Oh, my goodness. Here it goes…my first Hetalia story. *takes a deep breath*

This is also my first story on this site since 2010, so I hope I'm not too shaky this first chapter. Criticism and helpful corrections are most certainly welcome!

Just as an FYI, the first two chapters or so are very angsty, but the story will get much cheerier later on. Enjoy!

"Every wave, regardless of how high and forceful it crests, must eventually collapse within itself."

-Stefan Zweig

United States of Sealand

Chapter 1: Waiting for an End

In the year 2047, the Bates family finally left Sealand.

The announcement was made one quiet day in July, over the Internet, in a small obscure column of Sealand's obscure and outdated home website cluttered with news of repairs, winter storms, and obscene messages from one particular little carrot-top "Ladonian" boy with a penchant for hacking into the site. None of the members of the micronation's ruling family ever directly gave the reason for their sudden desire for departure from the former British fort. In the interviews with tabloids that actually cared about the self-proclaimed nation, the Bates spoke as if they were honorably conceding their home as a result of their complete surrender to Germany after the "Sealandic-German War of 2038": a war so difficult and so fearsome that no nation in the world even heard of it...not even Germany. That's what the Bates told the world that cared about them when in fact the real reason for leaving had nothing to do with a war at all.

In reality, the Bates left because Sealand was falling apart, literally. One hundred years were not kind to the place. The concrete pillars that held the nation up were slowly deteriorating, the metal framework of the fort was rusting more than ever, and the repairs made during the early part of the twenty-first century were falling apart. Back during those early years, repairs could be made and be expected to last at least five years; now, repairs were required every five months. Precious money was being spent in shipping costs for new supplies to rebuild rooms and platforms, and after the Sealandic football team was dismissed and honorable Sealanders gave up their citizenship for more exciting titles than "a citizen of a rusty fort", interest in Sealand diminished and fewer financial donations arrived. Not even the revenue from tourists traveling to see the quirky, antique sites of the world could cover the expenses of new metal paneling, lights, wiring, and the works. By 2040, there were already three rooms deemed "unsalvageable" by inspectors, because the family could not afford to repair them and let them go, and within seven years the number of neglected rooms rose to eleven. The last straw for the Bates was when one of the great-great-granddaughters of the Sealand's founder fell through the rusted floor of one of the bedrooms, broke her leg, and was taken to a British hospital via helicopter. Thus, to save their financial future as well as their lives and health, the family surrendered to Germany, packed, and left on July 7. They were at this point in time quite happy to leave.

They were so happy in fact, that they completely forgot about the little boy in a sailor suit watching them pack their belongings. The days after the announcement, while the family packed, he said nothing, and watched silently as the family he had known for all his life placed into boxes gifts he had given to his former bosses and drawings he had given to the children of these bosses, all while none of them acknowledged his existence.

The boy - the embodiment of the micronation himself, Sealand - had no desire to beg them to stay. It wasn't that he wanted them to leave - in fact, if he had his way, he would dump himself in a barrel of radioactive waste in order to gain a superpower that would enable him to both fix any fort forever and attract the attention of rich countries willing to donate or, better yet, recognize him - that way he could get a nametag from the United Nations as well as good amount of support money. He had dreamed for years of gaining national recognition and he tried his hardest to earn it - whether it was running a lemonade stand at world meetings or following France's advice of streaking through the meeting hall with the words "Recognize this!" written in marker on his chest (all this incident led to, Sealand recalled, was a hard-dealt slap in France's face by his adopted mother, a beating of France by his adopted father, and shocked, disturbed, angry, indifferent, and laughing faces of the other nations). He couldn't be recognized. He had to face the music, because his time had run out. His nation was falling apart, and one day, when the place collapsed, he would disappear along with the metal and concrete he had loved and repaired with bubble gum and washable glue.

Yet, he was happy to see the family leave before his end, because it meant they wouldn't be hurt. When the little girl who had fallen through the floor, named Sophie, had first cried out for help, he had been the first to climb down and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. He helped carry Sophie all the way to the waiting helicopter, and he held her hand singing a nursery rhyme to the four-year-old before she was airlifted away. When she returned, however, she could no longer recognize him. In fact, most of the family had already begun to forget him, even before they left. Sealand missed the years when all the Sealanders could talk to him and remember him - by the 2040s, he was no better off than Canada, perhaps even worse, when it came to his own citizens. It more than likely had to do with the fact that the family was slowly caring less and less for the micronation, he figured. Yet, recognition or not, he still loved and would always love the Bates family, and Sealand wanted nothing more than to see them safe. Sophie had been lucky. For all he knew, she could have fallen through the rusted barge floors all the way to the sea below. He was now dangerous to the family, and he caused too much stress for them. It was better that he let the members of the family of Paddy Roy Bates go rather than subject them to worry, without begging them to stay.

The family packed their bags quickly, and the day they left Sealand could be seen drinking out of a little juice box and sitting on a wooden crate while they loaded their possessions onto a waiting ship, which took all morning. He thought about helping them out, but hastily decided against it. They were doing fine on their own. After all the bags were aboard the ship, and a quick check assured nothing important had been left behind save for a few flags and unnecessary documents, Super Larry's son lowered the flag for the final time and gave a short speech on the history of the micronation, how it impacted world history, and what a shame it was that the nation failed. Sealand said nothing, and remained unfazed the entire time. He finished his juice.

Then, with a few last glances, the Bates family climbed aboard the ship and they sailed off towards "that jerk" England's place. None of them even saw Sealand sitting on the crate, not even Sophie, but that was okay - or at least, he looked as if it was okay on the outside. He didn't wave to them, or attempt to call them back. He just waited for the ship to disappear beyond the horizon. When the vessel disappeared from his site, he didn't cry. All his tears had already been cried out of him when the family stopped remembering him. However, he did feel suddenly a sense of wooziness and nausea and without even registering what was happening to him, he lost consciousness and fainted.

Three Months Later - October 3, 2047

Sealand sat up in the bed in his room while Finland set a tray filled with fresh soup, crackers, and a glass of orange juice.

"Okay, Sealand, I've prepared for you your favorite meal!" he exclaimed in a very sing-songy voice he'd been using more often around Sealand recently. "Kesäkeitto with animal-shaped crackers and orange juice! Enjoy!" He punctuated the last sentence with a smile, and waited for the boy to begin eating while the family dog, Hanatamago, waited with him.

Sealand gave a warm, soft smile to his adopted mother. Kesäkeitto was actually more of his adopted mother's favorite dish, but he had recently taken a liking to it, and once he said, "I like it," it was automatically registered as Sealand's favorite meal in Finland's mind. Finland did nearly anything to please him ever since the day the Bates left and Finland traveled to the abandoned fort and found the micronation slumped over a crate unconscious and sickly. He and Sealand's adopted father, Sweden, brought him immediately to the nearest hospital, where Sealand recovered for the next few days. Since then, Sealand hadn't been the same. He was now weak and had difficulty walking, and he could no longer eat heavy meals without getting sick. He was nearly completely bedridden.

He knew he was dying. Although his parents smiled all the time around him, he knew that they knew he was nearing his end and that they only attempted to be happy around him to cheer him up in the face of death. Sealand knew that as he sat, watching the twenty-sixth Pokemon movie on his 4D television set while slurping Finnish soup and munching on crackers, his nation was falling apart, and piece by piece of it was dropping into the ocean. He appreciated the effort by the two Nordics to make him feel pampered and loved, but neither love nor nurturing could save him. His home was beyond repair-even Sweden's and Finland's attempts to find a repairman capable enough to save him were in vain. It was just a matter of waiting till the end…

"How is it, Sealand?" Finland asked, jolting him from his thoughts. Bright, gentle violet eyes that Sealand had long found comfort in prompted him to answer.

"It's great, mother. It's just as good as always. Thank you!"

Finland seemed satisfied with the answer, and ruffled the micronation's hair with a smile. "That's my boy!"

"Yes, that's our boy indeed," a voice boomed out.

Finland turned to greet the owner of the voice. "Ah, isn't he, Sweden! Welcome back!" He embraced Sweden in a soft hug, only to be bombarded with a tight bear hug back. Sealand smiled at the sight of his parents hugging and kissing in greeting as they usually did. He wondered if they would be the same after he was gone…

Then, just before Sweden went to greet him, for a split second, time seemed to pause. Sealand gazed into the faces of his beloved adopted parents as they smiled at him with all the love the world, and he smiled right back. He was so happy, and life was so simple. How wonderful would it be for this happy moment to last forever? In that second, Sealand decided that if the rest of his life was filled with happy memories of his parents, he would not mind the fact that in a short time, he would be gone. Maybe…

Then, suddenly, his bowl of soup slipped out of his hands and spilled, and a puddle of it accumulated on the floor. His parents didn't seem to notice, as they kept smiling at him as if nothing had happened. Without knowing why, Sealand suddenly had the urge to clean up the mess himself rather than ask his parents to help as he usually did in situations like this. He knew there were paper towels in the kitchen, and as he moved to get off the bed, his found that his feet stepped into water up to his knees instead of the puddle he had seen earlier. Worse still, the water level was rising.

His parents didn't notice as the small lake that had filled his room continued to rise. Sealand ran to the door, but realized that in his physical weakness and lack of practice with walking, he found himself stumbling to just stay upright-the rising water didn't help his balance either. After falling down about five times, he made it to the door with the water level up to his neck. As he attempted to turn the knob, he realized that the door was locked. Terrified, he called out to his parents. "Mom...Dad! Help me!" Both parents kept smiling and standing as if the room was as dry as the Sahara.

Suddenly, Sealand felt the floor under him disappear, and his parents disappeared under the water. Sealand swam to the ceiling where the last air pockets were diminishing, and within a few seconds, all air in the room was gone. Desperately, Sealand swam down, only to realize his furniture and the windows had disappeared. With this realization, he frantically banged on the door, hoping someone would rescue him. Maybe Denmark could help him! Or Norway. Iceland. Wy. Molossia. Even Ladonia. Anybody!

With one last pound, he felt his energy give way, and he felt his last breath of air escape as pain filled his lungs and his consciousness began to fade…

...

...

Gasp!

Sealand awoke as a small downpour of rain trickled in through the rusty rooftop against a backdrop of a gray-blue sky set above him. He felt a crick in his neck as he sat up from his makeshift bed made of a crate and spare laundry sheets he found in an extra room at his place.

He got up, and walked carefully through the rooms of his home at the sea fort, not paying too much attention to the dream he'd just escaped from, simply because it was the same dream he'd been having for the past six days since he had been sold by Sweden's government for money to alleviate his papa's stomachache-also known as a recession.

The micronation remembered it clearly: after Sweden smacked his boss in the head for the Internet transaction, the older nation had promised Sealand that he would try to buy him back again. Until then, his father's boss - speaking with a throbbing bump on his head - ordered Sealand to stay out of the country. The dreams had started that night. Then, five days later - which was the day before Sealand woke up that morning - Finland's boss, who was not interested in keeping a rusty old British fort and was simply quite a rude man with a bad childhood experience, hadn't approved of Finland letting a child run about in Helsinki and thus a very violent fistfight between his mother and his boss was instigated. It was all simply too much emotion for Sealand to take, and so he ran away to his own home - what better place to hide out then his own country?

He watched every step as he walked. Most of the boards in the place were rusting, and one false step might mean a two story drop for him. After navigating through the empty, rusty rooms he finally found the door that led outside and with a bit of strength, he opened the door which opened with a clinking sound, and he walked silently towards the edge of the fort, and climbed over the edge to prepare for a morning dive into the sea to search for a fish to eat.

He took off most of his clothes, leaving only his underwear on. It wasn't the first time he'd dived into the sea, plunging himself dozens of feet into the cool waters of the ocean below to search for a fish to cook and eat. It was a way in which he used to please the rulers of his country by cooking up fish nuggets to surprise them on their birthdays, or to feel like a part of the family while they cooked dinners that he used to eat along with them. That was back in the day when he felt he was still useful.

At the edge of the cliff, Sealand stood, once again. Taking a deep breath, he looked below and for a while he felt a twinge of fear, remembering his dream. Looking at the blue, he suddenly wondered what dying in it would be like in reality. Would he drown immediately? Was his drowning in his dream foreshadowing what would happen to him when his micronation fell into the sea? Was drowning destined to be the means of his death?

In those moments of thought, he feared the water, but only for a few seconds. After all, his growling stomach spoke louder than his thoughts. With aged agility, he leaped off of the barge - a small blue blip against the grayed air, and he felt the same great thrill he always did. He felt the air whoosh around his eyes and through his hair, he closed his eyes, and within a few seconds he felt himself plunging through the surface of the ocean.

The high dive might normally have caused a few fractures to a human, but to a nation the fall was as simple as a dip into a normal swimming pool. He opened his eyes and gazed at the endless blue that surrounded him. Plankton floated past him before he took off swimming around, looking for a nice tasty cod. Sealand felt joy in his heart as he swam, not just because he loved the sea tremendously but also because to him the sea represented peace and stability-the ocean never changed, unlike his life. The little plankton that swam never had to worry about eBay or losing families. They always had tons of sea life friends to support them, no matter what. Money never mattered to them.

After searching for a while - since he'd been able to train himself over the years to hold his breath underwater for a good two minutes by pretending to be Aquaman - and with no luck, he decided to head back up to the surface for a breath of oxygen. Just as he turned upward to swim upward, his peripheral vision caught a shadow coming from the surface of the ocean about one hundred kilometers away. At first glance, Sealand saw a fish, but after a while he realized that it was moving too fast for a fish.

"What's that?" Sealand thought. He swam closer to the surface, his heart slightly faster than it had before, and he tried to stay a good distance away from the shadow so he wouldn't be spotted. It was better to be concealed than be sorry, of course. Upon further inspection, Sealand realized that it was a very large object. After a while, he noticed that it was moving towards his home, and as it creeped closer Sealand could soon hear the sound of a boat propeller slowing down, and when it reached the pillars of his home, the object stopped.

"The Bates? Have they come back? he wondered. "Or is it Finland or Sweden telling me I'm coming home again?" Joy overtook him as he put happiness before the safety rules - the ones he'd learned from England and his adopted parents - and swam upward to see the occupants of the boat. As he broke to the surface and took the breath of oxygen he had nearly forgotten in his suddenly awoken hope that he would see his family again, he looked at the mysterious stranger whom was now shooting a grappling hook to the edge of the rusty fort with a small bundle on his back, with a very dangerous look. He was light-skinned with messy dark hair, and was incredibly skinny. He wore a white t-shirt and sweatpants - odd for a traveler to his nation - and worn sneakers. His bundle, with the appearance of a backpack, looked incredibly heavy, yet the stranger didn't seem to mind the extra weight as he repelled expertly up the pillar of Sealand using just his hook.

It was certainly not Finland or Sweden, or Hanatamago. It was not any of his fellow micronation friends. It wasn't any of the nations. It wasn't the Bates. This was a normal human, and a crazy-looking one - the kind that looked too sinister to be a good person. This man looked like he was going to change his micronation, for the worst.

Sealand decided right there and then that he had to stop this man, and he swam quietly towards the fort.

Okay, phew! Thank you for reading it through to the end!

Again, this is my first Hetalia fanfic, so I hope I did fine...If I made any mistakes (with the characters, places, facts, etc.), please let me know. Even a few grammar or diction suggestions would be fine - I don't have a beta after all! America will appear later. :)

Reviews are very welcome!