AAAAHHHHHH second to the last chapter /sulks. I would like to thank everyone for reading my fanfic as well as those who
eagerly wait for my updates even if this annoying little bugger takes a long time to do so /smacked. I will try my best to
have the last one up as soon as I can though school is coming up next week nuuuuu. Once again I hope you enjoy this chapter and
Reviews are appreciated!

P.S= I still own nothing... BTW have you seen new zealand's cameo appearance in hetalia a beautiful world?! he's
in episode 17, the adorable guy standing behind iggy wearing yellow and a cute curl! /chatters on and on and on

Chapter 14: Always there for you

The helicopter descended onto the soft snow, blowing away the leaves that remain on the trees. Yao threw on the coat that Arthur gave him and yanked the door open, running to the giant bonfire ahead. Arthur followed him; the sense of dread tying knots in his insides. Guilt gripped his heart as he tried not to get his shoes to sink into the soft snow. The flames roared and smoke tainted the sky with the wind blowing the fumes in several directions. Yao ran desperately towards it, ignoring the flying debris and sparks that hissed and flicked around threatingly.

"KIWI ARU!" he yelled, trying to get a sign from the little boy. Hearing nothing, he made his way through the burning scraps of metal and into the chopper. He covered his nose with the coat's sleeve as he bent low to avoid inhaling the nauseous gas, looking around. The pilot and Ivan where nowhere to be seen, but he gasped at the sight of a small body in the rear, a metal beam trapping him down.

"KIWI! STEVEN!" he called, walking closer while avoiding the loose ends that groaned and creaked. Coughing, he placed his hands on the beam and lifted with all his might. He reached out to pull him but the weight proved itself too much, making him carry it with both arms with no means to help the unconscious nation. Arthur appeared and offered to carry the beam instead, lifting it higher so that Yao can reach him. Holding his hand, Yao pulled the boy from the rubble and ran outside with Arthur following him. As soon as he stepped out, the flames licked the gas tank and exploded, propelling them face first to the cold snow. Yao curled up into the ball to shield Kiwi from the impact and landed into a heap of snow while Arthur collided with a very hard tree.

Blinking the black dots from his vision, the Brit groaned and shakily stood up, gripping the trunk for support. [...Bloody hell that hurt...] he thought, wincing. Yao uncurled from his position and inspected the soot covered boy in his hands for any injuries. There was a nasty looking bruise on his forehead and a few scratches here and there but nothing seems to be broken. He pressed his two fingers on his wrist and sighed in relief when he felt a heartbeat. Arthur made his way to them and kneeled, pulling out a handkerchief and tied it like a bandage around the boy's head as the bruise bled a bit.

"He's alright, aru. Or alive at least..." said Yao, pulling him close. Arthur on the other hand was scanning the area for any sign of Ivan. He stood and gazed their surroundings intently. "I wonder where he is..." he mumbled.

Bushes shifted to his left that caught his attention, and he crouched low to whisper in Yao's ear. "Be careful...he's still around here...and the tundra is his turf. Find a safe place to hide..." And with that he stood and walked towards the source. Yao carried the boy carefully in his arms and went to the opposite direction while being cautious of where he goes, ears and eyes strained like a wolf. Shuffling in the bushes next to him made Arthur even tenser. He went through a number of spells in his mind, most were for offense but a shield spell won't hurt. The bushes rattled in front of him and he took a stance, preparing himself for a strike. Then, a white rabbit hopped out of the greenery and sniffed the snow, looking up at him curiously. He sighed and clutched his fast beating heart to calm it down, slightly miffed at the cute creature. A cry for help jostled his senses and he ran as fast as he could to where he left them. The cries grew louder as he came closer, praying nothing serious has happened.

'ARTHUR ARU!" yelled Yao as he dodged Ivan's pipe. He clutched the small boy tightly and tried to backtrack but the Russian proved to be fast on his feet even on the snow that makes it hard to move around. "I told you to give him to me, da?" he said, pouncing and knocking Yao off his feet. Refusing to let go, he fell backwards hard, making sure Kiwi was still in his arms. Large green orbs blinked open and looked at him worriedly. "Yao..."

Yao cried out as he jumped up to avoid the pipe from breaking his leg. The metal hit the snow with such force that it left a small crater in its wake. Ivan glared at them but smiled, chuckling. "This is fun. We should do this again sometime. I'll even invite Lithuania and the others. Just don't bring him that annoying little brat of his."

"He is not a brat aru!" he growled and sent a kick his way to fend him off. Ivan dodged easily and distanced himself a bit, smirking. "Oh that's right, he isn't a brat. He's a MISTAKE! An ACCIDENT who got in my way!" Snarling he pounced, arms out to grab the boy. Yao spun out of the way and watched him sprint their way. "AYIAH! GO AWAY YOU CREEP!" he yelled.

Yao scrambled the other way and ran into Arthur who held them both steady. "Mummy!" the little boy cried as he reached out and hugged him. Arthur smiled and held him close, but then was shoved to the side by Yao to avoid a flying pick axe that came their way. Ivan grunted and walked slowly towards them, picking up the axe while swinging his pipe. "If you don't give him to me I will have to pry him off your frostbitten hands..."

Kiwi buried his face in his "mum's" chest, shaking in fear. Arthur snarled at him as he stood, kicking off the snow from his uniform. "You want him? Come get him you bloody sadist!" He handed Kiwi to Yao as soon as Ivan pounced, letting out a blast of blue magic to blow him away. He landed easily and used the pick axe so swipe at him, the edge dangerously close to his face that he could feel it. Cornering him to a line of trees, he threw the axe towards him. Acting on instinct, Arthur cast a spell and broke the axe into pieces and sending scraps of wood everywhere. Yao yelped as the sharp metal whizzed pass them and ducked into a bush, crawling away from the fight. Kiwi started to flail around in his hold. "We hafta help mum!" he cried. "Turn back! Turn back!"

"I'm sorry aru but not now..." he said as he flinched when he heard Arthur fall somewhere with a grunt.

Ivan glared at him, drawing his pipe. "That was my favourite axe..." He sped towards him and kicked his side and rammed the butt of the pipe on his gut, smirking at the blood that came out of his mouth. He staggered backwards but held his ground, eyes glowing green as he shot a blast of magic at his foe. Ivan gritted his teeth as he got caught in it, digging his feet into the snow as he was dragged back upon impact. His uniform steamed and his scarf was soiled, making him pout like a child.

"Eh...my clothes aren't presentable anymore...I should ask Latvia to wash it later, da?"

Arthur got up, clutching his side and winced, breathing heavily as he wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. Ivan stood there, composed and as if he never did anything as he showed no sign of fatigued. [...My magic is draining my energy faster than I expected...I must act or else I won't last long...] he thought. Ivan lunged and dragged him as they rolled down a hill, punching and kicking. The cold snow bit into their skin harshly, making it difficult to concentrate. Arthur blasted him off with a shot of magic and grabbed hold of a nearby tree's roots to stop him from sliding. Yao and Kiwi appeared a little ways further down the path. New Zealand made the mistake of calling out, catching Ivan's attention and making him slide down the rest of the way, eyes glinting murderously. Yao saw him coming and scooped up the boy in his arms, running away from him. Arthur cursed and let go, sliding down as well.

As soon as he stepped on the ice, Yao slipped and the two skidded across a wide area and stopped at the center. He stared at the ground in horror when he realized it was a frozen lake, slipping when he tried to get up. Kiwi pulled his hands away as the ice burned his skin, wiping it on his clothes to warm them up. He clumsily made his way to Yao's arms when he saw Ivan by the edge of the lake, pipe in tow. He smiled at them pleasantly before bringing the pipe down hard on the sensitive surface. Blow after blow, he drove it down as hard as he can, creating cracks that spread quickly. Yao could hear the water underneath them and his eyes grew wide when the cracks went passed them and making their place even more dangerous.

[...I-If the ice breaks...we would sink...but if we miraculously get out...we might die of hyperthermia aru...] he thought frantically. Kiwi started to panic when the ice below his feet made loud shuddering noises. Arthur gasped when he saw them at the middle of the disintegrating ice with nowhere to escape. Ivan continued to hack away with his pipe. Before he got blown off by Arthur's magic, his last strike caused much of the ice to break away and made the water below gush out from the cracks. Arthur sent a harsh kick to his face and used his pipe to knock him down, leaving him with a bloody gash on his cheek. He ran to the edge and called out to them in desperation.

Yao carried Kiwi and started hopping on the blocks of ice that he thinks is stable enough to step on. Some tipped his balance and allowed his foot to slip through the ice cold water. The cold winter wind blew and chilled his leg but he kept going to reach the shore. Arthur ran to the nearest place they were headed and waited for them, holding his breath. But around a few feet left, the slab Yao settled on gave way, making him slip into the water as he threw Kiwi to him. "YAO!" he yelled, setting Kiwi down before running to where he disappeared.

Yao flailed in the freezing lake, the cold making his actions slow and sloppy. It made it very hard to hold his breath as he panicked for his life. He was sinking even more, and the longer he spent down there the more he felt his energy leaving him. The little light from the surface was vanishing and his sight was blurry. His lungs screamed in pain from the lack of air. He started to reminisce on happy memories he spent with his siblings and friends; more importantly the days when he was with Hong and Kiwi. He smiled to himself while he went through those moments, finding a strange comfort as he drifted to the depths. Accepting defeat to the elements, he thought of silent apologies to everyone who he thinks he needed to ask from. Lost to the darkness, he placed his mind at ease after the apology he meant for his little boy that he was thankful to have saved.

Arthur shuddered at the cold when he dove in but swam as fast as he could manage. The silhouette was fading quickly but he could see how desperate the man was. He casts a spell that created an air bubble for him to breathe in as he wrapped his arms around him and shot a ball of magic beneath them to propel them upwards. They burst through the surface and he dragged him to shore. Coughing and sputtering the water out of his lungs, he went to his side and proceeded to do CPR to get the water out of his system. Besides, he was trying to save his life so a few kisses won't hurt. He pulled away as Yao coughed and hacked the water out, breathing heavily. He felt two shivering arms around him and he huddled for warmth, realizing they were on land.

Ivan quietly trudged towards them, ignoring his bleeding face as he held the pipe tightly in his hands. God he really hated these people right now, ESPECIALLY that rotten kid who is nowhere to be seen. And now his lovable Yao hates him even more because he tried to scratch out the nuisances that kept him from spending time with him. He stopped a few steps behind them, thinking how to finish the British man off without hitting Yao. The two exhausted nations turned and scooted away from him. The chilly air and wet clothes made them immobilized. Ivan, too, felt tried. But all he needs is the right hit and then he could just throw the British bastard back into the frozen lake afterwards. He inched closer towards them, pulling out the sharp gleaming sword that was inside its faucet case. Arthur can feel the metal cutting through his skin but he held Yao closer, refusing to back down. "I wonder how you would look like cut into tiny pieces and being served as fish food..." he mused. Yao pulled away from Arthur and swallowed his pride, locking his gaze at him. "Ivan please...we didn't do anything to you aru. Why can't you just leave us alone?! You might make friends faster if you would stop trying to kill someone close to them because of jealousy!" he begged.

Ivan pouted childishly and crossed his arms. "I'm not jealous! You keep on rejecting me because nations like them..." *points to Arthur in disgust* "...tell you things about me that aren't true! If you gave me a chance to show you then I never would've thought of this in the first place!"

Yao stood shakily, staring at him incredulously. "AYIAH YOU TRIED TO SHOOT US OUT OF THE SKY! THEN YOU TRY TO DROWN US IN A FROZEN LAKE ARU! YOU ARE INSANE ARU!"

Ivan rolled his eyes. "It is how I handle my problems. Now step aside..." Shoving him aside harshly, he towered over Arthur and pulls him up by the collar, the sword inches away from his neck. "I think it's time that you would regret having nations with people I like..."

Arthur held his head high. "I regret nothing...I have nothing to be sorry for when it comes to nations like you..."

Ivan roared angrily and raised his sword for the final blow. A bright blue light glistened to his left and before he knew it the Russian man was blown far into the center of the frozen lake, crashing through the surface. Arthur fell to his knees and adjusted his collar as Yao ran to his side. Kiwi stood with both hands raised, a faint blue light enveloped him that was slowly fading away. The child was obviously crying, or more like hyperventilating but he ran to his parent and hugged him, whimpering. Yao looked at Arthur with surprised eyes and whispered, "You taught him magic aru?!"

Arthur grinned and pulled the little nation close, kissing his forehead. "That's our strong little colony..."

He chuckled. Yao sighed and looked behind them as Ivan broke out of the surface, coughing and shivering. Voices can be heard from afar and soon Raivis (Latvia), Eduard (Estonia) and Toris (Lithuania) came from behind the trees with a new set of clothes. They obviously didn't expect seeing him there so they hastily ran and tried to fish him out. "We should go now while they are busy..." said Arthur, still shivering from the cold but got up with Kiwi in his arms. Yao turned one more time to see Eduard helping a sneezing Ivan up and bundling him in what seems like two or three coats.

While walking back to the chopper, Yao noticed Kiwi looking at him while he laid his chin on Arthur's shoulder. For some reason he felt self-conscious and started to fix his sleeves a bit. Arthur stopped a few paces in front of him and smiled, setting Kiwi down on the snow and crouching down to his level. Yao gave him a puzzled look as he petted the boy's hair gently and spoke to him. "Steven, do you remember that young lady you saw while sailing away on my boat?"

Yao blushed at their conversation but stayed quiet. The little boy nodded and smiled. "Did you find her? I wanna invite her for tea!"

Arthur laughed and made him face Yao. Kiwi looked at him in confusion, blinking curiously. "That person you saw was not a lady, Steven. It was Yao who was tending to flowers." He said softly.

Kiwi frowned at him. "But you said the lady was my...ohhh...you told me she was my daddy..." he said, giggling. "I thought mummy made a mistake. I get it now."

"Would you like to call him daddy from now on?" he asked.

Yao felt a twinge of worry in his gut and a barrage of questions swirled in his mind that made him forget he was even freezing. [...What if he says no aru? What if he doesn't want a daddy anymore aru? What will I do about Francis if he does accept me? Will Ivan go after him even more if I become his father?! Ayiah this is nerve wrecking...]

Kiwi turned to him and looked down shyly, playing with his shirt. "I-if Mr. Yao is alright with it...I-I would love to have him as my daddy..."

Crouching down, Yao smiled at him warmly and spreads his arms. Kiwi understood and hugged him, burying his face in his cold clothes. "I would love to be your daddy aru..." he said quietly, kissing his forehead. He felt Arthur wrapping his arms around them and added a quick peck to his cheek. Yao flustered and nudged him gently, looking away. Kiwi giggled and planted a small kiss on his cheek of his own. Arthur grinned and looked down at them, smiling at them lovingly. They may be geographically apart by hundreds of nautical miles, but this was his family, and he wouldn't want it any other way no matter how strange their story came to be.

AWWWW FLUFFEH FLUFF FLUFF /smacked anyways hope you enjoyed that :D sorry if there weren't much EnglandxChina though.

as usual, Onward to the Epilogue aru (/ *w*)