The plot bunnies have done it again.

Warnings: Abusive!AmericaxJapan and eventual GreecexJapan, angst, slight OOC at times, boy love and everything that comes with a broken heart. (hopefully that won't scare too many people away...) This is in no way a representation of political views or opinions, nor a factual representation of any country mentioned.

Fragments

It was happening again. He had tried this time, he really had, but apparently trying was not good enough for Alfred.

Kiku sat on the floor of Alfred's capital home surrounded by the fragmented remains of the vase he had given Alfred on their anniversary a year previous. His tears fell to the clear piece nestled in his palms, distorting the butterfly that graced the crystal. He couldn't help the bitter laugh that escape his throat as he thought of how the butterfly had been a symbol of their relationship to him – beautiful and, well, perfect – and its distortion now made it all the more reasonable a representation. Really, a butterfly was a horrid symbol for anything worth preserving. They were always being killed and pinned to boards for human's enjoyment. They were fragile and weak, easily destroyed.

Then again maybe a butterfly was perfect for them.

True, Alfred and Kiku's relationship had started off phenomenally – diners by candle light, private moments that would have shaken the world's opinion of both men, everything that made a relationship perfect. Ha, perfection was impossible to achieve, especially for a nation – there would always be that one faction that disagreed. And recently those factions had been growing in America.

When it first started he believed it was all stress related, which was natural for the American seeing as no matter what his boss did, someone was unhappy. But their relationship had nothing to do with their nations, it was between Alfred and Kiku, not America and Japan. Though Alfred ad been forgetting that he was Alfred and instead focused solely in America causing his moods to sway erratically with the moods of the masses. Which led to his current situation.

When the masses were angry, a predominate feeling recently, Alfred took it out on the only person he could, Kiku. He always apologized when he returned to his senses, but during his rages he was unstoppable. Kiku had been beaten, bruised and everything in between...

And he'd finally had enough.

He loved Alfred, more than anything, but he knew what he did when he left for hours on end with no explanation - how could he not when Arthur sent him guilty glances at meetings and was suddenly investing heavily in Japanese imports; not that he was upset with Arthur over the affair, he was simply hurt that Alfred had betrayed him after telling him countless times that there was nothing between him and his former mentor. He was hurt and sick of being the bad guy and just sick of trying to fix a relationship that was nothing but a sad memory to add to his already brimming collection.

Gripping the crystal firmly enough to draw blood, Kiku picked himself up, gathered the small semblance of pride he had left, and walked out the door.

~*~

He was surprised to find he had made his way to Greece instead of Japan, but figured it couldn't hurt to visit Heracles rather than sit at home and sulk alone. At least Heracles would have a few cats to calm his nerves – though the added benefit was that Alfred probably not think to look in the Mediterranean nation and therefore saved him the overall inevitable time when he would throw himself at him the moment he saw the blue eyes sparkle behind Texas.

Heracles was more than happy, not that it showed all too much, to have Kiku in his home. There was the silent question about his friend's unpleasant demeanor, but it was quickly dropped when he saw the still bleeding hand and the stained crystal within it.

"You're bleeding, you know."

Japan gave him a questioning look before following his pointing finger to his hand and the small ribbons of blood that formed a lattice over his fingers.

"Oh..." He hadn't even felt the fragment or the now evident gash in his palm the entire flight there, though surely those around him had noticed and commented. He had been far too lost in his own mind to acknowledge the voices though.

"Here."

Greece held out his hand, waiting for Japan to place his injured one in it. Taking the hand, he cleaned it carefully with Iodine and a cloth, making sure not to hurt Kiku too much. He noticed Kiku slip the fragment of crystal into his pocket, but chose to ignore it in favor of keeping things peaceful and bandaging his friend's hand. Both ignored the lattice of blood now traced over Heracles' fingers as well.

"May...may I ask what happened?" There was room for a brush off, a perfect chance to back out of the question, and he was very near doing so, but his friend deserved the truth and, if anything, he deserved someone who knew the entirety of what was going on – not just their small part in the live drama.

"Alfred and I had a fight." Simple reply, though not entirely truthful. It was more Alfred fought and he fought the urge to cry for several hours, but he refused to let Heracles know of his weakness. He was supposed to be strong, crying in front of anyone is not strength.

"So...He cut you?"

How to answer that...

"No, that was an accident on the way here."

"But that bruise...is that him?"

A gentle, yet strong hand touched a spot just above his collarbone, a tingle of pain and something he didn't have the mental capacity to recognize at the time shooting through him. Oh yeah, that had been the frying pan, right? Or was it the book? He couldn't remember anymore and simply nodded sadly in confirmation of Heracles' question.

The hand moved to cup his cheek, bringing golden brown eyes to meet emerald green.

"Are you okay?"

He nodded again, a contradiction of the truth if his voiced affirmative that shook far too much to be believed was not enough. Really, honestly, he was anything but okay. He felt crushed and broken and wanted nothing more than to cry until he was either dehydrated of passed out. Of course he couldn't tell Greece this, it wouldn't be proper for someone such as him. Though he was sure the Greek would not have minded if he showed him weakness, nor would he mention it after wards, but it simply was not him.

Greece nodded, understanding that there was far more than he was going to be told tonight – technically it was day already, but really time did not matter at the moment. Getting Kiku to rest, on the other hand, did.

After a long – meaning ten minutes – discussion, Kiku's hand was firmly wrapped in a bandage and he was tucked snugly in Heracles' guest room. His host had offered him a place in his own bed, but that would be far too embarrassing and problematic should Alfred hear about it. Plus the fitful sleep he fell into, punctuated with dream after dream of the best times he's spent with Alfred, surely would have kept the other man up.

There were walks along a beach in his homeland, followed by a repeat in Hawaii. The first time he had heard Alfred whisper those three words that had sealed his fate. Their first time being truly intimate with one another.

It was as if he were being plagued by the memories; reminding him of what had been his not so long ago and was now just that – a memory, a dream.

He couldn't stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks to drench the pillows or the broken sobs that escaped his throat. It was all too painful for him. He was in love with a man whose love had disappeared.

He continued to sob until he heard the whisper of footsteps approach his door. There was a small knock and a sliver of light made its way over his cheek as Heracles entered the room. Kiku tried to wipe the tears away only to have a hand stop him and pull him against a strong chest. He froze for a moment, expecting burgers and cola and something purely America to invade his senses until the scent of olive groves and fresh air registered instead and he broke down again.

He would never be in Alfred's arms again.

He sobbed into Heracles' chest, listening to his soft croons of comfort and promises of help and things in Greek he didn't understand until finally falling in to a thankfully dreamless sleep.

~*~

"Do you feel any better?"

"Not much but a bit. Thank you."

Kiku blushed, refusing to look at the Greek sitting across from him as they ate an early diner. He couldn't remember much of last night and had woken up curled around Greece's thankfully clothed side, though he knew nothing had happened it was still embarrassing. He still blushed when waking up...next to...

The tears come to his eyes again and he gripped the shard of crystal he's hidden in his pocket.

Heracles was at his side instantly, running his thumb over the hand gripping his pocket. He knew Greece knew what was in there, he was just too polite to tell him how stupid it was. He knew it was stupid to hold onto the hope that Alfred would change. Even if he did...it wouldn't be the same anymore. They'd both have those painful memories and the guilt that went with them. It was either give up or hold on to the small sliver of hope that would ultimately leave him as fragmented as the vase on Alfred's floor.

"We should do something today." Greece stated suddenly.

Kiku wiped his eyes and blinked at the man as if he'd gotten even more spacey. It was almost nightfall, though he was only trying to help.

"It will take your mind off Al...you know."

Kiku laughed quietly, though it sounded more hallow than he thought it would.

"You don't have to skirt around his name, you know. It's not as if I'll be able to avoid him after all. Might as well get used to it."

Heracles hummed his agreement, still rubbing the hand as it gripped the crystal like a life line.

"We can go see a movie, or maybe just a walk. If you'd like."

Kiku smiled at his friend in thanks, telling him a walk sounded like the perfect idea since he was not quite good enough at Greek to listen to it for an hour and walking would give him a chance to enjoy himself without thinking about Alfred.

~*~

He didn't know how, or even why, but somehow England found him and Greece during their walk through the acropolis. Arthur claimed to be on a vacation of sorts, though the guilty shifting of his eyes told the Japanese otherwise. Greece left, reading Japan's mood that he wanted a private conversation with Arthur, his small collection of cats trailing after him – each gave a small arch against Japan's leg in consolation as they parted.

"Arthur-san, why are you here? Honestly, if you will."

"Ah...well...America is frantic looking for you...and well, I know you come here a lot and I thought I could uh...help him." He shifted from foot to foot, never taking his eyes from the ground.

"If Alfred wishes to speak with me he can find me himself, Arthur-san. Now if you would be so kind as to let me finish my visit with Heracles-san."

"Ah. Yes, of course." he coughed awkwardly into his fist. "I'll tell Alfred to get in contact with you then, shall I?"

Kiku nodded, though his mind was screaming at him as he watched Arthur's hasty retreat the he really had nothing to say to America and if he came looking for him - what was there to stop him from throwing himself at him as if nothing had happened?

"You won't go back you know." Heracles was at his side, hand firmly on his shoulder as if it would help him fight the want building in his chest at the very thought that Alfred was searching for him.

"I really hope you're right, Heracles-san."

He gripped his pocket just a bit tighter.

A/N: So...yeah the idea would not leave me alone. and the title means more than just the bit of the vase poor Kiku has with him. Gah! This really hurt me to write too! I love Alfred to death but it just would not go away! It happens, right? I promise it'll get better and there won't be much fighting between Alfred and Kiku, I don't want him to be too much the bad guy.

Tell me if you love it or hate it or just want to blow it up please. And hints for making it better would be great as well!