A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Haha, so I've decided to post another chapter before my mind goes completely blank due to exams. Damn them! If I was a country I would ban all tests and exams...but then comes the disclaimer:

I don't even have to say it...*sigh*...I own nothing... :'( And I am NOT a country /3 No matter how much I dream...

The feeling of emptiness

Chapter 4

Natalia always loved flowers; she never really showed or shared her love for flowers with anyone else. It was kind of hard to do so when the only close female acquaintance you have thinks you're a part psychopath. The part near Nikolai's house was quite small, nevertheless it was beautiful. She gazed at the slowly wilting flowers and smiled sadly.

You may die, but you are reborn and can start anew.

She shook her head and concentrated her gaze onto the ground beneath her feet. She needed to clear her head. So much has happened in such little time, she really didn't know how to respond. She was happy that she had visited her brother, after all it had been quite a while since they last met, which was when she had become a country. She winced slightly at the memory.

[{Flashback Start}]

'You accepted?' he whispered softly into her ear as his arms encircled her petite frame in a gentle yet firm embrace. Natalia- or now known as 'Belarus', nodded slowly, the lump in her throat keeping her from answering. The boy sighed and pulled away from his sister. They looked identical at this stage, they were about the same height and both were skinny.

'I had to do it,' Nata- Belarus choked, burying her face into her brothers leather jacket. She inhaled his scent, wanting to get close to him, to make sure he was real. 'I'm so sorry,' she whispered, her voice on the verge of cracking.

'What about me?' Nikolai snapped, furiously pulling away from the embrace. 'Wasn't I included in this 'wise' decision of yours?' He looked away from Natalia once he realised that there was tears pouring out of her eyes, she sniffled and wiped her nose with the sleeve of her dress.

'Y-You w-were…' she trailed off, her legs gave way and she fell to the ground. Nikolai was alarmed and he rushed to her side. She hugged her knees tightly and buried her face into her arms. All that could be heard for a moment were her soft cries of anguish. Nikolai crouched down beside her and awkwardly patted her on the back, he had never seen his dear big strong sister cry this much.

'Natalia,' he spoke softly, nudging her with his palm. Her cries quietened a little and she met his stare with her red, puffy eyes. 'You have to tell me why you accepted…'

She kept staring at him for a long moment; it was almost as if she was trying to look into his soul. He shifted uncomfortably under the intense gaze. 'I wanted to,' she said, avoiding his look as she finally replied. She propped her chin onto her arms and began humming to herself, not wanting to see her brother's reaction.

'Fine, don't tell me yet. But promise me something…' he grasped her arms and pulled them down, gently taking her chin in his hands so that their eyes met. 'You won't keep it from me. Please tell me when you're ready to.' He searched her eyes, his own silently pleading her. She looked at his sincere gaze, she trusted him with his life but she couldn't tell him yet…maybe when they were both older.

'Okay,' she promised. He grinned at her and stood up, wiping his hands into his trousers. Natalia looked up to see the hand that was offered for her, she took it and he pulled her up. She was suddenly dragged into another embrace.

'I love you,' he whispered quietly. Natalia was about to question his sudden actions but he was dragged away from her. 'Visit me someday!' he shouted as he fought the men to let him free. They dragged him out the room forcefully, ignoring Natalia's cries of protest.

She screamed as they shut the door and ran towards it, trying to pull it open. But it was no use, it was locked. She sobbed and weakly pounded her fist against the door, wanting to see her brother once more. 'I love you too…' she cried. She shakily sad on the floor and wiped her eyes.

A voice echoed throughout the empty room, ringing into the poor girls ears.

'Forget about him … Forget about him… Belarus…'

{[Flashback end]}

She winced at the memory and sighed softly. She ran a hand through her soft, blond locks. Huh…I've lost my ribbon… She looked frantically around the area, scanning for the silky material. She finally groaned in annoyance. Why was she so bothered about it anyway? She pinched the bridge of her nose. Forget it… she shook her head. It's probably in Nikolai's house somewhere.

She slowly patted the leaves that were on the ground beneath her and sat under a huge oak tree. She gazed up toward the sky and started to hum to herself a lullaby. Slowly her eyes fluttered shut and she was lulled away into a deep sleep. Dreaming about the day the white ribbon was given to her.

He paced back and forth in frustration. He needed to forget about the no good girl! Damn it! Why do I feel so…guilty? He growled in frustration, the anger finally bubbling up. He shut his eyes and inhaled through his nose…

….

'DAMN IT!' he roared, punching the desk beside him. He couldn't help but worry about Bela, even after what happened in his room. Many questions had been forcing entry into his thoughts. Such as 'Where is she?' 'Is she okay?' 'Did I hurt her?'

He clutched the desk, ignoring the searing pain coming from his hand. He glanced towards the window and tried to calm his thought. Finally he gave in.

I am Russia! There is no way I'm going to let a petty bitch like her ruin me…

He once again, shook his head. Pulling his scarf from the vanity he cursed silently. He needed to clear his thoughts...he needed a little walk in the small park on the edge of the area to clear his thoughts. It was a small park so it was unlikely that he'd have a run in with anyone familiar, so he'd be left to quietly calm himself.

…How wrong he was…

:O Russia and Belarus in the SAME park?!...Now that can't be good! What are you planning Sicarius?

I'm afraid I may not be able to update in a while due to exams and maybe an extreme case of writer's blog...but then again I might want to suprise you all ;) Oh and basically the flashback is kinda when Bela came to be a country...she was unknowingly seperated from her dear little twin brother... that's my take on how she came to be a...little...'possessive'...

~SilentSicarius