A/N: Chapter ten has finally arrived! Enjoy
Two men stood face to face as the cold rain poured down onto the hard ground. One had an army of men behind him, the other was alone. Their hands clenched loaded guns that were aimed on their targets. Both men had been fighting for quite a while, waiting for the end of the long battle to come. Dirt, mud, and blood stained their uniforms. Messy blonde hair framed both of their faces. At first glance, one would wonder what was so important about these two men. You see, they were both personified countries representing two different nations. At first glance, one would think that these two men were very similar. In some ways, they were. However, they were also extremely different.
*Arthur's POV*
"Hey Britain, all I wanted was my freedom. I'm no longer a child, nor your little brother. From now on, consider me... independent." I looked into his bright blue eyes and wondered how things had ended up like this. Where had everything gone wrong? The painful thoughts that had been swirling through my head intensified. Part of me knew that it was my fault. I shouldn't have been so controlling. The other part of me was more focused on America. Why couldn't he understand why I was acting so protective? With vast land and a plethora of valuable resources, the other countries had plenty of reasons to be jealous. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him.
The two of us had been standing here for a while ow. My gun was pointed at him, his at me. Any minute now, one of us would shoot. Finally, the silence became too much to bear. I ran towards him, quickly closing the gap between us. Our guns clashed together, sending his flying into the air. It landed in the mud with a soft thud.
*Alfred's POV*
Now unarmed, I stood there speechless, watching him with wide eyes. His gun was pointed directly at my head. Part of me knew that I deserved all of this. I was the one who started the war. Of course, the other part of me blamed him. Why couldn't he understand why I couldn't be his colony? Didn't he get it? Why couldn't he just let me become independent willingly, without all this fighting? These types of questions swirled through my head like a tornado, along with memories from everything that had happened during this long war. Everything tat had been said and done. Everyone that had been lost. With each and every casuality, more and more guilt built up inside me. I was the reason they were all dead now. The reason why they could never see or talk to their loved ones ever again. Of course, it was much too late to back down now. It had been from the moment I left that letter on the table. This war wouldn't end until I became independent or died trying.
The seconds ticked on as I waited for him to shoot me. Finally, he spoke. "I won't allow it! You idiot! Why can't you follow anything through to the end?!" his word hurt, but not as much as my words had hurt him. I knew how bad I had made him feel. It showed in his emerald eyes. One of the men behind me yelled, "Ready! Aim!" in a fierce tone as I watched my former caretaker.
*Arthur's POV*
Soon they all had their guns pointed at me. That's when I knew what had to happen. I couldn't let my country die because of this. The realization hurt me more than any of their bullets ever could. I would have to let him go. Let him be free and... independent.
*Alfred's POV*
His voice was somewhat shaky as he said, "There's no way I could shoot you... I just can't..." A few seconds later, his gun was also laying in the mud and he was sinking to the ground. Once he found his place there, he cried into his hands. "Why?! Dammit, why?! It's not fair!" I had never seen him looking so vulnerable and weak. So broken. It killed me inside. Still, I decided to make it worse by saying the most horrible thing I could. I didn't intend it to be so harsh, I was actually curious as to what his answer would be. "What happened? I remember when you were... great" As if fighting him and winning wasn't enough, now I had rubbed my victory in his face. I felt like the sick monster I had become.
My army and I walked away, leaving him alone, crying in the rain. The men smiled, cheered, and patted me on the back, congratulating me on my victory. I was now the only country to win a war against Britain. That didn't make me happy though. Still, I faked a smile and cheered along with them. I would save the crying for later, when no one could see me.
*No POV*
Yes, these to men were very different indeed. One had just found freedom. The other had just become completely alone.
Thanks for reading! I'm sorry this took so long. To be honest, I did not want to write this chapter at all. Hope I did the Revolutionary War justice! I took the dialog directly from the dubbed anime, which I do not own. During this, I mainly listened to "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" by Green Day, "Live Free or Let Me Die" by Skillet, and "Apologize" by One Republic. I also listened to the parody of that last song a lot. It is written specifically about the War. So sad. I cried. Anyways, please review and all that good stuff. Helps me write. Love you guys!