Chapter 21: Death of an Empire

The next scene started off with an annoyed Lovino and a peppy Feliciano standing outside accompanied by Rome and Germania. "Okay~! Time for training!" He smiled.

"It's too early, why do we have to be out here? It's freezing and even the fucking sun isn't up yet." Lovino huffed. Asher snorted in agreement. He shuffled on his overly large puppy paws in an attempt to keep his feet warm.

"Because this'll be part of your daily routine. If you sleep in, you'll miss all the fun!" Rome chirped, far too happy for someone up so early.

"Did you forget? I'm the one who has to wake you up every morning." Germania scowled. "I swear, sometimes getting you out of bed is harder than winning a war."

"Don't I know it." Germany muttered as he gave me a sidelong glance. Spain seemed to be in agreement as he looked at Romano.

"You got something to say, bastard?" Romano cocked an eyebrow, and Spain wisely kept his mouth shut. "Thought so."

We watched as Rome sped through some positions and tips before handing Feliciano and Lovino their asses on a silver platter. The look on Lovino's stunned face when he hit the ground was priceless.

"You can actually fight?! Holy crap!" Lovino choked out.

"Of course I know how to fight." Rome seemed slightly offended. "And you will, too." He grinned.

"Ja. And I'll be your main battle instructor alongside your grandfather." Germania stated firmly, crossing his arms. The twins were each given wooden swords and shields as the two adult nations led them through several different stances and attack motions. Rome gave the two encouragement, while Germania remained the one with a firm hand, and corrected the boys when necessary.

The training lasted until well past noon. When Germania finally called a stop to training for lunch, the twins fell on their butts in exhaustion. Feliciano caught his brother's eye.

"Why is this so difficult?! I could fight just fine!" Feliciano complained through the Link.

"I think it's because we're tiny, now. Smaller bodies means less stamina." Lovino panted as he laid splayed out in the grass. "Ah~ The breeze feels nice."

"See? I think they have some kind of twin connection." Rome muttered to his friend, who nodded appraisingly.

"It's very likely. I mean, they are part of the same nation, after all."

Germania tilted his head, as if listening to something, before he turned to Rome. "I have to go. He needs a hand."

"Hm? Oh, okay. Be careful. And say hello for me~" Rome said before Germania left.

"Where's he going?" Lovino glared, but was too tired to stand up.

"Have you two ever heard of a 2P?" Rome suddenly asked.

"A... what? You have to pee?" Feliciano looked terribly confused.

"No." Rome chuckled. "A 2P is like a second personality. There's a parallel Earth that's vastly similar yet different to our Earth. They're so closely linked, however, that that version of Earth also has nation personifications. In fact, those personifications are like our twins. When you're close enough, you can even communicate telepathically. They'll look exactly like you, but completely different." He explained.

"Exactly like us, but entirely different. That makes sense." Feli retorted, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, take my 2P for example. I have brown hair and amber eyes, right?" Rome asked, waiting for the acknowledgement that they were listening. "Well, my 2P has black hair and green eyes. But other than that, we look exactly alike."

"So they're just another color?" Feli asked.

"They'll also usually have a personality that's... erm... that clashes with yours. My 2P is very serious and almost never cracks jokes or has any fun at all." Rome pouted. "Yours, for example," He pointed at Lovino. "Might be very happy and carefree. A conflicting personality to you."

"HEY!" Lovi huffed.

"That's cool~! So we have parallel versions of us that're similar yet totally different?! Can I meet mine?" Feli asked eagerly.

"Er... not really. It's only under special circumstances that you can meet them. But once you do, it should open up that mental link I mentioned earlier. After that, it's pretty hard to get rid of them. Not that they're bad or anything, just... different. Most are pretty war-hardened."

"So why are you explaining this?" Lovi shot Rome a suspicious look.

"Because as your grandfather, it's my job to prepare you for the world and teach you what I know." He smiled. "Come, let's grab some food, then we'll start a different type of training." The scene faded out again, before showing Rome leading the two boys and their pup up a tall, grassy hill. All across the hill were flowers of various colors, and Feliciano squealed in glee upon seeing them all.

"Fratello, fratello~! They're so pretty~!"

"Yeah..." Lovino looked around, before sneezing. "And they make me sneeze. Can we go yet?"

"Humph!" Feli pouted at the lack of enthusiasm from his twin.

"Not yet." Rome laughed, before he picked up a squirming and loudly protesting Lovino. "Come, now, Mano~" Rome laughed, hoisting him up onto one of his broad shoulders, before doing the same with Feliciano on the other one.

"Hold on~" Rome laughed as he kept a firm hold on the boys balanced carefully on his shoulders. He took off at a run, cresting the tall hill with an ease and maneuverability that he hadn't seemed to possess earlier. His amber eyes were speckled with green, and he had a large grin on his face.

"Waaaah~ Where are we going?!" Feliciano asked, as Lovino protested.

Both twins fell silent as they finally reached the top. Below them, spread out for all to see, was the Great City of Rome. The Coliseum was still whole, and the banners that flew all across the great ancient—though young at the time—city still made fratello and I swell with pride. It may not have been our nation, per se, but it was still home.

"Wow..." Lovino gasped, admiring the view.

"This... this is Rome. My Capital... My heart." Rome smiled softly, sitting down in the grass, the twins still on his broad shoulders.

"Your... heart?" Feliciano asked, as Asher tilted his head. He'd grown a little, but was still fairly small, maybe the size of a 4 month old wolf pup.

"Si... for all nations, their capitol is their heart. You see, whenever some tragedy befalls one's nation or people, be it from human hands, or nature's, we feel it. It hurts us. It wounds us." Rome explained.

"But nations can't die, right?" Lovino narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"Oh, we can die, all right. But not like humans can. You see, if we enter a time of war, we become just mortal enough that we can die permanently by the hand of another nation. And if we're dissolved, as in no longer a nation, then the personification becomes just an unaging human with benefits."

"So... it isn't just us?" Feliciano stared at the clouds, a pensive look on his face.

"Oi... you aren't going to tell him?" Lovino looked at his brother in worry.

"Tell me what?" Rome tilted his head.

"Come on, fratello... we've been here for years, now. You trust Grandpa Rome just as much as me." Feli pointed out, and Lovino crossed his arms with a huff.

"Fine."

"Mano? Vene?" Rome looked at the boys with concern. "Is something wrong?"

"Grandpa... There's something you should know... Fratello and I... when we said we were premature, we meant it... and not by a few years, either..." Feli started.

"Which means we've forgone benefits. I can permanently die by poison and shit. And Veneziano can die by sickness." Lovino finished. Rome flinched back in surprise.

"Sickness? But... nations don't... Oh." His expression turned serious. "In that case..." He also turned his expression skyward. He didn't say anything for a long time. "I'll need to teach you two some other things that may help you. Romano. I'll teach you every drop of medical knowledge I have, no matter how small. And Veneziano, I'll teach you everything my people know about antidotes and poisons."

"R-really?!" Feli looked up in awe.

"G-grazie... Grandpa Rome." Lovino flushed red, and Rome looked up with a grin, eyes teary.

"Y-you called me...!"

"Si! D-don't get fucking used to it, bastard!!" Lovino flushed red.

"That was the first time fratello called him 'grandpa'." I explained to the watching nations. "This hill... it became our special place. For myself, Fratello, Grandpa Rome, and Asher..." I smiled softly, looking at the hill of flowers. The hill still stood to this day, though it wasn't nearly such a spectacular view. But we'd made sure it wasn't dozed over or anything.

The memory blurred and refocused again on a scene of the three in a grassy field. The trees were laden with leaves of varying shades ranging from yellow and red to brown and green. Asher was over on the other side of the clearing, chasing the falling leaves happily.

"Now, remember! It doesn't matter what it looks like, so long as you can still convey the emotions you want to convey to whoever sees your art." Rome instructed, as Germania yawned, leaning against a tree.

"But do try not to waste too much paint. It's expensive." Germania chipped in.

"Aw~ don't be such a spoil-sport." Rome pouted.

"When you manage your own finances, then you can waste as much paint as you please. But so long as I'm in charge of your money, you're stuck with what I decide you get." He crossed his arms.

"You're no fun~"

"I'm your guard. I'm not supposed to be fun."

"Nooo, you're my best friend. You're supposed to sneak out with me!"

"Are you sure we're related to him?" Lovino whispered to Feliciano as he jabbed his thumb at Rome. He then caught a glimpse at Feli's painting, and stopped. "Holy shit..." He stared, tears pricking his eyes.

"Hm? You stopped painting, Mano, what's...?" Rome also stopped when he caught sight of the painting. Even Germania gasped in awe.

A quiet forest trail, surrounded by trees. The left side of the trail was ablaze with all the colors of autumn, while the right side was budding with the new life of spring. And while it was painted by the hands of a child who'd only recently picked up his first paintbrush, the image held phenomenal detail and emotion. For upon the path of dirt lay two sets of footprints. And while many would chalk it up to an amateur's mistake, the footprints start off as child-sized, grew to nearly an adult's, before shrinking again. The soft paw-prints in the mud beside them made Asher give a wolfish smile.

"My grandson... you are very artistically gifted." Rome grinned, as Feli looked up at the people around him.

"Huh? But it's not finished, yet!" Feli protested. "Besides, I'm still a beginner."

"No, fratello..." Lovino looked away, trying to hide his envy. "You're good. There's no denying that you've got a natural talent for art."

"Pup. There's no need to be envious..." Asher spoke up, knowing that only Lovino could understand him.

"W-who the fuck is envious?!" Lovi growled back—quite literally.

"So much to learn. 'Be not jealous of pack members, but celebrate your diverse talents, for they will help you survive.' A quote from my father. I used to be jealous of my littermates, too, you know."

"You mean... from Asher?"

"Yeah... My papa was a great wolf. And many moons wiser than me, even if I've long since surpassed his age. I don't think I'll ever be wiser." Asher smiled at the canvas.

The scene faded out once more.

Then, more memories came, faster than before. They phased by too quickly to fully comprehend. More physical training, the three and Germania sitting down to go over tactics and politics, artistic trainings, and even weapon forging techniques. The nations got the distinct impression that quite a lot of time had passed. And While Germania spent quite a bit of time with the twins, he noticeably started to spend less and less time with Rome.

Another flash showed snippets of what appeared to be a massive argument between Rome and Germania, before Germania stormed out of the castle, taking a small white-haired boy with him.

"Was that you?" America asked Prussia, who nodded. "Ja... I don't remember what they were fighting about, but it was pretty bad."

"We don't remember either. Just that Grandpa cried for days. His smile wasn't the same after that, and Uncle Germania never came back." I looked sadly at the scene as it, too, faded away.

"That's probably why it wasn't clear and there wasn't really any discernable sound." Canada reasoned. "I mean... this is your memory. If neither of you remember, then there's nothing for us to see."

"Very true." England agreed.

"Do you really have to go, Grandpa?" Feli asked with tears in his eyes. Rome was decked out in his armor again, red cape gently shifting in a light breeze. His gaze softened as he kneeled down and pulled the two older, yet still chibi-fied nations into a strong hug. Asher whimpered softly beside the pair. He was also older, now, but still a puppy. Maybe about 6 months old in appearance.

"I do. War is a terrible thing... I have to stop him before he does something we'll both regret." Rome stated sadly.

"But I thought you and Uncle Germania were friends?" Lovino asked, confused.

"We are. Which is why I have to try to stop him."

"That doesn't make any sense." Lovino's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "You should explain this to him, and he'll stop."

"Unfortunately... For a nation, their people and leader can influence their mental state. He would probably run me through with his sword before listening to me as he is. If I can kick his butt, maybe he'll hear me out."

"Please... Please don't go!" Feliciano yelled suddenly. There was an odd edge to his voice, a sort of panic that the nations had never heard before.

"I'll come home." Rome reassured his grandson, but Feli shook his head.

"But I'm scared... I'm scared that if you go, you won't come home! You'll leave us all alone again!" Tears flowed thickly down his face.

"Shhh, It'll be okay. I promise, I'll come home." He smiled softly, holding him.

"..." Lovino gave him an odd look, like he just smelled something sour, but he said nothing. He shook his head suddenly, and joined in the hug.

"I'm strong. Don't you two worry. Grandpa Rome will protect you, like I always do." He reassured the two distraught nations.

"You remember what I've taught you, right?" The two nodded their heads to his question. "Good. Then hold down the castle for me while I'm away. And no matter what... Protect each other. Promise me." He looked at the two, leveling a steady gaze on each twin.

"Si. We promise, Grandpa." The two spoke in sync, much like they had when they were children the first go-around.

"That's my grandsons." Rome beamed, ruffling their hair. "I love you both so very much."

"I love you too, Grandpa Rome~!" Feli smiled through his tears.

"Don't die, bastard." Lovino murmured. "I love you, you idiot Grandpa."

Rome's smile brightened considerably. After all, Lovino wasn't one to express his emotions so openly (well, the positive ones, at least).

Then, with a last farewell kiss, Rome turned his back to the twins and marched off to war. The memory blurred before showing Feliciano getting ready for bed.

"I'm worried about Grandpa Rome..." Feli looked out the window. They could see an anxiety in his gaze. "It's already been three months..."

"He'll be fine. Did you forget? He promised he'd come back." Lovi reassured him. Romano winced at his younger self.

"I... I have this terrible feeling, fratello. I don't know what it is, but I feel sick."

"Like you're not feeling well? Is that why you skipped dinner?"

"No... Well, yes, that's why I skipped dinner, but I really don't think I can eat anything right now. I'm too worried. Like some part of me is screaming that something's wrong, but I don't know what it is." Feliciano explained, clenching his fist as a few tears of frustration leaked out of his eyes.

"It'll be okay." Lovino tried again. "If you really want, we can send a letter to Grandpa Rome tomorrow morning, okay? We'll even send it by bird."

"O... okay. I don't feel much like sleeping, though."

"I think I have a remedy for that. You need your sleep. You've hardly slept in two months." Lovino settled a concerned look on his brother. "Lay down. I'll sing for you."

"Really?" Feli perked up, before tucking himself in. The nations leaned forward in interest, while Romano tried his best to hide.

'Oh, dio! Why does it have to show this?! It's not even my normal singing voice, but my stupid childish singing voice.' He bemoaned through the link.

Lovino took a deep breath, and sung.

"Little ones, Shut your eyes,

Listen to my lullaby.

Angels sweet, don't you cry,

As I lay with you this night.

Precious ones, rest your head,

You are safe within my arms.

As you dream, Gentle minds,

Together for all of Time."

(Emma's Lullaby, a song written by me, SilvermistAnimeLover. Youtube Link: )

His voice sounded so soft and gentle that a couple of nations let out yawns. A moment later, the memory went somewhat hazy. The room darkened until they could see nothing at all.

"What the?!" America looked around himself in surprise. "Dude, what's going on?"

"It's a dream." I stated, pointing to Feliciano who was standing off to the side. Slowly, the memory faded into the green hill of flowers that they saw earlier. It still overlooked the city of Rome, but it was out of focus. Only the hill and the immediate area were clear.

"It was our favorite spot. Nonno loved to take us there when we wanted to hide from our studies." Romano chuckled a bit, smiling at the fond memories.

Atop the hill, was the flag of the Great Roman Empire. It looked old, and somewhat dirty. It had runs, and burns, and holes in it, like it'd just come off a battlefield, and the edges were frayed.

"Grandpa?" Feli asked, reaching for the flag. Before he could even touch it, it disintegrated, leaving nothing but the stick of wood it had been tied to. "N-no..." A flash of Rome covered in blood with a sword run through him made the nations gasp. Especially when they saw Germania holding the sword that had impaled him.

Rome had an expression of acceptance and sorrow, while Germania had one of pain and apology. "I'm sorry, Rome. No... Romulus." Germania whispered as a single tear fell from his face.

"Thank you, Nia. I'll watch over your family from the heavens." Rome smiled. "I'm sorry, my beloved Grandsons." Rome fell backwards, off the blade with a sickening squelching noise, and Feliciano screamed.

"No!! GRANDPA ROME!!!" The scene suddenly vanished as Feliciano shot upright in his bed, sobbing violently, waking his brother.

"Fratello?!" Lovino stared for a moment before he tried his best to calm down his twin. "What's wrong?! Was it a nightmare?"

"G-Grandpa Rome! He-he's—!"

"He'll be fine. He's strong, remember?"

"NO!" Feli shook his head violently, nearly whacking his twin in the face. "No isn't! He's... HE'S DEAD!" He sobbed.

"Wh... what? No way. He's a nation, like us. He... can't die." Lovino laughed somewhat awkwardly, unable or unwilling to believe him. "Besides, you can't just say that because of a stupid nightmare! He's fine. Look, we'll send him a letter tomorrow, and we'll get a reply next week. Everything will turn out okay, okay?"

Romano and I winced in sync. Everything did not turn out okay. And no matter what Lovino or Asher did, Feliciano remained inconsolable.

The scene blurred again, swirling around us like a bad trip, making a few nations stumble. "That's different." Prussia shook himself, steadying his stance so he wouldn't fall.

The two children and puppy stood before a grave, their eyes were red and puffy, and they were the only ones there. The sky was dark and rain threatened to fall to the earth and soak the three mourning children.

"They said it was Germania." Lovino stated. "Isn't that what your dream said?"

Feliciano nodded with a sniffle.

"And it was a sword, too... Just like your dream. I asked a soldier who witnessed the whole thing."

"I spoke to one, too. I remember, now... What he said... Nations can be killed by other Nations, so long as they're at war. Did you know that, fratello? If we are at war, then any other Nation could kill us... permanently." Feli whispered, his voice hoarse.

"So that's why... he..." Lovino choked up a little, but Feliciano nodded.

"Si..."

"Do you think you... I don't know... saw it happen or something?" Lovino asked suddenly.

"What?"

"You know, because of your dream. Maybe you can see the future or something." Lovino pressed, wanting to talk about something other than the man who was buried at his feet.

"I... I don't think so. I mean, if I can, then it's not very useful right now, now is it? He's still dead." Feli started to tear up again. "What're we going to do, fratello?! Our country... I don't know how to run it yet! What if... what if someone declares war on us?!" He trembled, terrified of the thought.

"We've fought before..." Lovino started, but he didn't seem overly confident in his own words.

"But we've never seen war, fratello. Not like that. I have some idea of what we're supposed to do, because of what... what we were taught, but... I..."

"I know." Lovino interrupted his twin. "I'm scared, too."

"No matter what, we've gotta stick together. We're all we have left in this world." Feli sighed, holding his brother's hand.

"Si... I won't get attached to anyone else ever again... That way I can't get hurt when they die." Lovino gave a firm nod of his head to his own statement, making Spain frown.

"Lovi? Is that why you were so cold towards me?" Spain asked, looking at Romano.

"Shut up, you bastard." Romano replied, blushing slightly. "I'm not attached to you."

"Suuure, you're not." America laughed, rolling his eyes. He was more than happy to take some of this heavy atmosphere away from the group.

"Let's just hope that we can handle war as well as we do a street fight." Lovino sighed.

"Achoo!" Feliciano sneezed, and Lovino immediately took off his jacket, wrapping it around his brother.

"You idiot. It's colder than fuck out here, and it's about to rain. We should get back before you get sick." He led his twin back towards the castle. "Don't need you dying permanently on me or anything."

The scene faded away, and England called up the Break Room once more.

"It feels like it's time for bed. I don't know about you all, but I'm tired." He explained.

"Si... This should end our time with Grandpa Rome." I said, sharing a look with Hungary and Prussia. We knew what was coming next. Holy Rome.

A/N: Merry Christmas to everyone (who celebrates it)! Though for some of you, it's the day after (in which case, Happy Kwanzaa!). I know I said I wasn't going to update on Christmas, but I couldn't help but write this chapter. We finally say goodbye to Rome (which is very sad), and WE END THIS ARC! It was short, but still a nice arc to read. Maybe one day I'll go back and bulk it up a bit, but not today.

For now....

We start...

The ARC You've all been waiting for....

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE ARC, BEGIN!!

Words: 2,423/3,899

Pages: 5/8

Posted: 12/25/2018

Edited: 03/08/2019

A/N 2: So I've gone back and bulked it up a bit, as promised. ^^ We now have more Asher II, though Yang remains stubbornly quiet during this Arc. I'm under the impression that he's pouting in disappointment about Rome not being a bloodthirsty monster or something. XD

Quick question that occurred to me... Who would be interested in a Memories of Old: Luciano Version? (Not promising anything, just curious. It's on my list of possibilities).