Author's Note: Hiatus is officially over. YAY! So, now there will be regular-ish updates again. It'll most likely be back to a chapter a week, usually on the weekends. Yep.

So, enjoy!


Chapter 6:

Goodbye


"NO! We can't just sit around and do nothing, da ze!"

"Yong Soo, calm down!"

"No, hyeong! Don't any of you want to do something? How can you just sit here?"

Yong Soo let his gaze sweep around the table. Vash, Lili, Roderich, and Elizaveta looked down. Katyusha sniffled, while Natalya glared at the Asian. Alfred remained stoic, Arthur crossed his arms, and Francis looked away in embarrassment. Lovino turned red, and Antonio had to place a hand on his shoulder. Ludwig shook his head, and Gilbert started to nervously pet Gilbird. Toris, Eduard, and Raivis gave each other pained looks. Kiku opened his mouth, then closed it again.

"AUGH!" Yong Soo screamed, and spinning away from the table. But Hyun Soo reached out and grabbed him before he could get away.

"Yong Soo, please-"

"LET GO, HYEONG!"

"Yong-"

"SHUT UP! IF YOU WON'T DO ANYTHING, THEN I'LL GO MYSELF!"

And with that, Yong Soo tore out of the room.

Those gathered were silent for a long while.

Suddenly, Alfred stood up. "I agree with him."

"Alfred, you can't possibly think-"

"Shut up, Arthur," Alfred said, his voice completely, creepily calm. "I will do what I have to. If you will not help, then don't get in my way."

"Alfred-kun-"

"Stay out of this, Kiku."

And he too left the room.


China jerked awake in his bed in the newly reinstated capital of Beijing. "Y-Yong Soo..."

He shivered as he remembered his dream.

Yong Soo had been standing before him, smiling, arms outstretched.

"Aniki!" he exclaimed as he leapt on China.

"Yong Soo! What are you doing here?"

"I've finally found you, Aniki! We can be together again!"

"But, Yong Soo, it's not safe here! Please, go back to the town!" China frantically waved his arms, trying to push his brother away.

"No, I came all this way to see you! Aren't you happy?"

"Yong Soo, please, go back-"

"Aniki, why don't you like me any more?" And suddenly, the Yong Soo in China's dreams turned around and fled into an encroaching darkness that had, without any warning, fallen upon them.

"YONG SOO!"

"Don't worry, aniki," came Yong Soo's disembodied voice. "We're one step closer to being a family again."

Then the blackness faded into white.

Shaking his head, China got out of bed and pulled a robe on over his sleepwear. As much as he was disturbed by his dream, he still understood it's message.

"We're one step closer to being a family again." That could only mean one thing.

China picked up his phone and dialed Canada's number.


"Yong Soo!"

"Don't try to stop me!"

"I'm not trying to stop you!"

Yong Soo whirled around, causing Alfred to almost crash into him in his haste. "What do you want, then?"

"I want to help you," Alfred said, his voice low. "I want my brother back, too."

Yong Soo laughed bitterly. "Well, you'll get him back soon enough."

"What do you mean?"

"Think, Alfred." The Asian tapped his temple. "What order did we arrive here in?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Alfred asked, stepping back.

"We're returning in the reverse order that we arrived." Yong Soo watched with cruel satisfaction and a bit of regret as realization dawned in the other man's widening eyes.

"No..."

"그래."

"No, no, you're lying. You're lying to me!" Alfred backed up hurriedly as Yong Soo shook his head.

"Why would I lie to you?"

"No..."

Alfred turned around and fled.


Canada flinched as his cell phone buzzed. Cursing, he took shelter behind a building and fumbled in his pocket to grab it.

"China? What is it? I'm kind of busy right now-"

"Canada, where are you? Tell me right now." The urgency in the older nation's voice frightened the North American.

"I'm with the rebel army at the siege of Washington."

"NO! GET OUT OF THERE NOW, ARU!"

Canada jerked back as China's voice blasted out. "C-China? But, we've almost won-"

"If you value your brother's happiness, leave NOW!"

"What? Is Alfred in danger?" Canada asked, alarmed now.

"He will be if you don't get out now!"

"China, tell me what's wrong!"

On the other side of the earth, China took a deep breath. Then he explained.


Alfred's feet slapped against the ground as he ran farther and farther away from the meeting building. Blood pounded through his head, and he skidded around a corner, not losing any speed as he continued.

"Mattie, Mattie, Mattie..."

The mantra continued until he came to an abrupt halt outside the home he and his brother had shared for all those years. The past year, it had been so, so empty. Without his twin, Alfred didn't know what to do with himself.

But if he joined his brother in the human world... he wouldn't know what to do either.

Alfred slammed open the door and went up to his room, then changed his mind and crossed the hall to his brother's. He hadn't been in there in... how long? Months, it seemed. He'd never touched anything in there, in case his brother returned suddenly. But now... he knew that wasn't going to happen.

Going to the closet, he stood on his toes and reached up to the top shelf where he knew there would be a box. After all, he had his own, and kept it in the same spot. They all did.

Bringing it down, Alfred retraced his steps and entered his own room. He quickly retrieved his own box, then set them down and regarded them silently. His eyes traced over the etchings in the lids; a maple tree in full autumn regalia on Matthew's, a single rose surrounded stars on his own. Taking a deep breath, he lifted their covers.


"No..." Canada whispered. He whirled around and ran back into the open.

Then he stopped short as he heard the cheers.

"Canada? Canada, aru, what's happening?" came China's voice from the speaker.

"It's... it's too late..."

"Canada? Canada, aru, stay with me-"

A resounding crack filled the air as Canada smashed the phone into the ground, followed by an anguished scream.


Shivering, Alfred lifted up the fabric that had been resting, protected, inside the boxes for all those years.

"Mattie... you never got to take this with you," Alfred whispered as he gently spread the Canadian flag in his brother's box onto his bed. His own American flag lay beside it. "Do you still want it?"

He didn't expect an answer, and he didn't receive one. However, he did start to feel lightheaded.

Panicked, Alfred grabbed the maple-leaf emblazoned piece of fabric, then reached for his own stars and stripes. But it was too late.

When Arthur came later that evening to check on him, all he would find would be two empty boxes and an abandoned flag laying forlornly on the ground where it had been dropped.


When he opened his eyes, all he could see was smoke and fire and a clear blue sky stretching to infinity above him.

"Ugh..." he groaned, rolling over. Only to come face to face with his mirror image.

They stared at each other for a few moments before embracing each other tightly.

"I missed you so much..."

"Me too. Me too..."

Finally, they broke away from each other. Canada wiped away a tear, smiling a bit as he caught sight of the flag clenched in his twin's hands. "You brought my flag."

"Yeah... yeah, I did. I didn't know if you still wanted it."

"Thank you," Canada said, giving his brother another hug. "So, does this mean you're back for good?"

"I... I think so. I think America is back."

"Then welcome back, America."

Together, the North American brothers stood, united once more and ready to face the world.


United States of America - liberated with help from Canada


Author's Note: Eh, I kinda feel like my quality of writing is deteriorating... Blargh.

Translations:

그래 - yes (Korean, pronounced "geulae")

So, yeah. South Korea is obsessed with China because I recently read in my World History textbook that "No other nation (referring to Korea) was more willing to live in the shadow of the Middle Kingdom (referring to China)." So yeah. IT'S HISTORICALLY ACCURATE, AS WELL AS KIND OF CANONICALLY ACCURATE, SO THERE!

Hope you liked it!