A Thousand Reasons

A/N: I am officially an idiot. Why do I give in so easily to requests? Why? Am I that weak? Damn…This is the sequel to Of Truth and Lies, written by request and this one is not going to be a one shot because I don't have time to write another long one shot, so you will all have to deal with random updates when I get the chance. If you recall the poem "Teller, Teller" from the first story, it actually does have a role in my writing, as do the songs. By the way are all of you hinting at something, because my one-shots seem to get more requests than my actual stories do…

Summary: Lovina gave up everything for her chance at happiness, but time and fate are cruel, willing to pull her into a storm of suffering. In the end there can only be one price to be paid, but choices can change it. The question is: who is willing to tempt it?

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia Axis Power, but I own my overly random plotline and any OCs I throw in.

Chapter 1: …For Her to Live

South Italy

Eleven years had passed since she had given birth to the twins. Twenty years since she had officially left the World Conferences behind and chose to live amongst humans. It all seems so long ago, she thought while smiling. To her it really did, because now she was happy, now she was free to do everything without criticism of the other nations and all their traditions and shit. She was free of suffering, free of cruelty, free to act how she pleased and live how she wanted.

Lovina could think of a thousand reasons why she was glad she gave up being a nation as she walked hand in hand with her two children in the market, reveling in the freedom that came with no longer being one. She knew so much and yet so little, loved her nation for what it was and forgave her people for all the injuries done to her…forgave but never forgot. It would be foolish of her to forget why she was raising her children with only the help of Sadiq, a man she had once hated and oh she could think of a thousand reasons for that as well, but he was like a brother to her now. He spent so much time helping her to raise Antonia and Lovino that he had truly become a constant in her life. She was never alone anymore and that thought made her the happiest.

The freedom was blissful, but there were small things, insignificant things that she began to notice too. She was still bonded to her homeland, she didn't age, and her children were not aging at the pace of humans either. They would age a year every time they showed a higher level of maturity. Currently they actually looked their age, but she knew time would eventually stop for them too. She would never stop loving, it had taken her centuries to find love, a few more to acknowledge it, and yet more to act on it, it may have been the hardest part but she did not regret it. She would never regret anything she did.

Perhaps it makes little sense to someone who would be considered normal, but after years of watching humans, of fighting for them in wars and nearly dying, she understood fate a little better than them. They always say they have regrets, they want to live lives without them, but there is no such thing as a life without regret, the only thing they can do is take the path they will regret the least, live life to the fullest and enjoy it. She tried to as best she could, she loved to the fullest, felt her heartbreak a little more every time, lived to protect her brother, and she sacrificed so much of herself for the others, so much more than they would ever know, that they would never know. In the house she lived in with her children, in her room there lay a secret, a hidden stairway that led to the truth, her journals, everything that was her, part of her life, antiques and all, were hidden there where no one would dare go, not even her.

Lovina no longer went by her name nor did she use the alias Lina Rosa anymore. To her amusement, and Sadiq's, she called herself Rosalina Vara, choosing to eliminate the other letters from her name in the anagram. She knew she was doing the right thing; no one could connect her to her previous life so no one would ever remember, no one would ever know but her, Sadiq, and, when the time came, her children. Antonia and Lovino were her pride and joy, to no end they brought her and their 'uncle' unending amusement by their actions.

Surprisingly, or not so much so, Antonia was the carbon copy of her father in looks with long hair that she kept braided and the only thing looking remotely like her mother's was that damnable stray curl that never stayed flat or plaited. The only thing was she totally got her mother's personality as well, acting much like Lovina had when she was younger, and embarrassed easily to the point of retaliation being physically harmful and cussing up a storm. Lovino looked like Feliciano, Lovina's brother, but the eyes were most definitely their mother's, those amber orbs would only ever belong to their beautiful mother who delighted in teasing and flirting, the eyes that sparkled with mischief as she taught them pranks and made their lessons fun so that they would want to know more about where they came from, who they were, and the cultures they were so much a part of.

Lovina delighted in teaching her children dances from Spain and Italy, taught them about the histories and the people, experimented with the food, and taught them why knowing about others was important. She taught them the history about the world, not just from the victors' standpoint, but from those who had lost their battles as well. She taught them the consequences of engaging those who are stronger or smarter, explained that peace was only superficial and explained the Latin saying, 'Sic vis pacem, para bellum.' It means 'If you want peace, prepare for war.' She explained that peace only lasted as long as fear did, the more people were afraid to fight another nation they would be reluctant to start a war, but once the fear passed or they gained confidence another war would start. Then she told them it wasn't worth it. War would take and take, it never gave anything or helped anyone and in the end there were no true victors because war isn't about who is right it is about who is left, it is about the survivors who have to move forward, the ones who suffer the most and have to keep themselves together, the people who have to lead the rest without showing their own suffering.

It was warm out, the slight breeze feeling comfortable to her and the children as they walked down the streets, their hands held in their mother's who was gazing in front of her steadily leading them back home from the afternoon market, though her mind was somewhere far away. They had learned long ago how to read their mother, her emotions from her eyes and body language because she would never say what she really meant, and they knew she was remembering a time from before they were with her as she stared at the distant horizon as they approached their small home. It was a comfortable cottage off the coast, not too far from town but not too close.

"Mama, why do you look so sad?" Antonia asked, breaking her out of her trance as Lovina looked down at her daughter, the female version of the man she loved in every way that mattered, and pushed open the door to their home, moving to the counter to set down their purchases.

"Mama is not sad, mia filia," she said, giving her daughter the best smile she could manage. She had been feeling unsettled, a warning of something to come but she wasn't sure what. "Mama, is very happy with you and your brother. I love you two so~ much, how can you doubt me?"

Lovino stood off to the side, a pout and a glare on his face, but the small tell-tale blush let her know he was listening just as well as Antonia. Antonia, however, gave her mother a shocked look, and said, "Lo siento, mama, I didn't mean that I doubt you. You and tio Sadiq are the world to 'Vino and me…I just wanted to know who took away your happiness that you try to give us?"

Her daughter was way to perceptive, Lovina thought as she sighed. She loved them, gave them everything she knew they would need in life, taught them all they needed to know, made sure they never felt the way she had, because she loved them both equally and never wanted one to feel like they weren't as good as the other. They were both just good at different things and even then they both had extraordinary talent. She taught the two of them dances like the tango, flamenco, tarantella, waltz, and many others, taught them the beauty of art and culture, showed them a world regular humans never got to see and gave them the languages they would need to know.

"No one took away my happiness, mi carina, mi nina," Lovina whispered as she bent down and wrapped her arms around her children. "I am very happy. I have two of the most adorable children and I get to live in the house where I grew up and I don't have to worry…"

Her words were cut off by a whimper of pain. She released them and gently pushed them away as she started coughing, she could feel the pain rip through her body, this wasn't supposed to happen, she had given it up, and why was she still feeling the pain of her nation, not just hers but her brother's as well? What was happening to her? The last thing she saw before she blacked out was the horrified looks on her children's faces and the blood on the floor.

World Meeting: North Italy

Just as the meeting was about to start there was a thunderous roar and they felt the shaking of the building and could hear chaos outside as people ran for cover from falling object, some of the buildings falling apart adding to the devastation, people calling out to each other to make sure they were okay. Sadiq was only vaguely concerned with Italy's welfare as he hear Germany ask, "Italy, are you okay?"

"Ve~, I'm fine Germany," Feliciano said as he got up and dusted himself off. Warning bells went off in Sadiq's head as he paled rapidly becoming a shade of white that the other nations thought wasn't possible for someone so tan.

A shrill ringing filled the conference room as his phone rang and he knew whatever the reason for the call, it was in no way good. He answered; his voice held a small tinge of fear as he spoke and his hands shook a bit, "Hello?"

"Tio Sadiq," he heard Antonia whimper into the phone and he could practically see her face streaming with tears. "Something's wrong with mama! She's bleeding and she collapsed and fainted…and I…Lovino and I don't know what to do! We can't move her…she said something about Italy and we…"

"Listen to me, hush, nina," Sadiq said, trying to calm the little girl on the other line, knowing panicing would do no good until he could get there and assess whatever had happened to Lovina. His casual use of the Spanish word raised a few eyebrows but none commented. "Everything is going to be all right; I'll leave now and get there soon. Don't do anything, but call that doctor, the one who knows your mama. You can do that, si? You can be strong nina for your mama, si?"

"Si, tio," she said, calming after hearing that he was on his way. He was the closest thing Antonia and Lovino had to a father, knowing he was on his way to help mother was the only thing she could trust, because he was always there, there to make their mom happy when she was sad, there on days their mom cried to comfort her, there to make sure nothing happened to them, so he was the only adult they could trust.

He hung up the phone and sighed, this was not a good turn of events, not even close. Something was obviously wrong, Lovina had been fine for years, not a single bit of pain for years, and now this, it wasn't even in her part of Italy, but she was affected, she was hurt. There was something wrong and he was determined to find out what.

"Italy, I need you to tell me the quickest way to get to this address from here," said Sadiq, showing Italy the address that was written on a plain piece of paper.

"Ve~ that's so far away though," said Italy thoughtfully, "the quickest way would be to drive but the road is all messed up…if you go down thirteen blocks south, go west four blocks, follow the alley for about twenty minutes and then take a right you should be near the market in the town there, ve~."

"Grazie, Feliciano," said Sadiq as he ran off without any hesitation. He had to make it, he had to know she was all right, because he had not spent the past twenty years watching over Lovina only to have her taken away because of something to do with the nation that neither of them understood. He wasn't going to lose her now that he's spent time with her and gotten to know her and helped her raise her children, he was not going to lose the only person who treated him as a friend that he could talk to about anything and everything, he would not lose her. Not when she had a thousand reasons to live.

A/N: I'm an idiot, but the inspiration struck, seriously don't expect many updates because I really really want to finish my other stories. *pouts and sulks in a corner* I can't believe I keep doing this to myself…