A/N: Hello, surprise - updating ON TIME! This is because scene ii is ridiculously short. And to be honest, I cut off scene i early anyway, so all the mechanical action would be in one neat place. Enjoy!

Axis Powers Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya.
MSND belongs to William Shakespeare.

By noon, sunlight flooded the wood. All seemed docile, relaxing, and absolutely carefree. In one particularly peaceful grove, a very inquisitive squirrel made its way down a thick oak tree. Sniffling the air, it scampered up a collection of mossy rocks, trying to recall just where exactly the delicious nut tree it had found the day before was located.

It didn't seem to notice that one of the rocks wasn't really a rock. The squirrel nearly jumped out of its skin as Yong Soo bolted awake.

"I know, I know! My next line is, 'It is the gallant Pyramus!' I'm ready for my cue, da ze!" He pushed all wonderment at his aching muscles away, not realizing what an uncomfortable night he had just spent.

"Yao! Kiku!" Only the chirps of far-off birds and crickets answered the call. A red squirrel was hightailing it back into the branches. "Hong? Mei?"

Yong Soo stood up. It was midday and he was completely alone in the wood. He could make out a well-trodden path that could, he supposed, only lead back to the town. "Where is everybody…? Hey! Leaving me alone is not cool! Pranking did not originate in Korea!"

As he climbed down from the rocks, his mind began to conjure up some faint, strange memories. He was almost sure that the rocks had been flowers before, and the enchanting, magical scent nearly filled his nostrils. And weren't there glowing points of light all around, humming like small winged things who held ancient secrets inside? Yong Soo decided it had all been a dream.

"A dream so dreamful that you can almost say it's not like a dream at all, and who would ever dream of repeating it to others?" he thought aloud. Oh, that sounded very clever; he had to remember this one.

Twigs and leaves crunched loudly beneath his boots, the bright green leaves and clear blue sky over his head signalling that yes, indeed this was the real world. No magic, no spirits. But Yong Soo was thinking hard. More snatches of this crazy dream was coming back to him.

"Was I really…? Did I actually have a…" He paused on the path, and raised one hand certainly to pat his head. No, no donkey ears there. "How strange!" A quick pat of his cheeks revealed them to be clean-shaven, not prickly and hairy like an ass's.

"Well! We can certainly say this is a singular dream that only a lively Korean could have had!" Yong Soo set back to the path with gusto. "No eye has heard, no ear has seen, no hand has tasted and tongue has touched what I've just dreamed! A true creation of Korea!"

Yong Soo's speed quickened as he marched through the wood. He had to get this fanciful dream down onto paper soon! But how? Oh, Yao! Yes, of course Yao could help him write it down. It would be like the next epic, told from generation to generation until it grew into a revered myth. Yong Soo was hurtling down the path now, almost beside himself with excitement.

"But what should I call it?" He paused at the edge of a stream and stared at the swiftly running water.

"The Bottomless Dream," he declared. "And I can read it tonight for Duke Bonnefoy's wedding, at the end of the play! It will be the best performance the town has ever seen, da ze!"

And off he rushed, through the sun-lit wood, back to civilization.

Yao had gathered the rest of the actors in his house. It was teatime, but nobody was drinking tea. The clinks of pottery people shuffled their cups around on their saucers felt deafening to the host's ears, not just because of how his oolong was going to waste, but because it seemed to echo the one thing on everybody's minds:

What happened to Yong Soo?

"Has anyone gone to his house yet?" He glanced around the table.

Mei shook her head. "Nobody in town has seen him at all. Surely he's still lost in the forest."

Next to her, Kiku bit his lip. "But if he never comes back, the play will be ruined. We can't possibly put it on without him, can we?"

Yao shook his head vehemently. "It's impossible, aru! Can you even think of any other person in town who can play Pyramus?"

"No…I suppose he was the only one…"

"Of course he was the only one!" In his worry, Yao didn't realize he was chewing the end of his own ponytail nervously. "He was the best disclaimer of all voices, aru!"

"I think you mean declaimer…disclaimer means something completely different."

"Do not argue with me, aru!"

There was a smart rap upon the door, and open it slid to reveal a morose-looking Thai.

"Here's some news, everyone. The Duke is just leaving the cathedral right now, and it looks like not just one couple was married, but three. Imagine if we had gone forward with our plan...all of us would have been given medals of honour!"

Kiku pushed his teacup away with a sigh.

"Poor Yong Soo…think about it, he could have had leisurely pay for the rest of his life as an honoured man, but now he's lost it. I'm sure the Duke would have honoured him as Pyramus, at the very least! I'd swear upon it."

Thai joined the sombre troupe at the table. Nobody made a move to pour him tea, but it was just as well. Just as Thai had settled himself onto a cushion, the sliding doors began to shake with heavy blows.

"Hey! Where's everyone! Are you all there, da ze?"

There was an incredible fumbling at the table as Yao, Mei and Kiku all scrambled to their feet and rushed for the door. Poor Thai was bowled over in their haste, and Hong decided it was finally a good time to begin sampling the snacks Yao had put out for them. Yong Soo entered triumphantly.

"Im Yong Soo!" Yao waved his arms around in an attempt to induce order. Mei was hugging the prodigal actor, and Kiku was pouring another cup of tea. "Thank goodness you're back, aru."

Yong Soo accepted his cup of tea pompously. "Well, my good friends, I have experienced many wonders, da ze. But don't ask me what they are, because I swear as a noble Korean that I won't! Now listen up, I'll tell you everything, just as it happened."

"Okay, what happened?"

Yong Soo took a leisurely sip of his tea. "Didn't I just say I wouldn't say a word? All you're going to know is that Duke Bonnefoy is having his banquet, da ze."

The others stared at him in exasperation. There was still a few flower petals hanging off his left ear. A clock chimed somewhere else in the house, and the Korean started.

"Hey! The Duke is having his banquet! No time to lose, everybody! Quick, grab your props and costumes, then we'll all meet at the palace. Make sure everyone knows their lines, because even if prompters originated in Korea, we don't have any! The thing is, our play has been chosen by the Duke!"

Yao tried to protest that hey, the play idea had been his – but Yong Soo was on a roll.

"Kiku, make sure Thisby's clothes are clean all the way down to the linens! Thai, no need to cut your nails because lions have sharp claws, da ze! Nobody is allowed to eat onions or garlic just to make sure we have a sweet breath. If we do that, they'll definitely say that it was a sweet play!"

Yao was still trying to say something. Yong Soo grabbed an egg tart and promptly stuffed it into his questioning mouth.

"No time for ramblings, aniki! Let's get going, da ze!"

A/N: Then it's Act V…which is two scenes, but one is massive and the other is tiny. I think I'll just mash them up into one huge update…so it will be the last. I hope you have still enjoyed my roller coaster of a fic. See you for the ending! Thank you.

Also, apparently we can do cover artwork for stories now. Unfortunately, I cannot draw to save my life. So...well. This was a pointless statement, then.