This is for SkadiPirate2 on . Her video 'Hetalia-HRE x Chibiitalia' inspired me to write this short story and I highly recommend you watch this video as well as her others.
I do not own Hetalia. I simply own the plot.
"Italy. Are you listening to me?"
"Huh?"
"I asked you if you were okay." Germany looked at his friend with worry. For the first time ever, Italy wasn't hoping around and yelling for pasta. In fact, he was the complete opposite: He was sitting quietly by his living room window staring off into space. It happened every year and Germany just couldn't imagine why.
"I'm okay Germany! Just thinking" Germany looked his friend skeptically before he sighed.
"Fine. Want me to get you some paste from the Italian restaurant down the street?"
"Sure Germany." Said Italy offhandedly as he went back to staring out the window. Germany turned on his heel and went to grab his coat, brushing off his worry for the boy when his arm was suddenly jerked and he was pulled into a hallway.
"Who in the hell-"
"Germany-san, it is me Japan."
"Oh Japan, what's gotten into you? You look like as if you've seen a ghost or something."
"I think I know why Italy is different today."
"WELL TELL ME!" Japan looked at his feet for a second before he lifted his face and looked Germany in the eye.
"I passed by his room this morning and I heard sniffling. Normally I would mind my business as it is rude to impose on somebody who is crying but Italy was muttering something and I was worried. So I opened the door just a crack and he's kneeling on the floor sobbing his eyes out. I went to talk to him but he started humming to himself in German. I didn't know he knew German. And then he said I love you but I didn't hear the name. I think he's grieving over someone he loved." Germany just stared at shock at his friend. What he was saying made absolutely no sense and was mind bending. Italy grieving over someone? It just didn't seem like him.
"Are you sure Japan?"
"Positive." Deciding to ignore the part of him that said it wasn't possible, he played along.
"Then it's best if we let him be. He'll grieve on his own time."
"But-"
"No buts' Japan. Just leave him be." As Germany walked out the door to get Italy's pasta, he didn't hear Japan's sentence.
"But he was GRIVING Germany."
Germany locked the door behind him and started walking towards Italy's favorite Italian restaurant, thinking about all of what Japan said. He didn't realize where he was going and bumped into someone.
"I'm sorry." The stranger said.
"Oh, hello Germany." Germany looked up to see that he had ran into Austria. Behind Austria he could see Hungary holding what appeared to be a body bag.
"Hey Austria. Hey Hungary. What are you guys carrying?" They looked at each other for a brief moment before turning back to Germany.
"We're taking something to Italy. It's best if you come along." Nodding his head at the serious tone in Austria's voice, he followed behind them as they remade their way to his house. Opening the door, Germany ushered in Austria and Hungary.
"Hey Italy! Austria and Hungary are here to see you!"
"Okay!" shouted Italy back. They made their way to the living room where Italy was still perched by the window. He turned towards them and his eyes zoomed in on the bag Hungary was carrying.
"Italy-" started Hungary but was cut off by Italy's quite voice.
"That's him…isn't it?" Austria and Hungary casted their eyes downward as Italy looked at them with empty eyes.
"We found him yesterday when we went to an abandoned battlefield to try and find him one last time."
"Find who?" shouted Germany as he looked between the three of them in confusion.
"Can I see him?" squeaked Italy as he reached for the bag in Hungary's hands. Handing the bag to Italy, who fell to the floor because of the weight of it, she stepped back as Italy's shaking hands reached for the zipper at the top. Unzipping it all the way, Italy gasped and touched the face of a man.
His hair was blonde and stopped just below his ear. His body was lean and long and his red lips stood out from his pale face. He wore a black hat with gold trim and a cape the was also black with gold trim. His feet were clad in boots and he wore a white piece of fabric at the center of his chest. From Italy's reaction, they guy was obviously dead. There was just one problem:
He didn't look like he was decomposing.
Which meant he was a country who had died.
Germany stared at Italy who brought his hand up to the man's face. A sob was suddenly wrenched itself from Italy's throat and tears streaked down his face as he grabbed the body and held it close to him. Austria looked like on the verge of crying and Hungary was already crying with Italy. Germany turned towards Japan who was staring at the whole situation with wide eyes.
"Do you know who he is Japan?"
"You don't know who that is Germany? That's the Holy Roman Empire."
Germany's brain registered this and whipped his head back to Italy. He wasn't sobbing anymore, but tears still went down his face. He kept whispering words to the body and Germany could have swore he heard Italy kept saying 'Es geht kein Weg zurück' (There is no way back).
ONE WEEK LATER
Courtesy of Germany and Japan, they spent a great deal of money for a funeral for the great Holy Roman Empire. All the countries who did know who he was pitched in and made the funeral the most extravagant one the world would ever come to see. Black and gold roses decorated the place as people came to his body and paid their respects to it. Even America paid his respects, even if he didn't know the dude he felt the atmosphere and deemed it necessary. His body was place in a diamond casket and they built a shrine in the middle of the battle field where they found his body and where they suspected his last moments of life were. They dug up a broom close to where he was located and he gave it to Italy, who took it gingerly was if it was made of glass.
After everyone had paid their respects, Italy got up by the casket and turned to everybody.
"I…loved….The Holy Roman Empire and this means so much to me that everybody gave money to make this funeral possible. Just before he left to conquer to world for me, he sung me a song. And he told me to always remember him by it. So I would like to sing the song…as a goodbye gift."
Everybody in the crowd was silent as Italy composed himself. Opening his mouth, he let the words his heart replayed over and over ago flow from his mouth and out into the open.
"Weißt du noch, wie's war? (Do you still know how it used to be?)
Kinderzeit - wunderbar: (Childhood – beautiful:)
Die Welt ist bunt und schön. (The world is colorful and pretty.)
Bis du irgendwann begreifst, (Till you someday will understand,)
Dass nicht jeder Abschied heißt, (That not everything means goodbye,)
Es gibt auch ein Wiedersehen. (There will be reuniting.)
Immer vorwärts. Schritt um Schritt. (Always forward. Step by step.)
Es geht kein Weg zurück. (There is no way back.)
Was jetzt ist, wird nie mehr ungeschehen. (What is now will never be undone.)
Die Zeit läuft uns davon. (The time goes forward)
Was getan ist, ist getan. (What done is, is done.)
Und was jetzt ist, wird nie mehr so geschehen. (And what is now will never happen in the same way again.)
Es geht kein Weg zurück. (There is no way back.)
Es geht kein Weg zurück. (There is no way back.)
Ein Wort zuviel im Zorn gesagt, (One word is spoken in anger,)
Einen Schritt zu weit nach vorn gewagt: (One step too is dared forward)
Schon ist es vorbei. (It's already over.)
Was auch immer jetzt getan, (No matter what I do,)
Was ich gesagt hab, ist gesagt. (What I said, is said.)
Und was wie ewig schien, ist schon Vergangenheit. (And what seemed to be eternal, is already history.)
Ach, und könnte ich doch (Ahh, and I wish I could)
Nur ein einziges Mal (Just one time)
Die Uhren rückwärts drehen. (Rewind back the time.)
Denn wie viel von dem, (Then how much of then,)
Was ich heute weiß, (I know today,)
Hätte ich lieber nie gesehen. (I wish I had never seen.)
Dein Leben dreht sich nur im Kreis. (Your live turns only in circles).
So voll von weggeworfener Zeit. (Full of wasted time.)
Deine Träume schiebst du endlos vor dir her. (You postpone your dreams endless ahead of you.)
Du willst noch leben, irgendwann. (You wanna live, some day.)
Doch wenn nicht heute, wann denn dann? (If not today, when will you?)
Denn irgendwann ist auch ein Traum zu lange her. (That someday is also a dream for a long time.)
The Last note of the song hung in the air as Italy ended the song. Everyone gaped in awe at Italy, who had just sung nearly perfect German, step away from the casket. They heard a sniffling and Germany, with tears in his eyes but not quite falling, walked up to Italy and held out his hand. Italy looked at it for a second before his eyes refilled with tears and he flung himself into Germany's arms. He sobbed and Germany showed an act of unusual kindness as he patted Italy's head and muttered something in German.
After Italy's song, no one had any more energy left to do much so one by one they left the shrine, opting for going home and wallowing in their own sadness. Italy, Germany, and Japan were the last one's to leave, each leaving a red rose at the entrance of the shrine.
Walking back to Germany's house, Italy kept looking back in the direction of the shrine. Eventually Japan lost patience and turned his head towards Italy.
"Why do you keep looking back towards the shrine?" Italy looked at his feet for a second and opened his mouth, but Germany beat him in replying but it was more directed towards Italy.
"Schon ist es vorbei (It's already over.) Japan just looked at Germany in confusion as Italy reached for Germany's hand and squeezed it.
Italy looked up to the sky and for the first time since a week ago, he smiled an ear grinning smile.
"Let's get some PPPAAASSSTTTAAA!" Italy let go of Germany's hand and ran forward, leaving his friends behind him.
"Is he going to be okay Germany?"
"Yeah, he just needs some time." Japan looked skeptical but Germany just patted him on the back.
"At least he wants pasta now." Japan smiled at that and turned towards Italy who was calling for them in the distance.
"I think your right Germany-san. I think he will be okay." As they walked off into the sunset, Germany turned back to the direction of the shrine and he could have swore he heard a familiar German song being hummed into the wind.
Please review! If anybody wants the link to the video, just PM me :)