The Darkness of the World (Hetalia fanfic)

World Conferences, Pianos, and Perfect Pairings

Half an hour earlier, at Russia's house

Ivan Bragninski, you are true genius, the country congratulated himself.  He smirked cruelly, and stepped back to admire his masterpiece. It was a round, cylindrical object that looked very simple, with a few buttons and a very large antennae on the top... Even for its simplicity, however, the object still betrayed itself as an object of immense power.

Russia wiped his blond eyebrows and took a final look around his study for a long time. He might miss his chair, his books, his office, but then again, he might not. The country had designed the machine in a certain way... but now was not the time to doubt its workings. Now was the time to activate.

The country stepped to the machine and flipped up a panel, under which was a red button. For a moment, doubt flickered across his normally serene face...

He was remembering a day long ago, in the snow.

~

It was snowing.

Again.

He was standing across a bridge from a little boy just like him, with the brown hair and the blue eyes. The boy was standing with a small, dog, looking comfortable in his green uniform. If anyone else was in Ivan's ragged robes, they would've shuddered by now inn this wind. But not Ivan. A little breeze like this was nothing. They stood facing each other for a moment, until little Ivan opened his eyes.

"Hello stranger," he said pleasantly.

Suddenly, the other boy's dog started  barking loudly, hackles raised, and eyes on a slant.

"... Hello," the boy said uncertainly. "Are you okay? You're not hurting or things? Because if you stand there too long, you will freeze."

The boy's dog was still barking. 

"That's a cute dog you have. He is good at the barking, no?" Ivan said.

"Oh thank you, and I'm sorry he's so loud. He's usually not making this much barky noise," the boy bent over to shush his dog. He whined, but went silent.

"So maybe..." The boy said hopefully, cradling his dog, "...You are in very similar situation as I am?"

"Yes, I am. I do not know about you, but I have very hard time every day under Tartar. Yet mark my words, I will become crazy large country one day." Ivan smiled.

The boy stood up, an expression of unease on his face. His naive blue-gray eyes had a hint of fear in them. Ivan could almost read him like a book. Almost... but not quite. He would be able to soon, he told himself. 

"I make promise to you," little Ivan said. "When that happens we will become good friends."

The little boy stammered a little bit. "W-we could become friends now, if you would like for us to,"

"No, we cannot," Ivan said, rubbing his bruised hands. "I am not strong enough yet. But, I will work hard. So, eventually!"

He abruptly turned on his heel and ran into the woods. 

"See you~!"

The little boy watched him until Ivan vanished from sight, into the snowy woody pines.

~

But then Ivan's face hardened. No, he thought. I must stay strong. I will go forward with this even if it  means the true end of my life.