The saddest people smile the brightest.

The little child stood in the middle of a field bare of flowers, just grass. The sun had gone down, and the stars were shining brightly over his head. His squinted eyes watched the stars, a faint smile upon his lips. In his hands, he held a painting of a rabbit. The painting had been done by someone he had loved very dearly, but was now long gone. With their promise in his mind, he sat down with the painting, holding it close to him.

"'I promise to return after the war, and I will always love you, Italy.'" The child whispered. "Those were your last words to me, before you left. That was 5 years ago."

His little heart began to throb, tears were building in his eyes.
"Even now, I still wait for you, Holy Rome. Waiting for you to keep your promise. I know you will. I know you will come back one day, Holy Rome." Despite the oncoming sorrow the child felt, he continued to smile. "And I keep my promise, too, Holy Rome. I promised I would wait for you to come back."

The stars were slowly fading out of sight as the sun came back up. By the time someone had found the small child, he was asleep on the grass where he waited. Another man picked up the child, sighing.
"Italy, you poor child." He felt broken, unable to tell the grieving child that the one he waited for… could possibly never show up again. Instead of waking him, he took the child back inside and laid him in a bed, tucking him in. "Elizabeta, make sure food is ready for her when she wakes up." The man, known as Austria, had always thought that the child was a little girl.

Another woman stood nearby and nodded. She was a beautiful woman with long brown hair. Austria and the woman, Hungary, were 'married' through their countries alliance, but that didn't stop their feelings for one another. Austria couldn't imagine being apart from Elizabeta like Italy was from Holy Rome, so he tried his best to make sure Italy had little time to grieve, hoping he would become a strong 'woman' one day.

The child slept on, his dream the same one he has had for the longest time.

He stood in the middle of a… What seemed to be a battle field. There were lifeless bodies around him, some seeming to beg for his help and attention. And, per usual, there was a specific one that caught his attention. The body of a child in black, with tousled blond hair, his eyes were closed. Italy had ran to the child, however the child only seemed to grow further and further out of his reach. Being unable to aid him, Italy just continued to run, crying out. "Don't leave me!"

But he was awoken before he could ever find out if he would catch up to him. He would wake up in a cold sweat, tears running down his face. And as Elizabeta came in with food, he would smile brightly at her, making sure his face was clean of tears. After all, Italy didn't want her to worry about him.

—-

It had been many many long years. That child became an adult. He grew up with a smile on his face, and tried everything he could to keep that smile going, to make others happy.

He stood in that same clearing, watching the sun go down slowly. Once the stars were visible, he was laying in the grass, just staring ahead. The sound of footsteps, and moving grass, caught his attention as he looked up. The sad expression on his face changed, becoming a delighted, bright, happy smile as he sat up, throwing his arms into the air in delight. His friends and beloved Allies stood next to him, one crouched to his level with a reassuring smile. The other just watched him, a faint smile upon his lips.

"Come on, Italy. Let's go home." His voice was kind and gentle towards the Italian.

Italy nodded in agreement, slipping his tiny hand into the man's larger one, letting him help him up. "Yes. Let's go home, Germany. All three of us."

A tall man sat at the dinner table with his family. His two beloved sisters to his right, and his 'friends' to his left. They laughed, they spoke, they exchanged conversations. The tall man hoped that they could go on forever. It was his life dream to have all the other nations under one roof, all living with him, next to a field of sunflowers.

That's all he hoped for. Happiness for others and happiness for himself. He wanted them all to be one big family. However, his past made him a little more intimidating then he intends. His mind was mentally cracked from all the war and bloodshed. He was like a child with wishes that he hoped would one day become fulfilled. Ivan, as he was usually called, had suffered far longer then most people.

However, one day, Ivan stood with his family in a family photo. He hung it on his wall so he could always smile on his family.

That family, however, didn't last much longer after that photo was taken. Shortly after, his 'friends' went on their own way, and his sisters followed.

One night, Ivan lay awake in bed, his household empty and deserted of all life, of all happiness it once sheltered. The dinner table was very unused, the family room where they would gather for their activities had gone quiet from the lack of people.

Ivan just… Stared. His heart was breaking in two as he rolled over, praying for sleep to consume him, release him from the cold, harsh realities of being awake, and take him to the world of sleep, where he could be with his family once more.

But that night was different. When sleep finally did overcome him, he stood in a field of snow, five people in front of him. They faced him with smiled on their faces. One by one, they faded from his view.

"No! No please! Please don't go!" Ivan called out, tears streaming down his face, but it was too late. The swirl of snow surrounded him as General Winter wrapped his arms around Ivan, almost promising him that he would always be alone. Ivan suddenly felt a warm grasp in his hand and glanced back, only to find that the one who had decided to comfort him was fading and leaving as well.

Slipping to his knees, Ivan buried his face in his hands, crying. He cried the tears he had held back for so long. Laying back, he kept his hands over his face, staring up at the clouded sky. Ivan took this as a sign that he was doomed, condemned to always be alone. That his dreams were shattered. There was nothing he could do about it.

Over time, he joined everyone again at meetings, still intimidating as usual. He watched the antics that went on around him, coming and going. Ivan occasionally stopped to make fun of the youngest nation and other world super power, America, but continued on his way.

Deep in his heart, he still hoped for the day his house would no longer feel so empty, that it would be filled with life. He hoped one day he would no longer feel lonely and alone.