A/N: Hey all. An idea for this has been circulating around in my head for a while now and I wished to act upon it. However, I changed the plot around a little and now it's evolved into this.

I don't know how long this will be; probably quite long. ~20 chapters or so. I've never really reached that much before.

READ: THIS IS JUST THE PROLOGUE. Chapters in future will be much, much longer. This is just to get into the swing of things. Plus, I like prologues before a story. I like to write them because it helps me too. Yes, this is dual narrative, and will most likely be in present tense.

Pairings: Mainly USUK (Arthur/Alfred) and AmeBela (Alfred/Natalia) at the beginning.

Warnings: There is a lot of suicide references in this; it's what the story revolves around. It might possibly get a bit depressing too but I haven't decided yet. Basically, Arthur's lingering on the brink of insanity. I thought it'd be cool but a challenge to write, sue me...

Actually, no, don't sue me. Hetalia does not and will not ever belong to me. Sadly.

Sorry for babbling on! Let us begin.

The Only Hero is You
Prologue: Questions

Is the world truly as magical as it seems?

That is the question I ponder to myself every second, every minute, every hour, every day of my life.

What if life was simply a fairy tale and nothing more? It's not always giggles and cheerfulness, though.

I believe in fantasy. I believe in magic. I believe so much in it that it's caused me to view the world from a distorted perspective. My obsession for fictional worlds, for fictional happiness, has caused me to slowly disperse from reality.

Perhaps, maybe, that's a good thing? To not be so afraid, to not be so worried, because you do not live in a real world? In fiction, anything is possible. I am weak, but I could be a strong warrior. I have no purpose, but I could have someone who cares.

All I have to do is dream and there'll be no stopping me.

However...what if that dream slowly but inevitably evaporates into thin air, like smoke falling though the spaces between my fingers. Like water in the sun. What if that dream slowly but surely evolved into something far worse, something much more indescribable? Isn't the world elusive in the first place? A mystery we are meant to discover...or, maybe, we are not meant to question it and appreciate it instead.

Some would kill for a life. Oh, how ironic that statement is.

Despite my angst, I feel I am top of the world.

Why? Because I have my dreams.

Yet I've lost my hope. That was drained from me years ago. Will it return? I don't know.

Am I lonely? Am I shouting at brick walls hoping to get an answer but to no avail? Am I screaming at the top of my lungs but nobody can hear me? Am I...trapped? Is God, if he is up there, my captor? Is He enjoying this?

Well, if You are, then I'd like You to know that I'm not amused. I seldom enjoy your petty little games. I do not wish to be Your puppet anymore. I've had enough.

Ahem.

I suppose it'd be rude to not introduce myself.

My name is Arthur. Arthur Kirkland.

Although...that could possibly be incorrect.

Because I don't even know who I am.

Is the world as great as they make it out to be?

Of course it is. It just has to be. Why else would I constantly be happy?

There's nothing to be sad about! I'm fine, just fine, I swear on my life.

I don't need to improve on anything. I'm perfect the way I am, just like everybody is! I'm happy, I'm great and my life is just...amazing. There's no other word to describe it.

Well, my thesaurus kinda tells me that 'wonderful', 'incredible', 'terrific' and 'marvellous' could work too, plus some other words I don't know ('astounding'? What's that?), but that's not the point here.

I've got an awesome girlfriend, I've got an awesome job and I'm just awesome all around!

But why do I feel like something is missing?

No, no, I'm fine. I'm alright. On top of the world...

I don't need anything...I don't want anything else because I already have it all...

Is there something I'm not doing properly? God, if You're up there, can You tell me where I'm going wrong?

I'm fine, though, I'm fine.

You can't fix what's not broken, I guess. So why should I try to improve? I could develop what I already have but still that'd never be enough.

Is it ever enough?

Eurgh, it's way too early in the morning to be getting all phil...philo...gah, whatever, it's too early to overwork my brain. It could heat up and explode or something.

Um...I guess I should probably introduce myself...

Hi, I'm Alfred F. Jones, I'm 19 years old and I'm happy!

...I think. I seriously hope.

See, I'm all smiles! All laughs! All hopes!

But maybe I'm lying.

Who am I? Am I telling the truth?

A/N: I hope this prologue was alright.

I wish to update with the first official chapter sometime in the near future. I want to get it done before next week. Why? Because I need to update faster. I truly have no excuse.

Feel free to leave /constructive/criticism, also I'd be very grateful if you can offer advice and/or ideas for it, since I'm practically stumped thanks to the sudden plot modifications. Initially, it was Alfred that was going to wish to end it all...

Ahem. I've said too much. I hope to see you soon.

Hasta la Pasta~!