China had lived a long time. Yet, despite his old age, he could remember almost everything about his life. Yes, he could remember his first friends, Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley and Ancient Egypt, and how content he would have been to spend his lives with them. Yet, by some cruel twist of fate, he had outlived them by millenia. He had watched Mesopotamia and Indus River Valley die, slowly and painfully, and had promised Ancient Egypt to take care of her son for her on her deathbead. He had even watched Rome's grandson's grow up to be nations rivaling his own strength, watched the fates of Germania's grandsons play out, and Ancient Greece's son grow older. But China hadn't aged in years, and had even begun to doubt that he could even die like his friends had.
The beginning of China's life was waking up as a young child, in the middle of a small village. The people there lived very simple lives. They were able to make tools from bronze and had their own language.
Yet China longed for more than the simple lives of his people. He wanted to know if there were others like him. For, although he would often play with the children of the village, of his country, in what would feel like a few days for him, they would give up playing with their toys. They would grow older and die, yet he stayed the same. He watched his people, who were dear to him, die of old age while he was just a mere child. One of his first rulers had told him that he was a country, born from the minds of the people, but wondered if he was the only one like this, and what exactly that was. Though China cared for his people, and felt connected to them and the land, he had no idea what his first leader had meant when he called his a country.
So he left to go to lands unknown, and it wasn't long before he arrived at The Fertile Cresent. For the first time in his life, China was surprised. Though the people here lived similarly to the way his people did, he couldn't understand a word they were saying.
"What are you looking for?," a young boy said, walking up to him. There was another child with him, a young girl. China looked at him, slightly puzzled.
"I can understand you!," he said, surprised and delighted. The boy smiled.
"So you're a country as well then?," said the other boy, his dark green eyes lighting up. China nodded happily.
"That's what one of my leaders said," China said, "But I don't understand it, I mean, what is a country? Why is it that my people live their lives and die, yet I'm still a child and have lived for so many years?"
"My friend, Indus,-" he said, gesturing to the young girl "-and I are the same way. From what we can understand, a country is just like a person. We're born from the minds of the people, when they want to create a safe place to live together. A community. We live as long as that country, in some form, exists. As for why we don't age, we've figured out that we acctually do age, but just not nearly as fast as normal humans," the boy said. "My name is Mesopotamia, by the way, and that girl is my friend, Indus. What's your name?," Mesopotamia said.
"Zhongguo, or China," said China. "Do you know if there's anyone else like us?,"
"Yes. Indus and I first met when we were very young, fortunally. At first, like you, we didn't understand things, even after our leaders explained it to us. But in time, we figured things out. We've only met one country that lives around here. Her name is Egypt, and she's a little older than us, but she seems nice," Mesopotamia explained. China's eyes lit up. For the first time, he knew for a fact that there were others like him! At last, he had friends like him, who wouldn't die so many years before him and who would age the same way he aged. Just then, his stomach growled loudly.
"Would you like something to eat?," he asked China.
"Are you sure? After the flood of the Huang He, there isn't very much food left," China said. As hungry as he was, the people needed food the most, and it would be rude to take food from these kind countries if they had none.
"Really? The flood in our lands didn't destroy the crops, but helped them grow. We have plenty to share with you," Indus River Valley said with a smile. She had pretty golden eyes, not unlike China's eyes, long, wavy black hair and tan skin.
"Well... ok then," China said with a smile.
And so, the three children passed that day together. They shared everything, playing gmaes together, singing songs together, eating together, and writing together. Even though their systems of writing were different, they were able to teach each other how to write. It would be many years before China's people finally started using writing, however. Mesopotamia taught China metal working, and China soon taught his people. Indus River Valley showed China her house, and China was amazed by the vast cities and trade. China showed them both his house. And soon, China even met Egypt. She was a young girl, shy and quiet but kind, with dark brown eyes and straight black hair that stopped just before her shoulder.
And soon, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, months into years, years into decades and decades into centuries. China, Mesopotamia and Indus River Valley grew older, into what, for humans, would be preteenagers.
It was around this time that China began to notice strange feelings for Indus River Valley, different than what he felt for Mesopotamia or Egypt. He always felt lightheaded whenever their hands accidentally brushed, or the way he had started to notice how beautiful she was. Yes, it was true in his country, men and women married and it was the same in her's, but China felt too young for that, and besides, he still didn't fully understand what marriage was exactly.
Still, China had an idea. He knew that Indus River Valley liked flowers. So, one day, he decided to bring her some flowers from his house. He told Mesopotamia who smiled.
"China... I think Indus will love the idea," he said, happily. China smiled.
"Do you think so? What if she doesn't?," China complained. Mesopotamia laughed.
"I think she likes you in a way that's different from the way she likes me or Egypt. She's always been like a sister to me, so I think I know her well enough to say that she'll like it," said Mesopotamia. "And besides," he continued, "She hasn't been feeling well lately. Maybe some flowers from you are just what she needs."
"Right! I'll bring them to her now, and can you follow me, in case something goes wrong?," China asked. Mesopotamia nodded.
"I think Egypt is over at her house now, taking care of her. Like I said, Indus has been pretty sick for a few days, but it will really cheer her up to see you especially," he said. China felt a slight blush cross his face, yet at the same time he was slightly worried.
"Was there another flood, earthquake or drought at her house? Should we bring her some food or water?," China asked. Mesopotamia shook his head.
"Nah, she's a strong girl. I mean, she's recovered so quickly from all of her other illnesses so fast, it's like one day she'll be sick and then the next she'll be running around, helping harvest this season's barley," he explained.
But when China and Mesopotamia arrived at her house, they knew everything was not right. The cities that had once held so many people were empty. They didn't see anyone. The bath houses, trade centers and houses looked as if they had not been touched for years. All the fields were overgrown, and the irrigation systems looked as if they had not been maintained for awhile. At that moment, Egypt saw Mesopotamia and China approching and ran up to them.
"Egypt, what's wrong?," China asked. He could see tears streaming down her face.
"China... Mesopotamia... thank Horus that you're here! Indus River Valley has been asking for you, but she's been too ill to move. I'm afraid she... isn't doing well to say the least. Things haven't been right with her since that earthquake that changed the river's flow, and then when people started leaving or starving, things only got worse. I don't think she'll live much longer," Egypt explained, before she started sobbing. They knew that Egypt wasn't usually one to say much or show emotion, if anything at all. So they knew that Indus River Valley must be very ill for her to be acting like this. So China ran.
"Indus!," he cried. And then he saw her. Her tan skin had become deathly pale, and her entire body was just skin and bones. Her hair had lost its' shine and her golden eyes had lost their spark. Yet she still had enough strength to look up at China.
"China... you're here... and... you brought me flowers..." she said, with a weak smile.
"Yeah... I thought you might like them... If Mesopotamia and I had known you were this ill, we would have come here sooner. He's here too, I just ran ahead. I wanted to see you...," China said with a faint blush, holding back tears.
"Thanks. I missed you... did I ever tell you that you have pretty eyes? And that as much as I always teased you for keeping your hair in a ponytail, I thought it was cute," she said, taking his hand, "I know I won't live much longer. All of my people... they're gone now. I don't mind dying, except I just wish... that I could have spent more time with you and the others. You especially." She was crying now, and so was China. "I wrote you a note in the clay tablet over there. Along with a necklace. I knew that this was coming for awhile now. But it'll be ok. China... even though I never said it... I think I love you..." she said. China leaned in and placed a simple, chaste kiss on her lips.
"I know Indus... I love you too....," he said, sobbing. But she was gone, still holding China's hand. At that moment, Egypt and Mesopotamia walked in.
"She's gone," China said tearfully. Mesopotamia and Egypt walked over towards him and held him. The three of them spent the rest of the night holding each other, crying for their lost friend, for China's lost love.
The next day, there was a funeral procession, for a girl long concidered dead to most of the world. Her name was Indus River Valley. Carefully, the two preteens and the adult arranged the body to be burned, crying the whole time. And they placed the ashes in the river, just like she had wanted. China wore the necklace she had made for him.
It is the middle of the night when England storms in to China's room. He passed out again after smoking too much opium.
"China! I'm here for the silver you owe me," the younger, European nation barks. China looks at him wearily.
"I told you already, I'll give you the silver soon, aru," China says. But that's when, in his haze, he notices a timid young girl standing behind England. She has amber eyes, tan skin and long, wavy black hair. China stares at her, mesmerized. How had Indus survived? Had she come back to life somehow? Would she remember him?
England notices China staring at her. "This is my colony, India. You might have met her when you and your boss burned down her opium fields."
But China does not hear him. He passes out, slipping into unconciousness, only this time, instead of dreaming of the past as he had before, he dreams that his dear Indus still lives and has finally come to save him from the hell his life has become.