Followed

The sun was setting and from their hilltop perch, they watched their people work, play, love, hate, cry, smile and live in their slowly booming capital. Romulus felt a hand come to rest on his shoulder, turning his head, he saw his duplicate smile at him.

"We'll be magnificent someday, won't we?"

There is only one answer he can give. "Yes."

"I will take our army and conquer all those around us and farther and you-you my brother will make magic happen with our leaders."

Romulus nodded. This was their plan (his brother's plan). "They won't stand a chance," he agreed.

His duplicate leaned in and pressed their foreheads together. "What would I do without you Rom?"

"You'd be just fine Remus."

His twin laughed and curled his hand in his nape's hair. "You're probably right," he concurred. "It's you that needs me!"

The other averted his gaze. "You are right..."

Letting his duplicate go, the skinny youth put his hands on his hips and declared; "Let us go home brother!"

"Of course."

Remus turned his back on his twin.

Much faster than he could register, Romulus drew his dagger and stabbed his twin in the back. The other boy fell gasping on the ground, fighting for life even as blood spilled out of him like broken wine sack. Dropping the knife, his duplicate fell to his knees and took his brother into his arms with a sob.

"I'm sorry!" Romulus wailed.

Eyes dulling, the brother sneered. "I'll...not...forget this...Rom." And with a final cough that splatter blood down his front, the duplicate watched his twin still and become nothing but ashes that were swept away in a coming breeze.

Immobile, Romulus grieved for the brother he love and the brother he hated. Their Empire did not need two personifications, he'd been told. And they certainly didn't need one who looked to spill the blood of enemies and allies alike, his leader had told him. It had only been a sentence more to say:

"Kill him, kill Remus, kill your brother."

Romulus had never been able to disobey. Not his brother, and especially not his leaders; so without hesitation he'd agreed.

"Yes sir."

And now he was without his other half, he was incomplete, mourning for his darkly lit mirror. Crying into his blood-stained skin, he screamed his agony and curled into a ball he refused to leave for the rest of the night.

~XxX~

In the early day's haze, he thought he saw Remus, but a swipe at his eyes later; his duplicate was gone once again (that didn't stop the irritating feeling that someone was following him, watching him).

Time passed, just as his twin had always wanted, he became an Empire that was both feared and respected, but something about his success didn't sit well. Sometimes, there were blanks. Stretches of blackness that overcame him and he woke from without any reason he could discern from it. Usually, though, he'd wake up to battle fields, massacres, bodies, dead and dying; women he did not recognize and people who said they knew him when Rome was sure not once had he ever laid eyes on them.

It was during these times that the feeling of being followed and watched came back ten-fold, like someone was waiting to see what he did, to judge if they needed to return (it had happened sometimes).

It was after one of these "blackouts" that he met his guard and later enemy for the first time.

Coming to life, Rome blinked the fuzz out of his eyes to see a blond man eating some sort of fruit in front of him; blinking as he took in his armed state, the Empire had bounced back in fear.

"Who are you!?" He demanded shocked.

The other sent him a quizzical look. "I am your guard. Have you hit your head or something Rome?"

That skin-itching feeling of being watched on his neck, the other laughed nervously and shook his head. "No, no," he answered. "I just..I was play a joke! See?! 'Who are you!?'"

The man looked nonplussed and took another bite of his fruit. "I should have stayed in the Northern regions," he grumbled.

"Aw! Don't be mean! I'm paying you, aren't I?"

Resting back on his haunches, the stern faced man looked to the sky and threw the core. "You are," he agreed. "But it does not change the fact that you are odd and annoying."

The Empire smiled. "Would you like me better if I was serious all the time?" He teased. "I could walk around copying you Mr. I-don't-smile!"

"But you were serious, at least for a few days," the other muttered.

Panicking, Rome tried to find a way to glean information and not turn this fellow into an enemy. "That was business! I'm always serious for that!"

"That's good," His guard muttered. "I wouldn't want to leave you all alone in battle if I didn't know you could be."

Rome laughed again. "So...erm, what have you thought of the past few days? Have they been, ah, interesting for you too?"

"Interesting? I'd call all that negotiating and bargaining a bore." The other admitted with a raised eyebrow. "Did you find all of that truly fun?"

He might of, if he could remember, but he doesn't and Rome once Rom can only chuckle in reply. No words capable of getting him out of this. In time, he'd get to know his guard, he'd learn his name was Germania that he had a son under his care, a brother in the north and that he was always, completely, serious.

But he liked him. He really did. That is, until he didn't. And from then on they were enemies to the core.

(Not that he knew why they hated each other).

"Come here Rome!" Egypt shouted. "Come sit with me!"

Reluctantly, the Empire went to her side. She smiled at him and laughed at the way he shrank back from her naked body. Taking his face between her hands, she looked into his eyes. "You are so funny!" She declared. "Sometimes you are so eager, but other times you hold back like you do not know who I am!"

Rome put his hands on her hips and took comfort in their warmth. "Sometimes I feel that you do not love me."

She peered out at him from her darkly rimmed eyes and sat down in his lap. "And sometimes I feel that you are not the man who made love to me the first I met you!"

"Maybe I'm not."

She pulled away and frowned. "Are you saying something Rome? Do you not love me anymore?"

"I do, I do..."

The other, however, did not listen and removed herself from him. "You have found someone else? Is there a new whore who's spreading her legs for you?" She stood in front of him then, body bared and all her loveliness reveled for his hungry gaze to want. But he knew the answer. He loved her, but he could not be with her when she loved the him he did not know. The one who took her.

"There is no one else," he said. "I just don't think we can carry on like this..."

"Like what?" She demanded. "Like lovers?" She surged forward and took his chin in her hand. "That's what we are, are we not? We love one another..."

He roughly pulled himself away and stood up, reaching for his tunic. "No Egypt," he disagreed. "I don't think you love me."

Distraught, the woman grabbed for him. "Who do you think I love if not you?"

It hurt to know there was no way of fixing this. That there was not a way to explain to her how he knew she didn't love him. He was afraid to voice his blackouts, especially so when he could feel that awful sensation on his back. It was tenfold today, like it was waiting to see how this played out. So, without the proper words and much too scared to even try, The empire took his arm back and left the woman to shriek at his retreating back.

"Who's the person who's always following you?"

Rome turned to the his newly acquired colony. "What?"

Shyly, the green-eyed child pointed in the direction of his shadow. "You know," he began; "That person." The child blinked. "Oooh...he's mad! Why's he mad?"

Spinning around and finding no one, The empire took the child up into his arms. "What are you talking about!? There is no one!"

"There is!" England screamed back, tiny face in a scowl as he struggled against him. "He looks like you too! Can't you see? He's been following you since you came here! Not once has he gone more than a pace away from you!" Kicking him in the stomach, Rome is surprised by the strength and dropped the child. Crossing his arms, the little witch turned wide-eyed. "D'you get a bad spirit following you? D'you kill someone you weren't s'posed to? My brother told me not ever to kill another country because there spirit could latch on to you."

Twisting his head back, Rome stared down at his shadow and wondered just how many dead nations could be following him. One in particular frightened him the most. His brother. He'd murdered him so long ago though...what if, what if he were to explain the blackouts? Kneeling in front of his new colony, the man smiled and asked; "You said he looked like me? Is he my age too? Or younger?"

Wary, but eager, the child answered; "Younger, he's around my oldest brother's age maybe? Or a little older."

Knowing what he has to do, Rome drops a handful of coins into the boy's hands and shoos him off. "Thank you for telling me, please go buy yourself something to eat."

Happily, England pocketed the money and ran off. "Thanks a lot you jerk!" He shouted back, making a face at him. It irked him to not chase after the little witch for his disrespect, but the Empire knew he had more important things to deal with. Standing straight, he said;

"All this time, huh?"

There was no answer.

"You caused the blackouts too, didn't you?"

More silence.

"I don't know if I should thank you for them or hate you, but I guess it's fair." He sighed and glanced to his shadow. "I did murder you Remus. I loved you, but I had too."

Beginning to walk, Rome said "Please don't cause anymore blackouts, I will kill myself next time." He hoped the threat would be enough to stop any further lapses of memory.

(It was..for a while, anyway).

"Ah Germania!" Rome exclaimed gazing up at the pale man. "Finally come to kill me?" The other didn't answer and the dying empire studied him. His eyes were brown. Like his. Shaking his head, the old man smiled. "Not Germania, are you? Finally figure out how to possess another have you brother-mine?"

The sword trembled in the man's grip. Rome wondered if it was excitement or fear that made it shake. Getting up, he offered himself freely; "Kill me brother, you deserve to."

Germania but not lifted the weapon with both hands and with sudden a surge, forced it threw Rome's chest. Coughing at the pain, Rome barely noticed the other had picked him up to cradle until he saw the blond hair falling into his eyes. "Do you regret it Remus?" He inquired. "Do you feel badly for killing me as I did for doing the same to you?"

Brown eyes close in and a mouth came to rest on his ear; a moment later, a hoarse voice whispered "No."

The old empire was heartbroken and on his lips trembled a word that would never find completion in life; "W-" The world went away and light took its place. When he opened his eyes next, he was on a the landing of staircase, the Remus of his memories looking at him with solemn eyes.

XxXxXxX

He turned his back, taking a step down the descending set; heart beating in his chest, Rome ran after him. "Wait!" He cried, smaller, younger hand grabbing his brother's tunic. "Where are you going?!"

Remus paused. "Take the staircase up, Rom."

"What about you? What's happening? Where are we?"

His twin spun around and slapped away his hand. "This is limbo and you go up and I go down, can't you tell?"

"No! Come with me Remus!"

His brother glared at him. "I can't," he hissed. "Now go." And with one last shove Romulus fell into the stairs behind him and his brother began to walk down.

"Wait!" He shouted again, attempting to go after him, but he couldn't. The steps began to disappear and Rome was left only one option. Up. So up the old empire went.

He found himself in a garden filled with old friends and enemies. His brother was no where to be seen. Rome once Rom asked; "Does everyone end up here?"

Some shared a look. "Yeah," one, Ancient Greece he remembered, answered. "Does anyone seem to be missing to you?"

Feeling quite broken and alone the old empire gave his past lover a shaky smile. "No, not a soul," he whispered. The look she gave him told him Greece knew he was lying, but there was no way to question who was missing when everyone they'd all known was in the garden.

Except Remus. The twin of Rome once Rom.

Well, let me know what you guys think!

Thank you all for reading and pretty please review!

P.S. If you enjoyed this fic, please check out some of my other Hetalia stuff such as:

Ascendant

or

Hello, I'm Still Here