It hurt as the heavy water flow hit my neck. I had started to nod off again. Damn, had I gotten used to sitting under this waterfall already? I was just so exhausted. I haven't been able to go to sleep.

Usually, these meditation trips centered my life. Relaxed me. Relieved my stress. I hadn't gone on one in what seemed like centuries. And never had to stay nearly this long. My mind still felt so jumbled.

At least this trip hadn't been completely useless. With no distractions, I had built myself back nearly to where I was before. And at least I didn't feel like disappearing anymore. That was a dangerous path. I couldn't let myself do that. There were too many people who...

I shook my head. My thoughts were getting messed up again. I had to find a conviction and stick to it. Regardless, it was time for me to go home.

I took a shallow dive into the river away from the torrent of the waterfall. The water was calm and slow moving compared to the violent waterfall. It felt good to have all that pressure off. I swam over to the bank where I had hung my clothes on a tree limb. My hair fell into my face as I slipped my clothes back on. The water must have pushed my tie off. I went through my pockets to find another. I pulled my wet hair into a low ponytail.

I stretched a bit, prolonging the inevitable. I just had to do it. I took a step into the steep, mountainous jungle on the long road home.

What would I do when I saw him? What should I say? I needed an explanation. I needed to explain...

I didn't have much time as I would have liked to think. All to soon, a spied the back of a large black and white bear.

I sighed and smiled to myself. He had always been persistent. To think that he had found me all the way out here.

"Russia..." I called out. The panda didn't respond in any way. He wouldn't even look at me.

I sighed again. I must have hurt him really bad. "Russia, we need to talk." I stepped closer to where he sat. He still didn't respond.

"Are you even listening to me? I said..." I touched his shoulder.

He finally turned his head. This wasn't Russia. This was a panda, but not my panda. He looked bothered that I would interrupt his meal time. He stuffed another bamboo stalk into his mouth.

"Sorry," I apologized to the ordinary panda. "I mistook you for someone else."

The panda looked at me as if I was insane. Like how I could possibly mistake a regular panda for someone. Like I was actually apologizing to a simple panda. I guess old habits die hard. He didn't seem to mind when I gathered more bamboo for him to chew on, though.

I rubbed the back of my neck as I continued on my way home. That was a little embarrassing. I had been thinking about him too much. Not every panda I ever came across was going to be Russia. Plus, Russia didn't need to dress up as a panda anymore. I already figured out it was him under the costume. Not to mention that the costume had been cut to shreds. He probably had better things to do than wait around for me.

The jungle cleared up enough that I could start to see my house. I sighed in relief. I was utterly exhausted. I couldn't wait for the time I could get some rest.

But then, something sent me falling off the edge. Facts slipped through the sieve one at a time. Russia was here. Russia was slumped in front of my doorway. Russia had red spilling everywhere around him.

"No!" The scream clawed its way out of my throat. "Russia!"

I didn't think. I ran over to where he was. "Nonononononononononono! This can't be happening! Not Russia! Anyone but Russia! Don't let him leave me!" I muttered without knowing. My eyes were blinded by stinging tears. I tripped over something invisible and crawled my way over to his body.

"China!" Russia said enthusiastically. "I missed you soooooooooooooooooooooooo much!"

I was shocked. He wrapped his arms around me in a tight embrace. How was this possible? I swore I saw...I ran my hands along his body. His clothes were not soaked with blood. He had no wounds. My Russia was safe and sound and here with me.

"Russia? Why are you here?" I was a bit confused, but a whole lot calmer. It was the same hug as Panda. It had a relieving effect. Yet, it had this seeping warm effect on me now.

"I was waiting for you to come home. You missed so much! Italy had a kid. Lithuania married Poland. England and France finally got together, only France is a girl now..." Russia saw the look on my face. He produced an angry pout. "Stop it. Why are you so sad? You're home now. That's a good thing."

"Russia you scared me half to death...I thought you were dead. I thought...I thought you left me." I was surprised by my honesty. It was like after all that time away, I simply couldn't hold back anymore. It was frightening. It was wonderfully frightening.

Russia suddenly brought his face to mine. He kissed away the remnant tears. My mind short-circuited. Is this what he meant when he nuzzled my face as Panda?

"I didn't leave. You're the one who left me. I could never leave you. I don't even think I could die unless you came with me," Russia said sadly.

"Russia..." I started.

"But sad times are over! You came back! That reminds me!" Russia stopped hugging me. He separated us by wedging his arms between our bodies. He brought forth the source of the red. His face was beaming.

"I made this for you! Ukraine taught me how to knit! Look, it's red! Our favorite color. I made a stitch every time I thought of you."

It was a scarf. I really long scarf. An exceedingly long scarf. I scarf that would have no practical use it was a scarf that you could wrap around your entire body twice and still have a ten foot tail behind you.

"Pathetic..." I said out loud. It was pathetic how in love with this moment I was. How in love with him I was. How I had actually convinced myself I could live without this. Without him. How could I actually think I was living?

Russia pouted again and fidgeted nervously. "I messed up a few times, but I tried my best. I could redo some of it if you don't like it..."

"Mine would have been ten times longer," I said. One stitch for every time I thought of Russia? There wouldn't be enough yarn in the world. Not if I lived for four thousand more years.

"Well, I had to start over a couple of times." His smile became blinding as he realized what I just said.

I was embarrassed. I couldn't quite look at his face. I ran my hands over a fraction of the length of the scarf. Russia's hands went to my waist. He pulled me closer to him.

"China, do you love me?" he asked teasingly. "Do you think I'm sexy?"

I placed my scarf around the scarf he was already wearing. I used the tails to pull myself into him.

I kissed him. I kissed him so much differently than kissing my siblings goodnight. I kissed him so much differently than the way westerners greeted me. I kissed him with every ounce of myself. I kissed him in a way that there could be no mistake, no confusion, of how much I loved him to the core.

And he kissed me that way back. We were fire and ice. Passion and yearning and longing all rolled up into a tangled burning red scarf. A red string of fate binding us forever. I couldn't see it until now.

We broke apart panting. "Does that answer your question?" I breathed.

We weren't apart for long. Russia returned to my lips again and again, barely leaving anytime for me to catch my breath. I was getting dizzy.

"Get off of him you, bitch!" someone keened. A kitchen knife wedged its way into the wall of my house centimeters away from Russia's face.

He took on a grayish tint. He could see what was behind me. "Belarus..."

It had come to this already. I reluctantly let go of the hold I had been clinging onto Russia. I weaved and bent out of the weaves of the scarf binding me to him. Russia looked as though his heart had been ripped out.

"That's right, bitch. Disappear again or I'll kill you. Either way, you're dead," Belarus sneered, sensing an easy victory.

I stepped away from Russia and towards his sister.

"I should have don this ages ago. With you finally and forever out of the picture, Big Brother will be mine." Her knife streamed across my clothes, trying to bring further humiliation. "How could he ever love you anyway? So decrepit and useless. He loves me so much more. You can't break our bond."

"Are you finished?" I asked completely monotone.

She was stunned. Her threatening words had absolutely no effect on me. I reached for my back and pulled out my twin sword I had strapped beneath my clothes. Did she really think I would have been gone for that long without any sort of weapon?

I didn't give her time to process. I swung again and again. Her dull kitchen knives stood no chance. Some were cut clean in half. I pushed her back. She tried to use what little she had left to fought back, but I wouldn't let her anywhere close. This was my prime. I was unstoppable. She thought she was scary? She obviously didn't know her history.

She stumbled down and tried to scramble away. I used my sword to pin her sleeves to the ground. There was no room for her to tear her way out. I sat on her thighs.

"Now, you listen here, bitch," I said spitting the word back at her. "I don't know where in your sick twisted demented mind you could ever think that you could take something of mine away from me. That's right, Russia is mine. And if I ever, ever, have any reason to believe that you somehow doubt my possession of him, I will not hesitate to slice you up piece by piece and use your blood to dye my bed sheets. Do you understand that, bitch?"

Belarus stared indignantly up at me. My glare did not waver. Hers did. She slowly lost her grip. Then she started wailing out of pure terror. She wriggled, not trying to fight me. She was desperate to escape.

I rolled my eyes. She was still just a child. I got up and pulled my swords from the ground and wiped away the dirt. She couldn't get away fast enough. She ran through the jungle back to her home.

"That was really scary," Russia said. I was a bit confused by the ridiculous smile on his face.

"Sorry about that," I said warily. "I just wanted to scare her a bit."

"It's alright. Belarus should be scared more often."

Now I was scared. Why was Russia this happy. He wasn't far from me now. His hands went through my tattered shirt. I flinched at the unexpected and sudden wave of pleasure when his fingers found my breasts.

That's right breasts. I somehow had my boobs back. I was a woman again.

Russia practically giggled from ecstatic happiness. "They're real! They're really really really really really small, but they're real! I always knew you were a girl!"

I made a face at him brushed his hands away. I knew they were small. He didn't have to add the five reallys. So what if I didn't have super gigantic Z-cups like a certain sister of his? I headed back towards my door.

"Don't be mad China! I like them I really do! I don't even like big boobs, honest! Hey, I'll take off my shirt, too! Then, we'll be even!"

I ignored his attempts at trying to undo what he unthinkingly said. I found one end of the scarf. I lifted it off the ground and wrapped it around my naked chest.

Russia grabbed the scarf and pulled, trying to unravel me. I held the warm wool fast.

"That is not how you wear a scarf he grumbled from behind me. He couldn't unravel me, but he could pull my body against his bare chest. The burning sensation had me shocked still, but not Russia. His large hands nearly encircled my waist. His lips were at my neck. His hands travelled up and down, trying to seek shelter in the hem of my pants and the folds of the scarf which has somehow become a bit looser. I twisted around and let my hands do their own exploring. I couldn't cover as much ground as he could. His chest was so broad and his muscles so irresistible. I felt pleasure in knowing I would have all the time in the world t discover every inch of him.

For now, I just settled for bringing myself up for another kiss. I made up for our height difference by placing my elbows on his shoulders and knotting my fingers in his hair. My legs wrapped around him, securing myself in place. I don't know how, but Russia skillfully maneuvered our collective happiness all the way home.

AN: *sniff, sniff* Don't you just love happy endings? :') It has been a long journey, but this marks the end of the Tomato Box Fairytale series. I loved making it so much, and I love how you guys have stuck with me the whole way. No worlds can describe it.

Anyway, now for the official results of the poll. Drum roll...Ameripan won! In the not so s distant future, please look out for a little story called Critical Hit.