Tjuesjuende januar:

Czech:

Josefina got up at 5.00 am, lit a candle as a memento to the fallen, to the tortured and to those who had lost someone. Once the candle had burnt down, she went to the nearest women's shelter.

She may not have been able to do as much as she wanted to do to help them, but at least she could offer them a safe place to be, offers of legal, medical and psychological help, shoulders to cry on and a listening ear to all their troubles.

She just wished she could do more.

Estonia:

Remembering his past failures was never fun, and Edouard considered the Holocaust as a failure of his; he should've protected all his people.

However, as much as it wasn't fun, he knew that remembering it he must; first and foremost, he owed it to his people, present, past and future, and second, he knew that he had to learn from his mistakes.

So, he walked through his country, visiting tombs, memorials, museums. He let the feelings of grief and remorse from his people wash over him.

Germany:

Previously, Ludwig's earliest life had been such a blur that he couldn't remember anything of it.

Then he'd gotten all his memories back, and though the earliest fraction of his life was so foggy that he couldn't recall it, he remembered the sensation of being Holy Roman Empire.

He'd been grateful for that, it meant that he got more precious memories with Feliciano, but there were times, many times, when he wished that there'd been an exchange.

Remembering those memories and forgetting his WWII memories.

It wasn't as much the scars he'd sustained and buried deep down in his mind, but the knowledge of the pain and suffering he'd caused to so many other nations, not to mention their people.

Greece:

Herakles was lazy. There was no doubt about that. It was also true that while he was great at philosophy, he was not great at discussing nor thinking about serious and difficult problems and issues. Like money problems.

However, while all this was true, Herakles never skirted away from grave topics.

Such as National Holocaust Memorial Day.

North Italy:

There were few things that upset Feliciano Vargas, upset him enough to keep him upset for long.

And one of those things was Memorial Day.

Others:

The pain. The grievance. And the only consolation being that the pain and grief was shared.

All around the world a collective sadness was being performed by those who had this day as Memorial Day. And, by some of those who didn't.

Russia:

People always assumed that Ivan Braginsky didn't have any feelings. People, and Nations.

But they were wrong. The same people also assumed that he hadn't felt any pain during World War II. Again, they were wrong, doubly wrong. The Siege of Leningrad had shot through his left shoulder quite fiercely, making it impossible to use during the 872 days it had lasted. His pain might have been a sting, compared to what other Nations had experienced at the time. But felt it he had.

South Italy:

Lovino Vargas was sarcastic, rude and not at all cuddly. But sometimes, when things got just a little too heavy, just being quiet and engulfed by the strong arms of Antonio Fernandez Carriedo was the only remedy he could bear.

Sweden:

He might have been neutral during World War II, but that didn't mean that Berwald Oxenstierna never had any sympathy for its victims.

United Kingdom:

The pain. The ripping of his heart. Every day the same. Was there no end in sight to all this?

Arthur Kirkland opened his eyes. The relief that it had all been a dream, that the Blitz was no more, evaporated as he remembered which day it was.

United Nations:

Compared to the other Nations, United Nations was very young. He wasn't technically a Nation, more a Representation of a group, but he was still considered young.

Nevertheless, both his appearance and demeanor, the latter especially regarding tragedies, seemed to indicate someone older than his coming into existence would suggest. Not so surprising, considering that he'd been formed at the aftermath of a great tragedy.

So, he was quite solemn every year at 27th of January, the day he'd, with the human representations of the member nations, designated International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Author's notes:

This was one of the chapters I was the most distressed about. I hope I did the day justice.

I don't own Hetalia