Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia Axis Powers. Copyrights/credit goes to the series' creators/owners, not to me. :P
Miniscule droplets of frigid water plummeted to Earth in a light drizzle, speckling the polished face of Austria's violin. The rain granted an ethereal quality to his somber melody, drawing the bow across the strings. He faced the choppy surface of the ocean, his gaze bouncing across the crests of each wave that slammed into the damp shore. The music engulfed his entire being, tugging him into a transient embrace; he did not notice the feeble footsteps tramp across the ground, the concerned celadon gaze that bored holes into his back, until her angelic voice penetrated the music. "Austria! Why did you come out here? It's freezing tonight!"
"I needed a quiet place to collect my thoughts, away from the house," he replied, still facing the churning ocean.
"Please! Tell me what has been weighing on your mind for days now!" Hungary pleaded, trotting over to him as he set his violin and bow on the saturated dock beside his feet.
Austria spun around to her, his hands grasping hers as his electric eyes trembled, turmoil tearing away his carefully composed façade. "I-I've been so distracted recently… I can't concentrate at all on work or even on writing music. All I've wanted to do… is to be close to you…"
Her hands shook slightly in his comforting grasp. She had expected far worse, ranging from losing a friendship to another country threatening to invade his barely stable country. Relief mixed with surprise accelerated her fluttering heart. She gazed up into his eyes, the same purple hue that she had fallen into countless times in days gone by, as she mused, "You can always be close to me, Austria… I will always be within arm's reach. I always have been…"
"N-No," Austria shook his head, "you misunderstand me. Hungary… my heart aches because… I miss you by my side. It's as if half of my heart has disappeared, ever since our unity ended all those decades ago…"
Tears welled unconsciously in Hungary's eyes. "Y-You don't know… you'll never know… how much I've missed you, Austria…"
One of Austria's hands let go of Hungary's, reaching up to caress her cheek. "I want… to unify with you again… I can't stand another day separated from you, Hungary."
His fingertip grazed her cheek, brushing away the fugitive tear that slid down her cheek. "Let us unify once again… my Austria."
A smile, unfamiliar compared to the despondent expression that clouded his countenance these past few days, brightened his face. He barely acknowledged the icy rain that soaked his earthy hair, the rushed footfalls squelching against newly-formed mud as his eyes lidded, leaning down just inches away from Hungary's face. He breathed in her spicy wildflower scent that lingered, one remnant of the past that survived through all of the decades punctuated with tension and turmoil since the dissolution of their unification. His lips claimed hers as their eyes shut: it felt as if nothing had ever changed between them, as if the transparent wall that had disconnected them for immeasurable years had never existed.
Something thudded against the waterlogged sand, snapping them away from each other to look to the left. Prussia stood a few steps away from the dock, a bouquet of wildflowers lying against the sand. His hands balled into fists at his side as he darted toward them, an agonized cry ripping from his throat. Austria thought that Prussia would collide into him, but the light-haired young man flew past him, flinging himself into the rippling, abyssal slate waters. "No, Prussia!" Austria screamed as he moved toward the ocean, but stopped as Hungary's arms encircled him, clinging to his frame. Prussia's silver hair disappeared underneath the surface as he let the salty water fill his lungs, his limp body tossed around by the current: his faceted ruby eyes closed as he let himself go, the ocean dragging his body down into its pitch black heart.
"No, Austria! I will not lose you too!" Hungary cried, burying her face into his back as her body quivered, low sobs emanating from her.
Austria slid his glasses off and pocketed them, a hand shielding his eyes. Why…? He removed his hand as torrents of rain sheeted from above, his eyes scanning the ocean for any sign of Prussia. After a few long moments had passed, he turned as Hungary unbound him: her clothes were completely drenched, her hair slicked against her head. "Come on… let's go inside before we catch a cold, Hungary…"
Austria stooped and picked up his violin and bow, suddenly tossing them into the ocean. He didn't stop to watch his beloved instrument sink as he laced his fingers through hers, towing her to the mansion. Hungary managed to pick up the bouquet of wildflowers as they passed. A sodden ivory card protruded from the center of the flowers, amongst shades of yellow and purple: fresh tears stung her eyes as she read the message, scrawled quickly across the surface in Prussia's handwriting. I love you, Hungary, even though I'm a no-good trickster that could never compete with Austria. I needed to tell you before I ran out of time. – Prussia
Hungary could almost hear Prussia utter those words. "You didn't… have to… s-sacrifice your own time, P-Prussia. You were wrong… your time didn't run out… you outran your own t-time."
Tears cascaded down her face: she let her sobs be heard, echoing through the halls of the mansion for the first time in her existence. Austria found her crumpled on her knees against the freezing hardwood floor of the piano room; he bolted to her, crashing to his knees and pulling her into a tender embrace. He patted her head and rubbed her back soothingly. "Let it out," he murmured into her ear, gazing out of the window, across the black water as the rain ceased to pound against the windowpanes. The clouds dissipated overhead, revealing a muted blue sky dappled with stars, as the gibbous moon began to sink under the eternal horizon.
Fin.