Chapter One: To Death With Love

"NO! None of you will fucking TOUCH him, god damn it! He's just fine!" yelled Lovino Vargas as he held the head of one of my closest friends to his chest.

"Fratello, he was bit…! If you don't… If you don't get away, you will…" The other Vargas brother, tears in his eyes, hid behind me and my brother.

"No, I won't let you! Bastard, don't you fuck with me…" My brother aimed his gun at the injured Spaniard, only making Lovino hug him closer, more protectively. "LEAVE HIM ALONE. DAMMIT!" I could've sworn tears were streaming down the older Italian's face, as well.

"Lovi…" A raspy, weak voice spoke. We all looked down at that usually oh-so-chipper Spainiard, and he looked pale—to pale for me to recognize him as Antonio anymore. He lifted a hand up to run along Lovino's tear-stained cheek.

"Damn it, you bastard… You didn't have to save me… I'm not…" He choked on his tears a little. "I'm not your weak little henchman, you fucker."

Toni's lips pulled up into a mockery of that bright smile he usually displayed. "Lovi, you make me so happy…" He coughed, a stream of blood making his way down his chin. "I would never… Want you to end up like this." He chuckled weakly. "I love you, Lovino."

"You… You're not turning into one of those fucking… THINGS! I won't…"

"Lovi… Please… Just let me… Hear it once… Please…" At this point, I could tell he was ready to die at any moment. He was just hanging on by a strand.

"I won't let you die… No, Antonio…"

"Please… Lovi… Just once…" Antonio's tired eyes closed, but he was still breathing. We all knew what he was waiting to hear.

That was when Lovino put on a crooked smile, barely managing it through his sobs. "T-ti amo, Antonio. Ti amo… T-ti… Ti amo, so please…" His voice raised to a shriek. "Please, Antonio, don't leave me! You fucking bastard, don't…"

"Thank you, Lovi… Te amo t-también…" After those words were said, Antonio's faint breathing stopped, and for a long moment, everything was silent. No one moved, save for Lovino's shaking and sobbing. It was almost… Scary, seeing a person who hated showing his emotions as much as Lovino did, cry so hard.

Feliciano was the first to speak. "Fratello… You have to get away from…"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I… I'm not leaving him…" He brushed the dark brown locks of hair away from Antonio's eyes. "He never left my side… Even when I wanted him to…"

My brother cocked his gun. "It is agreeable that Antonio's death was unfortunate, but that kind of talk is not only suicidal, but dangerous to all of us. Now get away from him, or I will have no choice but to…"

"Do WHAT, you fucking potato? You're going to put a bullet in my brain, too? Go ahead—I doubt you even would, fucker!"

During this argument, I swore I saw Antonio twitch once or twice. "Ehm… Lud…? I don't think now is the right time to argue about this…"

"I have the nerve to kill anyone and everyone I see fit, Lovino. Don't even start that with me." Obviously, I was ignored. Shit.

"I'll start whatever the hell I want. Piss off, fucking potato!"

Then everything was like slow motion.

Antonio's eyes snapped open, and he sputtered and coughed, a mouthful of blood bursting through his mouth. A pale hand came up and grasped Lovino's shirt as a hiss was heard.

"Fratello!" Feliciano shrieked, and Ludwig was quick to pull the trigger the moment he got a clear shot. With a final hiss, Antonio's body once again slumped, and Lovino just sat there, eyes wide and mouth shut, for once in his life. "Fratello…?" Feliciano said as he made his way over. He put a hand on each of Lovino's shoulders and shook him, receiving no response.

"We need to get moving," Ludwig suggested, "They most likely are going to come looking for the source of that gunshot, and we don't want to be here when they do."

"Luddy, Fratello's not moving…" Feliciano said, teary-eyed.

Ludwig looked at me at that time. "Bruder, will you carry him?" he asked.

"Oh, you're finally acknowledging my existence?" I sneered at him, and he gave me a stern look in response. "Ja, ja, I get it… I'm on it." I went over to Lovino and finally got a close look at Antonio's corpse. His head was busted up, where he was shot, and I could see the place on his shoulder where he was bit. I also saw plenty of bloodstains on him, compared to Lovino, other than fresh ones. Maybe the Southern Italian was right—Antonio had done his best to protect him. I gave him a silent goodbye as I finally turned to Lovino, who was now adorned with a nice, big spatter of blood across his neck and chest. Feliciano moved out of the way as I reached down and heaved him up into a princess-like hold, and to my shock, he didn't have anything to say about it… Then I reminded myself why he wouldn't.

Walking over to my brother, and tailed by Feliciano, I carried Lovino. "So, Lud… What's our plan?" I asked.

My brother cocked his shotgun again as he looked at me. "America."