Aye, I don't know where this came from. Really, I don't. It was a fleeting idea that was meant to be one thing and transferred to this. Not that I mind, I got what I wanted in this one so it's all good.

Note that Sofia refers to Ukraine - I chose it because it's one of the names Himaruya said was a possible name name for her, and it was the easiest for me to remember to spell. And I liked it. With that said, this story is set in an alternate universe and human names are used.

Alright, now that that's dealt with, I hope you enjoy the story ^^

She was gone.

The gentle wind blew the soft, thin flurries into his cheek as Ivan watched the scene before him blankly. He could see it fine; the strange man murmuring words of passing in front of the closed coffin, the small dusting of snow that was creating a faint white blanket on the black expanse of polished wood. The soft sounds of sobs from the few people who had come echoed through the air, reaching the Russian man's ears clearly. He could see all this, hear all of it, but it wasn't registering in his brain. It wasn't possible.

She wasn't dead… She couldn't be.

The tall man stared at the coffin frigidly, cursing it for bringing grieve to the people that surrounded him. It was one of many things feeding a lie – after all, no matter how hard he stared at the foreign container, he could feel in his heart the girl didn't reside in there. Of course she didn't; they hadn't retrieved her body. But how could they? She wasn't dead, so there was no corpse to collect. Why were they holding a funeral for an empty coffin?

A cloud of fog disturbed the clear air in front of him as Ivan sighed, quickly becoming tired of this. The girl they were supposedly holding this funeral for would be furious when she finally got home – she had insisted he stay the weekend with her at the hotel she'd had no choice but to stay at due to business, after all. He had gone of course, though reluctantly. It would have been worse if he hadn't – instead of staying with the overly affectionate girl for a couple days he would have to deal with her mixture of venomous and tearful phone calls. But she hadn't been at the hotel when he'd arrived. He was confused by this, despite the lies the ludicrous police had told him. A quick mental note was taken to fine the men for feeding him such ridiculously false information.

Despite the obvious fact this was all a lie – a farce, if you will – the Russian was still oblivious to the girl's current location. She would turn up eventually, he was sure, as she always did, but the slightest flicker of concern was starting to light in his heart. Despite how annoying he found her, and all in all truly terrifying, she was still one of the few people he held dear to his heart – he wouldn't ever have been able to grant her what she desired most, nor did he have any wish to, but he still adored her. His precious little girl…

"Mister Braginski?" Ivan blinked a couple of times, looking down to see the strange man, along with everyone who had gathered, staring at him expectantly. "Do you have anything you would like to say in memory of your sister?" The Russian tilted his head slightly, staring at who he now viewed to be the heart of the lie impassively. Did he have something to say? Of course not, because this wasn't right. His sister – his sweet, slightly obsessive little Natalia – wasn't dead. She was fine. If anything, she had merely gotten lost and everyone was dreadfully mistaken. What a horrible situation, he silently hoped the lot of them would be sued when she was finally found.

The man finally clarified Ivan had nothing to say, and after verifying that no one else had anything more they wished to do – pay their last respects, say any more words, anything in remembrance of the dearly departed girl – he allowed the other strange men gathered in black to lower the coffin into the gradually hardening ground. Ivan continued to watch with near emotionless eyes, his irritation growing steadily stronger as the sobs around him strengthened in intensity and sound. He couldn't believe this – how far did these idiots plan on taking this?

Apparently all the way, he soon confirmed, as the box was gradually covered with freezing soil, the snow crystals sparkling between clumps of dirt in the faint winter sun. When the burial place was nice and flat, the earth looking too perfect in the Russian's eyes, the others who attended the funeral stepped forward to place a variety of flowers on the darkened area. Even his older sister placed one down, her cheeks stained from the tears that continued to flow, even now. A small tug was felt upon his heart at the sight, and for a mere moment he wondered if maybe this was true – maybe his darling little sister, frightening as she may be, was truly gone. The thought only flickered through his mind because Sofia had never been one to lie in his knowledge. He quickly dismissed the idea though, deciding she had simply fallen for the trick this funeral was.

The sight of everyone crying around the newly torn earth became too much for him – whether it was irritation, grief, or both Ivan could not decipher, but the negativity he felt upon viewing the scene was too much. He half considered leaving, or at the very least waiting in the car until Sofia decided she was done crying in the cold, but he couldn't bring himself to. As cruel as he was known to be, he couldn't leave his sister alone to cry by herself – well, not necessarily by herself, but rather without him. It would be an action that would haunt his conscience for years. He should at least comfort her, it was his duty as her brother. Just as he was about to turn around to speak to the woman, however, she tugged lightly on his sleeve. He'd barely had a chance to face her fully before she was clinging to him, her face buried in his chest.

The momentary shock of her sudden unexpected appearance passed away fairly quickly, and out of instinct he wrapped his arms around her trembling frame gently, rocking back and forth ever so slightly, trying to offer comfort to the sobbing woman. Sofia sniffled quietly a few moments into the embrace, rubbing her gloved hands over her face hastily before she looked up at the young man tearfully, sending a near painful jolt through his heart.

"Ivan, darling…" Her voice shook as she placed her covered hand on his cheek, bottom lip trembling as she restrained her sobs. "Dearest brother, are you alright. You've practically been a statue throughout the whole service." Ivan placed his hand over his sister's lightly, his fingers curling protectively over her tinier appendage as his signature childish smile graced his lips, both confusing and concerning the elder.

"Of course I have, sister, because this is all wrong." Sofia frowned slightly at this, grasping her brother's other hand tightly before she held it to her chest.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"This funeral, of course. Don't you see it's all a lie? There's no way Natalia's dead. She's simply in hiding. Perhaps she's been kidnapped, and whoever took her is spreading this lie to take away any suspicion." The Russian's voice gradually grew darker as he spoke, his brow furrowing at the thought of the defiant girl locked away against her will. Sofia had to take a moment to process and grasp a basic understanding of her brother's mindset before a fresh flow of tears poured down her cheeks, her breath hitching as she held his hand closer to her chest.

"O-Oh, Ivan, I wish you were right. I honestly do, b-but you're confused love. Sh-She's not… Kidnapped… She's not in hiding… Sh-She was hit by a skidding bus, remember? That's what the police told us. The driver even confessed his mistake to our faces." Her voice faltered as she pulled her hand away from Ivan's cheek to join the one grasping his own hand, pulling the limb to her lips as she kissed his fingers shakily, trying to convey both comfort and the truth to the younger.

"They were lying…" The taller Braginski's voice had softened by now as he looked at his sister's face. "She's not dead. She got lost… Or kidnapped… Maybe she's back home now… She'll probably tell me she wants to marry me… Again…" His gaze flicked away from Sofia's quickly, unwanted and closed off realization making its way into his stubborn thoughts. "She can't… Be dead… Not yet… I never granted her wish… I didn't want to, but…" Sofia lifted her hand back up to Ivan's cheek as the silent tears of understanding made their way slowly down his cheeks. "I-I should have said yes… Shouldn't I..? She was my baby sister… It was my job to make her happy… Why didn't I consent to her wish..?" Voice shaking slightly as he spoke, Ivan gradually fell to his knees in the snow, oblivious to the cold that soaked through his pants as he finally comprehended the situation.

She really was gone. Never again would he hide in terror as she tried to destroy whatever obstacles lay between her and her beloved brother. Never would he lock her out of the house one moment, only to hold her close to him the next when a particularly harsh storm sent the tiniest chills of fear through her. He'd never see her expressions again – never see her smile, cry, or laugh. He would never see her shriek at anyone who dared come a meagre step too close to him, or listen to her repetitive pleas of 'marry me, brother!' on the opposite side of his bedroom door. It was all gone. In less than a heartbeat, the small girl he'd unknowingly taken for granted was gone.

A quaking sob finally escaped his throat, followed swiftly by another, and yet another as his remaining sister dropped to her knees as well, holding him close to herself as he cried. He could feel her own sobs racking her body as the pair held each other tight, their shared grief increasing with each weep. As he sat in the snow, holding his elder sibling firmly, Ivan found himself wishing he hadn't come to realize the truth. He'd have rather stayed oblivious, safe in the belief that his lovely little Natalia, the darling sister he loved more then he'd ever realized when she was still with him, was waiting somewhere out there, ready with her onslaught of begs and pleas. He wished desperately for a second chance that would never come, a chance to make the girl's one strong wish come true. All he'd ever had to say was 'yes'. One simple word that he'd never had the strength or mindset to say.

As the sobbing pair continued to sit in the gradually emptying cemetery, oblivious to the pitying expressions they received from the few others who had attended, the Russian man started to unconsciously decide that he would be sure to, from this day on, grant his remaining, darling sister – the only real family he had left – anything she ever desired without a second thought. He would be sure that he would not repeat his past mistake of taking advantage of the time he had with those dear to him, finally coming to understand just how short life really was, and how precious every moment with those he loved was.

And that's all. I don't know where the idea came from, I feel horrible for killing Belarus, but eh. I hope you enjoy. I apologize for any out of character-ness, this is my first time writing all of these characters, and, well, their baby sister just died. It's natural for them to be a little off.

Also, although I am fairly sure there are none (I've checked this multiple times, so there shouldn't be any), I apologize if there are any mistakes. If there are they should be small, and I hope they don't disrupt your reading. With that said, I hope you enjoyed, and reviews are always appreciated. Thank you~