A/N:

I keep forgetting to mention; in this story, HRE =/= Germany. I know that some people do not want to read stories as such, so just making sure you know that ahead of time. :)

I also recommend reading this with some sort of calm piano music in the background. It really sets the mood ;D I recommend Celluloid ~ Piano Arrange. It's on youtube! Just type in "repeat" before the "youtube" in the link and you should have the song repeating the whole time until you stop it yourself~

Chapter 3

The meeting ended quicker than schedule. The sun was still in the sky, though beginning to set, lighting the streets. Pushing back the worry in the back of his mind about the brother he left back alone at home, Romano went into the library before he headed home. The distinct scent of old books filled the air as soon as he entered the building. After a single glance to the map of the building that was neatly taped to the wall, Romano headed to the section that held the book that he was looking for.

That book was left in the back, forgotten by those who even worked in the place. It was obvious that visitors barely reached this end of the building when they came in. With each step he took, the smell reached his nose and made him sigh. After reaching the deep end, where it seemed as if time had stopped long ago, he finally found the book he was looking for.

The thick, black book that Romano picked had dust covering it. Though the gold lining on the cover was beginning to fade, Romano was able to read the title, "World's Illnesses". As the Italian's finger ran across it, part of the dust came off and the black increased in its darkness in color. Romano quickly looked through it, deciding it was one he was looking for. The chapters showed the history of each and all of the world's medical studies.

If Romano were to live his everyday life and never would have faced his current situation, it would have been a book that he would have never even noticed. Like a child holding his treasured item, Romano carefully brought the book to the counter and placed it. The beautiful lady that worked at the counter smiled to him after she picked up the heavy book, telling him in a quickened whisper, "The last time this book was borrowed was over ten years ago."

With great care, Romano placed the book on the seat next to him and drove his way back home. Each time the sunlight came through the window, it lightened the gold lining on the book. Trying to not think too much about it until he could finally sit down and read it, Romano continued driving until he was able to park in his own parking lot. He got off the car and took the book in hand, absentmindedly looking up at his brother's room's window. The yellow light was on; perhaps he was well enough now that he could at least sit up? Wishing that was the case in his heart, Romano opened the door to his house and called out rather loudly, "I'm home!"

"Welcome home~."

If he hadn't listened in, he would have never heard that voice. It was still quiet, almost like a fly buzzing around and away. Before heading to his own room, Romano went to his brother's and opened the door. Veneziano was sitting up on his bed, beginning to pick at the food that would seem most easy on his possibly aching stomach. "Are you feeling alright?"

"I still feel a little dizzy… But it's a lot better than yesterday I think. I can eat a little…"

"I see…" Romano couldn't help but to feel relieved. The younger brother watched his sibling and smiled softly, his face still red from the fever.

"I'm sorry for making you do all the work…"

"Eh, it's all good. Besides, I told you this morning too, right?"

"Mhm… I'm glad I have fratello as my brother…"

Romano tilted his head in question and Veneziano smiled further. "Well… For other countries, they cannot have somebody else do their work when they're sick… But I have you, so I can concentrate on getting myself better. It's really a relief."

"Maybe you should work on doing a bit yourself then even when you're sick?"

"Veh~… I would like to have some days off too, you know?"

"Every day for you is a day off." Romano grinned.

Veneziano's cheeks puffed out at that. His lips puckered childishly, and Romano saw his brother as how he looked way back in history, while they were still children. It was like a habit that the younger male had never gotten out of. Romano pushed his finger against the puffed cheeks and chuckled when air came out the lips along with a weird sound. He then used that hand to slowly trail upwards to his brother's forehead, attempting to check his temperature. No warmth or coldness however came to register in his hand, and Romano had to hold back from gritting his teeth in frustration. Before Veneziano could question, Romano pulled his hand away and muttered, "We should check with a thermometer. It'll be more accurate, wouldn't it?"

He couldn't feel temperature. Romano felt his heart thump in him crazily in panic, but as soon as he felt the book in his hand he felt it calm. As if to double check that he indeed have what he borrowed, he moved the book so that he was holding it with both hands. The weight comforted him.

"Hm?" Veneziano noticed the book and tilted his head. "What's that? It looks like a very difficult book…"

"Yeah… I need it for work."

"Veh… I would fall asleep on the first paragraph…"

"I agree… I would need to make some coffee and read it with that."

Veneziano didn't notice the lie that his brother quickly made up. He laughed before it quickly changed into a coughing fit. When it finally stopped, tears laid a layer in his eyes and he wheezed. Romano watched in silence and reached an arm out, placing his hand on his brother's head.

"You still seem sick… Go back to sleep. I'm sure you'll be better in a few days."

"…Yeah. I'll go to sleep then."

"Goodnight."

Romano turned off the light on the stand beside the bed, watching the lightened room quickly fade to black. He stood in the darkness for a bit until he heard the calmed breathing that showed that his brother was indeed asleep. Anyone could tell that Veneziano obviously wasn't feeling perfect just yet.

Moving the bangs away from his brother's forehead, Romano placed his hand on it and waited. No fever. No heat in general. It felt like he was simply touching a wax doll.

But he wasn't shocked anymore.

He didn't feel hungry or sleepy, not that he ever did anymore for a long time now. After washing himself up in the shower, Romano pressed himself into the bed under his covers and opened up the book, beginning to read the letters the size of a single grain.

After a several hours of reading and getting the first two chapters read, Romano felt the vibration of his cellphone on his bed. With an annoyed look, Romano glanced to the alarm clock next to his bed. It was way past midnight. Curious but annoyed at whoever sent the message, he opened the phone and in front of the picture that he took with Spain the other day, in bold letters, read "One new message". Selecting it, Romano opened it up and saw that the sender was Japan.

"Japan?"

Questioning himself, figuring that this was the first message he ever gotten from Japan in the first place, he opened up the message that was sent. He then put a finger on the page of the book he was reading to make sure it was marked and began to read the words on the screen.

"Mr. Romano," It wrote, "I'm sorry for sending a message this late. I am sure you wish to go back to sleep, so I will just write what I needed to tell you. I spoke to China about today's topic. He said he might know what is going on. He didn't tell me what it was, but he told me to tell you to call him, so when you find the time please give him a call. Good night."

When Romano finished reading the message, his eyes were wide. He couldn't believe them. China might know what was going on…? Even after two long chapters from the book, Romano failed to know what exactly was happening to him, but China knew? Not wanting to rush himself too much, Romano glanced at the time and calculated the time difference and after figuring it was a bit suspicious whether the other man would be awake, decided it was worth a shot and began looking through the list of names on his phone. He had the other saved in here, but never actually called the other.

While he was looking for China's name in his phone however, the phone came to life and vibrated again. Romano gasped loudly in surprise and it took him a moment to figure out what exactly just happened. After reading the name 'Prussia' on the screen, he finally remembered that just as Japan asked China, Germany said he would ask his brother as well.

"Hello?"

He couldn't contain the excitement in his voice when he answered the phone. However, as if to ignore the voice that the other spoke with, the party on the other line spoke quickly, in slight panic. "I heard about it from West."

It was like they were in a suspense drama. The voice was rushed and beginning to sound desperate. Romano was unable to answer, taken back by it. "That's not a book you were talking about… It was about you, wasn't it?"

Romano froze. No voice came out his mouth.

"Answer me!"

The words came out slightly angry now. Romano blinked, noticing his fingers shaking as he took a deep breath.

"What are you so mad about? I told both Germany and Japan that it's only a story I was reading."

Finally his voice came out. He felt sweat beginning to make their way on his back, and the hair on the back of his neck stood up. Why was Prussia in such panic? Unable to understand the reasoning behind it, Romano only felt a seed of worry beginning to grow within him.

"Whatever, just hurry up and tell Spain! This isn't something you can deal with on your own!"

"What are you talking about…?"

Like China had an idea of what this was, did Prussia know something as well? With that hope in mind, Romano asked softly, almost carefully. He felt as if his heart was going to jump out his chest any minute when Prussia didn't answer immediately, but he said nothing to rush him. After what seemed like forever, Prussia finally seemed to manage to squeeze his voice out.

"Do you know who the Holy Roman Empire was?"

"…I know his name, but that's about it. Veneziano used to talk about him a lot. I saw him a few times too, but never really knew much about him."

It was back when the brothers lived in separate homes. Romano was with Spain and Veneziano with Austria, and the letters received from his brother at that time almost always had the name Holy Roman Empire written in them. It was easy to notice that the younger boy had become good friends with the other. But all of the sudden the name was never written in the letters anymore.

"Yeah… Italy and him were good friends… Do you know about how he never came back?"

"…"

No one ever told that to him in person. However, it didn't take a genius to notice that, either. He was told that he went to war one day, and Veneziano was very depressed about that. Right when the name disappeared from the letters, Venaziano was like an empty shell, often times staring out into space.

"He disappeared. He didn't die, he disappeared… Completely."

"Disappeared…?"

"Exactly. He ceased to exist. I was with him when it happened, so I saw what was going on the entire time." Prussia paused once more, as if he was in deep thought, not wanting to bring back those memories. After several minutes, he sighed deeply and continued, "He said… His senses were becoming paralyzed. We didn't know what was going on, but we joked saying it was a good thing since he didn't have to feel pain from the war… But then… One day, he just disappeared…"

"…"

Romano didn't know what to say. He couldn't find himself saying he was sorry for Prussia, or imagine himself in Prussia's place. His mind was blank, just listening for Prussia's words. As if he knew what was going on, Prussia began to finally speak softly, though Romano knew better than to take is as Prussia pitied him.

"Listen, tell Spain immediately. Tell him from yourself; I'm not going to do it for you. Got it?"

He spoke as if he was telling a child what to do, and in a weird way, Romano found comfort in that voice. He however didn't feel happy. But then again, he wasn't feeling sad either. For a moment he believed that his emotions were now paralyzed as well.

"It's too late when you're already gone…"

When he heard Prussia say so, Romano felt a single tear finally roll down his cheek. He muttered to himself, telling himself that at least he still felt enough to be able to make tears, and slowly hugged his knees to his chest.

The last words spoken by the albino didn't reach Romano's memories. His surroundings suddenly seemed dark and he felt as if he had been quietly wiping tears off his face for hours before he finally picked up the phone again and began searching for China's name. If he was asleep, then he could just call back later. Not a big deal.

"Romano?" The voice was heard after the fifth ring.

"Japan told me to call you…"

"I told him to tell you that… You, where did you find out about those kind of symptoms. I've been living for a long time now, but I only heard of such things as to when a country ceases to exist from the face of the Earth, and I've only seen it a very few times even with my own eyes."

Unlike Prussia, who knew immediately that Romano was the one who had the symptoms he was asking of, China spoke as if he really believed that the Italian had only heard it from elsewhere. That itself was comforting.

"Which ones have you seen?"

"The most recent would be the Holy Roman Empire… Well, countries are born and can disappear rather quickly."

"Disappear…"

"At least, the ones I have seen all did. But these days we haven't had many large wars that can danger a country from disappearing, so I don't think it should really worry anybody at the moment."

"Is there a way to avoid it?" Romano asked, worry edging into his voice. China stopped momentarily in silence before he answered.

"…I… Don't know."

Even China didn't know of a way to avoid it from happening. But the Holy Roman Empire managed to stay in people's hearts and memories even after he was gone. Even if Romano was destined to disappear, if that happened, at least in just Spain in Veneziano's memories, then perhaps he won't be as lonely. He would be remembered by those he cared most for, and at this point that was the only way he could think of himself being left where he was at the moment.

There was only one thing that bothered him about that idea, though. Unlike the Holy Roman Empire, there were two "Italy"s. What if, after Romano was gone, Veneziano became a full country and Romano was treated as if he never existed?

"…I only know of a certain few cases where countries disappeared. Or maybe, I do know a lot, but when they disappeared I simply forgot and cannot remember of them anymore. I can't say anything for certain, and I don't know what we can do to avoid or start any of it."

"…Alright."

China lived the longest, and even him didn't know anything about this. It was hard to think that someone else would know. Romano traced his finger over the printed paper of the book that was still open on his bed, his mind wandering to such thoughts as he did so.

In a sense, Romano felt relieved.

At least he knew a bit of what was going on and what would most likely happen now. It was frightening to just notice his senses fading away without any reasoning. At least now, he could now focus on how he wanted to spend the rest of his days left on the Earth.

"Sorry for asking weird questions. Thanks."

"No, I don't mind…" China mumbled, and afterwards asked, "That aside… Are you alright?"

Unlike Prussia from before, China asked calmly.

"I'm fine," Romano answered with a small laugh that even surprised himself. "It's not like I'm lying or anything, either. It's just… I feel much calmer. Like I understand and it's not troubling me anymore… Or something like that."

He didn't feel any anger. Or panic, for that matter. Just relaxation ran through his body, numbing his emotions. There was just one thing that still worried him, but it wasn't something China could help with anyway.

"…If you need to know anything else, don't hesitate to call me. Don't worry about the time differences."

"Mhm. Thank you." For once being able to honestly thank a man several times in one call, Romano flipped his phone shut and laid himself onto the bed. The mattress sunk with his weight. The silence in the room bothered him, but he managed to instead try to focus on the faint breaths he heard from the other room, from his brother sleeping.

Did Spain already sleep?

Prussia told him to tell Spain immediately. Romano was hesitant on the idea at first, but afterwards Prussia made a point, saying it was too late after he was gone. The Italian didn't know about Holy Roman Empire too much, but by judging how Prussia spoke of him and how they were indeed close countries, and might have been more like a family than common allies. Maybe even like brothers. If so, Romano couldn't imagine how heartbroken Prussia must have been when he found out that he could do nothing to save the boy. Even though the albino male seemed to always smile and joke around, he must have really broken down at that point in time.

It could have just been his own pathetic ego, but Romano didn't want Spain to have to go through the same thing if that was what really happened. He didn't want the Spaniard to try to find every evidence of how he was alive and mourn daily about him. Instead, Romano simply wanted to just be remembered as a part of Spain's life and have Spain move on with his own. But to have that happened, Romano knew he had to tell Spain about this. With his own words.

How would Spain react? Would he start to wail like a tiny child and break down at spot? Romano frowned in worry at the thought.

There was still a lot of time left before the sun came up and took place for the moon. Spain most likely was still deep in his peaceful dreams. Deciding to let him stay floating in that, Romano placed his phone back down onto the bed, finally letting it lose from his hands.

He can call him in the morning. He could say good morning, talk a little about things that didn't really matter to the world, and then get a flight ticket. He could just tell work that he wasn't feeling well; it should come to no surprise, Veneziano wasn't feeling well at all either. Right now, Romano felt he had something more important to tend to.

Looking through the pages of the book he really had no purpose in reading anymore, Romano laid in bed, wishing for the night to end, but at the same time wanting to keep going. It felt awkward, but Romano decided to dismiss his own thoughts.

Morning came too quickly for Romano's likes. Closing the book that he had been reading the entire night, Romano pushed himself off the bed and moved to the closet. He put on a shirt and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast for himself and Veneziano, finishing it rather quickly and looking at the clock. The window next to the ticking device started to light up finally. Opening his phone, Romano went through the names on the screen, stopping when only Spain's name repeatedly filled the screen. The Italian selected one and recalled the number chosen.

After a few low ringing sounds, the line finally connected, beginning with a sleepy voice on the other side. "Mn…"

"Don't you need to go to work early? Wake up."

Murmurs from the Spaniard were heard from the other side of the line. Romano could imagine how Spain was curled up in his blankets, not wanting to give up the warmth and still wanting to sleep, but knowing he had to get up. As if to push him another step, Romano sighed and grumbled, "Wake up. You're going to be late, Bastard…"

"Mnn… I'm awake…" Slowly strength found its way into the older man's voice. Hearing the rustling of sheets, Romano too knew that the other was not lying. "Good morning, Romano…"

He wanted to hear those words in person, facing the other. How many more times would he be able to hear them from him? How many more days would he be able to spend time talking to Spain? Holding himself back from immediately begin talking about what he found out the night before, Romano swallowed a lump in his throat and commented, "If you don't hurry and get ready, your boss will scold you again."

"Gracias~. You called just to make sure I'd get up? You've been waking up so early now days; it's like the opposite of the years back then."

"Well yeah. You don't know it, but I'm already an adult, Idiot…"

Spain chuckled on the phone, and Romano allowed a grin to show on his face.

"Oh… Spain, after work today, are you heading home?"

"Hm~? No, today I have to stay at a hotel after work. I will head home tomorrow noon."

"I see. What hotel are you staying at?"

Without question, Spain answered with the hotel's name and room. Romano quickly wrote it down on a piece of paper he found lying nearby. Spain didn't even bother asking why his Italian would be asking such thing; Romano took it that either he was still asleep or just slow as usual.

The hotel name was one that Romano heard of before. Perhaps it's the same hotel that their bosses make them stay at when they're at work. Mapping out the route to the hotel from the airport, Romano held the phone in another hand and spoke again.

"Alright. Hey, head to work. Don't fall asleep during the meeting."

"I know that much, I'm not you, Romano." With a light laugh, the two said their goodbyes and turned off the phone. The conversation stopped in a heartbeat and Romano couldn't help but to feel slight loneliness at it, but he shook his head of the thoughts and feelings.

He still had things he needed to do. Scanning through names on the phone again, Romano stopped at his boss's name and placed the device back to his ear.

"Hello? This is Romano… I don't feel well, so I would like to ask for the day off. Yes, both Veneziano and I… No, I'll be okay. I think it might just be a cold; it should get better if I rest for the day. Yes… Yes… Mhm. I'm sorry… Thank you. Yes, I will call back. Thank you. Have a good day."

He gave out a small lie. However, he didn't feel as nearly as guilty as he should normally be feeling. If he was going to cease to exist soon, he wanted to spend the time he had left by being Romano, not a country.

"Veneziano? Are you awake?"

Romano whispered, opening the door slowly. Veneziano lifted his head from the pillow and smiled, nodding. Seeing that, Romano allowed himself into the room.

"How are you feeling?"

"A lot better… I still feel a little feverish though."

"That's good…"

Romano placed a bowl of hot soup on the stand beside Veneziano's bed. "I'm sorry, but today I found out I needed to stay the night out for work. I have all the food cooked for you, but will you be alright? I'll tell the Potato to come by and check on you, but still…"

Veneziano picked up the bowl with both hands and after he sniffed in the steam that came from the hot bowl, smiled contently. "It smells delicious…" And finally he turned back to Romano, "I'll be fine. You just concentrate on you work, okay? I can survive on my own."

With a small laugh, Romano nodded. "I see. Well, I got to leave now."

"Mhm. Good luck."

Watching his brother wave him off from the corner of his eye, Romano left the room and closed the door, taking his phone out again to quickly go through the names to find Germany's. He called the number as he walked away from the room, getting ready as he spoke.

"Romano?" The voice asked. It was much calmer than his usual tone, almost too quiet. Romano figured that he heard the conversation he had the night before with Prussia; maybe he was listening to it right next to his brother when it was happening.

"Yeah. Hey, I need to leave the house today for a bit, but Veneziano isn't really at perfect health yet. If you don't mind, when you have the time, could you possibly come by and check in on him?"

"Italy…? He's still not feeling well?"

"He's saying he feels a bit better… But I'm not comfortable leaving him on his own yet."

"Alright… I'll check in on him after work."

"Grazie."

After telling Germany to not forget, Romano was about to turn off his phone when he heard his name asked for on it. Blinking, the Italian placed the phone back on his ear.

"…Are you going to Spain's?"

Germany asked with his voice uncertain. It was as if he almost didn't want to ask, and Romano thought for a second if he should answer honestly or not. If Prussia was there, it was better to just tell the truth, wasn't it?

"Mhm."

"…Be careful."

Romano grinned, thinking it sounded as if he was about to go to war. Germany was quiet, waiting for an answer, so he simply said "Will do," and hung up the phone.

After packing up his items, Romano found himself now in the cab, asking for the driver to take him to the airport. The man nodded his answer and began to drive, occasionally attempting to talk with his customer.

"It's freezing today, isn't it?"

Romano shifted his gaze out the window. There was no way for him to know, he could be in short sleeves and pants and he would still feel no cold. But when he saw the people wrapped up in heavy jackets and walking with their backs slightly curved inward, Romano too noticed that the driver's words were true. It must be cold outside… Romano nodded. "You're right. It's really cold today."

The drive seemed short but at the same time seemed to take forever, but when they were finally at the airport, the cab stopped. The man called out the price that showed on the small screen and Romano just handed the money in silence. The driver smiled.

"Have a good say, sir."

"…You too."

"Yes, who is it?"

After hearing the bell ring, the voice asked on the speaker. Romano stood in front of the door to Spain's room. It was almost night; the sun had already set and was now only showing barely orange colors in the sky. Romano had to admit, it was a beautiful sight, but it would be quickly forgotten with what he was about to tell Spain now. Without waiting for a reply to his own question, Spain opened the door carelessly. Romano narrowed his eyes at the foolish act just as green hues met hazel ones.

"…Romano?" Romano nodded, and Spain was sent into a slight rush of words that repeated continuously, mostly being "Huh?" and "What?" and "Why?"

"I came to see you." Romano put an end to the broken record, slipping into the room through the opened door. "Because I wanted to see you."

The room was slightly dark. Other than the small light on the desk, there really was no other light source, so to Romano who was just in the bright hallway, it caused temporary blindness. He heard the door close behind him, and a split second later, he was pulled back by forceful arms and held into an embrace.

"Romano… Romano, it's really you…"

The embrace tightened. Normally Romano would have pushed the Spaniard away, yelling at him saying that he couldn't breathe, but the slightly painful embrace comforted Romano like he was a child again.

"Who else would I be?"

"What about work?"

"…It canceled last minute, so I decided to come and see you." Romano turned his head and grinned playfully, the best he could muster. "Were you surprised?" Spain gave a nod and leaned his head against Romano's.

"I wanted to see you…"

"Me too."

He was really beginning to miss Spain's presence. As a child, he always found the Spaniard annoying, but when something like this happened Romano wanted Spain to be beside him to tell him everything was alright. Shifting his gaze to the floor, Romano gathered himself before he turned to look back up to Spain again.

"Spain…" He started, amazed his voice was actually working, "There's something I need to tell you."

"Hm?" Spain tilted his head to the side and asked gently. Romano didn't repeat, but Spain continued on anyway. "Is it going to be long?"

The Italian gave a small nod, and the taller male continued his gentle smile as he left Romano's figure momentarily to move to the bed, sitting on it and patting the mattress beside him. "Then let's sit down."

Romano rested his weight on the bed as well. The mattress sunk with their weights, but the two took almost no notice of it. Spain placed a hand on Romano's between them, comfortingly curling his fingers so that he was holding his partner's fingers, as if to silently tell him he was not going to leave anytime soon. That simple act caused Romano to feel brave.

"I…I've been very weird, lately…"

His voice trembled. Tears were already beginning to make a wall in his eyes, blurring his vision. Romano silently took a deep breath and tried to hold them back with some success for now.

"Weird?"

"...I don't feel sleepy at meetings anymore. I don't need to take siestas for a whole day, and I can wake up without the alarm clock in the morning."

"That's not weird! I believe it's a good thing, ain't it?" Spain asked, patting Romano's head with his free hand as if he was a child who just apologized for something wrong he has done. That only caused the tears in Romano's eyes to sting more and he quickly shook his head, saying "No" and "That's not it".

"That's not all… After that, I was not able to taste anything right… No, not like it became weird… It just disappeared. I couldn't taste anything. Then I was not able to tell the difference between hot and cold. Afterwards, I also found out I didn't feel pain even when I cut my finger with a knife…! And then, now I also can't sleep at all at night…" The tears finally flowed down his cheeks, and his shoulders shook each time he spoke, taking deep breaths between them to keep up his words. "I… I haven't slept in three whole days now. But I still don't feel tired at all."

The hand that was patting Romano's head stopped immediately.

"Veneziano got sick… He got a cold, and a high fever… And I am supposed to get it immediately too with him, but I don't feel it at all. I actually feel quite healthy… That's not right, is it…? I'm Italy too, but…"

"Romano…"

"I was scared, but no one would understand what I was going through anyway. I read several books but they said nothing about this… Then I was able to talk to Prussia and China, and they said they were able to think of one thing that could cause this…"

Romano raised his arm and wiped the tears violently from his eyes, but they wouldn't stop coming. Spain hadn't said another word; he silently listened, his hand still on Romano's hand and another on his head. Romano was unable to look up to see Spain's expression.

"Do you know the Holy Roman Empire?"

"…Si."

"They said… He was like me, too. His senses disappeared one by one, and in the end he ceased to exist... That's what Prussia told me. China also said he only heard of such symptoms when a country was going to disappear. And that… He doesn't know how to avoid it from happening…"

Romano felt his hand be squeezed tighter. The strength only brought more tears in his eyes, and they continued to flow as if they never knew how to stop.

"Spain…"

Finally, Romano looked fully up to Spain. He must have looked pathetic with the tears messing up his face. His vision was blurred as if he was opening his eyes underwater, so he was unable to pick up Spain's expression, but the faint green told him that they were looking at one another for sure. "…Am I going to disappear?"

Just as he was able to squeeze out those final words, Romano felt something push him down onto the bed. He then was squeezed tightly, the heavy mass wrapping around his body. Romano too wrapped his limbs around the figure with all his might.

"…You're lying, right?"

Spain questioned with a trembling voice. Even Romano, who had been by Spain's side for what seemed like forever, didn't know that Spain could manage out such voice.

"I'm not lying…"

"You're lying."

"…I'm… Not lying…"

"Why…?" Romano felt something on the back of his neck, like something tickling him. It took him a bit to realize that it was Spain's tears. "Why does it have to be you…?"

Romano never knew Spain was capable of this part in emotion. The Spain that Romano had always imagined on the mention of his name was a smiling man, always under the sun and cheerful.

He wanted to tell Spain to not cry, but the male was squeezed so tightly that he was incapable of speaking words. The only voice that Romano heard in the room was Spain's as he repeatedly asked why and sobbed into his shoulder.

"…I'm sorry."

He was able to at least manage out those words.

Sorry for making you sad. Sorry for making you suffer. Sorry for meeting you.

-Sorry for falling in love with you.

Long after the two men lost track of time, Romano was finally released from Spain's grasp. As if to go with it, Romano too slowly unwrapped himself from Spain's body. The two looked at each other and after registering one another's faces into their eyes, smiled softly, almost as if in attempts to lighten up the mood.

"…You look horrible."

"Romano, you're a mess too."

"Stop talking, you're worse."

Laughing softly at each other, Spain leaned in and gave Romano a kiss. The younger felt something enter his mouth, and though he was unable to actually taste it, he figured it would be very salty with all the tears they had cried out. When Spain finally pulled away, Romano sighed.

"Well, that's good…"

"What's good? You're going to become nonexistent."

"Mhm, but I'm still here, aren't I?"

"…When are you going to disappear?"

Romano shook his head in response. "I don't know. It could be a year later, or even tonight. There's really no telling."

"Ah…" Spain looked disappointed, but there was nothing Romano could really say to that. He honestly didn't know. "Well then… Until you disappear, why don't we live together?"

Romano was at lost of words at first. He simply asked a small "huh?" as if to make sure he heard it right, and the Spaniard smiled and repeated without a fuss.

"I said, let's live together. Like when you were a kid." Their hands were yet again held in each other's. "I want to stay with you."

Unable to produce words, Romano could only nod. As Spain watched, Romano kept nodding repeatedly, ignoring the tears that started to build up in his eyes yet again. At that, Spain pulled his lover into his arms into a secure hug once more.

"…Does anybody else know about this?"

"Well…" Romano started, closing his eyes as he tried to feel the warmth of Spain's body. The attempt failed miserably. "Prussia knows… And Germany probably does as well. I think China and Japan noticed, too…"

"You haven't told Italy yet?"

Romano shook his head. Telling his brother would require just as much courage as it required to tell Spain, especially at this time. They were together as one; if Veneziano found out that one half had been suffering this whole time, he would have most likely break down into tears as well. And then there was that whole thing with the Holy Roman Empire…

"I want you to go back to Italy tomorrow and tell your brother honestly." Spain said, trying to not sound too stern but wanting to make sure Romano knew he meant it. Romano opened his eyes slowly and stayed in silence. Taking the silence as agreement, Spain curled up around Romano's body and held him into a tight embrace once more.

"…I will come and get you, I promise."

A/N: I think we're about half way through the story, I don't plan to make this one super long. R&R please!