"Bye Prussia," you laughed; it was time to part ways from your date at the park with your longtime boyfriend and personification of Prussia. He looked almost sad as he pulled you into a surprise hug, as if this was the last time he'd ever see you.

"Woah! This isn't the end of the world," you chuckled and hugged him back. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Ja, you're right frau, this isn't the end of the world," he chuckled weakly and kissed your cheek. You looked into his red eyes and smiled, the past few weeks they hadn't held the same joking luster they usually did, and you didn't know why.

"Love you," you sighed as he released you.

"I love you too (Name), and I always will," the albino gave a small smile as he walked in the opposite direction. You had half a mind to run after him and demand what this was all about, but then you just shrugged it off. Prussia would bounce back from whatever this was. He always did!

Walking through the park towards your home, you spotted France sitting near a tree, "Hey France! What are you doing out he-" you stopped short as he turned to look at you with tears streaming down his face. "Oh God, France! What's wrong? What happened?" You rushed up to your friend who looked at you confusedly for a moment before coming to a conclusion.

"So it hasn't happed yet, eh Cherie?" he wiped his eyes before looking back up at you. "He'll hate me for sure for not giving him his last wish, but I just cannot."

"What? France, what are you talking about?" you were really worried now! Who-?

"Go after him, amore. Go after Gilbert. He is being dissolved today," France's words hit you like a train.

"W-Wha-? B-But that can't be true! I was just with him! Tell me it isn't true Francis!" you shook the Frenchman violently, who only burst back into sobs for his friend, which confirmed that what he'd said was true. Immediately you snapped off the ground, turning to the direction of Prussia and Germany's home, and ran. You ran and ran, feeling tears prick your eyes from worry, but they didn't fall down your face.

Pushing your legs as hard as they could go, you quickly came to the door of Prussia's home, and unlocked the door with your spare key without knocking. There, in the living room, was Germany.

"Germany! GERMANY! Where's Prussia!? WHERE IS HE?" you cried out, gripping the blonde man who had begun to cry.

"H-He's gone," he choked out, looking away from your face.

"NO! No! He's still here! He's got to be!" you felt those tears you'd held back begin to fall from your eyes. "W-Why didn't h-he tell me?"

"H-He didn't want to hurt you until the very end. He wanted to keep you from any pain for as long as possible," Germany spoke between his own sobs. You felt your knees buckle under you. He, the great and awesome Prussia, the albino man who was always making jokes! He couldn't be gone! He couldn't be dead.

"H-He wanted you to have this," Germany had regained as much composure as he possibly could before he opened his palm and held it out to you. Upon seeing Prussia's cross you couldn't stand anymore. The realization that he really was gone- your Prussia- had taken every ounce of energy within you, and you fell to the floor in a heap of sobs, clutching his cross to your chest and calling his name.

Over the next few months the other countries, Austria, Hungary, Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and even Romano, had tried to get you back to normal. You'd at least begun to be able to go outdoors again, but everything reminded you of him. Everything was covered in a dull grey without him there beside you.

It had become as if he'd never existed. His place on the globe had been completely removed. Prussia really was no more.

You let your fingers wrap around the cross at your neck, the one he'd left behind, as you sat on the same bench that you'd sat with him on that last day. How could you have not seen how big of a burden he was carrying? How had you not noticed that he had been dying!? You scolded yourself constantly for not noticing anything. You had to be the most oblivious person in the world.

Or maybe Prussia had taken such care to keep you from the horrible truth that he'd carried his secret alone around you so well.

Either way, it still made you feel worse.

"The day you slipped away," you felt more tears fall from your eyes, "changed everything."

"Don't cry leibe," you felt your head be tilted upwards by pale hands and you gasped at the familiar piercing red eyes, "I never even fell from your grasp." Pressing his lips to yours, you felt your tears mix with his, but now they were tears of happiness. Breaking the kiss you didn't let him go.

"Prussia-"

"I'm not a country anymore liebe, I'm just Gilbert now," Gilbert smiled his familiar toothy grin before you crashed your lips to his again, letting all the bottled up emotions come out all at once.

The day that Prussia slipped away, Gilbert really didn't slip away at all.