Hi! I'm absolutely obsessed with LietPol at the moment, so I decided to write this one shot for Polish Independence Day, which is on the 11th November. I hope you enjoy it :)

I do not own Hetalia!

"Hey Po, you still haven't told me why you dragged me out here tonight."

The two of them lay side by side in one of Poland's fields, their shoulders touching as they stared up at the night sky. It was a clear night, with a bright, full moon and an infinite multitude of stars scattered above them, and Lithuania had to admit that it was perfect for an impromptu stargazing expedition. Of course, he hadn't been entirely thrilled when Poland had burst into his room as he was preparing for bed, scaring the life out of him and demanding that he follow him outside on a cold, dark November night, but he was used to it by now. Poland was always doing random things like this. Besides, his friend had been acting strangely that day, so he had decided to go along with it.

Curious about the lack of response, Lithuania turned his head to look at him, and his breath caught in his throat.

Poland lay completely still, gazing up at the myriad of stars above them with an expression so vacant and lost in thought that it was clear he hadn't even heard the question. With the glimmering stars reflected in his wide, distant eyes, Lithuania didn't think that he had ever seen him look as beautiful as he did now. It took a moment for him to regain his senses. Tentatively, he asked again.

"Poland? Why did you bring me here?"

There was a long, long silence. Slowly, Poland whispered a reply, never taking his eyes off the stars.

"Have you, like, forgotten what day it is today, Liet?"

His voice was so soft that he had to lean closer to hear him.

"No, of course I haven't. It's your Independence Day. I would never forget that."

"The day I became a country again, after so many years…" he murmured, his eyes still fixed on the sky above them. He seemed to be so lost in thought that Lithuania was reluctant to interrupt him; if he had, there was a good chance that Poland wouldn't have heard him anyway. Instead, he just gave him a gentle smile and waited for him to continue.

"We used to be, like, so strong back then. Together, we were the most powerful nation there was. They all totally feared our strength, our courage, our army; we would beat everyone in battle…"

Lithuania smiled at the fond memories. He remembered the Commonwealth all too clearly, and he often felt nostalgic for those days of being the most prosperous and successful country in Europe. Most of all, though, he missed the closeness and intimacy they used to share when they were united as one nation.

"I remember." he said quietly. "It was the best time of our lives. Until…until you were partitioned."

His voice trailed off to a whisper. The partition was something they never spoke about, ever. From the moment they had been reunited, there had been a sort of mutual agreement between them that their terrible years of separation would remain buried in their memories, never to be discussed. He really had no idea why he had brought it up now, and felt instant regret. The memory of it would do nothing but cause them both pain.

There was another silence. Lithuania but his lip guiltily. "I'm sorry, Po." He muttered.

"No, I'm sorry." Poland said. "I should have, like, stopped him from taking you. I should have fought back."

Lithuania sighed. "Stop it, you know that there was nothing you could have done. You had already fought as hard as you could; you did everything you possibly could, and I'm so grateful for that."

"But it wasn't enough," he murmured. "It wasn't enough to stop us from being separated…"

"No, stop! You can't do this, you can't take Liet away!" His shout was filled with desperation, his eyes flashing with murderous rage. Once again he struggled to stand, leaning heavily on his sword, but his knees buckled and he dropped helplessly back to the ground with a cry of pain and frustration.

In front of him, Lithuania fought frantically to free himself from Russia's strong arms. He was trying to shout, trying to cry out for help, but a large, gloved hand was clamped over his mouth, muffling his screams. Poland had never seen his friend so terrified before, and it alarmed him. He just knew he had to do something, but he was so weakened, so broken, he didn't think he was strong enough to save him. But that wasn't going to stop him trying. Lithuania had saved him enough times over the past years; now it was his turn.

"You let go of him, like, right now!" he shrieked. "I'll fight you, we'll – we'll both fight you, and we won't stop until you free us both!" His breath was coming in ragged, uneven gasps, and he realised how pitiful he must look; kneeling in the muddy earth, tears and blood streaking his face, his body racked with sobs. He could hardly force the words out through his tears, but he had to try. He owed it to Liet.

Lithuania ripped the hand from his mouth, and gave a broken shout. "Poland, no-" Then the hand returned, gripping his jaw and wrenching his head roughly to look up at his malicious, grinning face. Bending down, he brushed aside the matted chestnut hair to whisper in his ear.

"Hush, Little Litva. You are mine now." Lithuania, his eyes bubbling over with hot tears of fury and frustration, hit wildly out at him, landing a hard punch to his cheekbone. Russia grabbed the flailing wrist and twisted, causing a sickening crack. "I think you will behave for me, Da?" He asked sweetly over Lithuania's howls of agony.

"No, he's not your 'Little Litva', and he never will be! He'll never be under your rule, you heartless monster. We're strong, and –" he paused to cough up blood. "We'll fight you, we'll never stop fighting you-" The tears were stealing his breath. As he gasped and panted, choking back his sobs, he felt a hand grip his forearm. He wrenched his arm away immediately with an enraged cry, only to feel the sting of a blade at his throat and the burn of mocking ruby red eyes staring scornfully down at him. Unintentionally he swallowed nervously, shrinking back with his eyes fixed on the sword pressed to his neck.

"Kesesese~ Not so brave now, are we?" Prussia cackled. Austria stood behind him, gripping Poland's forearm and smirking.

Poland began to tremble with suppressed rage. God, he hated them all, he hated them so, so much. If he had been stronger, if there hadn't been a weapon against his throat, he would have…he would have…

But there was nothing he could do, not like this. He looked up, his eyes meeting Lithuania's. It was that look that broke him; the look of hurt and utter betrayal in his friend's eyes. His expression was pleading with him, begging for help, but he couldn't; not with Austria's fingers around his arm like a vice and Prussia's sword beginning to draw the first few beads of blood from his neck. Slowly, he gave his head a tiny shake.

"I'm sorry, Liet," he mouthed, then looked away, not wanting to see his friend's face.

He felt a sharp jerk and winced as Prussia grabbed his other arm and he was yanked roughly to his feet, his legs sagging as they failed to support his weight. They began to march him away, his feet dragging uselessly in the mud, and behind him he could hear Russia doing the same to Liet. From time to time there was the sound of a muffled, angry protest, but they were growing weaker. Even Lithuania – brave, resilient Lithuania – was realising that they were fighting a losing battle.

Suddenly, with a violent burst of strength, he wrenched himself free from his captors' grip and sprinted across the slippery earth. He ran to Lithuania and grabbed both of his hands, breathing heavily. In the distance he could hear Austria and Prussia's shouts growing closer. Lithuania's eyes were wide and full of fear and surprise, and even Russia seemed stunned by this sudden impulsive action as he did nothing to stop them.

"Whatever they do to to us, however long they keep us apart, we're always going to be, like, Lithuania and Poland, and don't you forget it! We're still the strongest nation there ever was, and someday we'll find each other again and reunite and it will be like nothing ever came between us-"

The footsteps pounded closer and Poland felt strong arms grab him once more. His hands were ripped from Lithuania's and he was forced away, but he twisted round to continue shouting desperately to his friend.

"And I'll never abandon you, Liet, I'll come back and find you as soon as I can! We won't be apart for long! I promise!"

But Lithuania didn't look back once. Poland managed to hold back his tears as he was dragged away – there was no way he was going to give these people the satisfaction of seeing him cry – but that night, curled alone in the corner of Prussia's outhouse, he could not restrain himself. Through the longest night of his life, and well into the early morning, Poland wept bitterly for the friend he had lost.

It was several minutes before Lithuania was dragged out of his painful trance by the feeling of a cold hand tightly grasping his own, and he looked down in surprise to see that his and Poland's fingers were firmly entwined. His friend's eyes were wet and sparkling with tears, and he was sure that his looked the same.

Giving a wan smile, he said, "You promised that we would see each other again, and we did."

Beside him, Poland let out a shaky breath. "Yeah. After, like, 123 years."

"Better late than never."' This earned him a weak huff of laughter, and he stroked his thumb soothingly across his friend's knuckles. "Isn't it odd," he continued. "That it was Prussia who ended your time as nation back then, but now he's the one who no longer exists?

There was a pensive silence, then Poland gave a quiet chuckle and cracked his first smile of that day. "And that, Liet, is the meaning of Karma."

Lithuania laughed along with him, grateful for the momentary release from the heavy atmosphere and relieved to see his friend looking a little happier. Gradually their laughter died down. Poland shivered a little and moved closer, laying his head on Lithuania's shoulder. Leaning into the warmth of his body, Lithuania rested his head on top of Poland's and reached an arm up, pointing at the sky above them.

"Look Po, there's the North Star. The brightest star in the sky."

He felt Poland's head shift against his shoulder as his eyes followed where his arm was pointing, both of them gazing up at the same one star.

"They say that it can be seen from everywhere in the Northern hemisphere."

Poland nodded. "I know. I remember when we were, like, separated and I was in Prussia's house, I would totally sneak outside and look at it sometimes. It was comforting to know that wherever you were, you could, like, see that same star as me. It kinda made me feel closer to you, somehow."

Lithuania blushed lightly. "I used to do t-that as well," he admitted shyly. "In Mr Russia's house. I often wondered if you were looking, too."

Lithuania crept up the thickly carpeted staircase, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to wake Latvia and Estonia. He would have been in bed asleep himself, had Mr Russia not decided to keep him later in his study to do 'extra chores' as a punishment for defending Latvia over a broken teacup. Despite the beating he had received, he didn't regret his actions one bit; it had been an innocent, clumsy accident, and Mr Russia had no right to harm a child. He wasn't going to fail Latvia the same way he had failed Poland.

At the top of the stairs he paused, his eyes drawn to the wide window that overlooked Mr Russia's precious sunflower garden. The garden was dark and shadowy, the sky a thick, inky black, but there was one bright pinprick of light glowing in the vast expanse of emptiness. Lithuania slowly moved closer to the window, setting his tray down on a small chest of draws.

"The North Star." He whispered to himself. "The star that can be seen everywhere."

Glancing around to check that there was no one watching, he hauled himself onto the wide window ledge and pressed his cheek to the cold glass.

"Where are you, Poland?" He murmured, his eyes fixed on the one visible star. "It's been so many years, and you promised you'd come back. You promised. How could you abandon me now, when I need you the most?"

Lithuania barely even noticed when the tears began to flow. "Or perhaps you haven't abandoned me. Perhaps you've died – perhaps Prussia killed you the moment you left me– and I'm the only one who doesn't know. Perhaps I'm holding onto this hope for nothing."

Clenching his jaw, he screwed his hand into a fist so tight that his knuckles went pale.

"No. No, you're not dead. I'd know if you were. You're out there somewhere, and as long as you're alive, that's all that matters. I can endure this torture for as long as I need to, because I know that someday- whether it be tomorrow or in a hundred years- we're going to be free, and we're going to find each other again, just as you promised."

With a tired sigh, he relaxed his fist and leaned sideways against the glass. "As long as you're alive to see the North Star tonight, just as I can, then I'm not going to give up hope. Because I know that I can trust you, Poland. I know that you would never go back on your promise.

"But for now, there's nothing I can do but wait, and endure."

It was many hours later before Russia finally came upstairs to bed, and he was surprised to see Lithuania fast asleep on the window ledge, curled up against the glass. There were deep shadows under his eyes and tear tracks dried to his face, and Russia tutted softly, shaking his head.

"Poor Little Litva," he said pityingly. "Why can you not see that we do only what is good for you?"

Then, with uncharacteristic care, he lifted him into his arms and carried him to bed.

Lithuania shuddered slightly in an effort to rid himself of the painful memories that had clouded his mind. He reminded himself that Poland was right here at his side; there was no need to think of their terrible days of separation any longer. Blinking back to reality, he realised with embarrassment that he was gripping his friend's hand incredibly tightly. Poland didn't seem to mind though.

"As long as I could see that star, I never doubted that you would return," he said. "It took you long enough, but you got there in the end!"

Poland snuggled closer, and when he spoke, Lithuania could hear the mirth in his voice.

"Better late than never." He looked up and gave a mischievous smile, and it took all Lithuania's self restraint to keep from kissing him right there and then. "You do know, though," he added seriously, "how hard I tried to get back to you?"

"I know. All the uprisings and rebellions, year after year. Mr Russia would speak about them over dinner, and I always wished I was there to help you." He looked across at Poland regretfully. "I can only imagine how much pain you must have been in."

Poland raised and lowered his shoulder in a dismissive shrug. "It did, like, hurt a lot. Sometimes it felt like I was burning from the inside, or being ripped limb from limb…"

Lithuania closed his eyes with a pained expression, and let out a quiet whimper of pity at the idea of his friend being in so much agony.

"…But it was worth it!" Poland sat up quickly and whirled to face him, his eyes blazing with passion. "Because no matter how much it hurt me, it was enough to know that my people were fighting for their independence, and I was proud of them! My people – young and old – were rising up and fighting for a country that some had never even known, because they were determined to be free. They loved their nation and they were never going to give up on it! So even if the pain sometimes felt like it was more than I could bear, I would think about the courage of my people, and the hope of being reunited with you, and I have no regrets. If I had to go through it all over again, I would do."

Lithuania listened intently, enthralled by by the passion and intensity in Poland's voice. The way his eyes shone with pride and determination reminded him just why he loved him so much. He only wished that others could see past the effeminate exterior and see Poland for the brave, relentless fighter he really was.

Poland was breathing heavily from his bold speech, and didn't protest when Lithuania gently took his wrist and pulled him to lie down beside him with his head on his chest. He ran a hand tenderly through his friend's blond hair.

"I know, Po, you did everything you could. You fought and fought, and finally, after over 100 years, it paid off."

Poland smiled widely up at him, already beginning to immerse himself in the wonderful memory. "It was totally worth it, in the end."

The household had been buzzing for days. There had been a tense atmosphere of anticipation and excitement stretched across the hallways, although none of the Baltics really knew what was happening. Mr Russia was even more on edge than usual, snapping into a murderous rage at the slightest thing, so Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia had to tiptoe around him as if on hot coals. That was normal enough, Lithuania supposed, but everything else was strange and unnatural. The war had ended, and for once there was something new in the Baltics' household. For once, there was hope.

The three of them were in the kitchen, chopping onions and stirring a bubbling pot of broth over the stove. None of them were talking, but they worked together in perfect unison as they had done for over 100 years now. It was a comfortable, companionable silence and whilst Lithuania couldn't say he had grown to like living in Mr Russia's house, he had to admit that it was beginning to feel like home.

Suddenly, Russia's head popped around the door. Although he was smiling widely, his violet eyes were glowing menacingly and his whole body seemed to radiate a dangerous aura. Unwittingly, Latvia took a small step backwards and Lithuania reached out to steady him so that he didn't stumble into the boiling stove.

"Ah, there you are!" Mr Russia exclaimed. "I thought I would be finding you in here!"

"M-mr R-Russia?" Estonia stammered, taking off his steamed-up glasses and polishing them nervously on his apron. "Why-?"

If possible, Mr Russia's expression grew even darker. "There is a World Meeting. It is very very important."

The Baltics exchanged confused glances. There had often been world meetings during the war but they had rarely been required to attend as Mr Russia had always gone in their place.

As if reading their minds, Russia glowered down at the letter in his hands and added, "You all must be there."

When none of them moved, he snarled menacingly. "You will all be coming with me immediately, da? Come, Little Litva."

Startled by the sudden address, Lithuania wrung his hands anxiously and scanned the room for a distraction. "B-but, Mr Russia…the soup.." He protested weakly.

In an instant, Russia strode across the room to his side and upturned the bubbling pot with a broad sweep of his hand. It clattered loudly to the floor. Scalding liquid seeped and splashed everywhere, and the three Baltics stared on in shock. Latvia seemed so stunned that he didn't even notice the boiling soup beginning to soak through his shoes.

"Now you do not have to be worrying about that! You will come with me NOW, da?"

This time, no one protested.

The world meeting was crowded and noisy, with an atmosphere so thick with energy and anticipation that it was almost difficult to breathe. Unused to the exuberance of the other nations, Lithuania shrank closer to to Estonia and Latvia, feeling them do the same. If possible, Mr Russia's mood seemed to have grown even worse, and he was sending stares of murmurous intent across the room at Mr America, who was returning the expression of mutual enmity. Several nations were bandaged and scarred from their recent conflict, some worse than others, and to distract himself from the disturbing sight Lithuania looked around the hall in the vague hope of seeing someone that he knew would not be there. Finally, he set eyes on a thin, silver-haired figure hunched alone in a corner. Prussia.

Oddly, the first thing Lithuania felt for his long-time enemy was pity. Prussia looked so weak and broken, with his head bowed miserably and one skeletal finger slowly stroking his chick's bedraggled yellow feathers. His shoulders were trembling like he might have been crying, but Lithuania dismissed the idea. Prussia never cried.

For a few moments he wondered if he should go over and comfort him. Sure, they were enemies, but it had been over a hundred years since…

He stood there, conflicted. Prussia was in pain, and his instinct told him that he should help, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Because he hadn't been able to forgive him yet, and he wasn't sure when he ever would.

Suddenly a loud shout rang out, and the room slowly dissolved into a reluctant silence. It wasn't Germany that had called for quiet, but America.

"Alright, listen up, folks!" Although he was smiling resolutely, he seemed tired and drained, and the cheerful expression didn't reach his eyes. "So y'all know we've been through a whole load of shit these past few years."

There was a grumble of assent.

"Well, me and a few other guys here," he paused to gesture at England, France and the Italy brothers, who stood beside him looking exhausted but triumphant, "Have come up with some laws and stuff to make sure this really was the war to end all wars. 'Cause seriously, that was pretty hard going even for a hero like me!" He gave a weak, forced laugh. England cleared his throat impatiently.

"Right, so." With a flourish, he pulled out a thick pile of slightly crumpled papers. "First off, Germany, you're the one responsible for all this crap, so…"

From his position behind Russia's chair, Lithuania's mind began to wander. In the past, Poland had always been there in world meetings to whisper and giggle and generally disturb him from paying attention to serious world affairs, while Lithuania snapped at him to be quiet. He regretted that. Now, he would have given anything to have his friend by his side, sharing stupid inside jokes.

"….Poland…"

His mind snapped back to reality in a harsh jerk. Poland?! Poland was gone. Why were they talking about him now?

Instinctively, his jaw clenched. He couldn't stand when people talked disparagingly about his friend, saying that he was too weak and pathetic to have ever been a nation. They didn't know anything! Once, when Estonia had casually brought up the subject of the partition over hot chocolate one evening, Lithuania had scolded him so sharply that he had spilled the steaming liquid all down his shirt. He had regretted it afterwards, of course. But at least the subject had never been spoken of again.

Yet now here they were, casually discussing Poland as if they didn't know how much the memories hurt him.

As if Poland wasn't gone at all.

"…declared an independent, democratic nation under the…"

It took a moment for that to sink in. When it did, it sent him reeling.

"What?!" he breathed, gripping the back of Russia's chair to stop himself collapsing. He was vaguely aware of Estonia placing a concerned hand on his back, or at least he assumed it was Estonia because who else would it be, and America was talking on and on but his words seemed to be faded into the background, in fact everything seemed to have faded into the background because he had eyes only for the pale blond figure who had entered silently through the doorway and stood in the corner with tired but sparkling eyes looking straight into his…

"P-Poland?"

Poland cracked a weak but genuine smile. "Liet."

Lithuania barely even noticed him crossing the room until he appeared in front of him, flinging his arms around his neck and holding him close.

"I came back, just like I promised." He whispered.

That was what broke him.

With a sharp gasp, Lithuania promptly burst into tears, clenching his fists and landing feeble punches against his friend's chest. His emotions were in turmoil, rocketing in seconds from thanking God to such anger and hatred that his heart felt as if it was on fire.

"A hundred - a h-hundred and t-twenty three years!" He sobbed, over and over. "I w-was waiting and w-waiting for you, and you n-never came! How –how could you?! You promised, you p-promised it w-would be soon, but-"

His tirade was broken off abruptly by the sensation of lips being pressed against his. They were cold and chapped and salty with tears but he returned the gesture, kissing him back with almost desperate pressure. He had no idea if the other nations were staring or if they were even still here because the only thing he was aware of were the lips against his, the scarred, beautiful hands threading through his hair and the vibrant intensity of the green eyes that stared at him with such love that he was amazed that he had never seen it before.

It seemed like an eternity before Lithuania pulled away with a tiny gasp. Poland was watching him with eyes dancing with such happiness and desire that he had no hesitation in pulling him close again, entwining their bodies together and kissing him with an almost hungry passion. Finally they drew apart a little, flushed and breathing heavily. Shyly, Lithuania pressed his forehead against Poland's, their noses bumping, and concentrated on the tear-stained face before him, determined to memorise every smudge and blemish on his beautiful skin so that he could never, ever lose him again. He was so lost in those moist, brilliant green eyes that he almost missed the sound of Poland's voice, speaking softly.

"Better late than never."

Lithuania gave a contented sigh. "Anything would have been worth it, to be with you."

Poland rolled his eyes at the sentimental statement, but leaned affectionately closer against his friend. "It wasn't always easy, even after we were reunited. There were still, like, wars about my borders, and you still lived with that Russian assclown, and of course there was the Second World War…"

They both shuddered at that, and Lithuania held Poland protectively tighter. Giving his head a quick shake, Poland continued.

"We were still, like, Communist for ages, and there were-"

Lithuania placed a gentle finger to Poland's lips to silence him. "It's never easy, being a nation, and we've had to deal with horrific things that no one should ever have to experience. And it's not always going to be a smooth road from here, either. There's still going to be times when blood will be shed, when our people will be defeated, when we'll think that there's no light in the world."

Poland was staring at him with sadness and uncertainty.

"But as long as we have each other, we'll have the courage to face these things. If 123 years of fear and pain and darkness can't defeat us, then what can?"

Neither of them spoke for a long time. The air was heavy with raw emotions and memories; memories of bravery and sacrifice, of heartache and reunion, of love and loss. By the time the silence was broken, the twilight sky was beginning to be tinged with tones of pale, dusty pink.

"Isn't it odd," Poland began, "how people, like, don't notice things that have been there all along until they're not there any more?"

"Hm. And not everyone gets another chance like we did."

"So we should, like, make the most of it, right?" Poland rolled over until he was positioned over his friend, with one hand planted on the grass either side of his shoulders. His eyes glittered with mischief.

"…Right," Lithuania breathed, unable to look away.

Leaning in, Poland ducked his head and gave him a short, sweet kiss. Lithuania leaned into it, craving more.

When he pulled back, he spoke again in a tone so seductive it sent shivers down Lithuania's spine.

"One hundred and twenty-three years is a long time, Liet. We have a lot to catch up on."

"Yes, we do." Lithuania allowed a wide, genuine smile to spread across his face as he craned his neck up for another kiss. "And we have all the time in the world."

~Fin~

Thank you for reading!

This isn't supposed to be a hugely historical story, but I tried to do my research for parts of it so please tell me if I got anything very incorrect!

Also, I know I haven't updated We Will Survive in a while, but I haven't given up on it, and I'm in the process of writing the next chapter! :)

Please feel free to give a review, I'd absolutely love to hear what you thought, and any constructive criticism or suggestions you may have. It always makes me so happy to receive a review :D