A Thousand Years Of Waiting for Mr.Prince

In Threes

Over the next two days, Sakura continued to sleep without any signs of waking up. There were times where she had opened her eyes and left her bed to eat, or use the restroom. However those times when she was awake didn't last long. On the afternoon where the other nations had shown up at Kiku's house, and after Heracles had went upstairs, the remaining nations came to a conclusion: to do whatever they could to stall Sakura's perishing.

During the two days that Sakura was deep in her sleep, Heracles stayed by her side holding her hand, and tell her the ancient stories of his Greek Gods. Whenever Kiku would walk by, he didn't have the heart to tell Heracles that Sakura wouldn't be waking up again that day.

Heracles had started to get restless, he refused to sleep and his own health was starting to look for the worse. It took Ludwig, Francis, and Alfred to pull him away from Sakura's bed side; and after finally getting him to eat something, Kiku suggested that Heracles should go get some fresh air. He didn't complain, but he left the house without another word.

"Kiku?" Feliciano tugs at Kiku's sleeve gently.

"Yes, Feliciano?"

"Do you think Heracles will be alright?"

Kiku sighs, and shakes his head slowly. "I am uncertain. To see one's loved on in a state such as this, must be very heavy on the soul."

"Heavy is what I'd use to describe him." Ludwig walks over to Kiku and Feliciano and rubs his shoulder. "I knew the man is strong, but I didn't expect him to put up a fight when we were trying to pull him away from Ms. Honda."

Feliciano grins, and hops over to Ludwig's side, hugging his arm, "It's okay Luddy, you did your best." And Ludwig can't help but smile back at the smaller man.

"I am going to check up on Sakura, would you two like to accompany me?" Kiku asks, and the pair nod in unison.

In the living room, the other nations idle impatiently.

"Alfred would you quit shaking your leg? It's getting annoying." Arthur scolds the younger nation, to which Alfred, shook his leg even more. "Alfred!"

"Both of you! Be quiet!" Yao hissed from his seat across the two blondes. "How can you afford to be so loud at a time like this? How immature!"

"Now, now, everyone..." Francis walks in with a tray of tea from the kitchen. "Let's try to get along oui?" He hands everyone a cup, "Although we haven't known Sakura for as long as we've known Kiku... Let's do our best to..." He doesn't continue.

" 'Our best to' what?" Alfred frowns. "To make her last moments memorable? Bullshit! You expect me to just sit here with you grandpas and watch her die?"

"Alfred, that's enough!" Arthur scolds Alfred sternly. "We've already explained the nature of substitutes, but you haven't been around long enough to fully understand them."

"That's rich, coming from you who doesn't even understand them as much as I do." Allred grumbles.

"Ahem." Yao clears his throat with annoyance.

"Anyways," Arthur continues. "Sakura's been there for us as if she's known us since... Forever. She was so... Good to us, so we need to do whatever we can to repay her back."

"Sounds like amour to me." Francis grins.

"You frog, if Heracles were to hear that, he'd headlock us both."

Alfred looked at the of them in confusion, struggling to figure out what 'amour' means.

"But still," Francis sits down beside Arthur. "If love is what kept Sakura from perishing, why isn't the live she shares with Heracles keeping her here?"

"You are wrong." Yao argues. "It was not love that kept her prisoner here; it was the regret and the pain she had felt when her lover had died so long ago."

"And what makes you say that?"

"The feeling of regret is stronger than the feeling of obligation." Yao brings his tea cup to his lips, then hacks in disgust. "And your tea making skills are as horrid as usual, Francis." Alfred snorts, and Arthur rolls his eyes.

Heracles walks down the now familiar street, and while doing so, he receives a few stares from strangers. He figures it must because he stands out; with his gigantic height, and olive skin; that contradicts with the norm.

Heracles notices a flower shop and decides that he could at least buy Sakura a nice bouquet for her. As he nears the shop he recognizes a young man that he met not too long ago.

Takashi looks up from his flower display and flinches. "Geh! It's you again!" He looks around the Greek man, side to side. "Um... Where's S-Sakura-chan?" The more Takeshi stares at the Greek man, the more he feels himself shrink in size. Heracles struggles to let out his voice, "She's... Not feeling well."