I don't own Hetalia! end/AN/

It didn't take long for the Republic of China to form. Mongolia should have expected to get some form of retribution, but maybe he hadn't expected it so soon.

Within a short time, China had dragged Inner Mongolia back into his embrace, kicking and screaming from her position further south.

That was why Mongolia was here. He glared at the setup of the Chinese soldiers, of the arrogance of thinking that all the Mongol nations belonged to China forever and always.

Mongolia raised a hand to attack, and the men on horses came streaming forward.

They'd been described as demons on horses before; it was time China remembered that.

The shouts more than brought the Chinese soldiers awake. They had their weapons drawn, pulling up into lines to defend their position, but it was no good. There was no warrior like the Mongol, no power in small numbers quite like theirs.

They trampled them, shooting at them like ages past.

It was a cacophony of warfare, of screaming and blood and war cries.

Mongolia swooped forward, heading for the place they were bound to be keeping his sister. A tall tent stood, and he slashed it open with a machete.

China was on his feet, pointing a gun at him, but Mongolia knocked it aside. "You hellish little vermin!" China gasped, falling down.

"Egch, come out!" Mongolia scanned for her, and saw her in her felt clothes, running towards him. He directed his horse towards her, and let go of his reins to pull her up in front of him.

She smelled like horses, and she probably would have shown some sort of affection, except she couldn't turn around. "Akh düü, I feared you wouldn't come."

He, however, had his arms around her, and the slightest beginnings of a smile on his face. "What did I tell you? We won't be separated."

She was probably smiling too. It had been a long time under China's rule, and there was no way it was going to continue the way it had.

It was 10,000 versus 70,000. But Mongolians were made of sterner stuff than the Chinese, and they slammed into the Chinese.

"China!" Mongolia shouted, spotting the nation trying to hold his own with a gun. "How do you like being trampled down?"

China glared, words unhearable in the din. He aimed his gun once again at Mongolia.

Mongolia came thundering down the battlefield towards China, legs directing his horse as he aimed for China…

And the shot came.

Inner Mongolia screamed, clutching her head; the smell of blood was instantly into Mongolia's nostrils, and he veered sharply away from China.

"Egch!" he shouted, feeling her long hair whip into his face. A panic of sorts was already spreading through his veins, and he knew he had to get off the battlefield.

She lolled against him, and the side of her head was sticky.

China took aim again, and this time, Inner Mongolia slipped down, before Mongolia could grab her.

"No!" he shouted, his weapons dropped as he tried to grab hold of her; she hit the ground, and he had to stop his horse cold to keep from trampling her. "Egch! Please, no!"

China came running over, and was soon standing over Inner Mongolia, gun aimed at Mongolia. "Go on. Shoot me. Oh wait, you don't have weapons, and there's no one to help you!"

Mongolia would have tried to get off of his horse, but there was no opportunity; at this range, he was quite certain he would be killed if he did, and then who would fight for Inner Mongolia? "Don't hurt her!"

China's gun aimed at Inner Mongolia's limp body, saying, "She's still alive, but not for much longer. Are you willing to continue this with her life at stake?"

Mongolia swallowed thickly. "What do you want me to do?"

"Retreat." China said the word smugly.

It burned in every bone, but Mongolia nodded; what else was he supposed to do? He called off the attack, and he had been so close, so agonizingly close… He clenched his teeth and didn't stop till he was sure he could taste blood coming from his tongue.

Today, China won. But he wouldn't win forever.

"And you agree?" Mongolia asked Russia.

Russia smiled, patting Mongolia's head. "Of course. You should not be so nervous. You have your value to the Russian empire, yes?"

Mongolia nodded, looking down at the sheaf of papers before them. Independence was in the pen that he and Russia took, that they signed their names on the treaty with.

"You have my greatest thanks," Mongolia said, knowing that by now, the ancient times of the Mongolian Empire had long since passed from Russia's mind.

Russia thumped him on the back, saying, "We are friends. I would only look to help my friends."

"Friends…" Mongolia allowed a smile, and another nod. "We are friends indeed."

And one of the only ones Mongolia had, after all.

Russia left after they ate a good meal.

The day his favorite nation in the world showed up, Mongolia was nearly in tears. Even though it wasn't quite his standard of behavior, he hugged Tibet tightly, murmuring, "I thought I would never see you again."

It was true that there had been a divide between them, imposed by China.

Tibet said, a soft smile on his face, "I thought it too, friend." His arms were tight around Mongolia back; they were about elder teenagers, completely different from times long ago when they were both children. And yet, it felt so much the same.

They stood there for minutes, Mongolia trying to keep himself under control, and Tibet with his hands fisted into Mongolia's felt clothes.

"I missed you," Mongolia finally admitted, in a small voice as he tried not to cry.

"Nothing will keep us apart forever," Tibet promised, finally releasing Mongolia. He had that practiced calm look on his face, the one that had first elicited Mongolia's interest in the nation south from him.

Mongolia swiped at his face, saying, "It has been a long time. But, there will be many more times to see each other to come! Other nations will have to recognize your independence, as Russia has acknowledged mine."

Tibet nodded. "It is a new time in Asia."

Mongolia smiled at him, saying, "And I will be the first to acknowledge your independence."

"And I will be the second to recognize yours," Tibet promised.

It took a short time to sign the papers. Throughout it all, Mongolia felt like a hyperactive child once again, with his best friend who had always tried to get him to calm down.

Mongolia embraced him again before he left. His heart sunk, even though he knew good things were happening. "Be safe! Don't give in to China!"

"I promise I'll be safe. Neither of us will be ruled by China ever again," Tibet said, and with that he left.

Mongolia held the treaty in his hand, and stared at Tibet's signature. It was finally coming true, after hundreds of years under China's heel.

He could have kissed Tibet right about then, had he been around, but instead he went back to his ger and put away the treaty.

/AN/ Whew, it's harder to work on this one than on Savage sometimes. But I hope y'all enjoyed it!

History: 1912 about, the Northern part of Mongolia fought for the freedom the Southern part. They got very close to taking it all back, until they had to retreat because they ran out of weapons. (Not even Russia was helping at this point)

However, Russia decided to make a treaty with Outer Mongolia, recognizing their independence. A few months later, Tibet, which was going through its own attempt at independence, recognized Mongolia's independence, and in return Mongolia did the same. (Historically speaking, Mongolia and Tibet have been close since Tibetan Buddhism became the majority religion in Mongolia)