Hetalia: The Fifty Stars

Chapter 50: The End of A Kingdom

"Our neighbors eat dog, too," she said. "Meat is scarce. It's really good once you tried it."

Of course, I was too attached to Hoku to even listen.

"Nooooooooooo! I won't let you!" I cried as I hugged Hoku tightly.

Since that day, my sister never ate dog meat ever again while I refused to eat dog meat at all. As for Hoku, he had been a part of the family ever since. There were times my sister wanted to kick Hoku out of the house for soiling another rug, but she seemed to like Hoku the more time had passed. Now that I think about it, I was really glad she didn't kill Hoku. She probably had to work really hard to buy Hoku for us to eat. For that, I should be really fortunate to have such a kind and understanding sister as her.

I snapped out of my thoughts, and looked up at the window to see the sky had already turned orange. She had yet to return. Hours had went by, and she was nowhere in sight. I was able to snack on the fruit we had in the hut. I wasn't too hungry despite being starved for hours. Even Hoku wasn't in the mood to eat, having left his bowl of taro paste untouched. It would seem the two of us had our minds elsewhere.

I kept waiting for my sister, hoping she would turn up late. This wasn't the first time she was gone for this long. Such instances were because she had to work a long time. In fact, there were times she was gone from the hut for many months because she had to go to places far away from the island. If so, she would've told me. Left me a note or ask the neighbors to take care of me while she's gone. Yet, there was no note anywhere. Nor did the neighbors knocked at our door, and check up on me. I was left alone with no one, but Hoku by my side.

I started to worry. Something happened. That I knew. What I didn't know was what happened exactly.

The next morning, after a restless night, I went outside with Hoku to see if any of the locals knew where my sister was. Everyone knew me and my sister. We had lived on the island for so long, the locals basically knew us like family. They would surely recognize her, right? They would surely recognize a beautiful woman who looked like me, but taller, older, and stronger.

Sadly, the people I asked gave me unsure looks like they didn't know what I was talking about. All of them gave me the same disappointing answer. And I was disappointed every time I was forced to move on. Their faces were full of sadness for some reason. I thought they were pitying me. And, maybe they were. But, not for the reasons I thought they were. It was for something else. Something that happened I wasn't aware of. And...I felt...hūpō (stupid) for not realizing it.

I kept looking for her, determined to find her. I kept telling myself she was somewhere. The beach, the jungle, somewhere among the islands. I would stay up late at night, hoping to catch her opening the door and say, "Aloha, Lani. I'm home now. Sorry to keep you waiting." She would then smile as I rushed toward her, crying a rainstorm as she hushed me like a warm, summer breeze. We would then go to bed, share our warmth, snuggle into our chests, our hearts together once again.

I kept waiting.

I kept waiting.

Days went by, and I kept waiting.

I kept waiting.

I kept...waiting...

She must've been gone from the island because over a year had passed before I realized it, and she still had yet to come back to the hut. I assumed she forgot to write a note. Or, she forgot to tell the neighbors. I didn't want it to be true. I didn't want to believe she was nowhere to be found. I would've kept waiting for her, yet I couldn't no longer for the harsh truth of reality finally showed itself, hitting me like a humongous wave against a jagged cliff.