World conference '10

Japan entered the room for the conference at a fast pace. He wasn't late was he? ...No, it looked like nothing had started yet. He looked around and saw various conversations taking place, idle chatter. Of course, chatter also had a tendency to take place during meetings as well, but it always seemed different then. At least someone would be trying to mantain order.

But there was nothing like that. Nothing had started. He went to find his seat.

...He really wished he knew what this meeting would actually be about though. Did anyone know? Well, logic dictated that at least the person who had called the meeting would know, but did anyone else know?

He sighed while looking for a place.

Katyusha couldn't help the small smile that grew briefly on her face, gaze flickered from her brother's face to the table's surface. His invation had not been expected, and she found that the cogs in her mind were reeling.
Should she accept? It would be wonderful to spend some time with her sibling; it wasn't often that they could. Perhaps she would even see Natalia. It was most likely; Natalia wasn't often very far from Ivan, for...obvious reasons.
But there was lingering hesitation. Maybe she shouldn't...things had to be done.
But what if he was offended if she said no? That was no good...! She didn't want to hurt him, no!
It was a bit of a tough decision for her; perhaps if she wasn't so nervous and hesitant all of the time, it would be easier. So, she remained in thought, feeling her cheeks heat up a little under the pressure. Just give an answer!
"U-Um...I..."
It was no use. No thoughts were coming to her and whatever words she did have were stuck in her throat.

He could tell from her hesitation that she was still scared of him. No wonder, after all Ivan was in fact very cruel even to her during the time he was soviet. Nowadays he wondered how he could have done what he did to her back then, and not very far from the today. Chernobyl incident, even though it was an accident it was so very cruel of him to let her cure herself after it. And even before, Katyusha during the war was starving, her house was a battle field, and instead of protecting her, he just dared to use her body, and starve her even more...

Ivan looked down in shame of the memories of what he had done when he was Soviet... he had been cruel, he knew it would be hard on her to forgive him properly and to allow herself to even speak in his presence. He regretted it all, but how should he prove that to her, if even nowadays his boss still irked to have the money back, a whole lot of money that his sister owe him.
"Listen... if you can't or if you don't want to... I understand, so, you can say no..." He looked up to her with a very shaky reassuring smile. He wanted to smile to her, and tell her everything was alright, but it did hurt his heart to know that his own sister still feared him greatly.

Katyusha bit her lip, a frown growing on her face. She knew his smile, and the one he'd just shown wasn't his "real" smile. She was offending him, she must be! Because she was unable to give an answer, he was hurt. That's not what she'd wanted! No, no, far from that! She'd never wanted to hurt her brother, even after all of the bad things their family had been through. Yes, she may have been frustrated and hurt by him, but she wouldn't dream of "paying him back". She wasn't like that! Being violent wasn't really in her...
There were many times that she would cry in secret - sometimes in public, although that wasn't exactly rare - because she would be so torn up about her family. It was so hard to decide what to do sometimes...it really was painful.
Sitting here with Ivan at a world conference was most definitely NOT like those bloody times, but she could tell he was hurt by her indecisiveness.
...She just had to learn to trust COMPLETELY again.
Letting out a shaky breath and trying to keep the waterworks under control, Katyusha's gaze darted from her lap, to the table top, to Ivan, and then back to her lap. Another nervous sigh left her before, after a long moment of hesitation, cupped his larger hands between her own. "I-Ivan...i-it's not...it's...I...it's not that I d-don't want to, I...I just..." She bobbed their hands a little in accompaniment to her stuttering, and she could feel her eyes growing more moist. "I...just don't know if I can...I-I'd love to, I would! But..."
Why could she get this out? It was simple.
...Why couldn't things be simple anymore?

He could feel the warmth of her hands in his own. They felt like they always did. Warm and welcoming, caring and loving. He could of course feel her concern in her voice, in her moves, in the way she almost screamed out. And there was something she wanted to voice but couldn't, she was hesitating. "You can tell me you know..." He said quietly with the same expression, sweet and warm, trying to reassure her of everything being just fine.

Ivan needed his family back, he needed all of them to just trust that he had indeed changed. It was rather painful and unfair to apologize and help them all the time, but never having something back. Trust. That's all he needed, that's all it would take for him to live at peace with himself. Nightmares would wake him up in the middle of the night feeling heavy and sad about the things he done wrong. But until they didn't forgive him, he would never have peace. Especially when it would come to his sisters.

"Katyusha~ I'm sad, that's true, but you're still hesitating! If there's really something you want to tell me, trust me I don't mind to listen to it... I deserve to listen to everything..." He mumbled the last words. "But I hope...that one day, from the bottom of your heart, you'll be able to forgive me for everything." He said gently squeezing her hands in his. "...And...to pay me the gas bill~ huhuh" His smile never cease, but this time it was a true smile, a pure real smile. "Actually if you go with me at a dinner, I would like to... remember things of when... we were so little, we would fit in the same bed."

Katyusha laughed softly at his joke about the gas bill, even if it was true. She WOULD get that paid, really! It was just a bit...difficult to get the money. But that wasn't the point! The point was that Ivan was being awfully sweet about it all and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to react. Being happy SHOULD be the initial reaction, but she found herself worrying a little. Why was he being this sweet? Had he always been this nice? Had she missed it? But did that mean she was a bad elder sister?! Had she actually been doing everything wrong?!
But she soon forgot those worries when she realized that she had teared up again and was about to cry...again. She pulled her hands from his to wipe away her tears, unable to rid herself of the smile on her face. She was happy, she really was. She a bit sad, too - knowing that Ivan DID know that he'd hurt her and others badly - but she was happy to hear those words from him. She wanted to forgive him...she wanted to forgive him and move past her insecurities. She honestly did!
...She just needed TIME, and she hoped he could understand that.
She chuckled again at the memory he'd brought up, feeling her heart swell with warmth and a bit of pride, too. She'd worked hard raising the both of them...but of course, they worked together as a family, too. "How long has it been now...? It was so nice back then...even if it was cold." Katyusha laughed softly again, meeting his gaze. "I-Ivan...perhaps if I'm able to...I'll go to dinner with you...?" Her smile grew a little, cheeks flushing somewhat sheepishly.
For what reason, she wasn't sure.

There was no way Ivan knew what to do more than that. When all the soviet collapsed part of his memories died with soviet itself. Ivan didn't consider himself the same he was before, even thought there weren’t many memories of what he has done. He knew there was a lot of pain, he remembered, he knew there was a lot of hurt and tears, he knew so well he had hurt his own sister, Katyusha… hell if he remembers why he did that, power, alcohol, orders from his boss, specially the orders from his boss…he couldn’t just…not do what he was told.


But he wasn’t soviet anymore, he was Russia, only Russia he wanted to honestly forget the few memories he had from those times and be forgiven, especially by his sisters. There were still political issues between the both of them, but they were still family, and as hard as it could be he wanted to build new relations and bonds between him and his sister. Watching her small giggle he knew he had conquered that little moment between the both of them. It was pleasant, and the words after were even more loving and good. “You’ll have to tell me then, so one day we can share a restaurant table together…please tell me that sometime soon you will~! Huhuh~ this is exciting already!” Quickly he became happy, so pleased and excited with the idea of a dinner together with his sister, when was it the last time they ever had a meal together? He could barely remember! Hopefully from now on everything would be better.

---

I'm terribly sorry for how long it took.
Anyway, I believe now its Canada's turn. =u=

“E-excuse me- Sorry, pardon me- Sorry!” Matthew squeezed his way around the other nation into the steadily filling conference room. Most of the time his apologise went unnoticed, most didn’t even look up. However, it pleased him to see there was some recognition at least. His –shall was say- ‘talent’ for blending in with the background had diminished slightly after hosting the Winter Olympics and more recently proving internationally that his bank system was one of the most stable after the latest economic downturn. His bubble was popped however as the majority didn’t so much as look up as he skirted the large table, one arm stuffed with stationary for taking notes and the other with his constant bear companion.
Scanning the room for a place to sit, Matthew felt butterflies explode in his stomach when he spotted a very vacant seat right next to the unmistakable form of Ukraine. He felt his collar suddenly grow too tight. He and Ukraine had been together for a while, since the early 90’s in fact, but it had been a long time since they’d both seen each other in person. Both of them had a lot on their plates at the moment as did most other nations.
He nearly tripped over himself as he rushed to claim the empty chair before anyone else got to it first, speed walking past the Nordics and barely stopping himself from careening into a sleeping Australia. The chair squeaked loudly as he sank down into it with such force he skidded sideways slightly. He set his things down on the table, the corner of his mouth turning up in a smug grin. Nobody noticed but still. Victory is sweet.
Adjusting Kumiro –or was it Kumaro?- on his lap, he observed that Katyusha was talking with someone, her heart-shaped face turned away from him. She didn’t seem to crying as he so often found her, he thought with relief, yet intuitively he sensed her ever-present worry. Slowly so he wouldn’t startle her or draw attention, he lowered his hand and, finding hers, laced their fingers together. And quietly under his breath he whispered her a hello.
Unfortunately, it was only after he his hand linked with hers and he was debating whether or not her hands felt rougher (she did always work too hard) that he realized just whom she’d been talking to. Matthew did a double take and then blanched.
“Russia,” he greeted with a nod of his head, wishing his voice to sound more steady than it really was.

The sudden feeling of coldness meeting with her hand caught Katyusha off guard a little, but her surprise vanished at the stranger's voice. She'd recognize it anywhere. Resisting the urge to smile, she returned Matthew's greeting with one of her own and squeezed his hand gently. Him being with her always made her feel a little more at ease, but now she was planning a reunion-of-sorts with Ivan, too!
Her smile grew even more. Things weren't so bad right now.
But a question arose. Who was she supposed to talk to now? Her brother or her lover---
BOYFRIEND. Boyfriend. Lover was embarrassing.
...Well, she HAD been talking with Ivan first, so it was only right to finish talking with him first. It had been a while since they'd had a good talk, and plans needed to be made. She'd need to get a lot of work done to clear up her schedule, and of course she'd need to talk to her boss, they'd have to find out where they'd go and when and---
Her mental plans were put on hold when another sudden thought crossed her mind.
Ivan didn't know about the relationship, did he?
Suddenly she felt clueless and obvious, eyes darting from one man to the other. Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. This could be a problem. This could definitely be a problem. Would Ivan be mad? She'd never said anything about it all this time... It would be natural for him to be miffed about it.
What if it turned into a scuffle? Fighting was no good, not when nothing got done at world conferences anyways.
...But there was also the possibility of him not finding out at all. Should she say something? She probably should...
Even so, she remained silent, losing herself in worried thoughts.

As much as Ivan was enjoying himself the time with his sister for a moment there, he got distracted looking the other side at the same time the young nation had arrived close to Katyusha. Something on the other side of the room had caught his attention for a few moments, but soon he was again gazing at his sister, and there was Mathew, the young nation he would constantly remind as Alfred’s brother. Nothing else. Until he notice the blush on his sister’s face and the awkwardness on Mathew’s state of being. What was going on there, he could only wonder. After all the years of war torturing and twisting people, he really knew how to read people’s face and actions, and he knew for sure something was going on between the both of them. Could It be that his sister finally found a friend, or maybe with the look on her face, that friend was more than that… Ivan politely stared back at Mathew, giving a strong nod and a sweet smile. The offering his hand toward the young one, he reached through his sister. “Hello~ Mathew. I am glad to see you here, I thought you would be sitting next to your brother~ “ And so his interrogatory started. He could be sneaky and mysterious when he wanted, especially when he felt there was something off. Why would Mathew sit right next to his sister, Katyusha, leaving her breathless and blushing hard?

If his suspicions were correct, then Mathew and Katyusha were now lovers, from the look of everything, but that would leave him with so many questions. Why wouldn’t Katyusha tell him, her own brother, she was now dating? She was the older one, and its polite for her to tell him, since Ivan had himself told her about his relationship with Yao. Was she really that upset with him, that would even keep secrets like this from him. And besides that, there was another fact to consider, that was still Mathew, Alfred’s brother. And Ivan’s thoughts and feelings for Alfred were really not the best. Could he trust the young Canadian with his older sister?

As always whenever he encountered the considerable Russian, Matthew felt his nerves give a sharp unsettling jump. He tried to keep his expression straight with a friendly smile, however, he didn’t think it worked very well. By the looks of it, it certainly wasn’t convincing anybody.
“With Alfred y-you mean?” he said, turning his head automatically to scan the conference room for his brother. “No… no, I thought I’d sit somewhere else today. I-I don’t think he’ll mind.”
He fell awkwardly silent. Was… was that a hint to leave? Matthew glanced about, suddenly more apprehensive under Ivan’s intense gaze. Why couldn’t he turn invisible now? He hugged his white bear closer.
Still, he decided to hold his ground, figuratively taking a cautious step forward like he did in the winter when testing for thin ice.
“How are things? Katyusha’s been telling me a lot…” His already feeble voice trailed off.
He’d stepped on a landmine hadn’t he?
Matthew turned to Katyusha, eyes pleading for help.

Blinking, Katyusha stared at Matthew for a moment, then looked over at Ivan. Words still seemed meaningless at the moment, but she had to say SOMETHING...! Both were waiting for what she would say; Matthew was looking for help, and Ivan was...looking.
There was something in the way he spoke to Matthew that had her a little on edge... Well, not on edge, but...cautious? Was that how she could say it? No, that wasn't right...
But anyways, her curiousity had been peaked and she tried to speak in a casual manner.
It was quite difficult seeing how nervous she'd suddenly become.
Why was she nervous again?
"Um, y-yes! I've been talking with Matvey lately...a-about a lot of things. I-It's very nice, you two should talk, too!" She couldn't help her stuttering - it was already a bit of a habit - and she inwardly cursed at herself for not regaining her composure.
...Ivan just had this look...
She wanted to at least give him a curious look, but that would raise more questions. ...Was he up to something...?

“Ah…” Ivan wasn’t stupid; he could tell there was something up with those two even from distance. They were together, weren’t they? It had to be it, Ivan had warned her to be careful with outsiders, they would only want her for the bad reasons, and out of all the strangers Katyusha could talk… and worse of all, have a relationship with, why did it had to be Mathew? Alfred’s brother, that man’s brother! Why couldn’t it be someone worthy of his trust like… well… anyone except those North Americans would be reasonable. His voice fell off after the little sound of knowledge, leaving a rather awkward silence, almost mortifying silence, before he could speak again. He knew some nations where trying an approach to Katyusha, in order to help and make deals. She wasn’t under his roof anymore; Ivan had no saying on her personal business. But when it came to them living as human creatures and a loving family, Ivan was very protective over both of them.

“I understand now~” He said finally breaking the silence.” I should change my seat today too. Following your example Mathew~” He happily said while he stood from his chair, moving only a little. That was definitely not the place or time for a deep discussion of that situation, but at least, Ivan could be… well Ivan and do his best to protect his sister. And he would do anything to protect her. ANYTHING. “Why don’t I just sit right… here.” And at that moment he pulled his chair right between Mathew and Katyusha, flopping right there like a heavy weight impossible to move from that place. “Ah~ I can have a nice view from all the room in here huhu~ Oh and unlike you, Mathew, I love to stay close to my family. “ Oh, but Mathew wasn’t the only one to blame, Katyusha actually never had the nerve to tell Ivan anything about this. How could she? He felt so betrayed, the brother of his worst enemy, and lost conversations he could have had with his sister, why would she keep all this from him?

Ivan’s movements damn near toppled Matthew right over, his hands flailing, grabbing desperately at the table top to stable himself from the blow.
Righting himself and running a frustrated hand through his hair, Matthew twisted his face into a severe scowl, aimed directly at the Russian.
Jerk.
Gathering up his papers, he tapped them lightly on the flat surface and watched at they all settled back into perfect uniformity, jaw clenching and unclenching angrily. Matthew tried to pull in several calming breaths. Showing Ivan just how uncomfortable this new seating arrangement made him would only make things worse.
This is exactly why he and Kat had been keeping things a secret.
Matthew glared off into a far away corner.
Hey, you’d be upset to if this was your only chance to see the girl you love and instead you have to sit beside a smelly Russian.
Matthew watched the other countries talk and interact, slowly but surely managing to calm himself. Canadian’s never resorted to violence unless they had to.
There was, however, one thing Ivan has said in particular that he couldn’t let go of so easily…
He sat up straighter in his seat and adjusted his glasses, drawing himself up to his full height and squaring his shoulders.
“I value my family just as much as you do, Russia. They’re a very important part of my life. I love them,” Matthew said quietly but clearly, loud enough that he knew Katyusha could hear. She was the one that sentiment was really directed at… and Matthew kind of hoped Ivan noticed to.
A dangerous thought entered his mind.
“Hey, Ivan,” Matthew said, his typical polite Canadian smile hitched back on his face. “I was going through my garage the other day and I found something that might interest you.” His violet eyes danced over the brim of his glasses. “I found my old hockey gear- back from that game we played in ’72. You remember that one right? The 1972 Summit Series? What a great game… Of course I won that game. But it was all for fun right? You put your best effort into it. I just happened to have the better team.”
Matthew finished his fake-kind words with a courtesy grin, knowing Russia could see the biting ridicule behind his seemingly innocent actions.
Gently adjusting Kuma-whatever on his lap, Matthew couldn’t wipe the satisfied expression from his face.
That’s what the big lug got for wrecking his time with Ukraine.

Katyusha's gaze moved from her brother and her lover repeatedly, trying to make sense of what was building between the two men. It definitely WASN'T affectionate...but why not? They could get along, couldn't they? Matthew wasn't Alfred. He wasn’t on Ivan’s bad side, right? They didn’t have any bad blood, right…?
…Did they?
They didn’t, right? Right?
…Or maybe she and Matthew weren’t the only ones keeping secrets?
She tried her best to recall anything that had happened between Ivan and Matthew. The Soviet Union had made things tense, yes, but that was over now. They’d been good to each other since, hadn’t they? …Maybe this atmosphere was because of Ivan’s distrust to America himself. But Matthew was different! Matthew was Canada, and Canada wasn’t America! They were both very nice, but they also weren’t the same.
She wanted to say that they were being childish, but hesitation stopped her. She didn't want to agitate them any further, seeing that they were already trying to agitate each other.
...And it was working, for the most part.
Voicing herself to Ivan AND Matthew was an option she wanted to take, but fear said otherwise. …And that fearful part of her was, right now, stronger than her will to protest. What if she said something bad? She could make the whole thing even more tense in just seconds.
So, Katyusha remained quiet and continued on with her thoughts.
And yet, there was also another part of her that was baffled with Matthew's actions. What was he trying to DO? He already wasn't trusted, what was this going to do---?! He was acting...competitive? No, that wasn't the right word... Protective? No, that was what Ivan was doing...hm... Would you call Matthew's behaviour protective, too? It could be said like that, right? Or maybe it was just frustration getting out? Maybe a mixture of both? Or none?
This is making my head hurt.
Puffing out a small sigh and wearing a concerned expression, Katyusha continued in her silence and watched for Ivan's reaction. She fiddled and fiddled and fiddled some more with the hem of her sleeve, shooting silent warnings to both of the men with her eyes, although she doubted they were even paying attention.
She'd speak up if things got too heavy...