Here's a One-Shot for all of you, since WILL NOT LET ME UPDATE MY OTHER SERIES. I don't own Hetalia or anything else…just this. Plus, I decided to use human names just to make this a little easier for me to type up.
-/= [AUGUST 5] =/-
The day was slowly coming up to him.
Feliciano knew that the anniversary was coming. There was nothing that he could do to avoid it. But he wasn't going to take it crying…not like the first few years of his life. He was going to take this day with a smile, with his friends by his side. However, everyone could tell that there was something wrong with him the day before. He was quieter and less energetic than usual, and wasn't more than willing to cling onto the German that he seemed to be obsessed with.
"Feliciano…what's wrong with you?"
"Hm?" He turned around. "Ludwig…"
"Are you sick? You've been quiet during today's meeting."
"No…no, I'm fine." He smiled. "But thank you for worrying about me."
"…there's something wrong with you, Feliciano. Don't hide it from me." Ludwig folded his arms. "You're always like this every year…what's going on?"
"Ludwig…"
"You've been like this for more than a century. I want to know, Feliciano."
"…it's…an anniversary…"
"Anniversary? For what?"
"…a friend of mine." He turned away. "Holy Roman Empire."
Ludwig's mind immediately started to process the information. Holy Roman Empire…a nation that was dissolved during the Napoleonic Wars on August 6, 1806…that was tomorrow's date. He saw as Feliciano turned away with a wipe of his nose and a shiver that made a chill go down his spine.
"Are you going to be OK tomorrow?"
"Yes…I've been doing it for the past couple of years…" He smiled.
"No, Feliciano. No. You're not going to be OK." Ludwig took Feliciano's hand. "Do you want me to stay at your house tomorrow?"
"No, really…I'm fine…"
"I know when you're lying, Feliciano…" He stated. "I'm staying over at your house. Here I thought that you'd be happy that I'm willing to join you."
"…um…OK…fine…"
Ludwig smiled as he had yet another mental victory with the Italian. During the night, they finally went to Feliciano's home for a simple dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. They both climbed into Feliciano's bed as the Italian cuddled closer toward the pillow in his hands, covering half of his face.
"…will you be there when I wake up…?"
"Of course, Feliciano…I'm not leaving you."
Feliciano smiled before he cuddled closer to his pillow and closed his eyes, ready to take on tomorrow.
/=+=/
"Feliciano…wake up, Feliciano…"
He opened his eyes to find himself standing in a dark room. However, he felt warm…as if he was in someone's arms. He turned around to see a cloaked figure standing behind him, his face covered by the darkness and yet his presence wasn't scaring him. Feliciano looked around again.
"…where am I?"
"You're in my realm, Feliciano. And here, I am able to grant you one wish."
"One…wish?"
"Yes. I have the ability to grant you something that you wish will happen. Would you like that, Feliciano?"
"…yes…I would like that."
"What is your wish, then?"
"…I want to see him again…"
"Do you mean Holy Roman Empire?"
"Yes…Heilrich…I want to see Heilrich again…"
"Then that is my command. I will come again tomorrow night in order to finalize your wish and make it permanent."
"Permanent…? Why won't you make it permanent now…?"
"Feliciano…all wishes come with a price, even one like yours. Balance your wish with the price and tell me what you want then."
"…all right…"
And that was when everything around him vanished into the darkness, and he felt himself sinking into the ground…almost like he was falling into the ocean…
-/= [AUGUST 6] =/-
"Good morning, Feliciano…"
The voice sounded so familiar to him…but no, there was no way that this voice could belong to him…there was just no way that…
"Feliciano?"
"…Heilrich…?"
Feliciano's eyes opened up to see that a familiar figure was lying down in his bed next to him. He had drooped yellow hair and a familiar black robe on his figure, crystal blue eyes smiling warmly back to his own. Feliciano gasped as he sat up from his bed, allowing the other man to join him as well. It confirmed all his thoughts.
"…Heilrich…? My god…"
"Haha…good morning to you too…" He caressed his cheek. "Are you hungry?"
"…yes…yes I am…" He smiled. "I'll make breakfast."
/=+=/
The both of them walked toward the meeting hall without a hitch. Feliciano couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Heilrich was going to attend his first meeting (at least, in his opinion) in a black, frilly suit that seemed to remind him of Roderich. However, he pushed it to the back of his mind as they entered the meeting hall with the other countries.
"Come on, Roderich! Give it up! I'm so much more awesome than you are!"
"Will you please stop it, bruder? This has been going on for too long now…"
Feliciano watched as Heilrich stepped forward and separated the two of them from another argument like nothing has ever happened. What surprised him was that Gilbert greeted Heilrich as if he hadn't been dissolved and destroyed for more than two centuries. What did that man's powers do to them…?
"Aw, come on and soak up the party man!" Alfred chirped as he came out of nowhere and backslapped Heilrich. "Stop being such a party pooper!"
"Unlike you Alfred, I'm here because I actually want to do work." Heilrich stated. "Now if you will please get everyone to their seats so we can start."
"Heilrich…" Feliciano whined. "Let them have their fun…please?"
He pouted toward the blond, causing him to blush and look away to see the other people. After a few minutes, he lowered the hand covering his face and shyly looked back to the pouting Italian man.
"…fine."
"Woohoo! Way to go, Feli!" Gilbert chirped. "The only person in this room that can make Heilrich bend to his will!"
"Shut up, bruder. We're only taking a five minute delay. THEN we have to work."
"All right, all right! Fine!"
/=+=/
The meeting oddly went off without a hitch. During that time interval, Feliciano learned just a little more about the effects of his wish. Heilrich was now a well-known and well-respected nation of the World Meetings, part of the G8, and has just a fragment of his original territory that he had so long ago. He kept his brother Gilbert in line all the time and seemed to be in good terms with Kiku…just like…
"Feliciano."
"Hm? Oh, Elizabeta…"
"What are you planning to do for your anniversary?"
"A-anniversary?" Today's date was still important?
"Yes, your anniversary! Today's the day where you and Heilrich first kissed, remember?"
"O-oh right! I almost forgot!" He smiled. "Um…Heilrich says that he's going to surprise me."
"Aw…that's so cute!"
"Yeah…of course…"
For some reason, that made Feliciano blush. It caught Heilrich's attention, who smiled with a light blush on his face before he returned his attention back to the meeting at hand.
/=+=/
"Doesn't this look beautiful, Feliciano?"
"Yes…it really does."
After the meeting (which took the whole day cause no one could focus), Heilrich brought Feliciano to a beautiful view next to his home. He stared off into the sky and found himself sinking into all of the stars that covered the darkness. Feliciano blushed as he turned his head around and saw the blond stare back at him.
"It's a beautiful view, Heilrich…" He repeated.
"Not as beautiful as you are…"
"…t-thank you…" Feliciano tried to rub off the blush. "Um…Heilrich?"
"Yes, Feli?"
"Um…remember when you figured out that I was a boy?" It was a long shot.
"Yes, actually…it was so funny. I was coming home from the war when I met up with Roderich and Elizabeta who was checking up on you…" Heilrich laughed. It was a soft laugh. "It was so strange…your voice just cracked right in a middle of a song! How does that work?"
"I really don't know…that's just how it was, I suppose!" He chirped. "But enough about that…I made us dinner!"
Heilrich smiled as Feliciano pulled out two bento boxes filled to the brim with pasta. They started to dig in when Feliciano suddenly choked on something. The blond gasped as Feliciano cleared his throat and swallowed the pasta.
"A-are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine…I guess the pasta doesn't agree with me…"
It was then that he remembered what that man in his dreams had told him: his price for wanting Heilrich back. Was his price the stomach and the tongue to consume all the pasta that he wanted in the world? Feliciano cringed at that thought, but then he quickly ignored it with a smile.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, of course…" I can give up pasta…for Heilrich…
/=+=/
"So have you made your choice, Feliciano?"
"Yes…I'm going to keep it. I'll live with my wish."
"Have you thought of the consequences?"
"Yes…and it's too bad though…I really liked pasta…but I can give it up for him…"
"…really…?"
"Yes…I'm ready."
"…very well. Heilrich will stay."
-/= [AUGUST 7] =/-
The next day, Feliciano woke up to a smiling Heilrich who was watching him sleep. With a chuckle, Feliciano was led to their next World Meeting. This time, it was going off without too many problems. It was then that he realized that they were going to throw a party to celebrate Alfred's accomplishment of finally beating a Japanese RPG (hey, he's throwing the party here). Heilrich didn't want to go, but was pushed into it by Feliciano.
That night, the Italian man was hanging around next to the punch bowl as he watched Heilrich separate another battle before it bloomed into a world war (between Alfred and Yong Soo…who knew?). He heard a scoff as he saw Arthur joining him in his position.
"That bloody Alfred knows all the wrong buttons to press…I'm surprised he's still standing."
"Ve~~it just means that he knows how to protect himself." Feliciano laughed. "That being said, I'm glad Heilrich's here to stop it before it gets serious…doesn't he remind you of Ludwig?"
"…remind me of who?"
"…Ludwig." Feliciano's smile drooped. "You know…Germany."
"Don't you mean Germania? Cause I don't think there is a Germany in existence."
It was then that everything fell right into place in the Italian's mind. The price for Heilrich was never his love for pasta. Heck, he probably had a stomach bug and that's what caused the strange taste in his tongue. No…the price was much, much worse…
It was Ludwig.
/=+=/
"I know you're out here, spirit…whatever you are! Come on out here, I need to talk to you!"
Feliciano had found himself dashing out of the way into the darkness of the woods to find the genie. Sure enough, he found a cloaked figure standing right next to a tree, a strange look hitting him (even though he can't see it.). He tensed up all the nerves in his body.
"Is something wrong?"
"Yes…something is wrong…" Feliciano looked down. "I…I don't want my wish anymore…"
"No? I thought you wanted Heilrich to stay…"
"I did, but…I didn't know the price was Ludwig! Why didn't you tell me?"
"I thought you knew…"
"I thought the price was my stomach! And I was willing to give that up!"
"Well, no matter. Many people never know the gravity of their actions until it is too late…and this is no different. I cannot undo this wish."
"But what about Ludwig? What about him?"
"He doesn't exist, Feliciano. You don't have to worry about him."
"But I do! I just erased a whole country from existence!"
"No you did not. Heilrich has taken his place, Feliciano. No country has been removed."
"…Ludwig…"
"Has and will never exist. Why are you so worried? Heilrich is exactly like him, isn't he? He's serious, a workaholic…what are you missing?"
"…I'm…I'm missing Ludwig…"
"I thought you were emotionally destroyed with losing Heilrich."
"I was…I missed Heilrich with all my heart and ached every day for the chance to see him again…" Tears welled up in Feliciano's eyes. "But…n-no matter how hard I tried…I…I can't even imagine living a single second without Ludwig! I can't live without him…!"
"…your wish comes too late, Feliciano. You should start imagining it."
"But-!"
"This is farewell."
"No!"
Feliciano started running toward the spirit as he started to vanish into the sky.
"Come back…come back, please! I take it back! I take it all back! I don't even care what you take from me this time, just please! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!"
But he was screaming to the air. Feliciano found himself shaking and falling to his knees, the thought of erasing a whole nation from existence haunting his memory. Sure, doing something like that was scary as it is…but did it have to be Ludwig? Did it really have to be him…?
"Feliciano…?"
He turned his head around to see Heilrich standing behind him with a worried look on his face. He stood slowly, the choices that he made dancing from the back of his head, as he wiped a lone tear from his eye.
"I heard from Arthur that you just ran out of the party…what, did someone hurt you?"
"…yes…myself." He shivered. "I just…erased a whole nation from existence…"
"You have…?"
"Yes…his name was Ludwig…the Republic of Germany…he was living with me for some time before…" Feliciano shivered. "Before he vanished."
"Vanished…?"
"He's gone…all because of me, Heilrich…" Feliciano whimpered. "All because I was so selfish…"
"Feliciano…what's going on? You can tell me. I want to help…"
"…I erased him from existence…just to be with you again…" He sighed. "And now that I have you…I'll never be able to see him again…"
"…I see…what was this Ludwig like?"
"He's…he's like you. He was serious, he was a workaholic, and he was very calm in every situation that he faced."
"If he is exactly like me, Feliciano…then why do you miss him?"
"Why do I…? Well, I…um…I…" The realization hit him hard. "I…I love him…"
"You love him."
"I love you too, Heilrich…but…I love him even more now…I'll always love him…I'm sorry…"
Feliciano looked away from him toward the ground, feeling like a fool. What in the world was he doing, telling Heilrich everything? Nothing will come out of it. Ludwig will still be gone and there's nothing he could do about it, it's just that Heilrich would be mad that his heart now belonged to someone else instead of him. He braced himself for a good yell. He deserved it.
"…you did it, Feliciano."
"Eh?"
"You did it, Feliciano!"
"Way to go, Feli!"
"You're making me cry now, dammit…"
He turned around as he saw the woods around him vanish into the darkness, revealing instead the clapping and cheering voices of all his friends and family praising him for everything. He pulled a full 360 and saw none other than the spirit where Heilrich once stood, a smile on his face.
"…Heilrich…?"
"You did it, Feliciano. With those words, you have succeeded in moving on from me."
"…what are you talking about?"
"Me, Feliciano. You have kept yourself in the past for so long, waiting for my return. And when I came back, you realized that everything is perfect just the way it is." The cloaked Heilrich stated. "Though to hear that your heart has moved on from grief makes me even happier."
"…I love Ludwig now…does that mean you're going to move on?"
"No…I'm not moving on."
"You're…not?"
His friends and family began to cheer as Heilrich slowly removed his hood with a sweep of his hand. However, he also sweeped the bangs on his head over to leave an exposed forehead. Feliciano found himself shaking and gasping for air. With that move, he looked almost like…
"Come on, Feliciano…let's go home."
"…all right…Ludwig…"
-/= [AUGUST 6] =/-
"Feliciano? Are you OK?"
He stirred and felt a hand on his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see a semi-worried look on the German's face, making his heart skip a beat for the first time. He hadn't felt something like this since Heilrich…but if what his dream tried to tell him was indeed the truth…
"…I'm OK, Ludwig…" He said with a smile. "Better than ever…"
"That's good…here I thought you were going to be late for the meeting." Ludwig sat up. "Though you don't have to go today…if you'd rather mourn…"
Feliciano's arms reached out and hugged his waist, causing the German to pause and turn back to him. A smile plastered itself onto his face, the only real one that he had in such a long time.
"I'm done with mourning…I'm ready to move on, Ludwig."
And the best part is, Heilrich…I don't have to…for you're always going to be with me…
/=+=/
In August 6, 1806, the Holy Roman Empire was officially dissolved after the Napoleonic Wars. After being a French satellite for a few years, the German Confederation was created in 1815. It goes to show that Germany was indeed created from Holy Rome's ashes, and if Holy Rome indeed still existed Germany would never have been alive.
So yeah…read and review until can finally let me update.