So, this is just going to be one of those horribly sad stories that makes you all "AWWW!" and "NO!", but if you're still willing then go right ahead...

Ti Proteggerò ... Fratello

Chapter 1: Let it Burn

"No!"

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. The army men turned and stared at him.

"Run!"

Lovino screamed at his brother, who just stood there in shock.

"Corri! Ora, Feliciano! Vai!"

Feliciano couldn't will his legs to move. His brother fought to get free of their grasps, but couldn't. They were dragging him to an armored car. Their house was beside them…burning. He himself barley managed to escape from their room's balcony in time. Now his brother was caught. He had to do something.

"Fratello!"

That had been a mistake. The men that flanked his brother looked at one another and then to a man that approached them. The man raised his gun and shot Lovino in the chest.

"NO! LOVINO!"

The man that had shot his brother, turned towards him and nodded in his direction. This was the signal for the guards to get Feliciano too.

The northern half of the nation, finally able to move, turned and ran down the chaotic streets of Venice. He couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. His brother…his other half…was dead. That man had murdered Lovino. Now he wanted to do the same to him. Feliciano needed help. He needed Ludwig.

He ran and didn't stop though his lungs felt like they were going to burst. The cuts on his body from the attacks on the land screamed in agony. Citizens of his country fled past him in mass chaos. The city was burning and the invading army was marching through, terrorizing his people. Even worse than originally thought; they didn't just want to invade Italy…they wanted to destroy it…starting with Lovino and Feliciano.

As a building nearby exploded, pain shot through Feliciano's shin as it snapped in half. He screamed and crumpled to the ground. The men that were chasing him caught up to him and flipped him on his back. They smiled down at his bloodied form. One of them raised his gun and pointed it at Feliciano's chest. I'm going to die. The thought passed as he fired. The moment it hit, Feliciano's eyes got heavy and the world became fuzzy. The last coherent thought to pass in his mind was: dart gun…

Wet…cold…weak…

As his brain began to process that he was wakening up, Feliciano began to absorb his current situation. He was curled up on his side, the ground was hard…probably stone, he had chills running up and down his body, his leg was still broken, and his entire torso was wet…he was lying in a puddle.

As his heart rate sped up, he became more aware that there was some warmth on his arm…a hand?

His eyes shot open and he gaped.

"L-lovino?"

His brother let out a sigh of relief and pulled him into a tight hug. "I was worried that you weren't going to wake up. You scared me, stupido."

Feliciano unsteadily returned the hug, still in disbelief that his brother was alive.

"Lovino, I thought I was never going to see you again!" Tears cascaded down his already wet cheeks. "I-I thought you were dead." He whispered, almost afraid that if he spoke the words aloud, his brother would disappear from his grasp. Something he never wanted to happen again.

"You dumbass. Why would you think I was dead?"

"They shot you! Y-you fell! Then they came after me, so I ran…I thought they were going to kill me too!"

Lovino let out a sarcastic laugh. "They don't want to kill us, Feliciano…they want to capture, contain and torture us. So far, they have done almost everything."

"Wh-why would th-they do that?" His tears turned into weeping. Feliciano really had no idea who they were or what they wanted, much to his brother's annoyance.

"I have no idea, Feliciano. They invaded our country, killed our civilians, and tried to kidnap me. You would have been perfectly safe if you hadn't been such a dumbass. Why couldn't you just run when I told you too? Huh? You wouldn't be here if you would have just listened to me!" Lovino broke down into tears causing Feliciano to gape at him. This was so not like Lovino.

"Don't cry Lovi…I'm sorry." Lovino didn't seem to hear him and instead continued to cry and complain in Italian. Feliciano became worried for his brother's sanity.

"Fratello?"

He jumped when Lovino's hand came crashing into Feliciano's face, covering his mouth.

"Don't…ever…say…that again. That word is what got us both into this mess in the first place."

"What are you talking about?"

Lovino sighed. "They were convinced that there were two nations for Italy that they had to find and capture. They knew who they were looking for, so when they found me, they immediately knew. They asked where you were, I told them there was no other and that it was America who had two. It worked…until you came up and yelled 'fratello'…then they realized that they had been right all along and that there really were two of us. Then they shot me…I saw you run and hoped you escaped their clutches…but I woke up and saw you lying there. I was so scared."

"Don't worry Lovino…we're together now. They can't do anything as long as we stay together."

"You dream a large dream, Feli."

"Ludwig tells me similar things."

"Humph…I may hate that potato bastard…but I hope he gets his ass over here and rescues us soon."

"And Toni! Then we can all leave here together!" Feliciano smiled through the tears. Leaving this dungeon with his fratello, both arm in arm with their loves…it brought hope and joy to the miserable Italian.

They sat in silence; Lovino cradling his brother. The harsh sobs had turned into peaceful breaths signaling that Feliciano had finally drifted off to sleep. Lovino sighed and looked down at his sleeping little brother.

"Feli?"

No response.

Lovino smiled. "Feli, I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you from this. I'm sorry that you had to suffer through our country's destruction. I'm sorry that you can't be at home…cooking pasta for Ludwig. I'm sorry that I didn't warn you about these people. But, don't worry. I'm going to make this right. I will protect you and take care of you and together we will make it through this. ti vogilo bene, fratello, e ti proteggerà."

Lovino leaned forward and kissed his brother's cold forehead, then leaned against the wall behind him and drifted into a fitful sleep…

Lovino threw the front door open. He needed to find his brother and get him out before they came. The delicious smell of pasta filled his nostrils telling him that his noodle-brained brother was in the kitchen. Sure enough as he turned the corner, a pot was on the stove, but no brother.

"Feliciano?"

"L-lo-lovino?" Dammit! Lovino ran into the kitchen and found his brother on his knees, gripping his bleeding arm. "What's happeneing?"

"We're under attack." Feliciano gaped at him. "Wh-what?"

"Feli, just listen to me, I have a pistol in the first drawer in nightstand on my side of the bed. It's from my mafia days. Go get it."

Feliciano just stared at him. "Please, fratello, just do me this favor and get the gun. I need to stay down here and look out for the army in case they come this way." Feliciano slowly nodded and left for the stairs without any arguing.

Lovino let out a sigh of relief. He walked over to the boiling pot of pasta and turned the stove off. Reaching down, he lifted his shirt and adjusted the gun that was in his pants to make it less noticeable, then headed for the stairs.

He slowly and quietly headed for their shared room. Peering in, he saw his younger sibling searching in vain for the gun that wasn't there. A tear escaped from his eye. He caught it and wiped it away furiously. This needed to be done…there was no other way.

Almost sensing that Lovino was there, Feliciano turned and faced his brother. "Lovino? What are you doing?"

"I'm…I'm sorry, fratello. I have to do this…for you." Before Feliciano could respond, Lovino grabbed the door and slammed it shut. He then locked it and shoved a chair under the handle, fully containing his brother inside.

"LOVINO! STOP! LET ME OUT!" Feliciano was beating on the door, trying to escape.

"I'm sorry…little Feli. I'm so sorry. You'll thank me later if this happens like I hope it will…" he whispered before turning and running down the stairs to the armory. He needed weapons…

A hand came out of nowhere and grabbed his right arm. Lovino was jerked back the same time a large cut ripped its way across his right shoulder due to some city being attacked. Lovino didn't even have time to figure out which one. He groaned in pain and fell to his knees. The man that grabbed him pressed a knife under his chin.

"You will come with us without a struggle or we will use force and burn this country to the ground."

Was this man really speaking Italian? What the fuck was this? Clearly it was not his native language due to the accent that he had, but it sure as hell made it fucking impossible for Lovino to tell his nationality.

"Fuck you!" He spat at the man who then backhanded him in response. A handful more came around the corner, guns pointing at the nation. They were all dressed in a black uniform that Lovino had never seen before.

The one kept his knife firmly pressed against his jugular while two others grabbed his arms and hauled him up. Dragging him through the house to the front lawn, he was met by another man…obviously a general.

"Tell me, Italy, where is the other?" This was what Lovino had feared.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

The general backhanded him. "Where is the other half of this nation? Your 'brother'? Where is he?" He smacked Lovino again and again.

Lovino spit a mouthful of blood right onto the General's shoes. "There is no other, you stupid fuck! You have the wrong country! America is the one that has two representatives. It seems like you got the wrong information, jackass!" Why the hell had he said America? Jeez…improv…you never know what's going to come out of your least, Lovino figured, that this stupid ass wouldn't be dumb enough to invade America anyway…and if it kept Feliciano safe…plus, even if he looked this up, one look at Alfred and Mathew and he would assume they were American twins…especially since no one really gave a shit about Canada as a country anyway…

The General glared at him…then full on punched him in the mouth.

Lovino's head spun.

"Burn the house."

Lovino choked. "W-what? Wh-why? I'll come with you. I won't fight, I promise. Just don't-don't burn it! Please!"

The General looked at him and narrowed his eyes. "I know you will…this is just for fun. Besides…it's not like you're…hiding anything in there." He looked at the men who held the collapsing Lovino. "Take him to the truck…and don't forget the sedation. Oh! And I don't think…" he reached over and lifted Lovino's shirt, pulling out the gun. "…you'll be needing this anymore."

Lovino didn't fight as tears fell from his eyes. The house glowed red and orange as flames engulfed it. Feliciano…no…

"NO!"

He turned towards the voice…it couldn't be. But it was. Feliciano stood not ten feet away, staring at him.

"RUN!" He screamed in English. The guards seemed shocked when he didn't speak Italian.

Feliciano didn't move.

"Run! Now, Feliciano! GO!" He tried switching back to Italian, hopefully getting his brother to snap out of his shock before they snapped out of theirs and caught him.

Why the hell wasn't he running?

"Brother!"

Every single one of them froze. NO! FELI! NO!The General walked over to Lovino and shot him in the gut, smirking. The dart penetrated his skin and into his system instantly. His world blurred. Almost like through water, he head his little brother shout no and his name, but the world went black. The last thing he saw was Feliciano…his little brother…his fratello…turn and run…then…nothing…

So...any comments? Questions? (and no, i will not tell you anything about the ending...no hints.) ^.~ So, I really wanted to write this so I could have Lovino be the loving, caring older brother we all know him to be...so what if it is burried deep down under his skin. It's still there. OH! and btw, if you even liked this stupid story and are waiting for the second chapter, release the breath i know you were holding. I am working on chapter 2 as we speak...we'll that sounded stupid...espicially since WE are not ACTUALLY talking...i'm more writing to you...so...ya...odd-kwerd! Moving on...