Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.
Gilbert laid a hand on the child's forehead before replacing his hand with a wet cloth.
He sighed as he brushed his hand over the child's head ignoring the way he flinched when Gilbert touched him.
This was…confusing. It had started out as a normal day. He had gotten up, said his morning prayers, had breakfast, and went outside to check on his garden. He had to weed the vegetables, water them, sprinkle them with some fresh soil every now and then, and just take care of them.
The garden was close to his heart and he valued it as much as he was awesome.
So when he came out to check on it like he did every morning and saw that it was destroyed and ravished through his heart almost stopped.
Actually according to his friend Antonio who had slept over the night before and was helping him his heart did in fact stop as he fell to the ground and Antonio had almost called an ambulance when he jumped up and started screaming for revenge.
It wasn't that hard to find the person responsible for it really. They left a trail.
A trail of eaten vegetables and their remains leading to a spot behind the forest where Gilberts house resided.
Gilbert had grabbed the axe from his shed and stalked into the forest with the need of revenge clear in his eyes.
The perpetrator hadn't attempted to hide themselves that much. They were just a few feet into the forest and behind some trees.
It was a child. A little boy to be exact. He looked to be about five to six years old.
And he had a pair of black wings on his back and a red pointed tail.
Gilbert had dropped the axe in shock and Antonio's jaw dropped. The child gave a whimper and attempted to crawl back to its makeshift shelter.
Sharing a helpless look the two immediately tried to get to the child.
It didn't seem to understand English. It kept wailing and through those sounds it seemed like he was trying to say something but nothing resembled words.
Gilbert slowly and carefully extended his hand outwards the child. The moment he made contact the child gave another pitiful wail. Even though there were no words and even if there were he wouldn't understand but that sound he understood.
It was filled with fear. That much was clear. He was deadly afraid.
Gilbert had hesitated for another moment before turning to Antonio and said "Go back to the house and get a blanket."
While Antonio ran back to the house Gilbert turned back to the child.
"Come on kid, come out here." he had murmured.
The child didn't move.
Gilbert had taken his time. Coaxing the child out to him. First he had simply placed his hand on the child. When it stopped shaking he had moved it slightly. Then he began to simply pet the child.
It was a bit like a kicked puppy really. Being hit so many times and now being wary of anyone. Always anticipating of being hit.
When Antonio came back with the blanket and Gilbert tried to cover him with it the child immediately started screeching again and tried to get away.
And so more time was spent to re-calm the child, cover him with the blanket, and carry him to the house.
And now here he was, with a child with black wings and a red tail on the bed of his guestroom, and having no idea what to do.
The child had fallen asleep on the short walk back to the house. When Gilbert had placed him on the bed he had realized something that he had missed in the darkness of the forest.
The child's back was covered in wounds. Both old and new. The newer ones were close to the black wings and on them. He gently stroked the wings, causing the child to shiver; it almost looked like someone had raked them with a either knives or something even sharper.
So had bandaged the wounds as carefully as he could without waking the child. And now all he could do was…
Actually he didn't know what to do. He could barely take care of himself let alone another kid.
Especially a kid who had black wings, a red tail, and he was sure he wasn't human.
Antonio had gone to their other friend Francis to see if he could help them with this.
If anything they could turn the kid to an orphanage and wash their hands completely of this mess.
But would any orphanage be willing to take the kid in was the question.
He heard the front door open and Antonio call out "Gilbert?"
Gilbert walked out of the bedroom and to the front door where both Francis and Antonio were taking off their coats.
Gilbert snorted when he saw Francis still in his robes.
"Didn't have time to change?" he asked.
Francis ginned and adjusted his clerical collar slightly. "Nope. Antonio told me it was an emergency and practically grabbed me out of the church and dragged me here."
"Sorry but I do think this is one time when we can panic just a bit." Antonio said shifting from foot to foot.
"Boy ain't that the truth." Gilbert grumbled under his breath.
Francis crossed his arms. "So what's the emergency? Need an exorcism or something?"
Francis gave a short laugh however he stopped when Gilbert and Antonio didn't join him. They shared another look.
"I was joking you know." Francis said. "Or…do you really need an exorcism?"
Gilbert slowly and hesitantly shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Gilbert. Antonio. Tell me. What's going on?" he demanded.
There was a shuffling heard upstairs.
"Okay. I think he's awake." Gilbert said glancing upwards.
"Who's awake?" Francis asked. "Gilbert did you bring home another girl?"
Gilbert shook his head and motioned with his hand. "Follow me. We'll talk on the way there."
As the trio walked up the stairs Gilbert started to talk "Well…Antonio and me…"
"Antonio and I." corrected Francis.
"Whatever. We went into the forest and well…we found a…kid." Gilbert said hesitantly.
"Why did you hesitate when you said the word kid?" Francis asked.
"Well…" Gilbert trailed off.
They entered the room. When Gilbert had left it the entire room had been clean and in order. Now as they entered it, it was in complete disarray. The bed sheets had been ripped off, the blanket had been thrown across the room. The furniture was upside down.
But what was eye-catching the most was the fresh blood spilled on the ground and walls.
Francis took one look around the room. He then turned to Gilbert. "Gilbert you are one of my best friends and I will always support you. However if you have been trying to summon a demon or doing witchcraft then maybe I should reconsider our friendship."
"Trust me; this is none of my doing." Gilbert said looking around the room.
"You sure he's still in here?" Antonio asked.
"The kid you found?" Francis asked leaning down and examined the bloodstains.
"Yeah." Gilbert answered as he leaned down on his knees and peered under the bed.
Blue eyes met his.
"And there he is." Gilbert said reaching out to the kid.
"Come on kid, you know me. Come out now." he said soothingly.
The kid slowly crawled out from under the bed his eyes never leaving Gilberts.
However when he saw Francis with his cross around his neck he gave a screech and tried to run back under the bed.
"Oh no you don't." Gilbert said. He grabbed the child gently by his arm and pulled him. He dodged the flying arms that were attempting to claw at him, the tail which was going haywire, and the flapping wings.
"I…see." Francis said slowly watching the child.
"I think you should hide that cross, I think its bothering him." Gilbert said.
Francis obeyed and slid the cross under his robes.
"I think…I know what to do." Francis said.
Gilbert looked up from the child while he dodged the…limps trying to hit him and said over the kids screeching "What do you think we should do?"
"We're taking him to Arthur." Francis said.
Antonio looked at him incredulously. "Arthur? Your partner?"
Francis nodded. "Trust me. We need his help."