B/N: Hi, everyone! I'm shipeverythingandanything and I write mostly supernatural fic. I only beta-edited this fic- all credit should go to Eliza.
A/N: Hello! As my Beta so kindly stated, she has edited this story, so I only claim the plot, characters are Hetalia's, the grammar and punctuation is Seli-chan's.
Once upon a star (though I suppose I shouldn't call the moon a star) there was a white hare and a dragon.
Long ago in ancient China, an old man stroked his pet: a white hare with fur so soft it felt like feathers. Her fur was so white that it appeared to have a slight glow, although the man was certain that it was just a trick of sunlight. The man loved his pet and his pet loved him.
However, he was old and weak. The pet grew worried for his owner, for these days his owner would try to pet her but his hands were shaky and he couldn't leave his bed. Coughs would rack his body and the hare would sometimes see red come from the man's mouth and would dye her white pelt a dark pink. He was dying and the hare knew this. Full of grief, the hare hopped onto the man's lap, sadly looking into his light chocolate brown eyes. The man smiled as he looked into the hare's light violet eyes, tears threatening to spill over them.
"There, there… don't cry, my little bunny. My time has come. It was simply fate. Soon, I'll be among the stars- and remember: no star is untouchable. So I say farewell, sweet pet. Live a long and happy life. Goodbye."
And with that, the man's eyes closed for a final time. The hare, convinced he was asleep, tried nudging him, but getting no response, she tried again. He had died. Her beloved owner Yao had died. The hare wept until night came.
She looked to the sky and remembered what Yao had said: "I'll be among the stars…no star is untouchable…"
The hare, filled with joy at this realization jumped to the Ottoman Empire to get a running start. She then jumped into the air and found that she happened to land on a cloud.
"One more jump," she said to herself, and leapt towards a giant rock she spotted in the sky that she had heard Yao call the moon.
Once she landed, she hopped around, looking for Yao in joy, knowing that she reached the stars. He had to be here somewhere! However, after an hour of searching she found nothing. Her hope started to fade.
"Yao! Yao! Yao!" she wailed, sobbing miserably as collapsed in despair.
A sleek, black dragon who had been slumbering nearby until he heard the cries of anguish lumbered over. Alfred the moon dragon was not a morning dragon and was decided that whoever was crying would be renamed breakfast for disturbing his sleep.
The white hare was too busy crying to notice the black dragon with the blazing blue eyes sneaking upon her with a wide toothy grin. The dragon hesitated and glanced down upon the pitiful creature racked with sobs. In his moment of hesitation, the hare's large ears picked up the sound of dragon's breathing. She spun around happily as if though expecting to see someone. Her tiny furry face turned into one of terror and disappointment as she saw the dragon. She hopped back a few steps. Fright was written all over her small hare face.
"Please don't hurt me," she quietly mumbled while backing away. The dragon suddenly felt sympathy for the scared and trembling creature he had planned to eat for breakfast.
"I won't hurt you. What's your name?"
The hare looked confused for a moment. "Yao never gave me a name," she finally responded. "He just called me Hare." The dragon grimaced. That wasn't a suitable name for such a pretty creature!
"Then I'll call you Maddie," he decided, nodding approvingly.
"Maddie?" she asked, tilting her head. He smiled another toothy grin.
"Yep! Maddie, short for Madeline."
She nodded, warming up to her name. Maddie. I'm Maddie now, she thought, trying to make it stick.
"Why were you crying, Maddie?"
The hare looked down, once more sad.
"My master Yao died and said he would be among the stars, so I jumped up here to find him. B-but I can't find him." Her voice shook on these last words and her ears drooped.
"Then why don't I help you look for him?" the dragon asked, brightly and kindly. The hare looked surprised.
"You would do that for me?" The dragon nodded. The hare smiled.
"Thank you, Mr…" her voice trailed off, her eyes inquisitive.
"My name's Alfred," he chuckled. "and you can drop the Mr." She nodded. "Then hope on- we have an owner to find!" He leaned down, offering his back to her. The hare lit up with excitement, literally. Her white fur glowed as she hopped onto his back. All the humans down below wondered what bright-now-lit-up-orb in the sky was. Each night the hare and the dragon would search certain sections of the moon lighting p the night sky but at the end of the month, both the hare and the dragon would curl up and sleep, causing the hare's fur to stop glowing and the from the sun, Yao would smile down upon Alfred and Maddie.