Here's the first couple chapters again, improved for both yours and my enjoyment. Special thanks to that guest who told me how seizures work. I did extra research again.

Disclaimer; the cover photo does not belong to me, it was drawn by aPixiv member that is displayed on my profile because fanfiction is apparently allergic to links in the description.

Please credit her for the drawing. If you want to compliment the picture, please please go to the artist, NOT ME.

Enjoy.

Years Before

"That was really fun Roderich!" Germany said, skipping happily down the dirt path to his house.

"No problem, Ludwig. Come over my house sometime and we can play things that are even more fun!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"Cool! I'll ask!"

"See you around!"

"Bye!" They split at the fork of the dirt road.

"That was so much fun!" he thought walking back to his place. It was pretty far from where he met Austria.

I had never hung out with another country like me before. But I really don't think my master would let me do it again… I'll ask anyway, but I hope she doesn't get mean like she does sometimes.

"Another country? You were playing with another country?!"

"Y-Yes, his name is Austria, and he's really nice, you should meet hi-"

"No. I don't think you'll be meeting with him anytime soon either."

"W-Why?!"

The woman looked around frantically, trying to think of what the authority would do to her if that other nation did harm to the boy, finally covering her face in frustration at his stupid cluelessness.

"Madam, why not?"

"Because he could hurt you. Other nations are dangerous.

"What? No, no, Roderich would never… He's such a nice person, and I-"

"Ludwig, I won't discuss this, go to your room."

"Just let me explain, he's-"

"Ludwig, enough."

"I really just want a frie-"

"Enough, Ludwig! You will not go to see him ever again!"

The little boy stood shocked for a moment, but his head dropped as he felt tears pooling in his eyes.

"You should go to bed. It's late." Madam finished.

Ludwig nodded and wiped at his eyes as he turned to go back to his room.

He closed the door behind him and curled up on his bed.

Can't I just have one friend, madam?

MANY YEARS LATER

Age 16

"Germany, are you ready?" Madam says.

"Yes, ma'am." Ludwig replies calmly.

"Good."

It was his first day to begin his training in becoming the representation and soldier of Germany. He made sure to adjust his dark hunter green uniform as he walked with squared shoulders out the door.

Before he departed, he checked his Guideline that was given to him as well as his directions.

You and them are one.

The actions of you will affect them as much as theirs affect you.

When your country is flourishing, strength and wisdom must come from you.

But when times are dark, you must fight for them and them alone.

Your fate lies in each others' hands.

But be cautioned;

Your sympathy is more valuable than you would think.

"Don't sympathise with the weak Ludwig. You'll only hurt yourself."

Ludwig sighed and took out the map of directions included in the folder.

"Wow, this place is really far... But the directions say to…

RUN.

I'm supposed to go on foot… and RUN?!"

Ludwig let out a sigh of frustration as he started to jog.

1 HOUR LATER

"I'm… just too close to stop now…"

By now Ludwig's lungs felt like they were burning, as had been nearly an hour and he had run 8.5 kilometers.

"I'm so close… Can't stop now… Can't stop…"

"I can see it!" He thought as his vision became blurry.

He trudged towards the entrance of the camp site and collapsed, rolling onto his back.

His body dehydrated, exhausted, and aching, he slowly closed his eyes, sleep beckoning his mind.

Suddenly a crushing force slammed into his chest. Instantly, Ludwig took a sharp breath and started to cough. He used what little energy he had left to gaze up, his fluttering eyes straining to focus. A towering man with a dark green uniform like his loomed over him with his boot crushing the oxygen out of his chest, a sick grin on his face.

"So you are my new student." He added more pressure and Ludwig felt a sickening crack and pain shooting through the inside his body.

"My rib." He thought, horrified, and as he tried to cry out, his mouth only let out a disturbing choking noise, as his throat was too dry to make a sound.

"What a shame. You're just so weak." He sneered and added another front of pressure, and Ludwig's mind began to panic as felt another crack.

"No-"

His face was twisted in a horrible expression, his neck twisting unnaturally when suddenly Ludwig felt something odd rising in his throat. He coughed again, but this time, crimson fluid started to flow out both ends of his mouth, staining his hair.

Sounds blurred in his ears, and the things he was seeing were jarring and not fitting into their puzzle pieces and he just felt so dizzy...

"What's wrong? Can't stay awake? It's okay, I'll let you take a good long nap."

He kicks the blonde into the nearest fence, and as soon as his head hit the fence pole, he blacked out, blood still running from his mouth.

Ludwig barely felt conscious when he heard the muffled beep of a cardiac monitor and a woman speaking next to him. Sounds were unclear, and all he could see was shapes of light moving around the room. His limp eyes turned to the hand approaching his forehead, and he instantly relaxed at the warm, non-hostile touch.

"He's feverish. Get me a wet cloth." She said.

Then a different one speaks.

"Did he really have to beat this one up so bad? He's so much younger than the other trainees we bring here. Oh, and here."

"Thanks."

Ludwig's chest jolted at the sudden coldness over his head, his eyes shooting open and then closing again.

The second girl flinched.

"He's conscious." The first woman said. "Get the painkillers."

It only took Ludwig a moment to realize why he would need those painkillers, as his chest ached and burned so much that he couldn't breathe.

The woman next to him prepared a syringe and as she stuck it into Ludwig's arm, he winced, but then instantly relaxed as he felt the medicine doing its work.

Ludwig rubbed at his eyes and clarified his surroundings. The two women next to him were wearing nurse uniforms with name tags, one of them holding a very worrisome expression while the other seemed calmly urgent. The calm nurse had the name Tenenbaum. The other nurse had the name Petra.

"Are you sure we shouldn't put bandages around his chest? It would reduce the pain." Petra suggested nervously.

"It would also cause his ribs to heal improperly. I know other people use them, but it's a pretty flawed practice."

"W-where…" Ludwig muttered without thinking.

"You just got here about 10 minutes ago. Sorry about your greeting." Tenenbaum said sorrowfully.

He quickly tried to recall the events that led up to where he was.

"I was given instructions to run to the camp. And I collapsed…? I can't remember…"

Ludwig noticed his head being awkwardly cushioned and felt dread pitting in his stomach.

"Oh no. Head injuries usually equal motor complications."

Ludwig mentally cringed at the thought of having to be escorted places in a wheelchair.

"Can I… stand?" He asked.

"You symptoms say it's okay to try. But do it slowly."

Ludwig sat up and leaned his heavy head in his hands, already beginning to feel a bit dizzy. He let his feet touch the floor and as he brought himself to his feet, Tenenbaum along with Petra supporting his weight. They slowly let go of him, and he was instantly relieved that he could stand on his own two feet with little to no trouble.

With no warning, the door suddenly flew open.

An angry, mid-aged man with brown eyes and hair burst into the room, wearing a dark green uniform.

"That face…" Ludwig thought, remembering his features.

"Hey! Aren't you done fixing him yet?" He barked.

"I… I know it…"

"No, sir, you cracked two of his ribs and you also gave him a concussion. He's a long way from fixed."

His face whips around to face Ludwig with a glaring expression.

"Oh… That's right. It was you. My supposed trainer."

He storms over to face the young boy, grabs his wrist and slams Ludwig into the wall. Before he could even crumble to the ground, the man seized his neck and pushed him up on the wall, his nails digging into his neck. Ludwig tries to pry his fist off, panic rising in his mind, but all he could do was gasp for air.

"Sir! What are you doing to my patient?!" Tenenbaum yelled.

"Tenenbaum, cut the shit." he said sharply.

He looked back at Ludwig again. He flailed his legs around in panic.

"You've already set this stupid-ass project back because of your pathetic form. So if I were you, I'd hurry the fuck up, or just die. Got me?"

Ludwig stared at his expectant eyes as he tried to form words, but all he could do was stare, still trying to breathe.

In annoyance, the man pushed him further up the wall, somehow making his grip even tighter.

Ludwig could feel himself losing consciousness as his eyes were fluttering closed and his ears weren't recognizing sounds as well as they should have been.

"Sir! Put that boy down, you're killing him!"

At long last, he decided to drop the suffocating Ludwig on the ground, leaving his distorted figure gasping for air and still having trouble hearing anything.

But he heard contact of a fist to a face, and then someone falling to the ground next to him.

"Next time you actually try resist me Tenenbaum, I will personally smash your face in. Understand?"

Ludwig hears footsteps and a door slamming.

He looked up at Tenenbaum, who had fallen next to him with a bloody bruise on her left cheek.

"He abuses them… Of course…" He thought bitterly.

He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but his voice was once again choked away by the man in green.

"You okay, kid?" She said, massaging her cheek.

Ludwig exhaustedly reached out for her hand in a desperate attempt to get her attention as she leaned over to check his pulse.

Her sunken eyes scanned over his body to check for any injuries, when Ludwig's shaky hand finally grabbed hers and she stopped to look at him.

"Das tut Mir leid." He said in a raspy whisper.

"It's okay." She said in an oddly comforting tone. "You get used to it-"

"Das tut Mir leid."

Ludwig didn't mean to say it a second time… it felt as if it had just slipped out...

"Oh no…"

His arm was practically rattling in her grasp. His teeth were clenched shut and the rest of his body was shaking...

The doctor suddenly looked very concerned.

"I felt bad that she was hit… And now I'm about to pay for it."

"Convulsing... He's seizing!" She says in a worried voice towards Petra.

She quickly prepares the bed and comes over to help Tenenbaum lift the sick boy.

His eyes flutter as he desperately tries to get a good look around.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"You're having a seizure," She says a little more calmly, squeezing his hand. "Just... Just hang in there okay? You're going to be fine." Ludwig's eyes begin to close again, his jaw rattling. "N-No I'm…"

His breathing got quicker as he shut his eyes tight and looked away.

They placed him on the bed.

"Petra, keep him from falling off." Tenenbaum said.

She looked at him again. "Everything's alright, we're taking care of you, okay?"

"Too much, I can't… I can't see… I'm…"

Ludwig's eyes closed, and his movements calmed. The voices around him swirled in his head and faded into oblivion.