Look what it is, it's an update! I am very pleased with this chapter but you guys are probably going to hate me ;D

So don't kill me please I like breathing. And this is not the end I swear.

I'll give you a shoutout in the next chapter if you recognize the song at the end


"Sure is cold today, da?" Ivan said to the wind as he pulled the scarf further over his nose.

He dug his hands deeper into his pockets as he trudged through the deep snow. It was roughly midwinter but of course, that never deterred him from his destination.

With Yao becoming ever more persistent with his offers for Mongolia to become a part of China, Ivan had decided to pay Nara a visit. It had been certainly been awhile, not as long as before mind you, but still long enough for Ivan to grow considerably. He now towered over everyone he came across. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he had met a person taller than him.

Except Nara. His sweet, loving Nara. This time he was excited for her exclaims of how tall he had gotten, for he was sure he towered over her now. To be able to rest his chin on the top of her head. To caress her hair like she would do to his. To nuzzle his nose into her soft black hair and take in her scent. That wintery smell he loved so much. And maybe, if he was lucky, place a kiss on those tan lips.

That was why he set out on his journey after all. Today was the day he would finally confess his feelings for her. And he was beyond nervous.

It is not like I need be worried. He thought to himself. Now that I know the signs of love, I know she must feel the same. She must! He didn't want to imagine what she would say if she didn't return his feelings. The biggest fear that traced at the back of his mind, was that she would laugh.

Not her beautiful, bubbly laugh he loved so much. But a horrible, twisted, cruel laugh that would mock him before her sweet voice told him it was all just another trick. Just another ruse so she could get close to him before beating him down again, but this time so hard he wouldn't be getting back up.

But this was Nara he was talking about. His Nara! His precious sunflower. He couldn't believe the way he was thinking right now. He had vowed he would never think like that again that day she walked him home.

Ivan shuddered and decided to push those thoughts away. But now all that was left were the ferocious, man-eating butterflies swarming around in his stomach. So he kept walking. Trudging through the deep Russian snow to Nara's home. Where an unwanted guest had beaten him to the chase.


"For that last time NO!" Nara screamed, slamming her fists down on the small table so hard it broke in two.

Yao never even batted an eyelash at her destructive anger, but simple continued unpolitely sitting in her chair with his folded in his lap.

"You think I want this any more than you do aru?"

"You certainly seemed to when you unrightfully claimed me as yours!" Nara fumed.

"No, no, you misunderstand." He says lightly shaking his head. "I want you politically. That is why my bosses keep pestering me to obtain you. Although," He rises to his feet and advances towards her. Forcefully grabbing her chin so that she, Yao being the shorter of the two, looks down at him. "You are quite the pretty little thing are you not, aru?"

Nara quickly slaps his hand away and spits in his face.

"Considering how barbaric you and your people are." He spits wiping her spit from his face.

"Call me what you wish I will take offense in whatever you say!" She yells. "But my answer will always be no! Now leave and never ask me again or I will send one of these through your skull!" Nara removes an arrow from the sheath strapped to her back and waves it threateningly.

Even with both the death threat and the poison to her voice Yao still smiles up at her.

"I am afraid there will not be a next time." He sneers.

The anger leaves Nara's face only to be replaced by confusion. She is about to question his meaning when a sudden realization dawns upon her. Her boarder scouts never returned from their mission to the North, towards Ivan's territory. She had blamed their delay on the harsh winter but if Yao had been distracting her… And not to mention him tightening his grip he had already gained in the central kingdom. Could he possibly so bold as to try for the north?

"You would not dare." She hisses, narrowing her eyes.

"This is the last time I ask nicely Mongolia. Either way you end up my wife and your people under my rule. So why not just give in, aru?"

Nara could not believe what she was hearing. Her face reddened in anger and she held in her breath, if she released it she knew words of hatred would fly out of her mouth and that could possibly endanger her people more. Not that there were any words to describe her burning hatred for the man that stood before her. She needed to get away.

She ran for her newest horse, this one being grey with small white spots, and practically launched herself onto it's back without even bothering with a saddle.

"I expect your answer when you return, you hear me aru?!" Yao called from the entrance of her tent.

Nara did not reply, instead she lightly kicked at the horses sides and they took off through the snow.

"Run, run swiftly to the north my friend." She whispered as she held to the horse's mane for support.

As they neared the boarders between the Central and Northern kingdoms she began to see the smoke rising from the direction of one of the northern Tumens. Only to arrive and find it torn apart, thankfully there were survivors among the bloody mess of Mongolian people and Chinese soldiers. At least her people had not gone down without a fight.

She urged herself on, not knowing what she would be able to do if she came across the Chinese army. There were more ruined Tumens wherever she went but she could not stop, what could she do for people that were already dead?

When she finally reached her destination she almost fell scrambling off her horse before taking a few steps forward in disbelief. The sight before her made her want to fall to her knees and scream in anger. How could she have been so stupid. She had ignored the headaches, dismissing them as her annoyance with Yao, but it had been a warning. A warning she should have listened to. The same thing had happened when he had been attacking the Central kingdom leaving her with gut twisting stomachaches until he had gained control.

The sight before her was a stone wall. Not anything exciting really, it just barely reached Nara's chest. To anyone looking at it it would seem rather harmless, pathetic even, that a five year old could probably climb over. Not to mention how messily it had been done. But to a nation it was something to cry over.

The pain in her head had left her signaling the completion of the wall. It did not wrap all the way around the whole of Mongolia's lands, it just blocked her from taking sanctuary in Russia's lands. Ivan's lands.

Because a nation cannot cross this kind of wall. And that meant Nara was trapped. The free willed, spirited warrior had been contained. It had finally happened.

Nara was officially married to Yao.


Ivan's peaceful stroll was interrupted by a strange grunting noise. He paused, listening for the sound again. Somewhat cautiously, Ivan kept moving to hear the sound better, but also not wanting to scare the creature away. As he neared he realized the grunting was really the sounds of a struggle, but there was only one participant? He exited the woods into a clearing that contained the boarders between Russian and Mongolian lands to find a very angry woman striking at a low wall.

After a moment of watching in silence Ivan recognized the woman as Nara; swinging her long knife that usually hung by her side at the wall and chipping away at the stones. It took a moment to recognize her in her anger considering she was usually so happy and kind. She had also changed the style of her clothes and had a chunk missing from her right ear along with another deep scar leading down her neck. But why she would ever slash away at some small wall made no sense.

Until Ivan recognized the wall as well.

His violet eyes widen and he shouts in surprise. "Nara!"

She turns her head and the anger seems to melt from her face, to an expression that screams pain.

"Ivan!"

He rushes forward as she drops her knife. They may not be able to cross the wall, but that does not stop them from reaching over the wall to pull each other into an embrace. Nara digs her nails into the back of Ivan's coat and nuzzles closer. If it weren't for the situation, Ivan would take the chance to tell her now as she was safely tucked away in his arms. But she was not safe, for Ivan Nara couldn't be farther away.

"What happened?" He whispers quietly, voice almost drowned out by the beginnings of a snow storm.

The weather seemed to reflect his current mood perfectly.

"He tricked me." Her voice, muffled by his chest, replies. "He tricked me into ignoring the signs. Made me think nothing was wrong. That my biggest concern was his annoying offers. He distracted me."

She didn't have to say his name, Ivan knew. And he felt the anger boil inside as he thought about what this meant, she was a hostage, a forced wife, the thought made him squeeze her tighter to him.

"I will save you. My people are strong. I can defeat him." He suddenly whispers.

To his surprise, Nara pushes him away. "No."

"What?"

"No Ivan. This is not your fight." She says sternly.

"But Nara-" He starts, reaching for her again but she moves away.

"You know me well enough to know how I like to fight my wars. Alone or not at all. Alone keeps me safe." She pauses and slowly reach towards Ivan, lightly caressing his cheek with a small smile. "Alone keeps those I love safe."

Startled, Ivan quickly grabs onto her hand for support as he trips over his words.

"Wha- I- I do not- you- uh?"

"Shhh." Nara interrupts, lifting her other hand so she cups his now blushing cheeks in her hands. "Listen to me Ivan. Can you do that?"

With the lump now forming in his throat he simply nods.

"I want you to go. Be a great nation, a strong nation, and never let anyone take control of you." The tears start to well in her golden eyes. "You must always be the stronger nation. Be the best warrior. And most of all," A painful laugh escapes her lips before turning into a whimper. "Keep smiling my little sunflower."

Ivan can feel the tears on his cheeks, streaming down his face like the melted snow off the mountains in the Spring. He can feel himself shaking as he swallows the lump in his throat.

"Nara." He says shakily.

"What is it?" She whispers sweetly, somehow managing to keep the tears in her eyes.

"I love you."

Nara's cheeks turn even pinker than the cold could turn them but she does not appear surprised as she whispers. "I know."

With that Ivan crashes his lips against hers taking her by surprise. Once she recovers from the initial attack she counters by wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer. The kiss is not hungry, or fierce, or passionate. But there is still force behind it, a passion all it's own, and a small sense of desperation. All the pent up feelings released as they warm their lips together in the now harsh winter storm. Reality forgotten as they stand tightly in this embrace, life forgotten for the moment which seems to last a lifetime.

But when is life ever so caring, so compassionate towards creatures that see death everyday. That feel the hardships of the lands and their people each day as it strains their bodies and grinds them down so far they eventually disappear into nothingness when the time comes.

So with a quiet goodbye, a promise to reunite, and a whispered "I love you" they part once more. And for two hundred years that wall remained. But that is rather short in the life of a nation after all. But once the wall fell there was no reunion. No letter telling of freedom. Not even a message.

In truth Ivan discovered Mongolia's freedom almost a year after it was achieved. What ever happened to Nara he would never know. She became secluded, never let outsiders step foot on her lands, he did not even know a way to contact her.

But he still followed her advice. He became strong, the largest nation in the world. His aura appeared more, especially after Mongolia's freedom. And he began to shut his emotions away. He delt with his own revolution, was a part of the Allies, created the Soviet Union, and even took out some of his anger in the cold war. But he always kept that little smile on his face.

Mind you, it was never a real smile. Those were lost forever, taken away on that cold midwinter day.

He eventually joined a boarding school created especially for nations to take care of business, help teach their specific etiquette and their culture. To help ensure world peace.

Mongolia never did attend.

Although he did not think of it much, those memories were always there. He seemed to understand a little song his roommate America would sometimes whistle or hum or even sing. A little song of a little bird who had lost his lover and sang "Oh willow, tid willow, tid willow."


THIS IS NOT THE END! In case any of you didn't read the top. Oh and I noticed some of you have tried to send me pictures in the past but i can't look at them I just get a link that doesn't work. So if you want to send pictures message me on my account or something maybe I'll use it as the cover for this book.

Goodbye for now my little sunflowers I love you all! And please review I love your feedback.