The Rabbit
It was spring when Elizaveta caught the fluffy white rabbit. She kept the rabbit in a hutch she had made originally for chickens, behind the house. If you stepped out the back door, you would see it right away.
Gilbert was pretty jealous. Being himself, he assumed that everything good and new was his responsibility, seeing how awesome he was. This rabbit was equally as awesome as him. Therefore, it was his.
Roderich didn't pay much attention to Elizaveta and Gilbert's squabbling over whose pet the rabbit was. Secretly, he was on Elizaveta's side, naturally. Besides, he felt sorry for any animal taken under Gilbert's 'wing'. Very, very sorry.
Gilbert saw the dog at the hutch early in the morning. Elizaveta was out, gardening most likely. He ran out, yelling. The dog, which was huge, and no where near as friendly looking as any dog he'd seen before, being much more feral and wolf-like, turned and growled. Gilbert noticed the blood dripping from its jowls, and cussed under his breath.
"Get out of here, stupid dog!" the albino boy yelled, and the animal let out a deep growl before darting off into the mess of trees lining the plot. Gilbert scrambled to the hutch, which was torn apart and bloody. He peered into the gash, which the dog had made, and drew in a sharp gasp.
* * *
Roderich always used the time in the morning when Gilbert went out to train to practice his piano. His fingers delicately sweeping over the keys, plucking the notes from them and releasing them into the air, and it was called music. Sometimes, Elizaveta would come and listen, sitting behind the piano. Gilbert tried once to sit and listen, but his attention span was that of a goldfish, and he ended up leaving before the first bar had been played out.
Today, Gilbert barged in, yelling at the top of his lungs. Something about the rabbit, and a dog, the hutch, and how Elizaveta was going to flip out. Roderich stared at him until he caught his breath.
"Gilbert," Roderich said once the boy had shut up, "there's blood all over your shirt…"
Gilbert looked down at himself. He was holding the hem of his shirt out, like how girls would when they were carrying flowers in their aprons. Roderich began to fear what Gilbert was carrying with him.
"Is that the… the rabbit?"
"Mein Gott. Didn't you hear a thing I just said? Yes! It's the freaking rabbit!"
Roderich felt weak all of a sudden. "Is it… dead?"
Gilbert seemed to choke a little. "Yeah… it was a dog, or something. It tore the hutch open and got to the rabbit."
Roderich stepped closer to the other boy, looking at the rabbit. The blood was crusting on the ends of its white fur, and he glanced at the rabbit's neck. He turned away abruptly, gagging silently. Gilbert watched him carefully.
"What should we do?" Gilbert asked, whispering. "We can't tell Lizzy, can we?"
Roderich shook his head 'no' slowly. "You think she won't notice that her rabbit's dead?"
"If you tell her that I found her stupid rabbit dead, she'll think I killed it!" Gilbert snapped. "Can't we just, I dunno, find another white fluff ball? Fix up the hutch and chuck it in?"
Roderich rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure she'd figure it out. Just tell her the truth of what happened, and if she doesn't believe you, I'll act as witness, okay?"
The door slammed shut, making the two boys jump.
"Hello!" Elizaveta called, coming in from the front, and Gilbert began to dart around the kitchen in a panic. He finally decided to shove the rabbit into Roderich's arms and dart off.
"Gilbert!" Roderich cried out as Elizaveta approached him.
"Roderich? What's going on?" she asked.
"Look, I'm going to tell you something, Elizaveta." He said calmly, without turning around. "I guarantee you're not going to like it."
* * *
Elizaveta couldn't bring herself to cry. She stared at the ground, not seeing and not hearing. Gilbert had come out of the pantry, where he had decided to hide. Roderich made him tell the truth. She didn't get angry. She seemed paralyzed.
"What should we do?" Gilbert asked her in a soft tone. She felt a bit unnerved by Gilbert's cautious tone, something she didn't believe him capable of. She realized that he was sad as well; possibly because he had been the one to see the rabbit, well, die, but probably because he had thought the rabbit partially his responsibility.
"A funeral." She murmured, looking up slowly. "We'll have it today at four."
Roderich glanced at the grandfather clock standing beside the plush couch Elizaveta was seated on. It was two-fifteen already.
"Well, let's get ready."
* * *
Gilbert had decided he'd be the one to dig the rabbit's grave. He pushed the hutch over, and watched it tumble down the tiny hill until it stopped. He gritted his teeth resisting the urge to jump on the wooden structure and smash it to bits. He was furious; why did the rabbit have to die? His pet was now gone, and he felt a little empty inside.
He picked up the rusty shovel he had found in the battered tool shed and started digging. He dug quickly and carelessly, his knuckles turning white, and dirt flying everywhere. Five minutes later, he stood over the finished grave- an angry scar in the ground, sloppy and disproportionate. He tried to laugh, but a chocked sob escaped instead. He dropped the shovel, and ran inside, through the kitchen where a black-clad Roderich was preparing the 'coffin'; past Elizaveta on the stairs, who watched him curiously as he bolted by.
He locked himself in his room, biting his lip to keep from crying. He wouldn't cry. Awesome guys like him don't cry. He waited fifteen minutes until his body stopped trembling. And then he changed into all black clothing.
It was four o'clock.
* * *
The three children stood around the grave. Roderich held the ornate jewelry box in his arms, cradling it. He wanted to tell Gilbert that he had done a horrible job with the grave, but the boy was trembling. Elizaveta wrapped her arm around his shoulders, in an attempt to comfort him. But she was shaking just as much, if not more, fighting back tears.
Roderich approached the grave slowly, trying to look graceful. He knelt by the hole, and slowly lowered the jewelry box into the gaping wound in the earth's surface. His insides were in knots. He stood abruptly and joined the other two grieving children, wrapping his arms around both Gilbert and Elizaveta. They stood in the circle for what seemed like hours, Gilbert biting his lip and trembling, Elizaveta finally allowing herself to cry, and Roderich standing silently.
Together, they grieved. And together they silently moved on.
Fin.
A/N: Hey guys! This is my very first Hetalia fanfic-oneshot EVER!
...
It's kinda depressing, da?
Eehh, ohwell. This is in memory of my pet hampster Cupid, who died about six years ago. Still miss that little guy.
Anywhoo, please Reveiw (critique is appreciated)! Also, if you spy any little errors, please tell me!
Thanks guys!
- Kat