Disclaimer: I own nothing. Rights go to the respected owners. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.

A/N: Hi there! Thanks so much for clicking on my story! I truly hope you enjoy it and give me some feedback! I tried to do some research behind this, but if you find any historical inaccuracy feel free to point it out! Hope you enjoy it.

September 3rd, 1939

Britain and France declared war on Germany today. We'd all seen this coming; I mean who were we kidding with these ridiculous appeasement methods? I was only thirteen and even I knew the Germans wouldn't stop with only the addition of Czechoslovakia. They'd moved into Poland two days prior, and finally the Allied governments seemed to realize that pacifist actions were getting us nowhere. The War to End All Wars had failed, and I had a sinking feeling that it would only get worse from here on out. It was the beginning of the end.

September 17th, 1940 23:40

The sirens. The sound was new to me, but in the short time since the Blitz began, I'd come to know the noise very well. With it would follow death, destruction, despair, and for a lack of a better word (or a word that doesn't start with the letter 'D') - devastation. I loathed the alarms that signaled yet another air raid; they made me wonder if I would live past my teen years.

"Arthur!"

I turned to face the voice that had called for my attention, just as mum grabbed me forcefully by the arm. The routine was new to her as well, but she seemed prepared as she swiftly dragged me out of our flat and down the stairs of the building. She hadn't bothered to lock the door, but what did it matter since we might all die anyway? My mind had become rather pessimistic in the past two weeks, as I'd actually started to stare death in the face. I was young, and I was bright, but I sure as hell didn't want to be killed by the German Luftwaffe.

"Can't you run a bit faster, sweetheart?" my mother prodded encouragingly, as she continued to lead me to our destination. I picked up the pace a bit, though I was never a best in the athletics department. Quite frankly I was only running because I had to, literally my life depended on it.

Together mum and I made it to the Tube station that we'd come to use as a bomb shelter. We flew down the stairs, descending into the train station that never seemed to be used for trains anymore. Tons of others flocked down the stairs of the Marble Arch Station as well, considering it was located right in the middle of a quite populated area known as Westminster. I felt a little claustrophobic with all these strangers near me as we huddled together like penguins, yet I knew that while they were unfamiliar to me, we actually had a lot in common: All British, all stuck in another bloody world war, and all scared of what the future would hold. These people were foreigners to me, but nonetheless they gave me some peculiar feeling of comfort, knowing we were all stuck in the same hellish predicament. We all feared death. It was evident on all of our faces.

"Arthur get down!"

Too busy with my own thoughts, I hadn't realised as the ground began to shake. The German planes were no doubt overhead and would release their arsenal any minute now. Mother pushed me to the ground, and I covered my ears with my hands as we'd been told to do. She leaned down next to me and kissed my cheek, before taking the same precautions as I did. I looked at her momentarily before averting my eyes back down to the floor. I held my ears tighter as the first quake rocked the station, and as several more followed, a tear ran down my cheek to hit the ground. Getting out of here would be a miracle, and I vowed that if I ever did, I would find a purpose in my miserable life.

September 18th, 1940 18:50

You know I wasn't quite in shock that we'd made it out, if only a bit skeptic. We'd been lucky this time, but eventually luck runs out. All good things must come to an end and all that rot, right? Well that was my mindset on it and it wasn't about to change. However, I still remembered the revelation I'd had the day before, but now that I was no longer in the hands of death, I contemplated what I'd really meant. Find a purpose in my life… How exactly do you do that? It's not as if I had a treasure map where X marked the spot. Of course my subconscious couldn't have picked something easier to complete like 'help mum clean up around the house more.' No. Arthur Kirkland never settled for anything simple, it always had to be a challenge.

"Something wrong, dear?" Mother looked a bit concerned as she questioned me.

I could have been cynical. There were so many wonderful answers to that question. 'Hmm, yes. Last time I checked we were in the middle of a war, and I don't know what's going to happen, let alone whether or not I'll live.' But I was a good boy, and I knew that she wasn't in the best shape right now either. I'm sure the last thing my mother wanted to hear was a smart-arse retort from her son.

"Mum, what would you say is the purpose in life?"

For some reason, my mother seemed startled by the question. I'm not quite sure why, but perhaps she thought I was starting to crumble into a pool of my own self doubt and hopelessness.

"Arthur, honey. Everyone has their own individual purpose in life. Mine is different from yours and yours is different from anyone else's in the world," she tapped my nose for emphasis. "I think mine was to meet your father, fall in love and have you. I couldn't ask for anything better than that."

I smiled at her lightly and leaned up to kiss her cheek. Mother always seemed to have a calming effect on me, even during the darkest days.

I looked back down again, mulling over what she'd said and its relevance to me. So everyone's purpose in life was different then? I wondered what mine would be. If I could be half the person Mum was, I'd be happy.

"Sweetheart?"

My eyes flew back to hers, two matching pairs of green.

"I'm sure you have a wonderful purpose in life, Arthur. I've known that since the day you we're born. It'll be amazing, better than anything you've ever imagined," she paused. "But darling, sometimes it takes time to find that inner value and meaning. Perhaps you haven't found yours yet, but your time will come."

Again I grinned at her, as she ruffled my messy blonde hair. My smiles were hard to come by these days, but mother always knew how to make them appear.

Even before the war began I was never one to smile much. I didn't have many friends at school, and never once did I bring someone home. It was obvious that this concerned her, but I was never good at bonding with other people, so I'd given up awhile back. Besides this, my father had also just passed away the previous year and that left Mum in a terribly devastated state. I tried to console her to the best of my abilities, but I was really no match for what I was up against. With one of my parents gone, the other a wreck, and a war going on all around me, I really had no reason to smile.

I hadn't realised that mum had wrapped her arms around my waist, and was holding on to me tightly. Looking up at her, I saw something in her gaze that resembled grief or maybe regret. While she never looked completely happy since father died, I'd never seen anything quite like that in her eyes before.

"Are you all right?" It seemed our roles had been reversed.

"Arthur, dear."

Oh god. She'd pulled out that tone. Mother never used such a solemn voice unless she was scolding me or explaining something very serious. I couldn't possibly think of anything I'd done wrong, so I figured it must be the latter.

"You know I love you, right, pet?"

I nodded my head in understanding.

"And all I want is for you to be safe and happy."

I looked up at her with something akin to a perplexed expression. Of course she wanted to keep me safe and out of harm's way. After all it wasn't her fault Europe had gotten itself into this mess. And as for my happiness… Well I suppose I was glad at least one person cared about my feeling.

"So I've decided that it would be in your best interest to be evacuated from London."

My eyes widened to the size of tiny planets. She couldn't be serious. We'd talked about this before, when discussing emergency plans, but I never thought it would come to that.

"Mum, really. That's okay. I know I would be safer out in the countryside, but all the same I'd rather be with you," I paused to catch my breath. "Besides, we don't have any relatives up there, and I know we're low on money right no-"

"Arthur, I've already bought the ticket, and I've already made accommodations for your stay."

I looked at her completely disoriented. When had all this happened? Where was I?

"But… what about y-"

"Don't you dare worry about me, love, I'll be fine. Now… Go pack up a bag with your clothes and valuables all right? You're scheduled to leave on the 11:30 train tomorrow."

For a moment I stood there staring but didn't move. I knew there was no point in arguing with mother, because you'd be fighting a losing battle. When I regained the ability to think, I willed my legs to take me to the room I occupied in the small flat. There I found a bag, packed up my clothes, a few books, and a camera Dad had gifted me before he passed. I sat on my bed with the bag and peered around the space. It was only then that I started to wonder if I would ever see my room again.

September 19th, 1940 11:00

Morning had passed by in a blur. Mum had woke me up around eight, and I was quickly instructed to shower and look presentable for when I met my new caretaker. Apparently I would be sent to live with one Mrs Jones, whose husband somehow had connections with my father. Mother had contacted Mr Jones earlier to see if there was anything he could do for me, and the man insisted that I seek refuge in the family's country home. I didn't really know how to react to this, considering I didn't know this woman or her husband at all, and I'd consistently grown more apprehensive throughout the day. Now I stood beside my mother, counting down the minutes until I'd have to board the train.

"She's a nice woman you know. I met her once when your father took me to that work banquet."

My eyes stayed parallel to the ground, and I attempted in vain to put up a façade of a smile.

"The family is from America. Mr. Jones has a very high position at the embassy. Think of all you could learn about the United States!"

This time I did look up at her, not because I was interested, but rather to show my despair. I hadn't known they were American. That just tripled my misery. I thought I'd be sent to some British family, where at least I could feel a little more at home while sipping a cup of tea, but no. What would I be subjected to in an American household? Forced to discuss American football? Or forced to drink coffee? Or? Or?

"Dear… there's also one last thing I haven't mentioned…"

Oh goodness. There was something else to add to my doom? Wonderful. Fate really had it in store for me.

"What is it?"

"Well, they have a son. From what I know he's about the same age as you."

Damn. Curse it all. Any other child would probably be happy to have a playmate, but instead this just augmented my dread. I was being forced to leave my mother, to live with an American family, and to top it all off, I'd probably have some loudmouth twit that I'd have to please to be polite. I think mother could tell I was not at all thrilled because she put a comforting hand on my shoulder and leaned down to match my gaze.

"Everything will be all right, Arthur. You'll have someone to… bond and grow up with. Promise… Promise me you'll try to make a friend."

The waterworks were about to be turned on, so I quickly nodded and told my mother I'd do as she wished. I didn't give much thought to the subject as it was just instinct to stop her from crying. She pulled me into an embrace and whispered that she loved me into my ear. I could see other children boarding the train now, and I knew I'd have to depart soon enough.

Mum pulled away, and as I started to pick up my bag she stopped me. She grabbed my hand flipped it over, and then deposited something inside. I sent her a puzzled look as she rolled my fingers closed.

"Th-that's the locket your father gave me when we married. It's very special Arthur, and I want you to give it to someone important, someone you love."

I wanted to start crying then and there, but I willed myself not to. She made it seem as if we would never meet again, and that was not the case, right?

"Mum, I-"

Right as I was about to hand the locket back, a whistle bellowed from the train announcing its departure. Mum kissed me, hugged me tight, and then ushered me on my way. The conductor gestured to me and I quickly made my way toward him. He helped me up, and pointed to a car filled with other children. I took a seat by the window, just as the brakes were lifted and the train started to roll out of the station. Looking outside, I scanned over the crowd desperately for my mother, but she was nowhere to be found. I frowned and looked harder, but the platform was moving away now, becoming smaller and smaller with every second. As the London station became a speck in the distance, I wondered if my life would ever be the same again.