It'd been months since they left training, and were shipped out to war. Over the past few months, hearts grew colder and lives grew shorter. Everyday was the same, walking bloodstained grounds, passing bodies of lifeless, bloody, mangled children and adults. The sight was enough to make a man vomit, and it still made Berwald uneasy, but it had become a usual thing to see. He looked over to Tino, whose expression was unreadable at the moment, when he looked over back, a small smile curved its way upon his lips.

In the small cabins where they resided, Berwald was lucky enough to be in the same cabin with Tino, followed a loudmouthed man named Matthias, his "close" friend Lukas and his little brother named Emil. Nonetheless, they got each other by day by wretched day. Whether it be the small jokes they would crack, to the friendly "We'll get out of this, hold on." smiles, they became almost like a family, because here, they were all each other had for a family.

They continued down the ruins of a town, the metallic stench of blood, decaying corpses and smoke from bombed out buildings stained the air until there was no clean air to inhale. Crying, abandoned and orphaned children were on the streets, with nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide from the nightmare that had become their hellish reality. Bodies hung from lamp posts, some had been there for weeks, some only a few hours. Trucks lined up, taking the bodies of the lifeless away, to who even knows where. Berwald didn't really want to think about it, either.

Berwald was snapped back to attention at the shouting panicked commands, to put on their gas masks, and that a gas bomb had just been dropped in their area. Berwald looked over to Tino, who looked around, horrified. Berwald had never seen him so scared.

"Tino? -"

"I dropped my mask in the run-for-it that we made this morning near the cabins!" The Finnish man cried. Without thinking for even a moment, Berwald placed his mask over Tino's head.

"Are you crazy, Ber?! What are you going to use? You'll die!" Tino tried to take off the mask, but Berwald firmly pressed his palm to the top of it, keeping it in place.

"I know." Is all Berwald could say, giving Tino a rare smile.

They say that before you die, your life flashes before your eyes. Every important moment, every detail that counts.

Like when he and Tino had just met, and the times where Tino would smile, and he would light up the whole world. When they ran away together as teenagers, when they found their dog, Hanatamago. When Berwald would just break, and Tino would be there to pick up the pieces. How little by little, Tino never realized that he was teaching Berwald how great life was, and how the little things were always the most beautiful and important. The days before war sprung out, the innocence of sitting in a field of long grass on a breezy day, listening to the sounds of the leafs rustling gently. Watching the clouds by day, laughing under the stars at night. Watching the fireflies dance in the air. The days spent with Tino were the best days Berwald had ever had.

Maybe all of his important memories did revolve around Tino, but maybe it's because he never gave a damn before he met him.

Berwald was getting dizzy, the earth was spinning, the sounds of screaming men were dulled to him, focusing on Tino. He was crying again. Seeing Tino cry, was much worse than the sight of a thousand dead men on a battlefield.

Why are you crying again, Tino? You should know by know, that this is the most honorable way I could ever think of dying. If I could, you know that I'd do this a thousand times for you. You know by now.. Tino, that I.. love you, right?

Berwald slid his heavy eyelids shut, the sound of Tino screaming his name, over and over again drained out slowly.

You saved me in ways you never knew, it's my turn to save you. You'll make it back home, I know it.

Sorry if it kind of sucked, I wrote this at about two in the morning, and correct me if some of my English is wrong. ^^ Reveiws would also be helpful and lovely. c: