"Australia, I'm declaring my independence."
"Jeez that's adorable. Why are you so cute, Tassie?"
Tasmania.
Australia's only island State, he was separated from the rest of the continent by 240 kilometres of Bass Strait and was home to some of the most beautiful natural environment in the country.
First visited by England in 1773, Tasmania was settled as a colony in 1803 when Mr. England sent Australia to make sure that mean old Mr. France didn't claim him as his own little brother.
Like his blood brother Australia, Tasmania grew up as surrounded by Mr. England's unwanted criminals and their guards, but the lively little island never seemed to mind being a penal colony. Little Tasmania had a fast-growing economy and soon became a world centre for shipbuilding, and nobody dared to invade him because Mr. England always made sure Australia was there to watch out for him.
"Oof!"
The ground was cold and hard when Tasmania's head collided with it. Letting out a cry of pain, the tiny island colony lifted a shaking hand to his forehead, already feeling a hot trickle of blood crawling slowly down his face. His jaw trembled.
Ahead of him, his big brother Australia ground to a halt upon hearing Tasmania's cry. Startled, he quickly jogged back to him, kneeling beside him.
"I f-fell down," Tasmania said, laughing shakily.
"You need to be more careful!" Australia scolded. "You're only a little kid; if you keep getting yourself hurt then you'll never be big and strong like Britain, and big countries like France will try to hurt you," he added, crossing his arms.
Tasmania felt a tear well in his eye. "I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice breaking on the last syllable. "But you- you were running, and I couldn't keep up…I tripped…I'm sorry, big brother."
Australia's gaze softened, but he ignored his brother's words. "Your forehead is bleeding, Tassie; there's blood all over your face. That cut is really deep."
"It's fi-"
"Here, let me help…" Without waiting for an answer, Australia grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, ripping it carefully down the seam until it formed a strip just long enough to fit around Tasmania's tiny head.
"Okay listen up, Tassie; this will hold the cut together and stop the bleeding until we can get back to Mr. England's house; then we can get a proper band-aid and some disinfectant."
"But that's your favourite shirt, Australia…" Tasmania trailed off, his voice still teary.
Australia smiled, wrapping the cloth around his brother's head. "Hey, don't sweat it. You're my little mate; I can't have you bleeding all over the place, can I?" He carefully tied a knot. "Make sure you don't move your head around too much and it should stay in place long enough."
A tear trickled down Tasmania's face, leaving a trail of clarity through the red blood that was already becoming sticky on his face. "Are you mad at me?" he whispered.
Australia hesitated. "No, of course not; I'm sorry I yelled at you…I was just worried about you, that's all; you look a mess."
Tasmania didn't look convinced, but Australia just smiled, helping the smaller boy to his feet. "Listen, Tassie; as long as I'm around, you can fall over as much as you want…I'll always protect you, cuz you're my kid brother, okay?"
Tasmania sniffed, holding onto his brother's hand. "'Kay."
Grinning, Australia slapped his back affectionately, almost knocking him back onto his face. "Atta boy, Tassie! Now come on, we've got to get back home before England starts worrying about us." He took off in the direction they had originally been going.
Letting out a cry of fear, Tasmania stumbled after the bigger boy on his tiny legs. "Wait for me!" he cried.
And wait Australia did. Giving his brother a reassuring grin, he hefted him onto his shoulders and kept walking.
Tasmania loved his big brother very much. All through their lives, he was his hero. Tasmania would have done anything Australia had told him to do; he always placed utmost faith in him, even when that wasn't actually the safest thing to do.
A prod on Tasmania's left shoulder alerted him to Australia's presence a second before the familiar voice boomed out right next to his ear.
"Hey, little man!" Without waiting for an answer, Australia fell backwards onto his brother's bed, making himself at home.
"So." Australia sat up, cross-legged on the bed. "You mind entertaining yourself for the afternoon?"
Tasmania cocked his head to one side. "Hm? Why; are you going somewhere."
Australia winked. "I raided England's booze closet and got me some drinks stashed away in some undisclosed location."
The smaller colony frowned. "Again? You always seem to be doing that these days."
He just shrugged. "I'm Australian; it's what I do."
Tasmania bit his lip. "Well, okay. But, can I come?"
Australia rolled his eyes. "Is that a serious question?"
Tasmania blinked. "Huh? Yeah, it was…is there a problem with it?"
"For starters, you're sort of…miniature." He patted his brother's head to demonstrate his point.
Tasmania huffed. "I'm not that little," he mumbled. "I don't see what the issue is; you're always telling me it's perfectly safe."
Australia's face reddened. "Eh…it is…kind of…"
"Then why can't I come?" Tasmania asked quietly. "I want to go with you; you never spend time with me anymore."
Australia evaded his eyes for a moment. Then he just burst out laughing. "Sure, whatever; I'll make sure you don't get yourself hurt. You can come. Yeah…it'll be fun!"
"Infected liver here we come!" Australia announced merrily, clunking his beer bottle against Tasmania's. "Bottoms up!" he concluded, taking an enormous gulp. He paused, looking at Tasmania again. "Tassie, you're not drinking."
Tasmania looked at his bottle uncertainly. "I'm not so sure about this anymore…"
Australia sighed. Then, still sighing, he placed one arm around Tasmania's shoulders. "Tassie."
Tasmania looked at him.
"You're my little brother. Would I let you do something that could get you hurt?"
"Um…" Tasmania hesitated.
Winking, Australia pushed Tasmania's bottle closer to his mouth. "It's fine; I promise you. You don't know any better so if England finds out it'll be my fault."
"…What?"
"Just shut up and drink."
Still eyeing Australia warily, Tasmania shut up and drank.
The memories seemed to blur after that point and got increasingly worse as the night went on. Tasmania honest to god had no idea what was happening for pretty much all of the time.
He seemed to recall himself and Australia running idiotically down the street, laughing their heads off. Again, the memories were blurred and fuzzy and only their flavour remained.
He also seemed to recall something about Australia tripping over his feet and collapsing onto the pavement, still laughing freakishly. There was even something about himself continuing to run at full pelt even after this occurred. Something about a horse and carriage hurtling down the road towards them. Something about wondering how on earth he had ended up standing dumbstruck in the middle of the road when it arrived. Something about being thrown to the ground…something about a lot of pain…something about slowly losing consciousness.
"You're a fool, Australia! A bloody goddamned fool!"
"The kid's my brother, England! Do you honestly think that you could possibly be more worried about him than I am?"
Tasmania's eyelids twitched, the voices he heard from somewhere nearby becoming clearer.
"It should be you lying here, Australia! Your brother almost died – he could still die – and it's absolutely your fault!"
"He asked if he could come with me-"
There was an infuriated gasp. "Then you should have known better than to let him – look at him; he's barely even a child! Don't you dare try to blame this on Tasmania!"
Tasmania recognised the speakers now; it was his big brother and Mr. England. They were having an argument.
And he ached all over. Tasmania let out a soft moan as the pain from all over his body finally began to set in. That was right; there had been a horse and carriage. It had hit him.
England was still yelling at Australia. "I want you out of this room now, Australia; I'll deal with you later, but for now I want you and your little ideas to stay well away from Tasmania."
"He's just a boy!" Australia shot back. "I'm staying with him and I don't care what you do; he needs me with him!"
"Take one look at him and tell me how much he needs you with him!" Tasmania had never heard Mr. England so angry; it sounded terrifying even to him.
Slowly and painfully, Tasmania opened his eyes.
He was lying in his bed back at Mr. England's house. Standing at the foot of the bed were Australia and England.
Despite the fact that Australia was much younger than England, he looked hauntingly bigger than usual, towering over the nation. His green eyes ablaze with determination, he was staring down England with unusual fierceness.
Tasmania almost flinched when England suddenly pushed hard on Australia's chest, knocking him backwards with unnatural force. "Out!" he yelled. "Now!"
"There's no god damned way I'm-"
"Go," Tasmania whispered.
Both Australia and England turned to look at him, neither having realised he was awake.
"Please go, Australia," he repeated just as quietly. I don't want England to be mad at you.
"You heard the boy," England said coldly. "Come back when you're told."
Tasmania never forgot the look his brother shot at him just before he turned tail and departed. That look of surprise, fringed with an underlying feverish concern. Tasmania closed his eyes again, unable to watch his brother leave.
"I'm sorry, Mr. England," he murmured softly. "Please don't be mad at my big brother; it was me who asked to go with him."
After a pause, England pulled up a seat next to Tasmania's bed. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Tasmania; you just wanted to be like Australia. He shouldn't have allowed it; he's been setting a bad example for you."
"I'm sorry," Tasmania repeated, unsure this time about why he was apologising. It was all that he could think to say.
England just let out a sad sigh. Then he shook his head. "How are you feeling?"
"Um…sore?"
England absentmindedly placed his hand across Tasmania's forehead. "I'm not surprised, Tasmania; you took quite a hit. I'm glad your head managed to escape too serious an injury."
Tasmania frowned. "Oh…but my head feels sorest of all."
"That might be the alcohol."
"Oh…okay."
Tasmania chewed his lip for a moment. "You're not going to hurt my brother are you?" he asked. "He really just wanted me to have fun and be like him."
"Of course not; I wouldn't do anything like that," England assured him. "Although he's not the best role model for you," he added darkly.
"Beg your pardon, Mr. England?" Tasmania asked shyly, having missed the previous statement.
England shook his head again. "It's nothing, Tasmania."
Tasmania didn't look convinced, but there wasn't much he could do. After a moment, he suddenly leaned forward, trying to sit up. A short struggle against his own body weight later, he managed it.
"You shouldn't be sitting up yet, Tas-"
Tasmania cut him off. "I've never seen you be so angry, Mr England," he said hesitantly. "Were you really that worried about me?"
England looked suddenly embarrassed. "I- well, I…Yes, I was." He smiled, and Tasmania noticed a light blush. "You're still just a child, Tasmania; you're not strong yet, so you can't handle being seriously injured. You could so easily have been..."
Tasmania bit his lip again, understanding. "Would you be lonely if I went away?" he asked after a pause.
England sighed. "Yes...I would."
"You were remembering America just now, weren't you?" he asked suddenly.
Surprised, England looked at him.
"America didn't die, but he left you all alone so he could be his own country…" Tasmania had no idea where these bold words were coming from; maybe the alcohol had done something funny to his head. "Don't you worry about me and Australia leaving you alone like he did?"
England's surprised expression suddenly softened. "You're a bit young to be thinking about things like that, Tasmania."
"But, don't you?" Tasmania blinked his big blue eyes.
"Well, I..." There was a pause, Tasmania still looking up at him expectantly.
"You're always so big and brave. It's like you're the strongest thing in the world, but..." Tasmania trailed off, wondering what to say. He hoped he wasn't offending Mr. England with his rather frank questions. "But sometimes you do something, or say something, or something happens, and you just...you just seem like a regular country again..." Tasmania offered him a shy smile. "So I really worry about you when that happens, Mr. England."
"I..." England shook his head. "You shouldn't expend your energy worrying about old people like me, Tasmania; you should be worrying about healing yourself up again. We can't have you lying injured in here while everyone else is out there getting stronger; they'll leave you behind."
"I won't ever leave you behind, Mr. England," Tasmania promised, placing one swollen, bandaged hand over England's. "I want to stay with you and Australia forever. It's so much fun with the three of us here. I would be so sad if it had to change."
A soft smile trespassed on England's face. "Thank you, Tasmania." He gently placed his other hand over the injured boy's.
Tasmania blushed, suddenly falling backwards into his pillows again. "I really do feel sore," he confessed.
England straightened up. "Y- yes. I'll leave you to rest; make sure you get better, Tasmania."
"Okay," Tasmania replied, closing his eyes again. He scarcely had time to utter another word before unconsciousness claimed him for a second time.
When he finally came to, he was even sorer than before, but the throbbing in his head had somewhat subsided.
He was immediately aware of another presence in the room; a familiar soft snore that could only have come from his big brother.
"Australia?" Tasmania whispered, figuring it must have been the middle of the night.
Australia's eyes instantly shot open. "Tas...mania," he said awkwardly, avoiding the use of his nickname. "I'm sorry; did I wake you up?"
"No," Tasmania said softly.
They fell into an extremely heavy silence.
"I'm sorry." Those same two words escaped both colonies' mouths in perfect unison. Australia looked away, as Tasmania would have done had his whole body not been crying out for him to stop moving.
"Don't be; don't you dare be sorry for this, Tassie," Australia said firmly. Tasmania didn't answer.
Australia had been asleep on the floor next to Tasmania's bed, but he now straightened up, kneeling so that he was eye to eye with his brother. He hesitated.
"Oh, Tassie...I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."
"Yeah, it kind of was." Tasmania bit his lip.
Australia lifted an eyebrow. "Wow; you were supposed to disagree and make me feel better."
After breaking the ice, Tasmania couldn't meet his brother's eye. "I'm so sorry I got you in trouble, Australia...was Mr. England very mad?"
Australia laughed. "You should have seen him; there was smoke literally coming from his ears. I wanted to get a picture." His expression suddenly hardened. "Tassie, I'm begging you; don't change the topic...there's no way I can ever forgive myself for doing this to you for the sake of a couple of drinks we weren't even supposed to have."
Tasmania gave him a weak smile. "I'm not mad at you, Australia...whether you let me go or not, it was still my idea. I just didn't quite know what I was getting into at the time." He giggled dryly.
Australia didn't look convinced. "Don't, Tassie; please, just don't..."
"Hey, don't get me wrong!" Tasmania exclaimed, then immediately winced. "I'm still mad at you for almost getting me killed. I just don't blame it on you...if that makes sense, which it doesn't. Or it might be that I blame it on you but I'm not mad...yeah, I think that's a better description." He winced again. Talking was becoming increasingly painful and his mind was still in jumbles.
"Tassie..." Australia hesitated, taking both of his kid brother's hands in his own. "I don't want you to forgive me; I want you to stay mad at me."
"Then I won't and I will," Tasmania said.
Australia blinked. "Huh. That was easy."
Tasmania nodded.
"But listen, Tasmania," Australia said, using Tasmania's full name again. "I...I promised you once that I would always protect you." A tear trickled down his face. "I- I failed you today. Not only did I put you in danger, but I let my guard down. And you got hurt because of it."
"I-"
Careful not to touch any of Tasmania's innumerable bruises and broken bones, Australia gently wrapped his arms around him. "I promise you, Tassie; the only way – ever – that this could happen again is if I'm dead, because I'd die in an instant before I'd let you get hurt."
Tasmania blushed. "Thank you, big brother."
Australia gave him a light squeeze, causing Tasmania to flinch. Australia released him again.
"Australia, are you and I always going to be together?" Tasmania asked. "Because I always have fun when we're together in Mr. England's house. I don't ever want it to end."
His heart melting, Australia gave his hand a gentle pat. "O- of course, Tassie."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
Australia's jaw trembled for a moment, and then he suddenly just laughed. "Damn it, you are just so cute!"
When Tasmania got better, everything went back to normal again; Australia refrained from alcohol – at least, he did as long as his brother was around – and England, at the pleading of Tasmania, wasn't too hard on him. In 1840, another colony named New Zealand came to live in Mr. England's house too, and Tasmania had even more fun.
But unbeknown to Tasmania, tension between Australia and England was rising in their home. And so, on the dawn of the twentieth century, when he overheard a conversation – or rather, an argument – between the two of them, it came as a complete shock.
"I can't do this anymore, England; I'm leaving."
Crouched behind the doorway to the living room as he was, Tasmania couldn't see either of the speakers. But he was able to hear them all too clearly.
"And where do you think you'll go, Australia? You don't have the economy or the military strength to survive on your own; you'd be taken over in an instant."
There was a frustrated huff. "And this is why I want to go! You still can't take me seriously; I'm stronger than you think, England! Maybe if you actually stopped to look you'd see that I'm not just a kid anymore!"
Tasmania flinched, unable to believe what his big brother was saying. How could he say something so mean?
There was a pause, and Tasmania imagined England scowling. "And then what? You declare independence and then stroll around the meadows in floral skirts making daisy chains? Here's a news flash for you, Australia; it's never as simple as it seems."
Australia was too worked up to care. "I'll get by on my own fine – you can't keep me forever just because you miss America!"
Tasmania had to cover his mouth to prevent himself from gasping. He and Australia both knew that talking about America made Mr. England upset. Why was Australia saying all this? He couldn't really mean it, right?
For several seconds, there was utter silence. Tasmania quite nearly broke his cover just to run over to England and tell his brother to stop saying such horrible things.
Finally, England spoke. "That has absolutely nothing to do with it. I'm trying to protect you; you couldn't possibly manage on your own."
"What, and when I'm bigger you'll let me go?" Australia laughed dryly. "Face it, England; your whole empire is falling apart around you and you're holding onto us like a lifeline."
"That's not true!"
Tasmania had curled himself into a tiny ball, holding his hands to his ears. Why was Australia acting like this? He couldn't really want to leave Mr. England's house! What had happened to the promise he had made?
It was a long time before Tasmania finally listened again. "And what about your brother, hm? You're just going to leave him behind?" England was saying.
Tasmania held his breath.
"No." Tasmania imagined Australia glaring at England defiantly. "I'll take him with me."
"That isn't your decision to make."
"It's not yours either!" Australia yelled.
"Then why don't you ask him? He's standing just around the doorway listening to us!" England shot back. "He's been there this whole time."
Tasmania froze.
Hesitantly, he poked his head around the doorframe, peering out at them. Both eyes had turned in his direction.
"Um…hi."
"Oh…" Australia was silent for a moment. "You heard all that, Tassie?"
"It's Tasmania," England said. "Call him by his proper name."
"You don't really want to go, do you, Australia?" Tasmania asked, his voice barely audible. "You said we would stay here forever."
"I…well, I…" Australia could barely talk, but Tasmania didn't break eye contact. "It- it's complicated, Tasmania."
"But you said!" Tasmania cried. "You promised!"
"Hey cool it, mate!" Australia said hastily, going into a panic the second his brother started crying. "I haven't left yet – it was just- I was just tossing up the idea- I wasn't-"
"You're lying!" Tasmania wailed. "Stop lying; I'm not a baby anymore! I heard it all!"
"Tasmania…" Australia murmured, a tear welling in his eye. "I never meant to upset you…"
"It's too late for that now!" Tasmania insisted. "You always do this; not care at the time and feel bad about it later! You always do!"
"Oh, Tassie…" Australia was at an utter loss for words.
Tasmania wiped his eyes. "Weren't you listening? My name is Tasmania!"
"I-"
"Do you still want to leave?" Tasmania asked abruptly.
Australia fell silent. England was looking between the brothers with an unreadable expression.
"Tasmania, when you're older, you'll understand…" Australia trailed off. Tasmania scowled.
"Haven't you noticed by now? I am older; I can make my own decisions!"
"And that's exactly my point!" Australia shot back. "We're strong now!" He pointed an accusatory finger at England. "We're strong and he knows that as well as I do; he's selfishly keeping us here because he's afraid of being alone! Is that all we are, Tasmania? Just a couple of colonies hanging around to keep the United god damn Kingdom happy?"
"That's not true!" Tasmania yelled, glowering up at his older brother. "Mr. England's always looked after us! He's our big brother – how could you have forgotten that?"
"Tasmania!" Australia's voice was a combination of a groan and a yell. "Don't let's fight over this! You know I'd never abandon you; I want you to come with me."
Tasmania blinked, suddenly rooted in place. "But you're not going anywhere," he said, as if saying the words aloud would make them true.
Australia's expression suddenly faltered. "Tasmania...I just...I can't stay here."
Tasmania took a few tentative steps in his two brothers' direction. "Australia, please..." Tears started flowing freely from his eyes. "Please, don't go," he sobbed. "I don't want you to go!"
"Come with me," Australia pleaded.
Tasmania didn't move, his eyes slowly moving between Australia and England. The latter had remained unusually silent up until this point, but his green eyes were fixed on the tiny island, their expression questioning.
I won't ever leave you. He had said that to England, hadn't he? He hadn't wanted England to be lonely. Would he be lonely if Australia left? What if New Zealand did the same? Australia was right in one respect; the entire British Empire was slipping through England's fingers and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Unexpectedly, Tasmania sprinted forwards and threw his arms around both adults, still bawling his heart out.
"We were going to stay here forever," he wailed, burying his face in England's side. "Why does it have to change? I can't choose! I can't! It isn't fair!"
"Life isn't always fair," Australia said. Tasmania just cried harder.
Shooting Australia a glare, England crouched down until his eyes were level with the boy's. "Tasmania," he began.
Tasmania wiped his eyes. "Mm-hm?"
"I want you to listen to me..." England took a deep breath. "Your brother has his own reasons for needing to go away, and there's nothing wrong with that. I'm not mad at him for saying what he believes in."
Tasmania started crying again, releasing Australia entirely and gripping onto England like a vice. "But you told him he wasn't allowed to go. Now he can't leave without fighting with you, and I don't want him to," he murmured, his voice trembling.
"He won't have to fight me, Tasmania." Letting out a very deep sigh, England straightened up and turned his head to face Australia, looking him square in the eyes. "If it is still your wish, Australia...you are free to leave and do what you want."
Australia's eyes widened as he realised what England was saying. "You mean...?"
England gave a short, curt nod. "Yes. You have my blessings and my support."
"Oh." Australia was at a complete loss for words.
England looked down at Tasmania again, who, although his tears had stopped, was still staring up at them both with reddened eyes.
"There's still the issue of you, Tasmania," England said gently, crouching down again. "What do you want to do? Do you want to go with your big brother or stay with me?"
"But you're both my big brothers..." Tasmania whimpered, clutching the sides of his head and curling himself into a tiny ball. "I want to stay with both of you!"
Neither adult said a word, unable to comfort the young colony.
Tasmania's whole world was collapsing from the inside out. Why? Why was this happening? Everything had been so perfect!
Couldn't Australia and England just resolve their differences and move on? Couldn't they do it for him? Tasmania sniffled. Was he really that unimportant? He looked from Australia to England and back, his eyes still glazed over with tears.
"Listen, little man," Australia said, crouching down as well. "I just want you to know that...whatever you choose, I'll always support you. You're my favourite little brother and no amount of independence can ever take you away from me, you got that, Tassie?"
Letting out a wail, Tasmania sprang forward and flung his arms around Australia's neck. "I know, Australia, I know." Closing his eyes, he started crying softly into his brother's hair.
After a hesitant pause, Australia straightened up again, picking Tasmania up. He stared past the boy's head, his eyes meeting England's.
"I'm going with you, big brother," Tasmania whispered.
Australia gave him a gentle squeeze. "If that's what you want."
Suddenly, Tasmania twisted around in Australia's arms until he was facing England. "I..." he looked down, unable to meet his eyes. "I'm sorr-"
"Don't be." Looking hesitantly up, Tasmania saw a sad smile on England's face.
Australia cleared his throat awkwardly. "W- well, I guess we'd better-"
"Wait!" Tasmania exclaimed.
There was silence. Tasmania bit his lip.
"Au- Australia, w- we...we don't have to...go too far from home...do we?" he whispered.
After a moment, he kept speaking. "We can be independent and leave Mr. England's house without leaving Mr. England, can't we?" he asked, looking over at his adopted brother with a look of utmost desperation.
"I- I mean...we can Federate while still being ruled under the Crown." A fresh tear rolled down his cheek. "If we stay a British Dominion, we can still stay with Mr. England some of the time..." Almost without thinking, he reached towards England and wrapped his arms around him. Australia let go, passing to boy to England.
Australia hesitated, looking from Tasmania to England and then back to Tasmania. "If...if that's what you want, Tassie."
"It is." Tasmania's voice was certain.
There was an awkward silence.
"I guess that just about settles it," Australia said abstractly.
"Yeah, I guess it does."
And so, from then on, Australia and Tasmania didn't live in England's house anymore. The two brothers, on the first of January 1901, Federated, and became the Commonwealth of Australia.
The Colony of Tasmania, now known as the Australian State of Tasmania, didn't mind this at all; despite being the youngest and smallest of Australia's States, he was the liveliest out of all of them. He and Australia remained as close as ever, especially in the absence of England.
This newfound responsibility over his kid brother seemed to have a sobering effect on Australia. Away from England, he somehow became the role model Tasmania had always needed from him as he had never been able to do before their Federation. As Tasmania finally began to turn into an adult, he realised this more than ever.
Tasmania was grateful to his brother; when he grew up, Australia never stopped supporting him, just as he had promised. But as the boy fast became a man, he soon became a centre of support for his older brother, too.
All in all, Tasmania and Australia were as close as ever. From the outside, their relationship seemed to change a lot as the years went on, but underneath they were still a pair of loving brothers who watched each other's backs.
"Australia, what were my sneakers doing under your bed?" Tasmania pouted, hurling one of the shoes at his brother's head before he even reached the bottom of the stairs. "Because I could have sworn they don't usually go there..."
Australia looked up from the kitchen table and, seeing the second shoe preparing to be thrown, managed to duck just in time for it to go sailing past his head and into the crockery cupboard. He winced.
"Hey hey, little brother! How's life treating you on this fine summer morning?" he exclaimed, laughing merrily while surreptitiously trying to plan the best route to the door – that was, the one that didn't involve going anywhere near the rabid State.
"I've been looking for these for weeks!" Tasmania screeched, storming towards him. "I've asked you half a dozen times at least! Are you saying you had them the whole time?"
"You're so cute when you're angry," Australia said, petting Tasmania on the head.
"You did, didn't you?"
"Hahah...um..." Australia winked charmingly at him. "I suppose saying that I'm just as surprised as you are wouldn't help?"
"Nope." Tasmania crossed his arms.
"Nice. In that case, it's in my best interests to leave right now and run away...far away." He jumped backwards, still smiling weakly. "See you, Tassie!"
"Get the hell back here!" Tasmania huffed, grabbing one of his sneakers off the floor and hurling it at him again. "You knew those were my favourite shoes!"
The shoe hit the door just as it closed behind Australia. Scowling, Tasmania followed him. "Don't you dare run away from me, you giant sissy! Maybe if you'd just fessed up to taking them I wouldn't have cared!"
"Go back to your apple farms like a good boy!" Australia's fleeing figure yelled over his shoulder.
Tasmania huffed, crossing his arms. "Bloody idiot. Just you wait 'till you get home." Sighing, he shook his head and went back inside.
A pair of loving brothers who watched each other's backs...most of the time.
"One hundred years to the day, huh?" Tasmania wondered aloud, absentmindedly staring up at the Southern Cross, his face a mask.
Beside him, Australia was also stargazing and unusually sentimental. "Who would have thought it would come around this fast?"
"A lot sure has happened since the Federation." Tasmania chewed his lip.
Australia sighed, taking his eyes off the constellation and looking at Tasmania. "Yeah. Those wars sucked arse."
After a moment of wondering how to respond to that, Tasmania simply gave up. "I wonder if we'll still be around for another hundred years," he pondered.
"Nah, we'll probably we invaded and taken over by then, cuz you make us look weak. I'm kidding!" he threw in hastily after receiving a death glare from Tasmania.
Tasmania just shrugged. "You never know; things change."
"Yeah." Grinning, Australia brought his brother into an affectionate headlock. "Just take a look at you; you used to be a shrimp!"
Laughing, Tasmania jabbed him in the solar plexus. "But even as a midget I had twice the looks, so everything was fair."
"Doubtful; we look exactly the same."
Tasmania lifted an eyebrow. "But don't you know the girls just love blue eyes?"
"Blue eyes are sissy; real men have green eyes."
"Hmph."
They fell into an awkward hush in which the only sounds they could hear were the sounds of their own breathing, and the odd crickets' chirping. Australia's koala, perched quietly on its owner's shoulder, started pawing at his face, indicating that it wanted food.
Australia sighed, picking it up. It cast him a reproachful look.
Chuckling boyishly, Tasmania took it from Australia, giving it a soft rub between the ears.
"You know, Tassie," Australia began, feeding the koala a few gum leaves from his pocket, "you never actually told me why you decided to federate."
Tasmania stiffened, but didn't take his eyes off the animal in his arms. "What do you mean?"
"Well...you had to choose between me and England. Why did you choose me?"
"Because..." Tasmania trailed off, still stroking the koala. "Um..."
He suddenly laughed. "Would you believe me if I said I really don't know? I just..." He frowned thoughtfully. "I mean, I was only a kid at the time, so I'm not really too sure how to interpret the way I was feeling, but I guess I'd say I just wanted to."
"Clear as mud," Australia said.
"No, really!" Tasmania exclaimed, laughing again. "That's the reason." He paused, thinking his next words over. "When we lived with England, England was...everything. He really was." He blushed. "God, this is kind of embarrassing, hey? But I mean it – I loved both of you, but England was like the sky; he had always been there for as long as I could remember, and I couldn't imagine what life would have been like without him." A tear trickled slowly down Tasmania's face. "But Australia, you were what held up that sky; you were always so strong and brave, and you were always there for me even when England was too busy. Sure, you messed up a lot of the time, but that just made you seem all the stronger, because I'd seen you get through so much. "
Australia was completely silent.
Tasmania cast him a sideways glance. "So, that's why I chose to do what I did; I loved England but I needed you. I couldn't imagine living without England but I couldn't live without you, Australia."
Tasmania held his breath.
"C'mere, Tassie," Australia yelled, enveloping his little brother in a giant bear hug. After a startled moment, the island State returned his embrace.
"I've never really thanked you for everything you've done for me, Australia, but...thank you. For everything."
Australia let out a sniffle. "For God's sake...you're all grown up so stop being so cute; it's gonna make me cry. What am I supposed to do if New Zealand sees me crying?"
"Poke him in the ribs and make Kiwi jokes."
Backing off with embarrassment from their hug, Australia grinned, slapping him on the back. "I've raised you well."
More than a decade after the centenary anniversary of his federation, it was Australia's turn to be fooled into thinking his current state of life would last forever. Before long, tension was rising again. Only this time, he didn't see it coming.
Tasmania didn't need to be an expert to know that Australia didn't take his announcement seriously; his joking tone had been proof enough of that. As had the gales of laughter into which he had suddenly collapsed.
"I'm serious!" Tasmania snapped. "Pull yourself together!"
Australia was, quite literally, gasping for air. "That's- so- adorable! Independence – ha!" He sank to the floor, trying and failing to control his laughter. Crossing his arms, Tasmania waited sourly for him to settle down.
Eventually, he did. "Yeah, no; that's not happening," he said coolly, straightening up again.
"Who are you to say what I can and can't do?"
Australia blinked. "The Commonwealth of Australia...?"
"I'm part of that Commonwealth too, you know!" Tasmania shot at him.
"So...what's your point?"
Tasmania didn't answer; he was, admittedly, a little to worked up to think up a decent reply.
Australia rested a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Tassie, even if I were willing to let you go like that, there's no way your boss would be."
"I've already spoken to the Tasmanian State Government," Tasmania said dryly. "They're all in favour of independence."
"Ah. I see." Australia looked thoughtful. "Tassie, I don't want to be an over controlling douche, but there's one small flaw in your idea."
"What?"
"It's ridiculous."
Tasmania scowled. "That's a matter of opinion – and it's not for you to say."
"Um, actually, it is." Australia lifted an eyebrow, still only half believing that this was really happening.
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
They paused.
"Look, there's only one way of putting this..." Australia sighed. "You're kind of, that is to say, not set up to be a country, Tasmania."
Tasmania frowned. "Why?"
"Well for starters, you're kind of...little."
"There are plenty of countries out there who are much smaller than me, and they're getting by just fine! Take a look at Wy!"
Australia cocked his head to one side. "Tassie, Wy is a really nice girl, but she's just so small that nobody can be bothered invading her; plus she's land-locked so all invaders have to get through me whether I like it or not. You're a different story; you're an island, you're much bigger, you've got some amazing scenery and you grow really delicious apples. Countries will come flocking in from all directions to invade you."
"I think I can take care of myself," Tasmania muttered darkly.
"Yeah, but I don't." Australia crossed his arms. "Look, Tasmania; just take my advice. You wouldn't last a day independent – heck, I'm not even properly independent! – and I won't let you get yourself hurt like that."
"You can't force me!"
"I'm pretty sure I can. That's what the whole Federation thing was all about. You're an Australian State, so you've got to do what your big brother Australia says."
"Well I won't bloody sit here and take it!" Tasmania shouted. "Isn't this why you wanted to leave England? Because he was controlling you?"
"He was controlling me when I could have taken care of myself! It's different!"
"But how?" Tasmania demanded. "England didn't believe you when you said you were strong – what makes you so sure you're right about me?"
"Because I know you better than England knew me!" Australia snapped. "Okay? Trust me!"
"Why in the world should I trust you?" Tasmania snarled. "What has it ever done? Trusting you almost got me crushed to death when I was still just a kid while you were laughing your face off on the pavement! Trusting you led me here and away from England, who had more faith in me than you ever will!"
"You chose to come!"
"Because I trusted you!" Tasmania screeched. "And how to you pay me back? By micro-managing my life and never listening to a word I say!"
"That's not true!"
"To hell it's not!"
"Okay, fine." Australia whipped around, turning his back on his little brother. "If you're so sure of yourself, why don't you go out there and prove it? Get the bloody hell out of my house and see how long you last."
"Fine! I'll make you wish you'd never let me go!"
"Good luck with that." Australia's voice was sarcastic. "And don't you dare come crying to me for help when you get invaded."
"I wouldn't want to."
Without another word, Tasmania turned tail and fled Australia's house without looking back.
Sprawled out across his couch, Australia's eyes were closed. The television blared noisily from the background, but his thoughts were elsewhere.
It had been six months since Tasmania declared independence, leaving the Commonwealth of Australia for good. A very long six months without his brother, although Australia would never admit to that.
The other countries had been surprisingly accepting of Tasmania's announcement. Even England didn't seem to make a fuss. Australia had been the only one with any kind of objection; for obvious reasons.
Australia huffed. Even now, six months on, he couldn't believe how arrogant Tasmania had been. After everything he had done for him, he had just up and left without thanks or warning, or even a goodbye.
"There's nothing I can do about it now," he muttered to nobody. "He'll understand soon enough why he shouldn't have left. Just has to wait a bit," he assured himself.
As if he had overheard this, a small boy suddenly poked his head around the corner, clearing his throat. Australia shook his head to clear it and stood, turning to look at the tiny territory. "Sorry, Christmas Island; talking to myself. What can I do for you?"
Christmas Island looked uncertain. "I just got back from speaking with Tasmania; he asked me to tell you that he's still doing fine, despite all of your assurances that he wouldn't be."
Australia scowled. "Do us a favour, Christmas; tell him that if he wants to rub something in my face he can come over hear and do it himself. Unless he's too afraid that I'll take him over again."
"I'm getting sick of running messages," Christmas Island objected. "Can't you go and tell him yourself?"
"What, seriously?" Australia sat back down on the couch determinedly, his face made of stone. "There's no way I'm going to that guy. If he wants to talk to me he can come here any time, but I aint cracking. He'll be back. I'm sure of it."
"I'm not." After an awkward pause, Christmas Island disappeared around the corner again.
When he was sure he had gone, Australia sighed. "You're not the only one, either."
With the exception of the last world conference in which Tasmania's independence had been made official – Australia hadn't said a word to his brother since their argument on the day he had left, both of them opting instead for having messengers running between the two. In Tasmania's case, this meant unnecessarily telling Australia's smaller territories how well he was faring without his help, and in Australia's it meant sending vague threats of how little time Tasmania had left before some nameless other country launched an invasion on him.
But Australia's confidence was slipping. Even though only six months had passed, there had been no sign of danger on Tasmania's side of the Bass Strait; maybe he really was making a mountain out of a molehill.
He shook his head again. In any case, it wasn't his problem anymore. It wasn't his job to worry about his stupid little brother; Tasmania had made his decision, and Australia had no reason to care.
Right?
"I'm gonna go make fun of New Zealand for a couple of hours," he said to nobody in particular. "Then maybe I'll have lunch." Giving an empty smile, he sighed once again. "And then I'm going to stop moping and play some footy. I need to stop thinking about Tasmania," he muttered, cracking his knuckles and making his way to the door.
"This is ridiculous!"
Tasmania was fuming. Even though he was far too proud to ask his brother for help, he had to admit that he had been right; running a country was much harder than running a State, even one of the same size.
In front of him, Flinders Island and King Island were standing silently, nodding in agreement with whatever Tasmania was saying. It had become a regular thing for them, since Tasmania seemed to do nothing but rant and rave these days.
"I mean, sure, this was my idea, but Australia hasn't even lifted a finger to help me!" He huffed. "Not that I need him to," he added hurriedly. "But he still should; I mean, we're still brothers. And we're neighbours! He should have offered me some kind of alliance or something. Or…something. I don't know – but he shouldn't be treating me like I don't exist! He doesn't treat other countries the way he treats me!"
"I agree completely," Flinders Island said.
Tasmania was still not finished. "And- and- he won't even talk to me! I have to keep sending you guys or one of his guys to deliver messages! How old are we, forty?" He scowled.
"Yes, you make a valid point," King Island assured him, casting a sideways glance at his companion. They both rolled their eyes.
Sighing tiredly, Tasmania sat down on his chair, drumming his fingers against his armrest. "I'm sorry to be taking all of this out on you two; I just don't have anyone else to tell. Australia won't talk to me and he glares murderously at New Zealand every time he tries to. And everyone else is so far away." He sighed again, closing his eyes.
"I didn't always complain this much. I was such a different child." He opened his eyes again, smiling dryly at the two islands. "I was so happy and innocent."
His face returned to its previous scowl. "I mean, I still am, but I'm not…oh, you know what I mean. No you don't, but it doesn't matter. I'm ranting."
He rubbed his temples. "I'm still glad I did this, though; the whole 'independence' thing," he said, more to assure himself than the islands. "My boss is the one who's doing all the really hard work, and I'm sure it'll get easier for us eventually." He chewed his lip for a moment, and then sighed yet again. "I just have to get over missing my brother."
He blinked, as if he hadn't planned what he had just said. "But I mean, isn't that completely normal? I don't miss being part of his commonwealth, I just miss him as a person, before he started being such a- a…" He bonked himself on the forehead, thinking.
He looked up. "Wow, I feel like a crazy person, talking like this. Maybe I need a day off." He continued rubbing his temples, without waiting for either island to respond. "But I won't take one; there's way too much work to be done." He smiled weakly. "I need to grow and become a strong nation, and I just can't afford to slack off like I used to."
There was an awkward silence.
"Um…" Tasmania laughed. "You two can go, if you like; thanks for listening. I sure can talk."
After Flinders Island and King Island had left, Tasmania curled up into a tight ball on his chair, burying his face in his knees. "When did this happen?" he wondered aloud. "Seriously…" He sighed. "Nineteenth century. Best hundred years of my life. There was so little to worry about."
The empty room made no response.
"I miss you, big brother," he whispered, a tear slowly trickling down his face. "Please stop ignoring me." His breath caught. "I miss you so much."
"Tasmania!"
Tasmania was shaken from his thoughts by the sound of Flinders Island's voice as she returned. He instinctively sprang to his feet. "What is it?"
Her face was flushed with panic. "We're under attack."
All colour suddenly drained from Tasmania's face. "Oh my god," he breathed.
"Who is it?" Tasmania asked, flustered, as he reached the coast, where the rest of his feeble military was assembled.
"We can't tell yet, but it isn't good."
"I can see that!" he snapped, already making out the shapes of ever approaching war planes on the horizon, far too many to count.
"We don't stand a chance," Flinders whispered.
Tasmania didn't answer; his eyes were fixed on the approaching planes. He gulped.
Maybe this hadn't been such a great idea after all.
"We will stand and fight," he said with determination. "We'll stand our ground and won't back down."
His mind instantly flew to his brother. His military had been stronger when it had been part of the whole of Australia, rather than simply all the troops belonging to a single State.
But I'm not a State anymore, he thought, his cool head deserting him. I'm a country and I'm about to be invaded.
Australia could help, he realised. We're stronger together. We can fight off the invaders together.
He laughed internally. Who am I kidding? There's no way I'll go crying to him; that's exactly what he told me not to do – and exactly what I told him I wouldn't do. Tasmania's jaw set. I don't need his help; I'm strong! In fact, I'm glad this is happening because now is my chance to show the rest of the world that I can stand on my own two feet!
Despite all of this, his own two feet seemed pitifully fluid in the face of the oncoming invasion.
"I'm going to lose," he whispered. "I'm actually going to lose, and then I'll be right back where I started; some bigger country's State. And Australia isn't going to rescue me because he hates me."
Somehow, in the midst of all this turmoil, a tear formed and slid down his cheek. "What have I done?" he murmured, sinking to his knees, all other sounds become nothing more than mere buzzes in his ears. It was over. He had tried to be like his brother and he had failed.
"You really need to stop crying, mate; it's not a good look to give people who don't know you that well."
Tasmania instantly froze.
There was suddenly a hand on his shoulder, gripping him by the back of his collar firmly. Too dazed to resist, Tasmania felt himself get hauled to a standing position.
"On your feet, soldier," Australia said. "We've got work to do."
"What are you doing here?" Tasmania hissed.
Australia lifted an eyebrow. "Don't worry, it's not just me; I brought some troops along for the ride."
"Out!" Tasmania exclaimed, flustered. "Go away! I don't need your help!"
Australia cast a questioning eye at the horizon.
"I have this all under control," he said sulkily.
"Is that why you were just on your knees crying like an eight year old?"
Tasmania gave him a shove in the chest. "I told you I would be fine; why don't you ever listen?"
Australia gave a thin smile and patted his brother's shoulder. "Oh, I always listen; it's just that I very rarely care."
"Go away!" Tasmania yelled. "I never asked for you to come!"
"Yeah, and Alice never asked to go to Wonderland. What's your point? I'm here to help you out."
"How did you even get here so fa-"
"I've been spying on any...potentially dangerous countries. I knew before you did."
Tasmania crossed his arms. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. Just...go. Please. Now."
"Sorry, mate; no can do." He winked. "You'd miss me too much."
""If- if you don't leave right this second, I can have you accused of trespassing on another country's land and arrested!"
"I think you have some more pressing-" Australia cut himself off. "Look, you're right; you're a country now and I'll respect that. If you're that sure you want me to go, I will."
Tasmania instantly stiffened. "Y- yes, I..." His entire body was trembling.
"You sure?" Australia looked him straight in the eye. "Because it would be a pretty irresponsible thing to do as a country to let your citizens down because of your pride."
"I'm not letting them down...I can win." The tears were flowing freely. This was just too much.
"Come back when you believe that and I'll do the same." Australia grabbed Tasmania by the shoulders. "Look at me, Tassie."
Tasmania averted his gaze.
"Tasmania, it doesn't have to be about nationality; it's about family! Tasmania, I'm your brother and if anyone wants to touch you they have to go through me."
All of a sudden, Tasmania was sobbing into his brother's chest, nothing but a child again. "I'm sorry, Australia," he cried. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry is for afterwards, little man." Australia slapped his back. "Hold on to your hat, cuz like I said, we've got some work to do."
"We shall not, we shall not be moved! We shall not, we shall not be moved, just like a tree that's standing-"
"Shut up!" Tasmania moaned, covering his ears. "You're going to kill someone!"
The two countries were walking down rows upon rows of apple trees, Australia apparently trying to torture the koala on his shoulder by doing his best impression of a cat being choked by a drowning fish. Or it might have been singing; Tasmania wasn't too sure.
"You saved me today, Australia," he murmured almost inaudibly as soon as the murderous sound had ceased. "Thank you."
Australia turned to face him, his step faltering. "It was nothing; we've always been stronger as a team."
"But..." Tasmania bit his lip. "We weren't a team anymore, and you still came. So thanks."
Australia stopped walking entirely, and Tasmania followed suit. The larger country smiled softly. "Listen, Tassie...I wanted to talk to you about something – I mean, even before today, I wanted to talk to you about it."
Tasmania looked away. "Y- yeah?"
"You...what you did...in declaring independence? I'm proud of you for doing it."
Tasmania looked up, unsure of what to say.
"I was wrong about you. I was even wrong about myself. I didn't want you to go because I was selfish; I wanted to keep you at home just because I wanted you there, not because it was the best thing for you. But the reason I wanted to keep you there was because I knew you were strong, Tassie; I just didn't realise that I knew it."
He paused, his expression thoughtful. "The you that left – that's the you that I wanted around; the you that was strong enough stand up to me and leave. And when you left, it only proved to me that I was right about you; you were strong. I'm not making any sense, am I?"
"Keep talking; I get the vibe."
"But you and I are stronger as a team, because we've always been a team. So...I want to still be a team."
"You want me to come home again?" Tasmania asked.
"Ye- no, nothing like that." Australia looked away. "I wanted to, ah, propose a military alliance; countries do it all the time."
"So we'd come and help each other out if the other was in trouble?" Tasmania chewed his lip, knowing what he wanted to say but unable to say it.
"Yeah, that's what I mean; there's nothing shameful in doing that." Australia grinned hesitantly. "It'll be exactly like today – me coming to your rescue – except it'll be an official alliance."
Tasmania shook his head. "I'm sorry, Australia...I can't do it."
Australia was dumbstruck. This answer hadn't even occurred to him.
"After today..." He trailed off. "I just can't be a country anymore."
Australia stared at him. "Tasmania, you won! Sure, you had help, but it was you doing the winning! Of course you can still be a country."
"But I'm not a country, Australia!" Tasmania exclaimed. "I tried to be something I'm not, and it almost cost me everything."
"Tassie..."
"That's why...I mean, if it's alright with you..." Tasmania bit his lip. "Can I be a State again?"
"You don't need to be!" Australia insisted. "You proved that today; if you stay independent, you'll be fine! I'll still be looking after you; we'll still be brothers. If you stay independent you'll have more freedom, and-"
"But I don't care about any of that," Tasmania whispered. "I just want to go home...I miss you."
Australia blinked.
"I just want things to go back to the way they were." Tasmania shut his eyes, holding back tears. "Can they?"
Australia was silent for a moment. "Aw, Tassie!" He grinned, pulling his little brother into an affectionate headlock. "Of course they can. But you're going to get some really strange looks at the next world conference."
"I think I can handle it."
"I think so too."
End
Moral of the story: Don't give alcohol to underage island colonies. They might get run over by charging horses. And then England will be most seriously displeased.
And don't tell me that tripping and whacking your face into the ground can't cause immense amounts of bleeding, because trust me, it can XD
Wow...I'm totally amazed by how this turned out; it wasn't supposed to be more than a thousand words (I went more than nine thousand words over the budget) XD. I had definitely not planned on developing lil' Tassie's character so much O.o I guess I'm happy with how it all turned out :/ My only concerns are that there was a bit of OOCness on England's part, and that the story dragged on and got a little tedious. Either way, this was stacks of fun to write so I'm happy :D Although now, I do feel super-guilty for failing to update all my Yu-Gi-Oh stories in so long…DX T^T
I'm NOT going to pretend I didn't cover up, really badly, the fact that I had no idea who the bloody hell it was that was supposed to be attacking Tassie XD The truth is, I spent ages wondering who the best country to use was, before finally I just gave up and made is some generic nameless bad guy. XD Lol...so if you have any suggestions as to who the invading country was, please suggest it to me XD Who do YOU think would want to take over Tasmania? (Besides Australia trying to reclaim it...)
This was really difficult to write simply because I didn't (and still don't XD) know all the details. Australia never actually declared itself independent (At least, not in the same way America did). The states and territories all Federated, but technically speaking, even though we have our own laws and government, our prime ruler is still her majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I'm not exactly sure how it all works...Yeah, don't ask me; I don't take History. Although since getting into Hetalia I wish I did T^T
So, just to clear some things up: In this story, 'Australia' represents the six mainland States and Territories, and Tasmania represents, well, Tasmania. I couldn't be bothered giving each State its own character XD and I don't think that would have worked. Christmas, Flinders and King Island all got to be their own character so that's good enough for me ;P
Tasmanian apples are YUMMY :D If I recall correctly, that's where Grannysmiths come from WOOHOO~! No, they are not the main suppliers for Australia or anything like that, but they sure are super ;D
'Don't let's fight over this' was a deliberate grammatical error, so don't flame me for it ;P You'd be amazed how many people say it. It's fuuuuuuuunny ;P I'm assuming it isn't solely an Australian thing, but since I hear it so much in Australia, that's what he says. Deal.
Tasmania was originally known as Van Diemen's Land, but as I'm lazy, I couldn't be bothered putting it in anywhere. So for simplicity, he's just 'Tasmania' throughout the whole thing.
Christmas Island is an Australian territory...it's off the WA coast somewhere. Flinders Island and King Island are those two little islands above Tasmania (Well actually the one on the right is called the Furneaux Group, of which Flinders Island is the biggest island, but you get my point; they are part of Tasmania) :D I was in the middle of writing their scene when I realised I didn't actually have any girl characters…so I made Flinders Island a girl :D (Since I don't think 'King' is a very feminine name x3)
THIS IS PURE FICTION! Tasmania never declared itself an independent nation, and as far as I know has never expressed a desire to do so. The whole thing about him getting run over by a horse and carriage wasn't based on any historical event, either. However, all the dates I've mentioned here do tie up to the proper dates in history, such as New Zealand becoming a British colony, the Federation of Australia, the colonisation of Tasmania, etc. :D Also, Tasmania was originally settled by some people from the already established Sydney, when England sent them to prevent France from claiming the island first, so that part was true. It was all kind of tied in :3
Thank you so much for reading this ridiculously long story :D :D :D It took me several weeks to write, so all reviews would be like a gift from the heavens ;D
Me luv you long time,
~IA