Once Upon A Time | A Hetalia x Reader

Chapter 36: Leave

"Arthur, I brought you soup," I said to said man, holding up a tray that was accompanied with a bowl of soup, a spoon, and a glass full of water.

I immediately stopped when Sadik and another man came to view, just besides a sleeping Arthur.

"Am I interuppting something, or should I go ahead and politely ask you to flee?"

"Well sorry, missy." Sadik mumbled, slumping a little and started to walk. The other man, who had a cat perched on his head, simply shrugged and followed after him.

Sadik messed with my hair, leaving me to fume in frustration because I would never particularly let anyone touch my hair. I would punch him, but at the same time I couldn't.

The other man, who looked laid back and lazy, took a brief glance in my direction and placed a cat on my head. The cat that had just appeared out of nowhere. From his hands. That was empty handed just a few moments ago. Such scorcery had intruiged me for quite an odd reason.

As soon as I heard the door close, I approached the sleeping man by the bed and placed the tray on the bedside. Since I didn't find a chair, I stood still and watched the birds flying to and fro from out the window, into a cloudless sky, that easily revealed the sun.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

Taking a brief exhale of my breath, I nodded weakly. Arthur shifted to a sitting position, his emerald green eyes showing a dark and eerie complexion.

"I wish...things will get better."

And for once, I had wished likewise. I had assumed that things were already better, that things won't go downhill. My hopes...my expectations...my jounreys... All crushed. Feliks was straightforward when he told me that his attempts to keeping Fellsworth's warriors at bay will prevail. I hoped he was right. I hoped he will give us time.

"Feliks said that he can't help us."

I felt uncomfortable under his cold glare. Even if it wasn't directed towards me, it felt chilly and intimidating.

"You know, I always had second thoughts as I went through this trip. The talks with Alfred never ended on a good note, and you and I haven't really talked all that much, and my illness is...chronic."

I didn't know what to say, or do, or react; he glowered.

"Because of this journey, that had all been wasteful and...and uninteresting, I just- I just hate life now! And here I am, sitting in this bed all weak and vulnerable, exposed to all sorts of elements that can just instantly kill me, right here, on the very spot. These stupid doctors and nurses wouldn't allow me out of the room, despite my pleas and warnings. I had been called upon my friends that..."

I was more than concerned at this point, and said, "....that..?"

"I'm going to die soon."

That was my final breaking point. That had surely explained the heavy tension of this area. That had surely explained the look on his face, the look that shown sadness and despair and depression of all sorts. And here I was, unable to do anything, just anything, to stop it. To prevent this unfortunate event to happen.

"Y-you can't just believe it to be true! You have no proof that it'll just happen... Arthur, don't believe whatever they're saying. It's...it's not true-"

"That's what I had thought when I first heard those words. Two weeks ago before I fell ill. Don't you get it? This is my fate... The ending of my misery." he laughed cruelly at his words, shocking me.

"You're just....just too trusting! What if it's just a fraud? A fake? A joke? You're not going the die, it's not true!"

"Then I'll make it true!"

My breath hitched.

Again, Arthur laughed - his laughter hinting self-pity and sorrow.

"Don't you get it, (Name)? It's completely understandable that you don't know what I've been through."

I didn't reply, allowing him to continue.

"I've been in solitude for many years. My brothers, my father, Alfred... They all left me. It was as if they had wanted to tell me, yell out, 'You're not of worth. Leave us be'. Heck, even when my mother died, I was still glued to that simple thought that she didn't want me. And from all my loneliness and hatred to life, I began to talk to myself, hallucinate..."

I nearly reached out, but stopped, when I saw a few tears falling from his face.

"And now...I can't even tell if I'm talking to you or just speaking this all to thin air."

"Arthur-"

He suddenly screeched, most likely out of frustration. "Just....just SHUT UP! Shut up, shut up, shut up...."

From his definite response, I recoiled in shock and mere surprise. I felt my own eyes pricking in tears of his state. I just couldn't bare to see another, one that I care deeply about, being like this. I wanted to comfort him, to tell him that he'll be okay, and that he's safe. But I couldn't. He would just push me away.

But would that stop me?

"Arthur."

"Just shut up! Leave me alone... Leave me to die, leave me like how everyone else did, just leave already."

His words had kept me shocked all the same. Again I wanted to try, attempt, yearn for success, and stop him from abruptly yelling and screaming and wallowing in sadness. Even as he said that his death was near, I didn't believe him. I wasn't convinced.

"Arthur."

He didn't answer.

One last time....I don't want to see him like this.

"Arthur."

"....didn't I tell you to leave? Just go, I'm no use anymore."

One last time....I don't want to see him like this.

"Arthur."

"Go away, before I end up hurting something." his back was towards me, but he craned his neck so a part of his face came to view. "You wouldn't want me to hurt you now, would you?"

"I don't care. I don't care if I'm hurt or not, I just want you....I just want you to feel better. I don't care if I'll wait decades or centuries to see you in a healthy state. I don't care if I have to go places in order to see you smiling again. Just please.... Be happy. But take your time."

Slowly, he shifted positions so that he was facing me. Tears were still cascading down his pale cheeks, and he hiccuped for just a moment.

"I still....I still can't tell if you're really real or not."

-

"Let's play truth or dare! Actually, let's just say dare because no one really says the truth anymore."

-

I'm starting to fade away from the Hetalia fandom. I'm trying to hold on, just on the edge, the borderline, the tips of the fandom.... Welp, you might be expecting a dead member of the group soon.

P.S. I'm not leaving the story just yet, but just saying, you might be noticing that the story is starting to get more...uninteresting.

P.P.S I still enjoy writing the storyline, but I'm kinda forgetting the character's personalities....

P.P.P.S. daaaang that escalated quickly.

Hope you at least made it through this chapter.

- Yukina