Lithuania's agonized screams echoed throughout Russia's house. Estonia and Latvia remained silent, sitting on the bed of their small room. Estonia, his face grim, uneasily wrung his hands. The constantly trembling Latvia—a reflex that had quickly developed quickly under Russia's rule—tried to block out the cries of pain, staring intensely at the maroon fabric of his pants.
Finally, the terrible sound ended and did not erupt again. An eerie quiet filled the room, the dim light creating cold shadows in the empty corners.
Estonia jumped up as the doorknob turned. He reached the door as it opened, revealing Lithuania.
Lithuania's bare chest heaved with his harsh panting, his eyes shimmering in pain. Fresh gashes crisscrossed the scars already present on his back, blood streaming from the deep wounds. He shook dangerously, looking like he would collapse at any moment.
Estonia carefully supported Lithuania, helping him stay upright. As he slowly guided the older nation to their bed, Latvia grabbed the bowl of water and a rag which Estonia had snuck out of the kitchen earlier. He set it on the only other piece of furniture in the room; a short, wobbly table.
Estonia eased Lithuania onto the bed, making sure that he lay on his stomach. None of them spoke as he soaked the cloth in the warm water, and then twisted it to drain any excess. He started to cleanse Lithuania's back, quickly turning both the rag and water a sinister red. Lithuania's muscles tensed and twitched with discomfort, but he didn't complain; it was nothing compared to what he had already endured. After Estonia finished, Latvia handed him gauze, and he bound Lithuania's wounds. Lithuania had already passed out by then, his exhausted body giving in to the temptation of dreamless sleep.
Done with his task, Estonia sat down on the floor, leaving the bowl to clean up later. Latvia did the same, glancing at Lithuania.
Estonia sat back and closed his eyes for a moment, thinking of the pain Lithuania must have endured. This situation was nothing new; in fact, it was a part of their daily life, but it still hurt to see him in this injured state. He knew that Lithuania would not be able to work tomorrow, leaving him and Latvia alone against Russia's terrible power. Lithuania would work the day after that, however, never complaining about the wounds.
Being a nation, Lithuania's body healed much faster than a human's. And this meant Russia could torture without worry, knowing that he couldn't die, even when the loss of blood became so great that Lithuania's vision swam. It would be a little more than a week before Russia would do it again, covering the new scars with countless more.
"…why does he do it?" Latvia's quiet voice broke through Estonia's thoughts. Estonia opened his eyes to see Latvia watching Lithuania, fear and sorrow bright in his eyes.
"Do what?" Estonia asked, although he could already guess.
"He's stronger than us. He could have escaped long ago, but he stays here instead. Why doesn't he just leave?"
"Because he could never forgive himself if he did. I used to wonder about it too. Why would he stay here, tortured until he wishes he could die, when he could leave and never see this place again?" Latvia gave him a puzzled look, and Estonia continued. "He wants to protect us. We're the only thing keeping him here."
"Us? But we were here before him. We can live without him again." Latvia said.
Estonia shook his head. "I'm not so sure about that. Don't you remember what it was like before Russia captured Lithuania? He was much crueler towards us, although he didn't harm us like he does Lithuania. But I have no doubt that it would have quickly escalated to that if he hadn't taken him. Now he focuses more on Lithuania, easing our burden. And Lithuania knows that."
"Still, I wish he wouldn't do this to himself." Latvia murmured.
"The only way he would ever leave is if he could bring us with him. And who knows if that will ever happen. If he were to decide to escape one day, I could never hate him for it. He's already gone through more than enough for our sake. The only thing we can do now is endure for him. And, if we can, do anything in our power to make sure we get out of here one day."
"Together," Latvia added.
"Yes," Estonia looked back at the sleeping form of Lithuania. "Yes, together."
A/N: This is just a short story I wanted to write for the Baltics. I feel so sorry for them, especially Lithuania. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and please review!