Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia
Morning arrived.
By the strike of noon, afternoon invaded.
As time continued to elapsed over the course of the day, soon it transformed into night—tiny twinkling stars manifesting and accumulate numbers beyond the inner depths of the night sky.
At the far side of the bustling city, though not too far from the Central Plaza, was a local concert hall.
Isolated on its own like an island, such construction was purposely made to bring attention to people of all ages. With the exception of the roof as its made of sturdy metal, the framework of its exterior walls, the interior surface, and the main entrance doors are pure glass—giving off a sense of elegance and urbanity in its surroundings.
Past the entrance and the grand lobby were another set of large doors. And within the set of large doors lies the heart of the concert hall—or what musicians often call it as the main battlefield—the concert stage.
A startling melodic sound resounded throughout the jam-packed auditorium. Each and everyone's eyes were focused on the sole individual who was currently playing onstage—a violinist.
With each string that she strung, her vibrant forest green gown would move from side to side that could be very well be mistaken to be as a gliding effect on the wooden flooring. Her dark chocolate colored hair, tightly knotted into a medium-sized length, bounced wildly in correspondence to the beat of the music.
Despite how simple her appearance was, it was enough to unintentionally enthrall and stagger everyone, tricking them to believe that the clothing she wore held some connection to the musical piece.
Yet, this didn't matter as the entire audience remained at the edge of their seats, utterly hypnotized by her moves and performance. Everything about her and what the raw talent that she possessed was painted with perfection.
Upon the last and final note, the violinist immediately thrust her dominant left arm high into the air in which was firmly equipped with her signature bow. Breathing heavily, her lips curved to form a tiny smile as a crashing wave of applauses and encouraging shouts flooded the area.
Collecting her wood string instrument and bow together with one arm, she used her other free hand to take hold of her dress, carrying out a curtsey.
Once that was done, the young woman sharply turned her back against the audience and took a few steps forward, heading for backstage without the intention of staying longer to hear her full name being addressed.
"Let's give it up for the stellar performance of Lien Kim Nguyen— "
By the time she stepped out from backstage, the young woman forcedly pressed her back against the nearest wall she set her eyes upon. Placing her instrument case between her legs, she then brought a hand up to wipe the sweat that trailed down from her forehead to her tip of her chin.
Dipping her chin down, her amber eyes fixated on the carpeted ground where she was met with her white sandals.
Seven years have passed since her first debut and even now, her heart can't stop thrashing thunderously against her chest from just performing in front of thousands of people. It was strange—she was already so used to playing in front of a large crowd yet the outcomes of her efforts never failed to send goosebumps on her skin.
Regardless, Lien loved every second of it.
This was, after all, what she truly enjoyed and dreamt of becoming—to be a professional violinist.
Brushing her ponytail to the side, she closed her eyes and sighed as the warm radiance of the dimly-lit light that befell on her spread across her angelic face.
Aside from her accomplishing her childhood dream, there were also things that changed as well.
First, the orchestra bands.
Over the years, the relationship between the two world-renowned orchestra bands, Star Fest and World gig improved greatly. Thanks to their first collaboration, they were able to contribute in influencing other bands to form future collaborations—something that was never thought to exist in the past. Prior to a couple of months of consultation and cooperation, the two Conductors—Yao Wang and Arthur Kirkland decided that it was best to disband both of their respective bands.
Of course, social media exploded.
At first, it didn't make sense and in a way, it seemed justified by how their fans reacted to the sudden disbandment—everyone wanted answers, including them. How could they abruptly stop everything when there were so many high reputations and rich, historic competition engraved within the two bands?
Two weeks after, an explanation was issued. Even now in the present day, Lien could still hardly believe that these words actually came out of her mentor, Yao Wang's mouth:
"Star Fest and World gig wish to be united under one title."
It was no secret that Yao and Arthur were occasionally attending to private meetings alongside their right-hand man's, Ivan and Francis to further back-up on their behalf. Furthermore, it was also a fact that the two Conductors valued the future of their orchestra bands and aside from their differences, held strikingly similar ambitions and dreams.
In this case, the union of their two bands became an excellent example of that.
And after a long series of disputes (and fighting) over the band's name, it was ultimately decided that from this day onward, they were to be officially called the United Nations.
That was six years ago.
Next, Dae Yeung.
Through the efforts and assistance of her mentor, Yao Wang, they were able to successfully bring the bastard to justice. Tilting her head to the side, Lien frowned. Now that she thought about it, when was the last time she saw him…perhaps the same day when she attempted to escape from her arranged wedding?
In the end, it didn't matter—not anymore.
He was finally out of her mother's life and out of her life.
Speaking of her mother, she was miraculously able to get back on her feet.
It was a slow process—it took a month for her mother to wake up, a few weeks to open her mouth and start speaking and a month later to finally be discharged from the hospital. The image of her healthy and smiling mother that predominately existed in her childhood started to resurface again as well as manifest before her very eyes.
And Lien couldn't be happier to welcome this side of her mother that she loved dearly back when she was a child.
Although her mother was able to go back home, there was also the question if this also meant that Lien and her sister Xiao Mei would have to go back and live in their apartment.
Once again, Yao and Kiku stepped in to get involved.
After much convincing, it was decided that Lien and her family were to live under their roof in the meantime.
In the present day, Lien and Xiao Mei had moved out—except this time, for personal reasons.
That was four years ago.
Last but not least, Alfred F. Jones.
A week after the victory party that was held at Yao and Kiku's place, Lien and Alfred both succeeded in getting to spend more time together. While doing so, this also meant that they were able to get to know more about one another. Lien found out about Alfred's late best friend, Davie, who was the one who introduced him to photography during high school. In turn, Alfred was able to find out more about Lien's late father.
Besides that, this also left them to get to teach each other their own skills like baking confectionaries and taking photos.
Like her mother's recovery, their relationship was slow and gradual—and that was more than enough for them to be rest assured that the other was comfortable with their presence…
Fluttering her eyes wide open, Lien smiled fondly over the rush of memories.
And now…
The sound of rushing, light footsteps tapping across the carpet floor caught Lien's attention. Turning to the direction of the sound, Lien couldn't help but unconsciously smile.
A little girl—no older than three years old was running straight for her. Wrapped tightly around her arms was a large bouquet. She wore a cute pink salmon dress with big white polka dots, along with a big black bow on the front. Her light brown hair, that tied with red pigtails swayed behind her—such a trivial accessory adding more to her adorable appearance.
Yet, what sparked Lien's interest the most were her eyes—the color of the sky.
Bending her knees down until it touched the carpet floor, Lien proceeded to open and stretch both her arms out, encouraging for the little girl to come forth.
Seconds later, the little girl produced an adorable smile—a smile that Lien dearly loved to see.
"MOMMY!"
Without hesitation, the little girl jumped straight into the young woman's arms. Lien giggled, kissing the crown of her daughter's head as she held her close to her chest. "I miss you, my little star."
The little girl let out a laugh and in one swift motion, presented her large gift toward her mother, "These are for you, Mommy!"
Hearing this, Lien lightly giggled. Once she accepted the bouquet, she enveloped her daughter in a motherly embrace. "Thank you, Stella." She said softly, pecking her on the temple. "This is wonderful." Releasing her hold, Lien frowned as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Where's Daddy?"
"Mei, slow down!"
Lien paused for a moment, furrowing her eyebrows. Angling her chin up high, Lien's mouth slightly parted half open upon sighting a familiar group of silhouettes entering her field of vision. Before she could speak up, alas, the masculine voice from earlier had fortunately beaten her.
"You're not supposed to be running!" The male figure cried while attempting to catch up to his childhood friend. "Remember what the doctor said— "
"Oh, quit your yapping, Kiku!" Xiao Mei argued, puffing her cheeks. "Besides, you don't have the right to tell me what to do!"
"You're my wife!" Kiku defended as he raised his voice, "AND you're six months in pregnancy! How can I not be concerned?"
In response, Xiao Mei rolled her eyes. "Ugh, fine!" Cursing under her breath, she stopped midway in her tracks. By the time Kiku appeared on her right side, she twirled her head just in time to stick out her tongue, "Geez, you are no fun!"
"I wouldn't be surprised if your child ends up inheriting your playfulness," Lien interrupted from nearby, followed by her daughter's constant laughter.
Flinching from her spot, Xiao Mei twirled her body around and gasped. "Oh, sis!" She greeted her older sibling, changing her annoyed expression at the drop of a hat. Noting the small bundle of joy found nestled within the arms of the violinist, she flashed a big grin as she added in, "Ah, and little Stella!"
Releasing herself from her mother's arms, Stella dashed toward the couple. "Auntie Mei!" Stella responded back with a wave of her left chubby arm. "Uncle K!"
As soon as Stella skidded to a halt about a few steps away from them, Kiku then brought out his hand to ruffle his niece's chocolate brown locks. Chuckling, he replied back with, "It's a pleasure to see you too, Stella."
"What are you guys doing here?" Lien asked, getting straight to the point.
Spreading her arms high in the air, Xiao Mei cried in giddiness, "We were waiting for you, of course!"
Lien raised a questionable eyebrow. "…Of course?"
Kiku sighed lowly. "I believe what Mei is trying to say is that after your scheduled solo piece, we wanted to come find you and congratulate you." He explained on behalf of his wife.
Lien nodded. "I see." With the ghost of a smile, she then bowed her head respectfully. "Then I thank you humbly for your support."
"Hey now, you shouldn't be so formal!" Xiao Mei remarked, "We're all family here!"
Meanwhile, Kiku directed his fixation on his sister-in-law who appeared to be struggling with balancing the large bouquet and instrument case altogether. "Would you like some assistance?" He asked, startling her.
Hearing this, Lien shook her head. "Oh, thank you." Extending her right hand, handed her instrument case forward in which Kiku was obliged to receive. Peering over her shoulder where she was met with her younger sister playing around with her daughter, her smile widened. As Kiku reached out to take in possession of her instrument case, Lien took this opportunity to say, "It's almost time, huh?"
Looking back up, Kiku furrowed his eyebrows. "Pardon?"
"In a few more months, you're going to be a father." Lien clarified, her voice becoming a mere whisper. "How are you feeling?"
Scratching the back of his neck, Kiku's lips formed into a straight line. Though he wore a composed look, his dark eyes proved this to be otherwise. "Honestly, more scared than ever," He finally admitted to her, his right hand unconsciously tightening his grip on the handle of the instrument case. "My father didn't involve himself much in my life and so, I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
"You're not the only one who feels that way." Lien insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder for reassurance. "And don't worry, I am certain that you would make a fine father."
Kiku paused for a moment before nodding firmly. "Thank you. I'll do my best not just for my sake but also for Mei as well."
Brushing off her hand from his shoulder, Lien lightly giggled. "If it makes you feel any better, there's you-know-who that you could talk to." She explained as she sneaked a peek down at the bouquet of flowers she was currently holding onto. "His father died when he was young and like you, he lacks a role model. Yet, it doesn't seem at all surprising to me that he managed to take care of Stella very well."
Kiku snorted. "It's no secret that that guy is an expert at everything." He said with his smile lingering. "Don't forget that he used to be the—" Just when he could finish the rest of his sentence, alas another familiar voice interrupted from afar.
"Heh, so this is where the party's at!"
Rolling his eyes, Kiku turned his heels around to properly face his best friend. "Gilbert, what are you doing here?" He asked, his tone veiled in seriousness.
"What does it look like? I've been looking all over for you guys!" Gilbert panted, completely out of breath as soon as he approached the group.
Kiku let out a long sigh. Suddenly, a thought struck him. "Wait, where's Elizaveta?"
Collecting himself, the albino shrugged. "Oh, she's somewhere."
In turn, Kiku instinctively slapped his hand against his temple. "You left your own wife and your son alone?"
"Hey, you and I both know that that woman can handle things pretty well." Gilbert defended. Puffing his chest in confidence, his crimson colored eyes twinkled. "Man, I still can't believe I'm married to her!"
Kiku simply shook his head. "Tell it to your wedding ring…" He murmured under his breath.
Nevertheless, Gilbert ignored his comment and laughed boisterously. "Say, anyone knows where Mathias is at?"
"He called us earlier saying he and his family are in the Central Plaza." Xiao Mei piped in with Stella trailing after her. "The others are already there too."
Lien blinked. "The others?"
The three individuals froze in place, exchanging worried looks. Words like, 'you didn't tell her?' and 'how should I know?' caught Lien's ears as they privately discussed with one another.
Narrowing her eyes, Lien boldly asked, "What's going on?"
Clearing his throat, Kiku spoke up. "A few minutes ago, you asked us why we were here. Is that correct?" Upon receiving a nod of confirmation, he continued, "Aside from congratulating you, we were also instructed to come pick you up."
Blushing, Lien frowned a little. "I didn't know about this."
Meanwhile, Xiao Mei flashed a grin. "Why don't you take a look at the note inside the bouquet of flowers?"
'Note?' Lien thought and lowering her gaze, did what she was told. Examining the bouquet carefully, her amber eyes struck gold when she discovered the note—in her defense, it was perfectly hidden away from view. Ever so carefully, she tore off the paper in order to properly read the message.
Meet me at Central Plaza :)
After reading, Lien stifled a giggle.
It didn't take a genius to know that the messy handwriting belonged to him.
Lifting her chin up, Lien smiled. "Well, what are we waiting for?"
The engines of vehicles roared thunderously in the dead of the night. Bright lights originating from every window of every building in sight contributed to the polychrome illumination that decorated the surroundings. It was a chaotic mess, yet in a way, it was somehow befitting. Because in spite of the chaos, the heart of the city continued to be at peace—a characteristic trait in which the people—tourists and residents alike eventually grew accustomed to.
And of course, within the epicenter was a familiar place for all.
The Central Plaza.
'It feels like such a long time since I've last stepped foot in here…' Lien thought wistfully as she walked past the large gateway.
Although there were some obvious, minor changes in the area like with the addition of more street lamps and wooden benches that could be found in some corners—overall, and much to her relief—the Central Plaza remained untouched by the developing world.
Of all the places that she ever visited, to Lien, the Central Plaza will always be precious in her heart.
Putting his arms behind his head, Gilbert let out a whistle. "Feels like an eternity since I've been here." He commented. Angling his head the other way, he focused over to his best friend. "Ain't that right, bud?"
Kiku shook his head in agreement. "I can never forget this place,"
Sneakily walking up behind her older sister, Xiao Mei then lashed onto one of the young woman's arms, causing the two to nearly stumble in the process.
"Mei, be careful!" Lien cried, her amber eyes filled with worry.
Ignoring her sibling, Xiao Mei giggled away as she whispered, "Doesn't this remind you of a certain incident?"
Lien raised her eyebrow in question, "What do you mean?"
"Come on, don't tell me you forgot already!" Xiao Mei exclaimed, "You and I were invited by Kiku to go and attend the karaoke party at Sunrise café. Afterward, you and— "
Hearing this, Lien blushed furiously. "Okay, okay! You really don't need to remind me!"
Suddenly, a thunderous sound of vibration erupted from nearby, causing the group to slow down their pace.
Repositioning his arms onto his hips, Gilbert cried aloud, "'Kay, this is our cue."
Lien slanted her head, confused. "Aren't the three of you coming along?"
"Oh, we will," Gilbert answered as he put his arms behind his head. "You can count on it!"
"Gilbert's right," Kiku chimed in, agreeing with his best friend. "We'll follow after you shortly."
Something poked Lien from behind, prompting the young woman to turn and discover her younger sister no longer by her side. "Go on, sis!" She encouraged, "He's waiting!"
After a moment of silence, Lien nodded her head firmly. Bending her knees down once more, she scooped up her little angel. Making sure that Stella was nestled comfortably in her arms, she twirled her body halfway, letting her companions take a good look at her broad back. Just as she was about to take a step forward, a warm hand was settled atop of hers.
Looking down, she smiled warmly.
"Thank you, sweetie," Lien whispered softly before landing another quick peck on her forehead. "Now, let's go and meet Daddy."
With the sound of the trumpet as her source of guidance, Lien continued to walk further down the plaza.
As she did so, more memories started to flood her mind—and before she knew it, she was drowning in an ocean of flashbacks.
"This might sound weird but can I take a picture of you?"
How could Lien ever forget that one, faithful night—the night when a certain someone taught her to live her life to its fullest potential, how to laugh without a care…
"Well, would you look at that! You're smiling Lien!"
Most importantly, she learned how to smile again—something that she never thought she could ever produce since her father's passing.
His underlying patience saved her.
His contagious laughing saved her.
His eccentric smile saved her.
His very existence saved her.
He—Alfred F. Jones—saved her.
Consumed with her thoughts, Lien failed to become aware that she had already stepped foot in the open fields of the Central Plaza.
Before she could take another step, a child-like outcry rang all over the area, causing Lien to finally get back to her senses:
"DADDY!"
Blinking immaculately, Lien shifted her focus from her excited daughter and to the familiar trumpeter who stood a few feet away from her.
Seeing this, Lien's smile widened.
Without a second thought, she released Stella from her arms and watched silently as her little star ran to greet her husband.
"Hey there, kiddo!" The trumpeter welcomed his little intruder. Adjusting his golden instrument over his right arm, he then stretched his other free arm before ruffling her hair playfully. "Miss me?"
In response, Stella shook her head excitedly, jumping up and down in delight.
Chuckling, Alfred went on to ask, "Where's your Mommy?"
"Am I interrupting?" Lien wondered with a mischievous expression.
Looking up, Alfred returned the gesture with a goofy smile. "Took you long enough, babe."
Crossing her arms over her chest, Lien casually rolled her eyes. "For your information, I had a solo scheduled tonight."
Alfred produced a fake pout. "Is that why you forgot about today?"
Lien stiffened. "Today?"
Rising from the ground, Alfred pushed his spectacles against the bridge of his nose. Planting a quick kiss on his wife's forehead, he continued, "You've been so busy lately that I wanted to surprise you. I even asked the others to come and help out with everything." He didn't give her a chance to question what he was referring to as he brought a hand up. Putting two of his index fingers close to his lips, Alfred whistled loudly.
On cue, a blast of smoke roared and in a few seconds—were replaced with multicolored fireworks on the night sky.
Lien's mouth parted half-open, completely enthralled by the scene. As she continued to stare at the ray of colors dancing somewhat heavenly before her, something warm was pressed on her dominant left hand. Ever so slightly, she shifted her fixation over to Alfred.
Motioning his forehead to touch against hers, Alfred laughed wholeheartedly. "The world goes 'round when I'm with you." He said gently, "Happy anniversary, Mrs. Jones."
Hearing this, Lien smiled. "You're so corny."
Alfred, on the other hand, just laughed. "That's why you married me right?"
Lien leaned a bit closer, her next set of words causing Alfred to blush furiously. "Guilty as charged."
And just like that, closed the gap between them…
"Yuck!"
The couple stopped what they were doing and looked down to find Stella expressing a look of disgust. Shaking her head, Lien resorted to picking her daughter up from the ground. "Someone's jealous," She commented teasingly.
Dipping his chin down, Alfred pressed his lips against Stella's right cheeks. At the same time, Lien mimicked his action except landing hers on the left.
Stella giggled, enjoying the attention from her parents.
Shortly after the fireworks had ended, Alfred sighed heavily. "So much for a moment."
"What happens now?" Lien wondered, changing the topic.
Pursuing his lips, Alfred began, "It's best to go and meet the others. Oh, you can thank them for being the ones behind the fireworks show."
"For a second there, I thought you developed some weird superpowers," Lien teased. "Should we go and meet up with the others?"
"Ah, before we do that…" Alfred trailed off. Letting go of his hold from his wife as well as offering his daughter his trumpet, he then started to unzip his large, brown coat halfway. Afterward, he then pulled out a Nikon camera in which was strapped securely around his neck. Once he finished unhooking the strap, he set his optical instrument carefully on one hand. "Let's take a picture."
All Lien could do was smile. Of course, he would pull something this. Then again, who wouldn't want to capture a beautiful moment like this?
Positioning herself close to her husband, Lien reached out her other hand to assist in holding up the camera. With Stella comfortably settled between them, Alfred stationed an index finger over the button on the top right corner.
"Ready?" Alfred asked, waiting for permission.
"Uh-huh!" Stella cried out with the golden trumpet protectively in the security of her arms.
With a simple nod of approval by Lien, Alfred looked back toward the lens of his camera with a goofy grin. "Say cheese!"
.
.
.
Nineteen-years-old Alfred F. Jones has an interesting life. A part-time tourist photographer by day and a badass trumpet player for a world-renowned concert band by night. Despite how his interesting life sounds, Alfred feels like he is missing out on something.
Love.
Through many struggles and obstacles, he found it.
Now, at the age of twenty-six-years-old, the fruit of that love eventually manifested into that of a beautiful little star.
And so, his world continues to go 'round—blessed and filled with more endless laughter, smiles and fun in many years to come.
All thanks to the girl in a wedding dress.
.
.
.
FIN
Thank you so much for your patience and underlying support! I can't believe it's been so long (almost roughly four to five months now) since I've last updated a story huh? Sure, there were also some stories that you might have noticed I deleted (but don't worry, that was my own fault-they were drafts!)
Like I said, there is a new character! Meet Ameviet's little star: Stella Nguyen-Jones!
(It took awhile to name this little angel but when I realized that Ameviet's pairing name was also star pair, I decided to give it a shot.)
Oh and for those of you curious, this is Lien's full name in the epilogue: Lien Kim Nguyen-Jones (like her daughter!)
At first, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to keep your promises of writing an epilogue. It took a lot of patience too as I tried to get college finals out of the way to get ahead of starting a draft of this. What's more, there were originally five to six ideas about what the epilogue was supposed to be about and in the end, managed to merge these ideas together to form this wonderful one. (I wanted to also show off some of the other couples but due to so many things happening in the scene, I decided to just imply it-hopefully that was enough to suffice).
Now I asked myself, what DOES make the world go round? When I looked up on the internet, I got the answer: love. In Alfred's world, he didn't know of romantic love. It wasn't until a woman who literally wore a wedding dress entered his life that he began to understand what it means to love, what it means to sacrifice and risk everything.
Same thing goes for Lien who never believed in love at first sight. Unlike Alfred, Lien had trust issues and so, she can't express herself properly in front of others. This is why she rarely smiles. Ironically, Alfred who is a photographer makes this as his own mission to do so.
Endless laughter, smiles and fun moments are what makes a relationship even stronger. And what does world goes round mean? It is, all is well. Everything is okay. Both will be well as long as they have each other.
As of this epilogue, I now officially close the beautiful fanfiction of World Goes 'Round. Thank you once again, to all fans-new and old, for giving me encouraging and positive reviews and from one of you, fanarts! Again, this story was supposed to be simply a one-shot and now look at this!
(and who knows? maybe I'll see you guys again in a possible spinoff!)
HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Have a smooth sailing~
-4eyedstargazer