Shadowed Stage [ 2P!Hetalia x Reader ]

Treading deep, treading deep, treading deep into the woods
Village girl has lost her way on the path she took
Faded letter in hand, and only darkness in her sight
She arrived at the mansion in the dead of night.

The sky had darkened to an inky black by the time [Name] arrived at the mansion. She was only a simple village girl, interested in seeing all the sights the world had to offer. When she had received the mysterious, well-worn letter, her family refused to allow her out. It was only a simple invitation, to a mansion deep within the nearby forest. The other villagers had warned her multiple times not to enter such a place, that it was a dark and evil forest.

[Name] realized that, in reality, the forest was nothing to be afraid of. The trees were not dark and gloomy, as the others had described; there were no monsters creeping within the shadows. She had even found pretty pale flowers for her family.

The sun was beginning to set when she realized she was lost. Her mind thought that she hadn't gone very far, but her gut told her she was in far too deep.

The trees began to darken as their shadows extended, now looking exactly the way the villagers had described them. Curse her and her own recklessness.

Up ahead, [Name] saw a bright light. Was that her home? Using the last spark of energy in her, she dashed forward, dropping the beautiful flowers as she hiked up her long skirt.

Rather than her cozy home, it was a large mansion, the very same mystery her people spoke of. The building itself was built of solid brown stone, with dark, elaborate patterns surrounding the warm light leaking from the windows. The moon had now come out, a full circle illuminating the starless sky. Faint music could be heard from the inside the manor. It was similar to that of her heartbeat: rapid and slightly dissonant. Her favorite type.

[Name] paused for a moment as she considered her choices. One, she could enter the mansion, to see if they had a place for her to stay during the night, or perhaps a little bit of food to ease her rumbling stomach. Or two, she could avoid the mansion and take her chances in the wilderness with no food, water, or shelter.

She decided on entering the large fortress.

Though eeriness leaked from the manor
No choice but to knock on it's rotten door.

[Name] stepped up to the wide set of doors, knocking hesitantly.

"Excuse me, is anybody home?" She would never know how weak she sounded at that moment, how quiet her voice was as it trembled.

The door opened within seconds of her gentle knock, surprising [Name]. A young man stood in it's place, his unruly blond hair barely grazing his shoulders and dark violet eyes boring into her soul. He wasn't in the mood for games, and was thoroughly irritated at this distraction.

"Go away." He told her, almost forcing the door shut until other young men stepped forward, pulling the first one back harshly.

"Just ignore him. Welcome, welcome~!" Two brothers, seemingly twins, grabbed her hands and pulled her in. One gripped her hand rather forcefully as the other threaded his fingers with hers. The first brother had dark brown hair, with demanding brown-red eyes and a wide grin plastered to his face. A single curl ran down the left-hand side of his face, sticking out in the most peculiar way. His sibling looked different, with blond hair and golden-yellow eyes, but had a similar body structure and the same curl running down the opposite side of his head. He also seemed pleased to see her, a smirk playing his lips.

"Would you like some tea? It must be terribly cold outside." A voice appeared behind her, causing her to whip around. A Japanese man stood in front of her, holding out a single cup of steaming tea. His dark, red-brown eyes took her by surprise, causing her to gasp. There was such a cold look in his calm face, contrasting deeply from the warm cup in his hand. [Name] took is graciously, not meeting his eyes as she brought the cup close to her face to feel the warmth.

"Don't you worry about its taste; I made all the food and beverages in this house, and I assure you everything tastes fantastic." Yet another voice came from the top of the staircase; two men began walking down to greet their guest. One was pale with freckles dashed across his skin, light blond hair tussled around, and thick brows pushed upward to show delight, tinged with the surprise of her arrival.

His friend was much tanner, with dark eyes and thick, dark brown hair. Everything about him seemed dark, but [Name] found him mysterious and attractive. She couldn't lie; all of them held appeal to her in their own special way. The way they looked was interesting and completely different from the appearance of anyone she knew. It was very unique.

Everyone from the lady to the servant
Gathered 'round, to give their guest "appraisement"

The duo at the top of the stairs had come down, nearly surrounding her as the others joined in, each taking position in the circle they formed around her. It was beginning to make [Name] uncomfortable; she was not used to having so many hungry eyes search her body.

"You know, a meeting like this is a gift from destiny~" The blond stepped forward, placing his hand underneath her chin, causing him to look up at her. His electric blue eyes appeared to have a ring of pink surrounding them, entrancing her with the desperate look that engulfed them. [Name] shook her head; it could only be her imagination.

Obviously not liking the attention she was getting, the Italian brothers grabbed [Name]'s hands, spinning her around the cold tile flooring. The sudden movement caused the teacup in her hand to fall and shatter, the murky brown liquid shining under the intense lighting. [Name] bit her lip, looking from the apparent maid [who seemed unconcerned by this action] to the apparent chef, who only giggled at the broken shards.

"It's alright, [Name]. It's all easily replaceable." His giant smile lingered on his speckled face, eyes shining as he stared at her.

She breathed a sigh of relief, while the music continued to echo off the cold stone walls.

Her heart stopped as she frantically searched the faces of all the strangers around her.

She had never told any of them her name.

---

Then let the show begin!

---

[Name] woke up lying on a foreign bed. She sat up, eyes wide as she peered around the room. She couldn't remember a thing. The room was nothing short of extraordinary, with some of the finest craftsmanship she had ever seen, but that didn't hold her interest.

The full moon staring back at her through the window did, however.

She didn't know how long she had been asleep. Certainly long enough for the sun to rise to allow her to escape.

What was going on here?

After the banquet there was darkness
Something was wrong, somehow she felt suspicious.
She fell asleep, and after which she woke.
But for some reason the morning light did not follow

[Name] clutched the pillow sitting on the bed, squeezing her eyes shut as she tried to determine what had happened the night before. She remembered François [the one who had reluctantly opened the door for her, and had introduced himself after everyone else, at the others' insistence] pouring her a glass of wine. As all the others took a sip from their own glass, [Name] decided that it would be only be polite to take a tiny sip from her own as well. After all, they had graciously invited her into their home.

Everything from that point had been blurred. She remembered dancing with the Italian brothers; their hands eagerly touching the curves of her body, her neck, anything that would send a shiver down her spine. She remembered Oliver [he had made the delicious food; she had taken a few small bites before it was promptly whisked away from her], and a man with pale hair and dead-looking red eyes [he was the one who took the food away, although he told her "You could finish it, if you wish to die. Oh, I wish I could..."]

She didn't know what that meant, but she decided not to dwell on it.

That was all she could remember. It really wasn't much.

She couldn't remember when she came to the manor. Or why.

A gentle knock startled her, causing her to lose the remainder of her thoughts and any trace of the distant memories hovering in the back of her mind.

The Italians entered her room once again, a sneer etched on each of their faces.

"Did you have fun last night, bella~?" Lucaino [the one with darker hair] asked her, his eyes closed in what appeared to be feign innocence. [Name] knew by now that he was anything but naive. His voice was teasing, as though he knew what had happened the night before. As though he knew she didn't.

"Wanna know a secret?" He continued, not allowing her to respond. [Name]'s eyes widened, but she didn't object as both Italians grabbed her hands.

She decided they were rather touchy people. Better not make too much of it.

They pulled her down the long corridors, back down to the main room where an ancient grandfather clock sat perfectly aligned against the back wall. She observed it, gasping in surprise as they pulled her forward, releasing her wrists so she landed right in front of it.

"The clock froze! COME AND TAKE A LOOK!" Their voices rang in unison, startling [Name] and causing her to whip around. They had disappeared.

She looked at the clock, studying it's intricate design. It matched the rest of the house quite nicely, with old Roman numeral-styled numbers and a slightly worn face. What secret did this old clock hold? She stared at it, noticing the minute hand had stopped right before 12 o' clock. Within the center of the hands rested a simple keyhole.

"Does that mean...time has stopped? Until the key is found?" Her body froze, her mind unable to process the revelation. What could possibly happen if she were stuck in this mansion for eternity? She had to get out of this twisted house, now! [Name] ran to the entrance, yanking on the door handle, sweat dripping down her neck. The door wasn't opening.

She turned around, staring the demonic clock once more. The walls were a dull white, uncharacteristically plain compared to the rest of the house, and [Name] couldn't help but notice the large crack running down the right side. The rest of the place seemed perfect; why would there be any sort of flaw left unfixed? She stepped closer, placing her hands gingerly on the broken concrete. The wall pressed inward, revealing a hidden room.

The village girl was scared out of her wits
Saw a secret room, she made a desperate run for it
Tearing through the corridors and opening it's heavy door.

After checking behind her to make sure the occupants were no longer around, [Name] stepped inside, a small scream escaping her lips.

Piles of coffins littered the floor.

"Oh my, oh my..." The pale man's voice rang out from behind her, causing [Name] to whip around. His voice was so apathetic her heart began to race.

Was he apathetic enough to kill her?

"So I guess you saw it..." There was that British voice, his tone rather melancholy, yet the same insane smile remained plastered to his face.

"Danger, danger!" One of the Italian's warned her, but at this point, [Name]'s head was becoming foggy. She couldn't think clearly. She couldn't see. There was a sing-song lilt to his voice. He seemed happy. It must be Lucaino.

"Hey, don't be too scared, please." The Japanese man's mouth twitched in what appeared to be a smile, but her previous experience told her the hospitality was a lie.

It was all lie.

"Where are you going?" The other Italian asked, tilting his head as he leered at [Name]. He knew there was no escape for her.

"Where did you flee to, indeed?" A distinct French accent could be heard. [Name]'s heart began to race even faster than before as her legs pushed her ahead. This was nothing more than a chase to him. The predator stalking the pray.

"Wait just a second!"

You shall play the lead role in this crazy night
Is it going by the script; is it wrong or right?
What kind of ending to tonight are you gonna choose?
Anything and everything is up to you!
You know, in the coffins the truth may lie
Ah, will it be a bad end night?

[Name] ran through the house, searching hysterically for an exit as she tore down the corridors. The back door, locked. The windows, barred tight. Her breathing came out in rapid bursts, her mind not functioning rationally.

They invited her here to have their way with her, to kill her.

Their minds obviously weren't sane.

They weren't humans, they were monsters.

She just wanted to go back home.

She just needed the key to end it all.

The answer to a happy ending, just where could it be hiding?

[Name] ended up back in the center room, staring at the clock. The copper hands on the clock glistened, and then she knew she had found her key.

"I found it~" She sang, yanking the hands off the clock.

The residents had caught up with her, smiling at [Name] as she clutched the hands of the clock as though they were her last lifeline. She held them almost as though they were daggers.

She had never seen hands that sharp before.

They were made for helping her.

They were necessary for the true end.

I shall play the lead role in this crazy night!
Smashing up your skulls with a plunge of a knife!
I'll be swinging too hard before I even know.
Well because I've begun to enjoy it so~

[Name] swung them at each of the young men of the household, their evil faces contorting at the sudden pain. The hunters had become the hunted. She continued slashing, not stopping until the figures disappeared, the cold tiles and plain walls painted red. Then she herself disappeared from the stage, her mind far gone.

Run away! Run away! Make a run for your lives!
Just forget about the play and all of your lines!
Break apart! Break apart! We shall lose our minds!
Put a stop to this bad end night!

---

In a worn down room now consumed by silence
By an unknown shadow an applause is given.

The room was now empty, both the residents of the house and [Name] gone from the scene. The lone audience member let out a few tentative claps. He stepped out, merely a shadow, a long, brown cloak covering every part of his body. Minus a long, wonky curl sticking out in the front, of course. He didn't want anyone to notice him. That wasn't really a problem; he was scarcely noticed anyways. Besides, no one was left to notice this simple shadow.

He had never meant to start all of this.

All he wanted was to be noticed.

By just one, single person.

[Name].

It was a simple as that.

He never knew it would affect his friends...that way.

"That sure was a good show that you put on tonight..."

And he picked up the letter and began to cry.