Sorry it took a little while, I had a bad case of writer's block, not to mention I've been dealing with back-to-school craziness and several other things that I don't want to bore you with. At least this is a fairly long chapter, so that counts for something, right?
Other than that, thanks to Crimson cat angel for your review last chapter! I'm glad you're enjoying the story :)
"Would you like some more vodka, big brother?" Belarus asked, for once not looking at her older brother with crazy eyes, but with a bright smile. Russia grinned back at her.
"Yes, that would be nice, little sister." He held out his cup as she poured him a second glass. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the sky was a gorgeous blue, and he was in a field of sunflowers. It was a perfect place for a picnic, which he shared with his two sisters, and his Baltic friends, and all of them were happy, so happy to be there with him! Russia was happy too. Lithuania, with a shy smile on his face, then stood up and walked over towards the Russian man, his hands behind his back.
"Mr. Russia, I just wanted to say thank you for letting me live with you. In fact, we all wanted to thank you," he said, gesturing towards his fellow Baltics. They grinned in return and had a look of anticipation on their faces.
"So, to show our gratitude, we made you this." He pulled his hands into view, to show that he was holding a crown made of sunflowers. Russia's eyes widened; it was one of the most beautiful things he's ever seen.
"Do you mind if I do the honors?" asked Lithuania. Russia nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course, Litva. There is nothing I would want more." he bowed his head a little to allow the oldest Baltic to put the crown of sunflowers on his head.
"Oh, it looks beautiful, little brother," said Ukraine, as she beamed at the younger nation.
Lithuania held out his hand. "Would you like to see what you look like?" he asked. Russia nodded and let the smaller nation help him up.
He followed the brunet through the sunflower fields, until they stopped right next to a little pond with crystal clear water. Lithuania let go of the larger man's hand to let him see his reflection. As he looked down, he noticed that the crown was pretty intricate, and looked like it took hours to make. He felt a warm feeling in his chest knowing that his new friends cared about him so deeply.
He leaned over the pond to get a better look. He then reached out, almost as if to touch his reflection, when something bizarre happened. As soon as his flesh made contact with the clear liquid, it hardened and turned to ice. Startled, he pulled his hand back as if he'd been bit, and watched with a mix of amazement and terror as the entire pond froze over in a matter of seconds.
He then turned around to ask Lithuania what just happened, but when he did, the smaller nation was nowhere to be found.
"Litva?" he called out, starting to get very nervous. There was no response. He wasn't sure what was going on, but was afraid and didn't want to be alone.
"Litva!" he yelled out again, this time louder and more desperate. As he was walking, trying to find his family, he couldn't help but to notice that it was much darker out now then it was a minute ago. The once blue sky was now filled with grey clouds, and it was colder as well. Why were all these strange things happening?
"Litva, Big Sister, Latviya, where are you?" Where is my family? Please don't leave me here alone! he thought.
Then just up ahead, he saw the back of a man with shoulder length brown hair. Knowing it must be Lithuania, he began to relax.
He ran towards the man, relieved to be reunited with his friend. But then, just as he reached out for his shoulder, the man shattered into a million pieces, like a vase dropped from a great height. Half in shock and half in despair, Russia let out an ear piercing scream and dropped to his knees. He yanked on his hair with both of his hands and pulled off the flower crown on his head, only to watch the once bright yellow petals wilt before his very eyes, and started to cry.
What was happening? Did he just kill Litva? Was Litva even real?
He hugged his knees to his chest in an attempt to both comfort himself and keep in his body heat as he sat alone in the middle of an empty field. It was so cold...
Russia woke up with a start. When his mind adjusted to his surroundings, he realized he was in his bedroom in his house, and by the dark sky he could see outside his window, it was the middle of the night. Knowing it would be awhile before he would be able to go back to sleep, he pulled himself out of bed and made his way to the kitchen.
He took out his special bottle of vodka from the cabinet that he kept for nights like this and poured himself a glass. Nightmares weren't new for him; in fact, he had them fairly often. Usually they were about things like events from his childhood, or Belarus forcing him to marry her at knifepoint. He didn't know why this dream was so odd, but he did know that it left him with a feeling of cold emptiness he couldn't explain. He took a seat on the couch in his living room after starting up the fireplace in hope of generating some more heat.
As he was lost in his thoughts, he heard soft footsteps behind him and turned around to see his big sister Ukraine. In the soft glow from the fireplace Russia could see she was wearing a light blue nightgown that went down to her ankles and a concerned look on her face.
"What's wrong, brother? Did you have another nightmare?" She made her way over to where he was sitting and took his hand into hers. He gave her a soft smile.
"Unfortunately. I was just thinking… have you ever gotten something you wanted for so long, only to find out that it is very different from what you expected?" She gave him a confused look before realization dawned on her face.
"Is this about the Baltics?" The violet eyed man gave her a nod before continuing.
"I thought that when they came to live with us that they would like it here, and we would all become like one big family. But I think they're afraid of me, especially Latviya. And Litva, just earlier today he asked me about his old partner. I-I don't think he likes me, and I'm afraid of losing him."
Ukraine looked back at her little brother, sympathy in her large blue eyes. She knew how much he wanted friends, and always had, ever since they were children. In many ways, he was still the wide eyed, lonely child that she had raised so long ago.
"I'm guessing you didn't tell him?" When she didn't get a response, Ukraine sighed. "Just because he asked about Poland doesn't mean he doesn't like you, little brother. Of course he wants to know what happened to him. It's only natural to worry about those you care for."
Russia gave his sister a slightly accusing glare. "But he lives with me now. Why would he be needing to know about him? They are no longer together, so it shouldn't matter to Litva where he is." Ukraine sighed. Her brother always was a stubborn one.
"You can't separate two people who have been together for as long as they have and just expect all of those feelings to go away. It doesn't work like that."
Getting frustrated, Russia got up off the couch and threw his arms in the air.
"You don't understand, sister. I've tried to be nice and welcoming, but I can't help but to think that Litva and the others want nothing to do with me. I don't know what to do!"
Ukraine sighed. "I think you should tell him. He has a right to know, and it might make him more open minded towards your friendship. He deserves to know the fate of his friend." Russia shook his head.
"No, sister! That will only want to make him leave more! Just today, Latviya told me that he was already thinking about escape. I cannot let that happen. He is mine."
"Brother-"
"No, I'm not going to tell him, and he will get over it eventually." Ukraine sighed yet again. As much as she loved her brother, he could be very frustrating to deal with when he refused to see sense.
"I still think that you're making the wrong decision, but I know you have your mind made up." She got up to go back to bed, knowing that continuing this conversation would get her nowhere.
I know you're afraid of being alone brother, but you're going about it all wrong. You can't force someone to like you, and if you try you will only push them further away. Even if I have to go against your wishes... I will do what's right.
Lithuania couldn't help but to notice that Latvia had been acting strange ever since he talked to Russia yesterday. True, Russia always made the small nation on edge, but this time seemed different. He was even clumsier than usual, and refused to look the brunet in the eye. When Lithuania offered to help him clean the attic, he got very nervous and stuttered out that he was fine, really, and something about how Russia didn't want the brunet to strain himself, but the Lithuanian insisted. He hoped that having some one on one time with Latvia would help him get to the bottom of whatever was wrong. So here they were, working in awkward silence, until Lithuania decided it was time to break the ice.
"Latvia, what did Russia want to talk to you about yesterday?" The smaller nation jumped when Lithuania spoke up in the silent room.
"W-why do you want to know about that?" he asked, not looking up from where he was organizing several items into different boxes. Lithuania sighed.
"You could at least look at me when I'm talking to you," he said. Shyly, Latvia turned his head to where the older Baltic was standing. Lithuania gave him a concerned look.
"I noticed you've been acting different ever since then, and I'm starting to get worried about you. What happened?"
Latvia gave him a shaky smile that didn't reach his eyes. "I-It was nothing. He just, um, wanted to remind me of a few chores I had to do." He looked down and started fidgeting with the picture frame in his hands.
Lithuania walked over to the small nation and gently took the picture frame out of his grip and set it down.
"You know you're a terrible liar, right?" Lithuania said, a slight smirk appearing on his lips. Latvia continued to look down at his hands.
"I know we only recently have been starting to get to know each other, but I hope you know you can talk to me about anything you want, and I won't get upset. In fact, I'd like you to see me as someone you can look up to, like an older brother." At this, Latvia's eyes grew wide and were staring at him with a combination of shock and… guilt?
"Y-you want to be my big brother?" he said so low that Lithuania had to strain to hear him.
"Sure. I know it isn't easy being under another country's control and not being able to see your friends… or at least, I do now." He sighed. "Ever since I was separated from Poland and taken over, it's been you and Estonia that have given me strength, something to focus on. I hope that we will be independent again someday, but even if that day never comes… I know that I'll be with people I consider my friends."
All of the sudden, Latvia burst into tears. Lithuania looked back at the small nation in bewilderment. What did he say to set him off?!
"Hey, shh, it's alright. I didn't mean to make you cry." He tried to lean over to embrace the sobbing nation, but Latvia backed away, his face in his hands.
"I-I'm sorry, Lithuania. I-I need to take a break." he choked out between sobs, as he made his way to go downstairs. Still in shock by the sudden outburst of emotion, Lithuania simply nodded.
"Okay, take all the time you need. I'll be waiting if you want to talk some more later." In answer, Latvia only continued to sob, leaving a very confused and concerned Lithuania alone in the attic.
As he tried to continue to clean and organize, he couldn't help but to think, what did I do wrong?
Latvia never did go back upstairs. He spent most of the remainder of the day hiding out in the room that he shared with his fellow Baltics. It was, thankfully, empty due to the fact that both Lithuania and Estonia were busy doing their chores. He only came out when it was dinner time, and tried to ignore the worried glances that Lithuania kept sending him. He knew he'd have to talk to the older nation sooner or later, but he preferred it to be much, much later. Every time he looked at him, he felt guilty.
He didn't want to spy on Lithuania for Russia, he really didn't, but he was afraid. Afraid of what Russia would've said if he refused, afraid that Lithuania would leave him behind if not kept here by force, and now, afraid of what the older Baltic would say if he found out that he told Russia about how the Lithuanian wished he could escape. Not to mention that he wasn't supposed to even hear that in the first place, and agreed to continue to keep tabs on him. It felt like a punch in the stomach when Lithuania told him he hopped that he considered him an older brother. Would he still feel the same way if he knew the truth?
It was now after dinner, and the Baltics were all in their bedroom having some downtime before they got ready for bed. Lithuania kept asking Latvia if he was alright or if he wanted to talk, and Latvia continued to brush the older nation off. Noticing this and tired of being kept out of the loop, Estonia finally spoke up.
"Okay, what happened? Are you two hiding something?" Latvia and Lithuania exchanged a look for a second, Latvia silently telling the older of the two to not say anything. The last thing he wanted was for Estonia to be brought into this as well, who would likely be just as concerned as the Lithuanian and then he would have two people pestering him and making him feel worse.
"Well, Latvia... He wasn't feeling very well earlier, so I've just been trying to make sure he's alright." Estonia then turned his gaze toward the youngest Baltic.
"He doesn't look unwell... okay, a little pale, maybe." The Estonian rested the back of his hand on Latvia's forehead to check his temperature. Not noticing any fever, the bespectacled nation gave the Latvian a skeptical look, making him feel uneasy.
"That's not the kind of unwell I meant," Lithuania started to explain, but was interrupted by the sound of a knock on the door.
All three nations turned their attention to the source of the sound, and watched as a small envelope was slipped under the door, addressed to Lithuania.
The brunet looked back at his fellow Baltics in question, but they were just as confused. Hesitantly, Lithuania walked over and picked up the envelope before opening it. Inside was a letter.
Lithuania took a seat on the bed and read the letter silently, the other two watching as his expression changed from shock to relief to anger. After a few minutes, Estonia spoke up.
"Who's it from?" he asked.
Lithuania continued to look at the letter as he shook his head. "I don't know."
Latvia, now too curious to stay silent, voiced his question. "What does it say?"
Lithuania looked up, his eyes sparkling with unshed tears.
"It's about Poland. He's alive, and living with Prussia."
So, during the Third Partition of Poland, the land was split up between Prussia, Russia, and Austria. I decided to have Poland live with Prussia in this fic, since it works best for the story.
My hope is that the next chapter will be up no later than next Tuesday, but we'll see how that will go. I'm going to be back in school pretty soon, so updates might be slower then. However, I will try to update once a week.
Free hugs from Russia and the Baltics for anyone who reviews :)