Did clouds cover the sky, or was that the ash of smoky gunpowder that made the air dark. It was an impossibility to tell. Bach wiped at his bleeding cheek with his sleeve, huffing unsteadily, wincing with each inhalation. He had to keep going though. The eighteen-year-old forced himself behind some rubble; it should cover him for the time being.

He had promised. A verbal contract, sealed with the pinky of his baby sister, who was only seven years old, and the little neighbor girl, not too drastically older than his own sibling. Their images rang clear in his mind as he closed green eyes, forcing himself to breathe…just breath, and think of them.

The neighbor girl, six years his junior; he had met her when she was but a year older than his own sister was currently. As a young teenager, Bach had emerged from his home to do the chores out in the field. He recalled this clearly; it almost felt tangible, as if he were back in that time when he was still just a naïve child, where the worst thing to have happened to him was being scolded or, heaven forbid!, grounded by his mother and father. The air had been warm, but the crisp breeze rustling through the grass cooled down the summer heat, so it was not too unbearable. The boy had fed the horses and cut the grass, had helped his mother tend the garden, and was now laying out in the grass, staring soothingly at the blue sky, observing the white, puffy clouds floating lazily ahead. He knew he would finish his chores soon, there was no harm in taking a small break, right? So long as he completed the work by the end of the day, his parents had nothing to complain about.

The image of the face of a little girl startled the boy, causing him to sit up suddenly and nearly clash their skulls together. Fortunately, the small child had enough foresight to step backward a bit as the teenager composed himself to his usual blank expression, a defense mechanism he had recently developed due to the teasing at school. He now always wore that vacant face, lest it be replaced by the fury which sometimes burst out of him. Unstable?, maybe, but it was far better, in his opinion, to be seen as unstable and a threat, than an easy target.

"Ja?" his voice sounded almost stern, and seemingly on reflex, the girl looked down, as if she were being reprimanded.

It took a few moments for the boy to realize that the soft heaving of her shoulders was the result of quiet sobbing. His eyes widened and he rose into a kneeling position, placing his hands gently on her shoulders.

"Are you alright, kind?" he whispered as tenderly as he ever would be.

This might have been what his parents sometimes referred to as "paternal instinct", or maybe it was the result of being an older brother now, though this girl was at least half a decade older than his own sister. Either way, even he was surprised by his willingness to comfort a child he had never met previously, but he was too concerned for her at the moment to pay too much mind to the contrast of his character.

"Shh, kleines mädchen, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

The child shook her head, then looked up, wiping slowly at her still teary eyes, then lifting her gaze to meet his. "No, I…did not mean to scare you," was her tiny response.

Bach could not help it; he chuckled softly and stood, still keeping one hand on the younger's shoulder. He smiled fondly and shook his head, "You did not scare me, you only surprised me. So you aren't hurt?"

"No, sir."

The adolescent was slightly taken aback by the formal address, "No need for that. Call me Bach. Will you tell me your name, liebchen?"

Now that the female realized that this older boy was not angry with her, and that she had not messed up, she smiled and responded cheerily, "Liana!"

"Liana, such a pretty name," Bach cooed.

The two of them talked, and after a few moments of the little girl beginning to open up to the kind boy, both children sat down together in the grass, until Liana finally stood, apologized, and said she needed to leave.

"If I'm late, I know I won't get supper," the younger said.

At the time, Bach hadn't understood the gravity of those words.

/

It was winter and the streets of Switzerland were frozen over with snow and ice. Still, that didn't stop young Liana's father from tossing her out into the snow like a broken toy. The little girl wept, her face red from her distress and the bitterness which nipped at her as she ran toward the now closed door, banging desperately.

"Vati! Vati! Please open the door!"

Bach was laying on the floor, playing with his younger sister. The little girl clapped happily as her brother worked his hardest to make her giggle. There were only two people he had met thus far who could cause him to behave in such a silly manner.

"Bach?"

The teenager straightened himself and turned, a blank expression now replacing his once grinning and laughing demeanor, "Yes Mutter?"

"We need more firewood."

The boy nodded and knelt down once more to little Agda.

"I need to go outside for a bit. Can you play by yourself, engelchen?"

The little girl nodded and Bach patted her head approvingly, affectionately, before exiting. His attention was immediately drawn to a sobbing figure in the front yard next to his. The teenager walked over, and as he drew nearer, recognized the small framed girl who lived next door. Squatting down next to the child, he set an unsure hand on Liana's shaking shoulder. It took a few moments, but the girl raised her head and looked at the boy next to her. After a little bit, she calmed her cries into occasional sniffles, but tears still fell from her green eyes.

"It's cold out here, Liana," Bach whispered, drawing the child closer to him, as if proving a point, "Why are you out here by yourself?"

Liana looked down, "Vati threw me out," she said so softly, it was almost undetectable.

If Bach had not been so close, he would not have heard her sad whisper. He repositioned himself so that he was sitting on the snow coated grown, and moved her so that her bare legs were distanced from the frozen earth.

The elder desired to question her about her temporary abandonment in this of all seasons, but figured she would not wish to talk about it, and also decided that it was none of his business anyway. Her stomach, betraying her, growled noisily and the girl pulled away, blushing.

"Have you had dinner yet?" the boy asked curiously. Surely her family did not eat so late that she would not have been fed yet. But, he hadn't eaten yet either.

She shook her head, "I usually…don't. Father eats and…there might be some for me after."

It took a moment for the words to register in his mind. Bach looked at her again, emotions somewhere between sympathy and anger flaring within him. The teenager sighed, not quite knowing what to do.

"I need to cut firewood for my house. If you wait until I am done and stay for a moment, I will return and bring you some food, alright?"

Liana nodded, and he stood, offering a hand out to her so she would not be seated on the cold. She allowed him to help her up.

When he had done as promised, handing her the majority of his portion of dinner, her face had lit up. He would never forget the expression. It had caused his heart to melt. Such a pitiful sight, being so excited for food. Afterward, if Liana had not been given food, she would stand outside near suppertime, and Bach would share his portion.

/

The soldier ducked to the side, then emerged above his covering, shooting at the enemies without quite seeing where they were before lowering his body again. Blood seeped from a wound in his side. Bach winced in pain, but moved to the left anyway, sneaking around a soldier who had not yet noticed him. He was at the perfect angle to get him in one shot if he just aimed right.

/

"Don't go!" the shrieking of a young girl rang out, "Bruder!"

"Go inside, Agda," the young man commanded sternly, not turning back.

"Bach…" another voice whispered.

Still, the male did not turn, but he knew who else was there.

"Bach…please…"

"This is not a choice," Bach muttered sadly, inclining his head, "I'll come back, I promise."

He took a step forward, then turned to face the two girls, immediately wishing he had not. Both females had teary eyes and pitiful expressions upon their angelic faces. The soon-to-be soldier sighed, running a hand through his messy blonde locks, then over his face.

"Agda," said girl looked up, "You will see me again. Liana," he turned to his neighbor, "I will come back for you. I'll save you."

The young man turned around again, but did not begin walking. Throwing one last glance over his shoulder, he vowed, "I promise."

/

The noise was loud. Deafening. His ears rang with the sudden sound. A gunshot. A puff of black powder filling his lungs as he was thrown backwards with the force. As he coughed, blood trickled down his chin. The crimson liquid seeped into the soil, but he still tried to get up. He couldn't die here; he had promised.

Bach coughed again, more liquid falling from his lips. Despite the agony it caused, the boy pulled himself to his knees, gravity pulling his torso forward, as he had not enough strength to keep himself upright. His face dug into the dirt. Bach used his elbows as support as he looked up.

The smoke stung his eyes and blurred his vision. He crawled. Many times, he collapsed. But he needed to live.

Tears stung his eyes and wiped tracks in his dirt stained cheeks. The images of his younger sister, of the little neighbor girl, they kept him moving…until he collapsed.

/

Emerald eyes blinked up at the blinding sun. A small, blonde haired child sat up, rubbing furiously at his face and blinking the splotches out of his vision. When he was able to see clearly, the boy noticed another child of brunette hair staring curiously at him. Within his small hands, the other boy was holding sheets of what appeared to be music notes scrawled across bars on paper.

"Guten tag," the blonde greeted hoarsely, coughing the scratchiness out of his voice.

"…Guten morgen, actually," the other corrected cautiously, "…ich heiße Austria."

"I am Switzerland," he said without a moment's hesitation.

He wasn't sure how he knew this information, but the words left his lips so easily that he knew it must be true. Austria accepted the statement with a smile and nod.

"Come with me," the brown haired one said after a moment, "I will show you around. You look lost."

"Danke," Switzerland replied curtly, standing, wobbling only slightly before following the first person he met in this world.