A normal, cousinly visit [Russia]

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

Everything in the academy was silent. Not a noise could be heard from anywhere on campus. It was way past curfew, and everyone was asleep. Well, at least they were suppose to be asleep. But when you have a school full of spies to be, you can hardly expect the rules to be obeyed by the students.

And that is exactly what Natalia was doing. After finding out that her favourite cousin was attending the same academy as she was, the Belarusian could not contain her excitement; she just had to see him. Unfortunately for her, it was extremely difficult to find Ivan during the day. So, like any sane person, she threatened one of the computer specialists in her class to find out which dorm the Russian was in. After receiving the information, she plotted on how she would sneak into his dorm without getting caught. Of course, years of stalking training and dark surroundings were helpful aids in completing her plan.

The blond female waited until after everyone in her dorm was asleep before making her move. Sneaking out of her dorm while not setting off the alarm was time consuming, but she managed to get passed it. Afterwards, she made her way to dorm 192 by hiding in the shadows. It didn't take long for her to reach the Russian's dorm, and it was just as simple to open a window she could fit through.

Closing it behind her, Natalia made her way through the dorm to find where her beloved cousin was. However, the Belarusian had a sixth sense for Ivan, so she found him not long after breaking into his dorm. She entered the room he was in and was calmed by the sound of his breathing. He must be asleep, she realized as she approached him and examined him. The Russian certainly had not changed since the last time Natalia saw him. She could see even in the darkness how well built he was, and she could only imagine how beautiful his eyes would have been if they were open. "My dear cousin," she whispered. "Just as handsome as when I last saw you. You still are the only ideal man for me. One day we shall be married." Natalia could only stand beside him and gaze with wonder at the perfectness that was Ivan.

[Ivan Braginski]

Ivan was asleep, but had only been asleep for about half an hour at the most, and had yet to really fall asleep, since at a school like this one, you always had to be on guard, if even just a little. He was glad however that he had managed to finally get away from his crazy younger cousin, who seemed determined to ruin his life. Although she didn't seem to consider it 'ruining' his life, Ivan did since it scared him, creeped him out, and he had barely been able to go anywhere without her following him, the bathroom included.

He let out a soft sigh, relaxing in the surprisingly soft beds the school gave them, letting himself begin to drift off into sleep a little, already knowing that he probably already seemed like he was asleep to the untrained eye, even though he wasn't. It was a useful skill to pick up at a school like this one, and a good tactic to use during round three of the tournament, letting someone think your guard was down, and then taking them out by surprise.

His eyes twitched a little as he thought he heard footsteps in his room, but he had no room mates, and no crazy stalker cousin, it was just him on his own in the nice and large dorm. He tried to settle down and relax again, but it was too late, he was already on guard again and he knew he probably wouldn't be getting much, if any, sleep tonight. He pretend to be asleep though, just because it was easier than getting up and going out to the main room just to find out that there was no one out there.

His eyes twitched a little as he could swear he heard footsteps again, but paid no attention to the noises, until they entered his room. He continued to pretend to be asleep, listening to the person's breathing and trying to get a read on whether they were male or female, and whether they prove either no challenge to take down, or a little challenge. He froze though when he heard them speak, and gave away their identity.

"My dear cousin, just as handsome as when I last saw you. You still are the only ideal man for me. One day we shall be married."

Oh god, why did fate hate Ivan so? He thought as he listened to his crazy cousin speak. He slowly, ever so slowly, began to shift, his arm going for the dagger he kept under his pillow. He stealthily grabbed it, just in case he needed to fend her off or something, and sat up abruptly, flattening himself against the wall, before asking her, trying to keep his slight fear of his cousin out of his voice.

"Just what are you doing here Natalia?"

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

Natalia could feel an almost warm fuzziness build up inside her when Ivan spoke to her. His voice is just as I remember it, the thought as he asked her what she was doing in his dorm. And his eyes... They felt like they pierced into the Belarusian’s soul and filled the emptiness that laid inside of her heart. The pure enjoyment of seeing her brother without anyone or anything to get between them was amazing. However, being distracted by his presence did not mean that she was completely on guard. She slipped on of her hands into the pocket of her apron, where she kept her throwing knives.

After a few moments of silence, Natalia remembered that she had a question to answer. “Isn’t it obvious Ivan? I have not had a chance to speak with you in such a long time. How could I pass up an opportunity to see and speak to my most favourite cousin?” At the moment, the blond female could not think of how her night could be better. She had her beloved cousin all for herself, with no one to stop her. Well, besides the Russian himself. But that was not that big of a worry for her. It was the perfect time for Natalia to ask him.

“Ivan, will you marry me?”

Since the young age of five, Natalia had strong feelings for her dear older cousin. When she first became open about her feelings for him, it was considered cute. However, when the feelings never faded and the stalking began, many were unnerved by her affections for the Russian, especially Ivan. But the reason for their objection to the cousins being together remained a mystery to the Belarusian. She found no reason for there to be anything to prevent her from loving the only worthy man on the planet.

Natalia felt like maybe he repeatedly rejected her due to the fact that she had always asked him when people who would object to their love were present. After all, it was obvious to her that their love was inevitable, and sooner or later the rest of the world would have to accept it. Asking him in private might make the Russian more comfortable with revealing his true feelings towards her, and possibly encourage him to accept her love.

“Will you marry me?” Natalia repeated, eager for an answer.

[Ivan Braginski]

Ivan stayed with his back pressed up against the wall, the knife clutched tightly in his hand as his eyes slid over to his night stand drawer where he kept one of his multiple semi-automatic pistols, for self defense obviously. He didn't make a dive for it though, not wanting to shoot his cousin, no matter how crazy she was, or how much she belonged in a mental asylum far, far away. He was broken out of his train of thought as she spoke to him again.

“Isn’t it obvious Ivan? I have not had a chance to speak with you in such a long time. How could I pass up an opportunity to see and speak to my most favourite cousin?” Ivan couldn't formulate an answer to something like that, wondering just how she thought sneaking into his room in the middle of the night was a good opportunity to see him. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head when he heard what she said next though.

“Ivan, will you marry me?” He gaped at her, blinking dumbly as he tried to come to terms with the fact that his cousin, his cousin, of all people had just, in a way proposed to him. He shook himself out of it when she asked him again.

"What are you thinking Natalia? We are cousins, so I cannot marry you." He said, trying not to hurt her feelings that much, since she was his cousin, and family, so he would try to be nice to her, no matter how much she scared him at times. Although he couldn't always be nice to her, and he knew that if she did anything really creepy, he would do everything he could to get the hell away from her.

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

"What are you thinking Natalia? We are cousins, so I cannot marry you." As always, the words stabbed at the Belarusian's heart like a sword, yet she kept her face expressionless. The same answer as always. An answer Natalia was beginning to grow rather tired of. Why couldn't he change?

Taking a step closer to Ivan's bed, the blond female asked him, "Why not? Throughout history, many people were accepting of inter-family relationships. Why can't we have a happy relationship like they did in the past?" Natalia wanted Ivan to see how strong her love for him was. How much she craved for his attention. How perfect they would be together if he would only accept the fact that her love was not unnatural. However, the chances of the Russian accepting this idea would be near impossible if she did not use force on him...

As far as physical force went, Natalia knew that Ivan would be able to break her like a twig. Yet, maybe she could push him psychologically. Taking a few more steps forward, she reached Ivan’s bed and stood directly in front of her cousin. Leaning forward so that her face was only inches from his, a twisted smile took over her face.

“Cousin,” her voice dripped with a sickly sweet tone as she spoke. “Would it not be easier on the both of us if you would just accept my love?” She placed her hand on his shoulder as she continued. “You and I could be so happy together. No one would be able to break us apart. Everything would be as Nature intended it to be. Wouldn’t all our problems be fixed?”

[Ivan Braginski]

Ivan's eyes went wide again as he searched for a yet another excuse to the reasoning she presented every time she had asked him this question.

"Natalia, those types of relationships are no longer accepted in society." He said, slowly beginning to slide over to his night stand, figuring that he might actually need that gun to fend her off this time. He hoped that he wouldn't be forced to hurt her though, since she was family, and the only family Ivan would be okay with hurting would be his bastard dedushka.

Ivan's eyes went even wider, if that was even possible, as he watched her walk closer, a sickly sweet smile now twisting her normally pretty face, into a downright terrifying one as she spoke in a sickly sweet voice.

“Cousin, would it not be easier on the both of us if you would just accept my love? You and I could be so happy together. No one would be able to break us apart. Everything would be as Nature intended it to be. Wouldn’t all our problems be fixed?”

He gulped as she put her hand on his shoulder, carefully reaching out and pulling the gun out of the drawer, making sure that Natalia could see him holding it clearly, although he was only planning on using it to keep her from doing anything too serious as he gently pushed her back.

"Natalia, I cannot accept it though, because while you might be happy, I would not be, as I do not want to marry you since you are my cousin. We are family Natalia, so it is against the law, and very frowned upon now. You should find someone else, who is capable of loving you back properly, someone other then me." He said sternly, honestly wishing that she hadn't found out that he was going to this school as well, and that he would still be able to sleep in peace.

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

Natalia rolled her eyes at Ivan’s logic. Yet she took a step back when he pushed her, now becoming increasingly aware of the gun that the Russian now held. She needed to be careful with how she presented her argument with her cousin in order to make sure she would not be harmed. Then again, if he did shoot her and if she lived, she would probably end up framing the bullets along with various other items she had stolen from Ivan over the years.

“Ivan, there are many things in our society that are illegal and frowned upon. But people still get away with it and are able to find others that support their cause.” The smile left her face and returned to it’s original blank expression. She hated his logic so much. It pained her to know deep down that he was correct. Incest was becoming less and less appealing to their society, and was slowly becoming something Natalia hated.

“Since whin did obeying the law and going with the flow of society enter our job description?” Her gaze fell on the gun and became increasingly cold. “Hidden weapons, alcohol and drugs on school campuses, the need to but into the lives of others in order to find incriminating evidence for governmental and personal use, the knowledge of how to end someone’s life without anyone being able to trace it back to you. Nothing about us is legal. So why should our love lives be?”

Her gaze returned to Ivan, but still held their cold core. “And capable of loving me properly?” A twisted giggle escaped from her lips. “My dear cousin, our lives are dedicated to lies. How can someone love another when they do not have the ability to decipher whether the one they are with is telling the truth or spewing lies? You, however, are properly train to find the difference in such words. You are the most capable of loving me properly as you can separate honesty from dishonesty. Love from manipulated hatred. Only you can accomplish such a task.”

Natalia’s gaze softened a bit after her rant. “Why must it be so difficult for you to understand that I cannot stop loving you Ivan?”

[Ivan Braginski]

Ivan sat stone still, letting his face go just as blank and expressionless as his cousins, while he listened to her argument, idly playing with the safety catch on his gun as she spoke, listening more to the soft click....click...click sound as he flicked it on and off, then his cousin truthfully. He let out a sigh and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Natalia, if you know me that well, you should also know that I am incapable of loving anyone, since I may told to kill them one day, and because they may be killed by our job regardless if I'm the one to pull the trigger or not. So even if I did want to marry you Natalia, I would not." He said steadily, speaking one of the lessons their dedushka had beat into him at a rather young age, to make sure that Ivan never had a love life that would get in the way of his job.

If there was one thing that Ivan disliked the most about his soon-to-be job, it was the fact that they weren't allowed to have personal lives, or to get attached to people, they technically weren't even supposed to get attached to their family, since they could be used against them. That was one reason why Ivan worried for Natalia, since he knew that it was likely that if somebody ever threatened him in front of her, whether he was there or not, she would fight them, and could end up in serious trouble one of these days for that, which was why Ivan tried his best to deter her from her unhealthy obsession with him. Since he did not want to see him used against her, and her end up dead because she loved him.

[Natalia Arlovskaya]

Natalia struggled to keep her face emotionless. As much as she did not want to admit it, she knew deep down that her cousin was right. She understood the importance of keeping personal feelings for others out of her life in order to protect her own mental stability. But how was she expected to let go of the only man who she had ever been capable of loving?

Focusing on the gun in Ivan's hands once again, the Belarusian girl tried to format the question she wanted to ask her cousin without letting her sorrow enter her voice. However, unable to do so for a few minutes left her in silence. Why could it not be different for us, she thought as she forced her emotions down.

"How am I suppose to move on when this is all I have ever known?"

The blond female did not want to give up her love on her cousin, but there was no denying it; no matter how hard she tried, she would never win his complete love. She could not control this situation, nor could she control her emotions. There was nothing about the cousins that she could control.

And the thought brought a question to her mind; is that why I want Ivan so much? Was her desire for total control that strong over her that she would try to control the impossible at any cost to her own sanity? It made so much sense, yet it shredded her heart and mind into millions of pieces. Now what was she suppose to do?