One Unexpected Day Part 2 End-Revised

One Unexpected Day: Or, A 1983 Doomsday Tale through a Nation's Eyes

(2/2)

Somewhere near Vaduz. 2010.

With the exception of Sopron, the Alpines found the whole affair utterly surreal as they tried to make sense of the realization that Hungary herself, who was supposed to be another casualty of Doomsday, was right in front of them, spending a tender moment with her daughter. Not that it bothered Austria in the slightest as he joined his old family, having longed for a moment like this ever since their marriage all those years ago. As the day wore on, however, the picnic went back to something resembling peace and calm, though with a haunting sense of nostalgia.

"So Deutschland is doing well, ja?" Switzerland's sister asked the former Nation, a mix of fear and excitement in her otherwise soft voice. "Up there I mean?"

The Magyar chuckled as she took a sip from the glass, which seemed to make her more radiant if only for a second. "Yes dear. In fact, Ludwig's very eager to see his older brother again," she replied warmly, though a grimaced smirk crossed her face at the mention of Prussia. "It's a shame Gilbert's not here for the news, though. I still have a lot of things to settle with that moron!"

At least him not being here makes matters easier, Roderich thought to himself, as much as he shared the sentiment. Holding his young Julia's hand, he looked on as the two female Nations were once more comfortably talking to each other, Elizaveta complementing Lilli on how much she'd grown while the other curiously asking her various questions under the sun. While both ladies chatted away, it seemed to the aristocrat as though the rifts that existed between them after the Great War, which brought about both their divorce and the Alpine's near brush with death, had faded away. But as much as he savored the sight, something continued gnawing in his mind that none of this was natural, despite his efforts to ignore it. Then all of a sudden, he felt Switzerland move closer toward him.

"What did you put in those pastries, Roderich?" he whispered harshly, clearly trying to make sense of what was happening. It caught the Nation's attention that the blond seemed to be clinging to his gun far too much for comfort. "If you thought dragging us all to your personal hallucination..."

"Are you really going to keep playing the critic?" the aristocrat shot back in a barely audible voice, careful not to startle Sopron. "The proof...my wife is right in front us right now."

"Listen to me, damn it! I won't play a part in this travesty any..."

"Please cut that out, Vash," Elizaveta sighed, sharply looking at the Swiss with a mischievous wink in her eyes and a frying pan magically on her right hand. "Unless you want me to find your private collections again."

Switzerland's face blushed profusely, as though recalling the last time she did that.  But before Austria could even pretend to not laugh, he felt the now tired head of his young watch resting on his side. Gently, he tried to wake the girl up, only for Hungary to lift her up in a motherly cradle. It was only then that they noticed the sun setting, the soft lights coming Liechtenstein's house now visible.

"It's getting late. Perhaps we should head inside now?" he nodded towards the others. Then he turned towards Elizaveta, offering his free hand. "Bitte, meine liebe. Our house is yours as well."

--o--

Minden vagyam visszaszall
Oda hol az edes hazam var
Zold erdo viragos ret
S all a regi regi hazam meg

Tudom egyszer visszeterek en
Wissza meg, vissza meg
Bujdosasom veget er
S itt vagyok ujra
Szep hazamban en...

Austria listened as Hungary began singing an old lullaby from her people, while he gently placed the blanket on their drowsy Sopron. He had almost forgotten how wild, lively yet beautiful her voice was, even as it took on an almost ethereal tone. It seemed like a ghostly reminder of a land and time that he had intimately known.  But while his mind fondly tried to recreate that lost world through the song,  the same nagging thought kept ringing through his subconscious: It's not natural...none of it is. But why?!.  As their daughter finally fell asleep with a smile on her face, and the couple left the guest bedroom to make their way across the hall, the aristocrat found it harder to keep a stoic facade. Even as they made light talk while passing through Switzerland and Liechtenstein's room, his old love whispering a few lewd comments about the siblings "playing house" far too well, he was praying that she didn't notice anything, as much as he appreciated the awkward distraction. It was only when they reached the door that she grasped his hand. Nein.

"There's something wrong, isn't there Szerelem?" Elizaveta asked concerned, yet with a knowing nod.  "You think this isn't normal. Dead Nations don't usually return to visit their loved ones. Especially that night in the cottage..."

Roderich felt his heart sink at that very moment as he tried to find the right words and realized exactly what had been truly gnawing inside him ever since Doomsday and that haunting day not long ago. With a deep breath the Austrian tried to steady himself. There's no turning back. "I missed you," he began guiltily. "And Rome notwithstanding, you are absolutely right, Ungarn. But I've been longing to ask you: why did you come back? Why go through all this?" The Nation strained to keep his voice level. He knew her as a free spirit, and even more so now. "It doesn't make any logical..."

"It doesn't have to, Auztria." she replied firmly. "Did you really believe that I would force myself through all this, even asking God for this privilege? I chose this path by my own will!" Her hands started to wrap around his as her voice took on a comforting yet mellow tone as they slid into the room, the door clicking shut behind them. "And I couldn't bear losing you or our daughter to grief. Our Empire may be gone from this world. Along with myself. But we can all move on, together." The once-Nation managed to give the same smile she made back during their wedding vows. "I'm not lying to you at all. Besides, I'm your guardian angel now."

With tears now freely flowing, Austria brought her into a deep kiss, savoring each passionate moment before reluctantly pulling away. "Till death do us part...to think it would be literal."

"There's still the afterlife, dear. But until then..."

"There are no regrets," he finished for her. "Ich liebe dich."

"Ma még szeret," she murmured, smiling as they moved closer. For a moment, it looked as though there were wings coming out from the back of her uniform. Not that it mattered anymore. "We have all the time in the world. In this one and the next."

That night, the wait to eternity no longer seemed to be lonely after all.

--o--

"Hey Roddi!" Prussia greeted loudly as he burst through the room, an irritated Austria trying to sit up and reach for his glasses. The bedside clock read 8:50 AM.

"You weren't due until later, dummkopf." A part of him, however, was still relieved to find that Gilbert was back to his boisterous, if more desperate self, especially since the sound beating inflicted by a very bi-polar Poland during those military adventures a few years earlier. That didn't stop the Nation from wishing that Vash's alarms had gone off.

"I thought I'd come over a bit earlier this time...hold up! Why the hell aren't you wearing anything?"

It was only then that the aristocrat realized that he had nothing on himself apart from the sheet just covering his dignity. And last night...Mein Gott... Frantically the Nation turned to his side to find no one there. Most people, human or Nation, would let out a loud cry or go on some desperate, pitiful attempt to search the entire house. Instead, he let out a deep sigh, a frail though genuine trace of a smile crossing his face. Until we meet again, my lady. A few teardrops seemed to leave a mark on the bed before he finally turned to Prussia. "I was able to see her again yesterday. We all had a wonderful time."

"That must have been some dream, four-eyes," the albino shrugged, a rare look of serious concern crossing his face before a forced smugness quickly replaced it in an attempt to look comforting. "You know, it's not often that I see you butt naked. So how 'bout we d-" The sudden sound and force of a frying pan connecting to the albino's head cut off whatever intentions he had as he was flung to the other side of the room, to the Austrian's surprise. "Scheiße, woman! You...UNGARN?!"

"Touch him again and you'll really pay, Gilbert!" a red-faced Hungary snapped, her free hand clinging to the bath towel barely covering up her body.  "Besides, I really don't like it when buffoons like you barge in like that!"

"Um...Guten Morgen, Elizaveta." Roderich gasped in a mix of shock and joy before a more familiar, composed tone took hold. "I thought you had to..."

"I've got a lot of time," she winked, turning towards the Nation with a soft grin. After giving her former husband a warm kiss, she put on a fresh country dress, apparently out of nowhere and proceeded to lift a still dazed and wincing Prussia from the ground, though not at all gently.  "After all, I've got a surprise for all of us."

"Glad to see you too, undead pervert...wait, what the fuck did you just say?!"

"Come now," she replied coyly. "Didn't you say you wanted to see Ludwig again?"

The comment caught both German Nations off-guard, only for them to remember their first meeting since Doomsday. A faint smirk entered Austria's face. You really were always there... "I see you've heard us in Linz. So when can we expect him?"

"Hold on, Roddi," Prussia cut in, his voice lined with both excitement and disbelief. "I take Hungary's some angelic ghost or whatever. But are you seriously buying that freaking West is heading here?!"

"Germany should be here in an hour, tops," she nodded matter-of-factly, though holding the pan close to the albino's face. "Now, I suggest you get your lazy butt to the door while we freshen up. Alright?"

As soon as Gilbert left them along, the aristocrat proceeded to get off the bed, Elizaveta helping him find some suitable clothes to wear for the eventual party. As the Nation dressed, he thought of bringing Julia, as well as inviting the Alpine siblings or even Partium later on. As the sun continued rising outside the windows, he felt a sense that a bright new world was dawning before his eyes. And with the various Survivor-Nations making their presence felt, sooner or later his time would come. Nothing lasts forever, it had been said. But until that day, however, there was still a lifelong performance to conduct. And together with Hungary and their daughter, Austria was willing to see it through to the very end.

For a while, the couple smiled at each other before making their way out of the room. There was still a long, new day ahead, after all. Let the symphony begin...