi by making contracts with me," Kyubey explained. "I grant them one wish, and in exchange they fight witches, the spreaders of hatred and misfortune. Had I been there, and had you contracted with me, you would have been able to defeat the witch before it became so powerful."

Lili's heart plummetted. It was too late, she despaired. Hungary was already dead. But... the thought suddenly dawned on her. There must be more witches out there. More people suffering and dying because of them.

"Is... is it too late?" she asked Kyubey, hope growing in her eyes. "Could I... still make a contract?" she asked, more desperately. Kyubey stared at her, silently, and Lili's heart sank as the silence stretched on. Until, suddenly...

"Of course it's not! I would still be more than happy to form a contract with you!" the creature declared, leaning forward towards the girl. "So, Lili Zwingli, declare the wish that will make your soul gem shine."

"G-give me the power to defend myself, please!" she cried out without hesitation, hands clasped as if she were in prayer. "Give me the power to fight like my brother, to fight my own battles and stop anyone else dying for my sake!"

Kyubey didn't move, but Lili let out a half-gasp as a golden light started to shine from her chest, the spherical gem appearing from her chest and filling the garden with its beautiful glow.

"The contract has been formed," Kyubey stated, wandering away as Lili slumped forward, the light being extinguished as she clutched the gem to her chest, breathing heavily. "I look forward to seeing you at work, Lili Zwingli."

Lili found herself unable to reply, having to slow down and catch her breath after what she had just experienced. Carefully, slowly, she uncurled her hand from her chest, to observe the still glittering gem in her hand. Its golden colour was warming, and it was decorated with beautiful diamond patterns. Lili smiled as she ran a finger along the engravings, clutching it back to her chest. A shining stone for the Shining Stone.