Things are changing
It seems strange and
I need to figure this out
You've got your life, I got mine
But you're all I cared about
~~Flashback~~
"Endwand!" a small dirty blonde boy with bright blue eyes screamed just under the booming thunder beside his window.
A blonde with green eyes ran into the room, picking the little boy out of the crib, "Alfred, what's wrong?"
"I'm scawed!" the younger boy sobbed, "It's scawy, Engwand! It's scawy!"
"It's okay… I'm here…" England said, rocking the little boy back and forth.
"I don't wanna stay hewe!" America, the little boy in England's arms, cried, burying his face in his brother's shoulder.
"Come on. Do you want to sleep in my bed tonight…" England soothed, hugging his brother tightly.
~~End Flashback~~
The rain poured down as the two brothers stared each other down. Alfred was clad in blue and Arthur in red. The two nations stared at each other until Arthur charged at Alfred with the musket in his hand. Alfred blocked said musket with his own. The sheer force sent the musket flying from Alfred's hands and to the ground. Suddenly, without warning, Arthur collapsed to the ground, tears mixing with the rain.
"You used to be… so big…" Alfred said sadly.
"What are you waiting for? Just go. You're independent now. Go on, get out of here!" Arthur yelled scathingly as the tears ran faster down his face.
"But… Arthur…" Alfred said, tears starting to well in his eyes.
Yesterday we were laughing
Today I'm left here asking
Where has all the time gone now
I'm left alone somehow
Growing up and getting older
I don't want to believe it's over
~~Flashback~~
"I should go back to Europe…" Arthur said, smiling at his little brother.
"Wait, Arthur, don't go!" a slightly older Alfred cried, clinging to the older man's arm.
"It's okay… I'll be back to visit, okay?" Arthur reassured, hugging his little brother tightly.
"But, I'll be all alone! It's scary being all alone!" the little blonde cried, tears filling his big blue eyes.
"It'll be okay. I promise, I'll be back soon. Okay?" Arthur said, kissing his brother's head.
"Okay…" Alfred said, almost dejectedly as his brother left.
~~End Flashback~~
"Arthur…" Alfred said, staring into the green eyes he loved so dearly, looking for some hope in a cloud of despair.
"GO!" Arthur snarled, shouting louder than the thunder.
"FINE! YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF!" the American yelled, running away.
"Alfred… I'm so sorry…" Arthur sobbed as he stood up and walked away, "I love you… Alfred…".
Don't say goodbye
'Cause I don't wanna hear those words tonight
'Cause maybe it's not the end for you and I
And although we knew this time would come for me and you
Don't say anything tonight if you're gonna say goodbye
The rain was still pouring, but this time, there was no guns, no uniforms. A girl with brown hair and blue eyes looked into the green eyes belonging to the blonde standing before her. Tears spilled over as she covered her mouth with her hand. She walked closer to the man, looking pained. He looked up at her, his green orbs filled with pain and loss, though he hadn't lost her yet.
"Arthur…" Aashna choked, putting a hand on his cheek as tears spilled over.
"So, you're leaving me too?" Arthur asked scornfully, feeling his heart being ripped out.
"Please…" she begged. This is my last chance… for forgiveness…
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he yelled over the thunder, swatting her hand away and smacking her in the face in his blinding anger.
"Arthur…" she sobbed, the tears flowing faster, "I'm…"
"Leave. I never want to see you again…" Arthur said before she could finish her sentence.
"Arthur…" she sobbed harder
"GO, AASHNA! I NEVER WANT TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" he yelled, scaring her.
"ARTHUR! PLEASE!" she begged, falling to her knees.
"Get out of my sight!" Arthur hissed, throwing her wedding band at her.
Aashna sobbed, "FINE! I STILL LOVE YOU, NO MATTER WHAT!"
She then stood up and ran away. He fell to his knees, staring at the wedding band on his left ring finger. He took it off and threw it in the mud. He let out a choked sob of agony. He looked up at the dark sky.
"First Alfred, now Aashna… Why do I always drive away the people I love?" Arthur sobbed.
Aashna sobbed and her friend Kiku tried to comfort her, but she pushed him away.
"I just want to be left alone!" she yelled, curling into a ball, rather hard to do in an airplane.
Japan sighed, pulling a blanket over the poor girl who had cried herself to sleep. He noticed she was no longer wearing the ring on her left ring finger. That is probably why she left England. It is rather sad that their union ended. They were wonderful together…
Do you remember in December
How we swore we'd never change
Even though you're leaving, our feelings
Would always stay the same
~~Flashback~~
His warm lips trailed kisses down her neck. Their breathing was accelerated and her whimpers sounded in the empty room. He stopped, looking in her eyes.
"Am I hurting you?" Arthur asked his new wife, worried that he was.
"N-No. Please, don't stop… I've been waiting for this night forever." Aashna pleaded, her blue eyes reminding Arthur of Alfred's puppy dog eyes.
"Okay… I promise, I'll love you forever, my precious…" he whispered, continuing his earlier activities.
"Oh, Arthur… I'll love you forever too…" she said as she felt bliss swell in her veins.
Later
"I promise… Things will never change…" Arthur said as he gently entered her.
Aashna winced in pain, "It hurts… It hurts, Arthur…"
He hugged her close, "It's okay… I love you."
She smiled, feeling the pain leave, "I love you too."
~~End Flashback~~
I wish we could be laughing instead I'm standing here asking
Do we have to end this now can we make it last somehow
We both know what we've gotta say, not today
'Cause I don't wanna leave this way
"Why? Why did she leave? Damn you, Alfred! Everything was fine until you came back into my life!" Arthur hissed.
"You're blaming your marriage troubles on ME? YOU threw yourself at me! You're not just impacting your life! My marriage is in jeopardy too, thanks to you!" Alfred yelled, shaking from the sheer rage stored in his body.
"Oh it's my fault? Then maybe you should have said, 'Arthur, I don't want to sleep with you!' I would have backed off!" the green eyed blonde yelled, his voicing echoing through the empty house.
Alfred promptly slammed the phone back into the receiver. He sat on his bed and sobbed into his hands. He loved Ali. So why had he slept with Arthur? Alfred broke down even more. Alfred Jr., his son, stood in the doorway, watching his father sob. He couldn't hold back any longer. He ran into the room, hugging his father tightly.
"Dad, don't cry, please…" the teenager pleaded.
Alfred put his head on his sobbing son's shoulder, "I'm so stupid…"
Amanda, who was also standing at the doorway, ran over to her father and her brother and wiggled under her twin's grip on their father. She hugged him tightly, sobbing.
"Daddy! Don't cry. Please, don't cry! Don't leave us, daddy! We need you!" the brunette sobbed, her blue eyes begging for him not to leave.
Don't say goodbye
'Cause I don't wanna hear those words tonight
'Cause maybe it's not the end for you and I
And although we knew this time would come for me and you
Don't say anything tonight if you're gonna say goodbye
Alejandra, Alfred's wife was standing outside the room through Alfred's conversation with Arthur, then his children. She heard Amanda, her daughter, begging Alfred not to leave. She called quietly to her children.
"Alfred, Amanda. I need to speak to your father alone, please…" Alejandra said.
The two teens nodded, leaving the room, hugging each other.
"Alfred…" Alejandra said, sitting beside her husband on the bed.
Alfred looked at the wall, "You should leave me… After what I did to you…"
"NO!" she cried, hugging him tightly.
"W-Why not?" he asked, tears filling his eyes.
"I love you Alfred! We were meant to be… We were meant to be together forever! That's what we promised!" she sobbed, her grip tightening as she held his left hand.
Alfred looked at her, tears in his eyes, putting a hand on her cheek tenderly, "How could you… forgive me for such a terrible thing?"
"Because I love you Alfred. I forgive you. Please, don't leave me…" Alejandra sobbed, squeezing his hand tighter.
"How could I ever leave you? I love you more than anything…" he asked, starting to inch closer to her.
"I love you too. I promise, I'll always love you and I'll never leave you…" she sobbed.
Alfred could no longer take the overwhelming fervor coursing through his veins. He kissed her with all the passion he had been holding back. They kissed passionately, holding each other close and never wanting to part. When they needed air, they parted, but Alfred couldn't hold anything back; his body wouldn't allow him. He kissed down her neck and she knew he wasn't ready. He was ashamed for what he did and wanted to make it up to her.
"Alfred. It's okay. You don't have to prove anything to me. You're not ready…" she whispered.
He stopped, collapsing next to her, crying, "You're right… Oh, Ali… I'm so sorry."
Alejandra hugged her husband tightly, stroking his hair, "I forgive you. Love, sleep… You need it…"
Alfred nodded, drifting off as he spoke "Okay. I love you, Ali, so much…"
And if it's over
It hurts but I'm giving you my word
I hope that you're always
Happy like we were, happy like we were
Aashna,
I'm so sorry for hurting you. You don't deserve bastard like me. You deserve better. But, I still love you. I'm not asking you to forgive me, or condone what I've done, or take me back. I'm only asking that you move on. You don't have to worry about me unless you want to. I'm so sorry for what I said that day. I regret it all. The fighting, the affair… I regret everything I've done to you that's bad. Please, make yourself happy. I will love you forever, and I'm so sorry for all the terrible and idiotic things I've done to you… Goodbye, my love…
Yours Truly,
Arthur Kirkland
Aashna sobbed as she read the letter that was clutched in her hands. Kiku watched her cry, unsure of what to do. Unsure of what his limits were as a friend. He wanted to go over to the poor girl and give her an uncharacteristically tight hug. He stayed rooted in place. What could he do? The rest was between the former lovers. He knelt beside her on the floor after staring at her for the longest time. Just as Japan was about to give India a hug, Italy burst in the door, holding flowers and chocolate in one hand and pasta in the other.
"Ve~ I heard you were sad, so I brought you some flowers and chocolate…" Italy said quietly (for once), smiling sadly at her.
India sniffed, taking the flowers and chocolate, "Thanks, Italy."
"Ve~ You want a hug too?" the Italian asked.
The Indian woman hugged the brunette tightly, "Sorry if it crushes your ribcage…"
"Ve~ It's okay." Feliciano said, patting her back.
Aashna sighed and broke away from her friend's embrace and sat back down on the floor. She noticed Germany was still standing by the door, waiting to be invited in. India chuckled and motioned for him to come in. He gave her a sad smile and sat beside her. He gently rubbed her back a little, giving wordless comfort. She smiled through her tears as her friends surrounded her. She really did have the best friends ever, didn't she?
Don't say goodbye
'Cause I don't wanna hear those words tonight
'Cause maybe it's not the end for you and I
And although we knew this time would come for me and you
Don't say anything tonight if you're gonna say goodbye
Arthur,
I will make myself happy, for you. Oh Arthur, I still love you. But after what you did, oh, I don't even know. I… I want to give you the benefit of the doubt, but… How do I know you won't do it again? This is the second time you've cheated on me. The first time you were drunk. But this time… this time it hurt badly. Especially because you cheated on me with not only one of my close friend, but your brother. That's what hurt the most. I will always love you, Arthur, but sometimes, good things must come to an end. I'm sorry to say this, but goodbye, my love.
Sincerely,
Aashna
Arthur broke down when he read the letter from his ex-wife-no, former lover. He would never dare call a beautiful woman such a thing; truth or not. He banged his head on the kitchen table. He hated himself for this. He had ruined his marriage and possibly Alfred's. He probably hates me too… All the people I love… I drove them all away. Damn! If you're listening, high beings, damn me to hell, for eternity! For what I did to my poor wife, my poor brother… I hate myself now! A small voice sounded from the doorframe.
"Daddy…" a small girl who looked a lot like Arthur came into the room.
"Honey…" Arthur said, looking at the letter from his former lover.
"Is mommy… ever coming back?" the girl asked innocently.
"I… I don't think so…" Arthur said honestly, putting his daughter in his lap.
"Daddy, I forgive you… It's okay daddy, you don't have to cry. I'll stay with you so you aren't lonely…" Rose, Arthur's daughter, said, wrapping her small seven year old arms around her sobbing father.
"Thank you… Rose..." he murmured, stroking his daughter's blonde hair.
Alfred… I'm so sorry… I screwed up your life… I'm so selfish… Alfred, my little brother… Can you ever forgive me?
Yesterday we were laughing
If you're gonna say goodbye
Today I'm left here asking
If you're gonna say goodbye
"Alfred?" Arthur asked.
"What?" Alfred said, letting no emotion in his voice.
"I'm sorry…" Arthur whispered.
"What was that?" the dirty blonde asked, adopting a quieter tone to his voice.
"I'm sorry… I've done such terrible things to my little brother… Oh, Alfred… Please, can you ever forgive me?" the blonde on the other line begged his green eyes sparkling with tears.
"I forgive you… Arthur, don't cry…" Alfred said, close to tears himself.
"May I… speak to Alejandra?" Arthur asked, swallowing the lump in his throat.
"Sure…" the blue eyed man replied, motioning for his wife to come get the phone from him.
The brown eyed woman took the phone from her husband, kissing his cheek, mouthing 'I love you'.
"Hello?" the green eyed Brit asked nervously.
"Hello." Alejandra said calmly.
"Alejandra… Listen… I…" Arthur choked.
"You asked to speak with me to apologize…" she replied carefully.
"Yes. Yes I did. Alejandra, I'm so sorry. This is not Alfred's fault. It's mine… I… I don't know what I was thinking…" he choked, hoping the former Spanish colony didn't hate his guts.
"It's alright… I forgive you." Alejandra said quietly, as if speaking to a wounded child.
"Thank you… I really am sorry…" Arthur said, hearing the sadness in his own voice.
"It's okay…" she said softly as they both hung up.
"Everything's okay?" Alfred asked his wife.
Alejandra nodded, "Yes. Everything is fine, love."
And although we knew this time would come for me and you
Don't say anything tonight if you're gonna say goodbye…