A/N: Yes, I finally posted this. And I think now I'm bogged with too many projects at once..*facedesk* Kill me for being an obsessive idiot, please. I shall remain forever grateful to you, promise.

My Promise to You : Prologue

"Hey, Vanya, what's up?" Gilbert's loud voice jolted the violet-eyed boy - who was sniffing and letting out little whimpers - out of his misery. He quickly turned away from the Red-eyed boy and started wiping his eyes hastily with his sleeves.

"N-nothing."

Sniff.

"You don't cry because of something that's nothing, Vanya."

Gilbert's confident voice and insane cackle seemed to have a calming effect on Vanya, whose lips were still trembling, but he had stopped crying at least, Gilbert noticed.

"It w-was really n-nothin, Gil."

Sniff.

"It was them at it again, wasn't it?" Gilbert's voice was calm, but the slight tremble betrayed his anger.

Vanya bent his head, stubbornly admiring his shoes.

"Verdammt! I'll kill that arseloch." Gilbert said, standing up, anger almost making his small petite form tremble.

Out of the very corner of his eyes, without raising his face, Vanya looked at the flashing red eyes.

He's angry for me?

The trembling of his lips stopped, only to give out into full-out wailing.

"I always try t-to m-make friends, b-but they s-say that I have a w-weird a-ac-" he stumbled on the word before getting it out properly, " accent and that I-I'm a f-freak and n-no one will l-like m-m-me..." the last word was drawn out into a miserable sob, causing Gilbert to widen his eyes at the sudden outburst of his normally quiet and shy friend. He quickly recovered from the surprise and impulsively threw his arms around his friend in a protective manner.

"Shhh...Vanya...You're not a freak. You're nice, and you're my friend, and I really like you, so they lie! They call me a freak too, because I am an.." here he screwed up his little face in an attempt to get the word right. " an al-bee-no. Do I care? Neither should you! Because no matter what they say you will always be my best friend. I love you, and I always will."

Vanya's sobs gradually quietened. "You will never leave me alone, da, Gil?" There was a hesitance in his voice, and quiet, almost silent, sniffs could still be heard if one listened carefully.

"I promise!" Gil said, somehow sensing that this was important to the other boy.

And while Gilbert Weillschimdt was to break many promises later on in his life, this was one of the rare promises he never intended to break - neither at the time it was made, nor later on - like the promise he made to his younger bruder of always watching over him.

And yet, these two were the ones that he would inevitable have to break.

A/N: Am I the only one who found chibi!uke!Vanechka and chibi!hero!still awesome! Preussen cute?

/fails/

So...give me some feedback, please..I'm very nervous with this one..more so than usual, 'cos I really really love this one. Like a favourite child...

...or a Boss.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and review please?