So today's my birthday! Woohoo! Yeah! x) Did you bring me a cookie?
Just so you know, this story has gone through about a thousand rewrites as I failed to fix all the random nations, and ended up taking some out, screwing with personalities, putting more in, and generally making a mess of everything. XD It's all a huge conglomeration of different rewrites now so I can't even begin to say what started off original, but that doesn't matter as long as you like it.
Aside from all the flim-flabber, review! :D
The stars were eternal. A thousand points of light, and what's to say that there weren't a thousand more? A thousand spangled diamonds across the black brocade of the sky, as it was through all the nights past. The most priceless of jewels, scattered like dewdrops around the sliver of a full moon. As many stars as the ones gone past, and the ones there to come, and more.
She would come for them, as she had always come, to the haven in the sky. Take them away from the ones nearly their children, because their time had come.
After a thousand years, awakening. A basket of souls for me.
The moonlight shone on brown curls. Emerald eyes closed in a sigh. "I don't think he's ready. I can't leave him yet. Surely she'd understand if I wanted to stay a little longer..." A movement in silver, hugging a gray cat so translucent it was perhaps spun out of moonbeams.
A blunt disagreement, short black bob swaying with the motion. "I don't want to leave mine either. But she won't take exception because of you, or me, or any of us." A slim brown hand pushed a gold circlet farther back on the head, and the sharp eyes looked down.
Silver light on blond hair, dyed colorless and a low bass rumble. "Of all the things I regret, it was not telling them that I'm not coming back. I can't..." The voice trailed off, the owner's mind filling with a smiling albino holding his squirming younger brother.
A brunette with masses of curls restrained by a headband sat up and smiled. "I'm sure we'll be all right."
"Yes," muttered a coffee-skinned nation, curly black hair springing free. "But we'll be mixed, and we won't be ourselves anymore, so suck on that, Iberia."
A thickset, white-haired nation turned his stoniest glare on Carthage. "You know you should shut up."
"You know I can defend myself, Scandinavia," muttered Iberia.
Flowing upwards, stretching limbs unused for millennia. The assistants have taken the minor souls, but the special ones are the property of me.
A very small body started to cry at the negative tone.
Aestii sighed gently. "Look, you've made Assyria cry." She cradled the tiny nation until he stopped wailing.
"What?" Catching the look that Carthage shot her, she frowned. "Just because you don't like him because he was a member of the Roman Empire-"
"Shh!" Byzantine reached forwards. "You're gonna tick him off."
Aestii waved her hands. "My bad."
A large nation lay back, smoothing brown hair behind him, cutting off Carthage's response. "It's weird, you know, how much not having boundaries means..."
The assembled nations rolled their eyes. "Don't you start again, Thrace," warned Britannia. "We've all heard it before."
"Well, then, Britannia," sniped Thrace, "You could let me finish."
As the red-head went to retort, Germania stepped between them. "Shut up." Narrowed blue eyes glanced back and forth. "I don't want to hear your squabbling, now of all times." He gave them both flinty glares.
Thrace and Britannia were no match for Germania's silent rage, and they both subsided. "Like I was saying," continued Thrace, smoothing his hair down again, "it makes me that much more unsure of what parts of me will remain. Will I get divided? Will I go with her?" The normally self-assured voice contained an obvious waver of doubt.
"You make that sound like a bad thing," Ancient Greece tried to tease.
"You know he doesn't mean you," pointed out Ancient Egypt.
"I know."
Brief silence again.
They're assembled, sitting in a rough circle on the grass. They've made this easy for me.
"Stop worrying," said Kievan Rus softly, tangled ash-colored hair waving in the small breeze. "We'll all be fine, and if not, we won't be." The nation glanced at Thrace, who held up his hands in surrender. Nobody wanted to tangle with Kievan Rus if they could help it. Gentle as he may seem, he had the Golden Horde on his side.
"Typical annoying answer," muttered Gaul, pushing back a long lock of blond hair. "Can't you say anything that isn't a riddle?" he complained. "I can't put up with this today."
"It's not a riddle," protested the soft-spoken nation. A purple aura began to shimmer in the air, and Aestii leaped forwards and covered Gaul's mouth.
"Easy for you to say," hissed Siam, black hair tufted from his hands frequently running through it. "You're both so many parts that you'll all stay here, to some extent. What of me? What of the rest of us smaller ones?"
And that was the question, wasn't it.
They're talking to each other as I come. Do they sense me?
Aquitaine sat near her older brother, worrying with a long lock of blond hair. The rose Gaul had pinned there before the 'convention' was shedding its petals, casting red and pink droplets down her silken white skirt. "We're all going to merge, aren't we?"
There was silence as they all considered that. Several eyes turned to the small girl. "How would that work?" asked Iberia, not unkindly. Her thick hair was flopping loose of its normal hairstyle.
"All of us are the small places together, somewhat," she started hesitantly. Germania and Thrace nodded. They knew that feeling very well. "Go on," said Carthage, intrigued against his will.
"So maybe, though we might go, our children might go on. Our parts and counterparts in a world of their own."
Scandinavia inclined his head, spiky hair flopping over one eye.
Aquitaine seemed to be losing her words. "And then, um..."
Gaul set a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I think I understand, Aqui. You don't have to go on, if you don't want to."
The girl looked up at him. "But I want to, I just have no words..."
They speak of going on, of breaking into pieces before I collect them and absorb them into me.
At Ancient Greece's urging, the moonbeam cat walked over and leaned against the back of her legs, purring softly. This seemed to revitalize the small girl. "So what I'm trying to say is, if what we feel inside, the different places tugging apart, then we should just...let them go."
Britannia put her head to the side. "I think I see what you're saying..."
Siam shook his head. "I don't feel a pull..."
"Then maybe you'll be yourself, and hardly change at all!" piped up Iberia brightly, and Siam gifted the nation a smile.
"And maybe some of us will just be gone, but that's okay," said a deep female voice. Atlantis spoke up for the first time, tucking a curl of golden brown hair back into the elaborate weave on her head. "Maybe...it's time."
It is time, young ones. Join me.
Assyria was watching the entire conversation with wide golden eyes. The small nation was the first to notice, to point at the sudden increase of silver moonlight.
As one, the nations turned around.
There was the silvery apparition, hovering above the ground, nothing more than a dusting of curves and smudges in the suddenly intense spotlight. Long silver hair curled over her shoulders, and two ageless, bottomless black eyes watched from the cold lines of her face.
"Luna," whispered Britannia under her breath, and Aquitaine grabbed her brother's hand. Ancient Egypt and Greece bowed, not much more than an inclination of their heads. Byzantine, Siam, and Carthage went even farther than that, falling to one knee before her. Kievan Rus' followed their example, after a moment. Thrace looked like he wanted to spread himself prostrate before her, but only bent in such a deep bow that it was a miracle that he didn't fall over. Scandinavia's and Germania's stone faces were in place, and Iberia just looked in awe. Aestii stepped forwards. "We welcome you back to Earth, Luna."
"Sister," interjected Atlantis, and went to stand next to her. The resemblance was remarkable, from the length of their hair (Atlantis had let hers down) to the same noble cast of their features. They could've been twins, one ghostly, one solid, except Atlantis was a few inches shorter than her sister. Luna graced Atlantis with a faint twitch of the lips.
Come.
With as much dignity as she could muster, Atlantis took her sister's hand, and then took a step higher. Another step into thin air, and her body was wavering in and out of corporeality. With a last, faint smile at the nations she's spent the past millennia with, she took another step upwards-into nothing. There were the traces of pale white light, and then-
Nothing.
Luna tilted her head back, eyes closed, and a small bright spark zipped upwards, from the palm of the hand Atlantis had held so briefly to the heavens.
The assembled nations gasped. None of them seemed willing to step up to Luna anymore.
What is the matter? Are you afraid?
With a trembling voice, Aquitaine stepped forwards. "We're just nervous. It's…unsettling."
Luna inclined her head, white strands floating around her face.
All of you at once, then.
The nations exchanged a glance, and then, almost instinctively, clasped hands, Aquitaine on one end, Carthage on the other, with Assyria perched cheerfully on Byzantine's shoulders.
Come.
Luna reached out, and Carthage reached upwards, his angry face turned to one of resignation. His hand brushed hers, and he vanished. A spark flew high.
The nations were expecting this, but it was still a shock. Iberia smiled brightly at her friends before stepping forwards.
One after another after another nation stepped up when it was their turn. Kievan Rus turned to look at the sky. Byzantine closed his eyes. Aestii bowed her head, hoping that her children would grow up safely.
One by one, they vanished into the sky, sparks flying from each of their souls to where they would be on the map.
As Luna looked up, the dancing points of stars fading under the onslaught of daylight, she smiled.
Rest in peace, my friends.
The flickers of light, somewhat like fireflies, didn't want to reach the sky. Not quite yet.
It was early morning, barely past dawn when a troop of small nations, led by an albino, marched onto the field. The white-haired nation looked around and scowled. "Well, I thought they were meeting here..." He kept a tight grip on his younger brother's collar to keep him from running off.
"Where's Mama?" asked a brunette with wavy long hair, holding the hand of two blondes. "Didn't you say she would be here?"
"Didn't you hear what I just said? Was my voice too awesome for your ears?"
A small nation with a scarf looped several times around his neck walked through the grass and glanced at the flattened patches. There's something about these...
Another brunette was curled up and sleeping, a shred of white cloth going unnoticed by him as he napped in the area of flattened grass. A tan nation was sitting next to him, poking him with a stick.
A cheerful, black-haired nation yawned. "I gotta go back to my พี่ชายของ place soon. They'll be expecting me..."
An angry little nation with a strange curl dragged his brother behind him. "I told you, now isn't a good time to look for Uncle Byzzi, he's not here anymore." He turned on the albino and scowled. "I told you this was a waste of time, bastardo!"
The nation in question wasn't paying any attention, chasing after his brother as HRE gravitated over to angry nation unleashed a string of profanity at the blond, who paid him no heed.
Four pale-headed nations were sitting around one of the flat patches, pointing at things and talking to each other. One with violet eyes stepped forwards. "I think something happened to them." Nobody paid any attention, so he repeated himself. A couple heads swiveled.
"What makes you say that?" asked the black-haired nation. He suddenly looked worried. "D'you think something could've happened to them?"
"You see footsteps in," said one with nearly white hair, "and the places where they lay down, but you don't see their footsteps out."
"Hmph," muttered a short nation with thick eyebrows. "I think they weren't here after all, and Prussia was trying to make a fool of us!"
Immediately a cheery brunette and a nation that looked a lot like Gaul sided with the albino. "Well, Angleterre, you don't believe in mon ami?"
The nation scowled. "Britannia wouldn't spend time with your stupid older siblings. Obviously this whole thing is a sham."
At the insult to their family, all three nations descended on the caped nation, who began some strange chanting in the attempt to ward them off.
The little nation with a scarf was wandering through the field, looking for sunflowers, when a sudden tugging pulled at his atoms. In a moment he found his head rising through a patch of earth. He smiled at this unusual occurrence, not hearing the panic of a few other nations.
The brunette with two blonds in tow continued the conversation with the others. "So you're saying...that Aestii might've gone away without us?" He looked troubled.
The snoozing nation woke up. For once, his sleepy face looked sad. "I think Mama left."
His friend, the one poking him, asked, "How do you know?"
The brunette turned to his friend and said, "I saw her. She took the hand of a ghost and disappeared. She told me when I was asleep." His green eyes filled with tears.
"So...it was a dream?" The coffee-skinned nation tried to figure things out. "Is my Mama leaving too?"
Greece nodded sadly. "As well as that, I felt it."
"Felt?"
"Didn't you realize that you didn't have to find me? I was here the whole time."
The Baltics sidled closer to him. "What do you mean?"
"She took them."
The furry-browed nation had finally stopped his magic war with the Nordics and trotted over as well. "Do you know this for sure?"
"Yes," said Greece miserably. "I saw it."
The albino and his brother, as well as the two Italians, came closer as well. "What do you mean?"
"I said that first!" said Estonia. "You can't steal my words!"
And suddenly all the little nations were surrounding the brunette, asking questions.
"SHUT UP!" bellowed France. When all eyes turned to look at him, he smiled prettily and flounced. "Angleterre has something to say."
Absolutely surprised that the Frenchman listened to him, let alone stood up for him, the caterpillar-browed nation was briefly speechless before resuming his business-like demeanor. "With my magic, I can play your dream-memory on the air so we all can see. Do I have your permission?"
The sleepy brunette inclined his head. "Sure. Will it hurt?"
"No." England tapped his wand on Greece's head, and a beam of light poked out the top like a projector and its screen. All the assembled mini-nations stared up at it in rapt awe.
On the little projection, it was dark. There was a bit of conversation between the different ancients, which was boring. The albino's brother turned around and started poking the dirt with a stick.
The gasps of those watching made him turn back around. A white smear shaped into a woman, who extended a hand towards those assembled.
Nobody dared to look away now. "Selene!" breathed Greece excitedly, but that excitement vanished when Atlantis - who they considered their aunt - took her hand and vanished. Gasps of dismay arose, compounded when other nations began vanishing as well. Carthage first. Then Iberia. Spain looked to the side, his eyes sad. Then Russia, unsmiling for once, sat down on the spot when his older brother achieved spark status. The emotional Italian started bawling when his uncle vanished, and Romano had to try and calm him, though he was a little teary-eyed himself. When Scandinavia ascended, the four Nordics reached towards the image sadly. As Britannia dissolved, the picture did in kind. Fortunately, she was the last.
All the little nations were reduced to utter sadness, with the possible exception of Greece, who fell asleep as soon as the projection above his head poofed into non-existence. There was a babble of depressed conversation among all the tiny nations.
Then, they were silenced by several streaks of white light, like falling stars. "Don't cry," said a soft voice from one of the lights that floated towards the Baltics, who looked up hopefully. "Mama?"
A light with a comically deep voice said to four nations, "We're still with you, just different than normal."
"This does take some getting used to," grumbled a smooth voice, and the sleeping Greek nation woke up, opened one eye, and batted at his mother's light playfully, like a cat.
"It's not that bad," said another voice, and Egypt looked up.
Meanwhile, Thailand had a light bobbing about in front of his face. "I don't think I'll be quite the same. People are gonna remember the big names, Ancient Greece and her friend, Byzantine and Britannia, but not some of the rest of us." Thailand looked sad, but he understood. "Yes, พี่ชายของ, I understand...does this mean you won't be able to come back?"
"...ใช่."
France was speaking to two lights, one with a distinctly feminine voice. "You mean you'll still be a part of me, Aqui?" His voice was hopeful. "Oui, but I won't remember being your older sister. I'll be reincarnated as your child, perhaps..."
The blond laughed. "I couldn't imagine that..."
"Believe it, kiddo," said Gaul affectionately.
"So you're disappearing forever?" Russia said sadly to his light. "Here, I'll give you something." He reached inside his tall jacket and offered up his heart, much to the surprise and disgust of the others. But Kievan Rus understood his baby brother's intentions. "Thanks, but I can't take this. It belongs to you." Russia reluctantly put his heart inside his chest.
Iberia and Carthage were speaking over each other. A certain small Spaniard had thought of them both as parents, even though Carthage wasn't exactly near him. "-and remember to be a good fighter-" "-and grow your tomatoes fresh and juicy!-" "-and!"
"Take good care of him, okay?" said a light to an albino who was clutching his younger brother tightly. "He's going to grow up to be a fine, strong nation. Just like you."
Byzantine was saying the same thing to Romano. "He'll always be more vulnerable in different ways. Both of you have to rely on each other."
Much to the Italians' surprise, a faded, flickering light popped into existence. "I'll visit you two later, okay? In the middle of the ocean! It's a date!"
"Grandpa!" cried Italy, beaming.
The little nations were allowed a last farewell, and when the sun fully rose, the sparks were gone, their siblings were gone, but the despair and depression they had felt- that too was gone.
And for the time being, they were happy.
LONG A/N and Historical Note: I made the deceased whatever gender I saw fit, since I didn't want to spend time looking up stereotypes of nations that don't exist anymore. :3 Also, these are nations from a scattered period of time, so pardon my insanely extreme un-historicalness.
Translation:
พี่ชายของ- brother's (Thai)
ใช่- Yes (Thai) Thai is such a funny looking language. :3
Oh, and Iceland isn't with the Nordics yet. I see him as being a lot younger than the other four.
About the Departed Nations:
Assyria is a small piece of the Roman Empire founded by Trajan that only lasted for two years. That's why he's a baby.
I didn't include Grandpa Rome because I think he already fell.
Thrace is an area that was to the Greeks basically everywhere north of Thessaly, which may have included Macedonia and Scythia [partially part of Ukraine.]
And then I made Carthage, who apparently is a well researched OC. I probably got his personality all wrong because I didn't look him up much.
Byzantine is basically the half of the Roman Empire that lasted longer.
Yes, Britannia is female. Once I was on the internet and found a picture of a woman with red hair who was supposedly her. Hence, Britannia is a redhead instead of blond.
Gaul had France, Switzerland, parts of Belgium, and Luxembourg inside. The French part is automatically enemies with Britannia, as I'm sure you can see.
Aquitaine is also part of France. I made Gaul her older brother. Yes, I made up her entire character.
Siam was basically prehistoric Thailand, if my sources are correct.
Aestii probably became the Baltics. I think the Baltics were originally Lithuania and Livonia, Livonia being the state of present-day Estonia and Latvia. Possibly. I don't know much about any of these! *flails*
Kievan Rus became Russia, and then some. I think.
Everyone knows Atlantis.
And the first few times I rewrote this, I forgot Scandinavia, which ruined it all.
Bglah. There's too many non-existent nations... and I've barely even skimmed the surface.
Oh, and I looked up 'Hetalia Ancients' for basically all of these characters. There's a couple things on either DA or Tumblr that helped with my references. Credit for those characters goes to them. (cough R-ninja cough)
Remember to review! XD