"It's a bit chilly." Ukraine said, tromping through the snow with her brother and sister and rubbing her arms.
"We'll get warmed up as we walk." Russia replied, a couple steps ahead of his sisters.
"It's too cold!" Belarus cried, pouting.
"It's not. You'll get used to it." Russia answered.
"It is too!" Belarus snapped, stomping forward angrily.
A snow ball hit just underneath her chin.
"Hey! That's cold!" Belarus squealed, clawing at her collar.
Then Ukraine got hit on the shoulder.
"Russia!" She cried, laughing gleefully and brushing her coat.
Belarus rubbed her neck, a furious expression on her face.
Russia bent down to scoop up some more snow. "Belarus, come on!" He shouted, straightening up.
She glared at him for a second, then reached down a scooped up some snow, throwing it at Russia.
"Aw, you got me!" Russia said, brushing off his tunic.
Russia had let it hit him on purpose. But Belarus didn't need to know that.
A rare smile played on Belarus' lips, and she reached down quickly, packed a snowball, and threw it at Ukraine.
"Hey!" She squealed, smiling, and reached down to create a snowball of her own.
When one hit her right on the top of her head.
"Eeeeeek!"
One hit Russia's leg.
"Aw, come one, both of you can do better than that!" And he ran off across the field, throwing snowballs, his sisters following suit, laughing the whole way.
…
"Russia? Ukraine?" Belarus called, looking around at the wilderness surrounding her.
She had been walking with them when she had stumbled in the snow, and when she got up, they'd been gone.
"Russia!" She cried, stumbling forward a few steps, fear growing inside her.
Silence.
She whirled around, wringing her hands.
"RUSSIA!" She shouted, tears forming in her eyes-
Then she was sitting hard in the snow, looking up at Russia's laughing face and Ukraine's slightly disapproving but still humored expression.
"Why did you do that? It's not funny!" She squealed, getting up and brushing off her dress.
Russia still laughed, and Ukraine turned to give him a look to stop.
"It's not funny!" She cried, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Aw, Belarus, it was just a joke!" Russia said.
She turned sharply away from and stared glaring into the trees.
After a moment, Russia came up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder, Ukraine keeping back.
"We're sorry, okay, Belarus?" Russia said softly.
She glared at him for a second, then turned quickly and shoved him hard.
"Hey!" He cried, stumbling backward a few feet. He put an exaggerated glare on his face and angrily crossed his arms.
"It's not funny!" He mocked, stomping his foot.
Belarus pretended to be angry, but her lip shook and formed a small smile.
Russia uncrossed his arms and smiled back.
"We'll play hide and seek. Russia, you have to be it, because you're a meanie." Belarus declared, crossing her arms, still playing at anger but smiling widely.
He looked at them both for a second, then closed his eyes. "One…"
Ukraine and Belarus grabbed hands and ran giggling off into the woods to hide.
…
"Russia, give it back!" Ukraine whined, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I just want to look at it for a little, Ukraine, then I'll give it back." Russia said, sitting on the lowest branch of the pine tree and inspecting the thin yellow ribbon in his hands.
"Russia!" Ukraine cried up at him, a tear escaping and running down her cheek.
Hating how Russia was paying so much attention to Ukraine, Belarus ran over to the branch where Russia was sitting. She struggled to hoist herself up for a second or two, then fell back into the snow.
"Russia, give it back nowwww!" Ukraine wailed, tears starting to run down her cheeks.
After a second, Russia said, "Alright, Ukraine. Please don't cry." he slipped off the branch and landed on his feet next to where Belarus was struggling up from the snow, her hair bow askew and face bright red, and walked over to Ukraine.
She snatched it out of his hands with her left hand, her right holding her braid together. But the moment she touched it, it disintegrated in her hands.
"Russia, what did you do to it?" Ukraine exclaimed, staring in shock at her hand as a fresh stream of tears spilled out of her eyes.
"It became one with Russia…I'm sorry, Ukraine, I was practicing with it, I didn't know-"
"That was my favorite ribbon!" She wailed, pouting angrily at the ground and crossing her arms, her eyes watering and lip quivering.
"Ukraine, I'm really sorry." Russia said genuinely, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"Russia, I'm cold!" Belarus interjected, brushing snow of her now damp dark blue dress.
Ukraine wiped her face with her gray coat, glared at Russia, then turned away.
…
"Come on, Belarus, just a little longer and we'll be there." Russia said.
They were walking back to Russia's house, Russia with his arm snugly around Belarus' shoulders and his hand holding Ukraine's.
"I'm wet. And it's cold. And I'm tired." Belarus said softly, only a hint of whining in her voice.
"We'll get there before you know it." Russia answered, squeezing her shoulder.
She looked over at him and smiled. Ukraine squeezed his hand.
…
…
…
"Ukraine?" Russia called, knocking on her door.
She opened it a crack and smiled her sweet smile. "Hello, Russia." She said, opening the door wider.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to give you something."
When they had spent that day in the woods, they had been children, only just learning the trials of being a country. Now they all looked liked teenagers and were steadily growing apart.
He reached into his coat, brushing aside an end of his scarf, and pulled out a small white gift box. He held it out to her.
"What is this?" She asked, taking it and opening it. She smiled widely.
"Oh, Russia…" She said, taking out the yellow headband inside.
"I ruined that hair ribbon you always used to wear, and I never did repay you for giving me my scarf." He said, smiling. "So I thought I'd finally repay you."
She tried brushed aside her hair, which had hung in her face since she had given up trying other hairstyles.
"Here, let me." Russia said, putting down the box and tucking a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear.
He stopped, looking into her eyes. She blushed.
"Here." He said, and gently placed the headband on her head, but most of her bangs still came out from underneath the headband.
"Keep it like it is." She said when he tried to take it off to fix it. "I like it the way it is."
She touched the headband, looking up at him with shining eyes.
"It's Kiev."
He smiled at her. "I'm glad you like it, Ukraine." He said.
She smiled at him.
…
Some stories may not yet have happy endings…
Belarus huddled in the window seat and looked out at the black night. She slowly put her head down on her knees.
…
Some issues may not yet be resolved…
Ukraine looked at a picture of Russia on the wall, and thought about the past, those years she remembered as if they were yesterday, that they had never talked about since…
But who's to say they can't be? That they won't be?
Russia sat down on the bench and sighed. He wondered what had happened to the relationship he'd had with Ukraine and Belarus, and remembered that one cold winter day…
Sometimes all it takes is a song, maybe, or an old knick knack…
And he thought, maybe it's not gone forever.
Or a memory.