Warmth

By StarNight888

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Clouds blanketed the sky, making everything a sad, gray hue. No fluffy white ones, no funny shapes, no promise of rain or thunder. Just solid, sad gray. A brutal wind blasted through an empty plain, trying it's hardest to make anything and everything cold and miserable. Like the sad sky, the ground was empty and barren, except for a small child.

He was small and thin, a scarf draped around his neck despite the fact it was summer. An old sack hung over his small shoulder. His cloths were worn, his eyes empty. Even though he was young, his mop of hair was a dull blonde-gray, matching the clouds above him. His bare feet trudged along a barely visible trail, dust kicking up in his wake.

Step, step, dust, step, wind, dust, wind, step, step.

The boy stopped for a moment, a small hand rubbing grey grit from his dull eyes. He blinked and sighed. Nothing but gray. Sad, lonely, colorless, gray. The wind blew harshly, and the boy shivered.

He kept walking.

The little boy had no destination. He didn't know where he came from or where he was going. Then again, what destination could there be in such an empty land. His feet moved on their own, his mind elsewhere.

He imagined colors. Bright, vibrant, beautiful colors. The kind he never saw unless he looked at his own reflection. The only color he had seen himself: the deep violet of his eyes. He imagined a pink sky, blue grass, gold fruits. What else could a boy who had never seen color dream? Reds, greens, oranges, pur—

A brilliant… something, flashed in the corner of his eye. The small child snapped out of his day dreaming and turned around as fast as his head would let him. His violet eyes brightened and he gasped in wonder.

It stood taller than him, straight, proud, and by itself. Its green body didn't bend, making the wind look like nothing more than a gentle breeze. What rested on top though is what caught the boy's attention. It was the largest flower the little boy had ever seen. Dominated by its warm brown center, dozens of little golden petals peeked around the edges, waving in the wind as if in greeting.

The small child walked slowly to the huge flower, mouth agape. His bare feet touched something smooth and bendy: fresh, green shoots clustered around the flower's base, like a tiny family. His tiny hand reached forward hesitantly, until it stroked the smooth green stem.

"I've never seen so many colors at once Mr. Flower," the boy said aloud. His voice sounded dry and raspy, like he'd never used it before. But it betrayed his amazement of the flower. The child stood in silence again, his small hand running up and down the stem.

"You know, we don't have much sun here," the little boy spoke softly. "You remind me a lot of the sun." He smiled at the plant, a smile that might have been his first. Most people would have found this silly; a boy talking to a flower instead of a person. But there were no people here, not yet.

There was a shimmer, then a sparkle, then the area suddenly erupted into light. The little boy shaded his eyes instantly, not used to such bright light. Miraculously, the clouds had broken. Golden, wonderful sunlight washed over the boy and flower. But, like a phantom, the light faded away into the gray of clouds. The smile on the child's face grew, and he savored the brief memory of the sun's warm touch.

"Is that why you stand here, Mr. Flower? Because the sun hugs you?" the small boy asked, not expecting an answer. The flower did not give one.

"…Mr. Flower, I'm going to call you a 'Sun Flower,' because you can be my sun," the boy finally said. "Will you be my sun?" There was another gust of wind, and the Sun Flower bobbed just a bit, like it was saying yes. The little boy sat down in front of the blossom, and took a piece of stale bread from his sack. He munched on it contently for a moment, before speaking again.

"Thank you, Mr. Sun Flower."

Hope you all enjoyed my little oneshot!

This story is kinda to tell you all that I'm not dead, just a little low on time and inspiration ^^" The sun flower is Russia's country flower (I think...) and that is what inspired this Hetalia oneshot. Thank you for reading! Comments and critiques are appreciated!

~StarNight888