Author's Note: I'M BACK! So, school has already started for me, and I have, like, a million AP classes, so my update schedule will be... erratic. (For those that don't know, AP stands for advanced placement and is basically college level courses taken in high school. *sigh* Blegh, having Asian parents is... eh. You know...)

Eurgh... heavy workload is heavy...

Chapter 1:

До свидания

When Ivan awoke that morning, he felt that something was wrong.

Frowning, he wandered out of his room and toward Katyusha's.

"Katyusha? Sister?"

"Ivan?" Katyusha poked her head out of her door. "What's wrong, little brother?"

"I don't know... I have this strange feeling in my stomach, though..."

"Oh, Ivan, I'm sure it's just an upset stomach or something!" Katyusha smiled warmly at her younger brother and beckoned him into the room. "I'm sure I have something for that... Aha! Here you go!"

She pulled out a small bottle happily, handing it to Ivan.

"Спасибо!" Ivan smiled back, trying to hug her.

"Now go get some breakfast!" Katyusha laughed, pushing Ivan away. "And don't be late to the meeting!"

"I won't!"

When Ivan entered the meeting room, most of the others were there already. He quickly sat down in the first open chair, trying not to show how much his stomach was troubling him. And it wasn't just his stomach anymore. His body ached as if he had just run a marathon, then fought a wrestling match, then was in a building when an earthquake toppled it.

Unfortunately, he had ended up sitting next to Kiku and Toris, and across from Matthew.

"Ivan? What's wrong?" Kiku asked, seeing his discomfort.

"Are you hurt?" Toris added.

Matthew didn't say anything, but looked on with concerned eyes.

"I don't know..." Ivan said, answering Kiku's question. "I ache all over, and my stomach hurts, but I haven't done anything strenuous lately..."

"Ohonhonhon~! Would you like me to take a look at it, mon ami?" Francis leaned over from his spot next to Matthew.

"I would rather you not." Ivan narrowed his eyes. The other man shrank back a bit at the evil glare.

"Ve~! Fratello and I will take a look, Ivan!" Feliciano bounced up from his seat, heading over to the larger man while dragging his brother behind him.

"Ack! Dammit, Feli, stop pulling!" Lovino growled.

"Ve... sorry fratello! So will you let us look at Ivan to see what's wrong?"

"... Fine. But don't you dare do anything to my brother, vodka bastard!" Lovino warned Ivan.

"Okay~!" Ivan smiled his characteristic childish smile.

"Ve~! See you after the meeting, then, Ivan!" The Italian brothers bounced off. Or, well, Feliciano bounced...

Ivan lay on the couch, patiently waiting as Feliciano buzzed about and Lovino gathered the medical instruments necessary for a standard examination while grumbling.

"Ve... Ivan, I'm going to ask you to take your shirt off, please. I need to feel your belly." Feliciano motioned to Ivan's shirt.

"Oh. Да."

As Ivan lifted his shirt, Lovino gasped. "Ch-Che cosa?"

Feliciano, who had turned away to get some gloves, turned back around. And promptly screamed.

Ivan frowned. "What is wrong?"

Soundlessly, the Italians pointed at Ivan's chest.

Or, more specifically, where his chest should have been.

Now, there was only a hole.

"Ч-Что?" Ivan murmured.

Curiously, he moved his hand into the empty cavity that was now his chest. He couldn't feel anything at all there, but as he watched, more of his skin just... vanished.

"I-Ivan?" Feliciano said carefully, shaking in fear. "W-What is...?"

"I do not know." Ivan was strangely calm. He stood up, marveling a bit at how he was still holding together as if he wasn't missing a piece of his chest, and quickly stripped down to his underwear.

Sure enough, everywhere that had been hurting that morning had started to disappear.

With unnatural poise, Ivan bent over and picked up his clothes, quickly dressing himself and walking out the door. He quickly thanked the Italians as he left, then headed all the way back to his house. Once there, he sat down, turned up the television to mask the noise, and quietly broke down into sobs.

"Нет, нет... I don't want to go back... Пожалуйста..."

But the world paid him no mind.

He woke up laying in the cold snow, his head throbbing. He slowly opened his eyes to the gray sky above him, so different from the endless blue of their afterlife.

"Нет..." he muttered. But it was no use, now.

Russia was back.

After a brief moment of rest, Russia pushed himself up and started towards the closest civilization. Soon, he recognized the area as just outside Moscow, in the dead of winter.

Gaining confidence as his nation senses returned to him, he strode through the city, taking note of the changes to his capital.

He frowned; already, he was thinking of it as his capital again. Did it really only take such a short amount of time for him to get used to being a nation again?

He walked into the main government facilities, getting shocked glances from nearly everyone he passed. Soon, he was at the office of his leader.

"Why am I back?" he demanded.

"So you're the legendary Russia. We have heard much about you since you disappeared from the government years ago."

"I thought I was not needed anymore?" Russia demanded of the man in front of him. "I thought the world was united now?"

"It is. I do not know why you are back." The leader tried to appear unconcerned. Russia scoffed at him.

"Not possible. What have you been doing? You will tell me, Да?" He began to exude his purple aura once more, and was pleased to find his pipe still in his coat where he used to store it.

"Alright, alright, I'll tell you! There's been hints of rebellion among the people, and we need you to help assure the authority of the state!"

Russia laughed bitterly. "That's all I am good for, isn't it? Fighting your battles... Well, I will do as you wish. But when one thing happens, others are bound to occur."

With that, he swept out of the room, leaving behind nothing but a single sunflower petal.

Russian Federation- Returned to existence

Author's Note: Meh... I started on this a week ago, and I just now finish it... Ah, school. Wonderful thing, that.

Anywho, I'll try to update on weekends, although I can't guarantee that I will be able to, as I am also working on a collaborative fic with SeraSearaSpin called "Our Turbulent Sea of Peace", along with above mentioned workload. So yeah.

Try to guess the title patterns for this story!

Translations:

До свидания - goodbye (Russian, pronounced do svidaniya)

Спасибо - thank you (Russian, pronounced spasibo)

mon ami - my friend (French, but you knew that)

fratello - brother (Italian, but you also knew that)

Да - yes (Russian, Russia's characteristic da)

che cosa - what (Italian)

Что - what (Russian. I remember using this excessively last story?)

нет - no (Russian, pronounced nyet)

Пожалуйста - please (Russian, pronounced pozhaluysta)

... I kinda went overboard with the foreign languages...

Oh, a note about the medical exam: France, apparently, has the best health care system in the world. :P Italy is second. Also :P

Ah, I love random facts~!