REVISED: 30 May 2020

1. Nothingness

-;-

"There's an invisible red string that is tied on the finger of two people since they were born. No matter how far they are from each other, it will bind them together. The cord can be stretched or tangled, but it will never break."

With a heavy breath, Russia slammed the book closed. It was East Asian mythology, a gift that received from his ally for his 26th birthday. Russia decided not to finish the book further, as the word 'destiny' rings nonsense to him. Alone in his dingy three-story modern home, he realized that he had never spoken to anyone since morning,

Placing the book on the nightstand, he saw an old photograph caged in a thick wooden frame. It has an image of two people facing each other under a wedding arch. The woman in the picture was stunning. She was very tall, her black hair in two large braids, and she wore a long white dress that matched her ivory skin. She was laughing, and her emerald eyes bored on the man's lips.

On the other hand, the man was three inches taller, his hands touching her waist, and his bluish-violet eyes were only staring at hers. He was smiling, although it was not as enthusiastic as hers.

They have been together for a very long time, but like any other relationship, their marriage failed. Georgia never understood his ideals as a conquering country until she had enough and stayed away from him.

Many countries labeled him as 'crude,' a made-up term for cold and rude. Why shouldn't they? He can still remember how his ex-wife told him with tears in her eyes, "I can't believe that I loved an insensitive man like you!"

The bitter memory made him think about every person he had ever known, from his ex-wife to his allies, to his acquaintances, to his siblings - he concluded that no one really cared about him at all. His ex-wife doesn't love him anymore, his allies are only after his protection, his acquaintances find him fearsome to befriend with, and his siblings cannot stand him. There was only nothingness, and he was destined to be alone, he was sure of it. Glancing at the East Asian book and his old wedding photograph, the thought of 'twin souls' made him sick.

Oddly, as it seems, he never tried to burn the photograph. Does he still love Georgia? That question was tough to answer. He will always look at the picture with admiration. He will probably keep it until his last breath - because it was the symbol of a preserved moment that was only shared by two of them, and Russia was certain that it was one of his happiest memories.

Well, most of the memories Russia would consider 'happy' were the times he spent with Georgia. And since she was gone, he was often alone and feeling empty.

He placed their wedding photo back on the nightstand and went out of the bedroom. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of vodka. Drinking was his only escape in this endless loneliness; the bitter taste from the liquid numbed his pain.

Ring, ring

The sound of the telephone broke the silence across the hallway. Annoyed, he stood and ran to reach for the damn thing. As soon as it touched his left ear, a familiar voice greeted him...

"Ivan, why did you ditch the previous meeting held in Belgium?" Wang Yao, the human name form of China, said. He was the same ally who gave him the book he was reading earlier. "Everyone was waiting for your decision to join the European Union, but it turns out you're still uninterested, hmmm?" he added. From the phone, Russia could picture him smirking.

"Alliance is a big decision to make." He replied. "And I don't want to receive another sugar-coated convincing word..."

"Well, are you interested in meeting our new ally instead?" China asked in a severe tone, "I have an Asian neighbor that I'd like you to meet and you'll love to hear her burning rage against the USA."

'Her? So a woman then?' he thought, a little impressed for the female's bravery.

"Who is it anyway?" Russia replied, demanding. Truth to be told, he was not interested in making a new alliance, but there is an ancient proverb he always believes, 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Gaining a new partnership with a country that shares the same hatred would not be a bad idea, after all.

"It'll be better if you'll meet her in person!" China laughed. "She's friendly and very courteous and..."

"Well, I'll inform you when I'm available." He replied, cutting China's sentence as he thought about the job for the day. "I have some important matters to discuss here, I'll call you soon," Russia answered and hung up, disconnecting. He slammed the phone back into its case.

He sighed and realized the country's issues that must be addressed within the month. Taking a deep breath, he drank the remaining liquid left in his glass of vodka. 'There is no time to lose...' he thought. Ivan Braginsky, a.k.a. Russia is the largest country in the world, and there are more things to think about than a weak emotion we called 'love.'

End of Chapter

Author's Note: Hi everyone, this is my first Hetalia fanfic, and Russia is one of my favorite countries. In case you're wondering why Georgia (the country) was his ex-wife, well, it has been a part of Russia until the country broke away after the collapse of the Soviet Union. I hope that you'll like my fanfic. I'm not very good at English, and criticisms are welcome here. I'd love to accept beta help.

UPDATE: 30 MAY 2020 – For my Twin Souls illustrations, just follow this link:

ayasachan/gallery/73393555/twin-souls