"I bet their minds would change Yeah,

I'll bet their minds would change

They'd change if they knew the pain

Cause I believe in these scars

I believe."

America's POV:

"Good riddance," I muttered under my breath as I exited the meeting hall. France snickered in agreement, tugging his blue cloak around him tighter. I felt a small tap on my shoulder and I turned to see a young man that looked a lot like me. Blonde hair, blue eyes, glasses, everything! It was freaky!

"Uh...dude, who are you?" I asked nervously. The man rolled his eyes. Rude, much?!

"I'm Canada, your brother," he sighed, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. I
racked my brain, trying to remember. Canada. Canada. Who's Can...? Oh, right, I thought, blushing with embarrassment.

"S-sorry, Mattie. Anyways, what did you want to tell me?" I asked sheepishly. Canada's expression darkened and he looked down at his feet.

"I got a call from Belarus. I-Ivan tried to...to kill himself," Canada said weakly, closing his eyes trying not to cry. France and I froze, disbelief crowding our minds. France turned to his son and grabbed his shoulders, looking him in the eye.

"Where is he? Is he alright?" France, his eyes narrowed with concern.

"He's at the Hospital of Nations. I've already told everyone else, and they're heading there now. Come on, I'll take you," Canada said, turning around and sprinting towards his car. France and I exchanged a worried glance before running after him.

* * *

Russia's POV:
It was dark, so dark. And the cold was unbearable. Is this what death was like? Floating in this cold darkness all alone? But no, I couldn't be dead, because I could still feel the pain of my cuts. Screaming in frustration, I curled up in a ball and hugged my knees, waiting for death.

"Mein Gott," a familiar German voice greeted, those two simple words echoing through the darkness. I cocked my head slightly, listening for more voices.

"L-look at his arms and chest! H-how long vas he doing zhis?" Prussia's voice said softly. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. Why did he care, of all people?!

"At least a century, I would guess. Why would he, though?" America's voice said. Just hearing his stupid accent made my blood boil with anger. That naive idiot! Did he really think that everything he said to me didn't hurt me? Did he think I was emotionless?!

"It's because of us, Петух*! Before Ivan lost consciousness, he was babbling on about not wanting to hurt anyone anymore, and that he...he wanted us to let him die," Estonia sad, his voice quivering as he spoke. I raised my eyebrow as he spoke in my native tongue, using a vulgar Russian insult against America. Where had he learned that?! And why was he defending me? Isn't this what they all wanted...?

"W-what?! No, Ivan would never do something like that!" America said, laughing nervously. I longed to walk up, to see the smug look swiped off his face. But more than anything, I wanted him to understand. I wanted all of them to know why I did this.

"Can you guys leave me alone with him for a second? Please?" America said quietly. I heard the other nations grumble in complaint, but the sound of their footsteps as they left the hospital room was soon heard. At least, I thought I was in a hospital room. I heard a creak as someone sat down beside me. I tried to wake up, but the darkness inside my conscious was too thick to get through. Sighing, I sat down and waited for America to speak.

"I-Ivan? Can you hear me?" America said quietly, his voice breaking. I closed my eyes, waiting.

"I don't know if yo can hear me but..." America's voice trailed off and he began to cry softly. Shocked, I stood back up and began to walk forward.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! F-for everything! I'm not a hero. Heroes are supposed to help people, not make them feel horrible about themselves!" he sobbed. I grimaced as I heard the American cry, my heart nearly breaking into a million pieces. I hated hearing people cry, especially over me. I heard America take a shaking breath and the crying stopped.

"Come on, Ivan. Wake up. Please," America said. I blinked as a light appeared in the darkness, like that at the end of a tunnel. I gasped and then smiled, running towards the light. Maybe they didn't hate me after all.

America's POV:
"Come on, Ivan. Wake up. Please," I said, tears streaming down my face. I watched for any sign of movement from Ivan's pale, lifeless body, but nothing happened. I swallowed back another sob and stood up, my body trembling with grief. This was my fault. Not all of it was my fault, but I certainly helped. Wiping the tears from my cheeks, I turned and started heading out the door.

"Crybaby," a voice with a heavy Russian accent said from behind me. I whirled around to see Ivan sitting up in his hospital bed, a big smile on his face.

"I-Ivan! You're alive!" I said joyfully, wrapping my arms around Russia in a hug. He tensed up in my grip, but then relaxed and hugged me back. I started to cry again, my body trembling with sobs. Russia's grip tightened.

"Hey, it's okay, Alfred. Please don't cry," Russia pleaded, rubbing my back reassuringly.

"No, Ivan, it's not okay! I hurt you, we all hurt you! This is our fault!" I said. Russia grabbed my shoulders and made me face him, forcing me to make eye contact with him. His breathing was heavy, and anger glinted in his eyes.

"No. This is my fault, not yours. This was my choice, not yours. Don't blame yourself for what I tried to do," he growled. I hung my head shamefully but nodded so that I didn't upset him more. He smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

"I'll go get the others. They'll want to see you," I said, getting to my feet. I ran out into the hallway where Germany, Prussia, The Baltic Trio, Canada, France, England, Ukraine, and Belarus were waiting. Belarus jumped to her feet when I walked out.

"What's wrong?! Is big brother okay?" she asked desperately, her face wet with tears. I nodded, a smile making it's way onto my face.

"Ivan woke up, and he's going to be fine," I said. Belarus squealed with delight and hugged me before running into Russia's hospital room. The other nations got to their feet as well, following Belarus into Russia's room. I went in last, staying at the back of the group. Ukraine and Belarus practically ambushed Russia with hugs and kisses, making him laugh as he hugged them back. Hesitantly, the Baltic Trio approached Russia when the siblings broke apart.

"Are you feeling better, Mr. Russia?" Latvia asked timidly, sitting at the foot of Russia's bed. Russia nodded, smiling and ruffling his hair affectionately. Lithuania and Estonia tensed when he touched Latvia, but relaxed again when Russia didn't hurt him.

"Why did you do it?" Estonia asked boldly, adjusting his glasses nervously. Russia's expression slacked and he looked down at his hands guiltily.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone anymore. My boss is the one making me do all of this awful stuff to you guys. I didn't want him to be able to use me anymore. I was done being his puppet!" Russia spat out the word 'puppet' as if it were a vulgar term. The room fell silent as Russia put his head in his hands, taking deep breaths.

"Are jou serious? Jour boss sound like a total jacka-" I glared at Prussia and he stopped talking, backing away a little.

"Thank you. For saving me, I mean," Russia said quietly. Canada smiled and hugged Russia.

"Of course. Why wouldn't we?" he said. Russia smiled and hugged Canada back, sighing happily. Ukraine, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania joined the hug. Germany and Prussia joined next. And finally, so did I. Russia laughed, putting his arms around all of us tears of joy streaming down his face. And I knew why, too. He was finally accepted by us. He finally felt like he belonged.

Translations:

*Cock (As in the bird, not other things. When called this in Russia, it means a kind of low-life, less than nothing as a person. )