Disclaimer: Hetalia and all related characters belong to Hidekaz Himaruya.

Inspiration for this fic came from the picture "Hetalia: The End 2012" by DeviantArt user ExclusivelyHetalia (Link to picture in my profile)

Fire

Two figures trudged up the hillside, silhouetted against the sea of fire surrounding them. Upon reaching the peak, they paused to observe the surrounding flames growing higher and higher with every passing minute. The smaller of the two's legs trembled for a moment before he collapsed to the ground.

"I-I'm sorry, Germany. I can't go any farther," the brown-haired Italian informed his companion.

"I understand. You've been burned pretty badly." The German sat down on the ground next to the other man. "Besides," he said with a dark expression, "there isn't any place to go to anymore."

"Does that mean…" Italy's voice trailed off. He looked up at the blond man who refused to meet his gaze.

After a long pause, Germany let out a heavy sigh. "Yes," was the only thing he said.

"Oh," the Italian said softly. Neither wanted to voice the inevitable: the fire would eventually consume them. Italy reached down and lifted the charred remains of his pant leg, exposing the blistered, pink skin. He gingerly touched the burns with his fingertips but winced in pain and jerked his hand back almost immediately. "I sure wish we had some ice or water or something," he said with a half-hearted laugh.

"No chance of finding any of that here." Germany let out a dark chuckle which turned into a harsh cough from the smoke.

For a long while they were silent and the only sound that could be heard was the sharp crackling from the burning earth. The flames continued to grow as the fire greedily engulfed the world they had known.

"How do you think the others are doing?" Italy asked hesitantly when he could no longer take the silence.

"Do you really want to know the answer to that?"

Italy slowly shook his head and whispered, "No." He tried to put thoughts of his brother and friends out of his mind. He did not want to cry; Germany always hated it when he cried. So instead, he looked upward, hoping the stars would take his mind off of things, however he quickly discovered the smoke hid any view of the celestial bodies. "It's a shame we can't see the stars," he said wistfully.

"The world is ending and you're thinking about stargazing?" Germany growled.

Italy could not think of a proper response to this, so he just shrugged and said as cheerfully as possible, "Yeah."

Germany placed his face in his hand and sighed. He murmured something under his breath before he was interrupted by another bout of coughing. Italy watched helplessly as the violent coughs racked his friend's body. He patted Germany's back in attempt to ease the fit, his eyebrows furrowing with worry. After the coughing had subsided, the Germanic nation brushed away Italy's hand, muttering a small word of gratitude.

The two nations sat quietly for a long while, watching as the fire steadily rose toward the smoke-blackened sky. Eventually all they could see was the ocean of flame; all indication of life was lost to the hungry inferno. Buildings were reduced to a pile of smoldering rubble, forests had long ago been leveled to ash fields, and all signs of their past had fallen prey to the fire.

"Germany, I'm scared," Italy whispered.

The blond nation grunted in response, and the Italian lay his head on Germany's shoulder.

"Italy, what are you doing?"

"Germany, I—"

"I know you're scared, but—"

"But, Germany—!"

"Italy, get off!"

"I can't hold my head up anymore."

Germany looked down at Italy's fearful, brown eyes that were swimming with tears. "Oh," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry," Italy whimpered.

"No, it's all right. Just don't cry, okay."

Germany felt Italy nod in response.

The fire crackled and edged ever closer as the two remained seated and unmoving. Italy's breaths became shallower as the minutes ticked on, while Germany's coughing fits increased. Germany could feel his companion becoming limper and felt the need to check several times to see if his eyes were still open.

"Hey, Germany?" Italy asked in a small voice.

"Yes?"

"Can I tell you something?"

"Yes," the Germanic nation said evenly.

"You're my best friend."

Germany felt a lump in his throat and kept his eyes forward and focused on the flames.

After a moment, the Italian whispered, "Germany?"

"Yes Italy?"

"Germany, I'm not scared anymore."

He peered at Italy with a raised eyebrow. "You're not?"

"No," Italy said, with half closed eyes and a soft smile on his lips. "I'm not."

Germany could feel Italy slowly slipping down his shoulder. He placed an arm around the smaller nation in order to keep him upright. He sighed heavily before speaking. "Hey Italy?"

The Italian let out a groggy mumble of acknowledgement.

"You're my best friend too."

Italy gave a weak smile. "Germany, that makes me very happy," he said in a barely audible whisper.

The two figures remained seated on the fiery hilltop. The smaller of the two gradually slipped into unconsciousness, until his breath disappeared altogether. Eventually the fire engulfed both their bodies and the lands they stood for.