Please Wait -APH England-

     "I don't even like [Name]!"
     Those words formed the most painful declaration [Name] had ever heard. What was worse was the fact that they had come from someone she had once considered her best friend.
     Well, not anymore.
     Now she was running away from England's house—away from England himself—in a desperate attempt to escape this cruel reality.
     It all started when America had stopped by England's place to pay his big brother a visit. Of course, he had come unannounced, on the same day that [Name] had been invited over, and being totally inept at reading the mood, America had jumped to conclusions, as usual.
     "Whoa, dudes, I didn't know you guys were dating!"
     Thoroughly flustered by this accusation, [Name] hadn't been able to keep herself from bolting out of the room. When she finally regained her composure, she came back into the study at the worst possible time; the moment England shouted that sentence that had upset her so much.
     Now she was running to nowhere, letting her tears blend with the unsympathetic rain that fell from the clouds above. She didn't care where she wound up, as long as her former friend couldn't find her. She never wanted to see that liar's face ever again!
     Her legs were starting to go numb. The cold water was seeping through her clothes and chilling her skin, and it wasn't long before her body couldn't move even half as fast as she wanted it to. Still, she continued on, hoping to put as much distance between England and herself as possible.
     She couldn't believe this was happening. Just the day before, he had told her that she was his closest friend and that he enjoyed her company, and now he was telling America that he didn't even like her at all! How long had he been lying to her face like that? She almost didn't want to know!
     She was in an unfamiliar part of town when she stopped to see how far she had come. Glancing around nervously, she tried to get her bearings, but had little success; she was always horrible with directions. She wasn't even sure anymore which way she had come. She started to panic, looking in all directions for any familiarity at all, but she found none.
     Forcing herself to calm down, she reasoned through her situation. Just start down one direction, and if it doesn't seem right, then try a different way. She felt better now. At least if she was lost, England might have a hard time finding her… if he even bothered to look.
     She shoved him to the back of her mind, chose a road that looked promising, and started down it… then stopped and spun for the opposite direction at a dead sprint.

     "[Name]!"
     England was breathless, but he wasn't about to give up. He picked up his pace and chased after her, calling her name in an attempt to get her to stop and look at him; maybe if she saw him, she would understand.
     He regretted his mistake. He shouldn't have lied. Why did he have to be so prideful? Was admitting that he cared about someone else really that hard? Why couldn't he just be honest with others, and with himself?
     He couldn't blame her if she wound up hating him after this, but at the same time, he desperately hoped that she wouldn't.

     [Name] couldn't stop the tears from falling anymore. Why had he come after her? Why was he calling her name like that? Why did she, in spite of herself, feel a surge of joy at the prospect that maybe he did care about her after all? And why, if she felt that way, would her legs not stop moving?
     The moment that question ran through her head, she stopped. Not of her own free will, but because a hand had wrapped itself around her wrist.
     "Please, [Name], wait!"
     Winded but successful, he, too, was soaked to the bone, but he didn't care. To him, it was as if the rain didn't even exist. As far as he was concerned, it had let up the moment she had stopped running. "[Name]…" he rasped, "I didn't mean what I said to America. I do like you, just like I told you I did. I was just… an idiot." He released her hand to soundlessly tell her, I trust you to not run away.
     And she didn't run away. Instead, she spun and flung her arms around his neck, ignoring the cold feel of wet fabric being pressed between them. She sobbed into his shoulder, forgetting the rain as well. When he wrapped his arms around her, she decided that she could have stayed there forever.
     "I'm sorry I was so insensitive," he murmured quietly.
     She shook her head and chuckled. "I think we owe America a little payback, don't you?"
     An evil smile curled England's lips. "Oh, I know the perfect spell for that…"