Chapter Twenty-One~

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Kiana sneaked away to the Italys' house, smiling. She had nothing to worry about with her mother. Kadi was just having fun scaring the red out of Anahi's hair to prep her for her magic classes. Or, more like magic refresher courses.

She trotted up the door and waltzed into the house without knocking.

"Elloooo?" she called. "Anybody hoooome?"

"Kiana!" Feliciano chirped, coming into view and scooping her up into a hug. "Why are you here?"

"What, don't you want to see your bright little friend?" she teased.

"No! Now go away!" ordered Lovino.

"What, got another Mafia attack in your country?" shot Kiana with a smile.

Lovino glared at her. "No, thank you."

"Oh. You're acting like you've got a stick up your ass."

"Watch you're fucking language!" Lovino ordered.

She rolled her eyes. "Go grow a mustache."

Poor Feliciano was shaking in a corner at the bickering until they burst out laughing and hugged each other.

I'll never get those two... he thought.

"Kiana, why do you act like you do?" Romano wondered. "You don't act like a Iranian girl at all."

She smiled. "I use to. But when I was younger, America declared war against me, remember?"

"Ve~! The War on Terror, right?"

She nodded. "Baleh. Well, Alfred was sending his Marines out against me. I guess they thought that I was too young to be a general, or that the Islams would even follow female orders, or maybe that they were using me as a human shield, so they took me away from  them and started shooting my people."

Romano was once again reminded that though Iran was still young, she had gone through many wars.

"I was furious and started beating on them, ordering them to let me go, and drew my gun. A young man, knowing the danger, scooped me up and dove behind a steel shield. Less than a second later, an explosion happened. My men had thrown a bomb at them, putting me in danger. And... Even though that solder knew that I could kill him and any of his comrades, saved me."

Kiana stopped for a moment, reliving that time. "I guess I was touched by that..." she murmured. "I realized that I didn't have to be ordered around by men, living in fear that I would be beaten or raped. I was reminded that my mother was the great Persian Empire, and I was her daughter." She smiled. "Aunt Kazakhstan had a similar experience with a F.E.T. team."

They were silent for a long minute. Then the Italians wrapped their arms around the teenager in a silent hug. She returned the hug, looking sad. Then she giggled.

"What?" asked Italy.

"I made Lovino silent," she giggled, looking up at him.

Romano spluttered, blushing madly. "Did not! I was forming a sarcastic comment!"

"Suuure," she teased, poking his nose.

He pulled away, rubbing his nose vigorously with his palm, muttering to himself. Kiana laughed and trotted into the kitchen.

"I feel like some-a pasta!" she chirped, mimicking the northerner's accent.

"Si!" he agreed, scampering into the kitchen after her. "Romano, would you like to join us?"

"No."

"Well fine then, smarty pants. We'll eat up all the pasta! And the tomatoes~..."

All of a sudden South Italy was in the kitchen, hugging the tomatoes. "Don't touch them!"

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