Author's note: I don't own Hetalia or any of its characters…this is a non-profit piece of fan-art! Enjoy and review please!
*I dedicate this piece of fan-fiction to my Spain and my boyfriend—one of the sweetest, if not the sweetest and most considerate people I know*
Prologue
It shines like the sun over the western horizon, having fallen into a summer's dream. Its skin is slick and the light bounces off of it like a thin bubble layering. My thumb massaged its shaft—a small bunched axis. I let it roll out of my palm, extending my fingers flat against the floor. A tomato, one of the only gifts from Spain I'd ever cherished…or the only one I let myself say thank you for.
-_Ripening in the Garden_-
"You're going to spoil your dinner, Romano." Spain warned me, as I reached up the counter as far as my arm would go.
He moved the basket of fresh tomatoes further out of my reach. Damn, I can't wait to be older…and taller…with longer arms, I thought, irritated. I watched him as he prepared food, smiling cheerfully as always; his soft green eyes remaining thoughtful. He noticed I was staring at him and craned his smile in my direction, stretching it wider across his face. Immediately my whole face grew hot and red, I scowled and averted my eyes. He laughed, reaching out to rub my head and mess up my hair in the process. Whining and mumbling insults under my breath, I turned and stomped awkwardly out the back door.
The sun was scorching hot on my back. I trotted over to the lake near the edge of Spain's tomato garden and peered at my reflection. My short auburn hair was stuffed tightly inside a white hair bonnet, the long curl at the top of my head jumping in the breeze. My apron, the dress…everything was so…girly. I'm becoming like my brother, I thought. That's disgusting. Suddenly, I noticed something white dart under the surface of the lake. I leaned over further to get a better glimpse of the object. Was it…sparkling? Tiny needles formed themselves across my skin, tearing through my clothing in one sharp swallow. Bubbles paraded around me and made circles spiraling up somewhere above me. I opened my eyes and all I could see was the black of a lake bottom, soiled with decay and loam. My stomach turned and I felt uneasy. I didn't like this place at all; I tried to paddle upwards to reach the surface. My head broke the water with a loud splashing, which I realized to be my arms, flailing to keep myself above the lake. I shouted the first word that came to mind, in a desperate cry for help.
"Spain, Spain!" I screamed before my arms gave out in exhaustion and I fell back into submersion.
My chest started to hurt, oh it ached so badly then, and my head spun. Then I felt myself drifting as the pain started to worsen…or rather, was it fading? I couldn't tell. The last thing I could think of, the last thing I could remember at the moment was a silent screaming as my mind struggled to hold consciousness.
No, I don't want to die like this.
"Romano! Romano…Lovi…can you hear me? Answer, please!" I heard a voice yelling.
The voice sounded torn with stress, worry and something else I couldn't quite place. I felt something warm pressing against my lips and my whole body trembled as a fever-like heat rushed through my veins. I tried to talk, to ask what was going on but only ended up choking out mouthfuls of lake water. I grumbled as a bright light was cast across my vision and, in a blurry fog, figures and shapes started forming around me. I blinked, tossing my head in confusion. Above me, Spain loomed-a shadow cast across his reddened face. I stared up at his sweet, green eyes. They were like the sun—sparkling with a fiery heat and passion, as bright as candies, orbs or the tails of lightning bugs in a summer's night.
"Ahh, A-Antonio, you…you jerk…" I murmured, still stunned with vertigo.
I heard him gasp and laugh, relief filling his features, relaxing his shoulder and his voice. He picked me up in one swift movement and held me protectively in his arms, stroking my wet hair.
"Thank goodness," He whispered.
The next thing I knew, I was sitting in a bathtub. Spain was dripping wet as well but said that it was more important for me to be comfortable. Which explained why he now knelt beside the bathtub shirtless; his hair still dampened.
I couldn't tell if it was the heat from the bath tub or the exhaustion of almost drowning that made me so tired now. I sat in the bath tub with the soapy water barley reaching my under arms, now hunched over with my eyes half closed. He rubbed his hand, covered in soap, gently in soothing circles along the middle of my back. Normally, I would get embarrassed, flustered and tell him to stop but I was so tired at this moment I could really care less. I didn't have the energy to get mad at him and I hated to admit it to myself but this felt really good. Maybe I should consider trying to drown myself more often…
"Grazie," I mumbled.
Spain paused briefly from massaging my back, gasping quietly.
"De Nada. But you should try not to drown yourself Romano; I know you were mad at me but…"
I frowned. Geeze, Spain, you can be such an idiot sometimes. As if I tried to drown myself. I didn't want to admit though, that I couldn't swim, I would look so lame if I did. So I simply kept my mouth shut.
"I'm sorry you haven't eaten yet, I should have just let you have that tomato earlier. It was only a tomato; it wasn't like only one would spoil your growing appetite or anything…"He apologized.
I sighed sleepily, "I'm not hungry anymore…"
After my bath Spain helped me change and tucked me into my bed. He brushed back the hair on my forehead, coming almost too close to the forbidden curl, and kissed the top of my head. He whispered something barley audible in Spanish then before walking out of my room and closing the door behind himself.
End of Chapter one
