Manpower [Russia x Reader Fluff]

Memories

(A/N: In order to understand the premise of the fanfic, you'll have to read this first chapter. I will be referencing this chapter, yes, but very vaguely.)

I don't remember much about that first day of life. Then again, nobody does. Who remembers their birth? What's more: who would remember MY birth? It was so long ago. Too long ago. Of course, I don't remember the actual process of being born, but I remember the first thing I saw: snow.

We don't remember days, we remember moments. For example, you'll remember your first kiss, and maybe even the date of which that event took place, but you may not remember what you had for breakfast. Perhaps that kiss is the only thing you remember from that day. The moment that I first opened my eyes, the first thing I ever saw, that's what I remember. The only thing I remember from that fateful day.

Before that moment, everything had been dark. It had been a peaceful, yet heavy darkness, like sleep. I awoke feeling like I had just taken a nap, but I wasn't tired, nor were my limbs heavy. I remember it vaguely, but I could still describe it in detail.

My eyelids fluttered open and my eyes were met with a blinding, painful grey light. Naturally, my eyes snapped shut again, but I carefully opened them once more, blinking several times to let my pupils adjust to the amount of light they absorbed. I saw a grey, cloudy sky, the very tops of leafless trees, and snowflakes floating lightly to the blanketed ground. Looking back, the sky reminds me of a marble pattern, like a marble wall or staircase: the swirling pattern of grey set in a background of off-white.

That's all I remember. After that, it's just bits and pieces. I remember what I wore as a child in the snowy forests of the Ice Age, but I don't remember what those clothes were made of. Now I can tell you that I was wearing a thin beige dress, over it was a grey coat (most likely made of animal skins), and small, dark brown, furry boots. I remember not having my name, but I don't remember not knowing it. You see, I have a selective memory, but what I do remember can come in handy when using imagery.

I remember when I first helped mankind too. There was a family in a cave, they were wearing primitive clothing, and they were trying to eat raw animal meats. I remember going up to them and trying to speak, but I didn't know how at the time. I reached into the folds of my jacket and pulled out a flint and stone, not knowing or remembering how those materials got into my pocket. I rubbed the two together, bringing the first spark known to the Earth, and just knowing it was me that did it brings a smile to my face.

It was that family that survived the Ice Age. They survived for years. Centuries, actually. It was weird to me, how they survived, because they kept on giving birth and growing old, then one day, they stopped breathing and moving. Each person was born, became an adult, became frail, then did something called "dying". Meanwhile, I stayed a child.

Back then, I was the only one in the world who had immortality. Literally the ONLY ONE. Then, the Ice Age ended and the agricultural revolution sprang from the snowy ashes of humanity, which was also my doing. I taught mankind how to farm by using tools I had built with my own hands. The iron hoe was the first one I made, and mankind loved it. They used it all the time. They also loved the plow. I taught them about irrigation and helped them build channels. The humans were so happy, and seeing them so happy made me want to cry with joy. I saw no problem in doing so, so I cried with joy every night when the moon was out.

Then, I unintentionally gave man the idea of religion... oops...

You see, humans are not idiots, as you, the reader, may have already guessed. Although you might think you're surrounded by idiots, mankind as a whole is possibly the most intelligent life form I have ever seen. Humans eventually noticed that my aging process was not normal. As they grew old, I stayed the same child I always had been. Thousands of years had passed and I still looked like a seven-year-old. Technology was still premature and primitive; it was new to the world. I realized that as technology grew, so did I; my metabolic age revolved around the growth of technology. Man noticed my immortality and soon, the idea of heavenly beings came into their minds. So, technically, the crusades were my fault... heh heh...

Since I wasn't dying any time soon, I decided to explore the world. I left what is now known as the Middle East and went to what is now Asia. There, I came across a child like myself: China. He was very smart and had this way of doing things that made him... special. He believed in strange superstitions and thought that everything had a certain way to be done.

"One day, I am going to be a big, successful country," China told me, spreading his arms out really wide, gesturing to the vast meadows that lay before us. "I am going to have lots of power and you can help me!" China beamed, then his arms lowered to his sides as his smile fell. "Hey, do you have a name?" he asked.

"A-A name?" I stammered. No, I didn't have a name. All I knew was people had called me whatever they wanted to call me. However, I remembered the people of Mesopotamia calling me "Rusussun". So that's what I told China. "They called me Rusussun," I said.

"Rusussun? The Sumerian word for 'help'?" China repeated. "Oh! You are a country? You helped them?"

"No, I can't be country, otherwise, I would know, right?" I guessed.

"True. Well, if you have been alive for all these years, then you have to have some sort of purpose on this Earth. A really important purpose."

"Yes, but what?"

"What have you done?"

"Well, I gave mankind fire, farming tools, I taught them about irrigation-"

"That is it!" China exclaimed suddenly.

"What? What is it?" I asked, startled by his sudden outburst.

"You are here to make technology," China explained. "You gave them technology, and you will keep giving them technology! That is what I will call you!" China was beaming once again. "Jìshù, the Chinese word for 'technology'! That is your name now!"

"O-Okay, China... that is your name for me," I consented.

China grabbed my hand. "Now, come on, Jìshù! Let us go build a great nation!" he shouted happily as he pulled on my hand, running with me to the meadows. I followed him, laughing, glad that I knew my purpose at last.

Oh, the memories of long ago. They bring nostalgia to my heart. It's almost painful, the amount of happiness I get from those memories. China is still one of my best friends. He and I build things all the time, just for fun, like we did back in the old days. Now you know why 90% of the stuff you buy says "Made in China". China's the one that got me to be the main mechanic for the Allied Forces during WWII, and I can't believe I was reluctant to do that. Those days were the best of my life! That and the Industrial Revolution, but that's a different story.

Now, enough about my life. Let me discuss my relationship with Russia...