Author's Note: It's getting close to the end! I can't believe it... Only 4 more chapters to go!

In this, whenever Russia says "my sunflower", he is merely referring to someone being his friend.

Chapter 15:

In the grief of this never ending world, why is it that people must fight?

China glanced out his window at the falling rain. So clear, it was, yet it could obscure the world from sight. Why is that? he wondered.

It was winter, and he missed the snow. When his capital had still been Beijing, he had seen snow every year. But now...

Russia's advances had pushed him down, far down into the south-eastern regions of what had once all been him. China used to be the third largest country in the world. Well... he supposed it still was, now that America had fallen. It was just that the country was so much smaller than before. The war had torn it apart. China sighed. Would this fighting ever end? It had been ten years already!

He got up, deciding to go for a walk, as there was no important work for him to do. As he walked out onto the streets of Shanghai, his new capital, he reminisced on the old days. He thought of when he and Russia had been allies and friends. Back then, things had been so much simpler. Even in his extremely long life, China had never seen the world more divided than it was now. Now, there was no such thing as an ally. It was every country for itself.

He looked up at the gray, overcast sky, rain droplets striking his face. He missed his family. The Koreas, Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Tibet... even Taiwan and Hong Kong had left him. He had never really been close to India, but China missed him too. He felt truly alone, even more than when he was still a child growing up alone in a vast, empty land.

He hadn't known he had a family, then. But after he found North Korea, everything had changed. The Asia family had been born. And he had raised them all. He still remembered their innocent young faces, their adorable playfulness, their seemingly limitless energy...

But he also remembered how, as their countries grew, they lost their innocence. It broke his heart to watch his younger siblings grow up and leave him, to feel as tensions rose and fell between them, to be helpless as wars tore his family apart. But they were still family.

And now they were gone.

Of course, they had all been gone for years, but to China, who had lived for close to 5000 years, what was just a few? They had passed in a blink of an eye, yet the years since they had died passed more slowly than any China had ever lived through in his long life.

The war was agony. And right there, on the streets of Shanghai, gazing up at the falling rain, China made his decision.

Russia looked up, surprised. "Ah! China, my sunflower! Why have you come to my home this day?"

China followed him into the house. "Don't call me that, Russia aru. I cannot be your friend anymore. Not since you attacked my country aru."

"Ah... sorry about that..."

China looked at the northern nation in surprise. He was apologizing? For invading China?

"It's a bit late for apologies, Russia," China pointed out. "My country is weak aru, weaker than it has ever been. It won't last much longer, I'm afraid..."

Russia merely looked at him curiously. China sighed. When will he stop with that childish facade? It's not like I can be fooled by it. After all, I looked after him during the period of time when he got lost in Siberia. I still don't really understand how he got lost in his own country...

"Russia, just tell me one thing aru. Why are you doing this?"

"I-I... don't know..." Russia's smile dropped off of his face, and he looked to the ground, his voice a whisper. "It started as revenge for Belarus, but now... I really don't know why I keep going..."

China sighed again, rubbing his face. He was about to ask another question when Russia suddenly continued.

"...I guess I just want peace..."

China nodded. "That is what I wanted to hear aru. Listen, Russia, you'll make a great Asia aru."

Startled, Russia looked up. "Что?"

China smiled sadly, and drew a packet of papers out of his pocket.

"I can't stand being alone anymore aru." He laughed a little at himself. "Who would have thought I would be so needy?" He handed the packet to Russia.

"Что это?"

"Papers of China's surrender. Silly Russia aru. You should recognize these by now."

"Подсолнечное... why..."

"I told you not to call me that, didn't I aru?"

"But... I thought you were my friend..."

China hugged Russia. "We may be enemies as nations, but as people, we will always be friends. Now hurry up and sign those papers aru!"

"But... I don't want you to die... I was going to annex your country-"

"You and I both know that wouldn't work aru. Things have changed." China got a distant look in his eyes. "Things have changed drastically..."

"China..."

"Call me Yao. I'm not going to be China for much longer aru."

"Yao... You are sure about this?"

"I'm sure, Ivan aru. Just let me go, OK?"

"Da..." Russia reached for a pen and signed in the correct places. A look of peace came over China's face.

"谢谢, Ivan..."

Close to five thousand years after his birth, China faded from the world.

People's Republic of China - surrendered to Russia - gone

Author's Note: This... has got to be my favorite chapter so far... I don't even really know why...

Sorry about the huge reflection thing in the beginning.

If anyone was wondering about the time period of these events, i'ts maybe 300 or so years in the future.

Random facts about Russia and China's diplomatic relationships: Basically, during the Chinese civil war, half the country liked the Soviet Union, and half didn't. After the formation of the People's Republic of China, Sino-Soviet relations were good. Then there was the Sino-Soviet split, and they had issues for a while. Then the troubles calmed down. THEN the Soviet Union fell, and they started getting along again quite nicely.

The title comes from China's character song, "Aiyah Four Thousand Years". It's so sad, if you haven't listened to it before, GO DO IT! NOW!

Translations:

Что - what (pronounced "shto" or "chto")

Что это - what's this (pronounced "shto eto")

Подсолнечное - sunflower (pronounced "podsolnechnoye")

谢谢 - thank you (pronounced "xie xie")